Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, April 29, 2024

Episode Date: April 30, 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.

Breaking right now, a U.S. Marshal and two law enforcement officers shot and killed in a standoff in Charlotte, North Carolina. Authorities say a task force was serving a warrant at a home when a barricaded suspect opened fire while refusing to surrender. A total of eight officers shot, we have a live report from Charlotte as this active situation is still unfolding. Also breaking tonight, college is cracking down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations. At Columbia University, students suspended after defined orders to vacate an encampment. New tense clashes at U.T. Austin as state troopers in riot gear surround protesters. More than 1,000 people arrested since the wave of protests spread to other universities. Tonight, one reason why these demonstrations seem to be so contagious.

A new hostage deal, the urgent push from the U.S. to reach an agreement before Israel's expected invasion of Rafa. The terms of the latest ceasefire as Hamas releases a new proof-of-life video of an Israeli-American held captive, his family's desperate plea to bring him home. Deadly tornado outbreak, at least five killed, including a four-month-old after more than a hundred twisters strike the heartland. Stories of survival as neighbors rescue people from the rubble. The next round of severe storms targeting the same area just beginning to pick up the pieces. Al Roker standing by. Buy or rent, it's a question so many Americans face every year. Tonight, we'll tell you about a new study finding that right now renting is more affordable

in the 50 largest U.S. cities than paying a mortgage. What does it mean for those dreaming of being a homeowner and is trouble brewing in the housing market? And saying, I do to AI. Using artificial intelligence to plan your wedding from finding a venue to seating arrangements. We put chat GPT to the test, how it stacks up to a real wedding planner to create your happily ever-after moment. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are coming on the air with breaking news. Three law enforcement officers, including a U.S. Marshal shot and killed while serving a U.S. marshal shot and killed while serving warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina.

We're told a total of eight law enforcement officers were shot. The deadly standoff unfolding this afternoon, officers were immediately met with gunfire as they approached the suspect. We're learning that the arrest warrant was for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The suspect was killed, but then officers were met with additional gunfire from inside the home. Police putting the entire neighborhood under lockdown and telling people to shelter inside. Officials closing several roads to quickly rush those officers to the hospital.

This chaotic situation all unfolding just a few miles outside of downtown Charlotte. Michelle Bowden from our Charlotte affiliate, WCNC, has the late-breaking details tonight. Today in Charlotte, this video streamed on Facebook Live, catching the terrifying moments as gunfire erupted. Officials confirm eight officers were struck, three from the U.S. Marshal's Task Force, have died. Four Charlotte Mecklenburg police officers were shot, one remains in critical condition. Today we lost some heroes that are out to just simply trying to keep our community safe. I asked somebody who was on the street what happened and he said they're shooting, somebody's shooting. According to Charlotte Police, a local task force quote, comprised of

officers from multiple agencies, was serving a warrant at a residence on Galway Drive when they were, quote, engaged by active gunfire from a subject. At least one shooting, The suspect was found deceased inside the house, and police say they are questioning two other occupants of that home. They knew what they were going into and still held their own an attempt to apprehend this suspect. They knew that they had officers that needed help that needed to be extracted from that location. Yet they went in, some getting shot themselves as a result. The mayor of Charlotte sang in a tweet, she is, quote, deeply saddened. Local schools temporarily went into lockdown, and many surrounding streets were close.

causing traffic delays throughout the city. According to a federal official, this is the sixth marshal to be killed since 2011. Chaos. Chaos. Nothing but police jumping out of their cars with the gun is drawn. And nobody has answered to them.

All right, Michelle Bowdoin joins us now live from Charlotte tonight. Michelle, those officers were serving a warrant, as you reported, at that house where the shooting took place. Do we know what the investigation was related to? The police chief and aggressed off. conference that wrap not that long ago told us they were serving the warrants for someone wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon that's when they were met by gunfire and they did tell us at this point one suspect dead two other people taken to police headquarters for questioning right now

considered persons of interest Michelle do we think that those other two people that were inside the house fired on officers as well or is that still unclear that is what the police you said in his press conference that's what he alluded to essentially he said that they were immediately We met with gunfire, one person was struck, and then someone else came from inside the house, and that's when gunfire continued. So this was an active scene for a very long time here in Charlotte. Yeah, no, you can tell from the arials that we're seeing right now. Do we have an update on the condition of those surviving officers, because so many were shot? We don't, and this was a story that was actually unfolding all afternoon.

It was just in that press conference that wrapped at about 6.30 Eastern time that we did learn the full extent of this. Of course, as we said, eight officers in all three officers. killed in all this. And we know one Charlotte Buckinghamber Police Department officer was listed as critical condition. That's the latest update that we have on these officers. You know, Michelle, so many people have family members, friends, their husbands, their brothers, their sisters that work on these task forces. Usually there are multiple different agencies. And when there's not a lot of information coming out, it can really affect that community. How is your community, Charlotte, doing tonight? Very much. Exactly, as you say, there are so many people. This is a tightening.

community. We always call Charlotte sort of a big, small town. Everyone knows everyone or someone in law enforcement. And because this task force was made up of several different agencies, we still don't know at this point exactly who they belong to. We're still working to learn that. But I can tell you, my message is we're flying all day with people who have loved ones on the police store and asking, do we know, do we know? So this is a tight-knit community. You could tell from the mayor when she was a part of that press conference, she got choked up. So very emotional for an awful lot of people here in Charlotte. Michelle Bowden from our affiliate WCNC.

We thank you for your help tonight. We know it's been a busy day for you and your news team there. We're also following breaking news in those nationwide college protest over the war in Gaza. Tonight, Columbia University announcing they have begun suspending students who defied a deadline this afternoon to clear a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus. It comes as demonstrations intensify across the country with many graduations just weeks away. Liz Croyce is at UCLA for us tonight with the last. latest. Tonight at University of Texas, Austin, police one by one detaining pro-Palestinian protesters. Law enforcement tying up this demonstrator by their hands, dragging them out of

their encampment while screaming. The university says protesters ignored repeated directives from administration and that a majority of the protesters are believed to be unaffiliated with the school. So far, more than a thousand people have been arrested since the demonstrations across college campuses against the war in Gaza began. At UCLA, hundreds of students and faculty walking out of class in support of the protests. These students said there are hundreds of them. They were not able to get into the encampment, so they are now attempting to storm one of the buildings here on campus.

At Columbia University, school officials telling demonstrators the administration won't agree to divest from Israel and that they must leave the encampment by today or face suspension. We demand divestment. We will not be moved on less by force. NBC's Aeron McLaughlin is there. That 2 p.m. deadline has arrived and this is the students response. They're marching around campus. Over that way is the encampment. You can see everyone there wearing neon vest. Those are the faculty members and they say they're here to protect the students. As graduation nears, many universities making similar pleas to students as they continue to grapple over the debate, between free speech versus hate speech.

At USC, the president warning that if protesters don't leave their encampment voluntarily, the university will take action early this week. This morning, some students protested outside the president's home. Meanwhile, back at UCLA, school officials allowing their students' encampment to grow as the protesters call for the university

to cut ties with Israel. I think we're planning to keep the pressure up until the demands are met, until the UC divests. Dove Waxman is a professor of Israel's studies. he supports the students' right to protest, but not their demands. I happen to think it's not likely to happen or be effective. All right, Liz Cois joins us tonight from UCLA. Liz, I want to go back to Columbia for a moment.

We just heard the reports there. Kids are going to be suspended students. Are they taking down the encampment there? Are they going to be dragging students out? What exactly is happening? I think that's the big question right now. At this time, students, like we saw, are defying that order. They are trying to stay on campus, or at least in the person.

perimeter of that encampment, but we have heard that suspensions are underway. We don't know how many suspensions. It does seem like many of the universities now. Some of them are trying to resist making arrests like they had the past couple of weeks. We know some Jewish students on campus at Columbia, though, are suing. They are saying that the university has not made it a safe environment. And we know that a lot of this from Columbia is driven by the fact that commencement is two weeks from now. And the place where those students have been camping out is where they hold their commencement and they do not want to end up in a similar position like USC here in L.A. where they had to cancel that graduation top.

Right. And then, Liz, I know you've been out there working this story for a couple days. Now, talk to our viewers about what you're seeing out there. Is it violent? Is it dangerous from what you're seeing? You know, it really depends on the day at any given time and moment. Right now here at UCLA, it got really heated yesterday. We saw some dueling counter protesters showing up, pro-Palestinian protesters facing off with pro-Israel protesters. There were some confrontations. But today, on the flip side, it's gone to the extreme where the campus is completely locked down. And you can see the encampment here behind me. And

there is, there's a perimeter all around this encampment. Students are preventing certain people from coming through. And campus security are even assisting those student protesters from allowing many people to go through. Meantime, it is peaceful. And you might be able to hear it. It's hard to see, but there's a counter-prostester protests happening right nearby where they are literally, Tom, blasting video footage of the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th. They are blasting that video footage right towards these student protesters who are now day five camping out here. And then, Liz, you know, we've seen some protests from the West Coast. It's happened on the East Coast as well, where they're spray painting their own campuses as well?

Yeah, we saw that here today. And in fact, I have to tell you that some of the protesters, they are very, very, strict with where we're allowed to go. They have to escort us from place to place to do interviews to get to parts of the encampment. And we don't exactly know why that is. Part of it, though, maybe

the situation going on there when I was in some of the areas. I did see spray paint on some of the buildings here at UCLA. We saw over the weekend the famous Tommy the Trojan statue was vandalized at USC. And up at Northern California, Cal State Humboldt University

students got inside some of the buildings and graffitied so much of that building that the university says it's likely to cost millions to clean up, Tom. All right, Liz, with a lot of terrific reporting out there covering this for several days now. Liz, we appreciate you and everything you're doing out there for more on the pro-Palestinian protests sweeping the nation. We want to go to our top story spotlight interview tonight. And we're joined live by Omar Waso. He's an assistant professor of political science at the University of California, Berkeley. He studies mass protest movements, including the civil rights protest of the 1960s, and the impact they have on policymakers.

Professor Wausau, we thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. I think the big question for a lot of Americans watching our broadcast tonight is why, right? Why have these protests become so contagious? They started on the East Coast around here in New York, and they've spread across the country. My question to you is explain why you think this is happening. So one way of understanding the way protests spread is what's called sometimes a standing ovation model, right? So you can think about when there's a standing ovation at the theater, someone stands up in front, and that influences everybody who can see them. You're also deciding whether you'll stand up with some people close to you, and that influences whether you stand up.

And the way that model applies to something like protests is that what happened at Columbia about two weeks ago where there was this encampment and then the police were brought in is that was created a major sort of media event, right? It's New York City. It's a very prominent school. The encampment strategy hadn't been used in lots of other places. Police crackdown hadn't happened. It was a very big event, and that was like a rallying cry. That was like somebody at the front of the room standing up, and all of these other campuses sort of saw that.

Another thing that I find in my research is that when authorities use what are perceived to be heavy-handed tactics, that can often generate a lot of sympathy. And so I think the way to understand the way these protests have spread there was this high-profile event like somebody standing up at the front of the auditorium, and then all these other people choose to sort of join the ovation. And so that's the other campuses doing the same thing. I guess my next question then it has to be, and I don't need you to make a blanket statement,

that's not what I'm asking, but are you describing this more as a moment and not a movement? So I think it's both a moment and a movement. I mean, what we see historically is that protests are almost always episodic. They spike in activity and then they sort of fade. And so there's always some of that with any movement. And at the same time, you're right. There's a degree to which this has been kind of a slow build. I think there's been anger on campuses for a long time,

but people hadn't quite figured out how to mobilize. And so that's another important thing about what happened at Columbia, as this tactic of encampments became something that other campuses copied. Do you have any theories in why this is happening now, right? even in Colombia, because if you think about the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, it started October 7th, then Israelis start bombing Gaza. It's been happening for months now, right? More than six months.

So why now do you think that it started towards the end of the year when the semester's about to wrap up? Some of it, I think, really is the, you know, there's a sort of crystallizing effect of the police being brought in to break up that Columbia encampment two weeks ago. that that really was this kind of bat signal to campuses around the country. But to another part of your question, I think there, you know, I'm at UC Berkeley. There have been protests almost the entire time, but they, the tactics weren't something that other schools were copying, and they were sort of disparate and kind of not, to your point, from before, it wasn't, didn't quite cohere as a movement.

And what we've seen post-Colombia is that people have a kind of common tactic, and it's now become a national news story, which in turn fuels more action. You know, the tactics, some of them by the demonstrators, remind me a little bit of Occupy Wall Street. And I was thinking about this with the producer who was working on this segment. The students were, I mean, six, seven years old, right, that are in college now during Occupy Wall Street. Did it remind you of that movement as well? Absolutely. I think there are echoes of this in everything from sit-ins in the 1960s, where people would, in the

same kind of way would occupy a lunch counter, but that was much more temporary as a tactic. People might be there all day. The Occupy tactic of taking over a space and trying to hold it for days or even weeks is definitely a, you know, we're seeing that tactic echo now in these encampments. And it's a powerful tactic in some ways because it kind of forces tension with the administration, you know, creates a news story every day. But it also is a real challenge for the people in the encampment because there's not an easy way to back down. And so that's where you end up with these conflicts between police, administration, and students. You know, it's interesting, because we've had people here who have been pro-Palestinian

demonstrators, and they have admitted that at times their message has gotten lost, at time the message has been confusing because of the anti-Semitic demonstrators, protesters, language that has been used. How do you think that is faring right now? And how much is that affecting the people who truly care about just helping people in Gaza? Every protest is a contentious event with lots of different, you know, actors. You were talking earlier about graffiti, and this is a classic problem in protests. A thousand people could go out and be in a peaceful protest, and one person can do graffiti, and that could be the front page headline the next day, and so the front page photo.

And so that kind of chaos is very common to protests, and I think this is, There's another layer of ways in which the message might be getting a little muddled, which is there's so much now about the conflict between protesters and administrators and police that it shift the focus away from concern about things like famine in Gaza. And so it is important for any movement, and this is what we see historically, to really be disciplined about the message. And I think you're right that some of that message discipline has been hard to impose, in part, this has been such a spontaneous movement.

Where do you think this goes? Do you think this goes into summer, or do you think once finals are over, once the semester's over, this fades away? Historically, protest movements do spike and fade. And so I think there's reason to think that with the end of the semester, there will be some loss of steam in these protests.

But I also think if the war continues and there are a lot of young people who have time this summer, it may shift, it may not be on campus, but I think it's likely to shift to off-campus protests, to other kinds of targets, like we've seen protests at Biden rallies. So I think there's something people have been mobilized, and I think it's likely to continue as long as the war continues. All right, Professor Omar Wausso, we thank you so much for joining our spotlight interview tonight. As tensions over the war reach a boiling point here at home, the U.S. is leading

an urgent diplomatic push to reach an agreement on a hostage deal before a new green. ground offensive in Gaza. The race for a deal and potential ceasefire comes as Hamas releases video of two more hostages. Andrew Mitchell is traveling with the Secretary of State in Saudi Arabia tonight. Tonight, urgent calls by the U.S. and Arab leaders to reach a hostage deal before Israel launches a ground assault on Rafa, where Palestinians say at least 25 people died in airstrikes today. The U.S. fears a major operation could widen the war and threaten the lives of surviving hostages. Hamas has before it a proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous

on the part of Israel. And in this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. A senior Arab diplomat at today's talk said this could be the last chance. U.S. officials say it is all up to one man, Yaya Sinwar, viewed as the mastermind of the October 7th massacre, and likely living in Hamas's. vast network of tunnels. For the first time, Israel now offering an extended ceasefire if Hamas releases the most vulnerable hostages, the women, children, elderly and injured or sick. Israel

says Hamas says it has only 33 hostages in that category. Hostage negotiators see some hope in proof-of-life videos released recently of three hostages, including Keith Siegel, originally from North Carolina. I just can't believe it's still going on. NBC's Ralph Sanchez. spoke to his daughter and wife Aviva, herself a hostage for 51 days. I couldn't even get myself even to be strong enough to see it. It just takes me to those moments with Hamas that they threatened us and all I can see is Keith's face. The Seagulls and other hostage families speaking out today, adding to growing pressure on

Prime Minister Netanyahu to make the hostages his top priority instead of defeating Hamas. Netanyahu is also pressing the U.S. to push back against potential arrest warrants from the international criminal court, accusing him and his military leaders of war crimes for their conduct of the war. The U.S. says the court does not have a legal authority to do that, Tom. Okay, Andrew Mitchell for us tonight. Andrew, thank you for that. Now to that deadly severe weather outbreak back here at home, a wave of storms including more than 130 tornadoes, thundering through the planes this weekend, leaving at least five dead. As communities start to pick up the pieces, more dangerous weather could be on the way. Jesse Kirsch is in hard-hit Oklahoma tonight. Tonight, a trail of heartbreak runs through the American heartland.

The hotel is just, it's shillables, and it's hard. Officials say at least five people are dead. After a violent tornado outbreak across multiple states. Oh, my God. I got to reach it. Sulfur, Oklahoma, especially hard hit. The small cities downtown decimated, a woman killed. Sulphers fire chief calls her a hometown girl.

What should people remember about the person who died here in Sulphur? Well, I just so happened to know her. She's just a blessing to everybody, and we're going to miss her. Carrie Lee was in another neighborhood when he says he heard the sound of a train. We jumped in that closet. I just had my arm's running. Here it come, boom, boom, boom. It ripped the roof off.

Shea Patrick says her cousin was tracked. with her two-year-old son inside this home down the block. Eventually, they got to safety. This is my whole life, and it's just gone, and it happened just like that. Roughly 60 miles away, officials say a four-month-old baby died. Authorities report four deaths total in Oklahoma, another in Iowa, as dozens of twisters hit this weekend from Nebraska to Texas. When I drove up, I lost, I mean, my stomach went down.

And now I know how other people feel, and I feel bad for them, too. In all, more than 130 tornadoes were reported from Thursday to Sunday. The images chilling. Now homes and businesses are in shambles, as several communities find a new path forward. It's our dream. We're hoping to recover and see. Nearly 48 hours after the tornado struck Solfer, Oklahoma, you can still see. an uprooted tree crashed into the side of this building, and that is hardly the only piece of

property damaged. Block after block in this neighborhood, you can see tipped over trees and ravaged buildings, and this area could see more strong storms on Wednesday. Back to you. Jesse Kirsch tonight for us from Sulphur, Oklahoma, and some of the areas that have suffered so much like we saw just right there, about to get hit again. NBC's Al Roker's tracking the next round of storms. Al, how bad does this next wave look? Well, if there's some good news, Tom, it's not as bad as what they saw over the weekend, but now, because it's been so hard hit there, anything they get is adding insult to injury. You can see that line weakening a bit. The heaviest rain now out into the Gulf, but we move into tomorrow. And here's where we see this new frontal

system igniting more storms, a severe threat from Minnesota all the way down to Texas. As you can see, we do have the risk of severe weather in Oklahoma, but the strongest risk from risk, is from Wichita up to Sioux Falls, damaging winds, tornadoes possible, but hail the big problem upwards of two inches or more from Sioux Falls down to Wichita. Then we move on into Wednesday, another severe risk in the central and south central plains, clusters of storms, Oklahoma City, all the way down to Lubbock, up into again Kansas City. We're going to be watching this. And with all this rain, we have the risk for flash flooding from Des Moines down to Dallas and Austin with rainfall rates, one to two inches per hour. Some of these places may already have

gotten everything they need as far as rainfall for the month in just a couple of days. Tom? And Al, it's been almost a week now of relentless severe weather. Does this stop this next wave, or are we going to feel this on Thursday and Friday as well? Yeah, that's what we're looking for, Tom. We're waiting for the severe storms forecast center to put out their latest reading, but it's all the elements are there for some severe weather both Thursday and Friday. Tom. Okay, Al Roker, great to have you in studio. Still ahead tonight, a major development in a decade's old cold case here in New York City. The remains of a 16-year-old girl killed 50 years ago, finally identified how DNA from a victim of 9-11 helped police get a break in this case.

Plus, Hunter Biden versus Fox News, why the president's son is reportedly planning to sue the TV network. And a day off after the Super Bowl, the schedule changed teased by the NFL commissioner that would mean many Americans would not have to go to work the morning after the big game. Stay with us. We're going to explain this one. Top story, just getting started on this Monday. Okay, we're back tonight with a decades-old cold case. Now, one big step closer to being solved. Authorities identifying a Jane Doe whose remains were first found in 2003 at a demolition site in Midtown Manhattan. Authorities able to figure out who should. she was because of DNA evidence from a family member who died on September 11th.

But now the NYPD is working to solve the case. They've confirmed is 50 years old. NBC, New York's Mark Santia takes us inside this investigation. So this is West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue. Here on a corner of Hell's Kitchen, the past, present and future are intersecting thanks to science and police work. It was February 10, 2003. That's when construction workers made a gruesome discovery while inside a big,

The building set for demolition. We're knocking through the concrete floor, a skull rolled out. There was sledge hammering, basically a concrete block, and that's when a skull rolled. Skull rolls out. This cold case captured the nation's curiosity, the skeleton of a 16-year-old wrapped in a carpet and encased in cement. She was hog-tied with electrical cord, and the remains that were found was exactly how she was. She was in a fetal position. After 21 years, the teenager known as Midtown Jane Doe, now has a name.

and an identity. Her name is Patricia Kathleen McGlone. This is a composite photo that was generated from her DNA profile. Detective Ryan Glass and the NYPD Cole case squad just received the news, the result of teamwork across decades. Detective Gerard Gardner was the case detective that caught the case. He did a tremendous amount of work. It was picked up by Manhattan South Detective Robert Hahn, Lieutenant Michael Sucone. The police laboratory, the forensic investigation division, partners with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the Anthropology Unit, medical examiner's office dr angeloire and dr bradley adams a genealogy tree led to possible relatives from there patricia's identity was discovered because her dna matched that of a family

member who was killed on 9-11 we were able to match that they were from the same family detective glass then began to uncover more about the new york teen including where she grew up she was catholic and that she lived in sunset park she was baptized she received communion and ultimately had confirmation. She went to public school and she went to Catholic school. She went to Charles Dewey Middle School in Sunset Park. Believed to have been murdered in 1969, the location where Patricia's body was found once home to a bar that launched rock stars. Jimmy Hendrix ride all the bands. During the mid-60s to late 60s, that basement was a nightclub, rock and roll club. Inside this cement tomb, not only Patricia's remains, but this right here is the P. McGie

ring. P. McGee Matches to her name, Patricia Kathleen DeVone. 1960s ball of a watch. Within the remains, there was a 1969 dime. That coin gave detectives a starting point in time, also buried with Patricia. There was a plastic toy soldier that was also wrapped in to the carpeting. Detectives believe the toy may have belonged to a child birth by Patricia. Now, with an identification secured, the NYPD is moving onto the next phase of the investigation, catching a killer. With any investigation, especially homicide investigation, the first thing you need to have is a name to the victim because it gives you a starting point.

And Detective Glass says while the building may be gone, walls and people still talk. Any little bit of information helps, especially with cold cases. For this relentless detective and the cold case squad, there is no quitting for Patricia, formerly known as Midtown Jane Doe. It's personal for me because everybody has a daughter, everybody's a child of somebody. You've got to get justice for the people that are killed. In Hell's Kitchen, Mark Santia News for New York. Big thanks to Mark and, of course, WNBC for their help on that one. When we come back, we'll take you to China.

Elon Musk's surprise trip to Beijing, the Tesla CEO meeting with top leaders there earning critical security clearances for the electric car company. How close he could be to getting self-driving Teslas on the roads there and how investors are reacting to that news tonight after his stock took a big hit. That's next. We're back now at Top Stories Newsfeeding. We begin with the looming legal battle between Hunter Biden and Fox News. According to a letter obtained by NBC News,

Hunter Biden's team plans to sue Fox for alleged defamation. The letter also says the network unlawfully published intimate images of Hunter. Fox News did not immediately respond to requests for comments. This comes just ahead of Hunter Biden's trial on gun charges in Delaware, which is set to start in early June. All right, an update tonight out of the port of Baltimore. This is a good one. The first container ship since the Francis Scott Keybridge collapsed has made it through a temporary channel. It arrived at Seeger Terminal with nearly a thousand containers on board.

The temporary passage is expected to close in the next few days, but the Army Corps of Engineers says the main channel is on track to fully reopen by the end of May. U.S. safety regulators now opening investigations into two deadly crashes involving Ford's hands-free driving technology. Initial reports showed Ford's Blue Cruise automated driver assist mode was being used just before the collisions, which were both in electronic Mustang models. One of the crashes happened in San Antonio, killing one person back in February, the other in Philadelphia in March, killing two people. Ford has said it's working with regulators to help the investigation. And some major changes could be coming to the NFL. Commissioner Roger Godell saying in an interview with ESPN's Pat McAfee, he'd love to add a game to the league's regular season, bringing the total to 18.

The move would push Super Bowl Sunday back, meaning it would fall on President's Day weekend. Many fans have been advocating for years to have the Monday after the Super Bowl off. However, some players are concerned extending the season could impact their health. Okay. We want to head overseas down to China, where, Elon Musk made a surprise visit. He met with some of the country's top officials. Musk clearing a major hurdle to bring Tesla's full self-driving technology to roads in China,

possibly opening up a major market for the emerging tech, which has run into roadblocks lately here at home. The news sending Tesla stock soaring, take a look at this, shares up 15% at closing today. Clearly, Musk's performance in Beijing, winning over some in Wall Street. But critics of China say the EV market there is already oversaturated, with supply, fast outpacing demand. CNBC's Eunice Yunn, reports from Beijing tonight. In a surprise trip to Beijing, Elon Musk shirt a joke with the Chinese premiere. President Xi Jinping's second in command

and praised China's push for electric vehicles in the world's largest car market to state TV. It's good to see electric vehicles making progress to China. The visit was a strategic one. Musk, paving the way for Tesla to overcome regulatory hurdles to make his EVs more competitive here, sending Tesla stocks soaring. Beijing announced Tesla past new Chinese data security rules, and the company secured a deal with Chinese AI giant Baidu on maps for Tesla's full self-driving system. A move meant to capitalize on China's drive to bring EVs online en masse. But Washington sees the market very differently. What we're focused on is practices engaged in by China that are unfair and undermine our businesses and our workers.

And this question of overcapacity is the one that is front and center. That capacity is easy to see at the Beijing Auto Show. 278 electric models by brands you probably haven't heard of. The C-L-6 sedan by BYD, the Zeker Mix minivan. And the newest entrance isn't even an auto company. Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi, plans to deliver 100,000 of these cars by the end of the year. The problem isn't that the industry is big. China's critics say it's too big.

Too many companies with too many factories spilling out products in global markets. Manufacturers here have the production lines to make almost 20. twice as many cars they sell in China. There are 139 EV brands in this market alone. The local view is that this isn't a problem. That ED is still a small percentage of overall auto sales. So if you look, the fast-growing nature of this sector, I don't see it actually overcapacity.

In fact, we need to make sure we have good products and good capacity to fulfill the need of growing EV in demand. And that also will help the green transition for Europe and for Europe. The Chinese government is on a marketing campaign to dismiss the overcapacity concerns. For Musk's trip, state media argued his commitment proves the fears are hyped by the U.S. and its allies. At the car show, which Tesla skipped, China still presents opportunities. GM CEO Mary Barra showed up on a low-key visit after the Detroit giant launched four electric

cars here. Michigan-based car expert, Too Lee, points out another byproduct of all the production. Fierce competition. The challenges GM will face is the constant onslaught from every direction, you know, on the mass market side, on the premium market side, on the feature side, on the range side. China wants to dominate advanced technologies like EV and AI, and Musk is a leader in all of that. So from Beijing's perspective, Tesla is assisting China. on its own path towards global tech supremacy.

Tom? Okay, Eunice Yunn from Beijing tonight for us. Eunice, we thank you for that. We want to turn now to Top Story's Global Watch and look at what else is making headlines around the world. We start tonight in Kenya where more than 40 people have died in flash floods triggered by a dam collapse.

This video shows rescuers pulling people to safety as waters gush through the streets of Nairobi. More than 100 people have been hospitalized and about 50 others are still missing. Officials say the dam collapsed following weeks of heavy rains. World Central Kitchen says it has resumed operations in Gaza. The U.S.-based non-profit suspended their food distribution service after an Israeli airstrike killed seven of its team members earlier this month.

The organization, founded by Chef Jose Andres, says for now it will continue operations with the local team of Palestinian aid workers. And WCK is also still calling for an independent investigation into that attack which the Israeli military has called, quote, a grave mistake. And a timeless piece of Titanic history is sold for a record-breaking $1.2 million. This engraved gold pocket watch, take a close look, was recovered from the body of Titanic passenger John Jacob Astor. He was believed to be one of the richest men in the world at the time of the sinking. The UK-based auction house said it's the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia

and will sold to a private collector right here in the U.S. Okay, coming up, rent or buy, it's an age-old debate, but it's swaying one way in big cities right now. A new report showing it's significantly cheaper to rent a home than buy in the country's 50 largest metro areas when you compare it to a mortgage payment. So what's behind this trend, and is renting still a better option for the long term?

We'll explain. Back now with money talks and a new real estate metric making headlines. It's now cheaper to rent than buy a home in all 50 of the largest metro areas across the country because of the elevated mortgage rates and high home prices, of course. CNBC's Diana Oleg has this look into why some are pressing the pause button on the dream of home ownership. Claire Murray has been renting for almost a decade. The 30-year-old pharmaceutical researcher says she can afford to buy a home. home but isn't sure it's the right investment for her. I have seen the economy change. I have seen the

house market really balloon up in a way that kind of scares me from buying a home right now. Homeownership has become so expensive that renting a home is now cheaper than buying one in all 50 of the largest U.S. cities, according to a new report from bank rate. Buying a home is pretty expensive due to high mortgage rates, high home prices, and there's also a lot of competition in the market because there is low, inventory. The monthly mortgage payment for a median priced home, which is around $412,000, was $2,703 as of February of this year. That includes property taxes and insurance. Compare that to the national monthly rent of $1979, which includes renters insurance. That's a 37% gap between

the two. In some cities, that gap is even wider, including San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Austin, Denver, and Dallas. Cities with the smallest gaps, though still more expensive to own, include Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Tampa. It's all giving today's renters a different take on the so-called dream of home ownership. And with that, Diana, Oleg joins us tonight from Washington. So, Diana, short-term renting is the better option, but what about long-term renting? Well, that's the part that's not factored into this equation, which is that home ownership builds wealth over time. It historically always has. So if you're owning your home for five, 10, 15 years, you're going to see that home price appreciation and that value is going to

build wealth, Tom. And then are there bargains out there because of what you're seeing that it's better to rent right now than buy and mortgage rates being so high? Well, I would hesitate to use the term bargain anywhere in the country in this housing market. You're not going to find one. But if you do go to the traditionally lower-priced markets, like the Midwest, parts of the northeast and some parts of the south, you may find in cheaper markets that that equation of buy versus rent is smaller and you can get something for cheaper if you really want to buy. On the coast, though, forget about it. And especially in those really hot pandemic markets, like in Florida or in, you know, parts of Texas that everybody went to in the first years of the pandemic, those are going to be out of price range for many people. You know, that leads to my next question here because, you know, we've talked so much about Florida. The home buying downturn is also affecting sellers there. Newsweek reporting that in Florida, homeowners are struggling to sell even after lowering prices.

This is on the west coast of Florida. Is this a sign of a larger housing market bubble? Or is this just prices were so high post-pandemic that they're now coming down to reality? Well, this is part of a Florida issue. And it's, as I said, it's so many people moved from the East Coast to Florida. Florida during the pandemic, it pushed prices up so high, so fast that they really just overheated. So now, even though sellers are starting to bring prices down a little bit, it's not enough when you have mortgage rates that remember during the pandemic, we were at 3%. Now we're 7.5% on

the 30-year fixed. And so even if you bring those prices down a little bit, it's not going to help today's buyers. And that's why a lot of sellers in Florida are having a lot of trouble. They're going to have to bring those prices down a lot more to see more buyers come in the door. All right, Diana, oh, look for us, Diana, always a pleasure to have you on Top Story. When we come back, the high-tech help coming to wedding planning. Couples now turning to AI to find venues, vendors, and more. We speak to one couple who says using chat cheap E.T, save them up to $10,000. How they use the service to plan their big day and how human wedding planners are also incorporating that technology.

That's right after this break. Oh, I'm going to be a great of your wedding. I'll frank, a pleasure to Mattio. How's this after you have come to the dunga, home? Oh, yes. Oh, the brain, the bride. Right away, I realized this was a mistake of gargantuan proportions. This guy was going to coordinate our wedding.

How? With subtitles? Ah, no. Okay, please come with me, and we'll talk all about our big day. The big day for the bride. And that was a classic scene from the comedy, Father of the Bride, where Steve Martin seemed a bit confused and, overwhelmed with his daughter's wedding planner, Frank. Well, AI may have been the answer. Our

Elwyn Lopez speaks with one woman who saved more than $5,000 in wedding planning services just by using an AI bot. Take a look. DIY weddings are all the rage, but now some couples are diving into AI for their big day. I'm having it be like airy, almost like a flowy summer. Cortizian, her fiance, planning a beautiful Riverview ceremony in Poughkeepsie, New York, hundreds of guests ready to celebrate the couple in August on a day that's come together, thanks to chat, Cheapy T. I said, you know what, I'm just going to take a gander at this, and I'm going to type in something for a wedding. The program listing out detailed options for

bridal bouquet, centerpieces, decorations, and so much more, eliminating the need and cost for a wedding planner. Google's so generalized, right? When you're typing into chat GPT, it's very specific as to what you're asking. So we gave it a shot. Tell me what is the best spot to get married in the United States. The best spot to get married in the United States depends on personal preferences. But destinations like Hawaii, Napa Valley, and New York City are popular choices for their stunning scenery, romantic ambiance, and variety of venues.

What's the most hated song for weddings? One song that is often disliked or considered overplayed at weddings is YMCA by village people. While it's a catchy tune, some guests may find it cheesy or repetitive, leading to it being labeled as one of the most hated wedding songs by some. Okay, good to know. We're not going to play that. And those save the dates, they came from AI2, everything from the wording to the formatting. It even helps out with haggling prices with those vendors. I ended up finding a photographer that did engagements, then bridal,

shower and photography for almost half of the price of what it would have just costed me to get a photographer to do the wedding on its own. Maria says they're saving $5,000 to $10,000 by skipping out on a traditional planning service. According to Bridal Planning Site Zola, in 2024, the average cost for a wedding is more than $30,000. I'm the wedding planner. Even traditional wedding planners have started incorporating AI into their businesses. I've actually used it to explain a few things, to be honest with you, to clients that don't understand necessarily what attrition is when you're working with the hotel room block,

and it is a weird thing. So I used AI and to help me explain it to people. Katie Martin has been in the wedding business for decades. She still feels that there's no replacement for the real deal, especially on the big day. It's the manpower setting up the tables, making sure the table numbers are right, making sure the chair counts are right. And honestly, we're peace of mind a lot of times where we know the person so well by the time they get to their wedding that if I see them nervous about anything, I can fix it. Even still, AI planned weddings are taking off. More than half of couples who are engaged are now eyeing tools like chat GPT to help them tie the knot. To dampen a bit of that wedding planning stress, a little help from AI could help them get to the altar and ultimately to those idos.

So it really does everything except walk you down. the aisle. Pretty much. Pretty much, yeah. Elwyn Lopez joins us tonight from Los Angeles. Elwyn, I think the wedding planner you spoke to is getting to this point that, you know, one of the disadvantages of AI is that if something goes wrong on your wedding day, there's no real person there to essentially clean up the mess or help you fix whatever the problem is when things go wrong. Yeah, that's absolutely right, Tom. I mean, listen, you're not going to have AI telling your mother-in-law to sit at this table versus the table with your cousins, right? The good thing, though, is that a lot of people who are planning their weddings through AI, they have a day of planner.

So instead of paying thousands of dollars for traditional wedding planner, they're paying someone just to be there for the day, and they're executing what AI has already planned. And then, you know, I'm also curious, how long did it take that bride to be to work with chat GPT to start getting real and helpful results? Yeah, so I spoke to her a little while ago, and she said, listen, it took her about two weeks to really get up to speak. with chat gbt and she said that is because she's learned that the broader the question the more vague the answer so by giving a detailed specified questions you get a more narrow response from chat gbt and she says she's been using it now for eight months to plan her wedding and she's had no problems with it so far she is using the free version and she is getting ready for a big day tom all right elwyn lopez we appreciate that report that was a lot of fun and we thank you for

watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.