Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, March 29, 2024

Episode Date: March 30, 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, a major salvage operation now underway after that deadly and devastating bridge collapse in Baltimore. The largest crane on the East Coast arriving at the wreckage site. The crane, one key part of the daunting process to lift the mangled mess from the ship that brought it all down. Officials hoping the complex mission will help recover the bodies of four construction workers missing and presumed dead. The long and dangerous work to clear the waterway of the vital port. Also tonight, barbecues demand. Rare access to Haiti's brutal gang leader, the face of the country's dissent into lawlessness and violence, what he says it will take for a ceasefire as gangs take over that nation's

capital. Plus, the weapons pipeline from the U.S. to Haiti, NBC's exclusive look at American efforts to stop guns from getting into the hands of those powerful gangs. Immigration crackdown. Georgia lawmakers pushing new legislation in the wake of the murder. of a college student allegedly at the hands of an undocumented immigrant. The controversial measure pushing law enforcement to verify the immigration status of those in custody and the consequences if they don't. White critics argue the law exploits the death of Lake and Riley.

A deadly shootout caught on camera. Body camera footage showing the intense gunfight at a Fort Lauderdale Hotel. An officer struck in the best as a suspect is fatally shot. What we know about the moments leading up to that shooting. Plus, high-rise Inferno, a raging fire sends a building in Brazil up in flames. The fire forcing neighboring buildings to evacuate. And Cowboy Carter, Beyonce, making her country debut transcending the traditional limits of the genre. The 27-track LP featuring Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton. The Queen Bee's rendition of an iconic Beatles song In her own words, this is not a country album. This is a Beyonce album.

Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, a massive cleanup effort underway in Baltimore after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The largest crane on the East Coast arriving today, highlighting the massive undertaking that lies ahead. The Army Corps of Engineers facing,

an incredibly complex job, fully assessing the debris pieces to determine how to safely remove it from the water. Also, tonight, this urgent warning, officials alerting neighboring communities to not touch debris that is now washing up on shore. The governor of Maryland emphasizing the unprecedented scale of this salvage mission, removing 4,000 tons of steel hanging on the cargo ship ever since it plowed into that bridge. The families of the four missing construction workers hoping this wide-scale operation will help recover their loved ones and finally bring them some closure amid their tragic loss. NBC's Tom Costello is in Baltimore to start us off tonight.

Arriving at the site of Baltimore's bridge collapse, the biggest floating crane on the East Coast, able to lift a thousand tons for one of the biggest salvage missions ever. Just part of a flotilla now in route, including the crane that lifted the miracle on the Hudson plane out of the river. In all seven floating cranes, 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels, and five Coast Guard boats. Eight thousand local jobs are waiting. We need to clear the channel and open the vessel traffic to the port because the health of the Maryland economy and the

national economy depend on it. On the water, the Army Corps of Engineers is using underwater drones and sonar to map the precise location of the wreckage. then lay out a coordinated salvage plan for divers. How we can cut it up into the pieces we need to be able to lift. NTSB investigators still interviewing crew members and gathering evidence on the crushed cargo ship, now trapped under the weight of twisted steel, a piece of highway lying on top.

So take a look at the front of the ship, at the bow of the ship, and you see that piece of steel that's lying across it. That's three to four thousand tons. That is so heavy, it's pushing the bottom. bow into the water, down into the bottom of the river, and then it's lifting the stern up out of the water. Below the water line, the river depth is roughly 50 feet. To reopen the port, the cranes will lift massive chunks of steel, concrete, and sunken cargo containers, some hazardous. All of it must

be gone. The sand on the bottom, completely clean. You can't leave any concrete, any steel, because it's a threat to the vessel. We're going to get it all off the bottom and reopen his channel so it provides for safe navigation. Meanwhile, in Honduras, construction worker Menor Martinsuazzo's family in a heart-wrenching weight for his body to be recovered from the water in Baltimore.

His brother's saying, we are still waiting with faith and hope that they will find his body so we can bring him home. And Tom joins us now from Baltimore. Tom, we can see that crane over your shoulder, a reminder of just this enormous undertaking

ahead. There is still four victims, unaccounted for lost underneath that water, and now we know the president is going to come to Baltimore soon. Do we know when that could happen? Yeah, that's right. Next week, President Biden says he will be coming next week, presumably to meet with not only the search teams, Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, the governor, of course, potentially also family members and emergency responders who were on the bridge at 1.30 in the morning on Tuesday. Can I just make the point, as you suggested that is it right there that is the 1,000 ton crane the biggest on the east coast it is here it is on site and the plan is to eventually move it into position i'm going to ask rudy to show you the other side here and he's shooting into the sun so bear with him but you can see that's the bridge and that's the ship so that crane is right here ready to move but it is only one piece of this massive flotilla that will take shape wow so amazing to just see that up close behind you Can you talk to us a little more about the emergency funds that Maryland has from the federal

government? Where do things stand financially? What else do they need to continue their work? I mean, that crane, that is not something that isn't going to cost a lot of money to use, right? Yeah, 100%. You're right. So the federal government, President Biden, has already approved the first $60 million in emergency aid to Maryland, and that will be a drop in the bucket, not nearly enough. The total price tag at this point is estimated when they actually have to rebuild the bridge, probably well over a billion, maybe one and a half billion dollars. These are just ballpark figures, right? They don't even have the design yet for a new bridge.

They don't have any estimate out there and no offers, if you will. But it is going to cost an extraordinary amount of money. And as you've heard, we've also heard Secretary Buttigieg suggesting that if an individual company is found any way responsible and liable, they could also be held a case. accountable, potentially financially accountable as well. Tom Costello, senior correspondent. Thank you. Now to Haiti, where tonight the notorious gang leader,

who many say is now in charge of the country, sat down for an interview with our partners at Sky News. His demands that gangsters be allowed to join the new government, as many Haitians struggle to get access to clean water and food amid the endless violence. Gunfire. Arson. This is life in Haiti's capital city, the country's national police unable to match the firepower of gangs.

Jimmy Barbecue Chebizet is arguably the face of Haiti's gang wars. He controls large swaths of territory and heads the powerful G9 group in alliance of Porta Prince's biggest gangs. In a rare interview with Sky News is Stuart Ramsey, Barbecue says he is willing to consider a ceasefire, but seem to suggest the newly formed transitional presidential council must include gang leaders. Class politics that have found exclusion, when you have done, but some fashion for you can renew the system in, because the system is in the bootle. And the car that's people, rich, our poor, in Haiti, in Lithu.

In the world, it's going to get to our people, but I just want to make in Haiti, it's indecent. In northern Haiti, that divide. is evident. What we keep hearing from people is that one of the big concerns in areas outside of Port of France is less the violence and less so worry about the gangs and more right now. The concern is about how they do things like this, wash their clothes, how they get food, how they get clean water. It's harder right now to get everything.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration approved a proposal to send Haiti's police $10 million worth of weapons, ammunition, bulletproof vest, and helmets. all from a Department of Homeland Security stockpile. But to many, it has not come soon enough. And as the chaos in Haiti continues, we have new reporting on the work U.S. officials are doing to try and stop the weapons that get into the hands of those gang members. A U.N. report last year found most of the guns used by the gangs there

have been smuggled into Haiti illegally from the United States and Florida in particular. Tonight, our Guadvanegas is in Miami, getting exclusive action. access inside the operation by the Department of Homeland Security to cut off that flow of illegal weapons. What you're seeing here is the fuel of a lot of the violence you're seeing down in Haiti and the Caribbean. It's the source of power for the gangs tormenting Haiti. An arms race to create an arsenal that ensures control. You have 338 sniper rifle, 308s as well, very high caliber weapon used by a lot of militaries, also a 308 beltbed machine gun. It's older, but it's very functional and obviously a very potent weapon in the wrong hands.

What looks like a high caliber gun show is instead evidence seized by Homeland Security investigations in Miami. All of these intended to be shipped to Haiti. This is one of the most unique port of entries in the United States. Special agent in charge, Anthony Salisbury, taking NBC News on an exclusive in-depth look at the colossal task to stop the gun smuggling. Is this a daily occurrence that you guys are finding weapons? It's a very regular, regular occurrence. Sometimes daily, have been flow with it, but yeah, it wouldn't be uncommon to get daily weapon seizures coming out of Miami. This is one of the weapons seized by U.S. authorities. It's a 50-Kal-Barrant, anti-material rifle. This can shoot through

walls, cinder block, and vehicles. If purchased legally in the U.S., it'll cost about $12,000, But once smuggled into Haiti, gang members will pay anywhere from $30,000 to $40,000 for it. It's estimated a large portion of those weapons are smuggled on freighter ships that depart from a five-mile strip of the Miami River that also serves as a port of entry and exit to Haiti and the Caribbean. It's the last shipping mechanism like this in the United States. It's known as break-bulk cargo, meaning it's not containerized, very informal shipping mechanism that's utilized the ship goods down to Haiti. second-hand goods and makes it very difficult for us to do our job in order to determine if any illicit weapons, money are transiting down to Haiti. A report released last March by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Finding,

the principal source of firearms and munition in Haiti is in the U.S. and in particular Florida. Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis telling NBC News he wants the federal government to do more. In terms of what is going into the country from the United States, states, that's something that is the federal government's responsibility for that. So if this 308 was inside one of the boxes we saw in the warehouse, the boxes were about this big, right? If you were to put one in there, is there a machine that can detect that, or how would you find that inside a palette of boxes in the middle of the warehouse?

All those packages you saw would have to be broken apart on the palette. And so imagine all that, imagine breaking down all those pallets one by one, loading up one box at a time, rolling it through an X-ray. We don't have the resources. With substantial purchasing power, Salisbury says the gangs have been hard to defeat and that a lot more work still needs to be done. What I can tell you is we have dozens and dozens of open weapons trafficking investigations for the Caribbean alone. We'd have to stop doing all of our priorities, which includes human trafficking,

narcotics trafficking, child exploitation. So again, that's why HSI, we focus on trying to identify the networks that are actually moving these weapons. Guad vanegas joins us now from Miami. Guad, first of all, this is an amazing eye-opening report. And you really gave people a unique, in-depth look at how these illegal weapons are smuggled in from the port of Miami, something not a lot of people get to see up close. But as you know, that is not the only way these guns are getting into Haiti. So what did the agents you spoke to have to say about some of the other methods smugglers seem to be using here? Alison, and we also saw how challenging their job is.

So the special agent I spoke to who said that we have to think about the fact that the smugglers are also using airplanes and they can also ship a lot of the weapons through land. If you look at the map, Haiti shares a border with the Dominican Republic. You were just there at the border. There's more than 240 miles of border that can be used by a lot of these criminal organizations to get the weapons into the Dominican Republic first and then into Haiti. Now, the biggest challenge here for the authorities in the U.S. for customs and border protection and homeland security investigators, is the fact that they have to allow a lot of these freighters and shipments to go to Haiti because of that humanitarian aid, right? Haiti needs a lot of these items, including food, that are coming in. So they have to allow that while they try to identify which shipments have weapons.

Now, one of the things that they have done is focused a lot of their attention on the money, because these weapons are being sold for so much. They have been able to track a lot of these organizations or criminal groups by finding where the money is going. But again, it's a colossal task to be able to stop these weapons with all that flow of humanitarian aid that needs to be going to Haiti, Ellison. Guadvenegas, amazing reporting. Thank you. To politics now and the historic fundraiser for President Biden last night at Radio City Music Hall. Biden joined by two of his predecessors, Presidents Obama and Clinton, in an effort to shore up Democratic support and raise some campaign cash. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell has this story.

With a dramatic flourish, three presidents emerged. Democratic donors posted their images of this entrance at a glitzy New York City fundraiser, needling a fourth president, Donald Trump, with a twist on the sensitive issue of age. In this clip, released by the Biden campaign, all the things he's doing are so old, speaking old. And, you know, he's a little old and out of shape anyway. Tapping into the political skills of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to sell the Biden agenda. Democrats looking for a counterpoint to polling that shows voter frustrations with President Biden. You've got record-breaking job growth.

You've got an unemployment rate that is as low as it has been. For African-Americans, by the way, the lowest on record ever. Ticket started at $250, but donations soared as high as a half million for the star-studded night. The event raised $26 million, while outside a large and loud protest over President Biden's policy on the Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, former President Trump created his own contrast, joining mourners grieving NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, who was shot and killed, the suspect, a repeat offender. Mr. Trump slamming President Biden for not directly reaching out to the dealers. They could have called. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know.

Even a call would be perhaps, I'm not sure they take his call. Kelly O'Donnell joins us now from the White House. Kelly, what else are we learning about the types of people actually donating to the Biden campaign? Well, in the overall $26 million, there's one event brought in. Campaign officials say about a third of the people in that group were what they they call small dollar donors, less than $200 in their contribution. And overall, in this campaign season, they've accumulated about 1.3 million donors. And they say 500,000 of those are first-time donors to the Biden campaign. And their argument is they are able to attract new support,

even at a time when the president's poll numbers have been lagging. Ellison? Kelly O'Donnell, thank you. Moving overseas now to the escalating violence in the Middle East. In Syria tonight, Israeli airstrikes killing more than 40 people, including some members of Hezbollah. The attack on the country, one of the worst it's seen in recent years, now stoking fears of a wider conflict in the region. NBC international correspondent Raf Sanchez is in Israel with more. Tonight is casualties mountain Gaza, growing danger this war could spread to a second front. In northern Syria, Israel allegedly striking in the city of Aleppo. A monitor group says it's the largest such attack in years, killing 36 Syrian soldiers

and six militants from Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Israel isn't commenting, but hours later, targeting this car in southern Lebanon. Israel saying they took out a Hezbollah commander responsible for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, the militants confirming his death and vowing revenge. Hezbollah in Lebanon is aligned with Hamas, but it's larger and more powerful. and has been striking Israel, which has been firing back since the Hamas terror attacks on October 7th. Fighting intensifying this week with funerals for civilians on both sides of the border. Nearly 200,000 Israelis and Lebanese have been displaced by the conflict,

leaving Israeli villages like Hanida a ghost town. The only residents left are part of security patrols. Is it sad for you to see it like this? Of course, we like our community. We want to live together. them into an abandoned house and up the stairs. The border with Lebanon is just a couple hundred yards away over that fence, well within range of Hezbollah's mortars. And the Israeli military says it was one of those mortars that crashed through the roof

of this house, destroying the top floor. These are the tiles that were once the roof. No way to rebuild with threats of war hanging overhead. And Raf Sanchez joins us now from Tel Aviv, Israel. Ralph, you said in the piece that fighting has been escalating. Is there any sort of off-ramp here a way possibly to avoid a war between Israel and Hezbollah? Well, Alison, the Biden administration certainly hopes so. It has been one of their absolutely top diplomatic priorities since October 7th to make sure this war does not spread to Lebanon.

The good news here is that Hezbollah has indicated if there's a ceasefire in Gaza, it is prepared to ceasefire. also. That's what happens with that last short truce back in November. The bad news is Israel is saying a ceasefire is not enough. It says after the horrors of October 7th, its tolerance for risk have totally changed. And Hezbollah needs to not just stop shooting, but it needs to move way back from the Israeli border. Now, there is actually a UN Security Council resolution from 2006, which says Hezbollah needs to do just that. It hasn't been enforced. And the position of the Israeli government is, if there can be a diplomatic deal to move Hezbollah back, that's great. If not, Israel is prepared to mount a major military operation into southern Lebanon.

Ralph Sanchez, thank you. Now of the latest on Russia's ongoing detention of Evan Gershkevich, today marks one year since the Wall Street Journal reporter was arrested by Russian authorities. Tonight, the symbolic front page on the journal marking the anniversary and the efforts by U.S. officials to bring him back home. NBC News, Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, has the latest. On today's first anniversary of Evan Gerskovich's arrest in Russia, the Wall Street Journal's front page was mostly blank, white columns where his reporting should have been, and a searing story on what Evan has lost during a year in jail. Journalism is not a crime.

Prominent journalists gathered at the Wall Street Journal this week for a 24-hour read-a-thon of Evan's work. A year is a long time for his parents. Do you think they're doing enough? We have a commitment from the U.S. government. We know they're working hard, and we just want them to continue doing. Last month, the possibility of a trade was raised in an Oval Office meeting between President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Schultz. Two sources tell NBC News Shultz for the first time considered giving up a Russian assassin Putin wants, who's in a German prison in exchange for Alexei Navali.

The U.S. wanted the deal to also include Evan and Paul Whelan, an American businessman imprisoned in Russia for what the U.S. says are false espionage charges. A week later, Navalny died, the sources say, before the trade was proposed to the Kremlin. Today, President Biden's message for Evan and his family. Did you ever think it would last this long? We knew that it's going to be a marathon, but still had hopes that it will be sooner. Tonight, Congress is four leaders in a rare bipartisan statement saying, reporters are not bargaining chips and calling on the Kremlin to release Evan and all who are wrongfully detained.

Allison. Andrea Mitchell, thank you. We're going to turn now to the severe weather threat out west. Heavy rainfall set to impact central and coastal California this weekend. Flood watches in effect for 21 million people, plus winter alerts issued in the mountains where up to two feet of snow could fall. For more on the spring storm system. NBC news meteorologist Angie Lastman joins us now. So Angie, what is the latest? What do people need to know heading into the weekend? Yeah, it's a busy holiday weekend, Ellison. We know there's going to be lots of travel.

So people need to know that there's going to be heavy rain specifically across parts of the west. We've got a low pressure system that's already ramped up the rain across the Bay area. We've got preemptive flood watches in effect for Southern California. You can see from San Luis Obispo all the way to San Diego, those 21 million people under a flood watch as we gear up for some heavy rain to work in here as we get into the later parts of tonight and into tomorrow. Notice your Saturday. It's going to be soggy across parts of California. We'll also see parts of the Rockies pick up some additional snow. But our biggest concern for the flooding, L.A. to San Diego, that's where we'll watch for landslides, mudslides with three to five inches of

rain possible. Parts of the southwest are also going to pick up some rain. Nothing quite as impressive as what we'll see in the mountains and foothills, though, of Southern California. Again, watching for those washed out roads. On top of that, that spring snow, yep, we got it. About a foot to two feet possible across the Sierra Range and one other trouble spot that we're going to watch across parts of the Great Lakes and into the Northeast. We've got this that we're going to watch, a little disturbance that works across the northeast for tomorrow. Bring some rain. It's mainly going to be in the afternoon hours from New York to New Jersey. By the time we get into Sunday, Easter Sunday, that is, we'll have to watch for this stalled out front to bring us

some rain showers across parts of the Midwest. Otherwise, some temperatures across this region, Ellison, they're running 10 to 15 degrees above normal for folks this weekend. Angie Lastman, thank you. Still ahead tonight, the deadly police shootout caught on camera, a man barricading himself inside a Florida motel room and firing at officers. What his ex-wife is saying tonight about his history of mental illness and her attempts to have his guns taken away. Plus, a new push to crack down on immigration in Georgia after nursing student Lake and Riley was allegedly killed by a man who was undocumented. The bill now heading to the governor's desk. and the airboat flipping on its side in the Florida Everglades

the race to get passengers out of the alligator infested waters. Stay with us. We're back now with the latest push to tighten Georgia's already strict immigration laws in the wake of the nursing student Lake and Riley's death, an undocumented immigrant in custody tonight accused of killing the 22-year-old near the University of Georgia's campus. Her case igniting a fiery debate over immigration in the state and beyond. NBC's Stephen Romo has more on the bill that's now headed to the governor's desk.

At the Georgia State Capitol, Is this body the House of the People legally entitled to amend circumvent a repeal federal law? I don't know about that, but we're getting ready to do it if that's what you think. That was the question seconds before state lawmakers voted to push a controversial immigration bill, to Republican Governor Brian Kemp's desk. The House Bill 1105. The measure passing on the last day of the legislative session amid ongoing fallout from the death of 22-year-old Lake and Riley,

the University of Georgia nursing student who was found dead after going for a jog near her campus in Athens. Undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra from Venezuela is charged with her murder. He had previously been arrested in 2022 for entering the U.S. without authorization. was released on parole according to immigration and customs enforcement. He's currently being held without bond. House Bill 1105 would require local law enforcement agencies to check the immigration status of people in their custody and cooperate with federal immigration authorities with added penalties of losing state or federal funding for failing to comply. This bill

simply ensures that when individuals have committed crimes in Georgia, when we determine they are illegally in this country that we fully work with federal immigration authorities. The bill getting pushed back on the floor right before the vote. A lot of concerns have been raised by law enforcement that this bill will undermine their ability to keep their communities safe by requiring them to essentially act as if they're immigration law enforcement officers. Immigration advocates say the bill would make some communities less willing to report crime and work with local law enforcement.

What was a personal tragedy for a family... I wish I could have been there to protect her. Is now a political flashpoint. My vision for every senator in this chamber is that you protect citizens from this illegal invasion. Riley's father, even visiting the state Senate earlier this month, asking them to pass the bill. President Biden responding on the fly during the state of the union earlier this month to Representative Marjorie Taylor Green's outbursts, on Riley's death. Say her name, becoming a rallying cry for Republicans hoping to get tighter

immigration laws passed, reinforcing long-held fears many on the right have that immigration leads to an increase in crime. Fears that might not hold up to the data. Studies show no meaningful impact on homicide or robbery rates associated with sanctuary city policies. And Stephen Romo joins us now in studio. So Stephen, Georgia has been looking at other penalties for other cities that don't adhere to immigration laws, right? Explain that to us. Yeah, this is an interesting point, Alison. George has also passed House Bill 301. Now, that will give residents the ability to sue local governments, municipalities if they're not following immigration laws. Now, that might sound familiar because back in 2021, Texas passed a law

to allow residents to sue abortion providers. Now, very different topics here, but an interesting strategy of putting the onus on residents to go in and file these civil lawsuits if things aren't going exactly as these lawmakers planned. Ellison. Stephen Romo, thank you. Next to shocking body camera footage out of Florida. It shows an intense shootout at a local hotel as police attempted to apprehend a man they say

was armed and making concerning 911 calls. NBC news correspondent Priscilla Thompson has more on what led up to this deadly encounter. Newly released police body cam video shows the tent shootout at a Florida holiday in last week that left one man dead and an officer wounded. Please come out. Come out with your hands up. The video, which was released and edited by Fort Lauderdale Police, appears to show officers approaching a hotel room with 46-year-old Carl Kledinsky inside. Hands up. Hand up. Let me see your hand. Let me see your hand.

Let me see your hand. Let me say. Go on, go, go, gone. Police slowed down and narrated what they say happened next. The suspect opened the door with a phone in his left hand, a gun in his right. The suspect brings the gun down towards the officers. That's when police say officers fired at the suspect and the suspect fired back. Lodging this bullet in an officer's vest, police say. That officer was taken to the hospital and later released. The suspect was pronounced dead on the scene.

The whole ordeal leaving hotel guest shaken. One of the staff members, there's a lot of people in there. She was like, everybody getting into this conference room, get into this conference room. They put us in there. They locked it, turned the lights off. Police recalled to the Holiday Inn last Thursday morning after Kladinsky told 911 dispatchers that he had killed someone in the room, police say. He's stating he has fully automated and three handguns with him and he will shoot.

Dispatchers say Kladenski was rambling, saying that his wife was being raped and mentioned that he sees a therapist. Police say no victims were found in the room. He sees the door moving now and is about to shoot, saying if he sees the door move, he will shoot. Kladenski's ex-wife tells our Miami station, WTVJ, her ex-husband struggled with drug use and mental health issues. He was in a hotel. He was on drugs. He was hallucinating. He was kind of like going off of this rampage that he always, always does. Things people are after him to kill him. Records show Kladinsky had several previous drug arrest and a risk protection order in 2022 that allowed police to confiscate all of his firearms.

Documents show that order expired last year. I tried to tell them he does not need to have guns and he kept getting guns and then he would surrender the guns because I would say something and then he'd get guns again. The three officers involved in the shooting remain on paid leave, officials say. pending an investigation. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News. When we come back, a terrifying attack in New York City, a woman seen on surveillance video being chased down a street after she was followed from a subway station,

how she managed to get away, and the search tonight for that suspect. We're back now with Top Stories news feed, with another shocking attack on a woman here in New York City. Chilling new surveillance video shows a suspect chasing a woman down the street in Brooklyn. Police say the man began harassing that woman on a subway train, then followed her off of the train, through the station, and back onto the street. He eventually ran off when she tried to physically defend herself.

It comes as New York City launched several security programs to try and increase subway safety. Several people rescued after an airboat overturned in the Florida Everglades. Aerial footage shows the boats on its side, an alligator infested waters. One passenger says the boat flipped when they were trying to get a closer look at one of those gaiters. Luckily, no one was hurt and the group was rescued after about 10 minutes. And Kim Kardashian is being sued by the family of the late artist Donald Judd. During a video tour of her office space in 2022, Kardashian claimed her tables were designed by Judd. According to the suit, the Judge Foundation says they were actually, quote,

unauthorized knockoffs and are suing her for making false claims. Kardashian declined a comment earlier this week. Turning now to the baffling underwater mystery, scientists are trying to figure out the strange phenomenon impacting fish in the Florida Keys, causing them to spin out of control and wash up dead. NBC's Marissa Para traveled to the Keys to investigate. In the shimmering blue waters of the Florida Keys, long the jewel of Florida Southern Coast,

A mystery lurks beneath the surface. Fish with the spins, flipping and spinning without stop. In my lifetime of dives, I've never seen any behavior like this from fish at all. Diver Greg Firstenworth first observed it last year and soon learned the fish, including the small-toothed sawfish, which can grow up to 16 feet, or dying. Scientists are struggling to understand why. It's unprecedented. They do not spin like this.

They do not behave like this. This is not normal behavior at all. That highly unusual behavior has been seen in more than 40 species, according to Florida fish and wildlife. Necropsy's on dead fish have revealed no sign of a pathogen or bacterial infection. State officials say oxygen levels, water, solidity, pH, and temperature are not believed to be the cause, bewildering researchers. It's a mystery. There's so many different possibilities that it's really difficult to isolate which one it could be. 28 sawfish have been found dead, but the actual number believed to be even higher. to this critically endangered species that was early in its road to recovery.

So to see these animals dying could be a major setback. We want to get to the bottom of it and figure out a way, a way to come back from this. Fisheries and the Florida Keys remain open, though state officials say swimming where dead fisher observed isn't recommended. Why do we need to protect the ecosystem and the fish that live here? It's very special. Future generations need to be able to appreciate it the same way I did. Rissipara, NBC News, the Florida Keys.

Not a top story's global watch and the latest on the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say Russian strikes targeted major power plants across Ukraine, severely damaging equipment and leaving parts of the country without electricity. The attack just a week after a Russian strike caused rolling blackouts in Ukraine's Harkiv region, President Vladimir Zelensky now renewing calls for increased aid as Russia intensifies bombing on Ukraine's critical infrastructure. A massive fire engulfing a high-rise in northeastern Brazil. Video shows flames shooting out from multiple stories of the building in the city of Recefe,

sending thick clouds of smoke into the air and blazing debris to the ground. The building was reportedly under construction. According to local media, nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution, but no one was hurt. And a luxury cruise line offering a suite for $1.7 million. The 4,000 square foot suite from region, Agent 7 Cs will feature a personal butler, complimentary caviar, and in-sweet spa services. The cruise itinerary set to include stops in 40 countries over 20 weeks. You're looking for a budget option?

Fares for one person, start at more than $90,000. Coming up, the day many Beyonce fans were waiting for, the megastar dropping Cowboy Carter, her highly anticipated country album, the legendary artist featured on her tracks, and her message to the music world. Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, I'm warning you, woman, find you your own man. If you haven't already heard it, that was Beyonce's version of the hit country song Jolene. It is off her new album, Cowboy Carter. Beyonce, once again, bringing the music world to a standstill, dropping her much anticipated country

overnight, and it features collaborations with some of country music's most iconic artist, as well as this country's most iconic artist. Tom Yamis takes a look at the new release that shows Beyonce's artistry stretches beyond the limits of any one genre. We want to welcome you to the Beyonce Cowboy Carter Act 2. Tonight, Beyonce asking the music world and all her fans, if this ain't country, what is? The 32-time Grammy winner overnight dropping her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter. King Himmy.

A sweeping exploration of country sound and the genres at the heart of American music. Genres are a funny little concept, aren't they? The album features some of country's biggest names. Willie Nelson, pioneering black artist Linda Martel, and country music queen, Dolly Parton. Hey, Miss Honeybee, it's Dolly. who introduces Beyonce's version of the iconic hit Jolene Jolene, Dolly posting, wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyonce is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it.

Beyonce, a Texas native with Louisiana roots, putting her powerful mark on a genre that was built by black artists but hasn't always embraced them back. The tracklist artwork seeming to reference the Chitland Circuit, a network of venues where black musicians could safely perform during the Jim Crow era. Beyonce herself writing, the criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre, forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. The album single, Texas Holdham, is already topping country music charts. The album also features major pop artists post Malone and my song. I'll be a shotgun rider. Cowboy Carter's youngest collaborator is Beyoncé's young daughter, Rooming.

Mom, can I hear the war-or-bye? The major musical project proving Beyonce is an American artist in a category, all her own. Our thanks to Tom for that report. We will have much more to say about Beyonce's new album on Bingeworthy, which is up next. Hulu series based on the best-selling book, We Were the Lucky Ones, and a new documentary celebrating the life and career of comedian Steve Martin. All that and more next. We're back now with bingeworthy, our look at what to watch and listen to this weekend. I'm joined now by Friend of Top Story, Darren Karp. She is, of course, the host of the podcast, shaken and disturbed. Thank you so much for being here this Friday. We love when you are here. So we're We're going to start with a movie right now that's a serious one. This is about a Jewish family that was separated at the start of World War II and really their determination to survive and just reunite. It's called We Were the Lucky Ones. It's a mini-series that is streaming now on Hulu. Let's watch.

I understand the impossibility of getting home, but we will find a way to be together again. We must organize. We've lived here for a thousand years. We know this country, this land. I want to do what you are doing. But if you get caught, it jeopardizes all of us. I'm aware of mistakes. You are my family. We stay together. Always.

What do you make of it? Honestly, this has gotten such good ratings. I'm really excited about it. Obviously, a serious topic, one that's been covered in a different way, but this is a harrowing tale. It's 10 episodes. This is based on the book by Georgia Hunter, who wrote it years ago. It's really well done. Stars Joey King, if you remember her, from the act.

I know I know her. Yeah, from the act, also on Hulu about Gypsy Rose Blanchard, but she's just wonderful in it. I mean, obviously the tale is very harrowing, very hard to watch, but I think it's in story, especially now that's just super important to tell. Okay, so this next one kind of seems like it just has like a really aggressive, cool, edgy. I almost said a bad word, but like a really cool, whatever the opposite word is. For one that starts with a be, a really cool female lead. Renegate now. It's said in 18th century England

is about a woman who is framed for murder and then becomes a notorious outlaw. This one is on Disney Plus. I am on the run for murder. She shot him. I didn't. It was him. I was going to believe someone like me against the powerful.

Shouldn't you tie us up? Oh, I've not got any rope. She's going to have to pretend. What they do is feed off misery and make more. of it. I can stop them. She's the B word for bad. Cool. Like, she's a boss.

That's what you were trying to. She's a boss. There is a good. She is. Yes. This is on Disney Plus. She plays in England in 1705. So given the fact that it's on Disney Plus, you kind of know that it's a little bit maybe more for kids than maybe someone for us. But because it does look a little scary. I'm not going to lie. But yeah, she gets framed for murder. She runs away with her sisters.

She kind of becomes this outlaw vigilante and kind of finds that this is her calling in life. She tries to defeat this plot against the Queen of England. There's a lot of fun layers in it, and it's getting good. I think it's fun to take the family. I love a good action movie. Why not? I love a good action. Oh, there you go.

That's great. This will be right up there, Alley. So this next one, I'm really excited about this. It looks amazing. It's based on a true story. It's called The Beautiful Game. It's on Netflix. So it's fictionalized, but inspired by this true story about a homeless World Cup tournament.

Look. It's like a proper international football competition. Sorry. I thought I made it that clear. Get a ball. You pass it to me. I'm sick of this. Thinking you're better than us.

Because you can kick a ball. I'm not betting. Is that what you're saying? Everyone has a reason for being here. And every player has a story to tell. I did something, you know, I'm different now. I have to prove that. You think football can do that. I mean, this seems inspirational, and it's also something that I had no idea existed at all.

I had absolutely no idea once I found out about this movie, which, by the way, is getting 100% an audience score, 90% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, so that should at least say something. Also, soccer is my favorite sport, much to the United States. chagrin. I think this is the reason that it's such an international sport, but yes, the homeless cup actually does exist. And it takes teams from all, you know, underprivileged teams from all across the world to compete in Rome. You kind of get a feel for, you know, teammates and what it's like to kind of have a family outside of your own. And it's a really, really inspiring story.

And I highly recommend you guys see it. Okay. This next one, it's a docu-series, Apple TV Plus. This one is about a guy you probably know very well, Steve Martin. It's a documentary in two pieces, that's actually the title, Steve Martin, a documentary in two pieces, and it's pretty much just about his personal and professional life. Look. What he was doing was unique. It was chancy. I always thought of him as the door out of the 60s. You could be silly again. All comedy was political, and I felt that it was time to change that. Steve Martin has just taken the big leap onto the big screen. I was launched into the stratosphere.

I was scared out of my mind. Banjo, Steve Martin, is one of my favorite, Steve. One wild. I love it. Come on. Do you like this? I mean, first off, it's Steve Martin. I pretty much will watch anything that he's in anyway.

I mean, he's been famous since before I was born. So he has just been this figure in my life, certainly a stand-up comic. He's an amazing actor. You were talking about Father of the Bride. Of course, that's a childhood favorite of mine. But yeah, this is Steve Martin. into part documentary. That's what it's got the exclamation point there, but it's out on Apple TV. Honestly, if you have any interest in comedy, this is something for you, but certainly for him,

great thing to watch with the whole family because he just extends generations. I can watch this with my parents and they can talk about one wild and crazy guy, and I know that reference. You know, so it's really cool to see. That is so true. He really does just span the generation. I like that a lot. So the next one and last one on our list, this one is going to be on peacock, or it is on peacock. It's Lisa Frankenstein. It stars Cole Spouse and Cass Catherine Newton streaming, but it's sort of as a twist on a story you probably know very well. I want to help you.

Taffey says it's a waste of time to try and fix a way. It's better just accept a guy's flaws. That's so cute. I have an idea. There are bad people out there. Why, Lisa, it'll feel good. That hand is going to do terrible things. What do we make of it?

honestly it hasn't occurred to me in quite a while to be like, when are they going to redo a Frankenstein? But they did it. Well, it's for me, I think maybe it's telling of my age, because all I want to say is Lisa Frank. Yes. Not Lisa Frankenstein. So when I first heard that title, I was like, oh my God, this is going to be like a horror Lisa Frank show. Give us the binder. Yeah, I was like, give me the dolphins and the, you know, swimming out of the rainbows. It's not that. It is a, it is a sort of a femme version of Frankenstein. But yeah, it's kind of a classic tale that we all know. I definitely think it's for a younger audience. I can't really see my parents enjoying this as much,

or maybe people who are our age not to date us so much, but we are talking about Lisa Frank at the end of the day. But it does have to do with like a reanimated Victorian corpse and this young girl kind of embarking on a journey together, finding love and happiness and a few body parts along the way. So it's a fun little twist. I just wanted to be Lisa Frank. I was going to say if anyone wants to fund your script about the Lisa Frank part,

I will be in. Oh my God, I'm so in. I will star in it. even act, but I'll do it. I'll promote it like crazy. Whatever you want, we like it. Okay, so music, Shakira, having a really big week. She had a surprise pop-up performance in Times Square. This is her new song, Groupo Frontera. No, with Grupo Frontera. This song is another name that I can't say. I'll let Darren try after we listen. Oh, man. I don't know the other more.

Entre parentes is how I would say it. I mean, you had, you know, group of frontier really nicely. That one, I was like, I know those words, and then I was like, I don't know the others. It's kind of funny because I feel like Beyonce is just taken over this whole week that we forget that there's other amazing pop stars out there, and Shakira is certainly one. They've been kind of teasing this collaboration for a while. It's great, you know, especially if you like Latin music, Shakira's going to hang out a banger every single time.

She's in a cowboy, she's kind of a mechanic-looking girl. She's great. I love it. I mean, she really never misses. She never misses. Even if it's not your favorite Shakira version on any song, it's always still a bop. And you don't even realize what her Uvra really encompasses, but she could probably, she probably has like over 40 number one hits. I mean, she's actually incredible, and I love watching her, and her music videos are great. Yes, truly talented.

Okay, this next one, you named, you named her just now. Beyonce. If you heard, she has a new country album, you may have heard. It is called Cowboy Carter. It's out today. This is her song, yeah, yeah. He can't watch the news nowadays I just pray that he don't crash

Ship this crystal on the day She's got to keep the face She's picking up of vibration Darren your face makes me I have a friendship riff I already see like the hate mail coming in And the at me online listen I love Beyonce Yeah the first one and the last one

And all the middle ones are from you I love, yeah, yeah like it's a good song It's not my favorite on the album The truth of the matter is And I almost hate to say it because I was so jazzed this. I'm a huge country fan. I like Texas Hold'em. Like, I actually think that that is the biggest banger on the entire album. It obviously was the single that she led with, along with 16 carriages. I do really love Blackbird. I think her rendition of it. What I like about Beyonce

is she's not admitting, she's not actually saying this is a country album, this is a Beyonce album. She's going to put her own twang on it, for lack of a better term. And she did all the historical context that led up to the Linda Martell Show, who was the first black woman ever to perform at the Randall Opry. Like, she's giving it up to the legends before her, and that's really why I appreciate the album so much. Maybe not that song, but the album for sure. The album is great, and Dolly Parton already posted about her cover of Jolene, just being like... So she's anointed and knighted, and therefore I take my entire opinion back, because Dolly can do no wrong in my eyes. Dolly signed off, so...

Absolutely. Darren Karp, thank you for being here, and thank you at home for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison, Barbara, in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More News Now is on the way. Thank you.