Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, November 10, 2023

Episode Date: November 11, 2023

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, just 24 hours after agreeing to pauses, the fighting intensifying in Gaza. Hospital Fireball, video of a massive explosion at the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza. Then hours later, strikes hitting another hospital, the largest in the besieged city, as thousands shelter inside. Both sides tonight, pointing the finger of blame for the blast. Tens of thousands evacuating during humanitarian pauses, moving along corridors away from the street to street battles. And the latest on the fate of those hostages, are they any closer to being set free? Back in the U.S., the bombshell for New York City's mayor, the FBI seizing his devices and executing a surprise search warrant. All happening days after a raid on his chief campaign fundraiser's house.

What we now know about the investigation into his election team's finances, migrants trapped in a trailer. Authorities in Mexico making a very disturbing discovery on the side of a highway. More than 120 migrants locked in a trailer with dozens of children, all packed together on a dangerous journey north, how a tip about their cries for help just might have saved their lives. In police ambush attack, the disturbing moment a driver appears to target two police officers right there, ramming them against a squad car. The sheriff saying the deputies didn't have a chance to escape. Now they're in the hospital with critical injuries. The body cam moment showing how the suspect was taken down with tasers. Plus, out-of-control crash, more than a dozen injured in Los Angeles after a car sails through a stop sign right into a city bus, sending it careening into a restaurant.

Luckily and amazingly, nobody was inside. And return to Normandy, World War II veterans, on an unforgettable journey back to memories of D-Day, walking the beaches of that historic day, honoring their fallen brothers in uniform on the eve of Veterans Day. Top story starts right now. I'm good evening. I'm Sam Brock in Miami. In for Tom Yamis this evening. We begin top story tonight once again with the war in Gaza and the latest violence hitting hospitals. This right here is the moment that a massive explosion towers over the Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza. Look at the flames. This happening close to the Jabalya refugee camp where Israeli air strikes and bunker-busting bombs flattened buildings targeting Hamas command centers just last week. Other strikes. He's near the largest hospital in Gaza, al-Shefa, Hamas, blaming Israel for the attacks. Now, a senior Israeli defense official telling NBC news that at least one explosion was caused by a missile fired from terror groups inside of Gaza. The IDF telling NBC, Hamas has turned the hospitals into fortified positions.

This is tens of thousands are fleeing the fighting on designated corridors to the south, people on foot carrying whatever they can, most moving during the four-hour humanitarian pauses in fighting. as Palestinians finding shelter along the way. A school south of Gaza City now overcrowded as many as 65 people sleeping in one classroom, others building tents right outside. Now, the United Nations says more than 800 aid trucks have gotten through the border crossing, and at least 12 children with cancer had been taken out of Gaza. But the humanitarian efforts marred with tragedy.

At least 100 U.N. aid workers dying since the war began. Inside Israel now, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting war. wounded soldiers at a hospital in Ashkelon, that Njahou refusing a ceasefire until all hostages are freed. But right now, the future is uncertain for the two captives, who Palestinian Islamic Jihad said could soon be released. As those tense negotiations continue, NBC News, Chief Foreign Correspondent, Kyr Simmons, has the latest on not just those talks, but the fighting that has placed hospitals in Gaza in the middle

of the crossfire. This was the sky over Gaza tonight in Israel's war with Hamas. And overnight, near the Indonesian hospital in Gaza City, a fireball. Hours after the White House says Israel agreed to humanitarian pauses in the fighting, but no ceasefire. Close by, above Al-Shefa hospital, a projectile, then screams. Later, a second explosion at the outpatient clinic. My mother, my father, my brother, she cries.

Tonight, Israel says radar evidence shows one source. strike on the Al-Shefa hospital was from a mis-fired rocket from a Palestinian terrorist organization. Israel says Hamas has operated a command center under Al-Shefa hospital using civilians as human shields. Hamas has turned hospitals into fortified positions. This is the challenge that we are facing. This is precisely why we're encouraging people to go south. We spoke to a doctor at Al-Shefa hospital tonight. Have you seen any Hamas fight? ISIS, Islamic jihad, any group like that there? No, no, at all.

No. Listen, the people won't allow them here. The U.S. today with blunt criticism of the civilian death toll. Far too many Palestinians have been killed, and we want to do everything possible to prevent harm. Israel today pointing to these two humanitarian corridors it's created and a continuing exodus of thousands of Palestinians. Our camera crew in Gaza meeting a man who's four.

A family of 15 say they didn't want to leave their home, but felt forced to. It was basically torture. We went. Tanks were left and right. They were shooting everywhere near us, around us. Inside Gaza, Hamas still hasn't released more hostages. Israel says any ceasefire now after the murder of 1,200 Israelis would be a surrender to Hamas. won't be a ceasefire without the release of the Israeli hostages.

As this crisis just continues to grow, Kier Simmons now joining us live from Tel Aviv. Kier, as you mentioned, we saw that video yesterday from Islamic Jihad of the two hostages. They said they were prepared to release. What update right now do we have on the status of that and also just the broader hostage negotiations that are still ongoing? Yeah, effectively, that was a propaganda video. They said they were prepared to release them. We haven't heard anything since.

There are those continuing negotiations. I'm told by an official with knowledge of those talks that those talks have stalled in the past over the number of hostages that might be released and that is still a sticking point now, Sam, although they are making some progress, I'm told. As these families are just waiting right now for any sort of development or news.

And, Kerry, you know, you talked about the sharpening language from Secretary Blinken. We heard it a second ago, really stepping up his rhetoric on protecting Palestinians and calling for these pauses. We're now seeing Israel opening up humanitarian corridors, but Mr. Netanyahu refuses, as you said, any kind of ceasefire. Is there evidence that you're seeing that the growing pressure from the U.S. is having an impact?

There isn't that much evidence, aside from that news yesterday that Israel agreed to those pauses. I think what Secretary Blinken said, Sam, is really notable. That's the strongest I've heard any U.S. official talking about the impact on civilians in Gaza. Tonight, we're hearing from President Macron of France, who's calling on Israel, and I'm quoting, because it's pretty strong stuff, to stop killing Gaza's women and babies, saying there's no justification for the bombing. Israel tonight heavily pushing back on those words from France's leader,

but I think it is an indication of some frustration as we see those images over Gaza tonight with more bombing and more fighting in the streets and the continuing concern over what implications that has for innocent civilians, Sam. Keir Simmons, with crushing and important reporting on the ground there from Tel Aviv, thank you so much, Kier.

For more on the status right now of the hostage negotiations, we want to bring in former ambassador Dennis Ross, also the former National Security Council Director for the Central Region, and special assistant to President Obama, as well as an NBC News, Foreign Affairs analyst. Ambassador Ross, great to have you with us tonight. Thank you so much for being here. Before we get into the hostage situation, I want to talk about those humanitarian corridors that we just saw in Keir's report thousands of people trying to leave. Is there a fundamental difference? Can you explain it for our audience between those corridors and the humanitarian pauses,

these four-hour windows, that the U.S. and others have been asking for? Well, I think the corridors are a reflection of what the U.S. has been asking for, because it's not just corridors that they're allowing people to leave. And now it's been the last three days where we've seen this. So several hundred thousand have moved from the north to the south. There is an operational pause over these areas when they're moving south. There also is an operational pause related to areas where assistance will be brought in. So I do think it's a function of American—certainly American pressure. I have to understand there's a countervailing pressure in Israel from the public, which

says, why should we be creating such pauses if they won't release hostages? And I understand that sentiment. The problem with the sentiment is that it's putting pressure on the wrong people. The people who you see leaving and leaving from going from north-south, they don't have any control over the hostages. It's Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and they're clearly manipulating the image of the hostages. That was the reason for this video of showing the two. It's a manipulation. These are people who never should have been taken in the first place, but you can see it's they're not going to be affected by whether there's positives or there's not. In many ways,

Hamas prefers that there's not be prosies because they use their population, not just as shields, but they effectively are holding them hostage as well. They are. And Keir used the word propaganda to describe this video about potentially preparing to release two of those hostages with little movement there. I want to ask you about that, but also first, Ambassador Ross, Israel seems to have Hamas weakened, at least from a military perspective.

And yet, as you mentioned, international outrage right now is growing over this relentless bombing campaign of the Gaza Strip and the mounting civilian casualties. People, as you said, had nothing to do with the situation but are now fleeing. So given that dynamic, who do you think has the upper hand in these negotiations? You know, it's a really interesting question because the pressures are building actually, obviously, on both sides. Hamas is being squeezed. There's no doubt they're being squeezed. They're losing a good chunk of their military infrastructure.

A lot of their command posts are basically being, you know, they're being surrounded. a lot of their leadership is being, at this point, I think, also killed. So there's, on the one hand, the Israelis are making incremental progress on the ground in a way where they're tightening the noose around the whole Hamas leadership. On the other hand, the pressure from the international community is building because of the understandable reaction to what people are seeing with regard to Palestinians. And the fact that Israel is allowing these kinds of operational pauses suggests that it's not just American pressure, they're becoming more sensitive to the impact of this.

There is a, in effect, there's pressure on both sides. The problem is there is a need on the Israeli side to ensure the end of the day that Hamas does not remain in control in Gaza. That's the fundamental difference. You look at President Biden, who does not support a ceasefire. He supports these pauses. Macron is calling for ceasefire. The problem with the Macron position is that basically it means

at the end of the day, Hamas stays in power and we repeat what we've seen before. And Israel has been adamant. They want the dismantling of Hamas and they want these hostages returned. Which brings us to this next question, which you mentioned a second ago. We're now a month plus into the conflict

and we have only actually seen a handful of hostages released. How would you assess the U.S. efforts to free these hostages and what more can or I guess should be done by the State Department right now? Well, I think we have to be fair to the Biden administration. They're doing what they can.

The question is, who has leverage over Hamas? Qatar does have leverage over Hamas because most of the political leadership, or at least a lot of the senior political leaders, are actually in Qatar. And we have made Qatar a non-NATO ally. They certainly make the case that their relationship with Hamas

it gives them the ability to talk to them and to influence them. We're not seeing a lot of signs of their influence at this point. I suspect that, you know, the fact that we had Bill Burns, the CIA director, the head of Mossad also in Qatar, suggests that these negotiations on the hostages have advanced, and that obviously is a sign that Qatar is trying to do something. But as you just said, we're five weeks into this now, or nearly five weeks into this. we have four hostages released out of 240, one rescued. So the proof of Qatar's relationship, and I would say their case that they have, there's a benefit from them having this relationship, that's a proof that remains to be seen.

It's such an incredibly delicate situation, Ambassador Ross, but with each day, with each hour, we're just seeing levels of humanitarian despair that almost seems unthinkable. Thank you so much for providing your expertise here. We really do appreciate it. Back here at home, fears and tensions mounting, as the war in the Middle East shows clearly no signs of letting up. Hate incidents targeting both Muslim and Jewish people soaring across the nation as college campuses now continue to serve as a flashpoint for the conflict. NBC's Ann Thompson has more. College campuses, lamp posts, and city blocks in this country, these are the new flashpoints of the Israel-Hamas war.

Escalating tensions over the past month at New York's Columbia University led to today's suspension of two student groups, both pro-Palestinian, accused of violating school policy with threatening rhetoric and intimidation. At Ohio State, the university's president says there were two incidents that targeted the Jewish community in the last 24 hours. Two students were assaulted, the Jewish center vandalized. Meanwhile, across the country, people are tearing down pictures of the 239 hostages held by Hamas. I feel personally attacked. Why are you taking this off? Many incidents going viral, including this one by a Florida dentist. Here's his explanation.

It's to promote peace. It's to de-escalate the situation. For many Jewish people, this is anything but de-escalation. This is what happened to a sign covered with posters at the University of Minnesota. Sadly, there is so much anger. The Israeli artists who created and hung the first posters in New York City are shaken by the reactions. I lost a little bit of hope regarding humanity. Knits-on-Mince and Duda Band-Aid, who prefers to keep his face hidden, say the goal is awareness, not politics.

What do you want people to see when they look at these posters? We want them to see the real humans. They are real human beings, you know. The anger, fear, and suffering of this conflict without borders. Ann Thompson, NBC News, New York. They want people to see the humanity. Ann, thank you very much. We move now, staying in the country to New York.

And the startling news that Mayor Eric Adams had his phone and iPad seized by the FBI. It comes amid an ongoing federal investigation into Adams' campaign fundraising. NBC's Jonathan Deinst has the very latest. In what appears to be a growing federal corruption investigation, the FBI has seized the electronic devices of New York City's Democratic mayor, Eric Adams. The FBI approaching Adams Monday. Two sources familiar with the matter say the mayor turned over two cell phones and an iPad and later turned over additional electronic devices. The mayor's attorney saying tonight, he's not been accused of wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation. Adams tonight saying, I have nothing to hide. Questions appear to center around Adams' chief campaign fundraiser,

25-year-old Brianna Suggs, whose home was raided by agents several days ago. Earlier this week, Adams' voice support for Suggs, who has not commented publicly. I sleep well at night. I am clear that we follow the rules. We follow the rules. Investigators are in part looking into possible campaign donations tied to a construction firm, and its ties to Turkey. But a source familiar with the matter says

late last week, it was the mayor and his lawyers who turned over information about additional wrongdoing separate from the campaign finance investigation. One of the mayor's lawyer says, in the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this behavior was immediately and proactively

reported to investigators. Jonathan Deinst with the very latest there. Next to a series of letters with suspicious powders that were sent to election workers across the U.S., at least one of those letters contained a powder that tested positive for fentanyl. The FBI and the Postal Service are investigating. For the very latest, we turn to NBC's Justice and Intelligence correspondent Kendallanian. Kenan, we've been talking about this all day. You mentioned the fact that these letters are traceable, so hopefully some sense

that there could be a tracking down of whoever's behind this. But what more do we know about the letters at large? Well, Sam, we're told that letters went to various locations in six states. Washington Oregon, Texas, Georgia, California, and Nevada. Some of them field-tested positive for fentanyl. There was a substance inside that it was fentanyl. In other cases, it was deemed to be baking soda. All of the substances are being tested in the lab now, and that takes a while for those results to come back.

The FBI and the Postal Inspection Service, which are conducting the investigation, aren't saying much publicly, and they have not discussed whether they have any suspects. But as you mentioned, the Postal Inspection Service has the ability. to trace very precisely where things were mailed, how they worked their way through the system. And so there's a massive investigation going on trying to deduce the forensics from these envelopes, DNA, fingerprints, handwriting, any video surveillance that can be garnered from around the places where they were mailed. So those are the kinds of things that they're doing right now to try to find out who is sending these things, which the election officials are calling

rightfully so domestic terrorism, Sam. Yeah, no doubt. Intimidation and certainly potentially deadly. And so I guess I would ask, investigators, as you said, are tight-lipped right now. But what do we know if there's any connection between these letters? It seems like it would be hard to be just a random thing, that they're going to six different states. Of course, of course. And while they're not saying this publicly, law enforcement sources are telling us privately that that is the working hypothesis, that these things are related. And it's not clear whether it's a group of people or one person. But what my sources do tell me is that it's a good likelihood that they will be able to find who did this

in the past with mail plots. Generally, the people are caught because it's pretty difficult to send things through the mail without leaving a trace, Sam. Ken Delanyan with the very latest. Thank you so much, Ken. Now to the high-stakes meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders now set to meet next Wednesday on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco, of course, with the wars in Israel and Ukraine. as well as tensions over trade in Taiwan, all on the agenda. For more on this, let's get right to NBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander in our top story studios in New York.

Peter, thanks so much for being here. The White House obviously billing this as a bid to decrease tensions, which have certainly been rising recently between the U.S. and China, and improve this relationship holistically. How exactly are they planning on doing that? Yeah, Sam, you make a really good point. This relationship, I think you could say, is at the lowest point. It has been in decades. Certainly next week is going to be an effort to try to write that ship here. We don't even know the specific details about where the summit's going to take place because of security concerns.

We do, of course, as you note, say it's going to take place in the San Francisco Bay Area here. But the White House has a series of goals. This is the first face-to-face, as you said, between President Biden and President Xi in a year after the U.S. shot down, that spy balloon after it traversed, flew above the United States. And there are a series of topics that President Biden, White House officials say is certain is likely to push President Xi' on. Among them, China's relationship to Russia, of course, amid the war in Ukraine. Right now, China's increased aggressiveness toward Taiwan, a little bit closer to home for the Chinese, and also election interference, frankly, in 2024. I wouldn't expect any major takeaways. There aren't going to be any big deliverables, as they describe, that big announcements to come. But one thing that the U.S.

U.S. would view as significant progress as if they were able to, among other things, nail down, restore military-to-military communications between the two countries, Sam. That'll be interesting to see, but at least the conversation itself sounds like that is a significant step in its own right. And obviously, a lot going on here at home. Peter, while we have you, wanted to talk to you about the looming government shutdown, which feels like something we just heard because it's something that we just heard. The deadline to pass a spending bill right now is only a week away. We know the last one really came together. at the last minute, keeping this from the brink, but only for a short period of time.

So it seems to be going down to the wire again. Are there any signs of breakthroughs on the horizon? Well, no signs yet. This really is the first major test for the new Republican House Speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana, just a couple weeks into the job. No details from House Republicans, from Johnson himself, about what his plans are, how he plans to try to go about averting a government shutdown right now. There have been a series of different approaches that we have heard.

We wait to see what will happen. Republican hardliners, of course, one of their top priorities is spending cuts here. And there have been some ideas floated by Johnson and others that they might pursue some plan where there would be basically different deadline set for different federal agencies. You can imagine the potential chaos that could all cause. But as you note, the deadline now just about exactly a week away next Friday night before all this happens. And Democrats, they've been furious by this. They just want to see the government remain open.

And Senate Democrats late tonight, Sam, are saying that they're open to what's called a continuing resolution, basically a plan that would temporarily fund the government into January. Sam. All right. The pressure on to do, Sout and Peter Alexander, thank you so much. Turning now to a shocking scene in Mexico, authorities there are finding 123 migrants trapped inside of a locked trailer. 34 of them, children. Now, their rescue coming after a local resident happened to report hearing cries from inside. All this is a caravan of thousands of migrants continues to make its way through Mexico. Guadvanegas brings us the very latest. Tonight, a disturbing discovery made by authorities in Central Mexico.

123 migrants found trapped in a trailer abandoned off the highway. Among those rescued, 34 children from different countries. Federal authorities had to join a multi-agency response seemed to help rescue all of the 123 migrants, said the state spokesperson from San Luis Potosi, where the migrants were found. At this time, no arrests have been made in the case. Immigration authorities writing in a statement the locked trailer was found after an anonymous caller reporting hearing cries coming from within. Most of the migrants coming from the Central American countries, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The discovery inside the trailer, a harrowing reminder of the dangerous migrants face when traveling to the U.S. Mexico border. On Wednesday, a group of 3,000 migrants blocking a major highway in southern Mexico demanding transit visas to get across the country and arrive at the southern U.S. border. So, yeah we have more than three months to be in Tapachula, going to sun, hungry, and sleeping in the streets. Puch, it's just, much people are suffering. So, so that's what most we say we want to, that we'd say the permission.

The permits would allow migrants. to purchase bus tickets and avoid walking or using smugglers. Those protesters, part of a caravan at times 5,000 people strong, that has been making its way north through Mexico. Because we're at merced of the coyotes, of the delinquent, so I think that we're all when we're in the caravan. I think more secure, but when one is migrant, nothing is secure.

And it's the only way that I think we can get to do the set of the CIPI-1. Because, while we're here, we're going to be able and as many risk everything for a better life, dangers loom even north of the U.S. border. On Wednesday, eight people killed in Batesville, Texas, when a suspected human smuggler crash while fleeing from authorities. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, troopers confirming several. of the dead were from Honduras. And as Mexican authorities face pressure to protect the migrants,

that caravan of thousands making its way north could arrive at the U.S. Mexico border in the coming weeks, which would most likely overwhelm U.S. border officials, once again, as we've seen in the past. Sam? Yeah, system under stress as it is. Squad, thank you. Still ahead tonight, Hollywood horror, part of a woman's body found inside of a dumpster. Her husband, who's the son of a high-profile media executive, under arrest tonight. The search now for her missing parents. Plus a driver caught on camera

slamming into two Florida officers in what police are terming an ambush, the charges that he's now facing. And famed football coach Jim Harbaugh suspended over alleged sign stealing and scouting violations by the undefeated Michigan Wolverine football team. What it means for the rest of their season. Stay with us. And we're back with shocking new video, showing the moment that a Tampa man appears to deliberately crash his car into two police officers, critically injuring both of them. The deputies responding to a 911 call from that suspect's mother, who said her son was in the middle of a mental health crisis. Stephen Romo has the story and a warning that this footage is disturbing. Tonight, two Florida deputies are in critical condition after this shocking incident, a man ramming a vehicle into the officers as they stood out.

their patrol unit. These deputies never had a chance. These surveillance and body camera videos released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office show what unfolded Thursday morning near Tampa. Deputies arrived in the neighborhood after a woman called 911 to say her son was having a mental health crisis, acting violently, and that she was afraid. Bozy, approximately 28-year-old, diagnosed with bipolar, schizophrenia, breaking things in the house. The sheriff's office says the suspect 28-year-old Ralph Boosie didn't want to speak to the officers and instead drove away, only to return moments later and would authorities call an ambush. He's accelerating at such a high rate of speed, and he strikes both of them. The videos show the sedan speeding toward the deputies,

one of them trying to jump out of the way, but is sent flying. The second officer's body camera capturing the moment he was thrown back on impact, the force of that crash, tossing the SUV around in the street. They didn't have a chance to get out of the way. They didn't have a chance to do anything. The officers, 39-year-old Corporal Carlos Brito and 31-year-old deputy Manuel Santos, both rushed to the hospital with critical injuries. Corporal Carlos Brito has suffered the most serious of injuries between the two deputies. His leg may be amputated.

Two other officers on the scene telling Boosie to get on the ground before one uses a taser. Taser, taser, taser. Boosie, taken into custody, now faces three charges of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. As the community, Stephen Romo, joining us now there in Tampa, praise for those police officers. Stephen, you mentioned in the piece the suspect's own mother is the one who called police on her son. Do we have any other sense of what exactly happened? Yeah, we do know from a police, their press conference, they said that this young man did suffer from several mental health issues, bipolar and schizophrenia. heard mention in that 911 call. His mother calling 911 trying to get help for him. Those officers

responding, and we saw how that unfolded. That suspect, Vuzi is actually in a hospital right now before he can be transferred to the jail. And we also know from the final press conference that the sheriff's office sent out about this. They did not mention the mental health issues, though they did mention his criminal history, including previous felony arrests and misdemeanor arrests right now, Sam. All right, Stephen, tough story there. Thank you so much. Los Angeles now, a gruesome discovery. Authorities finding a body unidentifiable inside of a dumpster. Now, the son of a prominent Hollywood executive is in custody at the moment with fears that he may have killed his wife as his in-laws remain missing. NBC's Miguel Almaguer has the details.

Los Angeles detectives retrieve the unidentifiable body from a dumpster. After the gruesome discovery, police say surveillance video led them to this home, where Samuel Haskell, the son of a famous Hollywood executive lives. Haskell lived with his wife May and her parents. We're not sure who the decedent is, but we're looking for three people that are still unaccounted for. Arrested on suspicion of murder, Haskell is being held on $2 million bail. Involved in the entertainment business, he's the son of famed and former Hollywood agent and producer Sam Haskell, whose clients include George Clooney, Martin Short and Dolly Parton. NBC News has not yet heard back from the Hollywood executive.

I would just say sheer shock. Inside the multimillion dollar property, police say they found evidence consistent with a killing and dismemberment. Haskell and his wife are the parents of three small children who were tonight safe and staying with family. Back at the family home, neighbors are stunned. When I understood that she and her parents were missing, I mean, my heart dropped.

completely shocked. As police worked to identify the body they found this week, the search continues for the missing who haven't been seen in days. Meantime, Haskell is expected in court on Monday. Sam? That's sheer shock indeed. Miguel, thank you so much. When we come back, a serious crash caught on camera,

staying in California, a car speeding right through a stop sign, getting rammed by a city bus. Both of those vehicles crashed into a nearby restaurant. what we're hearing about injuries at the scene. Come on up next. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a breaking update from Hollywood. The SAGAFRA National Board has approved a new contract

with the major studios, now sending it to membership for ratification. The landmark deal includes a billion dollars in new wages and benefit plan funding, residual bonuses on streaming shows, and guardrails against the use of artificial intelligence. That deal announced earlier this week ended a historic 118-day-long strike. Le Mans has been arrested for an alleged sexual assault on a former U.S. Senator. Police say that these images you're about to see show the 25-year-old suspect following Arizona's former senator, Martha McSally,

in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In a social media post, McSally says the man came up from behind her during a run and groped her before she then chased him off and called police. He is now facing sexual abuse charges. Nine people are hospitalized, another six injured, after a violent car crash all caught on camera. Look at this. Security camera capturing the moment a car in Long Beach, California,

goes right through a stop sign into that bus. Both vehicles then careen into a nearby restaurant. That is the outcome you're looking at right there. That restaurant was closed at the time, luckily, but residents in the apartment above were displaced. New body cam video capturing a harrowing rescue by Texas police. You're about to see a woman hanging onto the side of her car in chest high water, rushing water. This is at night clearly outside of Dallas when two officers plunge into the water to prevent her from falling off.

Other officers arriving to help pull that woman back to dry land. The woman and the officers involved were all okay. I can't imagine what the reunion will be like down the road. And an extremely rare Babe Ruth baseball card is going up for auction. That card from 1914 is from Ruth's rookie year with the Baltimore Orioles and is reportedly one of the rarest cards in existence. It is expected to fetch a minimum of $10 million, but could surpass a world record of $12.5 million.

The auction opens on November the 17th. That is why your mom tells you to keep your baseball cards. Now, it was a scandal that is embroiling University of Michigan's undefeated football team and their head coach who has been sidelined for the rest of the regular. season now for violating the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy. He is accused of in-person scouting and stealing signs. NBC's Jesse Kirsch

has this story and what it means for the remainder of their football season. Tonight, the University of Michigan's undefeated football team is without their head coach for the rest of the regular season's games. Jim Harbaugh sidelined as punishment for the school breaking the Big Ten conference's sportsmanship policy.

So Michigan, with questions and eyeballs. So, Michigan, with questions, and eyeballs. surrounding the program. Weeks of brewing scandal boiling over late today. The Big Ten announcing Michigan violated its rules by conducting an impermissible in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage

that compromised the integrity of competition. The Big Ten is accusing Michigan of essentially cheating in a way that involves in-person scouting and stealing of signs. Although that activity happens. Harbock can still coach during the way. week, and he's currently with his 9-0 team traveling to Penn State. The legendary head coach speaking out before today's announcement. He just have to let it play out. Cooperate with the

investigation. While the conference sidelined Harbaugh, the NCAA has not concluded its own investigation, and Michigan could face further discipline down the road. I mean, I'm just glad we're not banned from the playoffs like people were thinking. In a statement tonight, The University of Michigan calling the punishment a rush to judgment, saying the school is cooperating with an NCAA investigation. The university says it plans to go to court to try to get Harbaugh back on the sidelines. Sam? Yeah, a lot at stake for Michigan here. Jesse Kirsch, thank you so much.

Coming up, return to Normandy, this Veterans Day weekend, two Americans who served in World War II, going back to France to honor their fallen comrades, informing, get this, a new friendship at 100 and 101 years old. You want to see this story. We're back now with Top Story's Global Watch and Rebel Groups in Myanmar are gaining ground against the country's military junta. New video showing dozens of military posts on fire in the country's border with China after an alleged attack by armed resistance groups. Look at that.

The military has acknowledged losing control. of three towns in the north, including a major trade crossing. It's believed to be the largest offensive against the military since a coup in 2021. In Australia, a landmark ruling for asylum seekers. That country's high court has now overturned a 20-year-old ruling that had permitted the indefinite detention of asylum seekers if the government intended to eventually deport them. The government believes that this could result in the release of more than 90 people who were detained in Australia on, or I should say, denied Australian visas, but imprisoned anyway and could not be deported back to their home countries.

And a major illegal blow right now for the publisher of the Daily Mail, a judge in the UK ruling in favor of Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other public figures who had filed lawsuits against associated newspapers limited for privacy breaches. The defendants can now take the, or defendants, I should say, can now take the publisher to trial over the alleged unlawful gathering of their personal information. The publication denies those allegations. Back here at home, the country is, of course, honoring our veterans this weekend, and we want to introduce you to two Americans

who served in World War II. They are both over the age of 100, but that did not stop them from spending a week overseas, including one unforgettable stop at the beaches of Normandy. It's been nearly eight decades since Gene Kleindle stormed the beaches of Normandy as a medic for the U.S. Army. These were my dog tags right here. Now, at 101 years old, he's back on his own terms. It seemed like it happened just yesterday, you know. Tracing his footsteps at Utah Beach, where he fought the Nazis in June of 1944. Instead of going straight, we went that way.

And after all this time, getting to visit the final resting place of his fallen friends and more than 2,000 other Americans, rubbing sand into their gravestones to show their names never disappear. Dry water productions following Gene and a 100-year-old World War II Navy veteran Bill Hunter. Thank you. On the week-long trip through Belgium and France, led by personnel from the Northern Illinois-based group, Vets Role. I was the kid between the two of us. Hunter was stationed in the Pacific during World War II, but wanted to pay his respects to those Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice on the beaches of France.

Oh gosh, flashbacks of my friends, a couple of them were killed. Bill and Jean had never met each other before this trip, but quickly bonded over their memories of the war and even got to share those stories with a group of students in their 20s traveling along with them. It was 10 times better than I ever thought it would be the entire trip. An unforgettable trip and a new friendship for two American heroes. That image of them holding hands together there. So good. Well, when we come back, we're going to have a look at what you can binge watch and listen to as we head into the weekend. the new action movie, just hitting Netflix. Plus, Emma Stone takes on TV with a new dark comedy series

and brand new music by Dua Leapum. Stay with us. And we are back now with binge-worthy or look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And joining us to talk more about that is entertaining journalist and pop culture expert Brian Balthasar. Brian, thank you so much for being with us. Thank you.

So let's get started right now. We've got an action movie on Netflix that stars Michael Bassbender, and it's called The Killer. Here's a look at that. Forbid empathy. Please. Trust. No one. Fight only the battle you're paid to fight.

Breathe. Breathe. All right, so Brian, break this down for us. We saw a lot of action clips there, but from what you've seen, this is really more of a psychological movie. Right, it's a little bit of both. Okay, so this is an assassin. Michael Fastbender plays, and he's had a pretty good track record, but he botches this last hit. His world turns upside down, and you kind of see the fraying of his mental state as well,

and that's where the psychological part comes in. David Fincher directed this. He also directed the film Seven, an amazing story there, and he paired up with the writer from Seven. And so this, I think it's interesting because it doesn't rely on the tropes that you see in a lot of these movies and that might be what sets it apart. Forces the viewer to think, I like it,

also digging the noir on that too. So up next, we have a series on Apple TV Plus called The Buccaneers, no relation to the football team. That's right. It is set in 1870s London Society with some Americans traveling abroad. Let's take a look.

For certain girls of refinement, New York has become too limited. I quite agree. He insists that I invite you and your daughters to London. London. London, London. For the debutante's ball. Americans.

They're all new money. And I'm quite sure they'll be frightful. We must just grit our teeth and think of the bucket loads of cash. Here is to a new world. All right, so there's a flavor of the show. What kind of an audience do they think they're going for here, Brian? And it feels a little similar to Bridgeton, but obviously it's a huge hit for a Netflix. Right. I think it's kind of Bridgeton meets the princess diaries. You know,

it's obviously aiming for the teen girl and I think it's landing here. It's all the teen drama and courtship set in the 1870s, but it's got a kind of a modern tonality to the dialogue. I think it's a very clever idea for them to do this. I think it's going to be a success, yeah. Throw in a little love triangle, and I can't imagine there wouldn't be interest there. We also have the return now of the series for all mankind on Apple TV Plus staying there. Season 4, here's a sneak p to that. Today, we take the next step towards a self-sustaining

Mars colony. They're looking for guys just like us. This job on Mars. I could be doing something that I never even dreamed of. For the next two years of your life, Mars is your new home. What's happened? Something in New York.

incredible. So inspired, of course, by the global space race with a lot of history sort of baked in there, Brian. Take us through season four. What can the viewer expect? Right. What's so interesting, though, is this is an alternate history story. So this actually imagines the world if Russia got to the moon before we did. So every season has been a different year. So this season's going to be set in 2003. President Gore has just ended the Cold War, and now we have an inhabitable colony on Mars. So it's a whole different shift on reality. and, of course, space plays a huge part of it. It's interesting.

And there's also not just the creation of a new civilization, right, but the mining of basically material on Mars. What is the premise for why they're there? Well, okay, so they're trying to fight for this very important element on the planet here. And, of course, the battle between the U.S. and Russia is still very real, but it's all got these very different context for the history of what's happened leading up to then when the series began contextually in 1960. That sounds like a great one.

Thank you. And so now also to one of, I think, one of your personal favorites. You said you really like the look at this one. It's The Curse, a comedy series that stars Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone. You can also stream it on Paramount Plus. Let's take a look at the clip. This isn't your typical home-slipping show. My homes are reflecting the local communities.

And we're husband and wife. So, okay, go wrong. Let's grab a quick shot of you giving money to that little girl over there. We're doing good here. We are good people. Thank you. We're really good. And then, of course, you don't see it there, but he takes the money back after the cameras aren't rolling, except they were rolling.

So what kind of a commentary is this right now in society? And what do you think about the series? Right. So basically, he hands the child $100, and he's like, oh, that's $100. Let me take it back until I get a smaller bill. that child then says, you're cursed, and thus unfolds this crazy story. Now, my personal connections is I've executive-produced flipping shows, so I'm really connected to, like, I want to see what happens.

Behind the scenes. But Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder, Ben Softy, very funny, dromedy, so it's got a little bit of both, and I'm looking for a series like this that just kind of has interesting twist and turns with a comedic bent. I think this is going to be a fun one as well. Yeah, it definitely looks really interesting. Last on our watch list right now, we have something that may be a real. rewatch for many. The name is going to sound familiar. Out of the release of the prequel from

the Hunger Games franchise, we have The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And you can actually watch all four of the popular movies on Peacock. Here's a look right now at a clip of the first movie. I'm a volunteer! I volunteer as tribute. I believe we have a volunteer. I need to get out of here. You need to get out of here. No. Go find Mom. No.

Go find Mom right now. I'm so sorry. It is so fascinating to see this movie years later, right? With like an earlier arc of Jennifer Lawrence's career. I'm curious, are you a Hunger Games fan, and are you going to be binging this? I do. I do think I will be because I have a very short-term movie memory. I seem to sometimes I'll watch the film and I feel like I'm seeing it again for the first time.

And, of course, it'll give you greater context to the film that's coming out in November 17th. that is a prequel to all of this that's set 64 years earlier where we'll see some of the events to kind of lead up to the Hunger Games as we know them now. So it's a perfect time to spend this weekend on Peacock

taking a look at how this whole craze began. If you have time for four movies, 100%. Obviously, you don't have kids if you have time for four movies. That is definitely something I can relate to. Moving right now, from movies to music,

Dua is out with a new song. This is pretty catchy. It's called Houdini. Take a listen. I'm not going I'm not going to lie. I'm not going to lie. I like the sound of this. It feels like it has the makeings of a big hit. What's your take on this song, Brian? Absolutely. This is the lead single on our upcoming album that's coming out later this year. But there's a lot

of mystery surrounding it. What do I love about it is deliver. It delivers on what you want to hear from Duelipa. It's just got that bop. It's got that sound. It's got that groove. Very smart first cut off of this album. So I'm into it. I think we're going to see it on the charts. It's going to be one of the top performers this week. Super fascinating choreography there too on the music video. And lastly, Jack Harlow has a new one out. He's called Loving on Me. Here's some of that. K-A-K-K-A, RICO like suave, young and Riege, speaking at AKA, she's an alpha. Catch you no doubt. Now, the kids tell me, Brian, that on TikTok, this has not, like, fully penetrated the same way some of his other hits have yet.

What are you hearing about this song? Right, but it does have millions of likes on TikTok already, so he has nothing to complain about. He's 25. He's already been nominated for a Grammy. He's got an acting career. Normally when a new song comes out and I'm here, I read. a few lyrics from the song. I will sound utterly ridiculous if I read those lyrics, so I'll let you discover it for yourself. But he's about to launch a six-city tour in his home state of Kentucky.

So he's keeping it real where the home is where the heart is, the name of the tour. I like him. And the song is really good, actually. I do too. The bar is high, but clearly Jack Harlow is up for the challenge. Brian Balthazar, thank you so much for your expertise on all things pop culture. We really appreciate it. Thank you. And thanks so much for watching Top Story. For Tom Yama. I'm Sam Brock in Miami. Stay right there. More news is on the way.