Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, May 2, 2025

Episode Date: May 3, 2025

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, the horrific crash near Yellowstone National Park, seven killed in a tourist van collision. The fiery scene on the highway after a truck hit a van packed with visitors, both vehicles going up in flames, what we know about those on board. Another close call at Reagan National Airport, a military helicopter flying off course. Two passenger jets forced to abandon their landings just months after that collision at the same airport. reporting from Tom Costello. NBC News exclusive with President Trump, what he told our Kristen Welker about the risk of a recession. Taking the stand, the police officer who shot in unarmed black man in the back of the head confronted in court with his body camera footage, as he tells the jury why he believes he had to fire his weapon. Contentious testimony from a key witness in the

Karen Reed trial, why she says Reed made her Google to question how long to die in the cold. Prince Harry's bombshell interview, revealing new details about his estrangement from the royal family, including that he does not speak to the king and doesn't know how much longer his father has to live. And cutting the cord, the internet and cable provider brought down in one major city by vandals cutting these wires. Plus the major change from discount retailer Temu, how they're now going to ship all their products from America instead of from China. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We start tonight with the terrifying tour van crash near Yellowstone National Park.

At least seven people killed. Police just identifying one of the drivers. Video capturing the horrific aftermath. A Mercedes van completely engulfed in flames, plumes of thick black smoke ripping across the sky. The flames coming after that van collided with the red Dodge truck you see right there, straddling the partition. Dramatic video shows emergency helicopters landing at the scene as flames quickly consume the truck. We know at least three people were airlifted to area hospitals, and others were treated near that crash site. This all happened on Highway 20 near Henry's Lake, which is roughly 20 miles east of Yellowstone National Park near the Idaho, Wyoming border.

Right now, investigators searching for answers trying to determine. what caused the horrific collision. NBC's Morgan Chesky starts off our coverage tonight. Tonight, this fatal crash turned Inferno launching a growing investigation near Yellowstone National Park. Authorities say a pickup truck and a tour van with 14 people inside collided, then caught fire. The impact killing the truck's driver and six others inside the van. The accident happening late Thursday on a busy state highway, just 15 miles west of the popular National Park. This is by far the worst I've ever seen. Roger Merrill, one of the first to witness the fiery aftermath, capturing this video of an air ambulance arriving as crews tried to reach victims caught amid flaming wreckage.

Stunned survivors lining the road, trying to comfort each other. When you arrived on that scene, just minutes after the collision, what struck you? Just how horrific it was. When the fire broke out, there was one first responder who had just arrived, who attempted with a fire extinguisher to put it out. but the flame just spread so quickly and engulfed both vehicles. Tonight, authorities say the cause of the crash remains under investigation. And Morgan Chesky joins us now from Los Angeles. Morgan, a horrific scene.

And listening to Roger's testimony there and what he saw, it's hard to wrap your mind around this. But some of those tourists, they actually were able to get out. What more do we know about their condition? Yeah, Allison, incredibly, several survived. We have learned, according to a hospital. officials that five family members were taken to a nearby hospital, nearby, equaling about 60 miles away in that rural area. But fortunately, tonight, we can report that three of those relatives were released from the

hospital and to remain in stable condition. Alison. Morgan Chesky, thank you. Tonight, federal investigators are looking into yet another close call at Reagan National Airport in Washington, again, involving a military helicopter. This time, air traffic controllers ordered two passenger jets to cancel their landings at Reagan after the chopper got too close. Here's NBC's Tom Costello. Just three months after a mid-air crash between a military helicopter and a passenger jet at Reagan National Airport,

the NTSB and the FAA now investigating another close call. On Thursday, a military chopper flying to the Pentagon identified as Pat 2-3, deviated from its flight path near Reagan Airport. tower ordering the pilot to head west towards the Pentagon landing pad. With the military chopper violating minimum separation rules between aircraft, the controller ordered Delta and Republic flights to cancel their landings and go around. Delta 1671, Tom maintained 3,000, go around, 3,000. Going around 3,000 Delta 1671. After January's crash that killed 67 people, the FAA

order to halt to chopper flights around the airport that aren't police, Medevac, or national security, including Marine One. Today, a clearly frustrated transportation secretary. And I don't know who's on this helicopter, but if we're transporting generals through that airspace because they can't get in an SUV, they can't take an Uber, but they have to take a helicopter, that is wrong. That investigation comes as Newark Airport has been hit with days of hours long delays following air traffic control equipment failures and staffing shortages. 20% of the workforce walked off the job. Late today, the CEO of United Airlines with a big hub at Newark announced it is cutting 35 round-trip flights a day out of Newark starting this weekend, writing, we feel like there is

no other choice in order to protect our customers. Secretary Duffy warning it could be a sign of things to come this summer. Tom Costello joins us now from Washington. Tom, let's go back to that close call at Reagan with that military chopper, Pat 23. Has the Pentagon said anything tonight? Yeah, we've asked the Pentagon for official confirmation. We haven't heard back yet. However, sources are telling our Pentagon team that this apparently was two pilots and a crew member on board this military chopper, and they were practicing some sort of an emergency evacuation plan in which they would land at the Pentagon. At some point, they were ordered by controllers to go around and come back.

But the actual activity, how this all went down, we're still trying to get confirmation from the Pentagon. Tom Costello, thank you. President Trump speaking out to our Kristen Welker tonight in an exclusive interview. She pressed him about the state of the economy, with many warning a recession might be on the horizon. But despite those fears, it was a strong day for the stock market. The S&P 500 with its longest winning streak in 20 years. NBC's Garrett Haidt reports from the White House. Tonight, Wall Street surging.

The Dow up 564 points. The NASDAQ and S&P 500, each recovering all of their losses since President Trump announced steep tariffs on imports on April 2. It follows a strong jobs report. The economy adding 177,000 jobs in April, the unemployment rate holding steady. The first report fully factoring in President Trump's tariffs. All of it, as recent polls show many of them. Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy. The president tonight in an exclusive interview with NBC's Kristen Welker. Some people on Wall Street have expressed concerns that the

possibility of a recession is increasing. And I want to know what you think about that. Are you comfortable with the country potentially dipping into a recession for a period of time if you are able to achieve your long-term goals? Well, you know, you say some people on Wall Street say, well, I'd tell you something else. Some people on Wall Street say that we're going to have the greatest economy in history. Why don't you talk about them? Because some people on Wall Street say this is the greatest thing that you never have. That's what I'm getting at. That's what I'm getting at, though.

It's the same question. There are many people on Wall Street say this is going to be the greatest windfall ever happened. And that's my question, the long term. Is it okay in the short term to have a recession? Look, yeah, everything's okay. What we are, I said, this is. a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically. Meanwhile, the president tonight renewing his feud with Harvard University, posting, we're going to be taking away Harvard's

tax-exempt status. It's what they deserve. Harvard, which has already sued the administration over frozen federal grant funding, responding, there is no legal basis to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt status. President Trump has slammed Harvard, including over accusations of anti-Semitism. This week, in a scathing report, a university task force found a, quote, demonization of Israel on campus, including bullying and intimidation of Jewish students. The university's president previously telling Lester that President Trump's problems with the nation's wealthiest university are unrelated. Is this really about anti-Semitism? I would say that at Harvard, we have a real problem with anti-Semitism. We take it very seriously, and we're trying to address it.

There is no doubt about this very, that problem. We don't really see that. We don't really see the relationship to research funding at Harvard and other universities. They are two different issues. And Garrett Haig joins us now from the White House. Garrett, let's go back to that new role for Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a second, where he's serving as national security advisor in an interim capacity. Do we know who President Trump is looking at to fill that position permanently? Well, Ellison, all of our reporting is that this is basically Marco Rubio's job for as long as he wants it. and Trump trusts him. He thinks he's good at this role, but understands that he's got a lot of hats

that he's already wearing. The other two contenders whose names have surfaced most often, also very much like the jobs they're doing now. Stephen Miller, who's a deputy chief of staff, who's been focused throughout his career on illegal immigration, handling that portfolio now, may not want to make the lateral shift. Likewise, Steve Whitkoff, who's doing a lot of the work that you normally see a Secretary of State doing traveling around the world on various diplomatic missions for the president, may not want to stop doing that to come back to Washington and manage a staff. There are other folks with more management experience inside the sort of greater Trump orbit. I'm thinking of someone like Sebastian Gorka, who's already a member of the NSC,

or Michael Anton, who served in it last year, both could potentially come back to lead that agency. Ellison? Senior White House correspondent Garrett Haik. Thank you. And you can catch Kristen Welker's exclusive interview with President Donald Trump this Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. Severe thunderstorms threatening millions from Texas to New York today. In Burnett County, Texas, just southwest of Austin, a confirmed tornado caught on camera, that twister destroying several structures and injuring one person. As we head into the weekend, the dangerous weather threat not letting up.

So let's get right to NBC News, Boston meteorologist, Tevin Wooten. Tevin, walk us through what you're watching right now. Well, Allison, this has been a day after day after day event, practically all week long for a lot of the country from New York all the way. down to Texas watching severe thunderstorms today and potentially gusty winds, 70 to maybe even 80 miles an hour. There's more than 50 million Americans under risk right now for severe thunderstorms. But it's not just the thunderstorms, that's the issue with. It's what's inside of those. We could actually see spots between Waco, San Antonio, and Lufkin get hail about the size

of a lemon or a lime. Yesterday we had hail the size of a grapefruit. That's about four and a half inches wide. So here's the severe storms right now on radar stretching to Houston, Jackson, Mississippi, in the twin states and across portions of eastern Tennessee and into Kentucky. Right now, no tornado warnings, but unfortunately, I think this main line charging towards Houston will be the next one to watch. We're also monitoring the threat of storms tomorrow, which is so unfortunate because of the Kentucky Derby that's ongoing tomorrow in Churchill Downs, it seems like they'll have to battle some thunderstorms tomorrow in and around the racetrack.

Severe thunderstorms are possible, too, from Washington, all the way down into Raleigh, North Carolina, and across the eastern seaboard. That tornado risk ultimately starting to diminish with time, especially into the weekend. But again, because of the Kentucky Derby and that threat of severe thunderstorms were monitoring that. And it will be day after day after day of rainfall, Allison, across the northeast, where spots of New Jersey and New York could pick up four to maybe even six inches of rain between Sunday and next Thursday. Tevin Wooten, thank you. Prince Harry is speaking out tonight after a major legal defeat losing his appeal to restore his taxpayer. funded security on visits to the United Kingdom. Harry opening up about his relationship with his

estranged royal relative saying that he is ready to forgive and reconcile. NBC's Raf Sanchez is on the ground for us tonight outside Buckingham Palace. Tonight in a rare interview, Prince Harry laying bare his rift with the royal family after a court rejected his request to have automatic taxpayer-funded security when his family visits the UK. I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point. Telling the BBC, King Charles no longer speaks to him and questioning how long the 76-year-old monarch, who is battling cancer, will live. Life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has.

He won't speak to me because of this security stuff. After Harry and his wife, Megan Markle stepped down as full-time royals, the UK government withdrew police protection. and Harry sued. Today, a judge ruling against him. I could not say that the Duke's sense of grievance translated into a legal argument. Since moving to California,

Harry has criticized the royal family in interviews and a book. Some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things. But, you know, there is...

I would love reconciliation with my family. And Raff joins us now from outside of Buckingham Palace. Raff, talk to us about what we are hearing tonight from the royal family. Have they responded to this? So, Alison, Buckingham Palace is responding very narrowly to this question of security. And today's legal case, they are not being drawn on any of this talk about a rift inside of the royal family. They are saying when it comes to Harry's security issues, these issues, quote, have been, been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts with the same conclusion reached on each

occasion. And one of the contentions Harry makes is that the king, his father, could resolve this issue if he wanted to, but is choosing not to. The palace's position on this is that it would be totally constitutionally inappropriate for the unelected monarch to meddle on security issues. Elsa. Ralph Sanchez, in London. Thank you. And there was a lot in this interview. So let's bring in NBC News, royal commentator Daisy McAndrew. Daisy, is this a major change in Harry's posture towards his family? I mean, he has been arguably slamming them publicly for quite a few years now. So comparatively, this seemed like somewhat of an olive branch at times. What do you think is driving this?

I'm afraid I don't agree that it looks like an olive branch. If you read or if you watch the full half-hour interview. I'm afraid he was throwing hand grenades at the royal family again and again and again. Of course, one of the headlines has been he wants reconciliation. So that does sound as if he wants to make peace. But if you read what he's actually saying, he's saying, my dad won't speak to me. He's saying, it's all their faults that I had my security taken away from me. He's saying, I now know who the individuals were, who appear to to want to do me harm and it's dark. So I'm afraid the detail of what he's saying is really inflammatory. So you don't think even at the end when he talked about Charles's health and his

concerns there that it all will compensate for the other 20 plus minutes of this interview? I'm not sure it will. And actually that that is also a good point because what he said was, I'm not sure how long my father's going to live or words to that effect. And again, you can imagine that his family and the king watching that and recoiling in horror, I think any of us would feel that way if suddenly somebody said to millions of people, my father might not have long to live, let alone if that man was head of state and a monarch. You know, at one point I was struck by hearing making the argument in this interview that part of the reason why he felt like he still deserves and needs the security is he said,

I still continue to serve my country. Is that the view the British public has at all? No, it's not. I mean, some people are sympathetic to Harry, and I have been with this security issue, because I completely understand that this is a man who is deeply troubled about his security after his experience with his mother. And we know that there have been legitimate concerns about his own security. And as he said, in the interview, there are people in prison now in this country who wanted to do him ill. So he does have very well-founded. concerns. But beyond that, what he's saying is they've all had it in for me. The royal household wanted to take away my security. The government wanted to take away my security. He called it an old-fashioned stitcher that this had happened and really solely put the blame at the royal household. Now, the royal household is obviously the family and the courtiers around them. And that is who who's really got it in the neck from Harry today. You know, when he's complaining about his concerns as it relates to security,

there are very high-profile people in the UK who have never been part of the royal family, I think of David Beckham, Harry Stiles, who seem to be able to pay for their own security and be okay. Is it true that he really only can have the security he needs if it is paid for by the British taxpayers? And then big picture, Daisy, do you think we're going to hear more from the royal family in response to his comments? Well, I'm led to believe that the king is quite distressed about this interview, that they weren't given any advance notice about the interview. So I think there will be troubles there. I think on your other point, it is very valid that, yes, there are big stars who pay for their own security.

Harry is in a slightly different position in that he's incredibly high profile, he's a member of the Royal Family, and he served in Afghanistan. We know that there were Al-Qaeda operatives who had it against him, and I don't think that Harry Stiles and David Beckams of the world are quite in the same category. Harry's argument is that there is information and intelligence that the British security services and police force know about

that he needs to know about, too, that needs to be acted on. And that although he pays allegedly up to $4 million a year for his American private security, those security guards, yes, they can accompany him to the UK, but they can't carry arms, they can't have guns on them because that's against the law here. So it's not the same, and they wouldn't have access to that intelligence

that the security services and police would have. So that's, I think, where people are sympathetic to his cause. He has offered to pay the police here in the UK for their help, but they've said they can't do that. They're not guns for hire. they can't be paid to be constitutionally improper. So he is in a difficult situation. All right. A lot of really interesting insights there. Daisy, thank you so much. We really appreciate it. And B.C.'s Royal Commentator Daisy McAndrew, thank you.

We are back in a moment with a courtroom brawl, the family going after the man suspected of killing their teenage son, why they are now facing charges. Witness for the prosecution, a key figure in the Karen Reed trial accused of coordinating over text with family to get their story straight, what it means for the case against Reed, and the major change for discount Chinese retailer Temu, why their products will now be shipped from America. We're back now with a fight breaking out in the middle of a Kansas courtroom at the end of a murder trial. Six people now facing charges after friends and family of both the victim and the defendant started throwing punches. NBC's Priya Shrether takes us inside the chaotic courtroom.

This fight breaking out during the sentencing phase of a murder trial between members of the victim's family and the defendant's loved ones. Punch is still flying as the fight even bigger moving into the aisle until finally deputies restore order both sides in court to find out how much time to Bryce Robinson would spend in jail for shooting and killing Trenjavius Hutton at a mall in 2022 that murder occurring in broad daylight at the sentencing hearing the victim's mother pleading to the judge I'm not saying that we innocent but you know what I'm saying I'm him and I hope something bad has a room deal. I hate it.

And I think that you could consider you should get him the back that he said because, evidently, he don't care. Saying her son's killer showed no remorse. I hate you and I hope you die in judge. Those words starting an argument between people watching. The judge was asking you guys to go. Two people removed at the judge's request. Get up, bro. Come here, bro.

Go that. Yeah, you was a . But not before fists started flying. Once court resumed, the convicted killer sentenced to 21 years in prison. Now six people involved in the fight charged with misdemeanors, relatives of the victim charged with disorderly conduct, and his mother for using, quote, fighting words. Those charged could not immediately be reached for comment and didn't have attorneys listed.

Now, as they prepare for their own hearings, a protective order in place to try and prevent something like this from happening again. And Priya Shrether joins us now with Maury. And Priya, this was a massive brawl. But we have seen other examples of tense situations and even fighting in courtrooms. What's going on? Is there a security issue? Yeah, that's absolutely right, Alison. It seems like the frequency of these courtroom disputes and brawls is increasing. And it's not just between defendants and victims. We've even seen recent examples of defendants flinging themselves over the bench and trying to attack judges and even prosecutors. And legal analysts say there's a number of reasons for that. Number one,

a lot of the court proceedings after COVID have moved off of being virtual back into the courtroom in person. We're also talking about extremely polarizing times. They say that also the rise of these courtroom drama shows like Judge Judy that kind of emuoles. violate conflict and drama is also a contributing factor, Alison. NBC's Priya Shrether, thank you. When we returned back on the stand, the star witness grilled by the defense today in the Karen Reed trial, the Google search she did that night that is a key part of the case. And American Made, the major Chinese retailer now shifting its business to America.

We're back now with Top Stories News Feed and an update on that fan who fell from the stands at a Pittsburgh Pirates game Wednesday night. The shocking moment captured in a viral video, the fan who fell 20 feet onto the field at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, has now been identified as 20-year-old Kavan Markwood. Mark Wood is hospitalized in serious condition. We're back now with Top Stories news feed and an update on that fan who fell from the stands at a Pittsburgh Pirates game Wednesday night. The shocking moment captured in a viral video. The fan who fell 20 feet onto the field at Pittsburgh's PNC Park has now been identified as 20-year-old Kavan Markwood. Markwood is hospitalized in serious condition. A spokesperson from his high school says, Mark Wood was a standout football player and known as someone who embodied resilience and kindness. In California, a high school basketball star injured in a fiery car crash is finally leaving the

hospital. You can see the joy here, the top USC recruit Elijah Arenas coming home to a room filled with flowers and balloons. The 18-year-old was placed in a medically induced coma after crashing his Tesla cyber truck into a tree. Los Angeles police telling NBC News their investigation is on going and they're looking into excessive speed as a possible factor in the crash. Comcast is working to restore service to customers in Texas after a widespread outage caused, they say, by vandalism. The company sharing photos of several broken cables in the Houston area. In a statement, Comcast, the parent company of NBC, says this is the result of back-to-back

acts of suspected vandalism. Exfinity customers saying the outage knocked out their internet, television, and DVR services, police are investigating. New developments with Hawaii's Kilauea volcano. Video shows lava fountains spraying more than 300 feet into the air. That eruption ending early this morning after nearly eight hours, scientists telling local media that the short eruption patterns could be a sign that larger lava fountains might be to come. A rare two-headed snake born in California in a California reptile store is actually surviving and thriving against the

Staff at the Berkeley Viverium thought the California King Snake would die shortly after it hatched last September. But to their pleasant surprise, they say it's doing well. Each head has a name, Angel and Zeke. The store says if the snake lives for at least a year, they'll consider selling it. Buyers have already made offers some as high as $50,000. More dramatic testimony today in the retrial of Karen Reed, the woman charged in the 22 death of her boyfriend who was a Boston police officer. Her attorneys arguing she's being framed by other cops. A key witness back on the stand today to answer questions from the defense.

NBC's Emily Aketa has more. A key witness in Karen Reid's murder retrial back on the stand and detailing the aftermath of Boston police officer John O'Keefe's death. This is I'm sorry. More records from my phone. Jennifer McCabe, who called 911 alongside Reed, grilled by the defense today over why she never sought help from her brother. brother-in-law inside the home feet from O'Keefeb's body. You knew that John O'Keefe was clinging to life during those precious, those precious minutes and seconds. Is that right? I did, yes. And you also knew that Brian Albert, your brother-in-law,

was a first responder trained to deal with people in that kind of distress, correct? In that moment, my only thoughts were John and everything we could do for John. Prosecutors allege Reid struck O'Keefe with her car in a drunken rage and left him to die in the cold. Two people have testified they heard Reid say she hit O'Keefe. But the defense says there was no collision and she's being framed. Today suggesting McCabe coordinated with friends and family to get their story straight. Texting her sister about the investigation, Carrie talked to cops and kept simple. Her sister responded at one point, I'll get more info tomorrow.

Don't want to text about it. You were colluding with other witnesses, percipient witnesses in this case through those text messages. Were you not? I was not. Outside of the Massachusetts courthouse, Reed reacting. What do you think the jury thought of Jen McCain? What anyone with common sense would think of Jen McCabe, I hope?

Prosecutors playing this clip today on the moment Reed spotted his body. It was a weird shaped lump at that time in those elements. And I was looking to find him on the side of the road. As the legal saga that spurred an array of TV shows, podcasts, and protests, gears up for its third week. Based on a blood alcohol test from Reed, the morning O'Keefe's body was found. A state police lab scientist estimated that Reed had likely been driving overnight with levels more than twice the legal limit. Reed says those calculations are based on assumptions. Ellison.

Emily Aketa, thank you. Let's bring in NBC News legal analysts. Danny Savalos for more on this. He has been following this retrial closely for us. We're also going to pick his brain on a couple other trials because, Danny, there's just so much legal news to go through. So let's start with Karen Reid's retrial and Jennifer McCabe will understand. What did you make of it in Cross? Did the defense do enough to possibly make a juror really question McCabe's testimony?

The defense successfully cross-examined McCabe in the first trial. The second trial, I'm not so sure. McCabe now is a veteran of trial and testimony. And I think she handled herself really, really well, given that she was on the stand for three days and subjected to withering cross-examination. I thought she really conveyed well the idea that, look, my memory's not perfect.

This was many years ago. I may not remember things exactly. And she followed the rules that witnesses need to follow, which is don't fight with the attorney. Just answer the questions to the best of your ability. And I think the defense, And Karen Reid's defense team is very impressive. But I think they struggled a little with this witness.

Let me ask you about Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing the United Health Care CEO, Brian Thompson, last year, because his attorneys are now asking for the state of New York to dismiss their charges because there's a federal trial and they're saying that is double jeopardy. A lot of legal words there break down for us what they are arguing. And do they actually have an argument? So this is what we call basically an omnibus motion. It's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. I file them. Every defense attorney files them all the time. They have a very low success rate. The motion asks for a few things. It asked to suppress evidence that was obtained in violation

of the Constitution, both statements given without Miranda rights warnings, and evidence that they found in a backpack. They also ask for the state or the court to dismiss the charges, yes, based on double jeopardy, but I think the stronger argument is one that we've been hearing for a while, which is by charging him with terrorism, the state may have overreached. because it has never been the case that just because firearms violence causes fear, that that can be translated into terrorism. And the state needs that terrorism element to boost this from second-degree murder to first-degree murder. And this may be a case where they overcharged.

But all that being said, courts are very, very reluctant to dismiss cases at this stage and even suppress evidence. So these emotions are always a long shot. Okay, let me ask you about another high-profile case happening in New York City. Sean Diddy Combs, his federal sex trafficking trial, they are going to do jury selection on Monday. What would his defense team be looking for in their ideal jurors because everybody gets to say right and who sits on the jury? And how does that process actually play out? I think the defense has previewed that they're interested in burning through as many jurors as they can until they find the juror that they like the most. And that's because they have requested

a lot of jurors, potential jurors, to show up for jury selection. In any high profile case, it's always a challenge to find jurors who don't have preconceived notions about the defendant. But here's the thing. You don't need a juror who's completely ignorant of all things diddy. Yeah, because who would be, right? Who would be? Although I think it'd be surprised. You would be amazed. I just picked a jury last week. You'd be amazed at how little regular folks know or are watching the news or anything. A lot of people live in their own bubble, and they're really, they may not be aware. I mean, look, after Justin Timberlake wasn't recognized by the cop that pulled him over, I now realize nobody is completely known by everybody out there.

You may find jurors who do not know who did he is. I'm telling you, it's possible. I just picked a jury last week. I wouldn't run up by some of them. So you've got to go through jurors, and as long as they can set aside whatever preconceived notions they have and judge the case on the facts in court,

then that is an eligible juror. NBC's Danny Savalos. Thank you. Next on top story, the pivotal testimony in the murder trial of Christopher Scher, the former Michigan police officer taking the stand in his own defense, explaining why he felt his life was in danger when he fatally shot Patrick Leoya following a traffic stop back in 2022. NBC, Shaquille Brewster reports, and a warning.

This report contains disturbing video. Tonight, former Michigan police officer Christopher Schur taking the stand in his murder trial. I believe that if I hadn't done it at that time, I wasn't going to go home. Recounting the April 22 day, he fatally shot 26-year-old Patrick Leoya, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the back of the head following a traffic stop in Grand Rapids. My energy was depleted that when I got the taser out initially, I don't know how I made it through that struggle. What were you fearful of? That he was going to use it on me and I was going to die. Sure, seen wiping his eyes in court as his body camera footage was pulling.

played out for jurors. Stay in the car. Stay in the car. Testifying that his stress levels were raised after he pulled Leoya over for driving with an improper license plate. Do you have a license or no? Leoya trying to run away from Schur.

Stop. 1915, you got one running. Stop! Scher saying he put all his weight and used knee strikes on Leoya in an effort to arrest him, but that he did not stay down. To me, what made the most sense,

with my level of exhaustion and just the lack of effect with those strikes. I felt as though I need to move to a taser just to actually interrupt the muscle function. Sure, losing his taser in the fight with Leoya. Let go to the taser! In cell phone video shown in court, he's heard asking Leoya to give up the weapon. Drop taser! Before shooting Leoya in the back of the head, killing him. The prosecution arguing the shooting was an unjustified use of deadly force.

During cross-examination today, pressing sure on whether the taser held by Leoya presented a deadly threat. You've been working for granted police for seven years. Any time where a police officer was injured, seriously injured by a teaser. Not that I'm aware of. No police officers in Granite's police or killed by a taser. killed by taser. Not that I'm aware of. Sure, testifying he feared if he was tased, Lioia could then access his gun. They never go for your gun, did he? No. He never put his hand on your gun. Not that I recall. Never touched your gun. Not that I recall. Loya's family and their

attorney in court today calling for conviction. If it was your child, what would you want? That's what his family wants. And Chiquel Brewster joins us now with more. Shaq, the central question for the jury here is, was the use of deadly force warranted? That has also been addressed by expert witnesses, though, from both sides, right? Walk us through the two arguments we've heard. Yeah, Alison, jurors in this case, her testimony from experts on both sides of this case. For the prosecution, they brought on use of force experts, including one who we talked to for the show in the days after the shooting, who essentially said that the use of force was unreasonable

and that the officer put himself in a more dangerous position. The defense, they brought on experts who were and are senior members of the Grand Rapids Police Department, including two who trained this officer. They said that the situation got more dangerous once Leoya got hold of that taser. This will all come down, of course, to what jurors believe when they likely receive the case sometime next week, Ellison. Shaq Brewster, thank you. In tonight's top story, Global Watch, actor and comedian Russell Brand granted bail today on rape and sexual assault charges. Brand appearing in a London court for the first time since being charged last month.

He addressed the court confirming personal information and acknowledging that he understood the bail conditions. London police say Brand sexually assaulted for women between 1999 and 2005. Brand denies any wrongdoing and says it was all consensual. He'll be back in court for his next hearing on May 13. And a ship carrying aid and volunteers heading for Gaza was struck by drones off the coast of Malta today. CCTV and passenger footage appears to show the moment drones hit that ship. The activist group running the aid mission is blaming the attack on Israel, but they have not released any specific evidence to support that claim. The Israeli military has not yet commented.

The Maltese government released these images of crews putting out fires on the ship. They say all 16 people on board are safe. Final preparations underway today for next week's papal conclave. Video shows Vatican firefighters installing the chimney on the Sistine Chapel. This will signal when a new pope has been chosen. After the Cardinals vote, the ballots are mixed with chemicals and burned. Black smoke means no pope has been elected. White smoke means a pope has been chosen.

When Top Story returns in just a moment, the major change for Temu just announced, Will the cheap stuff you buy there still be cheap? We're back now with major Chinese retailer Timu announcing tonight they are halting all shipments to the U.S. from China amid President Trump's 145 percent tariffs on that country. The Trump administration also closing a loophole offering an exemption for companies selling low-cost items like Timu and Sheehan. A spokesperson for Timu telling NBC news, Timu has been actively recognized. recruiting U.S. sellers to join the platform. The move is designed to help local merchants reach more customers and grow their businesses. So how will this impact American customers

on the site? NBC's Brian Chung joins us now. Brian, walk us through this move from Timu, and how did they likely reach this decision? Yeah, Alison, this is a pretty remarkable strategy change for Temu, which is one of these enormously popular online retailers that ships oftentimes from China directly to the United States, they'd have been taking advantage of what they call the de minimis loophole, where items that were shipped directly from China that were under $800 in value could make their way to consumers here in the United States without facing any sort of tariffs or taxes along the way.

Now, the Trump administration closed that as part of the tariffs that they ratcheted out on China, meaning that the $5 pants or the $8 blender that you used to be able to get from Shian would then, or rather from Temu, would then be subject to that 145% tariff. Temu is now making this change saying that it seems like they're going to prioritize and basically only focus on local sourcing, which means items that are already being shipped from within the United States, in which case it would not be subject to that now de minimis loophole change that would have otherwise subjected it to a 145% increase, meaning that they can continue to offer items to Americans at cheap prices without having to face those tariffs. But of course, whether or not those items are cheaper than the Chinese counterparts that they would have otherwise sold does remain an open question. on the Temu website. You see basically everything is marked as local, local, local, local, suggesting all of those items are shipped from the United States. So Brian, talk to us a little bit more about that in terms of this local sourcing. How is Timu going to source that much demand

locally in the United States so fast? And for American consumers, should they expect delays and some unavailability in a lot of goods while they figure out their supply chain with this? Yeah, Alison, it's a great question. And when it comes to their sourcing, a lot of that is a pretty opaque, given that it is a Chinese company, but it does seem to suggest that given this change that we've seen as of today, that they seem to have some sort of supply chain pipeline that existed already in the United States. For what it's worth, the statement that they provided NBC News in just the last hour. They said, quote, Temo had been actively recruiting U.S. sellers to join the platform. The move is designed to help local merchants reach more customers

and grow their businesses. Again, how long they've been, quote, unquote, actively recruiting those U.S. sellers does remain to be seen. But again, they say that this is a, a way for them to avoid pricing adjustments on consumers. And it does seem like maybe that's a way that they could also get products to American consumers faster. Presumably, if you don't have to ship it all the way from China, then it could get to customers' doors faster as well. But again, the pricing aspect of this is going to be very interesting. If they sold an $8 blender from China a month ago, can they still sell it at $8 with a U.S. supplier? That is an open question. NBC's Brian Chung. Thank you. We are back in a moment with the All-Star cast in a new Tina

Faye comedy. Will her new show be your next binge? We are back now with binge-worthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. We're joined now by Fandango correspondent Nikki Novak. Nikki, thank you so much for joining Top Story. So great to be here. So many things out there right now. The first one that we have to talk about is a TV show that is on Netflix. It's called Four Seasons. A pretty heavy hitter cast. Tina Faye's in this. Steve Carell. Wilforte? Coleman Domingo. So essentially, I understand it's about a decades-long friendship group, group of friends, and somebody goes through a divorce and the drama that then unfolds. I love it. You just told me about the movie.

This is fantastic. You know all about it. Let's take a look. We've been friends for 30 years. I love all of you. All of you. Plus, please do not talk about your other hotter friend group. It hurts my feelings. I know, but that's so hot. Are you guys happy? What kind of question is that? Come on. We sit in the same room, monitoring different screens.

We're like co-workers at a nuclear facility. Our producer Carlin prepped me well. It looks good, right? It is very good. What I like about it is Tina Fey, she co-wrote it with some of her writers from 30 Rock. And this is, I feel like it's almost a more mature Tina Faye in terms of the humor. It's very real. It's not only about long-term.

relationships and what happens when one breaks down, but it's about what happens to the other friend group, when you're used to seeing that core couple, and then Steve Correll's character starts dating somebody much younger, and when he brings somebody much younger into the crew... And everybody says, we have to talk to a 20-year-old? Yes, and it makes them all sort of question themselves, their own relationships, but also their friendships. But, yeah, it's excellent, like you said, stellar cast, and Netflix, eight episodes. Each season is two episodes, so you get to go on a virtual vacation.

which is so nice. I always say it's like white lotus, but funny. And we love white lotus, so yes. That sounds like a one all around. This next one we have is on Amazon Prime, Prime Video. It's where, whatever you want. Take a look. Hi, guys. Hello.

Today is all about bringing your fantasy look to life. This is new territory. This freedom of expression without rules is really important for us to get right for you. I love this almost as much as I love you guys. My fantasy style is punk rock god. eclectic bohemian artist. This is the fantasy. Oh, wow.

I mean, I feel like I kind of grew up watching them on TLCs, but not to wear. And then now they're back, but they did not get along for quite a while, right? Well, and that's the big thing, is a lot of people talked about it. They were on, you know, that for 10, about 10 seasons. It ended a long time ago, but they've now reconciled. Obviously, they're back with this new show. And they have said, you know, things get a little bit blown out of proportion,

but they did have a really big heart-to-heart. They said it was the pandemic that kind of spurred that on. They made amends they went on a little bit of a tour together where they did a little bit of a comedy show and then came back with this show. What I like about it is feels it's very 2025. So instead of telling people what not to wear, it's about celebrating people's personal style.

And if you don't really know what your personal style is, it's about finding it. But it's also about living out your fantasy through fashion. I actually found it. I used to be in fashion. And I found it really helpful. Interesting. Yeah.

Because each episode is dedicated to one person. And then, of course, they go through learning about what works for them, what doesn't work for them. But they get to live out a fantasy. It's fun. It's very feel good. Stacey, London and Clinton Kelly, it's a good TV pairing. I would add that to a list. The next one we have is a movie.

This is actually a sequel to a 2018 movie that starred Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. It is called A Simple Favor. That was called A Simple Favor. This one is the sequel, and it's called Another Simple Favor. Take a look. What did she say to convince you to come to? this farce. Ratricide, identity fraud,

I'm just a girlfriend stuff. I have a surprise. Your own true family. You probably don't remember me. It's your Auntie Linda. You've got your assistant to a wedding. She's an insurance policy. Does I won't kill you both?

I mean, the first one was not for me. I'm not sure this one is for me, but what are people saying about it? Well, this one is more over the top than the last one. So if you found the last one too over the top, it won't be for you. But it is another virtual vacation. This seems to be a trend. I think White Lotus started it, but this takes place in Capri and Blake's character in the last film it left off where she was going to prison. Somehow she found her way out of it.

She enlists Anna Kendrick to be her maid of honor. And then chaos ensues. What I love about it is Paul Feig, who is the director. There's a lot of twists and turns in it. He's great with humor, and it has a lot of it. Okay. This next one is our motherships. Peacock Ann Fandango Black Bag.

It stars Kate Blanchett and Michael Fastbender, and they're playing Married Spies. take a look my devotion to my marriage is my professional weakness love you you got a breach what did you do one of our people stole something something extremely valuable you cannot imagine the damage find the leak look at them casually sneaking james bond into the trailer and not putting that on the headline huge cast there yeah absolutely huge And there's a conundrum in this one, because Michael Fastbender's character is tasked with finding a mole that is a threat to cybersecurity. And his wife just happens to be one of the lead suspects. And there's five suspects.

So what does he do in the opening of the movie? He invites all of the suspects to dinner and starts grilling them about their personal lives, hoping that will reveal. But the big conundrum is, if it turns out it is his wife, is he going to turn her in? He has a soft spot for her. Right. Let's turn to music now before we let you go, because Ed Shearin has his eighth studio album out. It is called play. This is a song off of that album called Old Phone. Take a listen. melancholic and then goes into something very hopeful. All right, a lot to watch, a lot to listen to

this weekend. Nikki Novak, thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. And thank you at home so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way.