Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, March 15, 2024

Episode Date: March 16, 2024

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, millions at risk for severe storms after a violent and deadly tornado outbreak in the Midwest. Massive twisters ripping through seven states, throwing debris thousands of feet in the air. At least three people killed and dozens of others hospitalized. Daylight revealing widespread destruction. Homes reduced to rubble. Tonight, 17 million people from Texas to Florida at risk for hail, destructive winds, and tornadoes. Bill Cairns is standing by to time it out. Also tonight, Willis survives. A Georgia judge ruling DA, Fannie Willis, can stay on the election interference case against former

President Donald Trump. It comes just before the special prosecutor, who she had a romantic relationship with, handed in his resignation. A move, the judge said was necessary in order for Willis to stay on the biggest case of her career. The judge's harsh words on what he calls Perlapse in judgment. This, as New York, a New York judge, rather, grants a delay in Trump's hush money trial will explain where all of his cases stand. Putin's power play, presidential elections underway in Russia, but it is no surprise who will win. Pockets of resistance, no match for Putin, as he is sure to sweep a fifth term. We're inside a polling center in Moscow as the Kremlin goes to great lengths to prove his country is behind him.

Subway shooting scare, terrifying moments as a fight erupts on a train and ends with one-man shot. The chaotic and frightening scene as panicked riders rushed to take cover. How police are responding to this latest incident amid a surge of violence on the subways. Plus, model and actress Kara Delveen's house engulfed in a massive fire. Her hillside mansion burning for hours overnight. The roof collapsing and a firefighter sent to the hospital. The actress posting to Instagram fearing for her beloved cats still trapped inside. And security guard surprise, a college security guard hadn't seen his family in more than a decade.

But thanks to a group of dedicated students, that's all about to change. The touching moment that brought the beloved guard to tears. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamas. the Midwest reeling from a violent and deadly tornado outbreak, and tonight, more states are at risk. Take a look at this, a massive twister tearing across Ohio, sending debris thousands of miles in the air. This tornado, just one of many, ripping through at least seven states.

The nighttime twisters prompting a mass casualty response in northwest Ohio, where at least three people were killed. Daylight revealing the widespread devastation there as homes are leveled. left unrecognizable. In Indiana, a monster EF3 tornado ripped through the area, leaving dozens of people hospitalized. A trail of destruction left in its wake as houses and businesses are completely destroyed. Certain rescue crews continue to dig through the rubble for possible victims and the threat far from over with more storms targeting millions from Texas to Florida tonight. Bill Cairns is standing by to time it out, but we began on the ground with NBC's Shaq Brewster.

Tonight, a violent start to tornado season, toppling buildings while tearing others apart. Tornadoes ripping through nine states, flipping boats and smashing brick walls, including in Ohio, where the Logan County Sheriff says at least three people were killed. The damage is very, very significant, and it's just quite, it's quite extensive. Search crews spent the day scouring collapsed buildings, traversing down power lines, and bringing in cadaver dogs to search for victims. Many places back there that are collapsed, and we need to go back with heavy equipment to move those

to make sure that there's anybody injured back there or possibly deceased. Susan Young was trapped inside this home in Lakeview, Ohio, yelling for help as the storm barreled through. It just took a roof and then just blew me down the hall. You saw your roof fly off? Yeah. What did you think when you saw that?

Help. I didn't know if I'd make it. Her entire block devastated, the result of the most active severe weather day of the year so far. More than 300 storms reported nationwide Thursday. We have houses level to the ground here. In neighboring Indiana, search and rescue teams are on the ground. Jesse Kirsch is there. Here in Winchester, Indiana, one hospital says it's treated more than two dozen people for injuries, including broken bones.

Some businesses and homes here devastated. In Missouri, hail smashed through windshield and battered homes. Experts say the warming climate is leading to more frequent tornadoes happening earlier in the year and further north than usual. On a day, many lost everything. Susan tells me it could have been worse. I'm really glad to be alive because it was scary. And with that, NBC News correspondent Shaq Brewster joins us from Lakeview, Ohio. Oshack, do officials fear the death toll there will continue to rise? Hi there, Allison.

Well, that was certainly the case this morning, but this evening, the county sheriff is telling us that the search and rescue mission is complete. And that despite the path of destruction that you're seeing, he believes there are no individuals who are currently unaccounted for. And meanwhile, the governor of this state vowing that despite the destruction you see and the businesses destroyed and homes and families displaced, He says that this community, Ellison, will be back. Shaq Brewster, thank you. NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns joins me now. Bill, I mean, it has been an incredible two days of storms. Where do things stand right now? 17 tornadoes now in this outbreak over the last two days. Most of them were last night. Just how widespread they are is pretty incredible. Nine different states from Texas all the way to Ohio. And it's amazing we didn't have more lives lost. And I think one of the important reasons, why. is that the people in these manufactured homes that were just destroyed.

I mean, there's just rows of houses that were destroyed. People left them because they had a good heads up. They had enough lead time to evacuate and get out of harm's way. So this was the line of storms, Winchester, Indiana, and Lakeview, Ohio. These were the two hardest hit areas with the manufacturer at homes. And the tornado warnings went out at about the same time, right around 7.30. Both of them had about 22 to 24 minutes of lead time. So the alerts went off on their phones.

People knew the tornado was coming, and they got to safety. This saved lives because of the job that was done by the National Weather Service. So that's fantastic. Now, as far as what we've dealt with, the last 12 hours, strong storms rolled through Louisiana. Now they're at the Florida Panhandle. We still have a lot of nasty weather in areas of Texas, and that'll continue into the overnight hours. It has been a very difficult evening rush hour around Houston. A lot of big thunderstorms, hail reported with these, not only damaging hail, but still difficult driving conditions.

So one storm's egging over Houston, and a huge storm just to the south there of the Houston area. Look all the lightning strikes with that one. So where do we go from here? Over the weekend, we're still going to have isolated severe storms, not as widespread. Again, looking at South Texas, San Antonio, down the Corpus Christi. And a lot of this mess will be moving along the Gulf Coast this weekend. Rest of the East Coast, West Coast looks fine. Just along the Gulf Coast, Ellison, where they're having the bad weather right now,

that's going to return on Sunday. Bill Cairns, thank you. We want to turn now to that other major news we've been following tonight, a Georgia judge ruling that in battled Fulton County, DA, Fannie Willis can continue leading the election interference case against former President Donald Trump, but only if the special prosecutor she appointed and had a romantic relationship with steps down. That prosecutor, Nathan Wade, turning in his resignation letter earlier today. NBC News correspondent Blaine Alexander has been following this case from the beginning

and has the latest tonight from Atlanta. He was front and center when Fannie Willis announced her criminal indictment of Donald Trump, But tonight, Nathan Wade, the man leading the prosecution against the former president for allegedly trying to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results, has resigned. The culmination of a month's long spectacle after one of Trump's co-defendants, Michael Roman, exposed a romantic relationship between Wade and Fulton County DA Fannie Willis who hired Wade on the case. Roman accused Willis of financially benefiting from her relationship with Wade after the two went on vacations together. while working the case. In a ruling today, Judge Scott McAfee said, while he did not find an actual conflict of interest in the case, he did find a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team and gave Willis an ultimatum. Either she and her office

leave the case or Wade. In a letter, Wade writes today, he's resigning to move this case forward as quickly as possible. For Willis, today's ruling is a legal victory, but a professional blow following this stunning two-hour testimony. It is a lot. It is a lot. Judge Scott McAfee scolding what he called her unprofessional manner on the stand. And while not dismissing the case outright, as the defense had asked, McAfee takes Willis to task over, quote, this tremendous lapse in judgment.

Tonight, Trump's attorney, Steve Sadoe says he will use all legal options available as we continue to fight to end this case. Also tonight, Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, tells Fox News he will not endorse Trump, in part, because of his actions on January 6th. Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years. And that's why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign. Yet another political headwind for a candidate already facing several legal ones. Alexander joins us now. So Blaine, what is next in this case after today's decision? Well, Alison, a lot of that depends on what the defense attorneys decide to do. They are

able to ask for an appeal in all of this. And at least one defense attorney has signaled that that's not an option that's off the table. And so if that's something that happens, we're talking about another few weeks of delays while this process goes through. But in the grander scheme of things, you know, initially Fannie Willis had wanted a timeline of a trial to start by early August. That was already ambitious before this past two and a half months of motions trying to remove her. But now, it seems almost all but impossible that this will go to trial before the election. Alison. Blaine Alexander in Atlanta, thank you.

For more on what this case means, or what this means, rather, for the case itself. I want to bring in NBC News legal analyst and friend of top story, Danny Savalo. So, Danny, let's just start with the judge's decision here, that point. Judge McAfee, he didn't say everything was good here, also didn't completely upend everything. Were you surprised by the judge's decision? I was not. It was a very Judge McAfee decision based on what I saw during the hearing, right down the middle. Everybody won and everybody lost at the same time. The Fulton County DA's office wins in that it gets to stay on the case, but it loses in that it sure doesn't look good in doing so.

And the defense technically wins part of their motion, but a tiny little bit. part of that motion. And even though they've only succeeded in getting rid of one prosecutor, it's a major victory for the defense in my view because they do slow down the momentum of the case. Although if Nathan Wade really billed $800,000 in two years, I really don't think we're going to have that hard a time funding somebody else to take the reins. In fact, I'm applying to the Georgia bar as we speak on my phone because apparently everybody's billing $800,000 a year down there. So let's talk a little more about Nathan Wade. I mean, is it really disruptive? to a prosecutor's or the prosecution's case

to have someone who was seemingly very important kind of one of the main point guys on this case to be gone this late. Yeah, on the one hand, if he is the team leader, then yes, it's very disruptive. But on the other hand, I can't help but wonder, I mean, they have at least one other special prosecutor, maybe more, I don't remember the count.

And also the Fulton County DA's office isn't East Ham sandwich out in the boondocks. It is a major city, hundreds of DAs in that office. There have to be some line prosecutors who can step in and fill out their needs, or they should be able to find someone. And I know I was being glib before, but look, at $2.50 an hour, given what Nathan Wade billed, I don't think the job will be vacant for all that long. But yes, in the sense that everybody's coming to work every day with their lunch pails, getting to work and prosecuting this case, this has been a major disruption. Not even because you have to find a new prosecutor, but think about this. Think about the line prosecutors on this team.

At some point, there had to be a conversation, Alison, where they say, hey, I know you're working on the Brad Raffensberger phone calls on this case. We're going to take you off that and put you on the Fawney Willis Napa Valley trip part of the case. Something you never planned on doing as a line prosecutor. Here you are in the case of a lifetime. It can make your career. And frankly, I think we'll find out in a few years that these prosecutors, at least some of them, were pretty irked at the idea that they had to stop working on their case and focus on defending Nathan Wade's divorce interrogatories or whether or not their boss paid case. cash when the other prosecutor and her went to Belize. I think if I were a prosecutor on that team, I would be really frustrated right now. So probably morale is down. They'll find someone

to fill Nathan Wade's shoes, but it is a blow. Is this something, some of the issues that the judge raised where he said that Fannie Willis showed a lapse in judgment? Is that something that the defense team, and this is a complicated case, we're talking about a RICO case with multiple co-defendants, can they bring that back up as this case moves forward? You bring up a really interesting point. At the core of this, none of this motion really goes to the substantive facts of guilt or innocence. The argument is it affects due process. The argument the defense made is that this affects the right to a fair trial. And the appearance of impropriety does relate to that. Maybe not directly, but tangentially. So if it doesn't really affect the underlying facts,

I imagine it won't be an issue that really affects the substantive guilt as this case proceeds to trial. But I mean, I just keep going back to the fact that it's just hugely disruptive. And by the way, like you pointed out, the judge concluded, yes, the DA can stay on the case. But boy, this is hardly an endorsement of what they did. And I have to, you know, all day I've been working on this over in my head. It's very unusual to get a decision that gives a choice. Usually an order is just that. It's an order, thou shalt. It's not thou shalt make a decision. And it's so interesting to me that this appearance of impropriety, well, either it's the entire office or it's one guy. And that seems like a pretty strange thing. Is it really either the entire office or is this

fixed by just getting rid of one guy? I'm really not sure. And this is a strategy we've seen from the Trump team where they've tried to delay in a number of trials that delay works in their favor they seem to think, right? And that certainly is one of the arguable wins for them as it relates to what's happened in Georgia right now. But when you're looking at some of the other cases. Obviously, this is not the only case Trump and his vast legal team are dealing with. Very quickly, what else are you watching on some of those other cases? There are four criminal cases against Trump, two are federal, two are state. What a difference delay makes in the federal cases, because if Donald Trump is elected and inaugurated,

he can simply get rid of those federal cases, a couple different procedural ways. The state cases, it's not so easy. But constitutionally, we're not entirely sure what happens if a sitting president, someone, a state prosecutor, tries to put him on trial, or worse, tries to imprison him. We just don't know what happens. So delay helps Trump in both state and federal, more in federal, but maybe also in the state cases. All right. Danny Savalos, thank you so much. We appreciate it. We're going to turn now to the terrifying scene on a New York City subway train. This happened last night, video from a passenger capturing the moment a fight breaks out before one man was then shot in the head as frightened riders cowered on the other end of the car.

Our Stephen Romo has the details and a warning. portions of this video are difficult to watch. Tonight, horror on a New York City subway. Commuters running for their lives after police say a man was shot during a fight on board a moving train. This woman who recorded herself caught in the middle of it all recalled the terrifying moments before she was helped into an ambulance for treatment. I was screaming myself and everybody started owning me all very well. Police say it all started when this 36-year-old man entered a Brooklyn subway station Thursday afternoon during rush out. About 10 minutes later, that man started an argument with a 32-year-old

rider. That quickly escalated into a physical fight. A woman passenger appearing to stab the 36-year-old in the lower back. That man then pulling out a gun. sending panicked passengers running to the other end of the subway car. According to police, the gunman was disarmed by the man he was fighting and shot with his own gun four times, just as the train pulled into the station. That sent commuters into an even bigger frenzy. Officers recovered the gun at the scene and rushed the 36-year-old to the hospital where he's in critical condition.

Police detained the shooter at the scene, but the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office saying they are not filing criminal charges citing evidence of self-defense. Police say the woman who allegedly stabbed the aggressor is not in custody, and they're not saying whether she could face charges. Some witnesses still in shock. People were praying, huddling off of each other, hugging each other, trying to reassure one another that everything is going to be okay. This all comes just a week after New York Governor Kathy Hokel announced a team of 1,000 National Guard troops and state police officers would help secure the country's most traveled subway system. These brazen, heinous attacks on our subway system will not be tolerated. Police saying riders shouldn't be afraid of taking public transit despite this latest incident. We are keeping a large system and a large amount of people safe.

The most recent NYPD figures show that the number of shootings and transit crime both dropped by more than 15% in February compared to last year. But some commuters say it's not enough. Honestly, it's out of control. NBC News correspondent Stephen Romo joins us now in studio. Stephen, a terrifying scene. I mean, we are both subway riders. This is everyone's worst nightmare. When it comes to those actions Governor Hockel is taking to try and deal with some of the situations happening in the subway, what is the public and riders?

What do they think about that? Well, there's been a lot of criticism of that decision to put the National Guard in the subway. People are getting their bags checked. And it's just some odd to see the National Guard troops down there in the subway system. Some civil rights groups have also raised concerns about the bag searches and all of that. But we're only a week into this plan. So it's too early to see exactly if it will help the situation. But it obviously did not prevent what happened last night on the A train.

So many people are pointing that out right now and questioning if this really is the answer. All right. Stephen Romo, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Moving overseas now to the presidential election in Russia tonight, where it's a certainty that Vladimir Putin will win yet another six-year term. The longest serving Russian leader since Stalin facing only nominal opposition. But across the country, reports of violence at polling places as Russia's war against Ukraine rages on. NBC's chief international correspondent, Kier Simmons, has the latest tonight from Moscow. Tonight's pockets of resistance on the first day of Russia's election.

Reports have died poured into ballot boxes and arson attempts. Here, a Molotov cocktail, apparently thrown at a polling station. Russian President Putin is expected to win six more years in power. He voted today on his own, on a computer. In Moscow at 8 a.m., one of the first we saw vote, 90-year-old Nina Kiselova, telling NBC news she remembers Stalin's funeral and now only trusts Putin. We live well, says Svetlana Kulikova. That's why I voted for Putin. Among many signs, the Kremlin wants a big turnout. We witnessed municipal workers employed by the government arriving in groups. and text messages seen by NBC News promising prizes to those who vote online.

While this election observer told us new electronic voting can't be verified. You cannot know what's happening when someone votes online or electronically. You just don't know, right? International election monitors will come from 106 countries, Russia says, including China. But independent Western observers are not welcome. None of the three men running against Putin have criticised him, and none poll higher than 6%. While even this weekend, there were only a few campaign posters across Moscow. A Russian bear is the star of a Putin election video on state media.

Don't put him in chains, it says. The widow of Alexei Navalny, Putin's most famous critic who recently died in prison, urging the West not to recognize the ballot. For almost 12 hours today, we've been watching Russians. under no illusions what they're being asked to vote for. This V, and it's everywhere this election, representing the war in Ukraine. The war unrelenting today. With missile and drone strikes against Russia near the Ukrainian border,

Putin on television saying the attacks were aimed at disrupting the election, but will make Russia more united. Kier Simmons joins us now from Moscow. We know that despite the fact that the outcome of this election, is essentially predetermined. The Kremlin is keeping a very close eye on voter turnout. What are the numbers telling us so far? Oh, yeah, Alison, turnout is everything. It's what really matters to the Kremlin. And we've heard tonight from Russia's Electoral Commission that it says across Russia, so far today, there's been

a 36 percent turnout. Now, think about that. It's a three-day election. If it was the same numbers tomorrow and then on Sunday, well, that would be an almost 100% turnout. Pretty difficult to believe, right? And just a sense of the size of this country, Alison, and the difficulty of judging whether this is a free and fair election. It's 11 time zones. While we're talking now in the far east of Russia, they're already well into their day, well into the second day of voting here. And, Kier, when Putin wins, which of course he will, he'll become the longest serving leader in Russia

since the Russian Revolution. What will the implications be back here in the United States? Well, I listen to state the obvious, what it means when Putin wins and wins another six years after 24 years in power is that there's going to be more Putin, that people hoping that Western leaders hoping that Putin would go away, well, where they're not going to be granted that wish.

And that also likely means more war in Ukraine, because President Putin has made it clear that he says he's prepared to negotiate, but really only on Russia's terms. And of course, conversely, President Zelensky being clear that he would negotiate, but only on Ukraine's terms, effectively on the terms of the West, on Washington's terms. and the terms of European capitals. So there are implications from this election, despite the fact that we know the results, and many of them are not that positive for the West, honestly.

Kear Simmons, amazing reporting. Thank you. Still ahead tonight, a father's plea. A Kentucky college student found unresponsive on the floor of her dorm room and hospitalized with serious injuries, why her father says the school and police are not doing enough. Plus, the massive fire ripping through the L.A. mansion of model and actress Cara Delveen, the roof collapsing. We're live at the scene as details trickle in. And it could soon be impossible to get a lift or Uber in one major American city, why the rideshare apps say they will stop

operating in Minneapolis by May. Stay with us. We're back now with a development. story out of Los Angeles, a massive fire destroying the home of model and actress Kara Delveen. Aerial footage shows smoke billowing from the multi-million dollar mansion as the fire burned for hours. Nearly 100 firefighters were on the scene throughout this morning. The actress, thankfully not there at the time. NBC Los Angeles reporter Christian Cesararez joins us now from the scene of the fire. Christian, walk us through what we know at this hour. Well, Esson, I can tell you, the firefighters have been here for almost 12 hours now.

Check it out. This is a live look here outside of the English model and actress's home. And you can see the fire trucks here parked right outside of the home. They're just basically cleaning up here. Now, L.A. City fire telling us the call came for a large two-story home fire around 4 o'clock this morning. But when fire crews arrived, they say they had a hard time finding the fire in the smoke because of the long driveway. Now, it took crews two hours to knock out this fire. They say it was an overall very extensive fire operation because of the size of the home.

And as you mentioned, it took almost 100 firefighters here to face this challenge. Now, again, the model and the actors was not home when the fire happened. But LA City fire telling us only a housekeeper was here at the home when the fire happened. And we're told she was able to walk away with no major injuries here. So some good news to report there. Alison. Christian, do authorities there have any clue as to what? caused this fire in the first place.

Well, as of now, the cause is still under investigation, but I do want to show you a very interesting piece of information that some of the neighbors were sharing with us today. I want to show you here a live look here from the neighborhood. You can see that there's just so much greenery here, and their biggest concern they tell me is that all the properties here, they share branches. So as you can imagine, they were concerned, they were scared that this fire was easily going to be jumping from property to property here. Unfortunately, that was not the case, but of course, a very scary situation here for so many neighbors this morning.

And there was a lot of concern for Kara's two cats. I mean, she posted a photo. We can show our viewers here on Instagram of her cats saying that her heart is broken. We hear there might be an update tonight about how those pets are doing. That's right. Well, we all know that our pets are part of our families, right? So, of course, she posted a picture when she thought that her two cats had passed away in the... fire, but I can tell you that early this morning, our crews were out here. They were able to

get video of two women coming down this driveway with both of those cats in their arms, and they were alive. And just a short moment after that, the model going on to her Instagram and updating the condition of those two cats and also going on to thanking all the firefighters and everyone in general that came out here to help. Of course, a very scary situation, not just for her, but of course for all the neighbors here in Studio City. Cassarez in L.A. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Turning now to the mysterious incident involving a college student in Kentucky who nearly died from gruesome injuries she suffered in her dorm room. Her father now speaking out, frustrated

with the lack of answers from the university and law enforcement. NBC News correspondent Elwyn Lopez has this report. A father's nightmare unfolding at his alma mater, Asbury University. There's no way that these could have been caused by. anything other than somebody doing something, you know, to her. These photos showing her gruesome injuries, Andy Willingham's daughter, Isabella found unresponsive in her Kentucky dorm, rushed to the ER. Her father says he learned she had stopped breathing for 23 minutes. At about 11 o'clock that night, we get a call from the resident director of her dorm, and she tells us that Bella is in an ambulance on her way to the

emergency room that she had been found unresponsive in her dorm on the floor by her roommate. Her father says the 21-year-old student was put on a respirator unable to breathe on her own. She wasn't released from the hospital for more than a week, but how she ended up unconscious is still a mystery. As a parent, I want to know if there's a possibility of somebody coming into the school and into the campus that could be potentially dangerous. He says he was initially told that it was believed she had fallen from her bunk bed, but her injuries seemed to tell another story. The Jessamine County Sheriff's Department telling NBC News that this is, quote, an open investigation at this time.

In a statement, Asbury University says, it is, quote, unable to provide any updates or specific information at this time, and that the school's priority remains the safety and well-being of its students, faculty, and staff. Willingham speaking out now because he thinks the university has not done enough to alert students about the incident. I contacted them and I said, this is not okay. You have to send something else. You've got to give a detail so that if somebody knows something, they will be able to come forward. And the school's response to me was we feel like we've done everything we can do. And Allison, the student's father tells us that his wife spoke to their daughter earlier that morning that she wasn't feeling well and that she was not going to go to any of her class. as far as we know, no charges have been filed in this case and no suspects have been named.

Alison. Elwyn Lopez, thank you. When we come back in urgent warning for pet owners in Southern California, a deadly illness affecting about a dozen dogs in Riverside County, what researchers now believe is the cause. That's next. We're back now with Top Stories, New News. loose feet. Boeing is telling all airlines to check the cockpit seats on 787 Dreamliner jets after a scary

incident on a flight overseas. According to the Wall Street Journal, a Latam Airlines flight attendant hit a switch on the pilot seat while serving a meal, causing the plane to nosedive. Luckily, the pilots regained control of the aircraft. The company issuing a memo recommending operators check for loose covers on those switch seats. And researchers in Southern California have pinpointed a parasite causing a fatal illness in pets, experts finding the parasite in snails that live in a portion of the Colorado River that runs through Blythe. That's a city about 220 miles east of Los Angeles. Researchers say about a dozen dogs that were sickened had visited that area. Pet owners who have taken their dogs near the Colorado River in Riverside

County, they are urged to get their pets tested if they begin experiencing stomach issues. And Uber and Lyft planning to stop operating in Minneapolis on May 1st. Both rideshare companies saying the decision has to do with a new minimum wage law for ride share drivers. If the bill passes, drivers would start being paid $15.57 an hour. The city's mayor has vetoed the measure, but the city council voted for an override. Lyft said in a statement the bill makes its operations, quote, unsustainable. We turn now to a shocking bullying incident in Massachusetts. Six juveniles charged after a discussion on the app Snapchat that involved, quote,

heinous language, threats of violence towards people of color, and a mock slave auction. The district attorney condemning the student's actions. With this, I intend to be very clear. Hatred and racism have no place in this community. and where this behavior becomes criminal, I will ensure that we act and act with swift resolve as we did here to uncover it and bring it to the light of justice. The six students now facing charges that include interference with civil rights, threat to commit a crime, and witness interference.

Joining me now for more on this incident is Allison Lopez, the mother of the 13-year-old student, targeted and bishops. Bishop Talbert Swan. Thank you both for joining me tonight. I wish you didn't need to because this is something that should not happen to anyone. And Allison, we are so sorry for what you and your family are going through right now. But could you tell us a little bit about your daughter? How is she doing? She's struggling. She still continues to struggle. This incident has not really allow her to breathe comfortably since it first happened. Yesterday, when the district attorney Galuni made his statement, it was a sort of relief for her somewhat, but at the same time, it has not been a relief.

So today she still struggles. Can you walk us through what happened? I mean, how did you and your daughter learn about this, seemingly appalling, horrific Snapchat discussion? She woke up on Friday, February 9th, normal morning routine to get ready for school. And, you know, as a typical teenager, they wake up, they check their phones before their morning start to put on their music to get ready, so have you. And when she woke up, she woke up to a removal from a chat feed that she was unsure of.

and the person who removed her from the chat was a name that she was not familiar with as a friend. At that point, she probably asked a question to another person and the person said, well, there was an online chat they heard that happened that night that her name was part of and it was something to do with race. And that's how it started.

I immediately asked her what was wrong because she came into my room really sad and crying and she said, I didn't want to go to school today and I said, why? And she said, because, you know, the kids are mean. And I said, well, we go to school because, you know, this is what we're supposed to do, not knowing what it really was. And it's not until a couple hours after she arrived in the school is when I received a phone call

of what exactly happened. Bishop Swan, as we mentioned, the district attorney charging these six students. But earlier this month, the Greater Springfield NAACP filed a complaint with the state against the Southwick School District where this occurred, saying officials there have not properly punished the student responsible and pushing for investigations into past instances of racially charged bullying. In your mind, Bishop, are these charges from the district attorney sufficiently addressing the problem? And should the school and the school district be doing more? I think the district attorney's actions are appropriate in terms of holding accountable

the individuals that engage in this horrific scenario. I think the school district needs to be held accountable. These incidents have happened over a prolonged period of time. Once we kind of expose this particular incident regarding Ms. Lopez's daughter and the previous incidents that preceded the slave auction, we have had families to come out of the woodwork, sharing their experiences when their children attended school

in Southwick. Parents who say they left the school district. Parents who say we sold our home and moved out of Southwick. Graduates of the school who started an online petition to hold the school district accountable saying they experienced it while they were there

and then teachers of color who say they taught in the school district and left the school district because of racism that went on address. So this is a pervasive problem in the Southwick School District, and we thought that the Department of Education needed to do some due diligence in terms of investigating whether or not they are taking proper steps to get rid of this environment that makes it so easy for these things to happen.

Allison, what is your message to the students tonight who did this to your daughter? I'm sad. I'm disheartened by the behavior. I'm appalled. I'm appalled. I think the lesson, the message from the district attorney yesterday still has not resonate because as of yesterday, after the district attorney made his statement, they continue to be racist derogatory remarks posted on a restroom in one of the classrooms in the building in the school yesterday. So, you know, as of today, right now, as I sit here, I think there's a lot that still need to be learned.

and need to be shared with the students, with their parents, and with the administration. Because as of today, the kids don't get it. The parents don't understand. You know, they feel that the district attorney decision is harsh. But at the same time, it's necessary. It's necessary. Because when my daughter came home from school yesterday, she said there was something else in the rest of room. Ms. Lopez, Bishop Swan, thank you both for being with us tonight

and sharing your story. We will continue to follow this. Thank you. Coming up, a Netflix star convicted. The Squid Game actor and Golden Globe winner found guilty of sexual harassment. The sentence handed down today in a South Korean court.

Back now with Top Stories Global Watch and the ongoing chaos in Haiti. New video showing black plumes of smoke billowing out of the nation's largest prison during a TV broadcast as a fire burned inside. No word on the cause of the fire or if there were any injuries. However, the prison remains nearly empty after armed gangs stormed the facility earlier this month, releasing thousands of inmates. A star of the hit Netflix show Squid Game convicted of sexual harassment in South Korea. A court official confirming 79-year-old O Yang Su received an eight-month suspended prison

sentence and was ordered to attend 40 hours of sexual violence treatment. He was arrested in 2022 for forcibly kissing and hugging a woman. He denies the allegations and says he plans to appeal O-1, a Golden Globe for his role as number one in Squid Games' first season. Turning now to a heartwarming story back here at home, a group of college students deciding to pay it forward in a truly remarkable way, proving that family is so often about much more than just who you're related to. NBC news correspondent George Solis has this story. You're about to see a man literally move to tears. We have a part for you, and we also have a little gift inside.

Why, such a small gift? Warned it's such a big reaction. Take a listen. Love you, James. The man in the video is Providence. college security guard James Mogadji and this group of students love and respect for him so genuine it inspired them to do something not worth any grade but certainly worth some credit and you told us a while ago that you wanted to see your family in Nigeria that you haven't seen a long time 10 years to be exact so when the moment came to find a way to repay the man who is not just seen as another authority

figure but rather a member of the family students of Raymond hall started a fundraiser the goal to get James back home to Nigeria to see his family easily exceeding their original goal of $3,500. Take care of our own. That's what we do at PC. As long as I've been here, they've been not for me. It's been for each other. So now we're doing it for you. Looking back and seeing the video again, what goes through your mind, seeing his reverence, what you guys did for him, and being able to pay it forward in such a big way? It's just like a sense of unfathomable appreciation. I mean, James is, he's a horrible worker. I'm glad that myself in the PZ community and just the greater community, the greater world community, was able to meet

and surpass a need that James had. To say the man in the hour was taken back is an understatement. How did I deserve this, man? Oh, my God, guys. All I'm trying to do is to do the right and make sure I'm doing good by you guys. And like most mentors, he took his moment to focus on those that matter to him most, all right there in that room. I pray from the bottom of my heart, God will continue to protect you guys, to make sure that you achieve your goals.

You can bet James will be right there alongside them, because that's what family does. I think that just being able to be so blessed and also bless others, there's nothing better than that. And I believe that's our mission. That's our purpose over here on Earth to use what we've given to give. George Salis, NBC News. Still ahead tonight, a look at what you can binge watch and listen to this weekend. Stay with us. We are back now with bingeworthy.

Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. Let's bring in Callan Rosenblatt, NBC News Digital Reporter covering youth and internet culture and a great resource for all things, pop culture, of course. So let's start with this movie. It's starring Lindsay Lohan. If you're trying to get in like a St. Patrick's Day mood, it is set in Ireland. It's called Irish Wish, and it is on Netflix. Let's watch a clip. Emma, have you seen Paul?

I haven't seen him anywhere. How did he get in there? What is wrong? I am not the one who's getting married. She is. Exactly. You, my friend, are marrying Paul Kennedy. Yes! Come on. It's you.

I mean, the scenery is gorgeous. It's beautiful. Okay, Alison, the plot is obviously very predictable. Girl makes a wish, to fall in love to marry, love of her life. But if you are a millennial or a child of the 90s, if you loved Lindsay Lohan movies like The Parent Trap, Creaky Friday. This is Lindsay Lohan back in her element. We're having a Lindsay Renaissance.

Yeah. I am here for it. I am so ready for the nostalgia. Like rom-coms is where I think she thrives the best. So I'm so stoked for it. Okay. All right. This next one I am incredibly excited about the show Girls 5 Eva is back for season three on

Netflix. Let's watch a clip. Remember these ladies? Girls 5 Eva! Don't you know about your stellar? We were on TV. Girls by VEVEVEVA, going to be famous by VEVA

comes forever's too short. Girls by VEVEVA is back. We need to do something big to get notice. That should be us up there. I'm doing the graffito. Oh, summer, no. So I went to the premiere of this last week because my girlfriend,

yes, my girlfriend is like Busy Phillips is one of her closest friends. She is a national treasure. It was hilarious. I saw two episodes, and I'm into, it. Are you excited? I am so excited. I just love everyone on the cast, like Renee Elise and Sarah Borrellas, Paula Pell, Busy Phillips. It just looks so cute and so funny and like something where you can kind of turn your brain off and just laugh, especially, I feel like we need that now

more than ever. I'm so happy that you loved it. I think if you loved it, I'm going to like. It was really good. And it had some good, like, 90s nostalgia in the episode that I saw too where, I mean, it's great. I won't spoil it for you, but I highly recommend it. Okay, so this next one, we have a series that is a drama series based on a book about female journalists covering a presidential race on the campaign trail. It is called Girls on the Bus, and it's on Max. You and your newspaper ruined my life. These schmucks are dangerous.

Our democracy is dead. And they play dirty. Oh, my God. How did you get this number? This is serious. They need to work together. Oh, OTR. On the record.

No, no, it's off the record. All eyes on me. Wake out. It's only our democracy. I mean, I love a movie about journalists. Love a movie about female journalists. Yeah. As someone who has covered a campaign trail, I'm like, this is so not reality.

And I hate that there's the old trope of someone sleeping, a female journalist sleeping with a source because it doesn't happen. It's an antiquated trope. It doesn't happen in our industry at all. The thing that bothers me a little bit is that there's a Gen Z journalist who's kind of made to be a dits. I know a lot of Gen Z journalists are some of the most dogged, hardworking reporters. They're incredibly intelligent. So that kind of bummed me out a little bit to see a young reporter portrayed that way. And I can tell you none of the people that are on a campaign trail will have any time to be done with like they hustle, like carrying all of their own equipment.

Exactly. It is a lot and they're amazing. But yes, if you want to look at a really fake version of it, there you go, there you go. We don't know any of those people though. Okay. The last one on our watch list, we have a movie that's streaming on Max as well. This stars Nicholas Cage and it looks pretty good. scenario, and it's basically where this guy finds out, he's just showing up in everyone's dreams. Watch. You've been on my mind recently.

You should keep popping up in my dreams. You don't do anything. You're just there. So, this specific person, the remarkable nobody, I'm still going to have that experience. Do you have a picture? Have you been dreaming about me? Have I been dreaming about you?

Yeah. I love, where I'm like already trying to talk about him. I love that guy and I love that guy. What do you think so? Okay, so I saw this film. I saw with Q&A with the director. The film is weird. And if you like things that are off the beaten path,

this is a great film for you. Something that I thought the director said that was really interesting is he wanted to make a movie that was from the perspective of people we don't typically think about. He referenced a Godzilla film in which, rather than, you know, being from the perspective of people fighting Godzilla

or Godzilla himself. It's about bureaucracy and the people who are, you know, making the red tape and just taking this totally new perspective on things. So it was setting this film in the perspective of a professor and what if he just this random person happened to be in everyone's dreams and what comes along with that fame and how to social media act and how did the people in his life respond to that fame? It's a really interesting film. I definitely recommend checking this one out. And the reviews have said that Nicholas Cage is just stellar in this. Fantastic in this. Yes. Okay. That is on my list. The next one and I am really excited about this because Casey Musgraves has a new album and a song that we're going to play

a little bit for you called Too Good to Be True. Listen. I'm obsessed with her. I'm like her music, her outfits. Her by everything is great. What do you think? I have a lot. I'm obsessed with her. I'm like her music, her outfits. Her by everything is great. What do you think? I have, like, a problem where when I hear Casey Musgraves, I burst into tears. Like, she's just everything she does, I think, is so beautiful. This is really introspective, and I think the whole album is a little bit slower and more introspective. And I just, I'm such a fan of everything she puts out, whether it's rainbow or follow your arrow.

I just love everything Casey does. So you're going to get a resounding yes for me. I think everyone should go check this out. She's an amazing lyricist. Incredible. Phenomenal storyteller. Okay. For those of you who have been losing.

it all week because in sync reunited Justin Timberlake has a new album on his own. This song, I believe this is the song, right? It's called No Angels. Let's listen. That is a great comparison. Robin Thick vibes. It's very Robin Thick.

I heard a little bit of trouble coming back to Justin Timberlake posts things with Britney Spears and revisiting sort of the 90s and late 2000s. I do like the song. To me, this may sound crazy, but I thought it sounded a little bit like, can't stop the feeling if it was like a little bit sexier. I enjoyed this version of this song. I think it's really fun, you know, and again, millennial, 90s girl, and sync coming back, there's nothing better than that. I know. That is always fun. Happy early St. Patrick's Day. Callan Rosenblatt, thank you for being with us. And thank you at home for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.