Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, September 29, 2023

Episode Date: September 30, 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, breaking news, the life-threatening flood emergency in New York City. Record-breaking rainfall, grinding the city to a halt. Water gushing into subway stations, flooding city buses, and shutting down an airport terminal. Cars swallowed up by the rising waters, and the system, not done yet, expected to drop 10 inches by tonight. Bill Karen standing by with the forecast. Tupac's killer caught? The stunning arrest in Las Vegas, 27 years after the rapid. was fatally shot. What we're learning tonight about the man now behind bars and how authorities

apparently cracked this case after decades. Time running out. The federal government just hours away from shutting down if a budget deal cannot be reached. Paychecks for millions of employees hanging in the balance. Plus, what a shutdown will mean for anyone getting government assistance trying to take out student loans or even visiting a national park. Remembering a trailblazer, Senator Dian Feinstein dying at the age of 90. Tonight, we'll take a look back at her remarkable career, how she went from Mayor of San Francisco to the longest-serving female senator in American history.

Plus, an insider look tonight at the underground schools of Ukraine, the teachers doing all they can to shield their students from the war going on above their heads. And the warning tonight about the popular drink sweetener, Stevia, what a new study found about a possible link to heart attacks and strokes will tell you what you need to know. Top story. It starts right now.

And good evening. Tonight, a state of emergency declared here in New York City and in New Jersey. Tarrantial downpours triggering some of the worst flooding we've seen in decades. And that rain is not letting up just yet. Take a look at this. This is a construction site in Brooklyn. The flood waters rushing in so fast, this worker, getting stuck. You see them right there in.

shoulder deep water. And we have seen similar shocking scenes all throughout the city. I want to walk you through some of those images as this flood impacted virtually all modes of transportation. We start at the airport, right? For those traveling by air, this was a situation at LaGuardia this morning. Passengers walking through ankle deep water seems like we've never seen before, or at least not in a long time. This happened near the check encounters. The airport shutting down Terminal A entirely. We're going to have an update from there in just a few moments. and underground water bursting through the walls at subway stops. Look at this, a waterfall raining down from the grates above.

And the roads know better, water rushing into the city. And this bus here, you can see what happened. Passengers were forced to climb up onto their seats. What a crazy scene. And gushing floodwaters grinding traffic to a halt on one of Manhattan's busiest highways and dangerous scenes for people who need to walk anywhere today. Pedestrians stuck in waste-deep water as this Brooklyn intersection turned into a whirlpool. We've got our team spread out across the city covering this historic downpour.

Bill Karen standing by to tell us when this all will end. But first, I want to get to my friend NBC Stephanie Gosk, who is in waterlogged Brooklyn tonight. So, Stephanie, walk us through what you're seeing. And is it still raining there? Yeah, it is still raining, Tom. And you know, that transportation nightmare that you just very well described throughout the day, that has not ended. And these people trying to get home are really struggling. The reality is that it rained so hard.

and so fast, the water had nowhere to go. It was two to three months of rain in a single day. And here in Brooklyn, there were places where it rained almost three inches in a single hour. And although it has let up a little bit, the damage is done. When the rain started coming down, it didn't stop overnight and into rush hour. New York City grinding nearly to a halt. This is time for heightened alertness and extreme caution. States of emergency declared in New York and New Jersey, with major roadways flooded.

Oh, my God. Drivers installed cars had to be rescued in the city and its suburbs, along with several people living in basement apartments. The heaviest rain hitting neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens. Transportation has been a nightmare. One city bus braving a flooded street while passengers had no choice but get soaked. The rain impacting every subway line. Some shut down altogether.

In train stations, water poured through great. flowed downstairs and even gushed straight out of the walls the trains weren't running because of flooding commuter trains in and out of the city shut down hundreds of flights canceled at JFK it was the wet as day ever recorded while LaGuardia an entire terminal had to be closed when rainwater poured into departures it was all bad honestly like you had water coming in all through the bathrooms all through the entrance there some areas could see 10 inches before it's all over, high-intensity rainfall like this, an effect of climate change. The condition so bad it reminded

many New Yorkers of the remnants of Hurricane Ida that swept in and killed 13 people two years ago. Many of the deaths then happening in basement apartments where flash floods caught families by surprise. The governor telling people today not to take any chances. Leave your home if you're starting to see water accumulate. Don't wait until it's up to your knees or higher. Tonight, another rush hour And still, the rain has not stopped. And Stephanie joins us live again from Prospect Park in Brooklyn. So Stephanie, that state of emergency declared this morning, but only after many had already headed off to work and school.

And the mayor getting a lot of criticism for not talking to New Yorkers earlier in the day and even last night. So why weren't residents warrant? Yeah, you know, the thing is, I think people's frustration today was that it took so long to get that announcement out there, especially after kids got on buses. The worst of the rain happened during the commute between 8 and 9. There were some mornings given last night.

There were some watches and effect, flood watches. People were given warnings about the commute in the morning. But no one really understood exactly the effect it was going to have and how much rain that they were going to get. There really wasn't much they could do with that much rain in such a short period of time. All those trains being shut down and commuter rails being shut down. Flights canceled. That was going to happen either way, Tom.

And then, Stephanie, as well, residents, what are they being advised to do tonight as we head into another night of more rain? Well, they're being advised to stay indoors. I mean, some are already out at work and are trying to get home, and that rain is going to continue to fall, and we're still going to be dealing with rising waters. And we now know the drill here in New York City now, Tom, because we've been seeing more and more of these intense rainstorms. We know the locations that are going to flood. I happen to be standing in one of them. People just should stay home. Don't go out. All right, Stephanie Goss, leading us off tonight from Brooklyn. For more on all this dangerous flooding that is crippled parts of New York City tonight.

WNBC reporter Andrew Swift joins us now from LaGuardia. Andrew, I was watching you all morning. Those images coming out of Terminal A were pretty hard to believe. Walk our viewers through exactly what happened there. Well, Terminal A is an unusual part of LaGuardia, which most of our viewers will know under. went this huge renovation, but that was terminals B and C. Terminal A is a landmark. It's old fashion, and it sits in the floodplain. So when it rains like this, water gets in. But it

hasn't rained like this before. Six to eight inches of water inundated that terminal so fast that the officials from the Port Authority were ordering the terminal closed before they had a chance to notify the airlines. And as a result, that was before the airlines could tell the passengers. It got pretty chaotic pretty quickly here, Tom. Yeah, that's right, Andrew. I know you were reporting this earlier, but people were getting sort of emails that just that their flight was delayed,

and they had no idea that the terminal had turned into a swimming pool. That's exactly right. And so you have Spirit Airlines and Frontier. They're the two carriers at this terminal, and really things were happening so fast, their computer systems hadn't been updated. If flight attendants or flight crews were checking in to see the status of a flight,

it would still say that it was on. So they were telling people, oh, just go to the airport and ask for someone at Terminal A to tell you when it's taking off, not realizing there was no Terminal A to go into. So it was one of those situations where the developments were so quick that the airlines really didn't have the information to relate it to the passengers. You're always told, check with your airline before you arrive. But in this case, that wasn't enough. Yeah, and the mayor getting a lot of flack we know for not warning people in New York City with enough time. I do want to ask you, what's happening with the terminal there?

Is it going to reopen and when do we know flights will be landing and taking off again? Great question. They did spend hours and hours with squeegees, power vaks, and brooms. They got all the water out of the terminal now. They're hoping for a partial reopening just before 11 p.m. for one arriving flight, full reopening, 4 a.m. on Saturday, a long wet day here at Terminal A. Tom. All right, one of the best reporters in New York City.

Bruce Siff from our mother station, WNBC. We thank you for that. Flood Watch is still in effect for 23 million people as we head in tonight. So let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karen's. Bill, still kind of wet out there, but you were telling me earlier, the worst may be over? Yeah, we're getting towards the tail end of our flash flooding. We've had 13 hours straight tracking flash flood warning. It started in New York City and Brooklyn, and now we're out here on Long Island. But there could be some redevelopment tonight. So they've left up these flash flood watch us through the overnight hours, but we're not going to see anything like the pictures we've been showing you. And some of the rainfall total is pretty incredible. I mean, you average

about three and a half inches typically in the September throughout this region. JFK today, eight and a half inches, Central Park up to almost six inches. So let's start at JFK, 8.65 inches. They've been keeping records there since 1949. This is roughly 27,000 days. And this was the most rain ever that they've seen in 24 and one 24 hour period. And this September. rainfall, you know, typically is about three and a half inches. Central Park, a little less than that, but still pretty incredible. The ninth rainiest day ever in New York, Central Park records, those go all the way back to 1869. So the ninth rainiest day at 154 years. So the heavy rain has left New York City. It's out here on Long Island. If we have any areas of

concern where flash flooding is still developing or happening, it's going to be with this band here from Islip out here, right on the border of Nassau and Suffolk counties. Even in Connecticut, things are beginning to improve the rivers in New Jersey of Creston are coming down, same with most of the rivers in areas of Connecticut. This is the additional rainfall, maybe another inch out here in Long Island. But you notice New York City, JFK, we're only going to add about a quarter inch to maybe a tenth of an inch or so as we go throughout tonight and early tomorrow morning. So it's not going to be a pretty night. Visibility is still low. The roads are still wet. They're still ponding on the roads. And as we go through tomorrow morning, one last slap of rain, then it all clears out

as we go through Saturday afternoon, Tom. You know, this is the third time. This is the third time. in the last three years that New York City has seen an event similar to this. Before that, it had been decades before we said anything like this. Climate change showing its face. Bill, Karen,'s for us, Bill. We appreciate you walking us through all that. We want to turn to some breaking news we've been following tonight out of Las Vegas. An arrest in the killing of hip-hop legend, Tupac Shakur.

It marks the first time authorities have made an arrest in the infamous killing that took place nearly 30 years ago. NBC National correspondent Miguel Almaguer has the breaking details. years after the violent and public murder of famed rapper Tupac Shakur, tonight Las Vegas authorities have finally announced charges in the case. Arrested today, self-described gang member Dwayne Davis has now been indicted by a grand jury for murder. This is the indictment we've been waiting almost three decades four. While police do not believe Davis was the trigger man in the 1996 drive-by shooting, he is long admitted he was inside the gunman's car, when shots were fired on the Vegas Strip.

The Wayne Davis was the shot caller for this group of individuals that committed this crime. Today's arrest comes just weeks after investigators raided Davis's Henderson home, seizing a trove of electronics, photographs, and a copy of his memoir. Compton Street Legends, in which he wrote and spoke about the shooting. Who shot? Two bucks. I'm going to keep for the cold of the streets. It just came from the backseat for him. This case was reinvigorated as additional information came to light, specifically Dwayne Davis' own admissions.

With Davis in custody, authorities say the other men in the car that night are all dead. A hip-hop icon whose music is legendary, Tupac was murdered at just 25. Tonight, with an arrest in the case, Shakur remains revered and relevant in life and dead. death. Miguel Almegare, NBC News. Okay, next we want to head to Capitol Hill, where the clock is counting down towards a government shutdown. A last-ditch effort by House Speaker McCarthy failing today as families across the country braced for the loss of income and government resources. NBC's Garrett Haik has the latest on negotiations. Tonight, the federal government on the brink of shutdown. The bill is not passed. 21 House Republicans joining with Democrats to defeat Speaker McCarthy's

latest stopgap plan to keep the government open while slashing spending. Look up the word dysfunction in the dictionary and you'll see the United States Congress drawn to 143rd scale. A handful of hardline conservatives demanding even more spending cuts. The American people get screwed with more debt and more spending that they do not want. Sparking Republican anger with just one day left to pass a spending bill and avoid a midnight shutdown Saturday. They killed the most conservative position we could take and then called themselves the real conservatives. which is like, make that make sense. You can't make it make sense.

The Speaker, looking to shift blame if three and a half million federal workers are forced to forego paychecks, though most will receive back pay when a shutdown ends. Mr. Speaker, what do you say to federal workers who are worried about their paychecks, that this is a political gamble, they're worried about their paychecks. So I'm saying the Republicans in here are trying to keep the government open. It sounds like you think the Democrats are going to shut it down. I don't think government should shut down. As President Biden warned of the impact on 2 million military families, who will

serve without pay. We can't be playing politics while our troops stand in the breach. It's an absolute dereliction of duty. Families like Jessica Manfred's, her husband serves in the Coast Guard, her message for lawmakers. If you believe in this country, if you believe in the people that are willing to lay their lives down to defend it, then show us work together. All right, with that, Garrett Hake joins us tonight from Capitol Hill. Garrett, is there any chance that this shutdown could be averted at the 11th hour? Tom, it's getting less and less likely by the moment. The House went from this morning having a plan they knew wouldn't work to this evening

having no plan at all. And the Senate has gone home for the evening. They're not back until tomorrow afternoon. So right now, both parties are trying to come to grips with the eventual solution here, which is that they're probably going to have to come to some kind of bipartisan solution. But whether that's done after the pain of a shutdown is felt or before remains the only real question right now. All right, Garrett Hake, and while those nearly four million federal employees Garrett was talking about braced for a potential shutdown, a closed government could have major

impacts on the private sector as well, everything from critical food assistance programs to travel and even some leisure activities could be affected. Bersilla Thompson explains. If the government shuts down, even those not on Uncle Sam's payroll will likely feel the pain. For people who rely on the federal government for food assistance, The White House says food stamps can stay funded through at least October. But another program that helps feed nearly 7 million women and children could run dry in just days. If these people lose this little bit of what they get already, not only is it going to cause so many people to go hungry, but it's also going to affect so many pantries like myself.

I think it's kind of hard for a lot of people to realize just how serious it is. The White House also says 10,000 children would immediately lose access to year-round, care provided by the Head Start program. And although student loan payments would still be due, an Education Department planning memo said new loans may be disrupted. At the nation's airports, TSA agents and air traffic controllers would still be expected to work without pay while lawmakers still get their checks. That's 100% wrong.

If they're not going to pay the necessary employees to do work, they shouldn't get paid either. During the last shutdown in 2019, many of those airmen air traffic controllers stopped showing up, grounding planes at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The consequences would be disruptive and dangerous. 423 national parks across the country could be shuttered, meaning services including trash collection, bathroom cleanup and campground operations would all be halted. Federal museums could also close. The Smithsonian saying for now, it will remain open along with the National Zoo until at least

October 7th using prior year funds. And a sobering shutdown fact, the Treasury Department agency that signs off on new alcohol labels and exports would also be closed, which could leave millions of liters of wine, beer, and spirits stranded at ports. And Tom, as it relates to the national parks, you may remember during the shutdown in 2019, people continued coming to the parks. They were overwhelmed. We even saw vandalism in some places, including in California, where Joshua trees were destroyed. And so the U.S. Department of Interior is urging people not to come to the national parks and national preserves if this shutdown happens. And that is in order to preserve and to protect these beautiful places. Tom. Okay, Priscilla Thompson, with that new reporting there on the parks, we want to turn to our other major headline from Capitol Hill as well.

The country's longest serving female senator, Diane Feinstein, has died at 90 years old. The senior senator from California was first elected in 1992 and vowed to serve out the resident. of her term despite a prolonged illness earlier this year. NBC's Andrea Mitchell now with a look back at her incredible life and legacy. Tonight tributes from both sides of the aisle for Diane Feinstein, her desk draped in black, a vase of white roses for a senator known for sending flowers to colleagues. Today there are 25 women serving in this chamber and every one of them would admit they stand on Diane's shoulders.

Her beloved home state of California and our entire national. or better for her dogged advocacy and diligent service. The country's going to miss her dearly, and so will Jill and I. And women senators for whom she painted watercolors. Every time I would pass by, I would look at it and think about how talented Diane was in so many different areas. Feinstein's political career began in tragedy. November 1978, San Francisco mayor,

George Moscone and Board of Supervisors member Harvey Milk were assassinated in City Hall. Both Mayor Mosconi and Supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed. Cement her lifelong commitment to gun safety. Elected San Francisco's mayor, she was on Democratic nominee Walter Mondale's shortlist for running mate before he chose Geraldine Ferraro. I've had an opportunity now to be the first woman and the first mayor to be the first mayor to be asked to go through an interview process. And I view that as a major opening of the door.

It was the public outcry over the all-male Judiciary Committee's grilling of Anita Hill at the Clarence Thomas hearings that got Feinstein to the Senate, where Judiciary Chairman Joe Biden made her the committee's first woman. She immediately led the charge to pass an assault weapons ban. As the first woman to chair the Intelligence Committee, she took on the CIA's waterboarding of prisoners, leading to the outlawing of the Bush administration's harsh interrogations. In later years, she showed signs of age and poor health, noticeably frail when returning to the Senate after an absence, but rallying, voting yesterday before a visit with former Congresswoman Jane Harmon. I went there because I miss her, and she's been voting, as she always did.

Always opening doors for women. Diane left us the way she lived on her own terms. She knew what she wanted to get accomplished. She respected diversity of opinion. and she was as bipartisan as they come. Diane Feinstein did it her way, always bipartisan, even if frustrating some Democrats, but true to herself, Tom. Andrea Mitchell, with that look back, Andrea, thank you.

Senator Feinstein's colleagues and constituents alike, remembering her storied career. So what will her legacy be on Capitol Hill and what's next for California's residents? I want to bring in NBC's Ali Battali, who joins us from Capitol Hill. Allie, I want to talk to you about her legacy in a moment, but first walk our viewers through what's next. next with that Senate seat now in California?

Well, look, as is often the case in these situations, Tom, immediately the thought turns to politics, specifically what's going to happen to the senior senator's seat in a California Senate race that is already very crowded with people waiting to succeed her, because, of course, we knew that this was going to be Feinstein's last term regardless. In the interim period now, it's all on California Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint a successor who will serve out the rest of this term. the end of 2024. It's likely that that's not going to be one of the people who's currently running for this Senate seat, but it's unclear when and who that is going to be, a source close

to the governor saying to us tonight that that decision will come in a few days, Tom. All right, we're going to have to wait and see who he appoints. Our NBC News team spoke with some voters in California today to get their reactions on this past. Let's listen to them, and then I want to talk to you about what they said after. What a woman. What a woman. I was so sad. To hear it, I mean, time she was getting on obviously in years and had difficulty making votes and doing what she really needed to do. But at the same time, my God, her legacy is just incredible. I think it's sad that, you know, someone died. I think it's sad that, you know, she died in office. I think it's a good reminder that we really need to be having term limits that someone at their, I think she

was 90, right? Someone at 90 has the ability to die in office. And I also think that some someone at that age shouldn't be making our decisions, and she also should just be enjoying her life. Ellie, I know people are still warning her and remembering her, but I'm wondering if people are having that conversation on Capitol Hill today, just because there was sort of that debate starting. We've talked about this a lot on our show. There are a lot of members of Congress, people in politics who are sort of getting up

there in age and still they want to stay in office, and the question becomes, you know, should they? It's impossible not to have this conversation at this point, Tom, in part because she did die while still serving in office, but also because this is a conversation that's being had around the halls of Congress, not just in the Senate where it's a conversation about Senator Feinstein and also Senator Mitch McConnell, who has suffered recent health scares in public view in recent months, but it's also a conversation that's being had around President Joe Biden, concerns that voters have about his age. So it's not entirely surprising that as these voters, even just

the few of them that we showed there, as they remember their senator, their former senator, that they would talk about her trailblazing legacy, which, of course, Andrea knows so well, but also that they would talk about the final months of her time here spent in Washington, where it wasn't clear that she was always up to the task of doing the job of a senator. You'll remember earlier this year, she was homesick in California recovering from shingles for several months that left Democrats in the lurch on some key votes. There was always politics attached to the discussions around Feinstein's legacy. and her health. Of course, now all of those things are discussed together as we remember

her. You know, Allie, one of the great things about NBC news is that we have such a range of reporters that have so much experience. And Andrea was able to cover Diane Feinstein sort of at the beginning of her congressional career. You've been able to cover towards the end of the career. You've written a lot about women in power, especially women in politics. What will her legacy do you believe there in the halls of Capitol Hill and across this country? You know, the first thing that I thought of is something that Andrea mentioned in her which is the fact that Feinstein was one of the first women to go through a presidential vetting process. Of course, in 1984, she didn't get the nomination alongside Walter Mondale.

The first woman to get that nod ended up being Geraldine Ferraro. But just the fact that the only two women that Mondale could have viably considered was a few-term congresswoman in Ferraro and a mayor in Feinstein said everything that it needed to say about the landscape of where women were serving or rather not serving in power. public life. Now, the fact that as Feinstein is out of office and departs, she's at a point where she's leaving behind more than two dozen female senators in this building. When she came into this building as a senator in the 1992 so-called year of the woman, that was a big year because there were just a handful of women elected in that cycle. Now we're watching this,

each Congress, although it's not as fast as many of us would like, each Congress were watching this movement on both sides, but especially the Democratic side, closer and closer to gender parity. The idea that the pipeline is now so full of viable, smart women who can run for higher office is truly a testament to women like Feinstein blazing that trail. It's a great point. Allie Vitale live for us tonight on Capitol Hill, Ali, great to have you. Still ahead tonight, Gypsy Rose Blanchard about to walk free. The woman whose life story inspired multiple true crime series after she killed her mother has been granted parole when she's getting out of jail. Plus, the Seattle police officer seen and being heard being flippant about a woman

who had been killed now reassigned what we're hearing from his former department. And an update tonight on the blindside legal battle, the harsh rebuke from the judge to the family who claimed to have adopted NFL player, Michael Ower. Stay with us. Top story just getting started on this Friday night. All right, we're back now with the latest on the blindside legal battle. A judge ending the conservatorship today between former NFL player Michael Orr and the Tewy family, even saying that she was disturbed that the decades-long agreement was granted in the first place. The case still unfolding as other claims the Tewis have been profiting off his name for years. Erin McLaughlin has the latest.

Do you have any place to say tonight? Tonight, another off-screen twist in the blindside story. A judge giving a harsh rebuke before ending the decades-long conservatorship between former NFL player Michael Orr and the Tewy family. I would like to become a legal guardian. The Tennessee judge saying she was disturbed that this kind of agreement was ever reached, saying in her 43-year career she had never seen a conservatorship like this one was someone who was not disabled, adding, I cannot believe it got done.

A conservatee is normally somebody who killed. can't take care of their own financial and other affairs by themselves. So they need a conservator to handle those things for them. The headline-grabbing case will continue. O'R requested the Tewy family provided accounting of the money they may have gotten from the agreement. We thank you for bringing us a new friend. The Memphis family took Oar in when he was in high school, becoming his guardians as he became a football star. You take a child like that and you bring him in and you love him and you clothe him.

and you clothe him and you feed him. It's just amazing the transformation that takes place. Their story then lighting up the big screen in the Oscar-winning film The Blindside, starring Sandra Bullock. Those are my kids. There's a big kid. In August Orr filed a bombshell petition saying the couple misled him into thinking they were adopting him

and instead placed him in a conservatorship. Describing his sign of the story in his 2011 book, I Beat the Odds. They explained to me that it means pretty much the exact same thing as adoptive parents, but that the laws were just written in a way that took my age into account. Honestly, I didn't care what it was called. I was just happy that no one could argue that we weren't legally what we already knew was real. We were a family. The petition going on to say that Orr never received any payment from the blindside, which grossed over $300 million.

If the judge sees that the Tewis took advantage of the conservatorship and of Ower, then she could disgorge those benefits, claw them back and give them to owe her. The Tewy family denying these allegations, calling the move a shakedown. These people are truly devastated. I mean, this was their son. This was somebody they treated as a son who has made public these allegations that are just ludicrous. Or are now legally separated from the Tewis, but their legal battle over millions still remains. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News.

When we come back, the warning about a popular zero-calorie drink sweetener, a new study linking stevia to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. What you need to know, that's next. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed and an update on a crime story that gripped the nation and inspired multiple TV shows and movies. The Missouri Department of Corrections confirming to NBC News that Gypsy Rosebts, Blanchard is set to be released on parole in December. In 2016, Blanchard pled guilty to murdering her abusive mother who fabricated all of her daughter's health issues and forced her into a wheelchair. Blanchard will have served 85% of a 10-year prison sentence. New details tonight on that Seattle police officer caught on camera joking about the death of a graduate student. As we reported earlier

this month, Dashcam captured the officer saying a 23-year-old woman killed by another officer squad car had, quote, limited value. Seattle police confirming today he was, quote, reassigned and taken off patrol. The crash is still under review by the department. And a scary scene playing out in a restaurant in Pennsylvania, security video showing a car

driving through the wall of the restaurant. You see it right there, plowing by patrons and not stopping until it hit the back wall. Officials say the 88-year-old driver reportedly tried to hit the brake pedal, but instead hit the gas. The driver and another person suffered minor

injuries. Okay, and now a new warning for those who use the zero-calorie sweetener stevia. A new study published in the Nature Medical Journal, finding that a sugar replacement used in the product is linked to blood clotting, stroke, heart attacks, even death. Researchers say people with existing conditions, including diabetes, were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke if they had high levels of the sugar substitute. Okay, now to that massive fentanyl bust right here in New York City, more than 40 pounds of the drug seized. Investigators say the suspect in this case transported pounds of drugs in a suitcase right onto the New York City subway system, endangering thousands.

NBC's Rahima Ellis has the details. This is what DEA investigators say the fentanyl epidemic looks like in a New York City apartment. Bricks on top of a dresser, 40 pounds in all, a street value estimated at $1.5 million, all seized by federal, state, and local law enforcement. A glass table set up for packaging, complete with scales, bright light, and a powdery residue,

a video surveillance system to keep watch, and stamps and labels to put on the packaging. While these suspected drugs never made it to the street, police say a majority of it was transferred on the subway. Narcotics prosecutors allege, defended Herrera Vargas, rolled this suitcase on the subway filled with 30 pounds of fentanyl, endangering thousands of subway riders.

Barkas has pleaded not guilty. This case just the latest in the growing nationwide fentanyl epidemic. Just six blocks from the daycare where a child died from fentanyl exposure in a separate case earlier this month. We know that fentanyl is a nearly invisible poison and that many people who take it have no idea that they are taking it.

The CDC estimates, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, are responsible for over 60,000 drug overdose deaths in 2022. Attorney General Merrick Garland addressing families of those who lost loved ones to the drug earlier this week. We will never give up our efforts to pursue justice for them and for you, and we will never relent in our efforts to hold accountable those who are responsible for their deaths. Garland also announcing an additional $345 million in Justice Department funding to combat this epidemic. For places like Quincy, Massachusetts, that help can't come soon enough. We've seen an uptick in fatal overdoses, and we believe that fentanyl and xylazine contribute to that.

Quincy police say the city sought 19 overdose deaths last year and already reached 19 deaths in 2023 as of last week. is getting worse because there's so many pills out there. An epidemic raging further out of control. Every brick evidence of the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history. Rahima Ellis, NBC News. Next to a special look at the murder that rocked a Dallas community. Jamie Faith gunned down one morning in 2020 while walking with his wife and dog outside their home. The details that emerged revealing a web of lies between the couple.

Here's a look ahead to tonight's season premiere of date line. with correspondent Josh Mankowitz, who spoke to the convicted killer. You really never stopped thinking about her, did you? No, I did it. This is one of the craziest stories that's going down to history. I woke up that morning and I smashed the topic. It was reporting that there had been a shooting. Everybody was on high alert that there was a killer in our neighborhood.

I always shoot Jamie down in front of his home, in front of his wife. Everyone had that same sense that I had, which is, you know, this could have been me. What kind of marriage do you have? It's perfect. Other couples were jealous of their relationship because they were so close. What you find after that, I'm pretty sure you've never seen before. No. The case takes a dramatic twist, for sure. Here she is living a double life. But it was really a triple or quadruple life, wasn't that?

It was. What kind of person? and does that. I don't know. A crazy person, obviously. But it's so much more than that. He said I reconnected with an old girlfriend. You think she was ever in love with you? I don't know. This murder doesn't happen without both of them. I think the story is the cautionary tale that maybe some people are better left in your past. You can see the full story tonight during the two-hour season premiere of Dateline that airs at 9 p.m. Eastern on NBC. Okay, coming up, students in Ukraine forced to learn any way they can,

and during war, that means going underground. Our Richard Engel takes us into Ukraine's newest classrooms and the effort to keep kids in school. Stay with us. Back down with the latest on the war in Ukraine, constant Russian bombing in Harkiv has forced students there to head underground into the subways where it's safest to teach and learn. foreign correspondent Richard Engle has details. For children in Ukraine, back to school means heading back into the subways as air raid sirens wailed. Russian forces still bomb Harkiv almost every day, so teaching classes in the subways is safer. But there's also a practical reason.

Nearly half of the city's regular schools have been destroyed. The subway station is open. But in the lit rooms above the tracks, there's an elementary school. The kids seem to be doing great, but that's what worries the teachers, who don't want war to seem normal. How do you think the war has changed these children? Do you think it's changing how they think? Yes, it impacts everything. There will be after effects for many, many years, says Anna Nijlova.

Give me ten. All right? Too slow. What's it like when you hear the air raid? sirens go off. Here, I don't hear the sirens at all. At home, they scare me so much, she says. What do your parents tell you about the war?

I know they want our territory because we are quite a rich country and they want to take it away, says Sophia, who's six years old. At school in the subway, lunch is a highlight. Teachers here are working to make sure this generation of war gets at least a taste of childhood. of childhood. Many parents will understand how kids complain about going to school, not here. The children we saw were running to go to school. It is the best part of their day by far, even in the subway. Going to school underground in a subway station. Okay, Richard Engel for us inside Ukraine once again. Okay, let's get a check of what else is happening around the world.

It's time for Top Story's Global Watch. We begin with a deadly bombing in Pakistan, a suspected suicide bomber, targeting a crowd of hundreds who were celebrating the birth date of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the blast killing at least 52 people while injuring almost 70 more, a separate mosque bombing in another part of the country, also leaving at least five dead. No one has yet claimed responsibility for that attack. The Swedish government is calling in the country's military to help combat escalating gang violence. An unprecedented crime wave has seen the death of 12 people in September alone, including a bombing that killed an innocent bystandard on Thursday. The nation's prime minister issuing a rare televised address saying the police and armed forces

will, quote, hunt gangs and defeat them. And tens of thousands taking to the streets across Latin America in support of legal abortion. Women dressed in green calling for safe abortion access in countries like Peru and Ecuador. In Argentina, marchers protesting a far-right presidential candidate who they say could roll back abortion legislation there. and in Mexico, abortion advocates celebrating the Supreme Court decriminalizing the procedure earlier this month. Okay, when we come back, a look at what you can binge and watch and listen to this weekend. A new short film by Wes Anderson we want to tell you about, plus the docu series on people who claim they've had alien encounters and new music by InSync for the first time in almost 20 years. We'll tell you why.

All right. It is Friday, which means it is time for bingeworthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And you're in for a treat tonight. We have two very special guests. They're going to be helping us out with bingeworthy. They are, drum roll please. Aaron Cutch and Matt Marshall, two of our producers here at Top Story who also work on bingeworthy. They also work on documentaries, right? You guys are working on a documentary called How I Got My Dream Job. And all started today. We look forward to both them. They're going to be on Netflix? Of course. Okay. First to peacock. Of course, that has to be peacock. Matt, we're going to start with you first up.

There's a new show on Netflix. It's sort of a short film. It's by Wes Anderson, who if you love Rushmore and the Royal Tennebombs. Yeah, amazing. We have a short clip. Let's look at that one. Gentlemen, I'm a man who can see without using his eyes. He saw it, I cried.

He saw that trolley. This is absolutely unbelievable. I was flabbergasted. Flabigastin. This is a terrific piece of information. This could change my life. An extraordinary thing happened. All at once, he sees through his own skin.

Like an x-ray, only better he sees everything. Henry is now almost certainly capable of making money faster than any other person in the entire world. All right, definitely screams Wes Anderson. Tell us what this is about. Yes, this is definitely Wes Anderson. If you're a fan of him, you love this. This is one of four featureettes that Wes Anderson and Netflix are doing

based on Raul Dahl's stories. So this first one, Benedict Cumberbatch, he stars as a rich man. He wants to make more money gambling, and he follows Ben Kingsley, takes on his challenge of being able to see without his eyes. So as you saw in the clip there, it's very eccentric, very zany, very West Anderson. Is it funny? Is it dramatic? What is it supposed to be?

It's a little funny. It's a little over the top, but kind of a serious tone. He is trying to be a gambler, so, you know, PG-13. And there's multiple films in this series, or just one release? Yes, this is one of four featureettes. They're all based on Raoul Doll's stories, and the doll family actually trusted West Anderson after fantastic. An incredible director, one of my favorites. Can you watch all four?

Is it just one release? Just one right now? Netflix, right? Okay, great. Aaron, you are next up, and this is one that's close to your heart, right? It's people who have had encounters with UFOs? Yes, myself and Gotti Schwartz. So tell us about this one.

What channel or what streaming platform is it on? So it's also on Netflix. It's going to be a four-part document. series, and we have a little clip of it. Can we take a look first? Yeah, go, go. We can take a look at the clip. Take over the steering.

We've been told by authorities and scientists that this is ridiculous. There were over 60 kids. That saw what I saw. It had big eyes. I don't know. I think whatever people saw was intelligently controlled. This actually looks. really, really good.

Yeah, so it basically closes in on different situations where people over a decade ago really, like, expressed that they thought they saw UFOs, they went to the government, they did Senate hearings, and they were called crazy. And now all these years later, slowly as different things are coming out about, maybe we've seen things, maybe there's intelligence, maybe there's things in other places, these people are now getting kind of a voice in this dokey series to retell their stories. Credibility. Can you watch all of them, or is it just one episode of that? Yeah, so it's a four-part docu-series.

You can check out now. Okay, great. Aaron, I know you're next up with another one. The Golden Bachelor. Yes. What is this on? So the first of its kind, it's now streaming on Hulu after it comes out on ABC, and it is a twist on The Bachelor giving older people a chance to find life. And we have a clip of this?

All right, let's look at it. We both have hope, like where there wasn't any. You don't stop believing. Oh, look at it. I'm in this journey. to find my next true love. I'm not falling. I am in love with you. And now there is someone falling in love with me

as much as I'm falling in love with them. Don't stop believing. Wow. Well, that's a golden bachelor. He still got it, apparently. Good looking guy, and there's clearly a lot of, I don't know, kissing, right? Right. It's The Bachelor. And is it, I mean, entertaining? Is this Twist One?

So it's 72-year-old Jerry Turner. His wife passed away in 2017, and his two daughters and two granddaughters decided that they wanted to help him find love again later in his life. So now he starts out with 22 contestants, and his journey to love has begun. Looks like he's having no problem getting right into it. All right, Aaron, we thank you for that. And I know you have the last TV clip that we're going to watch, or it's a movie, it's bottoms? Yes, it's a movie. You can buy it or rent it right now on anywhere you stream.

It's really an awesome, awesome movie, very absurdist. Let's take a look. Okay. What's your plan here? Jeff is psychotic, and they're picking on the weak and defenseless. So we teach a bunch of girls how to defend themselves. They are grateful to us. Adrenaline is flowing.

Next thing you know, Isabel and Brittany are kissing us on the mouth. You can be our club advisor. You know, my mom did say I need to pick up a hobby. Welcome to our fucking fight club. Let's get it pop in this, my, m'b. Okay, Marshawn Lynch and then a lot of big stars. Matt, walk us through this one. Yes, raunchy, R-rated, not for kids.

Old classic high school take. It's going to be a cult classic by far. Starring Rachel Sennett, you may have seen her in The Idol, and also I-O-A-Debri. She's in the Bear. Right. Really awesome cast. Marshaun Lynch, Kyah Gerber, standouts.

A lot of improv, very funny. They star as two high school students. They want to start a fight club. Be more popular at school, and this is their way to do it. All right, real quick, between the two of you, tell me about, of all the ones we just saw the clips. What's your favorite of all the clips we just saw? I mean, I do really like Bottoms. Rachel Sennett, she's awesome.

I actually saw her in high school. We were from rival high school. Yep, so I saw her. You told her to stick with it, that she had something. I did, and now look at us. We're both on the big screen. Yeah. Oh, my gosh, okay.

But, no, she's great. I saw her in high school, and looking at her now, it's really cool to stay. That is very, very cool. And then, Erin, what about you? Yeah, what's your topic? I think the Golden Bachelor is really interesting. Really? That's right up your alley? Yeah, because I think in modern time, people have gone on The Bachelor to honestly become famous.

And so I think there's something really genuine about these women who are kind of either searching for their first love or second loves or this new journey in life. And it's really nice. It's probably what the original intention for The Bachelor was. Does it feel like just like The Bachelor? Can you watch and not think about the age or does it feel like you're watching grandparents sort of getting it on? I know. I think it's people truly, like it's funny. Like, some of them walk in and one's, like, dressed as like a granny to look old, and she takes it off, and, like, she looks so young.

It's, like, she looks amazing. Sounds riveting. All right. Aaron, you're going to pick it up here. We're going to talk music, and we got in sync with their first music in, like, I don't know how many years? Almost two decades. So this is Justin Timberlake left the group 19 years ago, and now they have a song that is in collaboration with the new trolls movie, which will tee up this music video clip that we have. I don't mind if the world's been.

Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, fast. Just see and sync together. Yeah. I'm going to make you kiss the sky tonight. Yeah, if you let me show the way. Show the way. I'm so excited to see you're excited. Yeah.

You mentioned that JT. left. It was like 19 years ago. What is the thinking? Was that good for him? Did that work out? I think. I mean, he must be, he had a song in the last, or the first Chol's movie, so he must have this deal. And it was big enough of a deal to bring in sync back together.

And I think that's great, because they were great. That's better place also. Who doesn't love JT? Matt, we got a song here called My Little Boothang, right? Yes, definitely song this summer. Very fun. Took all over on TikTok. You listen to it, you just want to dance.

Yes, by far. You just want to find your own little Boothang. Okay. Do we have a video or no? I think so. Let's take a look. Let's play it. baby girl, but I'm no one.

That's my little poop thing. So I'll give a hoop what you do. Say, girl, I know. You're a little two tank. I'll be shooting that shot like two cake. Girl, I know. Tell them I'm, tell them I'm next. Tell them you fight a little something fresh.

I know. Tell them I'm, tell them I'm next. Tell them you follow something. Just like that. I just want to let everybody know in case you don't because there's a lot of young people that watch. Best of my love was the original track. By the emotions.

Yes, which is a winner. too. But that's the song of summer, right? Some people are saying? Yeah. You guys love it. Paul Russell put out a teaser clip on TikTok before the song was even released, drew up millions of views, everyone loved it. He forced him to release it. And now look at it. Okay, guys, Aaron and Matt, thank you so much. You guys killed it. When are your documentaries come out? When should people look out for them? You know, winter release. Winter release? You know, art house film. And peacock first? Right. Of course. We're going to be looking for those. Matt Marshall, Aaron Cutch. Thank you so much. You guys did great.

And thank you for watching Top Story tonight. A big thank you to all the Top Story staff that came in today on a very crazy weather day to work on this broadcast. We appreciate all of you. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.