Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, September 15, 2023

Episode Date: September 16, 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 the strike is on, thousands of auto workers walking off the job. United Auto Workers striking against the big three, Ford, GM, and Stalantis for the first time in U.S. history. The two sides failing to reach a deal, sparring over salary, benefits, and pay time off. We're a negotiation stand tonight and the temporary layoffs already happening at a major plan. Bracing for Lee, a Category 1 hurricane hours away from making landfall, residents in New England urged to hunker down

will have the latest track straight ahead. Exit stage left, new videos showing Congresswoman Lauren Bobert vaping and taking pictures while sitting in the audience of the Beal Juice production, the musical, before she was escorted out by security, why her account of what happened and the new footage are not adding up. No laughing matter, an explosive new report

about comedian Hassan Minaj, New Yorker magazine alleging he fabricated multiple stories on stage, including about a racist friend and one about an FBI informant who infiltrated his family's mosque. Tonight, the reporter who broke that news joins Top Story. Plus, TikTok ordered to pay more than $360 million for violating children's privacy what regulators say the company did that posed a risk to children. And tributes pouring in for Fernando Botero, an icon of Latin American art whose works were larger than live. Tonight, the story and the meaning behind his distinct style and the legacy he leaves

behind. Top story starts right now. All right, we start top story tonight with that unprecedented strike against the nation's big three automakers. At midnight last night, the United Auto Workers Union announcing a strike against Ford, GM, and Stalantis, which manufacturers Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge, vehicles, nearly 13,000 workers walking off the job at plants in Missouri, Michigan, and Ohio. You see it right there, with more walkouts likely as this stoppage stretches on. And here are where the two sides stand on the major issues tonight. Look closely here so you understand.

It's why we put it up here. UAW asking for a wage increase of more than 40% over the next three years. The big three sitting around 20% for an increase. The union also pushing for a 32-hour work week and adjustments. for inflation. President Biden, who described himself as the most pro-union president in history, tonight encouraging both sides to stay at the table for as long as it takes urging automakers to make a record offer to their workers. NBC's Jesse Kirsch is on the ground with those picketers in Michigan tonight, and he leads us off. Across the Rust Belt, instead of standing on the

assembly line, tonight thousands of United Auto Workers are being told to protest on the ticket line. Where we want it? Now! With no new deals between the UAW and the Big Three, overnight the union told almost 13,000 workers to walk off the job at three assembly plants. Jeep owner Stalantis in Toledo, Ohio. What we want is a better contract.

We all deserve it. General Motors near St. Louis. It's only fair that they pay us back for what we've been doing for them. And outside Detroit, Ford, which late today announced it has laid off roughly 600 non-strikes employees, saying the walkout in some departments has directly impacted the operations in other parts of the facility. Let's be clear. No one wants a strike. Today, President Biden announcing he's sending two top aides to Detroit to help with negotiations. The companies have made some significant offers, but I believe they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean

record contracts. The union demands include a large pay bump, pensions, and retiree health care. Stalanta says it's extremely disappointed in the UAW's leadership. The CEOs of Ford and General Motors say their current offers are historic. This is a very good offer and, you know, we want you back. Today, GM chief, Mary Barr, telling me the consequences of a shutdown could reach far beyond the assembly line. For every GM job, there's six other jobs that are associated with, and that's why the ripple effect can happen so fast. It's not going to be good for the economy. It's not going to be good for anyone.

Ford and GM both say they got their first substantive. UAW counter offers late yesterday, but the union says it's the big three dragging their feet. You've got competitors for these big three automakers paying a lot less in some cases for labor than these companies. How can you expect to actually get everything you're asking for? Shame on those competitors, number one. All this is, the companies are trying to drive a race to the bottom, and we're better than that. America's better than that. Right now, less than 10% of UAW's roughly 146,000 union auto workers are on strike. but it's having a big impact.

This is not just a small strike. You are taking out 15% of everything that they build here in the U.S. And these are high profit vehicles. Either you're with the billionaire class or you're with the working class. Tonight, union leaders rallying support as the two sides publicly appear no closer to a deal. All right, Jesse Kerr joins us now live tonight with those picketers there in Detroit. So, Jesse, are we already starting to see some of the... the ripple effects from this strike?

Yeah, we are, Tom. Beyond what we now have learned from Ford tonight, GM saying that because of the strike at its Missouri plant, another plant could run out of parts leading to 2,000 non-striking workers being temporarily laid off as soon as early next week. Meanwhile, here in downtown Detroit, this group of protesters and marchers just finishing up a rally. Tom? Yes, so many different groups attached to this protest and to this strike. Okay, Jesse Kirsch, thanks for leading us off tonight. Auto workers now preparing for the reality of a prolonged strike and taking to the picket lines across those three plants, as we saw in Jesse's report there.

I do want to bring in tonight to Top Story Tiffany Simmons. She's a UAW member who works at Ford's Michigan Assembly plant as a production team leader. Tiffany, thank you for joining Top Story tonight. You've been there from what I understand, 15 years. viewers what was the last time you got a bump in your pay or any type of promotion the last time would probably be eight years into my full time employment with four of order company that was the last major bump in my pay that i got so it's it's been a while it's been almost seven years since you seen a bump in your pay it's been a while you know we heard there from gm's uh CEO mary

Barra. She called her company's offer generous. It doesn't come close to what UAW is asking for. What's your reaction to that? It's easy for someone that makes so much more than the middle class person to say that what they're offering us is generous. It is laughable. It is insulting. It's a slap to the face of every middle class auto worker anywhere in the U.S. You know, we heard from the UAW President Sean Fane in Jesse's report, but he also said, quote, if we need to go all out, we will. To you, what does that mean? To me, that means a lot more sacrifices are made, but it's for the greater good.

How much more can you sacrifice, though? I mean, you can explain to our viewers, how are you living now day-to-day? How do you plan to live if this goes on for weeks? well right now everyone is it's very very fresh it's less it's been less than 24 hours but we've been prepping for this every contract this is a pattern every contract we start at the beginning of the year we start to prep just in case in the event of a strike what does that mean you mean saving money you mean not buying things saving money it means being aware of what's going on with contract talks making sure that we're involved in the process within our locals, within our regions,

within our UAWs. What's it like to be sort of part of one of the backbone industries of America? You always think of, you know, car auto manufacturing manufacturers as an American company you can be proud of and now trying to fight for a wage increase and having a strike to get that. It's very disheartening because we build something that's used every day, everywhere, not just in the U.S., but everywhere. We build something that is dependent. People depend on it to get their family safely from point A to B.

We built something that literally holds people lives, and I don't think people understand that. Everyone has gotten a pay increase except for the people that are actually doing the work. Can you explain the 32-hour work week to our viewers? Some people may be thinking 40-hour work weeks, but a lot of people maybe work more than that. But where does the 32-hour come from? The 32 hours, from what I know, it was something that we've tried to fight for in the past.

But the 32-hour work week, that's the least of our problems right now. Right now, our biggest fight is to end the tears. You end the tears, that ends. That's a monumental victory. It's not just about money. It's about the quality of life that an auto worker has right now. A job that once could feed entire families just with one income, now we're barely getting by with what we have.

Everybody's gotten a profit off of our work but us. Tiffany Simmons, she works at Ford. She is striking tonight. We will be thinking about you and we'll be continuing to cover this story. story as it plays out. We do want to move on now to our other major story. We're following Hurricane Lee, a large and dangerous Cat 1 storm marching towards the northeast. Officials in Maine and Massachusetts declaring states of emergency. Kathy Park has the latest from the storm zone. Tonight, Hurricane Lee turning up powerful waves up and down the coast as a storm picks

up speed and moves closer to New England. We were going to go away this weekend. We said, no, we better stay home. Massachusetts and Maine declaring a state of emergency, bracing for strong winds, rain, and coastal flooding. Know your zone. Learn if you live in an evacuation zone. And if you do live in an area that's prone to flooding, you should be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

Marina's taking no chances. This one in Portland clearing out all of their vessels ahead of the storm. In my 11 years down here, we've had a full haul out like this about once. Emergency responders getting ready to. This doesn't happen often. We don't usually see a hurricane come up and hit the main coast. We are usually prepared for winter and storm. The Portland Fire Department giving us a preview of what's to come. So how does your department get ready for a storm like this? We're upstaffing, especially on the Marine Division with the fireboat here. We're going to upstaff on the islands as well. Even though Hurricane Lee is weakening and hours away from making landfall, it's growing with tropical storm force winds extending.

hundreds of miles outside the storm's path. The white caps that you see way off in the distance, right on the horizon. We never see that. Already you can see that it's picking up. Lee getting dangerously close, with Nova Scotia now on high alert, expecting a direct hit this weekend. Tom, as you can see, the winds and the waves are already starting to kick up, and this will only intensify during the overnight hour.

Some spots could reach up to 60 mile per hour wind gusts come tomorrow morning, and This could lead to coastal flooding as well as dangerous beach conditions. Tom? Okay, Kathy, thank you for that for more on Hurricane Lee's path up the East Coast. NBC News meteorologist Bill Carrens joins me now in studio. So, Bill, you obviously are always very sobering on these nights. Talk us through Hurricane Lee and what maybe we should be worried about. If I was in Down East Main, I'd be charging my devices and planning for a couple days without power.

That's probably the worst of it, possibly on Cape Cod, too. Other areas, I think you're going to skirt through this just fine. So the storm itself is at about 3 o'clock tomorrow afternoon and be near landfall near Nova Scotia, near Yarmouth. So that means down east main will be the closest to what we call the center of this storm. But it already doesn't even look like a hurricane. It looks like a big huge nor'easter. And that pretty much is what we're going to be dealing with, minus the snow, of course, and instead dealing with the rain. So the tropical storm forest winds are shown in yellow.

They've now moved into areas of Cape Cod. Typically, when you get around 50 to 60-mile-power gust, you start to lose power. We haven't gotten there yet. We're at 47-mile-power gust on Nantucket, Provincetown at 33. Later tonight during the overnight, if you're going to lose power in the Cape, that's when it would happen. That's when the strongest winds will be with you. And here's our wind forecast, the max gust, Provincetown, the Nantucket, about upper 50s on the Cape. So that's isolated power outages, not widespread.

Down East Main, 59, to about 60. The problem there is that it's been a rainy, and so the trees don't have the roots, and they're all kind of mushy. So they may tip over more easily, and that's why we could also deal with two to four. inches of rain. So down east main is my real concern. I'm not concerned with the storm surge. Looks like we're going to skirt through that too. Okay, Bill Karens for us tonight. Bill, we thank you for that. We want to bring you an update now on that congresswoman who was kicked out of a theater in Colorado. Lauren Boberts campaign manager had initially disputed claims that she had been vaping in the audience during the performance. But newly released surveillance

video appears to show otherwise. NBC's Valerie Castro has those images for us tonight. tonight surveillance video revealing the truth about the night colorado congresswoman loren bobert was kicked out of a theater her version of events going up in smoke after denials she was vaping inside a denver theater during a musical performance of beetle juice this video clears the air bobert is seen on video blowing smoke before the start of the show the colorado republican representative is also seen dancing and clapping along to the music her arm raised above her head even using flash photography. A woman sitting behind her appears to lean over and say something to Bobert. At one point, her date is apparently unable to keep his hands to himself. Eventually, the couple is escorted from the theater, Bobert giving staff the middle finger and allegedly saying, don't you know who I am? According to an incident report from the venue. Before this video revealed the true performance, her campaign manager denying the allegations that Bobert was kicked out for vaping, telling the Washington Post in a statement there

might have been a misunderstanding from someone sitting near her and attributing the source of the smoke to heavy fog machines and electronic cigarettes used in the show. NBC News has reached out to Drew Sexton, Bobert's campaign manager and Bobert herself, but has not heard back. Bobert alluding to the incident tweeting, it's true, I did thoroughly enjoy the amazing Beetle juice at the Buell Theater, and I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud. Everyone should go see it if you get the chance this week, and please let me know how it ends. The end of that evening for Bobert and her date, holding hands and twirling into the night. All right, Valerie Castro joins us now live in studio. Okay, she clearly the video shows her

appearing to vape. There was that hanky-panky, you pointed out as well. But it didn't look like she was going nuts in her chair. There's more video you were saying, and another audience member, too, complain? Yes, if you watch more of the video, she continuously is raising her hands and dancing, everyone around her is pretty subdued. The Denver Post has done... She's at a different level than... She is, she is. The Denver Post has done extensive reporting on this,

and one of their reporters was able to interview the woman that was sitting directly behind her, and she tells the paper that she asked Lauren Bobert to stop vaping at one point. The woman is pregnant. She says Bobert told her no. She also tells the paper that at the intermission, she and her husband were so fed up that they asked if they

could change their seats. The usher told them that they were not the first to complain. Wow. Okay, Valerie Castro. Beetlejuice, on the other hand, in Denver, getting a lot of publicity out of this, so maybe it's a great show. Thank you for that. Still ahead. Store owner attacked. This is crazy. A 60-year-old woman punched in the face while trying to stop a robber. The search tonight for that suspect. Plus, health officials in Kansas sounding the alarm over the West Nile virus that has led to at least two deaths in the state, the warning to residents tonight. And the explosive new report about comedian Hassan Minaj alleging the fabricated multiple stories on stage while he rose to fame. The reporter who broke that news, Joy's top story with us next.

Back now with a new and surprising article about the career and life of comedian Hassan Minaj. Minaj leans heavily on his experience as a Muslim. in America and his stand-up. In his 22 Netflix special, The King Gesture, he told a lengthy story of an FBI informant who infiltrated his family's mosque in 2002. He shared

with audiences several details about the experience, including this one. Now, I don't know what your junior year of high school was like, but have you ever had chicken biryani with a narque? Still was a narque. He's in our living room,

eating Indian food. with a fork and knife. I'm like, m's . Use your hands. Commit to the role. Convinced me, Eric, if that's even your real name? He knows I don't trust him, right?

It's a compelling story, but apparently it's not true. In a piece titled, Hassan Minaj's emotional truths, New Yorker staff writer, Claire Malone, took a closer look into Minaj's claims, including the story of that alleged informant and the blurred line between truth

and comedy. New Yorker staff writer Claire Malone joins us now with more on her reporting. Claire, first off, incredible story and incredible reporting. So what happened? There was no informant that came into his living room and ate with his family? No. Basically what Hassan says is there was an emotional truth, a seed to the story, which was true, which was he said it's actually a hard foul he received during a pickup basketball game where he said when he was a teenager, He thought these middle-aged men paying basketball with them were law enforcement. There's no proof that they were, but Hassan said, you know, one of them slammed him to the ground, and from that came this story.

Craig Monta is a real person. He really was an FBI informant, but he was actually in prison at the time. Hassan says that the story happened. So what did he tell you when you conferred him with these facts? What did he tell you? Well, he kind of kept coming back to the idea of emotional. truth, which is, you know, the greater thrust of the story is true, that there really were, and there were mosque infiltrations throughout the United States after 9-11, and the idea

that he was really affected by that, that lots of Muslims were in America. So that's the emotional truth, even though factually it's not accurate. And, Claire, your article points out that this isn't new. I want to play a clip from Minaj's 2017 special Homecoming. It's special. It's called Homecoming King, and talk about it on the other side. Ding-dong. And Mrs. Reed opens the door. She has this look of concern on her face. And I look over her shoulder. I see this dude, Jeff Burke, putting a corsage on Bethany's arrest.

And she's like, oh my God, honey. Did Bethany not tell you? Oh, sweetie, we love you. We think you're great. And we love that you come over and study. But, you know, tonight's one of those nights where, you know, we have a lot of family. back home in Nebraska, and we're going to be taking a lot of photos tonight, so we don't think it'd be a good fit.

So in that clip, and I think at some point they also showed the woman's face who was his, is his friend or ex-girlfriend in high school? So in the off-Broadway show, so before the Netflix production, there was a time during the show's run when, yes, the real woman's Facebook picture, a picture of her was shown, it was Their faces were blurred, but yeah, you know, this woman disputes details in the story. She was his high school friend, and he was claiming that she said no to him on the prom because he was Indian American. Yeah, so I think the details here are important. He says in this special that he came to her house, dressed up, ready to go to prom, and another boy's there.

And now he admits, like, that's not how the story actually went. She said she couldn't go with him days earlier. But I think what's interesting, what he says, the emotional truth is. truth is here is, you know, he feels it's like an example of kind of insidious suburban racism, right? But the thing that stood out to me here is, is that the woman, he alludes to sort of, or he at least leads the audience to believe that the family is racist. And she went on to marry an Indian American.

She did, yes. And she has asked him to stop telling this story, or at least has had problems with him telling the story. Yeah, once the Netflix special went up, um, her identity. via social media posts was able to be found by people, and it resulted in a lot of doxing. I mean, I think years of people, you know, finding out where her family lived.

And harassing them? Yeah, yeah. And what did he do? Well, she says that she confronted him about it, and she says he struggled her off. He says he doesn't remember that and has pointed to the fact that they had correspondence that was friendly.

But I think it's pretty clear, having seen some of the posts, that she was being harassed. you spoke to Minaj at length for this article. He said in part, quote, every story in my style is built around a seat of truth. My comedy, Arnold Palmer, is 70% emotional truth. This happened, and then the 30% hyperbole, exaggeration fiction. He is a comedian. Yeah. But I think the reason why we're having this conversation is because his comedy relies a lot on social issues, on political issues. I mean, something like racism is something that you sort of, I don't want, I think it's something you shouldn't play with people's emotions or fears on, right? Again, he's a comedian. He's

not a journalist. He doesn't do what we do. But should he follow some sort of rules of, I don't know if it's decency, but are there rules of storytelling? So, I mean, it's an interesting, I mean, I'm very well aware that it's a bit, you know, pedantic for a New Yorker writer to be fact-checking a Piedian special. I think there are a couple things that are different with Hassan's comedy. One, he made a name on the show, Patriot Act, which is one of these comedy news shows, like infotainment in the vein of the Daily Show, which he is up for to be the host. So that's another big thing. As a John Stewart type.

Right, to replace Trevor Noah as the host of the Daily Show, he's one of the contenders. But I also think, yeah, I mean, he has suggested to his audience in his stage work, which is separate from the Patriot Act, he suggested essentially implied, he hasn't given them any other impression that these stories aren't true. So people, and he's making, you know, a lot of the setup. a lot of the stories he tells aren't for a funny joke. They're to make a really important social point or a political point. And you could argue they divide us.

Well, yeah. I mean, I think the stakes with his comedy are different maybe than if you're making a joke about... And you're laughing. Yeah. Yeah, then if you're making a joke about, you know... An exaggeration. My kid did something crazy or my wife. It's, you know, it's about real things that happen to people.

You know, police entrapment. He has a story he tells about what they suspected was an anthrax exposure to his daughter. His daughter, they took her to the ER. It turns out that that's... Never happened. Yeah, I mean, yeah, he says that a letter with powder was sent to his home, although at the time, you know, Netflix was giving him personal security, and he says he never reported the existence of that letter. His staffers or people that have worked with him sort of spoke to you under the condition. of anonymity, saying that a lot of this stuff didn't add up, his schedules didn't add up as far as the

stories he was telling. How did you get the story? What was the genesis of this? I mean, like a lot of stories, it's kind of through the grapevine. So I heard it from someone who heard it from someone who heard it from someone who said, some of this stuff is odd. I think there were people in the comedy world who had sort of had suspicions about this. And then again, because he was guest hosting the Daily Show in the spring and sort of is in the running, I think it kind of, you know, came to the surface a bit, and I started looking into it that way. Claire Malone, a very powerful piece, very powerful piece of journalism. We thank you for being on here, and we'll continue to follow the story. When we come back, a recall alert,

we want to tell you about a toy bead set being pulled from shelves after the death of a 10-month-old. But parents need to know him. We'll be right back. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the urgent search for two suspects after a violent robbery in Los Angeles. Surveillance video shows a 60-year-old store owner trying to fend off the man who was stealing rare and collectible items. That's when the suspect turns around and punches her in the face before taking off. Store owner was taken to the hospital with serious face injuries. She says more than $5,000 worth of items were stolen. Kansas issuing a high-risk warning over the West Nile virus.

States Health Department says 22 cases have been reported in Kansas just this year, including at least three deaths. Residents told to use insect repellent, especially at dusk and dawn hours, keep screens on windows and doors, and get rid of standing water. Anyone with weakened immune systems is urged to limit time outdoors. Georgia, Maryland, and Texas have also detected their first infections this year. And a consumer alert, a popular toy recall after the death of an infant. The Consumer Product Safety Commission saying the chuckle and roar ultimate water beads activity kit poses a serious risk of injury or death if any of the items become ingested. At least one 10-month-old child has died, the recall affecting roughly 52,000 kits that have been sold. Okay, time now for the Americas and the passing of a giant in Latin American art and really art all over the world.

Colombian-born painter and sculptor Fernando Bulteiro died today at the age of the age of. 91, one of the most prolific artists known for his cartoonish, voluptuous figures. Guad vanegas has a look back at his life and legacy. Tonight, the art world remembering Colombian legend Fernando Botero, the painter and sculpture known for his round, volumptuous and inflated forms passing at 91 today after an iconic decades-long career. My life is pintar. Born in Medellin, Colombia in 1932,

Boltero grew up as the son of a salesman and a seamstress, starting to paint at a young age. He used money earned through art contest to study art in Europe, eventually arriving in New York City in the 60s with just $200 in his pocket and a new outlook on the form. These are voluptuous figures, male, female, animals, children, and he was so interested in the voluptuousness of them to celebrate, I think, to celebrate the voluptuousness of life. In 1961, an art curator purchased his now infamous painting, Mona Lisa, age 12.

The piece exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, at the same time as the real Mona Lisa was displayed in the city's Metropolitan Museum of Art, catching the attention of the art world. He really inserted himself in a way that made our art world in Manhattan a much more global and a much more exciting place. His signature style became known as Boterismo, a style he even applied to his own self-portraits. The woman he walks into his studio, somehow he seems 10 years younger because he's passionate about what he's doing. Botero taking his larger-than-life figures to three dimensions, making sculptures that would be. become fixtures all around the world. Botero admires now mourning a cultural giant.

His daughter, Lena Botero, telling a Colombian radio station he died of complications from pneumonia. Colombian president Gustavo Petro paying tribute to the biggest artist in his country's history, saying in a statement, the painter of our traditions and our defects, the painter of our virtuals has died. Everybody has to die. Botero will never die. He will be there in the artist.

of the world. The legacy of an iconic artist living on in cities all around the globe. Guad vanegas, NBC News. Okay, Guad vanegas first. We thank Guad for that. I want to bring in Gary Nader. He's owner of the Gary Nader Art Center in Miami and one of the biggest bolletto collectors in the world. Gary, thanks so much for joining us tonight here on Top Story. You're obviously a fan of Boettato for a long time. How did you get today's news and what was your reaction? Very sad, you know, we were very good friends, very close. And as you said, you know, we have the largest and most important collection in the world of Botero that I mostly purchase, purchased directly from him.

Unexpected, unexpected, because I exchanged emails with him last week. And he was perfect. He was completely lucid. He was fantastically affiable, amicable, and perfect. and I'm extremely surprised. I'm extremely surprised this happened so suddenly. You know, Gary, we see some of the Botero's, you know. We see some of the Botero paintings there behind you in a sculpture.

What was it about his work that inspired you to start collecting his pieces? Well, it's very simple. Botero was a great master, you know. It was one of the greatest artists of the 20 and 21st century. And for me personally, it was a discover. The first time I saw one of his works in the moment. I was 15 years old, so I started starting his art. And one of the things that fascinated me the most was that, you know,

when he was living in the 60s, by the way, in New York, the critics and collectors were telling him, listen, what you're doing is not fashionable now. What you're doing is not what people are looking for. You know, everybody, every great artist like yourself is doing abstract expressionism. And he said, no, that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to do my own art.

I'm putting, you know, showing my country and doing what I like to do, and I'm not going to change. And look at that. He didn't change and became the most known artist in the world. Because he's the most known artist in the world. I mean, Botryismo exists in every other continent in the world. Gary, what was it about his art? Gary, what was it about his art that took off? Can you explain, for people that aren't into art or art historians, why did his art suddenly take off? Well, it didn't take off. It took a while. Because you say take off, people might understand

it was from night, from day to night. He painted with the quality that he painted. He believed that he was doing was of quality and he believed that his style was going to be absorbed. And he did. The greatest collectors and museums in the world, they start buying his art. And it took him a lot of years to become who he is today. But, you know, it's been accepted as one of the greatest art, like I said before, one of the greatest artists in the world. And when you say the name Botero, you know, and you see a voluptuous or a grand figure, not a fat figure, because he didn't like when people called his paintings, his object fat, you see Botero, I mean, and that's unique.

This is a man that everybody tried to convince him to change his style and his ways, and he stayed there, and he did his works with amazing, convincing. and quality, and the critics, the museums, the collectors recognize it, and like every other major artist, start buying his works. And the prices keep increasing and the interests kept increasing until today. Gary, you know there's this movement in America and really across the world, this body positivity movement. It's been going on for the last decade.

And years ago, decades ago, Botero started, as you mentioned, painting people that were voluptuous, that were larger than life, if you will. What was he trying to say with his paintings? What he was trying to say was very simple, you know. Through his volume, he created more sensuality. Through volume, he created grandeur. With true volume, he created his own style. And people seem to like it and understand it.

And that's why he became so, so popular and so much in demand. Volume was a way for him to show grandiose, to show more than anything, sensuality, a great sensuality on his work, and sarcasm and history and criticism, you name it all. He absorbed what the world was telling him at that time, and he put it on his own words, and it was very much accepted. Gary Nader, we appreciate you. I am sorry for your loss. I know you were friends with the artists, so we were thinking about you and his family tonight. And thank you for talking to us about the Boletado art.

Coming up, celebrities up for auction? Do you have any questions you want to ask the cast of New Girl? What about a watercolor portrait of your dog by John Lithgow? Well, now is your chance. After the break, we'll tell you how you can bid for a celebrity experience while also helping

crew members affected by the rider's strike. We'll explain. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch, and we begin in the Dominican Republic, which tonight has shut down its border with Haiti. The shutdown coming as the two nations spar over the construction of a canal on a shared river. The DR

has argued the canal would divert water from its farmers and hurt crops. Dominican President Luis Alainade saying he will keep the border closed as long as necessary. And there is danger lurking in the waters of China after a powerful typhoon flooded farmlands.

More than 70 crocodiles now roaming free in the Guangdong province, after the powerful storm caused a lake at a commercial farm to overflow over the weekend. Emergency responders now searching flooded fields by boat. So far, 36 of the 70 crocodiles have been recaptured. Residents have been urged to avoid the water. Yeah, it's a good idea. And TikTok order to pay a massive sum for violating privacy regulations.

European regulators finding the social media company $368 million, its largest financial panels yet, for breaching several regulations related to children's safety. Most notably, for having accounts belonging to teenage users default to public instead of private. TikTok in a statement saying that it disagrees with the decision and the hefty sum imposed. Okay, back here at home and to the new unique ways to support workers amid strikes in the entertainment industry. Celebrities auctioning off experiences and signed memorabilia in an effort to support crew members who have lost health insurance. embassies Joe Friar explains.

Hi, I'm Saul Goodman. Did you know that you have rights? How would you like to have dinner with the man who brought us Saul Goodman? You want attorney-client privilege, don't you? Or let Parks and Rec star Adam Scott walk your dog? Do you think a depressed person could make this? What about a song made just for you by the cast of the hit animated show Bob's Burgers? All of these experiences are actually available.

They're part of a celebrity. backed auction on eBay created to support ongoing labor movements in the entertainment industry. I support the strike. That dinner with Bob Odenkirk, along with Arrested Development's David Cross, is currently going for more than $9,000. One of the most expensive experiences on the list right now. If you're willing to shell out thousands, John Lithgow will paint your dog, and Lena Dunham will paint a mural in your house. Don't wipe your hands on your apron, chef. More tangible items also up for sale, including an apron signed by the cast of the bear. As a Friday, the thing bid on most across 50 listings is an Atlanta script signed by Donald Glover, along with a personal

note and a vinyl of Childish Gambino's Awaken My Love. The auction was set up by a group of striking WGA members who founded the Union Solidarity Coalition. They say all proceeds from the winning bids will go into a mutual aid fund for crew members who've lost their health insurance amid the strike. We want to make a meaningful gesture because at the end of the day, the crew are not the ones that are on strike, but by default, they are out of a job. And it's affecting them just as much as it's affecting us, if not more. So we wanted to show them that we see that. We're all in this together. Writers have been on the picket lines for more than four months calling for better pay, job security, and regulations on the use of AI.

Hey, hey, ho ho! Negotiations between the WGA and Hollywood Studios have fallen flat. And while that situation is no laughing matter, this latest auction did provide some comedy, producing countless memes online, as people imagine the celebrity interactions they'd be willing to pay for, like a staring contest with Oppenheimer and Peeky Blinders star Killian Murphy. Good idea till a bit to me shall be the wrong way.

Fans will have to keep dreaming for that one. As for the real auction, it ends on September 22nd. Hundreds of bids have already been placed to help those in the entertainment industry out of work. Joe Friar, NBC News. We thank Joe for his help on that story. And for those who will stick to just seen celebrities on screen, we'll have a look at what you can binge and watch and listen to this weekend when we come back. The morning show back for a third season, plus the 10th and start. installment of the fast and furious. Can you believe it? And new music by J. Balvin, Usher, and

DJ Callan. Stay with us. We're back now with bingeworthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And we're so excited. We have Darren from Carpavia. Carp. Aaron, what is up? A good friend of Top Story. She's a pop culture expert. She's the host of Shaken and Disturbed, a true crime podcast. And now, a resident of Los Angeles. Of Carpathia, L.A. Carpathia, L.A. That is so true. So, Darren, this first one up, I just saw the first episode. It's the morning show, season three, obviously, very popular of people that work in journalism and TV. We have a little clip. Let's take a look at it. The UBA has been the target of a cyber attack. This hack is nuclear.

Certain things may come to light. Did you ever tell any many? Personal things that were never meant to be shared. Let all the secrets come out. They did not protect me. They didn't protect you, but I did. We are flirting with financial disaster. We need someone with more money than God.

I am offering you a lifeline. Oh, all right. Here are my thoughts. Love the Morning Show, incredible cast, incredible writing, and it has been very real. This season, though, it has shades of succession. Yes. There's shots of the black cars,

and then there's the whole buyout, there's the tech guy, obviously supposed to be like Elon Musk. You've seen more than I have seen. I've just seen the first episode, so walk me through. Does it get better? I am happy it's back. I do think it definitely goes along that succession, Billions line.

Paul Marks, played by John Hamm. This guy kind of coming in. Billy Crut up is like wooing him to buy UBA. I don't love that storyline. And so I'm kind of hoping it fizzles out a little bit just because we already got Succession and everything. But what I do like about it, as usual with the morning show, it takes place with real-world things that are happening.

It mentions the insurrection. It mentions Roe v. Wade. It mentions even that 2014 Sony hack, which I love. On that point, because I was curious about this, the storyline I did like was on the issues of abortion and reporting on abortion. That was really fascinating. Do they lean into that more as the season goes on?

More and more real-life events. we've experienced, again, the hack was in 2014. So I'd say over the past decade, those things are coming into real life, and we're seeing how journalists kind of tackle it, even if it's in a scripted way. Okay, saw the first episode. Yes. Getting five to six session, but we still like it. Next up, we have a new thriller series on Amazon Prime. It's called Revenge. Actually, it's not. It's called Wilderness. It's about revenge. I'm crazy. Let's watch a clip. Well? Are you going to introduce us?

What brings you here? Same thing as you, I guess. Nature, fresh air. You've got to admit. It was the perfect place for an accident. Mrs. Taylor. I'd really appreciate you coming down to the station. A little hot.

Nothing's with empowerment like killing your man, right? Yeah, right? again, Amazon Front, you told me you like this? I actually kind of love this. I don't know if it's because it's kind of Halloween-esque that we're getting to. There's a little bit scariness. But I just like a macabre love story in a way. And this is the ultimate revenge story.

Live and Will are a seemingly happy couple. And then she learns of his betrayal. They decide to kind of reconcile. Go on this trip from Grand Canyon to Yosemite. He thinks it's a chance to kind of reconcile, make amends. This is her chance to plot the perfect revenge on him. And why again? Why is she trying to offer a man? What did he do? You know, as any good man, he cheats on his girl with another hot woman, and she finds out about it in a pretty normal way.

And then she wants to kill him. Seek revenge, torture him. I gotcha. Okay. And you said it's great. I like it. All right, very cool. Next up, this one's on Netflix. It's called El Conde. It's a Chilean movie about a vampire based on a dictator from Chile. It's in Spanish. Here's a clip. My children don't know And I don't care

But I'm going to think That you're going to think That I'm a madron No, no, no, no I've been very enamorah A young countagra Francis

Existing the Diablo that no have been And I I'd love to To you I'd love to

To you're To be Toes So they did a survey And viewers Of Top Story Had the highest IQ

And so people Watching this Are gonna totally Get That's Pinochet Yes. He's playing a vampire. Correct. Also, the Americas, plug there. But this is crazy, but I'm also fascinated by this. So tell me more about it.

So it's a horror spoof. It's kind of a first of its kind. It's brought to us by Pablo Lorraine, who bought us Spencer, who brought us Jackie. So it's really, really well done. The actual story of the dictator, Pinochet, was in 1973. He leads this coup to overthrow the Chilean government. 17 years of this horrible dictatorship where people disappear. They get murdered. We've been covering this. Thousands of people. And he died in 2006, so he never really got to go to trial for all the things that he did. So in Lorraine's version, he doesn't die in 2006.

He becomes a vampire who's kind of living with the sadness of everything that he did. So he wants to kill himself by not drinking other people's blood, sort of starving himself. But his wife wants to become a vampire. And it actually, for a terrible thing that happened, it has a lot of levity and a lot of humor. It's very dark. And good for the dinner table, maybe with the kids, right? If they understand who penis is, sure. Talk stories, got smart people.

Next up, big reality show people love. You've heard of selling Sunset. This is selling the O.C. From the same team, let's take a look. Let's remember this is a small town. Reputations matter. I think you guys are too friendly. It looks sloppy.

Remind me never to piss you off. We have a new agent. She'll ruffle a few feathers. She's pretty charismatic, but overrated. You think everything's so easy. Jarvis 2.0. Taking over O.C. So, Darren, I'm just going to ask you one question, and then I'll sort of take over this one.

Where is it? Where can we find this? Netflix. So you, just in case of yours don't know, you have a, I don't know, an expertise in reality shows. You work a lot with the Real Housewives, other big franchises over at Bravo. So how do you rate this one? How is selling the O.C? How does it compare?

Me personally, of all the reality, I want to watch, I do rate this a little bit low. I don't know. Whoa. I don't know what it's good. I don't. Shots fired. Okay. And my girlfriend's in Orange County, so I'm going to hear it later. I don't know if it's because I'm getting real housewives of Orange County. So maybe I'm just jealous of the real estate. But I loved selling sunset. I thought it was good. The problem is when these Sunday things go, it does feel like they're more filming scenes as opposed to actual real life deals that are happening. And I don't love that. But listen, it's hot people with hot gossip and hot property. It's a great vacation. It's kind of a great vacation to watch.

I just want to chill and have it in the background. And they're all real estate professionals, right? yeah yeah okay um finally let's take it to the mothership peacock we love you peacock uh fast and furious which number 10 x okay yeah yeah 10 okay yeah 10 all right so here's a clip from that franchise as i look out at this wonderful family i am filled with so much pride the great domteretto if you never would have gotten behind that wheel I'd never be the man I am today. And now I am the man that's going to break your family. Peace by peace.

What's up? Uncle Jacob? Your dad sent me. Okay, always an all-star cast in The Fast and Furious. If you love cars and big names, they always have it. Jason Mamoa. Jason Mamoa, John Cena, as we can see. Obviously, Vin Diesel, who's really the face of the franchise.

This is actually going into its third. decade as being a franchise, which is... 30 years? Well, no, it's going in from... It started in like the 2000s, then they had the 2010s, and the 2020, so it's really kind of the span of my life. It's kind of incredible that they keep up the storylines now. This is the 10th movie, but you can stream it right now

on Peacock. If you like these movies, you're going to like this one. I mean, it's fast cars, it's fast people, it's a fast vibe. I like it. Vin Diesel plays Dom, who's kind of outrun and outdriven, all of his opponents. But this time, there's sort of this bloodthirsty revenge that's kind of coming for him. We've got to see

threatens to take his family and his whole life away. So it's a new adventure. And they've been able to keep providing awesome films for their fans. And that franchise, it just doesn't go away. It's amazing. Smashes. We're going to turn to music, and we've got a steamy one. It's called Greedy from Tate McCray.

Watch this video. Hey, look, look into me like all some sweet to speak. Obvious that you want me, but I said, I would want myself. And please believe me. After you to hell. A lot going on it, yeah, yeah, so sure of your selves. Maybe don't get crazy. That she won't is well.

Oh, and well. A lot going on at that ice spring. You got the Zamboni. You got the ice skate rentals and hot. A lot of Tate and Gray. What's going on with this song? So she's normally known for her hate heartbreak songs, of course. This is kind of sassy.

It kind of flips it's on its head. It actually takes place. It's actually a real-life interaction she had at a bar. And it's a lesson. for men not to be greedy when they want to ask something for her or get to know her. She has her walls up for her obvious reasons. And men just kind of are always like, hey, you got...

What's the hockey connection? I've never actually seen an artist do the sort of sexy in a hockey uniform thing? Yeah, I don't know, but I'm into it because hockey is one of my favorite sports, so I'm into this. I think maybe it's steamy on ice. Oh, there you go. That makes sense. Greedy. Okay. Finally, a new co-lab

between Jay Balvin, Usher, and DJ Callad. Let's play this one. Get them in position and give him a beat back But my honest is the honest truth To never, never be fair Let's go Yeah, which is little John and usher from back in a day. Ensigname those dintes

All right, that song is called bientez And as you heard there, it has the beat from Yeah Which is a little John and Usher from back in the day. Which is a little throwback I like it, a little dance-dance-revel I mean, this is hitting my childhood. I don't love the song, but I will say it's one of those songs that's just going to get stuck in your head. Whatever toothpaste or denture wear, you know, product gets this song into it. They're making Mucho De Niro.

That's all I can say. Is yeah, that old where you can remix it? I feel like, yeah, is not that old. Talk to anyone in Gen Z, man. It's old. We're old. Yeah, I just remember that when that came out. Anyways, Darren Carp.

Always so fun to have you. Great to see you. Congrats on all your success. And we thank you for watching Top Story. Congrats on having the highest IQ. We'll definitely fact check that. I'm Tom Yamous in New York. Stay right there.

More news on the way.