Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, November 17, 2023

Episode Date: November 18, 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, Americans gearing up for holiday travel, but a storm is threatening to make a mess for millions. The travel rush is already underway, with less than a week to go until Thanksgiving. Tens of millions are expected to hit the road and a record number to take to the skies. But a massive storm could derail the holiday. The New York governor warning to brace for a worst-case scenario, we'll have a forecast tracking the latest. In Gaza, Hamas admitting Israeli hostages were at the Al-Shefa hospital, after the IDF recovered the body of another captive taken by terrorists. Israel using military might as pressure to get more hostages home,

saying they've bombed warehouses and tunnel entrances, also turning to retired intel agents to question Hamas terrorists caught after the October 7th attacks. What were learning from those interrogators? Musk's anti-Semitic tweet pushing more advertisers away from X, formerly known as Twitter, Apple, The latest tech company to pause ad buys one day after IBM, Musk already losing billions after buying the social media site.

How much more could this cost him? Hospital shooting, multiple people have been shot in a New Hampshire state psychiatric hospital. Police confirming tonight two are dead, including the suspect, what we know about the quick police response that just might have saved lives. Sidelined reporter foul of sports journalist sparking uproar, admitting that she would fabricate coach comments while she worked as an NFL sideline reporter. More on the outrage rocking the world of sports journalism. Plus off the rails, a train crashing in Atlanta at a rail yard sparking a massive fire,

more than 1,200 gallons of fuel burning up as crews fought the flames, how emergency responders were able to put it out with nobody getting hurt. And Mad Hatter, one of Napoleon Bonaparte's iconic battle hats, Warren as he waged war in Europe is going up for auction in France. So how much will people be willing to fork over for it? Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight we begin with the last thing you wanted to hear before Thanksgiving.

There's going to be a massive storm slamming the nation, and it could make for a travel nightmare on a record travel week, and that's why we want to warn you tonight. Right now, it's churning off. the west coast, about to dump a ton of rain on California and the Pacific Northwest, then it'll barrel across the country making headaches for the East Coast by Tuesday. A lot of travelers are getting moving tonight. In Philadelphia, people are already flocking to airports. It's just the beginning for TSA and all their checkpoints, as many as 30 million people are expected to fly in the

next 12 days. Many are already dealing with widespread weather issues. Parts of South Florida will remember recovering from a severe storm, murky floodwater submerging neighborhoods there, trapping people in their cars. The heavy rains even reducing one Miami home to rubble. Thankfully, no one was inside at the time. The incoming severe weather could make for a real headache. NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens is here to tell us exactly how bad it could get. Bill, I want you to walk us through kind of day by day because, you know, people sort of staggered

their travel during Thanksgiving. Right. So we know we're going to have delays. I don't think we're going to have a ton of cancellations. We want to help you avoid the delays, obviously, to get to your. destination as safely as possible. Today's been a great day. This was fantastic. There was really no weather hazards out there, green across the board with no delays. It all changes tomorrow as our West Coast storm moves inland. We're going to have some heavy rain tonight in Santa Barbara runs

some of the mountainous areas. Even L.A. will get a little bit of rain. Mostly, though, if you're traveling northern California up into areas of Oregon, this is the area that will see the worst conditions. If you're traveling through those mountain passes, maybe even a little bit of snow. Everywhere east of the Rockies, just fine. Looks like a great Saturday for any of your travel, rather on the rails, the roads, or in the air. By the time we get to Sunday, still quiet in the east, but then our storm from the west begins to move. In the Intermountain West, we'll get some snow,

maybe some thunderstorms late in the day. Then once the storm gets that moisture off the Gulf, then it explodes. Then it gets a lot more powerful. It has a lot more rain with it and eventually even a lot of snow in northern portions of New England. But everywhere on this map that shows green

is the chance of rain on Tuesday. Yellow is where we should get some thunderstorms. So possibly thunderstorms Atlanta, Charlotte, up to D.C., Richmond, eventually late in the day. heavier rains around New York City. So Tuesday's the day for the busy I-95 quarter. You don't want to be on the roads. And if you can avoid traveling the air at that time, Tuesday's the day to avoid. This rapidly moves through Tuesday night by Wednesday morning. It's almost completely gone and all done with. So here's a kind of review. Areas of heavy rain and yellow Tuesday into

Wednesday, there's the snow in Northern New England. But by Thanksgiving Day, Tom, everyone pretty much clears out in the east. It's a really quiet Thanksgiving, which is nice. All right, Bill, I have a feeling you're going to have to activate the Bill Karen's weather hotline this week. All right, Bill. And the travel rush is now underway for millions ahead of Thanksgiving next week. The FAA is saying it's working to address the shortage of air traffic controllers after a series of recent close calls. NBC's Tom Costello is covering this one. Calling the nation's airspace safe, but under stress, the FAA says it's taking immediate action after 23 serious close calls this year. Some blamed on air traffic control staffing shortages.

77% of ATC facilities are now understaffed as the FAA struggles to replace thousands of retiring controllers. The FAA today said it's moving ASAP to move college and university air traffic control grads straight to on-the-job training bypassing the FAA Academy. It's increasing academy classroom sizes, hiring more experienced military and private industry controllers and rolling out tower simulators nationwide. There are no easy, short-term fixes to address many of these challenges. The FAA action comes as airlines expect to carry the most Thanksgiving travelers ever. 30 million passengers over the next 12 days. Yeah, I'm happy to beat of crowds. On the roads, more than 49 million are expected to drive starting Wednesday.

At the pump, 333 is the national average, 40 cents lower than last year. 11 states are now under $3 a gallon. But after two years of aviation meltdowns, it's the nation's air system that's headed for another stress test. A record 2.9 million passengers forecast for Sunday the 26th. Especially if you are leaving in those first flights of the day, that 5 to 7 a.m. block is very busy. So the TSA expecting nearly 2.5 million people will be flying every day next week, leading up to the big return. As you heard on Sunday, with 2.9 million people going to. through the nation's airports. It will be

busy. Tom, back to you. Okay, Tom Costello, we know you'll be covering it. We want to turn now overseas to the war in Gaza. Israel's defense forces say they are close to dismantling the Hamas military capabilities in northern Gaza. The focus on their ground operation remains hospitals as we are learning

more about the evidence hostages were actually there. NBC's Keir Simmons reports. Tonight, Israel announcing it's recovered the body of 19-year-old corporal Noah Marciano. The second Hamas hostage found dead near Al-Shefa hospital, Israel says, in 24 hours. Israel has shown videos it says indicate Hamas held hostages inside hospitals.

And tonight, Hamas admitting hostages were there. Kaffir is the youngest hostage held captive in Gaza. He's just 10 months old. This video showing Kaffir's mother terrified, holding him and his brother while they were all abducted by Hamas. We spoke to his cousin. getting angrier by the days because this is this this is sick I don't want to celebrate his first birthday without him there is a an AK 47 the Israeli military saying it found Hamas AK 47s grenades and other weapons at al-Shifa and it says a tunnel entrance nearby

Israel and the US saying hospitals in Gaza have been harboring Hamas command centers We're just scratching the surface. The Palestinian Red Crescent posting video of patients pushed through rubble from hospitals in the north to the south, where our camera crew today filming more chaos and bloodshed. And now Israel's military warning it will soon head south. Is there a reason why you should push on rather than stop at this stage for a deal, for a hostage deal?

So we are pushing forward in order to increase the pressure on Hamas. Doctors say the pressure on hospitals is unbearable. announcing the death of another premature baby at Al-Sheifer. And in a video posted today from another hospital, Palestinian patients lie on the floor. They had to amputate legs of people because of infections that couldn't be treated. It's a real war on hospitals. All right, Keir Simmons joins us tonight from Jerusalem.

Kier, I know there's been tension not too far from where you are in the West Bank. That's right, Tom. We're here in Jerusalem now. in Jerusalem today and in the West Bank, what Israel described as an anti-terror raid that saw five people killed, almost 50 arrested, and one scene at a hospital, at a hospital once again, Tom, with medics walking out with their arms up, as the Israelis said that they were trying to chase down some Hamas gunmen that they thought may have got into the hospital. The tensions are rising in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The number of dead now,

in Gaza, according to the Ghazan health ministry, which is run by Hamas, more than 12,000, Tom. Some stunning images from the war there. Keir Simmons for us, Keir, we thank you for your reporting. We want to stay with the war into an NBC news exclusive. In the days and weeks that followed Hamas's terror attack, Israeli intelligence

interrogated Hamas suspects they had captured. NBC's foreign correspondent, Ralph Sanchez, got an inside look at the IDF's interrogation operation. Israel's intelligence agencies failed to stop Hamas terrorists before they burst through the border fence to carry out their massacre.

But in the days that followed, the Shinbet, Israel's equivalent to the FBI, took on an urgent mission. Interrogating Hamas suspects captured in the attack, racing for intelligence about the hostages and what Israeli forces would face inside Gaza. There is a clock above your head

that is ticking. This is the prisoner. Shalom Ben Hanan is a Shinbet veteran. What's it like to sit like? like this with a man who you know massacred Israeli civilians. Sometimes you feel that you want maybe to kill him with your bare hands, but you do nothing, okay? Sometimes even the opposite, you have to connect to some dots in his personality.

Israel releasing edited videos of the questioning, ammunition in a global information war. It's for the West. It's not for us. We're not showing their confessions or revealing their identities because we can't be sure whether they spoke under duress. We see some of the prisoners, bruises on their faces, marks on their wrist. Were they being tortured by Israel's security forces? They were captured in combat. It wasn't a polite...

capture. There is no torture in Shabak interrogations. And it's possible those same Hamas suspects could be freed as part of a deal to release the hostages. I asked that officer, how would it feel for him, for his fellow shin bed agents to see those men walk away? He said it would be a terrible feeling but he would understand if that was the price of bringing the hostages home. Tom? The realities of this war, Raf, thank you. All right, back here at home into the companies pulling their ads off X, formerly known as Twitter.

A report from a media watchdog group found that X placed ads for major companies, quote, next to content that touts Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party. In response, ex-CEO Linda Yakorino called it anti-Semitism and discrimination, quote, ugly and wrong and says there's no place for it in this world. Now IBM and Lionsgate tells CNBC they are pausing their advertising on X, and Axios was reporting that Apple is also pulling. their ads. For more on what this all means for the social media company and Elon Musk, I want to bring in CNBC Technology correspondent Steve Kovac. Steve, thanks so much for joining

Top Story. We know earlier this week, the ex-owner Elon Musk wrote and replied to several anti-Semitic posts. Was this response from corporations bound to happen? And is it tied to it? Yes, it's tied to basically everything, Tom. It's tied to that report you mentioned about the ads appearing next to that anti-Semitic comment, those anti-Semitic content, rather. And not to mention that, just must behavior over the last couple of days itself that's all tied together. But look, it's really about those ads appearing next to the content because that's something Twitter has promised it would not do. In fact, it created this partnership with a company called IAS that is supposed to have a technology that makes it so ads only appear next to the good

stuff and buries the bad stuff away from people. So it's a failure on Twitter's part, and it's not a surprise that many of these advertisers, including Apple, like you mentioned, that came back after promises from X, they're basically saying, oh, we don't believe you anymore, we're going to pull our ad spending. I will also note just another name just breaking from the New York Times, Disney also pulling its ads. Those are all major advertisers on the platform. I mean, is this going to affect X in a major way?

It's going to make it harder for them to make money for sure, and they've already been struggling to woo most of the advertisers back who abandoned the platform over a year ago, Elon Musk took over. Keep in mind, the Anti-Defamation League is still recommending that people do not advertise on X because of all these problems we're detailing here. And also, it doesn't really matter for the brands as much because Twitter doesn't have the same targeting technology that other social media companies, especially meta with Facebook and Instagram have, that can actually target ads better and get a better return on that investment. Twitter is way behind of that technology, plus doesn't attract the same kind of spend that bigger platform

do. So it doesn't really matter for the apples and IBMs of the world. They're not going to see much of a change, but for Twitter, it sure does matter. I also know you have some new reporting about some developments that have come out from other tech companies, including Open AI. Yeah, this is Open AI losing its CEO, Sam Altman. It's a Silicon Valley shocker here, Tom. This is the company that has been at the forefront of generative AI revolution that we've been talking about all year. And not to mention Sam Altman himself has been the face of it. He's appeared before Congress testifying about how artificial intelligence should be regulated. Even last night, he was a keynote speaker at the APEC conference and the night before dining with other tech CEOs like Apple CEO Tim Cook with President Xi at that big gala out in San Francisco.

So this was a shocker. This was unexpected. He was the leader of the company. And not only that, it doesn't just impact OpenAI. This impacts Microsoft, the leader on the public front in artificial intelligence. They have a huge investment in OpenAI own a very large stake in this company. Now, they're saying they're sticking with Open AI, but the implications are huge in the AI world right now, Tom. And Steve, I know this is sort of fresh, but do we have any idea why this happened? We don't know specifically.

All we know is Open AI Board said Sam Altman was not forthcoming with some information, and they had lost confidence in his ability to lead the company. So they named the company CTO as an interim CEO while they looked for a permanent. replacement, Tom. Yeah, I know there's so many concerns about opening eye when you hear about somebody not being forthcoming, you're just, your mind races and you go to a bunch of different places. Anyways, I'm sure we'll eventually find out. Steve, great having you on the show. Thank you. Thanks, Tom. All right, we want to turn out of the ongoing migrant crisis where at the southern border, thousands are still making the life-threatening journey despite weather conditions.

Texas officials warning of heavy currents at the Rio Grande, where they recovered the body of a little girl this week. Meanwhile, in cities across the country, officials say the crisis is taking a brutal financial toll. NBC's Rahima Ellis has the latest. Heart-wrenching footage from the southern border showing the moment's families with children brave dangerously high river water levels in order to make it into the United States.

This woman saying her journey has been exhausting. She's part of a wave of more than a thousand migrants who chose to risk their lives crossing the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, this week. That desperation leading to tragedy, Texas DPS saying a seven-year-old girl died here after being swept away while trying to cross the Rio Grande, a teenage boy also found but in critical condition.

This, says Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign a bill that would allow all police officers in the state to arrest migrants who enter the country illegally. the type of enforcement currently only done by federal agents. It hurts us to our fucking core. And y'all don't understand that. You don't live in our skin. The controversial bill has escalated tensions between state leaders, with some critics saying it will lead to racial profiling.

Meanwhile, cities across the U.S. who have been taking in migrants, now grappling with the financial toll. We will be forced to make some tough choices. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, announcing budget cuts that could affect schools and cut down on police numbers in response to the rising costs of the migrant crisis, adding that the city could see even deeper cuts without any federal help. Meanwhile, in Chicago, buses full of migrants continue to arrive with more than 12,000 people already living in the city's 25 active shelters. The city

saying nearly 500 buses have arrived since last August. Today, the migrant crisis was a major topic of discussion in a face-to-face meeting between President Biden and Mexico's president. Both men say they recognize the need to create more opportunities for legal immigration so people don't have to risk their lives crossing the southern border. Tom? Okay, Rahima, thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the hospital shooting in New Hampshire. Gunshots were fired in the lobby of a psychiatric hospital. At least two people dead.

The late details just coming in. Plus, AI-generated nude photos targeting students at another high school, this time in Washington State. One of the state lawmakers who was trying to pass new legislation to prevent this joins Top Story next. And the race against time in India, 40 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel since Sunday, the technique now being used to try to get them out. Stay with us. Top Story just getting started on this Friday night. We are back. Back now with another story involving the disturbing use of AI technology. A school district in Washington State telling parents AI-generated nude photos of some students

began circulating last month. This incident, just the latest in a series of concerning incidents involving artificial intelligence and the harm this software can cause real kids. Joining me now is a concerned parent from that school who's also in a position to do something about this issue. Washington State Senator Mark Mullet, we thank you for joining Top Story tonight. Senator, we did a similar story just a couple weeks ago with a high school at New Jersey. I spoke to a parent just like yourself.

Talk to me about how you learned of this, because I think it's so important for our viewers to understand sort of the genesis of this and how school districts are dealing with this. Well, in my case, I'm in the state Senate in Washington, but I have a freshman at the high school along with a senior, and this is actually happening in my daughter's freshman class, where it was one of the boys in her class took pictures the girls at homecoming night, and then that ended up leading to the AI images and all the other stuff that happened afterwards. My daughter was personally not impacted by the images, but she had friends who were. So that's where... Did the school district, did the principal, the school district, reach out to the students' effect and reach out to you?

So there has been communication since then that has happened. I'm not saying it happened right away when it first happened. I learned about it from my own children before the district, But it's still, there has been stuff that's happening. I think they were trying to figure out the investigation from the police before they gave out too much information. I mean, I'm a dad, you're a dad. You're also in a position of power as a lawmaker. What was your reaction?

I was pissed off. I mean, it's really frustrating to see this kind of stuff happen. But I think we have really good revenge porn laws that have been passed going back to 2015 in our state. It just kind of highlights technology is moving fast, So legislatures also have to move fast to keep up with technology. And I'm optimistic we'll have a bill this upcoming session that will address this issue. So going forward, at least if this happens, it's going to be a clear violation of the law.

The action, what that student did was completely inexcusable, right? How do you balance, though, the fast pace of this technology that is in the palm of these kids' hands and the power that this 13, 14-year-old boy had, allegedly? because it just seems that it's too dangerous. We don't allow guns, drugs, alcohol to get into the hands of these kids, and yet they have this tool, and I'm not acquitting the two, but this can do a lot of damage. Yeah, I think for the girls that happened to,

they felt like they had been exposed, and I think it was really damaging, and I don't know the answer to what you do. I don't think you can put AI technology back in the box, and I think it's out of the box. I do think parents, we all have a responsibility, and make sure our kids are using technology appropriately, and I encourage all parents to be as engaged as possible in their kids' behavior.

So this kind of stuff, if it does happen, we address it right away and make sure it stops. Yeah, I mean, you can rely on that, and you'd hope the parents do the right thing. But should more be done by you, by local government, by school district, to educate kids not to do this, not to even go down that road? Yeah, I think that's a great solution as well. I mean, clearly, we have to change the state law in Washington. to make sure there is, you know, this is a violation of the law. If it ever happens, again, I think that's part of our challenge now.

It's not clear based on our current rules because the image was altered if this is a violation. And I 100% agree the more school districts do to educate students around the negative impacts this can have when it happens. Hopefully, that minimizes occurrences like this in the future. In New Jersey, the school board there, or the principal, I should say, told parents that the images had been deleted. Do you know what's happened in the images in your community? I don't. I can't answer that question, actually. I, like I said, I heard about it from my own daughter, but I'm not sure what's happened to the images since. And yeah, we all know once images are out, that's the challenge, right? It's hard to get rid of things. And that's why we want to make sure these things happen as infrequently as possible going forward. What advice do you have to parents out there who likely will go through this just like you did? I think just stay is, you know, try to be in touch with what's going on in your kids' lives as much as possible.

I know it's hard. My own kids come home and they kind of vanish up for their rooms and hibernate. You kind of got to squeeze the information out of them sometimes. But I do think that we have to make sure we're actively engaged because technology is changing fast. And we want to make sure they're not becoming victims of it. We also want to make sure they're not people causing any of the problems. And I think both are really important. Washington State Senator Mark Mullet, Mark, we thank you for your time.

When we come back, the fiery train derailment in Atlanta, a freight train carrying thousands of gallons of fuel going off the rails, erupting into a fireball. What officials say caused this mess. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a deadly shooting at a hospital in New Hampshire. Police say a suspect shot one person in the front lobby. of a psychiatric hospital in Concord. State trooper who was there immediately fired back. At least two people, including the shooter, are dead. Authorities say there is no threat to the public right now.

Another shooting we're following tonight. This one happened at a mosque in Providence, Rhode Island. Police say a 52-year-old man affiliated with the mosque was shot while selling items outside. The suspect then fled the scene. The victim was rushed to the hospital and is expected to be okay. No word yet, though, on a motive. An investigation is underway in Atlanta,

after a fiery freight train derailment. This is what it looked like. Aerial footage shows flames engulfing the engine car, sending plumes of smoke into the air. Officials say the fire burned off about 1,200 gallons of diesel, and crews are working to clean up any remaining spilled fuel. CSX said a Norfolk Southern train crashed into a CSX train causing it to derail. No one was hurt and no word on what caused that crash. And an update tonight on former First Lady Rosalind Carter. The family announcing the 96-year-old has entered hospice care at her home in Plains, Georgia. This is just months after they shared she had been diagnosed with dementia. Former President Jimmy Carter is also receiving hospice care at their home.

Now to power and politics and a major development in the race for the White House. New polling out of New Hampshire showing a lot of movement in the first-in-the-nation, GOP primary state. First up, this new Washington Post-Momoth poll, take a look. The major headline, Nikki Haley, moving into second place with 18% now trailing only former President Trump, who's still far out ahead at 46%. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, though, once thought to be Trump's main rival in this race plummeting into fifth place at just 7% and Chris Christie pulling into third in a critical primary state for the former New Jersey governor. Yesterday, CNN poll showed the same trend. Trump is ahead comfortably at 42, but Haley is firmly at 20. Christy 3rd, here too, with the Santis trailing in 4th at just 9%. Now, the polls come just days after South Carolina Senator Tim Scott suspended his campaign.

Both of these polls were in the field when he dropped out on Sunday. That's important, giving us some indication of where his supporters may be headed. For more of all of this, I want to bring in NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent, Ali Vitale. So, Ali, you know, we should note these polls are just a snapshot in time, right? We all know that. We don't know what's going to happen in January and February. but this is just the latest evidence of Nikki Haley's rise, right? In the poll, how is her campaign feeling?

They're feeling good because they're seeing in this a sign of momentum. Yes, these are snapshots in time, but they also think that this is a sign of her hard work paying off, something that she talked about quite clearly today in Iowa on the campaign trail. Watch. We have worked hard. We've been here. You've seen us, get used to this face.

You're going to keep seeing us, and it's paying off. We are now in second place in. Iowa, second place in New Hampshire, second place in South Carolina. We just got one more fellow we got to catch up to. Now, when she says she's got one fella to catch up to, therein lies the problem, Tom, because as high as the second place position climbs, they are still so far behind former President Donald Trump. So, Allie, you know, and this is tough to sort of quantify, right?

But do we think it's her performance at the debate? Do we think it's Senator Tim Scott dropping out? Or do we think it's that it's big donors who are now suddenly interested? interested in Nikki Haley and voters as well? I think it's a mix of all three, but you can't have the other two without doing well in the debates first. And that was clearly central to the Haley team's strategy from the very beginning. She's comfortable in forums like that.

She's comfortable leveraging the fact that she has deep foreign policy experience as a former U.N. ambassador, but also deep executive experience as a two-term governor from South Carolina. They're happy to put that record out on the stage. And she's experienced at being able to both attack other candidates. and then also defend her own record. That's the reason why donors are starting to feel interested. And I say starting to, because over the course of the last few months, in my conversation with people close to Haley's orbit and also with donors,

they're interested, but they just can't get over the fact that there is still that very large point deficit between first place and Donald Trump and whoever comes in second, whether it's Haley or somebody else. It's really hard to invest in something like that when the only consistent throughout this primary has been Trump in the lead. Less than two months before Iowa, when things are getting heated, the DeSantis War Room busy at work. And this afternoon, they launched a website and a new ad attacking just Nikki Haley. Let's run a portion of that. You know, I often say that the reason I got into politics was because of Hillary Clinton. I went with my friend Eleanor Kitsman to a firm and leadership program where Hillary Clinton was speaking.

And I walked out of there and I said I'm running for office. So, Allie, that's just a piece of that ad. It's a very long and very devastating ad. I've spoken with Republican operatives who have said when this campaign starts to get ugly, they're going to dig into Nikki Haley's record and it's not going to be pretty as far as her conservative record is. And that can be debated. But tying her to Hillary Clinton, that's obviously going to perk the ears of some Republican voters.

It might perk the ears of some Republican voters. But I have to tell you, when I see ads of Nikki Haley talking about Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin used to talk about Hillary Clinton. When Palin got on the GOP ticket in 2008, you remember this. She was there in part because people thought that she was going to finish the work of what Hillary had started in that campaign. Of course, that's not the way that women voters vote. It's not just a one-to-one ratio. That's not the way politics works.

But I think that there are other things that the DeSantis team has stuffed in their pockets that they will come out with during the debates. Personally, for me, as someone who's watched the way women in this electorate have shifted and are considering candidates, this is a pretty weak attempt, especially because the reality is if you're a woman in elected politics, you have so few paradigms of other people to look at. Of course, Hillary Clinton is someone that younger politicians were looking up to to emulate, not politically, not ideologically, but just as a woman taking up that space.

Though you may be right, the way it translates into politics and campaign ads can be a little differently and not as eloquent possibly. So we're going to have to wait and see. Finally, I want to ask you about the ultra frontrunner in this race, Donald Trump, I mean, he's focused all of his attention on Ron DeSantis, right? The nicknames, the ads, everything else. Does he now go after Nikki Haley? Maybe. But I think that for Trump, this has always been, as politics often is for him, personal. He really didn't like the way that DeSantis tried to cut into the Trump limelight as Trump tries to get another term. You've watched the impact of Trump.

Trump turning all of his negative attention on DeSantis, the fact that DeSantis is plummeting, even after debate performances that are somewhat solid, if they're not ultimately standout. For DeSantis, it hasn't been enough to restore any of the confidence that donors may have lost in him, that voters may have lost in him, and instead, you're watching his argument for why he should be the nominee completely evaporate because Trump has frankly eviscerated him over the course of the last several months. For Haley, it's a little bit different, and it's going to be interesting to see if Trump ends up going after her. She was a key part of his administration.

He elevated that ambassador position to a cabinet-level position. This is someone who worked closely with him. That contrast could be tough. Ali Vitale, with the latest from the campaign trail. Allie, thank you. Just before Thanksgiving, last year, a gunman opened fire at the LGBTQ Plus Club, Q, killing five people and injuring 17 others. The killer now serving a life sentence behind bars. But for some of the victims, recovery has been a struggle.

They say made more difficult because money donated to help them has been caught up in red tape. Maura Barrett returned to Colorado Springs to bring us that story. One year after the Club Q mass shooting, the Colorado Springs community is working towards growth amid its grief. Everything's been a healing process, but mainly just a lot of continuous battles. This memorial still in place to honor the five victims killed and the dozens injured. But as the community mourns, tensions about how to move forward remain. Ashton Gambling worked the door at Club Q. Her scars, both visible and invisible, still prominent.

The last photo I ever have of very nicely well put together arms. After she was shot nine times, bills piled up. And even though donations were pouring in to help victims, Gambling and several survivors say the money came slowly. and with lots of red tape. They won't tell us what is and isn't covered. It's a guessing game and anybody's game at that. 3.2 million dollars in donations came in for people affected by the Club Q shooting, according to the Colorado Healing Fund.

A nonprofit formed to help victims of mass casualties in the state. But the fund said 10% of the donations was originally set to go towards administrative costs. Several survivors say it took months to receive any financial help, and they say there hasn't been transparency about where specifically the money is going. Herblin says she purchased a service dog for psychiatric care, and now her doctors say she needs a temperature-regulated environment to avoid pain from her injuries. These expenses were denied by the fund. In the beginning, we shelled out everything we had because I wasn't working. Do you feel like these roadblocks, even heading, have impacted your ability to heal?

It honestly has, because I don't really take time to cope. This week, after a year of pushback from survivors, the Colorado Healing Fund announced it will be releasing the remaining funds. about $120,000. Their press release noted that they intended to hold back some funds to support the long-term needs of victims, but immediate needs were too significant. Survivors receiving this money are free to use it as they need. The statement also saying they ultimately did not keep the donated funds for administrative or other costs.

Another complication in the aftermath, a division and sentiment of survivors towards Club Q itself. The survivor community has seen a distance from the Club Q ownership. I think on their end, money is least. the way. This is my bar and how fitting to keep the bartender up at the bar. I first met Wyatt Kent days after the tragedy last year. There are a former performer at Club Q whose boyfriend, bartender Daniel Aston, was killed in the shooting. Now, they say trust has dissolved, pointing to the disagreement over whether the club should open again at all. There's amazing opportunities for our community to grow and find new spaces for them to thrive

in. I am hesitant to say that the new queue space is that. There's plenty of other spaces in our community that uplift better than something that seems like a financial grab. Initially, owners plan to reopen the original location with an on-site memorial. But after pushback from survivors, they changed course. Nobody wants to party where their friends died. Instead, construction is underway here at the satellite hotel, prepping to open by the end of the year, simply called the Q. We want to honor everyone's very sensitive views and we decided to pivot. So now we are here. But it will be a venue in the same vein that Club Q has always been, which is providing a safe space for people who need it. Michael Anderson is a survivor himself, bartending, the night

of the shooting. He's now the vice president of operations for the club managing the new spaces opening. Some of the survivors that we've spoken to are concerned that activity by Club Q opening this new space is what they phrased as trying to profit off of queer pain. What do you say to that? My biggest concern is succeeding, not profiting. This is a humble venue and a very humble building. And it's just, it's a disingenuous criticism. Every person is welcome in this building. However, if you don't want to support it, that's perfectly okay, too. Disappointment in this division from both sides, especially when in the year since the mass shooting, hate speech and anti-LGBQ legislation has only become more prevalent.

are under attack every day and it's unfortunately not a new thing that we face we've learned a lot and this year has taught I think a lot of us as survivors and as queer individuals in the community that there is power and resilience as someone who's unfortunately covered several mass shootings the division we found here is unique and surprising that tension highlights what survivors face is they're simply trying to recover from a tragedy like this. One of the survivors I spoke to said they're surprised that there isn't a handbook in place for how to move on from a mass shooting given the frequency that we see in this country.

And the concerns that we highlighted in the piece is something that survivors hope that both lawmakers and city officials will consider as they look forward to make change and to heal. Tom? Out of top stories, Global Watch and the race to rescue 40 trap construction workers in northern India. Video shows crews drilling through the rubble of a collapsed road tunnel to try and insert pipes for the workers to crawl out. The workers became stuck on Sunday when a landslide caused the collapse. Officials say all of the workers are safe and have been supplied with food, water, and oxygen. Dramatic new video showing a fierce gun battle between Russian and Ukrainian

troops. The footage was released by Ukraine's military, who says it shows its troops storming Russian trenches, coming under heavy artillery and drone fire near Bakhmut. NBC News has not independently verified when or where it was taken. The battle for Bakhmut has been one of the the bloodiest of this war, with Ukraine still fighting to regain control of the Russian-occupied region. And one of Napoleon Bonaparte's iconic hats is going up for auction in Paris this weekend. This black felt hat is said to be worn by the former French emperor in the early 1800s. It's expected to fetch upwards of 600,000 euros, which is about $650,000. In addition to the hat, the hat, excuse me, a vanity store.

wearing a silver toothbrush, scissors and other personal items owned by Napoleon will also be auctioned off. Okay, coming up, Flag on the Play, a sideline reporter saying on a podcast that she fabricated some reports in the early days of her career, the swift backlash from others in the industry, and her response to the criticism. That's next. Okay, we're back now with the scandal rocking the pro sports world. Former NFL sideline reporter, Carissa Thompson, admitting on a podcast that she's fabricated on-air reports. Sports journalists from across the industry now speaking out, and tonight, the response from Thompson at the center of this firestorm. Emily Aketa has a story.

The Eagles, however, are still flying high. Amazon and Fox Sports host, Carissa Thompson, apologizing tonight after she admitted on a barstool sports podcast that she fabricated sideline reports earlier in her career. I've said this before, so I haven't been fired for saying it, but I'll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes because A, the coach wouldn't come out at half time or it was too late and I was like I didn't want to screw up the report. So I was like, I'm just going to make this up because first of all, no coach is going to get mad if I say, hey, we need to stop hurting ourselves. The now viral clip met by swift criticism from the industry's most prominent figures calling the comments deplorable and a mockery. Maddie Hudak is a sideline reporter for Tulane football.

It just diminishes, again, the work that women in this industry do not only on the field, but all of the work that we're doing to convince people that we're worthy of a space in this industry. Thompson, who hasn't been a sideline reporter since 2014, writing today, she chose the wrong words, adding, I've never lied about anything or been unethical during my time as a sports broadcaster. I would use information that I learned and saw during the first half to create my report. This wasn't the first time Thompson recalled making up a report when in a bind. Last year, there was this exchange on her podcast with Aaron Andrews. I made up a report. I've done that too for a coach that I didn't want to throw under the bus because he was telling me all the wrong stuff. Andrews team says she was referring to taking information from head coach meetings earlier in the week.

Fox Sports and Amazon have not commented. And Thompson is underscoring her respect for sideline reporters' tireless work, something some of her colleagues, say they have felt. Back to you. All right, when we come back, a look at what you can binge watch and listen to this weekend. The Crown, back for its highly anticipated final season. Plus, it's that time we have a new holiday movie to stream, this one with Luda, and new music by Tate McCray ahead. All right, welcome back. It is Friday, which means it is time for bingeworthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this.

weekend, and Darren Carp is in the house this weekend. Fresh off BravoCon, congratulations. You survived. I did. I have a voice now, thank God. And a very good friend, obviously, of top story. She's a pop culture expert and the host of Shaken and Disturb, a true crime podcast. All right, Darren, great to see you. Great to see you. We're going to get things started with the show that everyone loves. Drum Roll, please. It is The Crown on Netflix, and it's in the final season. Let's take a look. I'm afraid, Your Majesty, interest in the princess's private life is unrighted to die down in a time soon. The purse are on our tails constantly.

All one wants is for that girl to find peace. Mama, you're okay. Wow, heavy stuff. Princess Diana, it's always tough to kind of go back to that time and see, even though it's a fictionalized version. but to see her. Yeah, this one kind of hits home for me because I feel like this is the start of the crown where I started paying attention as a kid. You know, I remember where I was when Princess Diana died. So the first four just released on Netflix, and that's really covering the weeks up until Princess Dye's death. And then, of course, the aftermath of the Queen, not really being seen in public, and the public scrutiny she was receiving for that.

The following six episodes are going to drop in a month from now, December 14th. And that really covers the years after Princess Dye's death all the way to 2005 or so. They're going to cover the Golden Jubilee, marrying of Camilla Parker Bowls and Prince Charles, and of course, the budding relationship between Prince William and Kate Middleton, which feels so interesting to say that because that happened in my lifetime. But we're finally there, and the crown is now wrapping up with all of those stories. And then so many people have followed the royals, like you said, like generations, they've read about the royals. How have the reviews been about for this last season? Do people like it? I think people like it. I think before it was going

down, I heard a lot of mixed feelings on how they were going to handle Princess Diana. You know, They had the movie Spencer come out a few years ago with people feel strongly about Princess Dye. It's kind of America's Princess in a weird way, but I do think they handle it with class and grace. Okay, next up, we have something that you love. You were just telling me about this. It's a mystery. It's a limited series. It's called Murder at the End of the World.

It's streaming on Hulu. Let's watch a clip. Welcome. It's so exciting to see you all here. You know him? A long time ago. Everyone I've invited here has something extraordinary to offer the group. Did you know, Ellie Times called her Gen Z Sherlock Holmes?

We don't know who did this. We don't know why. And we don't know if they aren't done. Okay, I hadn't heard about this, but I'm hooked. It looks like it is just, tell me it's good. It is good. It's really dark. You saw there Emma Corrin, who plays Darby Hart.

She's kind of this Gen Z amateur sleuth. She gets invited by a billionaire, along with eight other guests, to this glorious retreat. Seems super interesting until one of the members dies. It's a true murder mystery. She's trying to figure out whether... A familiar plot. A familiar plot. Generations old, but yes.

Absolutely. A true murder mystery. But it has really, really interesting twists and turns. As you can see, Clive Owen is there looking extra, extra creepy, which is what I love. Super dark. Takes place in a remote place. It has a lot of mystery to it, and I'm really interested. Agatha Christie, but it definitely feels current, right? It's more Gen Z.

Yeah, it's Agatha Christie meets kind of technology of today. Okay, I think I'm all in for that one. Next up, a documentary I really want to watch this weekend. It's about the life of filmmaker Tyler Perry. It's on Amazon Prime, and it's called Maxine's Baby, the Tyler Perry story. Here's a clip. The thing that's amazing about Tyler is he broke every rule. The studio executive said, Black people don't go to the movies.

They were just wrong on every count when it came to Tyler. Tyler was making hit after hit, and finally, people had to wake up. My mother said, don't you ever let anybody tell you who you are? You know who you are. I love Tyler Perry's story because he is so authentic, and he made movies that he knew would resonate. And like the documentary says, I mean, they bet against him, and they were all wrong. They were all wrong. What's interesting about this documentary, which I love, is it's super intimate in a way we haven't really seen from him before.

They kind of explain all of his hardships that he went through in his childhood with his story. father, a lot of trauma that he kind of uses to his new characters in his movies. So it's really clever. It's a great point, Aaron, because he's so public, but he's also very private. Very private. We don't know that much about his childhood. This is obviously dedicated to his mother, Maxine, who loved him no matter what. But he had a complicated relationship with his father.

Everyone betted against him when he was young in Louisiana, and he proved everyone wrong. Oh, my gosh. So successful and also so generous. Next up, we have a comedy that's streaming on the Mothership. Peacock! It's starring the group. Please Don't Destroy from S&L. It's called, Please Don't Destroy the Treasure of Foggy Mountain.

Let's take a look. You're three hours late. Dad, you don't understand. The car was busted, so we had to shred. Why your lips ran? Were you eating a snow cone? It's a really good guess. What kind of adults were rolling?

The police are here, and they're saying that you bought alcohol for minors. Thanks, boys! In Europe, the drinking age is like 10. They could have been European. What made you think they were European? They had a certain Gen. They had a certain Gen. Oh, man, and I love seeing Conan O'Brien.

Conan O'Brien, John Goodman actually narrates this. It's produced by Judd Apatose, so you know it's going to be funny. The Please Don't Destroy Guys are probably my favorite sketches in S&L. So this movie is going to be kind of equally as clever and equally as great. They're kind of three deadbeat childhood friends. They can't keep a job. And they decide to go treasure hunting. Little Goonies-esque, they go treasure hunting for a childhood treasure that they found.

And there's a lot of obstacles, cult leaders played by Bowen Yang on the way. A lot of SNL cast members, right? Very, very heavy with the appearances. And it's sort of fun. you have sort of the current writing staff meeting up with the old writing staff, Conan O'Brien. Absolutely. I'm sure it's going to be really, really funny. Finally, up on our movies and TV shows, something to start to get you in the mood for the holidays. When I ask, what is the one thing you want for Christmas, Darren? What is the one thing you want? Oh, my gosh. I want to move back to New York.

That's number two. First up is ludicrous. Always. Sorry, yes. Here's a clip. Here's a look at that. Hey, who are they? It looks like a snowman and an elf and a nutcracker, a.k-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-da-dash. What is going on? Those bad guys are after my naughty and nicolist, but I got some associates here. Eddie's a nun, believe.

Really? Oh, claustrophobic. I'm sorry, what? Clausephobic, Fear of Santa Claus. That's ludicrous. Okay, so how's this? Look, honestly, I'd watch this with the kids. How is it?

It is really fun. It's a good family movie. something that you necessarily want to go see without children. But seeing ludicrous in this weird, interesting... Luda! Luda in this holiday movie, you're right. This is the number one thing I wanted to see for the holiday season. But he takes his daughter at the, you know, suggestion of his separated kind of ex-wife.

They're separated, so not fully. Out for Christmas Eve. He's really down on Christmas. He meets Lil Rel who plays Nick, you know, a lot of Santa, kind of changes his mood about Christmas. It's true for the family. Speaking of families and wholesome entertainment, if you're watching binge-worthy and story with your children. You may want to cover their eyes for this next one. Tate McRae. She's got a new song. It's called X's and the video is a little steamy. So we'll give you five seconds to kick them out and we can play it now.

Good song. Tate McCrae is, she's got a couple of heaters lately. Yeah, I know I was on this show talking about greedy a few months. Greedy in the hockey, excuse me, the hockey rink. Yeah. And now we're in a rodeo rink. We're in a wrestling ring. There's a sports theme. Yes, revenge body in every sort of way. I mean, make all the guys kind of ooh and a, her.

But this one is actually about her exes. It is called exes. And she just kind of talks about how she's not ready to settle down. You know, she's leaving you behind. She's sorry if she kind of gave you some crap before in the relationship, but she's not 30 yet. She's not ready to settle. I think she's over it.

Yeah, I think she's living her best life. Finally, we have some K-pop. Espa is out with a new song. This one is called Drama. Okay, Espa, a million albums sold in the first week. That's pretty big. Yeah, K-pop is this just thrott. genre that I feel like a lot of new generations are kind of coming to. Espa, this is their fourth

extended play that they came out with on the album by the same name drama. I actually learned this today because I wasn't aware. Espa is actually a combination of avatar and experience. So it's an interesting portmanteau. It's about aspect. It's about changing. This particular album and this particular song is all about their evolution as women and as artists and what they're kind of going through in their lives right now. It's a banger. Okay, so check it out. Darren Carp, D.C. Yes. Carp and Diem. Yes. Anybody ever say that? I don't know. Carpidaren's way into it.

Oh, my God. Oh, there you go. I knew I was inspired for somewhere. Anyways, thanks for being here. And thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.