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

Episode Date: November 16, 2024

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

Tonight, Trump transition chaos. The controversial cabinet pick sparking blowback on both sides of the aisle. Growing fallout over RFK Jr. being selected for Health and Human Services Secretary, does he stand a chance of getting confirmed? The Director of Communications just named in the heated battle over a House ethics report into former Congressman Matt Gates, White Speaker Johnson says it should not be released. And Trump's economic promises won over voters, so who will lead the critical division in his administration. We'll break down the potential prospects and the key position just announced as we come on the air.

Also tonight, wildfires and tropical storm Sarah posing a dangerous threat. 40 million people under warnings as infernoes rage along the east coast. Emergency teams from other states rushing to help fight the blazes. And tropical storm Sarah lashing at Central America, the life-threatening flash floods and potential mudslides, Could the storm impact the U.S. mainland? Bill Cairns tracks it all out. New documents revealing what life is like behind bars for the Menendez brothers. The firsthand account from prison guards as their fate hangs in the balance, will a new district attorney help with their bid to walk free what he is saying about the case?

Anger erupting on social media after an Iranian woman posted a video of her being harassed. A day later, she was taken into custody and has not been heard from since. Supporters now demanding to know, where is she? She posted this startling video online, showing her fighting back after a man on a motorbike in a military uniform appeared to hit or grab her. She said it showed what it was like to be a woman in Iran, but Iranian police, they arrested her for not wearing a hijab shortly after. Her story now becoming the latest flashpoint over women's rights in the restrictive

country. The turbulence nightmare caught on camera, terrifying video showing passengers screaming as they're jolted from their seats. The violent shaking forcing the plane to turn back. And underwater aliens, extraterrestrial talk taking over social media after congressional hearing raised eyebrows with testimony on UFOs and revelations about objects in the ocean. We'll explain. Plus, the alarming surge in measles cases, the new warning about the number of infections and the reason behind the surge. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. President-elect Trump capping off a whirlwind

week, adding new members to his second administration. Just moments ago, Trump making a new announcement. The president-elect announcing Caroline Levitt as his press secretary. The 27-year-old would be the youngest person to ever take the position. She was his national press secretary during his campaign. It comes as some of his cabinet picks face potential headwinds in their nomination. process. We will explain. But first, here's a look at Trump's pick so far. The president-elect has announced 12 cabinet selections, including the White House chief of staff, which does not require Senate confirmation. The most recent pick, North Dakota Governor Doug Bergam for Interior Secretary. Just today, Trump announcing his new director of communications, he's bringing

his campaign spokesperson Stephen Chung to the White House. Chung is one of Trump's fiercest defenders. At this hour, RFK Jr., the president-elects pick for head. Health and Human Service Secretary facing a lot of pushback over his controversial views about vaccines, fluoride, and food regulations. Also, new fallout over Trump's surprising choice for Attorney General, former Florida Congressman Matt Gates at the center of a heated debate on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers arguing over whether the findings from a House ethics investigation into Gates, findings related to allegations of sex trafficking and illegal drug use, should be released to the public. House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that report should not.

come to light. Do you think the public has a right to know, given that he will be Trump's law attorney? The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the committee, and so I don't think that's relevant. And take a look at this, Trump bolstering his Justice Department with his personal defense attorneys tapping Todd Blanche as Deputy Attorney General. Blanche defended Trump in several cases, including the New York Hush Money case. Another Trump attorney, Emil Bove, is his pick for associate deputy attorney general, and Dean

John Sauer, who argued Trump's immunity case of the Supreme Court, was tapped for solicitor general. Those decisions prompting Democratic Senator Dick Durbin to release this statement, reading in part, quote, coupled with the announcement that he intends to nominate former Congressman Matt Gates to be attorney general, these selections show Donald Trump intends to weaponize the Justice Department to seek vengeance. A familiar rallying cry, from Democrats even before Trump won the election. At this hour, there are still a number of key positions that are open, including the ones you see here, who will carry out the President-elect's economic vision?

Could we know more soon? We will get to the possible choices on that appointment in just a moment. But first, we're going to start with NBC News, Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles. Overnight, President-elect Trump and Mar-Lago, basking in the glow of his decisive election win. We swept all swing states. We won the popular vote. Oh, I love that. And revealing new cabinet picks, including North Dakota Governor Doug Bergam as his interior secretary.

He's going to head the Department of Interior, and he's going to be fantastic. But there's growing scrutiny tonight over his selection of now former Congressman Matt Gates as Attorney General. With more lawmakers demanding the release of a House ethics investigation of Gates into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, which Gates denies. The investigation ended after Gates resigned following his selection. And now House Speaker Mike Johnson arguing the report should not be released. It is very important to maintain the House's tradition of not issuing ethics reports on people who are no longer members of Congress. I think it would open a Pandora's box. But Key Senate Republicans want it.

And a House Democrat on the panel telling me senators in charge of confirming Gates should see the evidence. I think it's essential for them to get that. kind of information before they make a decision of this magnitude. And there's also new fallout tonight over Trump's pick of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary. If you like health and if you like people that live a long time, it's the most important position, RFK Jr. Bobby. Kennedy says the food and pharmaceutical industries have too much power over the FDA. But it sparked backlash for promoting debunked theories linking vaccines to autism. He recently spoke to NBC's Vaughn Hilliard. I'm not going to take away anybody's

vaccines. I've never been any vaccine. Tonight, some Republican senators seem open to voting yes. Putting him at the Department of Health and Human Services, and to enact this make America healthy again agenda, I think makes a lot of sense. But the growing list of provocative picks, leaving the possibility of a nominee falling short in a confirmation vote. And Republicans are warning the Gates pick could already be in trouble. But the new Senate Republican leader said he is open to approving nominees during a recess without a Senate vote. We also are not going to allow the Democrats to obstruct or block President Trump and the will of the American people. A move Democrats strongly oppose.

How concerned are you about the possibility of recess appointments, particularly for someone like Matt Gates? I'm very concerned about it. It seems an end run around the confirmation process. NBC News, Capitol Hill correspondent, Riot Nobles joins us now. Ryan, we have some more breaking news related to an attorney telling NBC News that one of their clients had testified to the House Ethics Committee about possibly having witnessed Gates, having sex with a minor at a House party back in 2017. Walk us through these allegations. What do we know? Yeah, Allison, this is a significant aspect of the House Ethics Committee report, which has not really been made public. There have been allegations. There have been rumors about Matt Gates' conduct.

during this period of time that he was under investigation by federal authorities, but at this point, none of the witnesses have ever come forward publicly to tell their story, at least not in a setting that has been released to the public. We know they met with investigators from the FBI and the Department of Justice over the course of that investigation, but this was the first time they sat in front of a panel like the House Ethics Committee, and the attorney involved in this telling our colleague Sarah Fitzpatrick, this is Attorney Joel Leppard. He said that my client testified to the House Ethics Committee that she witnessed Representative Gates having sex with a minor at a House party in Orlando in 2017. She said that she gave her testimony to the

committee back in April of 2024. So there is the possibility that if this witness testimony was given to the House Ethics Committee, that it is part of this report. And right now, this report is being held up by Republicans in the House of Representatives, in part because Gates surprisingly resigned his post from Congress right after he was given the pick as Donald Trump's Attorney General nominee. Ryan, can we also put Gates's road to confirmation here in a bit of perspective or more perspective for our viewers? Because Republicans are looking at a likely 53-47 majority in the Senate in January.

That would mean if Gates loses four or more Republican votes, he would not be the next Attorney General. Publicly, we have heard a number of GOP senators either expressed skepticism. about Gates nomination or simply just kind of take a pass on whether or not they would endorse his appointment, at least at this point. Again, when he can only afford to lose three of these votes or his nomination ends, and no one has publicly come out against him. But walk us through your reporting and what you think actually plays out here. Well, you know, Allison, I think that there are a lot of Republican senators that would very much like to vote against Matt Gates' confirmation. And that could be north of 30 senators who are saying that private. but there's a big difference between hand-wringing and being upset about a nominee privately

and then actually casting a vote against him publicly. And what we've seen time and time again with congressional Republicans is that they talk a big game behind closed doors, but then when Donald Trump pumps up the pressure and they're forced to take a public position, they often crumble. And if they don't crumble, they end up being pushed out of the Republican Party. This appointment is something that Donald Trump has made a priority. He's even suggested that they would need to go the recess appointment route if they need to. We'll have to see when push comes to shove whether or not Republican senators will actually say what they're actually execute what they're saying privately.

All right. Interesting stuff. Ryan Noble's on Capitol Hill. Thank you. We appreciate it. Turning now to the Trump cabinet positions that are still in the balance. From big picks like Treasury and Labor to transportation and energy and even the Department of Education, all seats in the cabinet still yet to be filled. Here with all of the reporting on the behind-the-scenes decisions that could shape the second Trump administration is NBC's Dasha Burns. She joins us now in studio. Dasha, before we get to the cabinet picks, let's start with that breaking news this evening that he has appointed a new press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, and she's 27 years old. Leavitt, it's Leavitt, or leave it? All right, I'm going to work on getting that moving forward.

She is someone that we will all be very familiar with. She's 27 years old. She's not new to Trump and the team. Walk us through who she is. has been his bulldog behind the scenes and on the airwaves. She's been his national press secretary, a fierce defender of former president, now president-elect Donald Trump. And there's been a lot of jockeying for that role, but no surprise that you got it because she has been by his side throughout this campaign. Okay, so let's turn now to the cabinet. And one of the critical picks, one of the most critical picks, arguably, that would shape the economic and fiscal policy of the United States for the next four years is, of course, Treasury Secretary. A

couple of names that have been thrown around. Some on the screen here, Bob Lightheiser, who was the trade representative at some point during the first Trump administration, Lutnik, and also Bessnett. Walk us through who these individuals are and who seem to be top of the pick right now. So our reporting indicates that Scott Besson and Howard Lutnik are sort of the top two in the mix right now. Look, Scott Besson would be the more traditional choice. His resume is more in line with past Treasury secretaries. He's a Wall Street guy. He would be a more stabilizing force. He does agree with Trump on energy policy, on deregulation. He's not as bullish, though, as Trump is when it comes to tariffs. The flip side of the coin is Howard Lutnik.

He is a big personality. He is very bullish on tariffs, very much of the maga mold. And he is someone who's a big cryptocurrency guy. He would not be as much of a calming force, but much more in line with some of Trump's more MAGA picks. Okay, so between those two, it sounds like you're saying when you look at Scott Besnit, he's kind of the old-school Wall Street head fudge, head fund manager, and then the other guy is sort of this new way billionaire CEO, almost like Elon Musk vein type of person? Yeah, and those are the kinds of personalities that we've seen Trump way. Do you go more standard?

Do you go or do you go more controversial, as we've seen with several of his choices here? Okay, so in terms of a pick that's very important, that's outside of the country, cabinet FBI director. We know the current FBI director is Christopher Ray. Likely going to see a replacement there. He's gone. He's gone. And similar dynamic here. You have Mike Rogers, who is a former congressman. He ran for Senate in Michigan, lost that race. But he actually has experience as a special agent with the FBI in Chicago. He was actually considered for FBI director in Trump's first administration. Ultimately didn't get the job. But he has more of the standard qualifications. On the other side, you have Kosh Patel, who would be a controversial choice.

He is someone that some Republicans even are concerned about because he has really shown some disdain for what he calls the deep state, of which the FBI and CIA and DOJ are those agencies where he has cast a lot of skepticism and believes that they've been weaponized and would likely seek to really change how those agencies function. He's a true loyalist to President elect Trump and someone who has amplified some of Trump's claims about a stolen election in 2020, some of his other more controversial positions. He is the other side of the coin to Mike Rogers. All right. Dash Burns, thank you so much. We appreciate it. We're going to keep on this and turn to more on Trump's possible cabinet picks and particularly those individuals

who may be in a position to shape the U.S. economy. Let's bring in NBC News, Business and Data Correspondent Brian Chung. Brian, let me just let you sort of pick up where Dasha left off. Walk us through who these individuals are from the business perspective who may be leading the Department of Treasury and what you're hearing from your contacts in the business world about these three possible new secretaries. Yeah, well, I mean, Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnik are both well-known names within Wall Street. But if we kind of start off with Scott Bessent, to Dasha's point, kind of seen as the more conventional financier type that would be potentially taking on this role, extensive experience as a chief investment officer of the Soros Fund Management, which is a huge

firm. In fact, he got $2 billion from George Soros to start his own hedge fund where he's at right now, which is called Key Square Group. And that's an important detail here, because Soros is not a name that you tend to hear associated with those in the MAGA camp. But as we know, George Soros is a huge financier to the democratic side of, you know, American politics. So there's a lot of people, if you just search for Scott Besson's name on X, that are saying, why would we let this guy into the Trump administration? But again, Scott has been a very kind of a strong advocate for the pro-growth, low regulation, low-tax type of economic policies that really resonated among Trump voters who went to the polls with the economy, top of mind. And even on the tariffs bit,

he did actually pen an op-ed as recently as today for Fox News advocating for tariffs. So even if he's not as aggressive as perhaps other people in the mix, he is certainly supportive of raising tariffs on other countries. And Brian, when you look at the Dow Jones average over the last two weeks, I think we can show viewers this, there was a spike after Trump's election that lasted through Monday, but then the market has been tapering off throughout this week. What do you make of those numbers? And for people at home, when they're hearing all these names, all this chatter, what is

sort of the financial takeaway, the average person needs to know right now? Yeah, well, look, I mean, you know, the stock market either goes up or it goes down, But it went up a lot, and we could basically attribute that to the Trump election win, a lot of optimism over what lower corporate tax rates would do, not just to those companies, but to the investors that hold stock in those companies. So we blew through record highs in basically the four or five consecutive sessions of stock trading after the election call. But what we've seen since then about midweek was kind of a deflation from those highs. So some of that could be just investors saying, you know what, at the same time, yeah, sure, we can get lower corporate tax rates. But if Trump does levy these tariffs, that would be bad for American companies that source abroad and have to import those goods into the United States because it would get a lot more expensive to do so. You do wonder whether or not that teetering is going to last into inauguration.

But as I mentioned, trying to call or attribute any stock market move to one particular thing, it's always a bit of a fool's, Aaron. We'll just check in with you every day from now until forever to make sure we understand everything. Brian Jung, thank you. We appreciate it, as always. We're going to turn now to the ongoing battle against fires here in the Northeast. Tens of millions are under alert as firefighters from across the country prepare for what could be a hazardous weekend, with winds forecasted to hit 30 miles per hour amid very dry conditions. NBC's Emily Aketa is on the ground with the latest. Smow covering over New York and New Jersey as firefighters make headway on the Jennings Creek fire. But officials cautioning the wildfire risk for more than 40 million remains.

lanes. Forecasted 30 mile an hour winds could spark new flames this weekend with crews from across the country now joining the fight. It's welcome to help amid an unrelenting fire season. Of the roughly 1,300 wildfires in New Jersey this year, nearly half of them have broken out in just the last six weeks, including this one now encroaching on homes just 50 yards from here. All while crews are still battling some fires from months before. Have you ever seen? a fire burned this long? I have not, no. We followed fire warden Ben Brick into the Wharton State Forest to monitor a fire that has been burning since July, thriving in the parched roots and debris underground. We never got the rainstorms. We never got the tropical moisture this year that we normally rely on for the winter, the summer months. So, you know, we have this on our hands now amongst other incidents. Those dry conditions prompting drought

warnings and watches across the northeast, where officials are urging residents to conserve water. Jim McGill's family relies on well water in Hopewell Junction, New York, and now rotate shower days. One of us was in the shower and the water stuffed because the well had run dry. Griffin Pump Service says they're not alone. I haven't seen this many existing wells go dry and not come back very, very long time. Rivers and reservoirs are drying up too, limiting where the firefighters helicopters can pool water from to douse flames in hard to reach places. We're stretching our resources to the limit with all the fires that we've had, not one at a time, but they're all seen to be following each other. Adding to the risk is that the forecast simply shows no signs of rain in the coming days, which means progress on containing the fires around here could quickly be reversed. Ellison.

Emily Aketa, thank you. And for more on those dangerous fires and tropical storm, Sarah. Let's get right over to NBC's chief meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, I mean, first talk to us about the weather conditions this weekend and where things stand in terms of these fires and where they could go. Yeah, Alison, this will be another really tough weekend for the firefighters. They're not going to get any rest, especially tomorrow. So the things that they've been dealing with has been, it hasn't rained. We all know that. But when it's windy and the relative humidity is low, the fires can burn quickly and they can burn fast. So even at this hour, the relative humidity is very low. During the day today, it was like desert-like air over southern New England.

and that just helps things burn really quickly. So that's going to be the case tomorrow. Today wasn't, it was kind of breezy, it wasn't that windy. Tomorrow is actually going to be windy. So that's why we have red flag warnings for 41 million people. So from southern New Jersey, all the way to central Vermont and back towards Massachusetts and Cape Cod, all under red flag warnings. Wind gusts tomorrow, mostly in the 20 to 30 mile per hour range with those low relative

humidities. So we need the rain. And this is kind of what's changed. We think fingers crossed Wednesday, Thursday, we've been. may actually have our first rainstorm in almost two months in the northeast somewhere possible of over an inch of rain. Alison, that would be gold if it happens. All right. We'll keep our fingers crossed for that. I mean, let's talk also about the possibility, the worry surrounding tropical storm. Sarah, where is it headed? Yeah, Sarah is never going to be a problem for anywhere

in the United States. This is Honduras's issue. They've had one spot that had 22 inches of rain. There's life-threatening mudslides and flash flooding. It is drifting at two miles per hour along the coast. So a nightmare scenario for all the northern locations here in Honduras. Then it's going to weaken and dissipate over the Yucatan. And as I mentioned, no issue whatsoever for anyone in the U.S. All right. Bill Cairns, thank you, as always. We appreciate it.

Still ahead tonight, the latest twist in the Menendez brothers fight for freedom. The new Los Angeles DA weighing in on the case, what that could mean for their resentencing and the new insight into their prison life will explain. Plus, the terrifying plane ride, violence. turbulent, sending passengers flying out of their seats. It will tell you what happened next. And the warning tonight about a surge in measles cases, what could be behind the rise in infections?

Stay with us. We're back now with the latest on the Menendez brothers. Eric and Lyle now looking to prison employees as character witnesses to try and help with their resentencing. This, as L.A. prepares for a new DA to take office. NBC news correspondent Liz Croyd sits down with that new DA to discuss how he is as he is reviewing the case. Tonight, new details on the Menendez Brothers' Life Behind Bars, a 600-page legal filing including letters from Eric and Lyle about how prison has changed them, as well as from some correctional officers. One, highlighting Eric's work as a caregiver mentor helping disabled and elderly inmates.

Another, saying Lyle has shown a remarkable commitment to self-improvement and the rehabilitation of us. brothers. This coming as LA's incoming DA is preparing to make his own recommendation. I just wanted it to stop. Criticizing those who have formed an opinion on the murders based on the Netflix series which dramatizes Eric and Lyle's story and their claims they killed their parents after years of sexual abuse by their father. Do you believe that the Menendez brothers were sexually abused? Again, I have not done the thorough review. And I'm not going to base my review, and though I haven't seen it, on some Netflix documentary or limited series, as many people,

have. The original prosecutor on the trial telling Dateline they should stay in prison. If in fact, Jose Menendez was sexually abusing Eric, that didn't give Eric the right to kill his mother. It didn't give Lyle the right to kill either his mother or his father under the law. But their supporters, including the outgoing DA, arguing 35 years ago, the public had a different view of sexual abuse. The incoming DA saying that's not a factor as he reviews the case.

there's a cultural shift or not. That's in some ways irrelevant for whether or not the facts in the law in the Menendez case justify a resentencing, and if so, what that resentencing should be. Liz Kreutz, NBC News. For more on the potential resentencing of the Menendez brothers, let's bring in NBC's legal analyst, Angela Sinadella. Okay, Angela, so we heard from the incoming DA for LA there. He does have a really long resume that includes former prosecutor and assistant U.S. Attorney General. Based on what we heard him saying in that interview with Liz, it sort of seemed like he was telling people, hey, I know what the other DA was saying. I'm aware of the Netflix and a lot of the discussions, the Netflix show and discussions around this, but I haven't

made a decision yet. What did you take from that interview? Well, look, his entire platform has been oppositional to Gascones. So he's had this entire tough on crime platform where he says that he is not going to do pretty much anything that Gascon had done. He's going to overturn Bands that he had. Policies, blanket policies, things like not prosecuting minors, not prosecuting misdemeanors, not prosecuting misdemeanor theft under $950. So all of these policies that Gascone had in place, he ran saying he was going to change all of those. So this makes perfect sense that with regard to what Gascone was doing with the Menendez brothers, he's also saying, I'm going to re-review that personally and make my own decisions. Do you think public pressure or public

opinion in this case will impact the incoming DA? Because, yes, going to last DA was not very well liked in L.A. And I remember somebody from Los Angeles saying to me, well, yeah, I bet he's going to come out and talk about the Menendez trial right now because it is such a hot topic, and he has an opinion that people are going to like, and he's not well-liked. I mean, do you think that public pressure or public opinion is going to impact this new incoming DA, or is he just going to say, no, I'm fully in a different way? Well, look, it sounds like it's really not going to affect him.

Now, I say that all prosecutors, though, are affected by the media. Why? Because it reflects what's interesting and important to the community. Prosecutors like this who are elected are meant to serve the people and respond to the community's needs. So it makes sense that a prosecutor like this would listen to what the public sentiment is. But that's that he has said that he is not going to pay attention to that. He's not going to pay attention to the documentaries. He's going to make his own decision, which you hope would happen in a case like this. And also, most importantly, the judge.

will make his or her own opinion that is not based on documentaries, but it's based on the law. Right, because ultimately here, the DA can make a recommendation. The judge would be the one that decides yes or no on resentencing. Is that right? Exactly. Okay. So let's go back to some of the evidence that has been presented because ultimately what they're going to be considering, at least in some of the court documents that have been filed,

is new evidence that the Menendez's attorneys say they have uncovered in the form of a letter that one of the Menendez brothers had written his cousin prior to the murders where he alluded to and mentioned being afraid of his dad and saying he's doing it again. And then also information that was unearthed where there was a individual from the boy band Manudo who had accused the Menendez's brother's father who was killed of

sexually abusing him as a child. So that was all new evidence that was mentioned. Then we're also hearing about witnesses, character witnesses from prison guards. Would that factor in at all or is this surely going to be like a, okay, we're reviewing this evidence? Okay, so this is very confusing. Yes. This new prison official evidence

is very important for the resentence. So there's three tracks right now that the Menendez brothers are pursuing in their quest for freedom. The first is clemency for the governor, and the governor can make whatever decision he wants at any point he wants. The second is a habeas petition, and that is where all of this new evidence is very important, because the brothers are arguing that that conviction would not have happened, had that evidence at that time been presented to the jury. So there they're asking for the conviction to be vacated based on that evidence. But now the third track here is the resentencing, and that's what guests go and focused on, And that's what here. This new DA is saying that he also will decide whether or not he's going to support or refute.

Now, this third path, though, almost has nothing to do with the new evidence. Gascon based it on the behavior of the brothers behind bars, said they were model inmates, that they helped people. When they got out, they would not recommit crimes, but they would be model citizens. And so in that light, how they acted behind bars is imperative. So prison officials who would testify to their model behavior would be very important. for the resentencing track. So all three tracks are a little bit different. Interesting. Okay, so all three different avenues we need to watch, and this one, mostly the resentencing for now. Yes, and this is also the one that by far has the highest

likelihood of succeeding. The other two are real long shots. Really interesting stuff. Angelus and Adela, thank you. We appreciate it as always. Coming up next, Iran's crackdown. An Iranian woman arrested after posting a video online of a man harassing her. Authorities say she was taken into custody over not following the country's hijab laws, But human rights groups say no one knows where she is and if she is okay. The details up next. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled a death row inmate can be executed for his daughter's shaken baby death. The ruling overturning a Texas lawmaker subpoena for Robert Robertson's testimony that paused his death sentence.

who maintains his innocence will become the first person in the United States sentenced to die in a shaken baby case. Severe turbulence forcing a Miami-bound flight to return back to Europe. Video from inside of the cabin shows passengers panicking and being thrust out their seats when the Scandinavian Airlines flight hit rough air over Greenland. The plane was safely rerouted to Denmark's Copenhagen Airport with no one seriously hurt. The aircraft is now being inspected. And General Motors laid off roughly 1,000 employees as they attempt to kick. cut costs and adjust to changing market conditions. A source telling NBC News, the layoffs were across the business, and the majority of employees

impacted are in suburban Detroit. The mass layoffs are another round in August, when an additional 1,000 software and service organization employees were let go. And the CDC and World Health Organization sounding the alarm over a surge in measles cases. The agencies say cases rose globally last year by 20%, with about 10.3 million people in affected. They believe worldwide vaccination gaps caused large outbreaks in nearly 60 countries. More than 22 million children did not receive the two-dose measles vaccine in 23, more than 100,000 children dying from the disease. Turning overseas now, where an Iranian woman was arrested

after she posted a video online showing a man in a military uniform appearing to harass her. Now, human rights groups asking where she is as Iran continues to crack down on women defying their mandatory hijab laws. international correspondent Danielle Mamjan has more. Tonight, growing concern over the whereabouts of Roshanak Molai. The 25-year-old Iranian woman had posted this video to social media on November 1st. It's believed to show her walking in Tehran with her head uncovered when she's accosted by a man in a military uniform.

She fights back in this heated exchange, drawing in several bystanders. She captioned the video, a scene from being a woman in Iran. Human rights advocates say the following day she was summoned by Iran's cyber police and eventually arrested. Her account was taken down and no one is known to have heard from her since. She has kind of disappeared. We don't have any information about her whereabouts, her condition, whether she was re-arrested, whether she's in jail right now. So there is not much information out there, which is very troubling.

In a statement, Iranian police acknowledged the confrontation saying both the man and the woman had, quote, been referred to judicial authorities and that Molai is being prosecuted for not observing mandatory hijab laws. According to the human rights organization, Hengah, Molai has in the past publicly opposed mandatory hijab laws on social media. She was also arrested in 2022 for taking part in widespread. protest over the death of 22-year-old Masa Amini while in police custody. Amini was detained in part for not correctly wearing a hijab. The UN says she was killed as a result of beatings, but Iran maintains she died of pre-existing medical conditions. Hengos says Molai was only released a year later.

Women in Iran have continued to protest the country's strict dress code. Earlier this month, another young woman protested the laws by stripping down to her underwear in public at a university in Tehran. A university spokesperson saying she was sent to a psychiatric hospital, her current condition is unknown. Even with a new moderate president and a slightly more permissive morality police, the regime is still cracking down. A UN report released earlier this year flagged what it called a deteriorating human rights situation for women and girls across Iran.

And just this week, the Iranian government announcing treatment clinics where women who refuse to wear the hijab may be referred for therapy that encourages compliance. We're seeing a lot of small acts of resistance every single day. And we're seeing a quiet revolution happen within the society. And when people want human rights and freedom, there is nothing that can really stop them. And you're seeing a young generation leading this movement. So long as hijab laws are in place, many Iranian women say they'll continue to defy them at any cost. And Danielle Hamanjan joins us now with more. Danielle, where do things go from here?

Are we expecting to see protests inside of Iran? Well, we haven't seen. seen any protests in the streets so far, mostly, it's been mostly online, but if history is any indication, things can quickly spiral. You'll remember, of course, the case of Mahzah Amini, women, girls all over the country in the streets, in schools were shouting women, life, liberty, and it was for some time considered to be one of the biggest challenges, or posing one of the biggest challenges to the rule of the Supreme Leader at the time. Yeah, let's talk a little more about the rule of the Supreme Leader here, because you mentioned

in your piece Iran does have a fairly new president, one that is typically described as more moderate than his predecessor, but the Supreme Leader of Iran hasn't changed. It's been the same person in that position since 1989. So ultimately, when we're talking about morality laws and the enforcement of them, who actually decides how that plays out in the streets? Well, enforcement often or sometimes has depended on the political context. After the protest, the Mahasemini protests, the morality police sort of eased off for a while. In terms of Masut Pazchkin, the newly, well, the fairly new president in Iran, they've tried

to present him as a reformist. He has said in the past that he would stop the morality police from bothering women. But as many will point out, despite he can be very open to. to the West, his allegiance remains with the Supreme Leader who fundamentally holds power and controls the country, and he calls the shots. That being said, as well, with everything going on in the region, tensions rising both with Israel and the United States, Iran is not going to want any dissent at home. All right, Danielle Hampton, reporting from the Middle East.

Thank you. We are going to be right back. with the topic you might have seen on your social media feeds, people saying there is now proof that not only do aliens exist, but that they live in the ocean. Take a listen. So apparently aliens are inner oceans instead of coming from outer space. The government let us know that aliens are coming from below and not above. Color me not shocked. There are aliens living on this planet inside the ocean. I'm really surprised there's aliens in the ocean. All right, so where did all of this come from?

The trend that was sparked by the latest congressional hearing on UAPs, once known as UFOs, which are objects in the air, sea, or space that defy scientific explanation. People online fascinated by this testimony from a journalist describing a video that he says is a UAP rising from the ocean. Another source came forward who told me that they saw a roughly 13 minute long, high-definition, full-color video of a white orb UAP coming out of the ocean approximately 20 miles off the coast of Kuwait. It was filmed from a helicopter.

Then halfway through the video, the person said the orb is joined by another orb that briefly comes into the frame from the left before rapidly moving again out of the frame. All right. As much as we love TikTok, we thought, why don't we talk to some experts about all of this? So with us is David Kipping, a professor of astronomy at Columbia University. David, let's just start with people being so obsessed with this idea. of UAPs and really being like, it's something that is coming from the ocean.

Just break this down for us. When you see this stuff on social media, you hear the clips from the hearing, what goes through your head, what do you wish people really understood here? Look, I mean, when I first saw some of the videos that were released by the Pentagon a few years ago, like everyone else,

I was like amazed. I was like, what is this? This is really exciting. But the more you dig into it, you realize there is some ambiguity still left in some of these videos and perhaps other explanations, or other explanations, and it took many years, but there are lots of very credible alternative

explanations to some of these things at this point. But I'm fascinated by everyone else, and the hearings we've just been having have been calling for let's try and collect more information, more data, let's try and de-stigmatize this field so serious scientists can look at this, and I'm all for that. So when people are referring to it, in this hearing at one point it was mentioned, non-human biologics, what is that? You mean, your guess is good as much. This is David Grush's term that he kind of coined in last year's house hearings in interaction

with Nancy Mace. And it's not really obvious exactly what he means by this. It could be anything from microbes that are attached to these UAPs in some way. He was thinking of these recovered spacecraft, I guess, that he'd not directly seen himself, but was reporting sort of secondhand information that this had been found. But maybe he means, you know, a fully formed humanoid body for all we know. It's really unclear. I think this is why we so desperately need more transparency and to get this data out there into the hands of scientists who can weigh in and give some more independent verification what we're seeing. Yeah, let's talk about that because a lot of times people come up with different ideas or have theories or talk more about what may be because they don't have just basic access to some information to be able to explore it either on their own or to have independent experts look at it.

There have been a lot of witnesses in these hearings calling on NASA and the Department of Defense to share data on UAPs with the public. And the DOD's annual reports that there were 757 new UAP reports from May 23 to June of 2024. What sort of information do you think they have that could be released that would help experts and also the public understand or at least ask the right questions to get a better understanding of what's really going on here? Yeah, I mean, I'm an astronomer, so I work with NASA data all the time. the Hubble Space Telescope. We're actually looking at Jane's Webster's Space Telescope data right now. And all of that information is public almost immediately. So there's, there isn't an issue with NASA's data.

I think this is perhaps the intelligence services, the military data. That is all pretty much classified and behind closed doors. So I certainly don't have access to that. The public doesn't. The question is, can these armed branches release this data without compromising perhaps some military concerns of, you know, adversaries getting hold of this information? I think that's the delicate balance. suddenly when you look at NASA, I don't see any issues with data being accessible.

It's all out there for people to look at. So you think there is at least a better version than just not a lot of information being out where we are right now? Yeah, I would love to see maybe a repository where people with their phones, if they think they see something, they could upload it maybe to a NASA archive, and then scientists could look at it. We could collect the geolocation information on the phone. There's even magnetometers on those phones, so we could collect all sorts of magnetic field

information. It's building up that rigorous database that would help scientists have a better idea what's really going on. Just having things post on TikTok here and there, it's not enough. We can't really dissect as to what is really happening. Universe is a massive place and so many unanswered questions. Thank you, David Kipping, for being here. We really appreciate it. And still ahead tonight, we're going to take a look at what is streaming this weekend. Amelia Perez starring Selena Gomez and Zoe Saladonna now available on Netflix, plus a documentary about all of your favorite boy bands and new music. Mary J. Blige. We'll be right back.

We are back now with Bingeworthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. We're joined now by NBC News Entertainment contributor, Chris Witherspoon. All right, Chris, let's just get started with one that has a ton of Oscar buzz. It was the talk, one of the movies that was the talk of Cannes film festival, right? Like all the film festivals, Amelia Perez. It is a movie now streaming on Netflix. It stars a number of big names, including... Selina Gomez. So we saw Donna, yes.

Yes. Let's watch. You know, you know who I am, licensia? Manita del Monte. We have a cartel. In the market of my drugs. And can you can help, Sir Del Monte.

I want to be a woman. I know that I have to have many things at last. The main actor's in it. actress in it is the one that's really getting just non-stop talk she's Spanish-born but a Mexican actress tell us about yes Carla Sophia Garcin she's a trans actress from Spain is phenomenal but this is being described as a musical a crime a thriller all that affects all the boxes I mean it's a lot

but also Sophia I'm not Sophia but Selena Gomez and also Zoe Salada are both getting Oscar buzz for this role so he soldada plays a lawyer who basically gets assigned to this really weird sort of like case for She's trying to help this person get gender assignment surgery in Mexico. It's very like the person's a cartel leader. So there's like a lot of like dark dust secrets and it's hard to make it happen. But it's getting a lot of buzz. It's also a lot of singing that happens.

It's her first time acting in Spanish and she's also singing in this. That's what I was going to ask is the whole thing in Spanish. Yeah. So it's mostly in Spanish with subtitles, but a little bit of English here and there. Amazing. Okay. I cannot wait to watch it. It is high on.

You can just watch it on Netflix too. Hi, on my to watch list. I was going to go to the theaters. Now I'll just stream it. We love that option. Okay, this next one is a series that is on Peacock. It's called The Day of the Jackal. It's about an assassin and British intelligence officer.

Here's a clip. His code means jackal. He's a mimic. Oh, my God! Somebody's hiring the Jackal for another kill. What do you do? If I told you this truth, then I'll lose you. This is a wild mystery.

and it's not helping our department's reputation. Are you saying we should just walk away? I mean, this one honestly has really intrigued me. Yeah, this one stars Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne, the theory of everything, Danish, all those great movies. He's now doing TV, and he plays this bad guy. He plays like this guy who's an assassin who goes all around the world, getting all the bags of money to kill people.

But this British intelligent officer kind of catches his, you know, what he's doing. Lechonna Lynch, she was in the Bonnet movies to play like 007, 007 agent. So she begins tracking him down. It's all over the world. It's like a lot of travel and a lot of great action scenes as well. How big is the series? Like, are we talking 30-minute episodes longer? Yeah, so they put out all five episodes to the first five today,

and then each Friday there'll be a new one, but they're about 45 minutes long. Okay. But very high budget for Peacocks. Yeah. So getting to this one. Yes, and also very bingeable timing. We like that here. And also you have an Oscar winner doing TV.

It's always going to be good. Yes. Yes. I mean, Eddie Redmayne does not miss. I mean, I'm still gagged over dating a girl. I love that. It was so good. Oh, it was so good.

Okay, this next one is a romantic comedy that will hopefully get you in the holiday spirit. It is on Netflix, and it's called Hot Frosty. My life is a mess right now. Good things come to you when you're out in the cold, Kathy. Clearly, you've been doing your push-ups. You know what? You keep it. You're stuck in there pretty bad.

Do you want me to get behind you and push? All right. So, I mean, listen, the name I was like, what? I don't know if that's for me. Netflix suggested it for me. So they think differently. I love a trashy Hallmark-esque. I don't know if trash is the right word.

I apologize. It's kind of off the rails. It's kind of a hot mess. Do you like this one? It's for me. It is for me. Best and Mulligan. love from Schitts Creek. Remember he was in the in Schroiske? He played the daughter's boyfriend,

the hot vet. So basically it takes the tale of frosty snowman, flips it on his head, this widow one day who's grieving the loss and just on the struggle bus, puts this scarf. She sculpts this hot frosty. As one does. Yes, with like six pack, correct. Correct. Yes, naturally. And really it's just that whole story. But it's deeper. It's not just cheeky. It's about love and hope and kind of being resilient in the face of, you know, despair with a lot of eye candy. A lot of nude scenes with just like a scarf. Oh, there you go.

So cheeky for whole other reasons. Okay, so here's my thing, though. In Christmas in general, I really do like the, I know what I'm going to get, the getting middle and in, homemark-esque movies. And Netflix has done a really good job, I think, getting on that late.

I cry sometimes over these Christmas movies. Don't judge me. No, don't judge us. The happy ending, I'd like cry. Lindsay Lohan's won last year, sobs. I'm like, what's wrong with me? Yes. Yes.

I agree. I'm on board. We'll watch that one together next time. Okay, this one is a docu-series, which it's actually about Elvis, a specific time where he had to come back in the late 1960s. It is called Return of the King, the fall, and rise of Elvis Presley. No matter how big Elvis got, he's still the guy that grew up in a tar shack. There's always somebody in your saying, you're not far from going back there. They couldn't have paid me no amount of money in the world to make me feel any satisfaction inside. He thought, if this is ending, I want to end as the Elvis I want to be, not the Elvis they want me to be. I don't too. The 68 comeback special, it's sort of the first step towards control of his own destiny. Look, it's a little confusing to me that that's not Austin Butler, but allegedly, you know, that's the real guy. Yes, the real Elvis Presby.

People don't realize in 68, 1968, he was kind of down and out. He was in his down-bad era. He had done 30 movies, and his career was just like on life support. So he did this NBC special that kind of, you know, classified his career, revived his career. This is all about that special and what led up to it. But you have all this footage and audio footage of him talking or audio tapes of him talking about what's going on in his career. But also you have Priscilla Presley, Bruce Springsteen, boss, Norman, who directed the Elvis movie and Conan O'Brien. So all these experts kind of weighing in.

But it's great to see someone like Elvis Presley be vulnerable and talk about the kind of downturn of his career. because we look at him as an icon, but he had a bad, you know, a bad, you know, kind of chapter there. That's really interesting that you're really hearing from him directly, even though he's no longer alive through a lot of this old footage. I'm going to Grace Land now. Okay, yeah, great. Take me with you. Okay, we'll take a road trip. Okay, the last thing on our to watch list is a documentary, and it's about the evolution of boy bands in the music industry.

This one is called Larger Than Life, the Rain of the Boy Bands. Take a look. You can express your identity by deciding which one you like the most. You go from unknown to this massive hysteria. We would not be who we are without the pants. It was album promo tour. Album promo tour. There was no breaks.

The music business teaches you how to believe in yourself, but what it doesn't prepare you for is your downfall. It is true that you could stake your claim in the boy band era of who you were by what band you went with. Because I went through a regrettable O-Town phase because I thought it was like edgy. Remember O-Town? Oh, my God, I do. I do. Remember Hansen? Oh, Dubai? Yeah. A lot of folks think I was born in the late 90s, but I was actually in high school back then. So believe they're not, people, I was actually in high school. No, I'm joking.

But this one kind of hits home for me for a documentary about that era and all these boy bands, like in sync, Backstreet Boys and the not just the good, but the bad and the ugly and the downfall of the boy bands. You're hearing from people from in sync, 90 degrees, Backstreet Boys, News on the Block, New Edition, Hanson, Mbap will be up in this documentary. AJ McLean, Lance Bass, and they're really getting vulnerable again and talking about the good, but also how bad it got. Any surprise boy bands mentioned in there of like the ones that you're like, I forgot. Like remember LFO? Abercrombie and Fitch, that song? I think for me, Hansen is the one.

A lot of folks I think don't know about them. But I love also Nick Lachay, who's like having a big moment and love is blind. Talked about how 98 degrees watched TRL every single day, the band members to look and see where they were on the list, you know? Yes, because it was such a tastemaker. Yes, TRL was the thing that was. after school. Yes, a lot has changed. But there is still music out there. And TRL, not around in the same way, but we have some songs for you. Mary J. Blige out with her 15th. You heard that right, 15th studio album. This song is called Here I Am. I mean, she looks great, first of all.

Yes, oh my God, I love her. She's so great. What do you make of this? She doesn't age. I mean, this is something for The Love Us, this album. But the album's called Gratitude. It's her 15th studio album. It's really something about her trying to give thanks to her fans.

But I love, if you look closely to the lower third there, is from Mary J. Blige production. So her record label, she is now independent in putting out her own music. And I'm still here for that. Yes. I'm like, get it, Mary. Yes. Okay. The last song that we have for listening to is one called Two Hands.

And it is by 10. Tate McRae. Listen. Tate McRae, I mean, she, I do feel like I see her name everywhere. Oh, she's like hot right now. This is off her third album. She just announced that today is coming out in February. It's called So Close to What? It's the lead single.

And it's just like her going to get milk from the milk store. from the 7-11 and she's just in motorsport gear and in the parking lot you have you go get milk I always do she drank the milk and it was out and she puts on motorsport gear and goes together and then you dance in the hood of the car a little that and the parking lot you roll her mom in the hood all those things and you have to do the role if you're picking up eggs if it's milk it's like negotiable you could just wear the outfit but eggs and you have to do the role too so really relatable milk run you have to get that down to as well Chris Withers we have a lot

to do this week it's a pleasure as always thank you for being here and thank you at home for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.