Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, August 7, 2023

Episode Date: August 8, 2023

85 million Americans are under alert as powerful storms hit the East Coast. Two firefighters and a pilot are dead after two firefighting helicopters collide in California. Dasha Burns presses Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in an exclusive interview with the Republican presidential hopeful. The Bolivian community in Washington, DC celebrates their country’s independence. And the family holding “living room concerts” for a Dallas mother suffering from stage four cancer.

Tonight, breaking news, a dangerous summer storm on the move. 84 million Americans under alert tonight from Mississippi up through New York. Hurricane strength winds expected near the nation's capital. The federal government shutting down offices early. All employees urged to escape the threat. The same system spawning multiple tornadoes in the Midwest. A deadly bus crash reported overnight in Pennsylvania as torrential rain started coming down. Plus the moment raging floodwater sent this home tumbling into a river.

Also tonight, the investigation to why two firefighting helicopters collided in mid-air, killing three people. The emotional tribute from that devastated department as authorities launch a probe into how this operation went so horribly wrong. The DeSantis sit down, Ardasha Burns, with an exclusive interview with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The moment he was pressed about whether he thought the 2020 election was stolen, what he said for the first time, plus how he's explaining his double-digit deficit to former President Trump, his stances on immigration and abortion, and the rare look into his

personal life as the First Lady of Florida opens up about her health battle and how her husband stepped up in those moments. Overseas the plot to kill Zelensky? This woman detained and accused of helping Russia pinpoint their number one target, how they claim she did it and the new threat tonight as an unprecedented number of warships moves into the waters around Alaska. Plus, a toxic inferno raging in New Mexico. What's burning under all those flames that has authorities worried for the public safety? And concert, for one, the moving moments inside the smallest concert venue in Texas. How musicians, big and small, are coming together to give this mother of two in the fight of

her life. Reasons to smile. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We want to get right to our top story on this Monday night. 84 million Americans under alert at this hour as powerful summer storms battered the East Coast. This is the bullseye we're looking at tonight. Major hubs, including Raleigh, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, all in the danger zone tonight. With heavy winds, hail, and even tornadoes of possibility. The outer bands of that storm already pounding Maryland and West Virginia. You can see the hail really coming down in this video here. And ground stops issued at major airports up and down the eastern Searborn. More than 7,000 flights canceled or delayed tonight. And this storm only expected to get stronger. We want to show you the power it has unleashed already. Authorities in Pennsylvania looking into whether heavy rain caused this charter bush to crash killing three people. And no question of what we're looking at right here. A large funnel cloud spotted in central Illinois overnight. And the

most striking display of the power of Mother Nature tonight, floodwaters near Juneau, Alaska, carving away at the riverbed, sending an entire home crumbling into the water. But it's that storm on the move back east that we're watching closely tonight. You see it right here. Federal government employees sent home early in D.C. drivers urged to stay off the roads. NBC's Vaughn Hilliard is there in the belly of the beast tonight and leads us off. Tonight, the summer of severe weather from coast to coast is raging on. Wild weather closing in, forecast to bring the strongest storms in a decade to the nation's capital, including damaging winds, tornadoes, heavy rain and hail, forcing government

buildings around Washington, D.C. to shut down, sending all federal employees home this afternoon. Ground stops at airports across the eastern seaboard, from Atlanta to D.C. to New York, as the FAA reroutes flights to avoid the storm. With more than 6,000 delays and 1,300 cancellations nationwide. It's very frustrating, very, very frustrating. If I wasn't such a big girl, I'd actually cry. It comes as 84 million from Tennessee to New York are under the threat of up to 75-mile-per-hour winds. It looks like our buses on its side.

Heavy rains are also being looked at as a potential cause of a deadly charter bus collision just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where three people were killed and dozens more were injured, including several children. It had flipped and everyone just kind of was flung off to the side. It was intense. The same storm system moving east hammered the Midwest over the weekend. A confirmed EF2 tornado with wind speeds as high as 135 miles per hour, reducing several homes in central Illinois to rubble. Now a massive swath of the country is bracing for more. All right, Vaughn Hillier joins us tonight from Washington, D.C. Vaughn, I think we caught you maybe in between some rain bands there.

You mentioned those millions bracing for more severe weather. What's the latest on the forecast heading into tonight? Right, Tom, this is sort of the unpredictability of these storms. Right now, the forecasts all the way from Georgia through North Carolina, Maryland, up through upstate New York. You can see these bands moving and swirling around here. That first band just passed through the D.C. area. but the expectation is in the hours ahead, the more wind gusts and lightning, dredcho like impact potentially here not only in this region,

but across the eastern seaboard, could very well play out here in the hours ahead. That's why the forecasters say really take alert and precaution, and even though one ban passes through, that means another ban could very well be on its way. All right, Von Hillie, you're leading us off tonight, Vaughn. We thank you for that. Extreme weather, including relentless heat, also fueling fires across California. that have now turned deadly. Two fire helicopters colliding in mid-air

while trying to prevent a small brush fire from exploding in size. Three people killed, including an assistant chief and a captain of the Cal Fire Department. Morah Barrett reports tonight from L.A. Tonight, an investigation into a tragic helicopter crash above Southern California. Three-way, air, tight period, top in mid-air to listen

between 3-7 Sierra and 5 Alpha Sierra. Two Cal Fire helicopters colliding in mid-air while fighting a brush fire in Cabazon, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. One helicopter managing to land safely, but the other chopper crashing to the ground, killing all three people on board. We have lost three great individuals, three fathers, three husbands, three friends, three sons. The victims identified as 46-year-old Cal Fire Assistant Chief Josh Brown. Bischoff, 44-year-old Cal Fire Captain Tim Rodriguez, and 56-year-old contract pilot Tony Sousa. In the hours after the crash, a row of firefighters and dozens of emergency vehicles. Lining up for an emotional salute to their fallen colleagues.

California Governor Gavin Newsom now ordering flags at the state Capitol to be flown at half staff, saying in a statement, this terrible tragedy is a reminder of the dangers our courageous firefighters face daily while working to keep our communities safe. The FAA and NTSB are now looking into how this happened, while the state's largest fire department mourns three of their own. The sacrifice should not be in vain that we think about them. We will be there to support them. All right, with that, Mora Barrett joins us now live from Los Angeles.

Maura, I understand a second fire started after the chopper crash. Right, a four-acre fire started. after that crash, but luckily, they were able to control that and put it out quickly this after the original fire spread from a building then to nearby vegetation. And unfortunately, this appears to mark the first firefighter deaths in California this season, Tom. All right, Mara Barrett with that story. Morrow, we appreciate it. Lawyers for former President Trump responding tonight after special counsel, Jack Smith, requested a protective order regarding the 2020 election probe. Trump's legal team calling the proposal overbroad and saying

the government is trying to censor him. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell explains. Tonight, a new push in the legal tug of war between former President Trump and the special counsel. It's free speech. This means that we cannot ever criticize. In a late filing, Trump lawyers countered Jack Smith's request for a protective order, arguing it violates his First Amendment rights.

Worse, it does so against its administration's primary political opponent during an election season. The special counsel asked the court to, in effect, put up guardrails to protect the government's evidence, a consequence of Mr. Trump's prolific social posts. Among them, if you go after me, I'm coming after you. The special counsel writes, it could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses or adversely affect the fair administration of justice in this case. Mr. Trump firing off his own response.

No, I shouldn't have a protective order placed on me because it was. would impinge upon my right to free speech. Trump attorney, John Loro, outlined defense strategy. Mr. Trump had every right to petition government and enforce his First Amendment rights. And made headlines when he described Mr. Trump's pressure on Pence to halt the electoral count. A technical violation of the Constitution is not a violation of criminal law. That's just plain wrong. All right, Kelly O'Donnell joins us now. Kelly, Trump's lawyers tried to hash out a compromise on the order. What exactly are they looking for?

Well, Tom, it's interesting. They worked over the weekend on the phone and sending back ideas between the two sides. And part of what the Trump team wants is to restrict how much of the government's evidence that the former president could not talk about publicly. They're saying it should only apply to the most sensitive government information and not things like interviews or public statements that they think he will want to talk about. And they also say that this is about political speech at a time. speech at a time when Donald Trump is a candidate, Tom? Kelly, before you go, I also know there's some new reporting out there on Trump's

counter suit against the writer E. Jean Carroll, who had sued him successfully? That's right. He had tried to have a countersuit, and that was dismissed, because the judge found that she, E. Jean Carroll, had been substantially truthful in her comments, and there was no malice. And so that puts that case off the list of the legal dramas that were following when it comes to Donald Trump. Tom? Okay, Kelly O for us, Kelly, we appreciate it. Next tonight to NBC News's exclusive interview with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The presidential candidate making headlines with his comments on former President Trump and his claims that he won the 2020 election. Ardasha Burns sat down with DeSantis in a wide-ranging interview to ask about his slide in the polls,

his stances on immigration and abortion. And Dasha tonight joins us from the trail in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, live here on top story. And Dasha, Iowa is where Governor DeSantis, is hoping for a major upset. Yeah, Tom, that's exactly right. The polls show that while Trump has a wide lead nationally and here in Iowa, his lead here is a little bit narrower and softer, so the DeSantis team hopes they can chip away at it here, and that's critical because the governor's entering into the 2024 race was hotly anticipated.

He was coming off a high after his very, very slam dunk reelection in Florida. But now months into his campaign trail here, he's not the one dominating the polls. It's Trump. And so we talked about all of that. We talked about where he is in the race. We talked about some of his policy positions. Take a listen. All right, Governor, look at the start of this year.

You were a rising star in the GOP. You were neck and neck with Donald Trump, widely considered the obvious and potentially the only viable primary challenger. to the former president. Then you jumped in the race, and the story kind of changed. Trump has gained ground. You've lost ground. Donors are starting to look elsewhere. Challenges for the Trump alternative mantle are feeling emboldened. What happened? Well, that's a narrative. I don't think that's an accurate narrative. I mean, at the end of the day, we're here on the ground building the type of organization that you need in Iowa. We're doing the same thing in New Hampshire. Tonight, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis making his strong

As long as declaration yet against his rival, former President Trump's claims of a stolen election. You've made your position clear that you believe the justice system is too-tiered, that it's weaponized, but when Trump is spending his arraignment day attacking you, I mean, why not fight back and point out the downsides of being a president who is under three, maybe four indictments? Well, two, a couple things. One, it's not really about Donald Trump. You know, it ends up being about Trump. But that is ultimately why it's more important than just one former elected official. Second thing is, is, you know, at the end of the day, I've been very clear about how we win the election. If the election is a referendum on Joe Biden's policies and the failures that we've seen, and we are presenting a positive vision for the future, we will win the presidency,

and we will have a chance to turn the country around. If, on the other hand, the election is not about January 20th, 2025, but January 6th, 2021, or what document was left by the toilet at Mar-a-Lago, if it's a referendum on that, we are going to lose. And that's just the reality. You know with Trump and the race, that is largely what it's going to be about. And right now, you're not fighting against Joe Biden, you're fighting against Trump. That's not a pathway for success for the Republican Party. So you recently said the election is what it is.

You said, all those theories that were put out did not prove to be true. So can we just put this to bed so you don't have to be asked about this a million more times? Yes or no, did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election? Whoever puts their hand on the Bible on January 20th every four years is the winner. Okay, but respectfully, you did not clearly answer that question. And if you can't give a yes or no one, whether or not Trump lost, then how can you? Of course, no, of course he lost. Trump lost a 2020 election.

Of course. Joe Biden is the president. But the issue is I think what people in the media and elsewhere, they want to act like somehow this was just like the perfect election. But as DeSantis tries to keep voters' minds on the upcoming election, he's been putting out a series of policy announcements, among them immigration. You've said that folks can use deadly force, that law enforcement can use deadly force, saying if cartels are trying to run product into this country, they're going to, end up stone cold dead. How far might you take that method for preventing illegal crossings in general? It's similar to like if you're in the military. You have rules of engagement. Anyone that's hostile intent or a hostile act, which the cartels are, you know, you would then engage with lethal

force. You yourself were an advisor to Navy SEALs. You know how hard it is sometimes when it comes to rules of engagement, how to tell good guys from bad guys, especially when folks are crossing the border under cover of night. How do you discern if it's a child, a mother, or a cartel member? Obviously, if it's a child, I mean, you're not going to do that. But I mean, they have... Right, but a pregnant mom and a baseball cap with a backpack. They have indications. I mean, I think it's, I mean, if you have people blow torching through a border wall, that is not going to be, that's not going to fly. But as you mentioned, the wall isn't everywhere. How do you know you're using deadly force against the right people? It's the same way you would do in any situation.

Same way a police officer would know. Same way somebody operating in Iraq would know. You know, these people in Iraq at the time, they all looked the same. You didn't know who had a bomb strapped to them, so those guys have to make judgments. Recently, another snack for the DeSantis campaign. His biggest individual donor threatened to pull back his cash unless he can get less extreme and show he can win over moderates. A chief concern, the six-week abortion ban DeSantis signed in Florida. It's an issue Democrats have worked to use against Republicans on the campaign trail. And it's something DeSantis touts when he's stumping in states like Iowa, but less so in states like New Hampshire. The governor has implied the issue should be left to the states.

What Iowa's done is not what New Hampshire is going to do, and what Wisconsin will do is not what Texas is going to do. So would you veto any sort of federal bill that tries to put a nationwide ban in place? So we will be a pro-life president, and we will support pro-life policies. I would not allow what a lot of the left wants to do, which is to override pro-life protections throughout the country all the way up really until the moment of birth in some instances, which I think is infanticide. Well, actually, I got to push back on you on that because that's a misrepresentation of what's happening. I mean, that 1.3% of abortions happen at 21 weeks or higher. There's no evidence of Democrats pushing for abortions up until. Their view is, is that all the way up into that,

yet there should not be any legal protections. There is no indication of Democrats pushing for that. Well, yes, they are. They've done it in California. They've done it in other states. They have not instituted that policy. Yeah, they have. They basically will say that, you know, if there's some type of, like, they'll use, like, different ways to really have a light exception for it. It's extremely rare.

1.3% and in those circumstances, they're typically extremely emotional decisions. Well, I mean, I don't say that that's the norm in terms of this, but I do think that the left in this country has moved on from a position that said, you know what, we do want to discourage abortion. It's not something that's a good thing. to now viewing it more as a positive good for society. And I think most Americans, regardless of how they feel on legal protections, I don't think most Americans think it's a positive good for society.

It's obviously a tragic circumstance. But it's education that thrust DeSantis into the spotlight. His battle with Disney spurred by the company's opposition to his bill restricting schools from teaching about sexual identity and gender orientation. And now DeSantis is getting blowback for Florida's new African American history standards. Let's just talk about your take on these new standards, and the one sentence that's received the most backlash. I'll just read it to you. Instruction includes how slaves develop skills, which in some instances could be applied for their personal benefit.

So let's just be clear. You believe this is an important topic that should be taught in schools. So that means they develop skills in spite of slavery, not because of slavery. It was them showing resourcefulness and then using those skills. I think the issue people take with is the word. word benefit and the overall framing of the Florida standards where, you know, looking at the AP course versus yours, the word enslaver appears dozens of times in the AP course. It doesn't appear once in your standards. And the criticism that I've seen beyond just that one sentence

is the general framing of a slightly more positive. No, that's not true. I mean, there's all the gory details are in all of those standards. We've made African-American history of priority, and we're going to continue to do that. But we are going to speak the truth, and we're going to fight back. On the campaign trail, DeSantis is rarely alone. His three young children and wife Casey, often by his side. She brings the pop of personality that some say isn't the governor's strong suit, and she's become a surrogate of sorts. And so when you see that firsthand and you understand the fight that he was taking, like, why would I not

in this fight? Why would I not want to be out there singing from the rooftop that this is a good dude? She's very good at articulating things that I think a lot of parents feel right now. And so I think she resonates. And she resonates really across the board, I think, with a lot of mothers. Especially mothers who've experienced similar personal challenges. In October 2021, Casey was diagnosed with breast cancer. You never know when something like that comes upon your family. And so I had to rely on him in a really big way. There were times. when I was going through six rounds of chemotherapy. I was going through six weeks of radiation

in three surgeries, and I couldn't get up. I couldn't do very many things. I couldn't pick up my three-year-old when they wanted me to hold them, and I had to tell him a little bit of a fib that mommy's arm hurts, and I have to go back to the hospital because it's about my arm, and it wasn't about the arm, and to this day, they have no idea what I've been through.

And he was there to go pick up my kids when I couldn't. And he did it with humility, and he did it. humility and he did it with love. And I'll tell you what, I can't ask for a better husband than that. Yeah, you know, I mean, so. How does it feel to hear her say that? I mean, well, look, that's, you know, in sickness and in health, that's what you sign up for. I mean, and so she's not only my wife, she's my best friend, and she's the person that I would want, I've always dreamed to be the mother of my children. And so, you know, this is just what you do.

All right. With that, Dasha Burns joins us now live again. Dasha, you know, that's the side of the DeSantis family. I think a lot of people haven't seen just quite yet. And I think there's a reason for that, right? In the beginning, he sort of avoided the mainstream media. I don't think it's a mistake that he sat down with you for this wide-ranging interview. Talk to me about this campaign reboot and what you're seeing following him from state to state there. Well, look, I think you're right. What you saw on the screen there just sitting down with us is a big part of that. reboot, being more open to the media. I've seen him doing gaggles at a lot of these stops, which was not something he was doing earlier on. And his engagement with voters has really changed. At the outset, he was on these big stages, behind podiums. There were bike racks in front of the stage, so he had a lot of distance between himself and the voters. Now, his events are smaller. They're more intimate. And, you know, he'll get attacks from the Trump campaign that he's not getting those big crowds. But that's actually a more strategic move from the campaign.

to get him into these settings where he can really try to connect with folks and introduce himself to people. And I have seen him sit down at those booths in the diners and have those conversations and have his family at his side for a lot of that and introduce them to folks as well. So that's really been the biggest shift that I've seen is really start leaning into the retail that you have to do in states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, where folks really expect to meet the people that they're going to be caucusing for or casting their ballots for, Tom. And how are you seeing the role of the First Lady of Florida in this campaign? I mean, we saw there.

She's a mother to two small children, and her husband is running a state, but also on the campaign trail. She is playing a major role, Tom, not like a role I've seen for a spouse of a political candidate in a very long time. I mean, she is out there in full force. She is running an initiative called Mamas for DeSantis, where she's trying to engage mothers and grandmothers behind this movement. And she is really articulating the message, something he's been hammering around parents' rights, around education, and delivering it with that personal touch, with that charm, that charisma, that personality that maybe he's not as well known for. So she's become a major asset, and they're going to be seeing a whole lot of her in the coming weeks and months, Tom. All right, Dasha Burns with that big sit-down interview, Dasha, we appreciate all your reporting. For more on the wide-ranging interview in Governor DeSantis at a turning point in his campaign, trying to try and out that reboot, isn't it enough for the governor to pull ahead of Trump and win over GOP voters without agitating the MAGA base?

NBC News political contributor Steve Hayes is joining us tonight. He's the CEO of the Dispatch. Republican strategist Noel Nick Poor, sees the author of Branding America, and Democratic strategist Michael Starr Hopkins. He's the CEO of Northern Star Strategies and served on the campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Steve, I'm going to start with you. You've covered a lot of political campaigns. You've covered a lot of GOP candidates. Is an interview like this the type that can move the needle for a candidate?

Yeah, look, I think what you're going to hear from Republicans is where was this? Why wasn't this happening, you know, in May at the end of the legislative session in Florida? Why wasn't this happening in January when Rhonda Santos was polling pretty strongly among Republican primary voters and Donald Trump was weakened? I think this is a positive step for Ron DeSantis. You're not going to beat Donald Trump by trying to be Donald Trump or being trumpier than Donald Trump. We know that his initial strategy was to peel off some of the MAGA base and then go for the rest of the Republican Party. I think he's making arguments sometimes just stating the obvious Joe Biden won the election in a way that I think shows that he's willing to stand up to Donald Trump and say things that look like they're not calculated for political gain. Well, on that point, that seems to be the headline, right?

That's generating with a lot of people here. Will that alienate those people who love Trump and has now DeSantis lost that voting block completely? Not exactly. And what, first of all, Bravo to Dasha Burns for pulling emotion out of Ron DeSantis and his wife. I have never seen an interview like that to where I felt that he was more humanized because they have kind of the Mitt Romney effect where they have like a robotic. answers and movement. And this is the first time I really saw emotion and the fact that they're connecting as a couple and they're not just on there, you know, like a power cup or trying to do a power grab. That, the answer to your question, might be an answer to peel off or, you know,

get somebody to look at him through a new lens as not trying to be more Trumpier than Trump or not saying, you know, he's got too much baggage, but appearing as a candidate on a his own merit with his own attributes so that they can actually look at him. And I think it was a smart shift. Michael, I want to talk to you, you know, sometimes candidates, if they do win the nomination, then they move back to the middle. And Dasha pressed them about some of those education standards when it comes to slavery. And that statement that has got so many people talk and really upset so many people. And his answer was that slaves develop these skills in spite of, not despite being a slave. Is that going to work when it comes to black voters in the

general election? Not at all. You know, one of Ron DeSantis' biggest problem is that the energy he has for the media and for African Americans, he never brings to Donald Trump. You know, Andrew Gillum said in 2018 that Ron DeSantis may not be a racist, but he certainly sounds like one. And when you continue to talk about slavery in a way that talks about the positivity from it, that's a losing argument. And so that's why you're seeing Ron DeSantis lose voters. That's why you're seeing him lose donors because he not only looks weak in, but he looks cowardly. And so when you're a candidate without a constituency, there's really nowhere to go. He can't out-trump Trump, and he's not going to attack like Chris Christie. So at this point, he's just treading water. And when you're

treading water against Donald Trump, you're going to get drowned. Steve, you know, as we were watching the news today, we're talking about this interview, we're talking about some of the questions we wanted to ask this panel. And you look up and on every single screen of every news network. It's a picture of Donald Trump, and it's multiple stories in every hour. Can other candidates survive? Can they grow when you had the former president sucking up so much oxygen? Yeah, look, I mean, this is the reality that these candidates are living and are dealing with. The way to not do it is to pretend that Donald Trump doesn't exist or to amplify his arguments. It was stunning to me that you had so many Republican would-be opponents of Donald Trump

essentially getting his back on the claims that we saw on the latest indictment as it relates to election fraud and January 6th make a contrast. You know, those candidates are candidates almost to the person who had been critical of Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 election and on January 6th. So for them to be critical of Donald Trump now would have meant that they were continuing an argument they had already been making. He's been indicted three times. You might not like the first indictment.

I don't like it. The second one is pretty strong. The third one, I think, is pretty strong. But to campaign against Donald Trump, without talking about those things, strikes me as crazy. Noel, you work with GOP fundraising. You've seen some donors have left DeSantis' sides. Others have asked for changes. Is this normal at the beginning of every campaign? Because we're still sort of very early in the process. It is. And you brought up a good point. You do see a lot of shifting with the major donors. But the thing that I pay attention to are the two things that Barack Obama and Donald Trump had in common, and that's the momentum donor. That's the small donor, and that's what I'm paying

attention to, because when Ron DeSantis announced, he raised 8 million on that announcement date. Five million came from Ken Griffin, so he really raised three with individual donors. What I'm looking at is to see where the momentum is, and that's where I pay attention to. And it's very normal when you have a lot of shift, because if you're not pulling well and DeSantis seems to be kind of stuck, you're going to have a major donor, which he has to say, hey, until you improve where you are, I'm not going to do anything. But where I really pay attention and look at are where these, you know, $10, $100 contributions are coming because those donations, they are votes. That's somebody that's going to actually vote because a big donor

can stroke a check for $2 million, $5 million, whatever, for a super PAC. But that's one vote. That's one person. Michael, we saw in the midterms how abortion affected Republican candidates up and down ballots. And I do question, what do you think? going to happen with Ron DeSantis if he does make it to the general election and how he campaigns on that six-week abortion ban in Florida? Abortion was an anchor for Republicans in the midterms, and given their focus on it in 2024, it's going to be even worse. Look, this is a campaign that's had a reset on a reset, on a reset. And now their strategy is to debate the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, someone who isn't even running for president. So, you know, I think when we talk about

this candidacy, he's merely trying to preserve his governorship in Florida, not win the presidency of the United States of America. Michael, on that point, what do you think Governor Newsom is doing? I'm glad you brought that up. I mean, I think we know what Governor DeSantis is doing. What is Governor Newsom doing? Governor Newsom's being the best surrogate that Democrats have. I mean, his ability is he doing that, or is he trying to position himself in case something happens to President Biden? No, I think we all know that President Biden is going to be the nominee. But Governor Newsom, I think, is showing that he is the future of the party. and his ability to take it to Republicans and go on the offensive is something, I think,

is a blueprint for all Democrats. You don't think there's some kind of power play here behind the scenes just in case something happens, and President Biden is not the nominee? No, there's no conspiracy here. I think the VP is a strong, but... I think the VP is a strong candidate. It makes for good TV. All right, Michael, we appreciate it, Noel.

Thank you so much, Steve Hayes. As always, a pleasure. We thank you all for joining Top Story tonight. Still ahead, a toxic inferno in the Southwest. Take a look at these pictures, a massive blaze, sending plumes of smoke into the air in New Mexico. What's burning there that has residents' concern for their safety? Plus, multiple arrest warrants issued over this all-out brawl on a dock in Alabama. What happened here?

Why some are arguing the confrontation was racially motivated. And Hank the tank's reign of terror. Look at the size of that bear. Coming to an end where police finally tracked down the black bear that has broken into more than 20 homes and where she's heading now. That's right. She's a she. Top story, just getting started on this Monday night. All right, we're back tonight with the fallout in Alabama after a massive brawl in a Montgomery boat dock. You may have seen some of these videos. Police now have issued arrest warrants in the case, but what was behind it all?

NBC's Priscilla Thompson has the details. Outrage is growing across the country over these now viral viral. videos appearing to show more than a dozen people in an all-out brawl on the downtown Montgomery Riverfront. No arrests have been made, the mayor says, but investigators have issued four arrest warrants and say they're reviewing videos of the incident and that more could be coming. It's something that shouldn't have happened and it's something that we're investigating right now.

The chaos unfolded Saturday night after witnesses say a worker asked a group multiple times to move their pontoon so a commercial riverboat could dock. Krista Owen says she filmed this video from on board the river boat they're mad this guy who came off our boat is untying his boat and touching it but it needed to move a brawl starts and within seconds several people appear to join in witnessing our poor crewman being attacked by these guys and we couldn't do anything about it y'all these white folks don't need black men that work security after the riverboat docks fighting erupts again police on the ground struggling to contain the chaos but eventually getting some in handcuffs. The mayor now placing the blame on several reckless individuals for attacking a man who was doing his job and vowing that justice will be served. The mayor declined to say whether investigators believe this fight is racially motivated, adding only that the investigation is ongoing. Tom? All right, Priscilla, thank you for

that. When we come back, the giveaway gone wrong, an update tonight on the influencer whose event caused a chaotic and dangerous scene in Manhattan. the charges he's now facing and how he's responding. All right, back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a massive fire in New Mexico, sparking health concerns. Dramatic video is showing an enormous plume of black smoke billowing from a plastic manufacturer in Albuquerque.

Health officials urging people to limit time outdoors due to toxic chemicals that could be released from that burning plastic. Officials say the fire is contained but could smolder for days. It's still unclear what caused that fire. And an update on that chaos that erupted in New York City during a giveaway event on Friday. You may have seen some of this video. Police say Twitch streamer Kai Sanat was charged with inciting a riot and promoting an unlawful gathering. Sanat had promised to give away several prizes, including a PlayStation,

when a mob began damaging property and clashing with all. officers. His group AMP apologized and said they do not condone that behavior. And a massive black bear wanted for more than 20 home break-ins in California has finally been captured. Wildlife officials say Hank the tank and her, yes her, three cubs have been taken to a wildlife sanctuary in Colorado. DNA has linked the 500-pound bear to extensive property damage in the South Lake Tahoe area since 2020. Okay, now to an NBC News investigation into a popular baby product, nursing pillows, our reporting revealing that they've been linked to more infant deaths and the government has announced, and now regulators want to warn consumers about how to use these pillows.

Here's senior consumer investigative correspondent, Vicki Wynn, with what you need to know. Taylor Wells returned to work when her daughter Autumn was six weeks old, and trusting her baby to daycare staff near her minister. Mississippi home. She was sweet and she was happy. She laughed all the time. But in March of 2022, Taylor's phone rang at work. The first thing I hear is you need to get to the hospital. Autumn's not breathing. So, you know, of course, I run as fast as I can. I ran into the emergency room and I could tell, I could see them working on her. Four month old autumn was found face down on a nursing pillow covered completely with a blanket according to her death certificate.

It showed she died of asphyxiation. It's hard to even describe what happens when they tell you that your child is no longer with you. More than a million nursing pillows are sold in the U.S. each year. They're designed to position baby and mom comfortably for breastfeeding. But an NBC news analysis of internal federal documents and public records found more than 160 babies have died in incidents involving nursing pillows since 2007, most commonly when the pillows were used as sleeping devices or to prop babies up.

Babies are dying in the products, and they shouldn't be. Commissioner Rich Trumka with the Consumer Product Safety Commission says later this month, the agency will propose its first safety regulations for nursing pillows. CPSC has known about infant deaths linked to these nursing pillows for decades. Why hasn't the agency taken action sooner? So when I got here a year and a half ago, the agency had recognized the hazard and had already commissioned a study. Researchers found nursing pillows that were firmer with more defined,

edges were safer. Some of these products have labels with pictures showing different ways to use the nursing pillow that is not related to breastfeeding. Is that okay or not? I've got great concerns about that. Labels warn against allowing babies to sleep in the pillows. Are the pillows the problem or is the problem that people aren't using them properly? We're not going to blame the parents who are using these pillows. If a product is sold to you and it looks like it can be used for sleep, it should be safe for sleep.

And we want to make sure that things that aren't for sleep don't look like you can lay your baby down to them. Boppy and Leachco, the makers of two popular nursing pillows, pointed NBC news to an industry-funded group, which says drastically changing the shape of the vast majority of nursing pillows could have a negative impact on breastfeeding. The group is funded partly by Boppy. Leechco is a member. Emergency medicine pediatrician Dr. Lois K. Lee says babies should be placed on their backs on a flat surface to sleep without any soft objects. So my recommendation to parents is absolutely use it to support breastfeeding so you're comfortable and the baby's comfortable, but after that, put it away. In June, Taylor Wells welcomed baby Eliza.

She's hopeful any new government rules on nursing pillows will include a broad campaign to reach parents and caregivers everywhere. That's what we really need. We need education because that is what is going to save lives. That's what's going to save babies. For now, experts say only use nursing pillows while. breastfeeding and never leave a baby alone in one. Vicki Wynne, NBC News, Belmont, Mississippi. All right, we thank Vicki for that important story. And coming up, the woman who wanted to kill

Zelensky, the new allegations coming out of Ukraine. Ukrainian officials arresting a woman, they say, was helping Russians target the president for an assassination airstrike. Richard Engel coming up after this break with those details and much more. Welcome back to Top Story. Time now for a look at what's happening around the world. And we start with Global Watch and a manslaughter investigation underway in Italy after that boat crash killed the U.S. publishing executive. Officials say Adrian Vaughn was killed after a motorboat she was on with her husband and two kids slammed into a sailboat off the Amalfi Coast. Authorities say the captain of that Vaughn was on did have traces of alcohol and drugs in his system and is now being questioned by police at the hospital. No one else was hurt. Now to the deadly train derailment in southern Pakistan,

officials say 10 cars of a passenger train. You see it here overturned and went off the tracks. At least 30 people killed. Doesn't still hurt. No word yet on what caused that derailment, but train crashes there in Pakistan have become common as a result of poor infrastructure. And U.S. imports from China continue to plummet

as relations remain tense. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. imports from China are down, 24% through the first five months of just this year. This has led to Mexico now becoming the U.S. top trading partner. Companies such as HP and Stanley Black and Decker are just some to be changing their supply lines with China. And we have major news out of Ukraine tonight. Officials say a woman has been arrested in a plot to assassinate President Vladimir Zelensky. She's being described as a Russian spy. NBC's Richard Engel picks up the story from there.

Ukrainian intelligence says this unidentified woman is a Russian spy captured while carrying out a plot to assassinate President Zelensky during this trip to Mikolaiev last month. She was allegedly tracking his movements so he could be targeted with a Russian airstrike. The Kremlin so far not commenting on the accusations. With its counteroffensive stalled, Ukraine is pushing the war beyond its borders. There was a sea drone attack. last week near a Russian port. But Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ally China's President Xi are projecting their power abroad too, sending an alarming new message to the

United States, Ukraine's main backer. A patrol of 11 Chinese and Russian warships cruised together near Alaska. The Pentagon saying there was no direct threat, but sending four destroyers and a reconnaissance plane as a warning. The threat to Alaska is growing. Lester talking to the top-ranking U.S. military officer there just last month. How do you see the Chinese threat, the North Korean threat? I see the Chinese threat ever increasing in the Pacific. I watch their cooperation with the Russians. I look at the Russian access in the Arctic with their bases, and I do have concerns.

China says the patrols were not hostile. China also took part in Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. Negotiators only agreed to meet again. All right, coming up, a mother in the fight of her life battling stage 4 cancer and the beautiful gift of music. Her family, friends, and even strangers are giving her when she needs it the most. The special concerts with some big name acts happening right in her living room. Stay with us. We're back now with the Americas.

This weekend, Bolivia celebrated their Independence Day. And as you're about to learn, Washington, D.C. houses the largest population of Bolivia. here in the U.S. Marissa Parra visited their community and found there's a new generation eager to share their culture with the world. This has become a ritual for Maria Luz-Cocalujan. By days she works in construction, but by night is when her second job and true passion begins. Putting on a different uniform, one rich and vibrant in color, she wears her culture on her sleeve, a proud Bolivian from head to toe. Speaking Spanish and Quechua, she goes to live on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, to the hundreds and thousands of viewers around the world watching.

She's known as Kancha, her mission to share the culture. That was my point when I started this one. We just, in the Quechua, we want to like keep in because any language, if we don't use it, we don't speak it, it will be dying. She does it all from her Virginia garage just outside Washington, D.C. She's one of roughly 60,000 American Bolivians who call the area. By leaps and bounds, it is the largest Bolivian population in the United States. There's a name for it, Arlington Bamba, Arlington, Virginia, and Cochabamba, Bolivia are thousands of miles apart, but the play on words reveals a close link. It's one you have to be a part of to really see.

There are no statues or murals that give it away. The biggest signs are the restaurants. Selling authentic Bolivian dishes like this one, sweet and savory pastries filled with a sort of meat stew, known as Saltonias. You can find some Bolivian. restaurants here, for sure. Which is rare. I don't think I've ever seen Bolivian restaurants outside of Bolivia. This pocket of the population is affectionately called Little Bolivia. Between the 60s and the 80s, political turmoil and hyperinflation drove waves of Bolivians

to leave the motherland behind in hopes of a new life. Word of mouth spread about one area that showed great promise. Washington, D.C. at that time, really was not an immigrant destination. immigrants from Bolivia found that they could get into the job market here pretty easily. Those families eventually laid the groundwork for the Arlington Bamba we know today. My family was no exception. My grandfather moved my dad and the family from Bolivia to the U.S. in the 1960s, eventually settling in Maryland, just an hour away from the closest Bolivian restaurant, which we'd visit every year in Virginia.

It was a small way for our family to keep our culture alive. Across generations, food and drink have a way of doing exactly that. Earlier this year, Casa Cantuta began bringing the Bolivian spirit to D.C. Nightlife. Now the nation's first Bolivian cocktail bar. The hats identify, you know, ethnicity. This is where we mean Julia Garcia. She arrived decades ago from Cochabamba, over the years earning the title of Mama Julia, the community's historian.

You're seeing people posting on TikTok that they're proud. What does that feel like for you? It's so different from like 10 years ago, more freedom than before. Before we was just hiding. In an age where a generation proudly reclaims their roots online, on a world stage far beyond Little Bolivia, now she's filled with pride. You feel united. You feel like somebody is with you. You are not alone.

We feel like that. That's the way that we live in Arlington, Bamba. From Washington, D.C., Marissa Para, NBC News. And finally tonight, if you were battling stage four cancer, how would you spend your time? For one Dallas doctor, the answer is music. Thanks to one of her students, her husband, and an outpouring of support on social media. Jay Gray has this beautiful story. There is, many say, a rhythm to life.

Always love music. We love live music. For years, music has quite literally filled the home of Dr. Michelle Nichols, her husband and their two young girls, the family, hosting living room concerts with some of their favorite artists, the shows, evolving into fundraising. for area non-profits. It's just been fantastic. I drink a coffee. It all started when one of her med students asked to join Michelle during a chemotherapy session

when she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2010. He brought his guitar and remembers one of the songs she requested. The music, shifting to the anthem of a fighter. Never slowed down, worked full-time through chemotherapy, like Marathon did rang. marathon did rent triathlons like amazing but seven years after her initial diagnosis Michelle knew something wasn't right that's when the stage four diagnosis came the battle that's lasted more than a decade now taking its toll started losing muscle mass and

realized okay the things are changing her husband Greg a radiologist recently stepping away from his practice I think she said you know I just want time with you and the girls, and I really don't want anything else. But the music never stopped playing. Michelle, deciding she wanted to bring the concerts back, the couple sharing their plan with her former student, now a colleague and dear friend. And they had this moonshot dream of having these worldwide recognized artists

perform in their home during their final days, weeks, months. Overwhelmed, he turned to social media for help. They have two kids who are also beautiful people and who are going to miss their mommy a lot and they want these final amazing memories together. They said, you know, nothing amazing will ever happen if you don't want to ask. So I'm asking. The family emotional as the plea went viral

with more than 2 million views in just a week and bands and artists lining up to play. This is a really special thing. I'm just so glad that we're able to do it. Even singer-songwriter Ben Folds performing a private concert for the family over Zoom this weekend. I just, I feel so much love. Going through what we're going through. You get demoralized for sure.

But it gives me so much hope. Her hope, faith and determination. I'm still praying for a miracle. A light she refuses to allow her illness to dim. That's what I hope to do with all this, is to shine light in dark places. Because she says no matter what the future holds, there will always be another song to sing. Michelle, we are thinking about you tonight. Keep singing your song. We thank Jay Gray for that story, and we thank you for watching Top Story Tonight.

I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.