Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, April 1, 2024

Episode Date: April 2, 2024

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

Tonight, a dangerous storm system stretching from Texas to Ohio, more than 40 million Americans affected by severe weather tonight. Intense storms packing the threat for nighttime tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. In Oklahoma, torrential downpours making driving conditions treacherous. The same system dumped feet of snow in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. And this is just the beginning, a multi-day threat bringing flash flooding and the chance for a midweek noreaster, targeting the I-95 corridor. We'll time it all out. Also tonight, an SUV ramming into an FBI office, a driver in custody after slamming into the front gate of the FBI's Atlanta headquarters, what we're learning about the chaotic moments after the crash. Expanding battlefield,

Israel strikes Syria, a massive fiery explosion killing a top Iranian commander and leveling Iran's embassy in Damascus. The attack further fueling concerns of opening a second front. This says Israel withdraws from Gaza's main hospital, leaving a path to destruction. The pressure building as Prime Minister Netanyahu faces the largest protest in Israel since the war began. Battle over the border. Former President Trump ramping up his anti-immigrant rhetoric with new ads casting migrants as dangerous criminals. But his message isn't just resonating with his supporters. Some Democrats are now siding with him on the issue. The concerns for President Biden's campaign ahead of the November election. Presidential bling? Police busting down

the president of Peru's door and raiding her home, searching for luxury watches, the scandal over her Rolex at the center of a corruption investigation. Plus, a $20 minimum wage, a new California fast food law raising the minimum wage to one of the highest in the country, the change bringing some workers to tears saying it's desperately needed. But not everyone is on board, we'll explain. And girls wrestling takeover, a new generation of female wrestlers, pinning down traditional norms of the sport. Female wrestling now becoming the fastest-growing high school sport in the country, how they're shattering the glass ceiling one take down at a time.

Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight as we come on the air, dangerous storms are firing up in the central U.S. Right now, 40 million Americans are on alert for severe storms that include the threat for nighttime tornadoes. New video just in from Oklahoma, torrential downpours you see him here leading to hazardous driving conditions, large hail pelting the region, sending horses running for cover. The massive storm threat stretching from San Antonio tonight up to Cincinnati, it brings the risk for strong nocturnal tornadoes, destructive winds, and large softball-sized hail.

In California, this same system dumped feet of heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada, Nevada mountains, several inches of rain inundated Santa Barbara County, flooding major roadways. The system isn't anywhere near over. Tomorrow, 55 million Americans, look at it here, from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes, also faces severe weather threat. And by Wednesday, we could be talking about a nor-easter dumping over a foot of snow in New England. Neurologist Michelle Grossman is standing by for us to time this all out. But I want to get straight to NBC's Morgan Chesky on the ground in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Morgan, what are residents bracing for there?

Yeah, Tom, a serious threat of tornadoes. In fact, forecasters here say the highest risk of tornadoes is happening in Oklahoma over the last year. And that is why all eyes are on the sky. At last check, the National Weather Service says 35 Oklahoma counties are under a tornado watch until 9 p.m. That same watch extends down into northern Texas. Five counties there bracing for potential tornadoes. And you are seeing what these storms have already brought to a vast swath of this state. A pea-sized tail. This is in Fairfax, Oklahoma. about an hour and a half northwest of us here, but the threat for hail in addition to tornadoes could go up to softball-sized hail. That is incredibly damaging, should it come across any property or anyone caught in its path. And that is why forecasters are urging everyone to keep an incredibly close eye on conditions that could change so very quickly. We know that the last significant tornado outbreak in Oklahoma was in April 19, 23. Multiple people died in an outbreak. that spawned more than a dozen tornadoes. And people know that this is a way of life here in Oklahoma,

but that certainly does not make it any easier. The threat will go, as you mentioned, after the sun goes down, and the tornado risk when the sun goes down can make them even deadlier. And so as it stands right now, even though we know this system is moving to the north-northeast, people definitely do not feel as if they're in the clear right now, despite standing in Tulsa with an overcast, but calm skies. People know that we still have several hours before they can know that they're officially in the clear here. Tom?

Yeah, and we all know a nighttime tornado can cost so much damage. All right, Morgan, we thank you for that for more on the severe weather. I want to get right to NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman. Michelle, how dangerous are these storms shaping up to be, and how long are we going to be watching them? Hi there, Tom. Well, this is a multi-day event. And as you mentioned, nighttime tornadoes double as deadly. So this is a really dangerous situation.

You need to have your tornado plan in place. Protect your family because we are starting to see these storms. ignite. Even over the past two hours, notice the lightning all the way from portions of southern Texas throughout portions of the central plains into the Ohio Valley. So this is a wide area that has a threat to see severe storms over the next several hours, and that includes overnight. Look at this, 8 million under tornado watches stretching from the southern planes all the way to the Ohio Valley. That's where you're seeing those red boxes. And this is through 12 a.m. That's going to be the latest. And no doubt, we're probably going to see that extended as we

go throughout the next couple of hours. It's not just the severe storms. We could see some hail with those storms. We can see damaging winds, winds gusting up to 80 miles per hour. Could see some strong tornadoes as well, but it has a ton of moisture with it. We are so saturated in this area, the Ohio Valley, into the mid-Atlantic. But notice all those bright colors, the reds, the yellows, the oranges. That's where we're seeing heavy, heavy rainfall. So we do have a flood watch for 16 million people. That will be through tomorrow. We're going to be watching that. And then as we go throughout Tuesday, we're going to see the risk for 40 million people. And the largest risk tomorrow will be tornadoes as opposed to hail today.

Again, tonight, we could see hail up to two inches. That is tennis ball size. Tomorrow we're going to worry about strong tornadoes, damaging hail, and also winds gusting up to 80 miles per hour. Where you see these darker colors here tonight, we're looking at the red. That's Oklahoma City, Dallas, Springfield, Kansas, City, St. Louis, into Cincinnati, a broad swath. Then as we go throughout tomorrow, we're going to increase that number to 55 million. Now we're talking Chattanooga, Birmingham, Nashville, Lexington, Charleston, into Columbus. Looks like Columbus will be the bull's eye for some really strong storms. And again, we're looking. We're looking at that heavy rain falling over the next several days. This will move into the Mid-Atlantic by Wednesday. Tom? All right, Michelle Gross from Michelle. We appreciate that. We turn to some breaking news out of Atlanta tonight. The FBI saying a man is in custody after ramming his car into the front gates of their Atlanta headquarters.

The scene unfolding just earlier today as authorities are now investigating a motive. Here's Blaine Alexander with more. Tonight, a major security scare at the FBI field office in Atlanta when agents say a man driving this vehicle used it to try and force his way inside. We can confirm a person rammed into the FBI Atlanta's front gate shortly afternoon today. He was not associated with this facility. The FBI says the driver tried to get past the security checkpoint by following an employee's vehicle inside. But the security barrier engaged and the suspect crashed his car into it.

Officials say he then jumped out of the car and tried to run toward the building but only made it a few feet before being tacked. several of our special agents who were passing by apprehended him his motives at this point are not known the suspect was taken to a local area hospital where he's being evaluated the suspect was never close to actually getting inside of the building officials say and note it's too early to tell whether this was a potential act of terror tonight FBI officials are not releasing the name of the suspect and say no weapons were found inside the car all right blitz Alexander joins top story live tonight from the scene. So Blaine, we don't have a motive yet, but do we know what this man's going to be charged with tonight? Well, Tom, I'm told that officials are considering both state and potentially federal charges for this suspect. But as you said, there are still a lot of questions. They don't have a motive. They say that this car has no previous ties or the suspect has any previous ties to this particular field office. And then, of course, they're going to be looking into seeing what, if anything,

motivated him to do this. Again, no weapons were actually found in that vehicle, but that doesn't take away the possibility of some very serious charges here, Tom. Blaine Alexander for us tonight from Atlanta. Blaine, we thank you. We want to move on now to the massive cleanup operation underway in Baltimore tonight. Progress is being made just one week following that frightening bridge collapse that killed six people. The U.S. Coast Guard now opening a makeshift channel for ships involved in the long recovery. NBC's Aaron Gilcrest has the very latest. Tonight, authorities battling more bad weather and the urgent mission to get a portion of the Baltimore port back open. Today, announcing a temporary channel now complete. It will

help us to get more vessels in the water around the site of the collapse. We were out on the water with the Coast Guard late today. With this temporary shipping channel now open, we're seeing one of the first ships to go through off in the distance here, a barge being pushed by a tugboat. The operation in full swing, six days after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed when a container ship struck one of its pillars. We know crews were out this weekend with cutting torches, slicing these pieces of metal. You're looking at now some of the first pieces that were cut and they're waiting to be removed. The new 11-foot-deep temporary shipping lane expected to allow only vessels essential to salvage operations. More than 370 engineers, technicians, logistics experts, and others working around the clock.

The plan? Clear the bridge wreckage from the channel. Stabilize the Dolly, remove the bridge span from its bow, and eventually remove some cargo containers so the massive ship can be refloated and brought back to port. All of this expected to take weeks at least. We're going to move as rapidly as possible, but we're going to continue to do it safely. Every day the port remains closed could have a major impact on both the supply chain and the 8,000 jobs that directly depend on this busy waterway being open. 140,000 workers have some connection to this shipping hub. long, seeing it come down. Chris Elliott is a longshoreman, the folks who handle all the products moving from ship

to shore at the port. Since the bridge collapse, Chris has been in limbo. The uncertainty has to be hard, though. Yeah, it is. It's every day you're thinking about the future and the uncertainty. You know, you lose some sleep over it, got bills to pay. So many all across Baltimore affected by this accident. Aaron Gilchrist joins us tonight from the scene.

Aaron, you just spoke there with someone who said he's. now out of a job as we wait for this massive repair operation. Are there any efforts by the government to assist businesses now in the state of limbo? Yeah, Tom, well, I'll tell you that Chris told me that he is now looking for other part-time work. He said he recently applied for something. He was one of 400 people who applied for that job. We understand from the Biden administration, the small business administration actually opened up an office here, a resource center for businesses in this region to start applying for low-interest government loans of up to $2 million.

The government says that it wants to make sure that these people can get this money so they can keep their businesses operating and keep their employees working. And Aaron, I know you have some other reporting. The White House announced today that President Biden will travel to Baltimore later this week. What do we know about that? Yeah, Tom, we learned the president will come here to Baltimore on Friday. I suspect that they'll probably be by helicopter. He'll get a chance to see the record site himself and see a lot of the work that's been going on

over the last several days there. We know he'll also meet with the governor and with other leaders here at this unified command that the Coast Guard has stood up to work on this project to get an idea of exactly what they've done so far and what they're going to need to do in the future, Tom. Aaron, Gilchrist, for us on that accident

and collapse there in Baltimore. Aaron, we thank you for that. We do have some breaking news out of Gaza tonight. We've been tracking. We're hearing several international aid workers were killed in an airstrike. The IDF says they are investigating the incident. This has Iran claims an Israeli airstrike in Syria killed some of its senior commanders at an Iranian embassy building in Damascus.

NBC's Ralph Sanchez has all of this tonight. Tonight, the fiery aftermath of what appears to be a targeted strike in Syria. Smoke and flames billowing from an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, debris scattered on the streets. Iran says the blast killed two generals and five officers from its revolutionary guard, and its blames. blaming Israel and vowing revenge. Israel, not comment it. Iran is a primary backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas, as fears grow of a widening conflict outside Gaza,

where today Israel announced the end of what it called a two-week counter-terror raid on El Shifa Hospital, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Israel says Hamas use the hospital as a base, and that Israeli commandos killed 200 militants and captured senior Hamas operatives. The U.S. saying Hamas is hiding among civilians. Hamas should not be operating out of hospitals.

But as we've also said, we do not want firefights in a hospital. The World Health Organization says at least 21 patients died during the Israeli siege. And Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said they found bodies of civilians decomposing in the dirt. Among them, Dr. Ahmed Makadma, according to his family and Palestinian media. A dedicated surgeon, his colleague said he refused to leave his patients behind. He opted to stay in northern Gaza, in Shafan al-Ahali, to look after his patient. Okay, Raff joins us live from Tel Aviv tonight. Raf, what more do we know about those foreign aid workers who were killed in a bombing in Gaza?

And I do want to let our viewers know to be completely transparent here. We are following lots of reports that are out there. But we're all going to tell you what we can confirm tonight. Tom, this is a developing story. situation that we are reporting out live, but here's what we know. Earlier tonight, a Hamas spokesman says four international aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza. Now, an NBC crew rushed to the Al-Axa hospital where the bodies of the victims were being held. They found several of those victims wearing clothing with markers from the World Central

Kitchen, the American charity run by chef Jose Andres, which has, has been delivering aid by sea into Gaza. Now, World Central Kitchen saying in a statement, we are aware of reports that members of the World Central Kitchen team have been killed in an IDF attack while working to support humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza. This is a tragedy. Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should never be a target ever. We will share more information when we have gathered all the facts.

Now, we reached out also to the Israeli military. They say they have launched an investigation and are conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident. Our team at the hospital among the bodies finding several bloodied passports, one British, one Polish, and one Australia. Tom.

Before you go, I am curious, what type of repercussions make, come from this once this story is reported out and more people learn of what may or may not have happened. But aid workers, you know, we can't say whether they were targeted or not, but they've been killed. And there were just people there possibly trying to deliver aid or food to the people of Gaza. Tom, the consistent story that the Israeli military has been telling the world since October 7th is that the strikes it carries out inside of Gaza are precise. They are

targeted, they are based on intelligence. And I think a lot of people around the world, if it does turn out to be the case, that a number of international aid workers, people who are there trying to get food, trying to get medicine, to people in Gaza, have been killed in an Israeli strike. I think a lot of people around the world will be questioning how precise are these Israeli strikes that over the last six months have killed so many people, both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad militants, but also a very large number of civilians, including thousands of children. And I think it is going to be difficult for the Israeli military to keep telling the world how precise its strikes are if it does turn out to be the case that civilians

from an international aid organization have been killed here tonight. Raf Sanchez, on that breaking news. We do want to let our viewers know as well that we're going to stay on top of this story throughout the broadcast. Now to power and politics and the intensifying battle over immigration in the 2024 race back here at home. Former President Trump releasing a dramatic new ad using horror music to portray migrants as a threat to the nation. Trump said to visit Michigan tomorrow after a Grand Rapids woman was killed there, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant. Gabe Gutierrez has all of this tonight. Tonight, former President Trump doubling down on a 2024 campaign flashpoint, immigration.

of illegal border crosses have entered the country unlawfully. In a recent post, Trump's sharing a new campaign video set to horror music, showing thousands of migrants sent to be traveling to the U.S. from many countries. U.S., Trump promising in the ad to crack down. We will secure our borders and we will restore our sovereignty. It comes as Trump prepares to visit Michigan Tuesday in the wake of the death of a Grand Rapids woman, Ruby Garcia, allegedly at the hands of an undocumented immigrant. who police say was in a romantic relationship with her.

Authorities say he'd been previously deported during the Trump administration. This is a horrible incident with Ruby. What a horrible thing. We had a tough policy of getting the bad ones out, and we were getting the bad ones out, and now the bad ones are coming in at a level that nobody's ever seen before. Trump has made his heartline stance on immigration and migrants a hallmark of his political image.

When Mexico sends its people, they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. But in recent months, Trump has escalated his rhetoric on immigration. They're poisoning the blood of our country. That's what they've done. President Biden has tried to turn the tables on Trump, blasting him for ordering congressional Republicans to kill a bipartisan border bill.

I'm told my predecessor called members of Congress in the Senate to demand they block the bill. He feels a political win. He viewed it as a political win for me and a political loser for him. But new polling shows Americans, and even some Democrats, are a science. with Trump on the issue. A new survey shows 68 percent of Americans disapprove of President Biden's handling of the border, including four in ten Democrats. That includes more than half of black adults and nearly three quarters of Hispanics. And while nearly half of U.S. adults

hold President Biden responsible for America's border problems, only 35 percent say the same about former President Trump. The Biden campaign now forced to reckon with a decades-old wedge issue. As the 2024 race rests on a razor's edge. All right, Gabe Gutierrez joins us tonight from the White House. Gabe, the Biden campaign has known the border as a political liability for years now. So what are they doing to counteract this messaging from former President Trump? Well, hey there, Tom. Well, one thing that the Biden campaign is doing is really focusing on money here. So far, the Biden team of the last couple of months has really been outpacing Republicans when it comes to fundraising. And now they say that

They're opening up dozens, about 30 field offices just in the state of Michigan. So they hope to counteract that message that way. But another way they're doing it, Tom, and we're seeing this increasingly more and more, not just on the trail, but also here in the White House. They're trying to make the issue of immigration. They're trying to throw it back on Republicans, essentially by arguing that because Republicans killed that bipartisan border bill that we mentioned, that they need to own this immigration issue, the Democrats now say that they agree that the border is a problem.

That's something, as you know, Tom, that they didn't agree with for quite a long time. But now they're trying to make Republicans own it. Tom? OK, Gabe Gutier is at the White House. We head now to Peru, where the government and agents there busted down the door and raided the home of President Dina Boluarte, the country's first female president. Now the subject of a luxury watch investigation, some are calling Rolex Gate. NBC's Elwyn Lopez has the details.

A pre-dawn raid at the house. of Peru's first female president. Armed officers seen busting down President Dina Boloarte's door at her Lima home. Officials say the raid is part of a corruption probe. Last month, a local TV program showed the 61-year-old wearing what appeared to be luxury watches, one of them a Rolex, that they claim, is worth about $14,000. Just days later, prosecutors launched an investigation. Presidents in Peru make $4,000 a month, so it really raises the question how she could possibly be in the ownership of all these assets if she isn't accepting any money under the table.

Boluarte says she owned the watches before she took office. But according to a statement by prosecutors, she did not list them in a mandatory declaration document. In Peru, elected officials are required to declare assets worth more than about three, three, three. thousand dollars. The president continues to maintain her innocence, slamming the raid as she addressed the nation. I always have said that I'm a palace of the government of government officials, including the prime minister, appointed by her, swiftly coming to her defense.

I want to manifest that we consider absolutely desproportional, unjustified, and when no, illegal and inconstitutional, the action that's realized. The latest incident, adding to the back-to-back scandals, plaguing the country's political crisis. In 2022, Boluarte was sworn in, going from vice president to president after a predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was arrested and impeached for trying to dissolve Congress. Her inauguration marked the sixth time Peru saw new president in less than five

years. Peru's next elections are in 26. What I'm hoping for, what I think many people are hoping for, is a free and fair contest where Peruvians at least get the chance to potentially choose different, maybe better leadership for the country. Elwyn Lopez joins us tonight from Los Angeles. And Elwyn, I know you have some new reporting about one of President Buluarte's cabinet members. Yeah, that's right. That cabinet member has stepped down, and we do know from the president's attorney that some items were seized from her home. What is unclear at this point is what those items were. She is set to testify on Friday, Tom. Elwyn Lopez for us. Elwyn, thank you.

Still ahead, the terrifying crash on a Florida highway possibly involving an NFL player. Video showing a driver losing control leading to a crash involving several cars, reports an NFL star's vehicle was one of those cars that might have been. involved, how he's responding tonight. Plus, the ruling from Florida Supreme Court that could implement one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, why the decision may ultimately end up in the hands of voters. And the deer crashing through a bank window, you see it right there, getting trapped inside, how police eventually helped get that animal out. Stay with us. We're back now with the new details in the investigation of a six-ficle crash in Dallas that may have the car belonging to a Kansas City Chiefs player.

A lawyer for the football star saying the wide receiver is now cooperating with authorities. NBC's Priscilla Thompson has more on the late details tonight. For the first time since this terrifying crash, Kansas City Chief's wide receiver Rishie Rice is responding amid reports that his car may have been involved. His attorney writing in a statement that Rice is cooperating fully with authorities and will take all necessary steps to address this situation responsibly. adding his thoughts are with everyone impacted. The response comes 48 hours after this six-car crash,

caused police say, by this Lamborghini and Corvette speeding down the expressway. The major accident on the freeway, it's 7,700 block of North Central Expressway northbound. Dramatic dash cam video shows the moment police say the drivers lost control, one car slamming into the center median as the other appears to spin out. Kayla Quinn says she and her four-year-old son were headed home after a day at the zoo when they were among those hit. This could have ended way worse, she wrote on social media, both cars hitting me, yet me and my baby walked out untouched. Police say all injuries were minor, and the occupants of the Lamborghini and the Corvette all ran from the scene. Moments after the crash, a bystander captured this video.

You guys all right? Yeah, that's it. Where are you guys having? You guys all right? Yeah. You guys just going to leave it? Tonight, the NFL not commenting, but the Chiefs President telling KCMO talk radio this. We'll get to the bottom of it.

We'll gather the facts and then we'll react accordingly. Dallas police are not saying if Rice was involved in the actual crash and are asking for the public's help in identifying the men in that video. Tom? All right, Priscilla Thompson there with a lot of strange videos. Next tonight to a major health issue affecting black Americans, a group four times more likely to be diagnosed with kidney failure than white people, according to the National Institute of Health. A new mandate now prioritizing black kidney transplant candidates after researchers and doctors realized a race-based test had been mis-evaluating black patients for decades. Antonio Hilton tonight spoke with a recent kidney recipient about the life-changing experience.

It's time. I'm in the hospital getting ready for my. transplant. When PhD student Jasmine Evans finally got the call that she would receive a kidney transplant in July, she was overjoyed. I'm getting a whole kidney, so. Evans was first diagnosed with chronic kidney disease when she was just 17 years old and was put on the transplant list in 2019. She thought she was still years away from being matched with a donor until a letter from her hospital came in the mail last year, explaining she should have been added to the transplant list in 2015, four years earlier and that a racially biased test was to blame. When you got that letter, what went through your mind? At first, I was outraged. And just the fact that no one really knew that this was something

that was going on, it was really jarring and shocking. Evans is one of thousands of black patients who have been prioritized for transplants as a result of a national mandate by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, or OPTN. The new rule, which was instituted in 2022, instructs hospitals to stop using a test that overestimated how well black people's kidneys were functioning. In the 1990s, there was a big study when the black participants in this research studies, creatinines and kidney function were looked at, for some reason, they had slightly higher amounts of kidney function for the same level blood test.

And instead of investigating sort of why that might be, the conclusion, The conclusion was that it was based on race. That flawed test, meaning thousands of patients were put on the transplant list years later than they should have been, a potentially deadly weight. For some people, those extra years waiting actually contribute to their either being too sick to get a transplant or their premature death. Patients like Evans, who were mis-evaluated, have been bumped up on the list with the average patient getting transplants one to two years sooner than expected.

for Evans, who calls herself a reluctant kidney advocate. The fight is not over. What do you believe this represents for thousands of Black patients like you? I think it represents hope. It represents reconciling in a lot of ways. But I'll also see that the fight is not over, yet there are thousands of Black Americans that are still waiting for organ donations across the board. According to Dr. Pavlakis, change takes time. Some labs are still occasionally using the old race-based formula, so doctors need to keep an eye out for their new patients and make sure they're getting the care they deserve, Tom.

Tonya Hilton, we thank you for that. When we come back, a consumer alert, Kia recalling nearly 400,000 tell-you-ride SUVs, why federal regulators say the cars could possibly roll away while they're parked. Thank you. All right, we're back now with Top Story's newsfeeds, starting with the death of former NFL star Vonte Davis. The 35-year-old was found dead inside of the home near Miami, Florida. Police say they do not believe foul play was involved.

Davis, who was a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, played for multiple teams, including the Dolphins, Colts, and the Bills. He was arrested on DUI charges last year following a crash on a Florida highway. The Florida Supreme Court allowing a six-week abortion ban. to take effect, but voters will have the final say. While ruling on a 15-week abortion ban, the Florida Justice is concluding a six-week ban that Governor DeSantis signed into law last year can take effect in 30 days.

However, they also ruled a proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion protections in the state can appear in the November ballot. Kia recall in more than 400,000 SUVs because they might roll away while parked. The recall impacting all tell you rides from 2020 through 2023 and some 2024. models. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says two parts on the car that are

supposed to keep the car parked may not fully engage. So far, no injuries or crashes have been reported. Dealers will contact owners to update parts and softwares. And a deer crashing through a bank window in Texas, surveillance video showing the deer bursting through a window before running loose through the bank. This happened outside of Austin. Police attempting to corral the animal back out the front entrance where you can see it scampered out. No injuries. are reported. Okay, next, more than 500,000 fast food workers got a raise today to $20 an hour as a new law took effect in California. It's meant to offset the high cost of living, but it'll also mean you'll pay more for your burgers likely. Here's NBC's Liss Kreutz.

For three years, Anisha Williams has worked at Jack in the Box, struggling to make ends meet as a single mom in high-priced Los Angeles. They need to know that their workers are struggling. some workers are homeless. That's why today marks a moment she's been waiting for. Anisha is among hundreds of thousands of fast food workers across California getting a raise. We need this. We need this so bad. After years of protests, restaurant chains with more than 60 locations nationwide must now pay their California employees at least $20 an hour. It's one of the highest minimum wages in the country and the first time state lawmakers have mandated a minimum wage for just one industry. Supporters say it's time for the billion-dollar corporations to pay a living wage.

How's it going? But many franchise owners, like Jessica Diombra, who runs 11 McDonald's around L.A., say the law puts an unfair strain on their businesses already operating on slim margins. Do you feel targeted that it's specifically for fast food? Yes. And I think people just don't realize that. They see this big McDonald brand and just think, oh, they've got all the money in the world. And it's just, that's not at all how it is.

McDonald's, Chipotle, and Starbucks already saying they plan to raise prices to offset the rising labor costs. Pizza Hut preemptively laid off 1,200 delivery drivers like Michael O'Heda. I was very frustrated. A lot of us got our jobs taken from us. He was let go after eight years. What's the point of the raise if you don't have a job anymore? Experts say the law may also lead to shorter hours and expedite the push to automation, replacing people with technology. Economists often say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Does that apply here? It really applies here, but we forget that somebody's paying for it somewhere.

But for Anisha, as the cost of living rises, she says a few extra dollars goes a long way. I'm praying that this $20 will actually do something for me and my children. Liz Kreutz, NBC News, Los Angeles. For more in California's new fast food minimum wage law and how it could impact food business. I want to bring in Alex Johnson. He owns 10 Auntie Ann's pretzels and Sinebun restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Alex, thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Thanks, Tom. So can you tell us about how California's law increasing the minimum food wage for fast food workers to $20 an hour has already impacted your business?

Yeah, listen, my family and I started this business 30 years ago. I'm a second generation franchisee. our small business pretzel power. We employ over 100 people in the Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As you mentioned, we have 10 locations. And this bill, this new wage, has really far-reaching effects. You know, my family and I work really hard to treat our employees fairly and pay them really well. But there's going to be real consequences due to the Fast Act. You know, for one, we're going to be raising prices, which I really don't want to do. We've already had to raise prices several times over the past couple of years. because of the COVID-induced inflation.

And right now, you know, we're not seeing the best in terms of sales, and we've got declining traffic counts. It's really not a good time to have to raise prices. We're not hiring anymore. We're not expanding in the state anymore. In fact, I had to turn down a location for a new store, which I was really sad to have to do. And ultimately, I'm considering selling or closing our restaurants.

And what was the price difference of I can ask? ask you, what were you paying your employees to what you have to pay them now? Was it, were you close or was it, was it, was it, was it too far of a stretch? In the Bay Area, the cities there have wages or have minimum wages that are a little bit higher than the states, but I do have some locations that will go from the $16 to $20, that jump, that 25% jump that happened last night. I do have a couple of locations who experienced that. And so in the immediate future, do you think you're going to increase prices at those stores, or you think you're going to lay people off, or both?

It'll probably be a combination of both. We're just going to have to look at how we can work smarter, how we can work harder with less folks, not just cutting hours, but literally removing people, removing headcount from our locations. You know, people, it's so expensive, and California is a very expensive state, places like Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

I mean, they're incredibly expensive to live there. So you understand where the politicians' minds were in increasing the minimum wage. How do you think this is going to? affect inflation there? Because things are already expensive and now people are going to be making a little bit more money and people like you, store owners like you, are going to have to increase prices. Do you think it has a negative effect on inflation? I mean, so the conversations I've had with my employees is that they're pretty fearful actually what this will do to inflation. And like you

mentioned, make it already, you know, it's already so expensive to live in the state and prices have gone up. You know, I'm not the only one raising prices. And pretty much everyone is across the board. worried. They're really concerned. They've seen their purchasing power get less and less and less over the years. And I don't believe in my conversations with them that they feel like this is really going to help them all that much. How do you, how does someone, though, how can someone work at your restaurant and support themselves or support their family if you don't raise a minimum wage? Well, look, we take pride in giving, you know, being people's first job. You know, We have a lot of folks, high school students, folks with no job experience, immigrants.

We enjoy employing those people, teaching them the soft skills, not just how to roll a pretzel or how to make a cinnamon roll, but things like customer service, making eye contact, like soft skills that they use throughout the rest of their career. And we actually do have a pass to making a career out of at our locations. We have, in fact, my director of operations, he worked his way up all the way, from a mall janitor to now our director of operation. So there's an incredible opportunity in our business, in the fast food industry for these folks. Alex, if you don't end up selling your family business,

do you think that this law will encourage you to look into using different technology to replace the jobs typically done by people? I am talking about AI. Will we eventually get to a place where a Cinnabun comes from a Cinnabot? You know, I don't think that's far off. I don't have plans immediately for that kind of like robotic or automated deployment,

but I don't think we're far off. And I think that this law will accelerate some of the companies and technologies out there trying to do just that. Alex Johnson, a small business owner there in the Bay Area in the state of California where the minimum wage is going up to $20. We're going to have to wait and see how that affects the economy there. Alex, we thank you for your time and your honesty. Coming up, the tragedy on a beach in Mexico, the bodies of several. several Chinese migrants discovered after their boat capsized on their way to the U.S. What we know about where that boat was coming from next.

All right, we're back now with Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with a tragic discovery in Mexico. Authorities say the bodies of eight Chinese migrants were found on a beach in Wakasa. Officials believed they were on a boat that departed from Mexico's border with Guatemala, while it was heading towards the U.S. It suddenly capsized. One person, though, did survive.

According to recent data, the number of Chinese migrants illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico has skyrocketed since the pandemic. A potential turning point in Turkey's politics, the country's opposition party sweeping local elections dealing a major blow to President Erdogan's ruling party. The opposition winning in Istanbul by more than one million votes, along with victories in other big cities, including the capital of Ankara. It's the first time since Erdogan came to power more than two decades ago that his party was defeated across the country. And Germany has begun relaxing some of its marijuana laws.

Crowds gathering at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin for a smoke-in as a new law took effect that allows adults over 18, I should say, to possess up to an ounce of cannabis. Citizens can also grow about three plants at home. Germany now the largest country in the European Union to legalize recreational marijuana use, it remains banned for anyone 18. and under. Now to the new allegations surrounding the investigation to the mysterious Havana syndrome. In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, Greg Ed Green, a lead U.S. military investigator, saying he believes the syndrome was an attack on U.S. officials by Russia. The U.S. government, though, previously deeming it very unlikely that the syndrome came from a foreign adversary. But Ed Green alleging that bar for evidence was too high.

I think it was set so high because we did not as a country and a government want to face some very hard truths and what are those can we secure america are these massive counterintelligence failures can we protect american soil and our people on american soil are we being attacked and if we're being attacked is that an act of war so why was this investigator so sure it was russia here's what he had to say one of the things started to notice was the caliber of our officer that was being impacted. This wasn't happening to our worst or our middle range officers. This was happening to our top five, 10 percent performing officers across the Defense Intelligence Agency. And consistently, there was a Russia

nexus. There was some angle where they had worked against Russia, focused on Russia, and done extremely well. All right, for more on this interview in the U.S. government's response, I want to bring in Ken Delaney, who joins us tonight from Washington. Ken, you've been covering this for years. Help us put these new allegations into context,

and what is the U.S. government saying about all this? Well, Tom, 60 minutes in a publication called The Insider have unearthed some interesting circumstantial evidence that members of an elite Russian intelligence unit may have been on the ground in places where U.S. personnel suffered symptoms associated with Havana They also found documents suggesting that those same Russian operatives may have been researching acoustic weapons, and they argued that this evidence suggests a link between these Russian spies

and Havana syndrome symptoms. 60 Minutes also interviewed that former defense intelligence officials, as he showed, who helped investigate the issue and says he believes Havana syndrome as a result of Russian attacks, though it's important to note. He said he couldn't discuss the classified details. It's also important to say that none of this reporting found evidence of an actual weapon or of Russians attacking Americans. And two U.S. intelligence officials told me that the CIA and five other agencies stand by their

assessment from last year, that there's no evidence of any secret weapon wielded by Russia or any other foreign adversary. So how does the U.S. government sort of straddle this line, right? How do so many top-level U.S. intelligence sources say they suffered some type of medical episode, and yet there was no attack? Yeah, well, there's a lot of theories on this, Tom, including some kind of brain disorder. One thing that they tell us is that after this assessment was published last March, reports of symptoms absolutely plummeted, like many, many fewer than before. And that suggests there may have been a psychogenic aspect to this, and that doesn't mean people were making it up.

These symptoms were very real. They're heartbreaking in some cases. People have stopped being able to work who've suffered from these symptoms. symptoms. But, for example, one expert postulated that there was something called a functional neurological disorder. That's a common brain malfunction, not caused by medical factors. So we may never know the answer, but what the intelligence community is saying is they see no evidence that this is an attack by Russia or another foreign adversary. So, Ken, to wrap this up, do you think we'll ever get to the bottom of what this is or what this was? No, I think this

debate's going to go on and on, because, like, many of these victims have long believed that the U.S. government is not asking hard enough questions and they're now heartened by this new reporting and they place very little stock in the intelligence assessment. But in terms of the intelligence community, they've turned the page. I mean, as far as many of them are concerned, this is over and done. And the important thing now is to treat the people who have symptoms. But this is not a debate that's going to go away, Tom. Ken Delanyan for us, Ken, I have a feeling we're going to keep talking about this for years to come, but we're going to have to wait and see. All right, Ken, thanks again. When we come back, not just for the boys, girls wrestling. Now the fastest

joint sport in the country with all female wrestling programs found in nearly every state. We speak to two athletes who are part of this historic trend. They're fight for equality on and off the mat. That's next. All right, we're back now with an error in the paint. Throwing off players and fans at the NCAA basketball tournament, officials revealing just minutes before an elite eight game that one of the three-point lines had been drawn incorrectly and it was too close to the basket.

NBC's Morgan Chesky has the play-by-play of what happened now. As Texas and North Carolina State prepared to face off in an elite eight matchup, an issue with the court, leaving fans baffled. I walked in and there was measuring happening, and I was sitting next to a friend who was like, are they measuring the three-point line? The NCAA three-point line is officially 22 feet and one-and-three-quarters of an inch for both men and women. But this three-point line in Portland, Oregon, in front of the North Carolina State bench, was nine inches short. That's according to a postgame measurement by the NCAA and court supplier, Connor Sports.

Go out there and get up in the stands and look at it, and you can see it. The Texas and NC state coaches measure the difference themselves, weighing the options of delaying the game. They gave us the option of bringing somebody in and remarking it correctly, which would have taken an hour, and we might have lost our window with ABC. Both teams agreeing to go ahead with the game is scheduled. North Carolina State winning by double digits. I don't know that it was an advantage or disadvantage either way. We both played a half on each end.

Four full sweet 16 games were played on that same court Friday and Saturday, but nobody raised concerns. The NCAA and Connor Sports have apologized. The NCAA adding the mistake was the result of human air, and they should have caught the air sooner. The association reviewing all other three-point lines in both the men and women's tournament and confirming they're accurate. We have this moment where the athleticism is in a place where it's better than it's ever been.

We have more focus, more media coverage, the things that these players deserve. And then we have these little moments that kind of remind us of the work that's still there for us. This air, just the latest distraction from a record-breaking women's tournament. In NC State's first round game against Chattanooga, a referee was pulled out at halftime over a conflict of interest. And Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo, sideline for part of a Sweet 16 matchup because of a nose ring she had worn all season long. The three-point line fixed with pain overnight for the remaining elite eight matchup, but the damage may already be done. Well, I hate to say this, but I have a lot of colleagues that would say only in women's basketball. I mean, it's a shame, really, that it even happened, but it is what it is.

Morgan Chesky, NBC News. We thank Morgan Chesky for that one, and finally tonight, forget the stereotypes. A new generation of girl wrestlers are proving the mats aren't just a boys' club anymore. Their passion and hard work are opening doors not only for them, but for the generations to come with dreams of scholarships and even Olympic glory. NBC Stephen Romo has more. What is your favorite wrestling move? Definitely high-see. I'm a right-leg lead, so you would shoot to this leg.

You're tied up, and then you bring their arm over. High school senior, Haley Jaffe, and freshman Jameson Strickland, are on a mission to slam stereotypes and pin down new opportunities in the world of wrestling. For years, without a league of their own, many of the opponents these girls faced were born. Boys, Strickland, who has been wrestling since she was seven, says the training started at home. Did you wrestle with your brother a lot growing up and hone your skills on him? We would work on moves that we learned on YouTube in the basement. I remember the first one was a headlock, and I would just do it on him, and it worked.

How did your brother like being in a headlock? I think he was just happy to help. My little sister never put me in a headlock. I'd be very proud if she did that. But that tide is now turning. With girls wrestling becoming the fastest growing sport in the country. It literally took off. The numbers just started exploding. As recently as 2018, there were only six states that had officially recognized girls wrestling programs.

Now, there are 45 states with campaigns to grow even further. At the youth level, junior high, high school level, the growth is amazing. And then even on the college level right now, we are seeing more and more programs. The boom, thanks in part to non-profits like sanctioned PA, which are fighting to have the girls' leagues formally recognized. Even a few years ago, when a girl was in her school building and she's walking past those wrestling room doors, those doors were closed. Now it's like the doors are open and someone's coming out in the hallway and saying, hey, come on in and try wrestling. That group succeeding in getting signatures from more than a hundred schools to get the sports sanctioned in Pennsylvania, which held its first first. ever official state championship last month. Jaffe took home the silver medal. A legacy the

senior is hoping will continue after she graduates. Now all these girls have these opportunities that they didn't have before so it's really exciting and you know now they can all go win state medals every year and that's like history. For now there's no formal collegiate league but an NCAA committee has recommended adding a women's wrestling championship as early as 2026. And while women's freestyle wrestling has been an Olympic sport for 20 years, only two Americans have taken home the gold. But with this widening pipeline, new hope that the sky is the limit for women in the sport. But if someone does say to you, wrestling is not a girl sport, wrestling is for boys,

how do you respond to that? Well, I mean, the accolades kind of speak for itself. Girls can definitely wrestle. I mean, it's not just boys. Good luck to all those wrestlers, and we thank Stephen Rommel for that story. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yomis in New York. Stay right there.

More news on the way.