Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, August 28, 2023

Episode Date: August 29, 2023

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

Tonight breaking news, the hurricane threat taking aim. Tropical storm Idalia gaining strength in the Gulf now projected to hit Florida. Expected to intensifying to a major cat-3 hurricane, the state of emergency declared as millions of Floridians are put on notice for tropical storm force winds and heavy rain as soon as tonight. Mandatory evacuations already underway in some parts of the Sunshine State will have the latest on when and where the storm could hit. Trump trial date, a judge setting March 4th for the start of the former president's election interference case.

One day before key primary contests on Super Tuesday. This has he set to be arraigned on separate election charges in Georgia next week. It's an unprecedented collision of a presidential campaign and multiple criminal trials. Chopper crash horror, a fire rescue helicopter in South Florida, spinning out of control, nose diving into an apartment complex, all caught on camera. Two people killed, including a veteran fire captain, what officials say caused the chopper to go down. Wildfire blame game Hawaiian Electric at odds with Maui County over what sparked the devastating Lahaina wildfires. The company now saying its power lines were off at the time of the blaze broke out.

Families now suing for wrongful death what one of their loyal told top story tonight. Tensions growing in New York's migrant crisis, demonstrations turning violent outside the mayor's mayor's mansion, protesters calling on Mayor Eric Adams to house migrants there with city resources already stretched thin. At least five people charged in the chaos with the mayor's office is now saying. Plus, World Cup foul, FIFA, suspending Spanish Soccer Federation President Luis Rivales for forcibly kissing a star player following their women's World Cup win. That player saying he did not have consent. How he's fighting back and the statement Federation officials just released. And Biles is back. Simone Biles winning her eighth all-around title at the U.S.

gymnastics championships, the record-breaking gold coming two years after she stepped away from the sport citing the Twisties in Tokyo in a battle with mental health. So will the goat be going to the Olympics next summer? Top story starts right now. And good Monday evening to you. We begin with Tropical. storm Idalia barreling towards Florida. The storm currently moving past Cuba. You can see it just at the bottom of the screen here, expected to intensify to a hurricane tonight fueled by the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico. From there to likely make landfall as a major hurricane, you can see possibly even a category three hitting Florida's west coast Wednesday morning. But the potential, the path

of destruction, look at this, it's 300 miles wide with tropical storm force wind stretching 150 miles from the center in either direction. It could be the biggest hurricane to hit the area in more than 70 years. Now, more than 20 million of Floridians are already under alerts, preparing for winds of up to 115 miles an hour, nearly 15 counties under states of emergency, and officials are warning residents to get out. Now, you'd see them doing those sandbags, getting ready for the storm. Evacuation orders already in place for some low-line areas, including Hillsborough and Pinellas

counties near Tampa. Familiar scenes now playing out across the state. Look at this. Empty grocery store shelves and people lining up for sandbags, trying to shore up homes and businesses. But as people race to gas up their cars and generators, dozens of fuel pumps on the Gulf Coast have been contaminated with diesel. This couldn't come out of worse time.

Those stations shutting them down until the tanks are clean, cutting off Floridians trying to flee. We'll have full forecast on what to expect in the coming hours and days with Bill Cairns who's standing by, but I want to get right over to Priscilla Thompson, who joins us live from Cedar Key on the northwest coast, right in Adalia's potential path. Priscilla, how serious are people taking the storm down there? Because Cedar Key pretty much is an island onto itself almost.

Yeah, Tom, and they are taking it very seriously here. Already windows are boarded up. Sandbags are in place as residents are racing against the clock ahead of tomorrow's 4 p.m. mandatory evacuation deadline. tonight Florida's Gulf Coast taking no chances when it comes to tropical storm idalia as coming in the bags that I need and they loaded it in my car idalia could become the strongest hurricane to hit Florida's big bend since 1950 in cedar key Tammy Wilkes is preparing to evacuate and bracing for the worst how bad do you

think the storm is going to be it looks like he's going to be a big one even some of our old locals are pretty concerned at this point several counties under a state of emergency. Mandatory evacuations and school closures along the coast already issued. We want everybody to make the best decisions they can for themselves and their families. Tampa International Airport closing at midnight. Officials urging Floridians to prepare. What we always like to say is run from the water, hide from the wind. Residents and business owners in the Fort Myers area concerned and still rebuilding after Hurricane Ian hit nearly a year ago. hard to see, you know, something that you've built, you know, just destroyed in an instant.

As drivers load up on gas in Tampa, officials warning of fuel contaminated with diesel at more than two dozen gas stations over the weekend. The contaminated fuel could cause damage to engines. Meanwhile, residents are stocking up on supplies and lining up at sandbag locations. I'm just afraid that our luck is going to run out. We're not going to be prepared one time, and that's when the luck's going to run out. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, Cedar Key, Florida. And just like that, we get more of Priscilla Thompson tonight here on Top Story. So, Priscilla, I want you to talk to our viewers about the communities there that stretch from Tampa to Tallahassee,

because you have a lot of different types of communities. You have beachfront, then you have the low-line wetlands as well, and then places like Cedar Key where you are. Right. You have all of that here, Tom. And the real concern in a lot of these communities is the storm surge. Here in Cedar Key, they're anticipating up to 11. up to an 11-foot storm surge, and that is why they're under mandatory evacuation. It's why they're one of the counties included in the state of emergency with the governor activating some 5,500 national guardsmen with 2,400 high water vehicles

that are standing by for search and rescue efforts. As officials here continue to encourage people to evacuate these kinds of areas in anticipation of that life-threatening storm surge. Tom? Speaking of those evacuations there, are you seeing any issues with traffic just yet? So I have not seen the traffic backed up. We drove about four and a half hours to get here. Did not see that backed up traffic just yet, but I will tell you there are very long lines at the gas stations.

I had to wait about 20 minutes to get gas just about 30 minutes from where we are right now. And of course, a lot of these evacuation orders have until tomorrow to leave. And so we could start to see more of that traffic pick up tomorrow, just as that storm is preparing to make landfall. Tom. Okay, Priscilla Thompson and her team there in Cedar Key, Florida, waiting landfall in a couple days. The hurricane threat only intensifying as this system barrels towards Florida. So let's get right over to NBC News, meteorologist Bill Karens, who joins me now in studio. Bill, walk this through for us and also tell me everything that you're concerned about as the storm approaches the Sunshine State.

Yeah, we know we're going to get hit by what is likely a hurricane, possibly a major hurricane. It's just a matter of where it hits and who's going to see the damage that you associate with a storm like that. So it's almost at a hurricane now. There's actually an aircraft flying into the center of the storm as I speak. It'll give us the update. And at 8 p.m. Eastern time, if that plane sees that it's now a hurricane, they'll update us at that point. Now, the storm path from the hurricane center, these come out every six hours at 5 a.m., 5 p.m., to 11 a.m. So this was the 5 p.m. advisory.

You notice 120 miles per hour Wednesday, and then it weekends as it gets on shore. But it's still going to be strengthening as it does this. it'll be, as far as the hurricane center's forecast goes, a strong end category three, possibly even a category four at landfall. So that's in between Tallahassee and Tampa. This is the Cedar key. This is right where Priscilla was located. This is a swamp land. This is a lot of forest. There's not a lot of cities there, not a lot of towns. We're talking thousands of people instead of hundreds of thousands or millions if you talk about the Tampa area. So if we're going to have a category four, three hit somewhere and do the least amount of damage possible, it's there.

But still, that's not what, you know, those people that live there don't want to see it either. And then the storm kind of weakened slowly all day, Wednesday into Thursday for the Carolinas. And we have concerns there also, Tom. And then, Bill, talk to me about the winds and also the rainfall because the Tampa Bay Area, this forecast sticks, will be on that dirty side of the storm. Yeah, so here's all those computer models, and this is the dirty side of the storm here to the east. And, of course, the things you worry about is water. You worry about the rainfall and you worry about the storm surge.

And you notice the storm surge 7 to 11 feet north of Tampa in the Tampa area of 4 to 7 feet, and even the Carolina Coast, 2 to 4 feet. And Wednesday night at high tide with that full moon, two to four feet is going to do some damage there, possibly even around areas like Savannah or Charleston, depending on where the storm's located at that point. Moderate risk of flash flooding all through the coastal areas of the Carolinas in Georgia and portions of north Florida. So you got the water coming in from the coast. You got the rain coming from the sky, and it's all meeting here at the coastal areas. And someone could get up to a foot of rain. As far as the thing I'm least concerned with is probably winds and power outages.

And I just say, how does that make sense? It's a category four. Well, the Cedar Key area, yeah, could see winds up to 120 miles per hour. But notice to the south, the big population centers wins in the 40 to 50 mile power range. That's going to cause scattered power outages, not widespread. So as long as that track holds, Tom, and that's the whole key to everything. If the track holds. Tomorrow night, if I say it shifts at this time, we have a whole different list of concerns.

And, Bill, you remind our viewers while I have you here that hurricanes like Charlie, I think you mentioned Ian as well. They've taken those right turns south of Tampa. Yeah, so that's why everyone in Tampa, 48 hours before Ian hit Fort Myers, the forecast path was up towards Cedar Key like it is now. So that's why they're taking this extremely serious. They know how quickly things can shift. We hope it doesn't do that because it messes with evacuations and traffic. So hopefully it just sticks where it is and everyone can prepare for it.

But Mother Nature is not always so kind. And again, remind us before you go, how warm is that water in the Gulf right now? There's some reports it's in the low 90s. I mean, it's high-octane fuel. I said this analogy earlier today. Right now, this storm is like a candle. going into a firework store. I mean, once it gets over the warm waters of the Gulf,

it's just going to intensify rapidly. All right, Bill, Cairns, Bill. We will be talking to you a lot throughout the week. We appreciate everything you do for us. Next to the fatal chopper crash in South Florida. A fire rescue helicopter began to smoke before it spun around and crashed into an apartment building. All of this caught on video, NBC's aviation correspondent,

Tom Costello, has the details. Tragedy on a life-saving mission. A sheriff fire helicopter trailing smoke, then spinning out of control just 650 feet up. The chopper's boom and tail rotor buckling under enormous strain as it nosedived into an apartment building. Killed in the crash, fire captain paramedic Terrison Jackson and an unnamed female resident of the apartment building. The chopper was responding to a traffic accident with injuries when the pilot reported he was turning around. mechanical issues, we're headed back to per station. A fire broke out on board.

They did their very best, for my understanding now, to try to extinguish that fire. The pilot and another paramedic were injured in the crash, as were two people on the ground. All now reported in fair condition. As the department mourns the loss of Captain Jackson, a beloved 19-year veteran. Harrison was a rock star. He was one of the best of us, one of the brightest. He bled this profession inside and out all day long. The chopper involved is a dual-engine urocopter 135 like this one, used by police and rescue services around the world.

This is a widely used helicopter. It's got a very good safety record. Among the questions for FAA and NTSB investigators, how and where did that on-board fire breakout? Had the chopper recently gone through any maintenance at all? Had any pilot reported any problems recently? But tonight, both the fire and sheriff's departments in Broward County are mourning one of their own. Tom. Okay, Tom Costello for us. Terrible story. Tom, we appreciate your reporting. We move on out of the shooting at the University of North Carolina where a faculty member was killed. The suspected gunman is in custody after the school was locked down for hours.

The incident happening just a week after classes began there. NBC's Ali Vitale is there on the scene for us. Tonight, an alarming if too familiar scene. A college campus on lockdown after a deadly shooting. Koso acted shoot on campus. This time at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I'm grieved a report that one of our faculty members was killed in this shooting. This loss is devastating, and the shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted in our campus community.

It began this afternoon with a school alert for an armed, dangerous person on or near campus. Go inside now, avoid windows. Just one week after classes started. It has a 9-millimeter offal Haitian male. Heavily armed officers swarming the campus. Students walking down the street with hands up. Many posting pictures sheltering inside school buildings. So immediately we all just stayed hiding in the stalls, squatting on the toilets, just scared.

We didn't know what was happening. It was terrifying because you know you see that on your phone and you think it's just one of those things. Police putting out this photo of what they called a person of interest. Then, what appeared to be an arrest late today, shown on NBC Station WRAL. And now they're leading the person around the vehicle in handcuffs. That's the person we saw sitting down on the street with his hands behind his back, getting into the back of that police car. And just after 4 o'clock, the campus, given the all clear.

NBC's Ali Vitale joins us live tonight from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Ali, is there any update, though, on the motive tonight? Tom, that's just one in a string of questions. left unanswered at this point. We don't know why this happened. We don't know how it happened. There's also no identification yet of who the suspect is and who that faculty member was who was shot and killed by that gunman. What we do know, though, is that this is a harrowing and frightening way to go back to school. Unfortunately, though, it's one that's become all too familiar. I can tell you, just in the last little while of being here on campus. We see kids

trying to go about what would normal activity would look like, biking to and from different buildings, but you can tell there is a somber tone here because there's still caution tape up, just as you can see behind me, lights, sirens, a somber tone. Okay, Ali Battalion, that breaking news tonight out of North Carolina. Ali, we appreciate your reporting. We turn out of the latest and former President Trump's legal battles. The judge overseen Trump's federal election interference case set a trial date today, and it's going to collide with what could be the biggest day of the 2024 presidential primary.

NBC's Blaine Alexander has more. tonight request denied that's the ruling from a federal judge to former president trump seeking to delay the start of his federal election interference trial until after the 2024 election instead judge tanya chutkin has set a start date of march fourth prosecutors had requested a january start date but trump attorneys had pushed for a 2026 start saying they needed time to prepare but judge chuckkin said mr trump like any defendant will have have to make the trial date work regardless of his schedule. Today, Mr. Trump blasted it as an attempt to undermine his presidential campaign, calling it election interference. It's yet another collision between the Republican frontrunner's legal calendar and the height of campaign season. That March 4th start date, just one day before Super Tuesday. Three weeks later, the start of Mr. Trump's trial in Manhattan, where a DA is accusing him of concealing hush money payments to a porn star. He's pleaded not guilty. Then on May 20th, the special counsel's case on classified documents. Mr. Trump

has also pleaded not guilty. Not yet on the calendar, the election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, where today his former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, testified about this call from then-President Trump to Georgia's Secretary of State, Brad Raffinsberger. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more that we have because we won the state. Meadows is pushing to move his case to federal court, which would mean jurors from outside Atlanta, not just heavily Democratic Fulton County. All of it is spilling from the courtroom to the campaign trail, where the Trump campaign says it's raised more than $7 million since his surrender last Thursday, including selling campaign merchandise featuring Mr. Trump's

mugshot. And tonight, Mr. Trump's Georgia arraignment has been set for September 6th. He could appear virtually or in person or waive his appearance altogether. Tom. Okay, Blaine Alexander, Blang, we thank you for more on what this means for Trump's legal and political future. I want to bring in our panel of experts tonight, and oh, what a panel it is. NBC News, senior political editor Mark Murray, is in the House.

NBC News Justice and Intelligence correspondent Kendallanian, Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor and NBC News legal analyst, and Shenwu, a criminal defense attorney. I thank you all for being here on top story tonight. Mark, I'm going to start with you, right? Let's pull up the calendar here and talk about what this looks like for the former president. So you see here, we start with the Iowa caucus on January 15th. Then we will have New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina. And then right before Super Tuesday, right now he's expected to be in a federal court. that day before a major day in the primary season. So, Mark, talk to our viewers here because, I mean, even though if Trump does really well in those early contest, Super Tuesday is so critical because you're talking about more than a dozen states are voting, and you're also talking about all those delegates. It's not necessarily winner take all in every single state.

Yeah, Tom, you're absolutely right. This is all becomes a delegate race, and the candidate that ends up accumulating the most delegates ends up getting the nomination. And Super Tuesday always has been the real big prize when it comes some of the biggest states like California will be Super Tuesday states. It's important to note that the Republican primary calendar isn't 100% set in stone. We still don't know some of the delicate allocation. But I think the big consequences, it does put pressure on the early states like Iowa and New Hampshire. Because, Tom, if you end up having a situation where Donald Trump, who is leading in places like Iowa and New Hampshire right now, runs the table in those states.

then ends up winning in Nevada, then South Carolina, and then goes on to Super Tuesday, where he has the delegate lead just at the time that they're starting to select members of the jury for that case on March 4th, then all of a sudden, if Donald Trump ends up running the table there on those races, he will have a clear and significant lead on the Republican race, regardless of what happens in the legal front for him. Ken, there's going to be a lot of questions, right, around why this is all happening right now the middle of the primary calendar. And I think it's always good to remind our viewers of why this is happening now. And to ask these questions, to be frank, right? Because these alleged crimes happened

in 2020. The one in New York happened in 2015, I believe. And so now we're here in 2023. These trials are going to start in 2024. Is there a fair question about why the indictments came down so late, or did it take this long to investigate all these crimes, these alleged crimes? It's absolutely a fair question, Tom. And I think the answer is that each case, has its own story. In the case of the classified documents, Donald Trump really left the federal government no choice but to bring that case. And had he given those documents back when the government first asked nicely, there would not have been a prosecution. That's very clear from the record. Now, when it comes to the New York Hush Money case, that's on the other side of the

spectrum. That was a case that the Justice Department declined to bring, and the New York Attorney General sat on it for a long time and then ultimately finally decided to bring a case, which a lot of people argue would not have been brought against a person not named Donald Trump. So that's in its own category. Then you have the January 6th cases. Now, it's very clear in Washington that the Justice Department initially was not interested in bringing this January 6th case against Donald Trump and the people around him arguing election suppression and election interference, and that the January 6 televised hearings and the congressional investigation really changed the conversation and brought to light evidence that the Justice Department could not

ignore. And then they brought in a bulldog of a prosecutor, Jack Smith, who took that case and ran with it. And we are where we are. And at the same time, another prosecutor in Atlanta was investigating really the same set of facts and brought an even larger racketeering case. And so, yeah, there are questions. And each case has its own story. And some of those questions may never be answered, but we are where we are. Barbara, I want you to kind of serve as the cliff notes, if you will, for our viewers of what's going to happen going forward. Let's talk about the federal election interference case, which is going to happen a day before Super Tuesday. Does the former president have to sit in trial for that entire case?

He actually does. In a civil case, a defendant can waive their appearance and not be present. But in a criminal case, they do need to be present in court. And so it certainly will hamper his ability to be on the road and appearing at rallies in the light. You were a prosecutor. How long do you think that case will take? Frankly, in my view, I think it's going to take at least a month to try that case. I know that they've allotted about three weeks before the next trial is set to go, but it would be a pretty rapid pace to get through that in light of the various schemes that are alleged, the witnesses that are described in the indictment.

It's hard to imagine getting through that in less than a month. And then say he loses that case. He'll have to be sentenced. Will the judge wait till after the primaries, till after the general election? Will the judge not have to consider that just as the primary calendar is not being considered right now? I don't think they should. They may. It's difficult.

We've never been here before. But typically what happens upon a federal conviction, in about three months, a sentencing date is set. So if there is a conviction at the end of March, then we would imagine at the end of June there would be a sentence imposed. There typically is a little bit of time before the person reports for prison. But typically, while an appeal is pending, which most certainly would be taken, appeals are taken in almost every case, the person is supposed to report and not wait for the result of the appeal. So in an ordinary course of events, we could see Donald Trump incarcerated before the November 24th. Yeah, during the Republican National Convention at the end of summer. Mark, I want to go back to you, Shan. I'm going to get right to you in a second.

But, Mark, if it is a close race, if you have a sort of a race between Governor DeSantis and Donald Trump and suddenly Trump is off the campaign trail for a month, do you think it will have an impact or we live in a day and age now where you don't necessarily have to be pressing the flesh and voters know exactly who Donald Trump is? Yeah, I mean, Donald Trump does have name identification. It actually is a benefit for him being the former president and the former leader of his party. But again, Tom, I just think that we would be entering uncharted waters having no idea. Yes, it could end up kind of backfiring in a close race. It could also end up blunting momentum that people like Ron DeSantis and other Republicans might want with all the attention focused on the courtroom and not on their own campaigns. Shen, if you were advising former President Trump, right? I mean, obviously, there's a lot of people that are going to say, listen, the former president got himself into this trouble, and that's why we're here.

But if you weren't defending former President Trump and you looked at everything, would you say that the Justice Department is coming after him because he's Donald Trump and he's running for president again? Oh, no, I don't think so at all. I mean, these cases have one taken a really long time to percolate. In my opinion, DLJ took a little bit too long for it to percolate. So when you say that, Shen, you say a little too long, what do you think the reason for that is? I think this is speculation. I think that Attorney General Garland was very reluctant to go full steam into the Trump cases because he feared that the department would be accused of being partisan and political. Ironically, by waiting and now having it very much in the presidential kind of red zone of the election season, those attacks have even ramped up more.

Now, completely apart from that concern, these are complicated cases. The Mar-a-Lago one is less sprawling than the election interference one, but still complicated. They had to do a lot of investigation, and there's going to be the issues with the treatment of the classified documents. So there's a lot to put together, and DLJ, in its defense, was a little bit busy with the couple of hundred people that they had to prosecute for the actual attacks. Those are some of the reasons why it took longer. Shian, you know, there was a moment in court where former President Trump's attorney said, listen, President Trump is not above the law, but he's also not below the law. There were some contentious moments in the court.

Is that normal the back and forth between the judge, and do you think the judge ruled fairly in this case, setting that court date a day before Super Tuesday? I think the judge ruled quite fairly. I mean, she made it plain that the former president didn't get a special pass just because his profession involves this campaign schedule. I think that the lawyer for Trump was very much playing to his client. You really don't want to ratchet up the temperature in the courtroom to the point where the judge tells you to take it down. You can make your arguments passionately and powerfully without irritating the judge. But I think he probably wanted to appear rather contentious to satisfy his client.

Barbara, we know the judge in the federal election interference case contacted the judge in the New York case that deals with Stormy Daniels. Is that normal in the course of setting court dates and things like that? I don't know that I would say it's normal, just because you don't really have this sort of situation all that often. But there's nothing improper about it. I mean, judges should be showing respect to their counterparts in other jurisdictions. And so to the extent they were able to share with each other the realities of their calendars, their estimates of how long these trials would take, and their mutual desire to administer justice, it seems like an appropriate conversation to have. They were able to work it out.

So I think it was in the best interest of justice for them to coordinate in the way that they did. Ken, take me into the Justice Department right now. I mean, you know, Attorney General Merrick Garland, he appears to the public, very quiet. He says he doesn't want to get involved politically. He's done a couple interviews, mild-mannered. I think that's fair to say. Yet he is overseen maybe the most consequential justice department, at least in my lifetime, probably going back to, I'd probably say Richard Nixon.

I mean, somebody who knows history better than me. can maybe find another time. But he's got these cases against the president, two cases against the president. And then on top of that, he has everything that's going on with Hunter Biden and strange things. I think it's fair to say in that case that's happening with Hunter Biden because they had a deal. There's no deal. And it's going all over the place. What are you hearing from inside? I mean, is it chaotic or are they just handling this? I think you nailed it, Tom. This is not a place that Merrick Garland, the former appeals court judge, who is considered the Supreme Court. This is not a place he wanted to be as a

Attorney General. This is not the part of the job that he likes. He likes going on the road and celebrating big wins by the Justice Department, even though he has to be briefed on these very significant cases. Behind the scenes, he will never talk about them. They're trying to keep him away from all this and create the impression that he's not really involved. In fact, he really does have to be informed because he has a chance to block any moves that these special counsels make. But it horrifies him and all the people around him, and frankly, the people at the FBI, too, that they're getting sucked into these highly politicized disputes about the legal system. And they're very concerned that there's a perception in the

land that all of this is not on the level. And they don't know, frankly, Tom, what to do about it. Mark, before we go, and I think it's important to remind our viewers, the former president raised, I think, $7 million off the mugshot down in Georgia. And he's raised a lot of money, and he's paying for a lot of these legal bills through the money he's been able to raise. He's got more than 90 criminal counts against him. It's going to cost millions to defend himself, but the money is there for now, at least. Yeah, the money is pouring in. And of course, after these indictments that he's had, we've actually seen his poll numbers go up. But I do think, you know, sometimes campaign money is finite resources, money that you would want to be

able to use for campaign ads to the general election if you make it. And paying money in legal fees obviously isn't the ideal situation for him. But Tom, we have to kind of wait. and see, and I'm just most interested in this, the cumulative fact, particularly on Republican primary voters. Right now, Donald Trump is in the poll position. He is leading in the polls, but what do the next four months bring as we all head into March 4th? And I'm curious about that. Yeah, is there exhaustion, is there sympathy, what happens, and how the other candidates do as well. Mark Murray, Kendallany, and Barbara McQua, Chenwu. I thank you so much for your time tonight. We do want to turn out of the latest from Maui because we do have big news coming out of Maui.

Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric now facing more than a dozen lawsuits over that devastating Lahaina fire. But for the first time, we're hearing the company say their power lines were actually de-energized for hours before those deadly flames broke out. Sam Brock explains. Almost three weeks after fires ravaged Maui, claiming at least 115 lives and leaving hundreds unaccounted for. See them right there. That's a power line that started. Hawaiian Electric, facing more than a dozen lawsuits for allegedly not de-energizing its power lines ahead of a severe wind event where properly maintaining its equipment released a series of new assertions, including that the fire at 6.30 a.m.,

the morning fire appears to have been caused by power lines that fell in high winds, that the Maui County Fire Department responded and reported it 100% contained, left the scene and later declared it extinguished. And perhaps most importantly, at about three p. A time when all of Hawaiian Electric's power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours. A second fire, the afternoon fire, began in the same area, with the cause undetermined. Jerry Singleton's law firm represents some 300 people suing the utility. What is your response to seeing what the company said overnight about the fact that they are saying the lines were de-energized for some six hours? Well, that's obviously the first we've heard of it. We have looked at the evidence very closely. We have people on the ground.

absolutely no evidence to support HECO's claim. In contrast, all of the evidence we've seen is that the lines were energized. One of the parties that Singleton Shriver represents, the family of Lorenzo Buddy Jantock the second, who suffered second and third degree burns to 90% of his body according to the lawsuit, leaving behind children, grandchildren, and a rich legacy. If there was a plan to de-energize the lines, Singleton says that's not what Hico told the federal government about a PSPS or public safety power shut off. For Hiko, to say on the one hand, in a filing that's under penalty of perjury and that is with the SEC, that they did not have a PSPS. And then on the other hand, to say that they shut

off the power is completely inconsistent. Hawaiian Electric has declined our request for an interview. But less than a week after the fires, the company's CEO told Tom this. Why didn't she shut off the power when the wind started to pick up? As I said earlier, it's still in the early days, we're still looking at all the information, and we haven't actually had a chance to do all of that at this time. With all the respect, it's been six days, though, so almost six days. And we've been putting everything we've got to helping our communities right now and our employees who are going through a lot and supporting them so that they can support the communities. You may be talking about what happens in California in the shut-off program,

And so we, like most utilities, don't have that program. Four days ago, before he goes latest statement, Maui County's attorney told us there should have been a plan to de-energize power from the beginning. The failure to de-energize their lines in 2023 for a for-profit investor-owned utility is really below the standard of care. This is a systemic or systematic failure across the entire power grid. Another critical question here is whether there were two separate fire events or if the original morning fire later produced an ember that tore through Lahaina. The ATF has not yet

determined the cause of the fires that have forever changed this magical place. Sam Brock joins us live from Lahaina tonight. Sam, I want to go back to that last point. When a fire is contained, it doesn't necessarily mean it is out. Do we know if those strong winds carried embers and started that second afternoon fire? Yeah, Tom, that's a key point. We do not know Whether or not there was an ember from what Hiko is called the morning fire that then carried on to a larger blaze that destroyed Lahaina, which you're seeing over my shoulder here, in fact, accounts from residents, and Maui County's lawsuit itself suggests that could have definitely happened. So there's a contradiction there. As we look at all this right now, Tom, and try to understand what the implications might be. There are so many questions about the particulars of what happened when, and we don't have answers at this point. Yeah, it's also very interesting that we're learning now from Hawaiian Electric all these weeks later that those power lines were de-energized at the second time around the afternoon fire. I do want to ask you, we also do know that Maui County responded to, or I should ask you, has Maui County responded to these allegations because we know firefighters were stretched thin that day? Right. So Maui County's attorney, the attorney that they hired for this case, has responded.

it was a short but sweet statement and basically says, prove it. I want to read you a portion of that right now. They said to the extent that HECO has information of a second ignition source, HECO should offer that evidence now. The ultimate responsibility rests with HECO to de-energize, ensure its equipment and systems are properly maintained, and ensure that down power lines are not energized. And the point here, top, is that all these attorneys attached to these lawsuits

say that since basically 2020, at the latest, after Paradise, after the Tubbs fire, after the situations that we've seen in Oregon, The protocol is to de-energize prior to the wind event. And by all accounts, right now, by Hiko's own admissions, it doesn't seem like they did that. Yeah, and Sam, it's so incredible to know that in the days after that fire, everybody was standing side-by-side, arm-and-arm, and now the county and the energy company are both suing each other

and fighting and blaming each other. All right, Sam, Brock, a lot of great new reporting for us down there from Lahaina, Sam. We appreciate it. Much more ahead on this Monday here on Top Story. Up next, a South Carolina college student shot and killed after going to the wrong house. How did this happen? What his family is saying and how the stand your ground law may affect what happens next. And American Airlines slapped with millions and fines a record just how long they kept travelers waiting and violated their rights. Plus, a criminal investigation has been

launched into a scandal because of this. The growing calls for Spain's soccer federation president to resign after a non-consensual, very public, kiss on the lips. You're watching Top Story. We're back now with that heated migrant crisis here in New York City. A protest outside the mayor's mansion turning violent last night. This is just the latest in a series of demonstrations by residents across the city pushing back on plans to house more asylum seekers. NBC's Valerie Castro reports. Protests turning violent amid a growing humanitarian crisis in New York City

as migrants and asylum seekers continue to arrive. about 100 demonstrators on both sides of the issue clashing outside Gracie Mansion the mayor's official residence and calling on Mayor Eric Adams to open the doors to house migrants there the NYPD reporting a police officer was injured and six people were arrested including Curtis Sliwa a conservative talk radio host who led the protest the mayor's got to understand this is going to get bigger and bigger and bigger Tensions mounting as the city opens additional shelters, more than 200 so far, including 15 large-scale humanitarian relief sites like this one on Randall's Island, according to Mayor Eric Adams.

But in a conservative stronghold like Staten Island, You're going to show. I'm right here. You're all kidding with this. Outrage greeting the new arrivals, sent to a temporary 300-bed shelter at a former school. The city of New York did not ask for any type of input as to, where that we're going to put these migrant shelters. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochel appealing to President Biden for help, sending a letter calling for expedited work authorizations, federal financial assistance, and additional sites for new shelters on federally owned properties, similar to one announced last week in Brooklyn

at a former World War II Naval Air Station property. This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved through the federal government. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announcing $77 million in funding for communities receiving migrants like New York City and the Biden administration asking Congress to approve 600 million more for those cities. New York City officials say they're eyeing hundreds of other sites as potential shelters while more than 58,000 people are currently in the system and that number only expected to grow. We have a long tradition of welcoming people here and that will continue. All right, Valerie Castro joins us now in studio here on Top Story. So both the mayor and the governor, one of the things they agree upon during this crisis,

is that the work authorization should be fast-tracked. Is that something the Biden administration can do? So there are two senior officials with the Department of Homeland Security that tell NBC News. There is no way to fast-track this. The rule says that migrants, asylum seekers, have to wait 180 days before they can even apply for that authorization. Those officials say, for that to change, it would take an act of Congress to change the law. law. So that's definitely not going to be the fix for New York City's problem. Okay, Valerie, we appreciate that. Okay, we turned to another tragic shooting in the Carolinas. We told you about the one

what happened at Chapel Hill. Also, a college student gunned down after trying to enter the wrong house on his street near the University of South Carolina. What his family and friends are saying tonight and the new questions about the moments just before the fatal shots. Christian Dahlgren has a story. It appears to be a mistake gone terribly wrong. A 20-year-old college student left dead after trying to enter the wrong house on his South Carolina street. Tonight, Nick DeNofrio from Madison, Connecticut is being remembered as an exceptional student and athlete. I remember the last time we played together, our senior year, we were both very emotional

because we knew it was the last time we'd ever be on the court together. The sophomore at the University of South Carolina had recently moved into a house on South Holly Street, the same street where police say a call came from at 2 a.m. Saturday. First, a report of a burglary. Caught it to the subject working the door. Quickly upgraded to shots fired. On order to subject, we see it. Police say when they arrived, Donofrio was deceased, a gunshot wound to the upper body.

They have not said who shot him, simply that they continue to consult with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office regarding the circumstances of the case. South Carolina does have a stand-your-ground law, also known as the Castle Doctrine, which allows someone in their home or place of business to not. retreat and use deadly force in self-defense. These laws cannot and do not stand for the proposition that if you're on somebody's porch by accident, they have the right to shoot you. You have to be in fear in South Carolina of imminent, great bodily injury or death. It's not the first time something like this has happened. Earlier this year, a white man in his 80s shot and wounded black teenager Ralph Yarl when he rang the wrong doorbell. While 20-year-old Kalin Gillis died when someone shot at the car she and her friends were in,

when they accidentally pulled into the wrong driveway. Tonight in South Carolina, the investigation continues, as DeNofrio's family tells our affiliate WIS, we were very lucky to be his parents and love him very much. He was the son that every parent would wish for. Now let's go back to those other cases for just a minute. In both of those previous instances, there were charges filed in spite of those states having stand-your-ground laws or a castle doctrine. Authorities in South Carolina haven't indicated what they plan to do, but legal experts say it's going to come down to whether prosecutors believe the homeowner could have reasonably feared for their life. Tom? Okay, Kristen, still ahead tonight, the record fine after thousands were left on airport runways for hours. That's next.

We're back now with Top Story's News Feed, a judge ruling today that the case against the father of the Highland Park Parade Shooter can continue. Robert Creamo Jr. was indicted on seven counts of reckless conduct. He had signed the form which allowed his son to purchase the rifle using the deadly 2022 shooting. Seven people were killed and several others injured. Cremo Jr. faces three years in prison if convicted. A trial date for his son has not been set just yet. American Airlines hit with the largest fine ever for keeping passengers on board planes during long delays. The Department of Transportation leveled the $4 million plus fine. After investigating over three years' worth of flights, the airline kept 43 flights on the ground for at least three hours

without giving travelers the chance to plane. Rules about handling ground delays passed a decade ago. Okay, we turn now back to our major story, the hurricane threat bearing down on Florida. Officials there watching the track closely tonight monitoring where tropical storm idalia could make landfall as residents prepare for intense winds and life-threatening storm surge. We're joined now by one of those officials, the mayor of Gainesville, Mayor Harvey Ward. Mayor Ward, I know it's a busy time for you. So thanks for joining Top Story. You're the mayor of a town that has one of the biggest universities in the country. I just saw that the University of Florida will be canceling classes after Tuesday. What is the evacuation process like? And are you asking people to evacuate Gainesville?

I know you're a little further inland than some of those coastal communities. No, we're not asking folks to evacuate from Gainesville. Very likely, Gainesville ends up being where people evacuate too often from some of the more coastal communities. So we try to have some storm-hardened shelters available through county government and be available to help folks from other places. You know, it'd have to cut a pretty direct path to hit Gainesville. There's a lot of Florida that it could go through. As you mentioned, you're a little further inland, but if this is a category three, category

four hurricane, are you still going to be concerned about that and whether your shelters are strong enough? Absolutely. We're always concerned. You know, we're Floridian, so we know how to prepare for a storm. The question is, how seriously do people take it? And I want to encourage everyone here in the Gainesville area to take it very seriously. This could do tremendous damage to our homes, and we want to make sure everyone is as prepared as possible and taking this very seriously.

How do you make sure all those college kids aren't too cavalier if the storm were to be on track for Gainesville? So the University of Florida always does a great job partnering with us and with our county government to make sure that people are listening. And most of our students here at the University of Florida and at Santa Fe College are Floridians as well. They're familiar with the drill. A lot of them up from South Florida, they're pretty aware of how this should work. Finally, Mayor, this issue of some of the gasoline in the state of Florida being tainted with diesel, is that affecting residents in your area, or is that south of where you're mostly in the Tampa Bay area? That's been south of here.

We're lucky to not have been experiencing that issue. Mayor, I hope you guys are safe, and I hope the hurricane doesn't come anywhere near Gainesville or any part of Florida, for that matter. We thank you for your time tonight. Your lips to God's ears. Thank you. Coming up here on Top Story, the kiss without consent details on the new investigation in Spain after this moment was seen around the world. Back now to Spain and the scandal rocking the Royal Spanish Football Federation after a soccer chief gave a woman's team player a kiss following the country's World Cup win. That chief remaining defined as outrage mounts. NBC's Molly Hunter has the latest on the calls for his resignation and a new investigation.

into his behavior. Tonight, after a late-night meeting in Spain, the regional presidents of the Spanish Soccer Federation now calling for Luis Rubialis to resign. For days, the outrage has been building tonight on the streets of Madrid. Spain's embattled soccer federation chief already suspended, now under federal investigation.

The Spanish prosecutor's office announcing pretrial inquiries today, a formal investigation into sexual harassment. FIFA, a provisionally sidel. lining Rubialis for 90 days and banning him from contacting Spanish national player Jennifer Hermoso. It's been just eight days since Spain won their first ever World Cup, a history-making moment, and it was followed by this.

Rubialis kissing Hermoso on the lips, a kiss, she said, that was not welcome. The Federation chief brushing off initial questioning about the advance. But in the following days, calls for her final. But in the following days, calls for accountability began to surface. As pressure mounted, Rubialis continued to downplay. Well, well, it's what occurred, I think, that in a manner very spontaneous, I repeat, without any one of the two parts, no. His failure to apologize only made protests grow louder.

The disculpas that has given the senior Rubiales not are sufficient, even, I think, that not are adequate. Ruby Alice, maintaining his defensive stance, insisting the kiss was consensual. And I said, a piquito, and she said, But Hermoso, the top score for Spain, is crystal clear. As seen in the images, at no time did I consent to the kiss he gave me, I do not tolerate that my word is questioned, and much less that words are invented that I have not said. Adding, she's been under continuous pressure to make a statement that could justify his

actions. Ruby Alice digging in, saying it was more of a peck than a kiss, and insisting repeatedly, he's not going anywhere. No, I'm going to admit it. No, I'm going to admit. No, I'm going to admit. No going to admit. As the Spanish government began suspension proceedings, the soccer world uniting to support Hermoso.

Her teammates saying they refuse to play until he's removed. Eleven members of the team's staff resigning over the controversy. As fellow players stand in solidarity, Orlando athletes in wristbands saying, with you, a banner that reads, we are all with Jenny, and shirts reading, this is over. Hermoso, looking on from the crowd while Madrid and Milan players show the same message, we're with you, Jennifer Hermoso. Even England's team, which lost to Spain in the final, showing their support.

We stand up for what to write. Spain's deputy prime minister vowing her support for Hermoso. What we've seen, I think it's all the now disgraced Federation chiefs saying he will legally defend himself. Tom, now that the investigation has been officially launched, Hermoso has 15 days to issue a formal complaint. But Tom, the Spanish players say this is structural. This is a problem in the system. And this right here, this moment, is a reckoning. Tom, they also say they have been trying to say this and to fight this for years.

But now that they've won the World Cup, now that they're winning, people might actually listen. Tom. Still ahead tonight at Gymnastics icon, back on top. Inside Simone Biles' winning and record-breaking performance at the U.S. Championships, stay with us. Finally tonight, the historic moment at last night's U.S. Gymnastics Championship. Simone Biles winning a record eighth all-around title, a full decade after her first title. NBC's Emily Aketa has the details. In her first U.S. championships in two years, Simone Biles twisted, flipped, and soared her way to another entry in the record books.

She's the best in the world and back in a big way. Reminding America why she's called the greatest of all time. Nailed it. With the encouragement from training mate Jordan Childs, 10,000 fans. erupted into a standing ovation as the 26 year old clinched her eighth national all-around title it's really amazing everybody in here believes in me and my teammates believing my coaches my family everyone so I just need to start believing in myself a little bit more biles is the first person to ever win eight national titles her first came in 2013 so long ago she says she can barely remember it it feels pretty good but it hasn't really sunken in yet now she's the oldest national champion ever appearing to have shaken off the twisties from the Tokyo Olympics. I just seriously can't believe I'm out here competing again.

I just really can't. So I'm proud of myself for that. Her commanding score making clear, Biles is back and continuing to pull off the impossible. Like this vault, no other woman can do. As for what's next, you don't want to tell us if Paris is one of those personal goals? Not yet. The 4'8 Dynamo is leaving fans on the edge of their seats. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. That does it for us tonight.

Thanks so much for watching. Top Story. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.