Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, December 12, 2022

Episode Date: December 13, 2022

Millions across the West and Southern U.S. brace for blizzards and even tornadoes, 1,200 migrants flood the U.S. border in one of the largest single crossings in decades, a Los Angeles City Council member is caught brawling with protestors, the suspected Lockerbie bomber is charged in a three-count indictment nearly 34 years later, and the Golden Globes are back after a slew of controversies.

Tonight, the severe weather threat across the U.S., millions bracing for blizzards, heavy rain, and even tornadoes. Parts of California buried under five feet of snow. Cars and trucks stranded on the interstate, winds topping 100 miles an hour, creating treacherous white-out conditions. The blizzard, now taking aim at the Great Plains before threatening the south with tornadoes. We'll have the full forecast in moments. Also breaking tonight, mass migration, 1,200 migrants, flooding the the southern border in one of the largest single crossings in decades. Families waiting through the Rio Grande, huddling near fires to stay warm, what immigration officials say is driving this record surge. The dramatic video out of Los Angeles, a city council member already embroiled in scandal, brawling with protesters at a holiday event. What the lawmaker says happened

moments before that fight as calls for his resignation grow louder. Owning the conversation Twitter CEO, Elon Musk, igniting a firestorm after joining comedian Dave Chappelle on stage and appearing to target left-wing ideologies in a series of tweets. Is it all an effort to court conservative voters or is there more at play will take you inside the controversial Twitter takeover? Plus, lucky to be alive, the terrifying moment. A boat nearly runs over a scuba diver in Hawaii why no one on board could see the man below the surface. And Taylor's surprise, reveal. The new tickets going on sale after that ticket master disaster left so many swifties in tears. The special group of fans now getting a second chance to snag a seat.

Top store starts right now. And good evening. As we come on the air tonight, that monster snowstorm out west carving a dangerous path, now taking aim at the Great Plains, blizzards, flooding, and tornadoes, all on the before the system is finished. Let's take a look at what it has done already. Northern California, look at this pummeled with nearly five feet of snow. I-80 shut down in both directions.

Cars and trucks stranded in near white-out conditions and Donner Pass. Slick roads in Utah causing this bus to lose control and slide off the edge of the highway in Box Elder County. At least 12 people injured there. The heavenly ski resort in Lake Tahoe forced to shut down, and you can see why.

winds violently whipping around lift chairs, this system packing gus of up to 169 miles per hour. And as this system moves east, that power could trigger tornadoes, parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Mississippi on alert. By the end of the week, the East Coast will be this system's final target, NBC New York's Janice Huff, standing by to time it all out for us. But first, let's get right to Miguel Almagare on the ground in Northern California. Miguel, we see you there in the snow. It is intense. Yeah, Tom, it was a total whiteout in this area. And this region was bracing for snow.

And as you mentioned, they got about five feet of it. Take a look at just how thick and how deep this snow is. And it goes down several more feet beyond here. This region was ready for a nightmare, but this nightmare isn't over yet. Blasting and blanketing California, Sierra Nevada. This is the western winter whiteout that dumps some 48 inches of snow in 48 hours. Reeking havoc on the roads and blinding drivers stranded on Interstate 80 for hours, the blizzard conditions also packed hurricane winds, 169 miles per hour.

Some still choosing to brave the treacherous conditions. I know people want to get in this fresh powder, so that's cool, but for what I'm doing, I don't think it's worth it. The deadly conditions also triggering avalanche warnings, dumping some five to six feet of snow. in some areas. From a white out to a washout. Flash flooding and fears of mudslides rippled across southern and northern California. Near Sacramento, down power lines trapped drivers in their cars until emergency crews could shut off electricity. Whatever you do, don't get out of the car. Outside Los Angeles, rescue teams pulling this man to safety when flooding

tore through a drainage canal. With big rigs jackknifed in Washington State, a bus rolled over in Utah. 18 hospitalized here, including two victims in critical condition. Moving from west to east, Colorado now bracing for its first blizzard warning in nearly two years. This as a separate storm system dumps snow and sleet in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and upstate New York. Perhaps a taste of what's still to come, as Western woes could become the East Coast misery. All right, Miguel Amagher joins us now live again from Truckee, California. So Miguel, I've got to ask you, talk to us about where exactly you are there in Truckee

and how high that snow is. Well, Tom, we're about two hours outside of Sacramento, the state capital here in California, and the snow here is thick. We were anticipating four to five feet of snow, but in some areas, we think it's at least six feet high. We mentioned 48 inches of snow in four. 48 hours, but at one point, we were getting upwards of five inches of snow an hour, and it's spread across this vast region. Everywhere you look, Tom, you're seeing snow banks just like this.

They're going to have a really tough time digging out of this. And again, the snow fortunately has stopped falling, but the problems are just beginning, Tom. Yeah, this could extend into the following week. Miguel, I've got to ask you, we're talking about blizzards and we're also talking about tornadoes. How are some states preparing for the dangerous night ahead? Well, Tom, we showed you all of those problems on the road. They expect those to happen all across the country. Officials after seeing what happened in California are pleading for everyone to stay off the road and just to stay home. This storm system is so dangerous.

It's moving so quickly. It's dumping snow. It's dumping rain. It's dumping sleet. Officials say the best way to avoid it is to just stay out of it, Tom. Miguel Almaguer, leading us off tonight here on Top Story. monster snowstorm and where it's headed next. NBC, New York chief meteorologist Janice Huff and my good friend joins us here on set. So Janice, walk us through the next couple of days.

Okay, so the storm is now gathering strength over the northern Rockies, and we're expecting it to intensify and then move across the country. It's going to affect the entire country one way or the other. As a blizzard on the north side, there are already blizzard warnings in effect for parts of the Dakotas, Wyoming, Nebraska. They're expecting more than a foot of snow, maybe even a foot and a half of snow from the storm and wind. And out in front of it in the warmer air is where they're expecting severe weather. That starts tonight in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas and Nebraska. And then it moves east tomorrow and portions of Texas down towards the Gulf Coast, New Orleans,

Shreveport, Louisiana. And then it moves even farther east. And that severe part of the storm moves into the Florida panhandle. So places like Tallahassee, Panama City, Pensacola, Florida will be under the possibility of maybe some severe weather on Wednesday, and we're talking about severe thunderstorms with hail, damaging winds, and isolated tornadoes. Then it moves to the East Coast, and with it moving to the East Coast, we could see a mix of snow and rain here in the Northeast as well, Tom. So, Janice, in the weekend, as people start to travel for the holidays, what will it look like on the East Coast for the

weekends and this storm? Very similar to the storm we just saw yesterday, where there will be rain right along the immediate coast, and the north of New York City is going to be a lot of snow. There could be accumulating snow for New York City. It could be the first time of the season, but definitely a lot of snow inland. All right, Janice, how for us? Janice, we appreciate that. Turning now the latest at the southern border and the shocking images coming out overnight. You can see there are hundreds of migrants lining up to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.

The caravan crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas, and the surge coming just days before Title 42 comes to an end. NBC's Guadvanegas explains it all. A massive border crossing in Texas overnight as hundreds of migrants trekked across the Rio Grande to reach the United States. Fires burning to keep them warm and cold temperatures. Men, women, children, and entire families lining up at the U.S. border after crossing illegally from Mexico. Mexican authorities say an estimated 1,200 migrants crossed into El Paso, Texas, turning themselves into the custody of U.S. border officials. The 80% were in Nicaragua.

The other 20% was very, very, very, um, unctrida, Guatemala, Salvador, Peru, Venezuela, also, Panama, there were Cuba,

there were some people of AIT. The U.S. Border Patrol sector chief says it's part of a new surge and crossing seen over the weekend, adding, quote, a three-day average of 2,460 daily encounters

primarily through the downtown area of El Paso. By daybreak, U.S. border authorities were still loading hundreds of migrants on buses headed to nearby processing centers. The new surge comes after a record-breaking 2.7 million encounters were recorded across the southern border during the last year. And just days before the end of the Title 42 policy, the public health order that makes it easier for border officials to deny asylum and return migrants to Mexico. All right, Guad Venegas joins us now live from Miami's Telemundo Center tonight. Guad, I want to pick up where you left off there. What can we expect once Title 42, that policy ends at the U.S. border? Well, Tom, more than the actual change in policy, what we've seen in the past,

when anything happens at the border, that is interpreted by a lot of migrants as the U.S. opening up to them. Now, lots of migrants, thousands are in Mexico in different parts of Latin America. They have their phones, and they get a lot of news through social media. We expect the news of Title 42 ending to most. motivate them and make more migrants want to come and arrive at the U.S.-Mexical border if Title 42 ends as it's scheduled to right now, Tom. Guad vanegas, with those stunning images in that story from the border tonight for us. Quad, we thank you for that. We turn out of the latest scandal for a once-disgraced L.A. Councilman, Kevin De Leone, and an activist, both accusing each other of assault after his appearance at a Christmas tree lighting.

A video taken by witnesses shows some of what played out. De Leone is still fighting off calls to resign following leaked August. audio recordings, NBC's Valerie Castro, has more. A scuffle last Friday between an embattled L.A. City Councilmember and a community activist caught on camera. Counsel member Kevin DeLeon and the activist Jason Reedy each filing police reports against each other for battery following the incident at a children's holiday event. DeLeon has faced immense pressure to resign. including from President Joe Biden since October, when he and other city council members became entangled

in a racism scandal involving leaked audio files of a closed-door meeting. Since then, he's been plagued by activists, following him to recent events and even camping outside his home. The activists, including Reedy, arrived at this event Friday, calling for him to step down and later released video of the clash. The video does show what happened in the moments leading up to the altercation, but,

De Leon later describing what he says happened off camera. It's not captured, obviously, in the video, I was up against the wall. He thrusts his pelvis into me. Then he headbutted me in the forehead. And at that moment is when I grabbed him by, I'm assuming by the lapels. In a statement to NBC News, Reedy's lawyer insists De Leon initiated the physical contact. The altercation coming just hours after De Leon made an appearance at a city council meeting. His first since October after the leaked conversation revealed he and other council members

making racist remarks. I see a lot of little short, dark people. The 2021 recording led to the resignation of former L.A. City Council President Nuri Martinez. She was caught making disparaging comments describing the black son of fellow council member Mike Bonnan. De Leon saying Bonin, who is white, carried his adopted son around like a designer bag. It's an accessory. When we do the, I'm not Cape Hornet? They used to have those statues and plantations in there. And then when Norrie brings the Royal Yard bag or the Louis Potom bag. Bonnan reacting to De Leon's appearance at Friday's meeting.

I was disappointed and angry and frankly unsurprised that he showed up. He's been on this fake apology tour and he clearly doesn't get it. There is a road to redemption, to be sure, but it begins with resignation. De Leon has publicly apologized for the comments, but is adamant he will serve out the rest of his term. Friday's incident so far not enough to sway that decision, despite what he reported to police as battery. He took a swing at me, hit me across the face here, and then he took a second swing. He missed that swing right there. But it did appear to change his mind about attending Sunday's inauguration of LA's first female mayor, Karen Bass.

He was the only council member absent from the ceremony. plan to attend, you know, want it to be a well-attended event. All right, Valerie Castro joins us now live in studio. So, Valerie, where does the investigation as far as this physical artication? Where does that one stand? Right, so we reached out to the LAPD. They say that investigation is ongoing and no charges have been filed just yet. But DeLeon told NBCLA, he would, quote, absolutely be willing to press charges.

As for Reedy, his attorney says his client shared that video of the incident with police when he filed his report, insisting De Leon was the instigator. So De Leon obviously has had a rough couple of months here. Is there any sign that he will eventually resign? There is no indication that he has any plans to, but just last week, the LA City Clerk approved a petition for a recall. More than 20,000 signatures will have to be collected from De Leon's district by March 31st to qualify for the ballot.

All right. Valerie Castro for us, Valerie, thank you so much. Okay, we want to take a turn now to a major update to a story that NBC News has been following for nearly 30 years. It's the Lockerbie bombing arrest. U.S. officials announcing a Libyan man is now in custody on U.S. oil accused of making the bomb that took down Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, killing all 270 people on board. The suspect appearing in a Washington, D.C. court today. NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent, Andrew Mitchell, has the latest.

Tonight, after 34 years, the former Libyan intelligence officer accused of making the bomb that blew up Pan Amos. M-103, Abba Agila Mohamed Massoud, making his first court appearance on U.S. soil. Finally, today, the hope of justice for victims' families like Mary Kay Stratis, whose husband Alaya was on the plane. It's taken 34 years to get this far. Sadly, many of our family members have passed on. We don't have years to wait. In federal court in Washington, Massoud appearing before a judge.

The FBI says he was taken into custody in Libya and confessed to building the bomb. putting it in a suitcase and planning the attack with two co-conspirators under orders from former Libyan leader MoMA Gaddafi's intelligence service. It was December 1988. 259 people were on the Jumbo jet, mostly Americans, including 35 Syracuse University students returning home for the holidays. Victoria Cummock's husband, John, one of the passengers. 270 lives were shattered, and thousands of victims' loved ones from 21 nations were

left to pick up the pieces. Paul Hudson, whose 16-year-old daughter, Melina, was an exchange student, standing a lonely vigil today outside the courthouse. For the long as we're scattered all over the Lockerbie countryside, we did get her passport, and we got a notebook. And the notebook had on the cover, the quote, no one dies unless they're forgotten. And I tried to live by that. Masood will not face the death penalty but could get life in prison, while the families who have a memorial each year here in Washington on December 21st, the anniversary of the bombing, will now have hope when they gather next week that they'll finally get justice.

Tom? All right, Andrea Mitchell for us, Andrea, we appreciate that. For more than 30 years, as you just heard there, the families of the victims of that flight have seeked justice. We are joined now by Kara Weeps, whose brother Richard Bonetti was killed in the locker, be bombing. and she's now the president of the group victims of Pan Am Flight 103. So, Carol, what does this mean to you and your family now that the suspect is in U.S. custody? It's significant. It's something that my parents before me, and they still do.

And families have been fighting for close to 34 years, I think, since it said it was a bomb a week after the plane, quote-unquote, crashed on December 21st, that it was a terrorist act, that they had been fighting for the truth, and they wanted to hold those who were responsible accountable. And the fact that he's in U.S. custody, that he's in the U.S. and that the trial will happen in the U.S., it's significant, and it means a lot to my family and to all the families. Why do you think it took so long to get this guy? Well, you had a dictator, and then you had a revolution,

and then you've seemingly had no government. I think that that plays a big part in what's happened. It hasn't been the easiest political structure, to say the least, over the last three decades. What have your conversation has been like today, yesterday over the weekend, with the other families? Because you're so involved with the group? I think that it's a lot of mixed emotions.

And I think that there is a lot of, wow, you know, we did it. It's been the, you know, the determination and the fortitude of the families that, you know, the combination of, I'm considered a second generation family member because my parents, you know, were the ones pushing before I was. I was a teenager when this happened. So obviously I wasn't the one making the trips to D.C. doing, you know, making the meetings with the government and the elected officials, but now it is me who's doing those meetings.

But so it's been a, you know, a lot of different family members over the years. So there's a, you know, a collective we did it. There's, you know, the thought that this is not going to change the fact that our loved ones are not coming back, yet at the same time. This is the way that we honor them and that we fight for them, holding those accountable. We've seeked justice and we've seeked the truth. and understanding how and why this happened. And that's what we hope to gain from this trial,

from the evidence, is to seek the truth. And there's also sadness for all those family members who have stood there with us and fought just as hard with us who are no longer with us over three decades. And unfortunately, our family members have aged, and unfortunately, many have passed. I can walk around the cairn in Washington in Arlington National Cemetery and read the victim's names,

but I also think about their parents, their siblings. You know, there are whole families that are gone. Kara. And it's heartbreaking. It is. I heard Andrea just report that I'm sure you heard the same thing that he'll get life in prison. He's not going to get the death penalty.

Did you or any of the families hope that he would have gotten the death penalty? That's a complicated answer for a lot of, different reasons and that's a probably you don't have enough time to hear the complicated answer to that so that the short answer is no no I'm not upset that he didn't get the death penalty and finally you know sometimes in court cases I don't think it'll happen this one but you never know victims of the people who committed the crimes get to listen from the family members they affected if you could talk to this man what would you tell him

You know, I honestly, I don't know that I have an answer to that yet. I don't even know how I'm going to feel I wasn't able to be in court today. I wasn't on the East Coast today for family obligation. But I don't even know how I'm going to feel being in the courtroom and seeing him in person. So I don't even know where to begin. I was 15 when this happened. This has been two-thirds of my life. thirds of my life. To say that our lives changed that day is an understatement. To say everyone

whose family member was on the plane's lives changed that day is an understatement. I know people who don't have memories of the loved one that they lost because they were too young. And to hear those stories, it's absolutely heartbroken. I was lucky enough to have 15 years with my brother. And while that was far too short, at least I had that. But yet at the same time, my parents should have had more than 20 years with their son. Kara weeps tonight on top story. And there are 270 other families, right? 270 families just like yours.

Kara, thank you so much for that. Still ahead tonight, the missing American overseas, the college student from New York, vanishing in France, right before holiday break, where he was last seen, and the urgent plea from his parents. Plus, holiday party outraged, a school board president, allegedly hosting a party with half-naked men and alcohol while high school students from a choir were there. The email just sent to parents from the district's superintendent

and the new video is showing a boat nearly running over a diver in Hawaii. This video is crazy. The mistake the diver says he made will explain. Stay with us. We're back with every parent's worst nightmare. students studying abroad for the semester, going missing. A 21-year-old American student, Kenny DeLan, has been missing in France since last month. Now his family is desperate to find him and bring him home.

NBC's Molly Hunter has this story. This is the last known image of Ken DeLand, a surveillance camera from a sports store in the south of France, seen in this photo wearing a red jacket and carrying a backpack. Ken, a senior at St. John Fisher University in New York, was planning to return home for Christmas. His family last heard from him on November 27th, and according to his family, his phone last pinged on November 30th. The surveillance photo was taken December 3rd, and after that, Ken DeLand has vanished. His family said Ken was traveling a lot during his semester abroad, posting pictures from many different places and keeping in good contact with his family. Typical would be to reach out to us daily or every other day.

His family and friends now clinging to hope that he's. still alive. A prayer service for him yesterday, those close to Ken, praying that he's alive and okay, yellow hope ribbons around a tree outside the church. I believe wherever he is that that is holy and that is what is sacred is with him and that it brings him comfort and peace. The family has set up a website hoping to alert the public about their missing son. If there's any information that people can provide, you can add it to that website.

land was studying at the University of Grenoble Alps. The family was first alerted to his disappearance when he'd been missing for 24 hours, which his family said was highly unusual. Now, Tom, the French prosecutor's office tells NBC News they did open up an investigation last month on the 29th of November following reports from students about Ken's whereabouts. Now, they say that Ken mentioned to a few people that he was having a hard time. He came over to France insufficiently prepared and was having difficulty making friends. In the statement to NBC News, French authorities also say he mentioned that he wanted to visit the city of Marseille before returning home.

They say he was scheduled to leave France on the 15th of December, and we know from his family they were expecting him home for the holidays. Tom. All right, back here at home to the holiday party outrage in California. This is a wild one. A school board president now out of a job after parents say he invited a high school choir to his private party. that included half-naked men and an open bar.

Let me see's Dana Griffin has the details. Dirty Santa, shirtless men, and alcohol is what one parent says his teenage daughter was exposed to during an educator's private holiday party. They were offered an open bar and to socialize with the half-naked men, the dirty Santa that offered and made disgusting comments to our children. Gabriel Lozano's daughter is one of more than a dozen high school choir students who were hired to perform at the December 3rd party, hosted by Claremont Unified School Board President Stephen Lenusa. Lazzano says the students were told to arrive early, but that's when the night took an unexpected turn. Lenusa included to mingle with these people. Police now investigating the incident and confirming to NBC News, they are looking into this. this photo of half-naked men, allegedly posing with adults at that party that has been circulated by parents.

Were any other school board members present? At a special session of the Claremont Unified School Board on Friday, where Lenusa was noticeably absent, parents called for his resignation. Sadly, there is no apology that can help our kids unsee or unfeel the events that took place in his home. In an email sent to parents obtained by NBC Los Angeles, the Claremont School District's superintendent confirmed, has stepped down. It comes shortly after his fellow board members also encouraged him to resign, writing in a statement, we are appalled by the allegations which are understandably causing distraction, disruption, and pain. A pain parents are not over yet. The board is now working to decide how to replace him. Dana Griffin, NBC News. Dana, we thank you for that. At NBC has repeatedly reached out

to the Claremont District and Stephen Lenusa, as you just heard there, for comment. but I have not yet heard back. Okay, when we come back, the crypto CEO under arrest, the founder of FTX taken into custody, just one day before he was set to testify before Congress, where that arrest was made next. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with breaking news,

the arrest of former FTX CEO and founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. We've just learned he was taken into custody in the Bahamas, after American authorities filed criminal charges against him. So far, no word on what those charges are, but it comes one day before he was set to testify remotely at a congressional hearing over the crypto giant sudden collapse. The U.S. is expected to request his extradition. Now to a terrifying moment for a diver in Hawaii.

New video, take a look, shows a man who was spearfishing, nearly escaped the path of a speedboat barreling towards him. He wasn't injured, which is incredible, but the boat shredded his swimming fins in a YouTube video posted by the 30-year-old diver He says the close call was his own fault as he didn't have a dive buoy or flag with him. And frightening moments at a Patty LaBelle concert in Milwaukee. New video shows a legendary singer rushed off the stage at Riverside Theater after a bomb threat.

All attendees were also ordered to leave. Authorities say no explosives were found, but that the threat is under investigation. Glad no one was hurt there. We do want to turn now to new Twitter CEO, Elon Musk. Creating a firestorm of tweets over the weekend, posting memes and repeating a popular right-wing talking point. to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci. This is videos posted to Twitter this week and show Musk getting invited on stage

by comedian Dave Chappelle and then booed by the crowd. Ladies, we're going to make some noise for the richest man in the world. Chappelle then joked about the mixed reaction and kept Elon on stage with him. It sounds like some of the people you fire in the audience.

In response, Musk tweeted in part, quote, technically it was 90% cheers and 10% booze. It's almost as if I offended San Francisco's unhinged leftist, but nah. So to talk about all of this and more, I want to bring in Alex Heath. He's deputy editor for The Verge. He's been covering Musk's Twitter takeover for months. Alex, welcome the top story. Since acquiring Twitter, Elon Musk has been trying to shake up the platform, right? He recently promoted the release of what he's been calling the Twitter files,

how Twitter decided to censor the New York Post story on Hunter Biden's laptop. Then this weekend tweeting, my pronouns are prosecute Fauci. He's also been tweeting about the left, like saying the woke-mind virus is either defeated or nothing else matters. So I guess, Alex, my question, you is, what is the play here?

What is he trying to do? Is he trying to win over conservatives to bring them back to Twitter? It's so hard to even predict what's going on in Elon Musk's head when he tweets these things. I think he's realized that he has lost a lot of the left, and he's leaning into the kind of comments that you talked about, also insinuating that his former head of trust and safety at Twitter, who he elevated himself when he took over was somehow sympathetic

to pedophilia. So just, I think, really, is trying to stoke drama, and he's realized that drama in social media means business. And I think he wants people on Twitter. He needs people on Twitter to pay off what was the largest single buyout of a company by an individual. Yeah, so I want to ask you about that. Why do you think Elon Musk bought Twitter solely to, quote-unquote, own the libs, if you will, or was it to own the conversation? Because it doesn't feel like he bought it to turn it around it and make even more money. Well, he says he's owning it because he wants it to become the town square. He wants it to be a place where anyone can have what he calls, quote, free speech. But, you know, free speech,

under the richest man in the world? What does that really look like? We're seeing the kind of speech that he's encouraging. And I think there's a lot of, obviously, reservations. You could hear it in the crowd there at Chappelle or people who, you know, aren't a fan of how he's been running Twitter. That said, he absolutely needs Twitter to make money. He just relaunched paid verification on Twitter today. After he did that, the first time it led to rampant impersonation of even Twitter advertisers. And now he's hoping that this time that won't happen. but he needs Twitter to make money because he has billions and billions of dollars in debt that he has to pay back on this acquisition.

How is Twitter doing since he took it over? Financially not well. And in meetings to employees that I've obtained recordings of, he said, look, we may go into bankruptcy. We really have to be, quote, hardcore. He's having employees work in the office. There's beds in the office. He himself has been sleeping in the Twitter office. And this is a playbook.

He's rolled out at Tesla, at SpaceX, at his other company. when they've had critical moments of inflection. But I think the optics of it are the richest man in the world buying this thing that he actually tried to get out of buying. If people remember, he tried to back out of this deal and then was forced essentially to buy Twitter. And now, you know, firing over half the company in a pretty cold way and then doxing former employees in the Twitter files that are also low level.

I mean, I just saw reporting today that the former head of trust and safety had to flee his home because of the threats he was getting from Musk and Sinai. that he was somehow, you know, sympathetic to pedophilia. But, Alex, are people engaging more on this side? I mean, is everything he's doing leading to, I don't know, a more active Twitter? What I was saying about drama being good business for social media, it turns out that at least in the short term, that is true for Twitter. If you trust Musk, you know, Twitter is a black box now.

It's not a public company. These numbers aren't audited. He says that the user base is the highest it's ever been. That's actually a problem for him, though, because Twitter's advertisers are fleeing. They've lost a lot of advertisers. Musk has been open about this. And so when you have more users, you have higher costs to run the business, like for server bills, for example, but he's also losing revenue.

So he really needs people to pay for verification, for Twitter Blue. And so far, we haven't seen evidence that people will. They just re-rolled it out today, though. So, Alex, you know, he has an incredible history of success, whether it be with PayPal or Tesla. I'm wondering what the long-term play here, though, is with Twitter. and he's getting so involved politically. He's a natural-born U.S. citizen, he's not a natural-born U.S. citizen, I should say, so he can't run for president.

But do you think Musk has larger political ambitions? I don't. I think he's a capitalist and a technologist and an engineer. I think he sees the value of owning what is his most critical source of distribution. He is Twitter's top user, its most active, influential user. We have never, in the history of technology, had the richest man in the world who is also the most active user of a platform own it and control it as singularly as he is doing now. You can't even really compare it to Zuckerberg and Facebook, I would say. And so I think he sees it, you know, Tesla doesn't

pay for marketing. He sees it as a marketing channel. He sees it as a way to talk directly to his base. And as we see with his comments recently, he's realizing that his base is perhaps the right and he's leaning into that. That's actually a fascinating point. I didn't think about this, but you're right. He is becoming the brand of Twitter. Alex Heath from the Verge, thank you so much for this really smart talk tonight. I appreciate it. Tonight also in the news, the FBI releasing its annual hate crime report. This amid the disturbing rise in hate and anti-Semitism in America. NBC's Jacob Soberoff has an exclusive tonight with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

to discuss this and more. What does your intelligence tell you about the severity of the threat Jews face in the United States today? Regrettably, Jacob, the threat is only increasing. For Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, tracking, hate is part of the job, and the work is personal. You're Jewish. Your mother fled the Holocaust, and you lost nine family members in the Holocaust.

How personal is this to you? It's extraordinarily personal. My mother's experience very much shaped our understanding of the vulnerability and fragility of life, and it helps drive the imperative to eradicate hate. and make people safe. Nearly two years ago at your confirmation hearing, you said that you had wanted to tackle the issue of anti-Semitism once and for all. But what I hear you saying today is it's only gotten worse.

I think that's absolutely right. But our fight has only become more fervent. Our dedication to addressing targeted violence against any group has become more and more intense. Jewish people are among the top targets of hate crimes in America. According to the FBI director, 63% of religious hate crimes are most. motivated by anti-Semitism. Last year, the Anti-Defamation League recorded more than 2,700 anti-Semitic incidents,

a record. Preliminary numbers this year tell a similar story. Do you think that DHS needs to be doing more? The difficulty here is the following, that there is a fundamental right, of course, of free speech. And it is not for us to tackle that speech itself, however odious, however offensive it might be. We get involved when there's a connectivity

between an ideology of hate and violence. That potential for violence, a present and growing threat. The Secretary of Majorcas knows well the urgent threat. Anti-Semitism presents to the United States. Not only is he a Cuban-American and a Jewish-American who had family perish in the Holocaust with his own mother fleeing, but he sees a threat up close every day, having issued a National Terrorism Advisory Bulletin,

saying Jews are potentially the subject of violent domestic terrorism here in the United States. It's front and center for him. It's front and center for the Department of Homeland Security. It's an issue he has not been able to solve in his tenure here as the Secretary of that department. Tom? All right. All right.

Jacob, thank you for that. Not at Top Stories Global watching the deadly hotel attack in Afghanistan. New video shows one person jumping out of a window at a hotel in Kabul. Taliban spokesperson says gunmen opened fire inside the hotel that is popular with foreign nationals. Video also shows the building set on fire. 21 people are believed to be dead in addition to at least three of the attackers. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for that attack. And researchers discovering a medieval ship in perfect condition at the bottom of Norway's largest lake,

researchers say the shipwreck that could date back as early as the 1300s is essentially frozen in time. The discovery made more than 1,000 feet below the surface. Researchers also finding a preserved ammunition and a passenger boat. They plan to revisit the ship. Again next year with a remotely operated vehicle. Okay, now to the homecoming journey for Brittany Griner, the basketball player now back in Houston, Texas, and readjusting to life on U.S. soil, reuniting with her wife and getting a haircut

and playing basketball for the first time in 10 months. NBC's Marissa Parra spoke to Griner's attorney about her return home. It was just few happiness. Russian lawyer Maria Blagovolena can hardly contain her smile. Her client, Brittany Griner, is finally free. She survived this because it was a huge challenge for her. And I think that she really did great. Our first glimpses of her new life show her smiling on the plane with some of the very same people who got her there.

Her wife, Shirel, waiting for her at the airport. Griner's agent says this weekend her first move was a dunk, playing basketball for the first time in almost 10 months. It's a dramatic turn from the last time the Russian lawyers saw her client just three weeks ago. These are penal colonies. These are jails and the conditions are harsh. Soon after, Griner would cut off her signature locks out of survival in the Russian winter. They kept freezing when she'd shower. Because it's cold and you can't properly dry the hair. But as the basketball star prepared to be there for the long haul,

Lagovolena says her friendliness went a long way, even at the penal colony. So a lot of people want really to help her. Her lawyer says Griner always remained hopeful for a homecoming. I think everybody's happy. It's kind of, you know, happy end just before the Christmas. So it's unbelievable. On the heels of their success with Griner, the Biden administration says they continue to negotiate for the release of Paul Whelan from Russian detention, saying they had an ongoing meeting as recent as today, and they're confident that they'll be able to send a plane to pick up Wheelan, quote, before too long. Tom?

Okay. for us. Marissa, thank you. When we come back, some good news for Taylor Swift fans, Ticketmaster releasing a new batch of seats for her upcoming tour after that disastrous sale earlier this month. What we know about Taylor's take two. That's next. It's me. Hi. I'm the problem. It's me. At tea, time, everybody agrees. I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the me. It must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero. And that was a clip from Taylor Swift's song, Anti-Hero, off her recent album, Midnights. And some more Swifties may get the chance to hear that album live,

with Ticketmaster set to release more verified fan-based tickets. An unknown number of people who signed up for the pre-sale last month, but were locked out. We're notified of the second chance in an email today. It comes as the company tries to clear up the bad blood between Swifties. To help break this down, David Brooks joins us now. He's the senior director of live music and touring for Billboard and has been covering the Ticketmaster sales troubles very closely. So, Dave, some Taylor Swift fans were given a second chance today. Some verified fans got the opportunity, right, to buy those tickets for her heiress tour.

But they could only purchase two tickets each, and that email didn't get to a lot of people. So is Ticketmaster still in damage control mode? Yeah, I think so. I think, you know, this is really only going to cover a very, very tiny percentage of, the tickets that are still available and I want to come close to kind of meeting the demand you know something an estimate of between 1.5 to 2 million people will still want tickets and and we estimate that this sale happening now probably covers about 160,000 so obviously there's a huge despair difference between the two yeah and do we know exactly what's going to happen with taylor swift

and her problems with ticket master is there any fixing this i think they'll probably just, you know, settle it privately. I, you know, she's, you know, she's going to make something like $550 to $600 million from this tour, the tickets she sold through Ticketmaster. So I think that maybe make some small adjustments for her, but in the end of the day, I think they'll just kind of privately settle it if there's anything left. So, Dave, Bad Bunny, who has insane numbers. I mean, maybe the biggest following in music right now on the planet.

Ticketmaster apparently sold fake tickets to his show? I mean, what happened here? Well, so there's two stories, I guess. There's a story from this attorney general who covers consumer issues in Mexico, and he's using the company of selling fake tickets, which would be very strange. I have never heard Ticketmaster doing that. Ticketmaster says, look, in Mexico,

they don't have the digital tickets that they use for some shows here. Some tickets were just duplicated. resold. Some tickets were copied. And that's what caused the problems for about 1,600 people trying to get into the Friday concert in Mexico City. Until, you know, we hear more, it's going to be hard to tell who's right. You know, I know some bands like an artist like Pearl Jam have tried to sort of take Ticketmaster out of the equation. I don't know if they're still doing that, but I know I know bands and artists have experiments with that. Is there any way to sort of do this without Ticketmaster? so big now. It's impossible.

Well, it would be almost impossible just because Ticketmaster has all those contracts with the venues. So if you want to play any venue in the United States, it's almost likely going to have an exclusive agreement with Ticketmaster. I think the only way you can do it is if you kind of made your own venues and made your own

spaces like in fields and farms and wherever else. I don't know any other way besides that. Okay, maybe another Woodstock is in the near future. Okay. Dave Brooks, thanks so much for joining top story tonight. When we come back, the Golden Globe nominations are in. The award show returning to TV after a boycott over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association last year.

So who picked up the most nods and who was snubbed? That's next. Finally tonight, the Golden Globes are back. After controversy, stole the show last year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is back with some hot headliners. NBC News correspondent Gotti Schwartz has more on this year's nominations and the future of the award show. The 80th Golden Globe Award nominations are out with some of today's heavy hitters. I'm always thinking of me. And iconic performances from the last year. This is an inspiring and inspiring step.

Dark comedy The Banshees of Inashirin scored eight nominations the most by any motion picture. I just don't like you no more. You like me yesterday. Everything everywhere all at once was all of those things and got six. You know, the cast was nominated in both of these films, and I think that they are going to take home a lot of awards. Nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama are Avatar, The Way of Water. I just want to keep my family safe.

Elvis. The Fableman's. You also have to take care of it. TAR and Top Gun Maverick. Maverick's inbound. As we've seen over the past few years, especially coming out of the pandemic, Stevie has been huge,

especially streamers. So a lot of the television programs that are getting a lot of the heat right now are surpassing its big blockbuster tent pole counterparts. Mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary has five nominations overall. The most nominations by television series or program. Do you like pie?

Fruit should not be hot. Raking in four nominations each are the Crown. Philip had other ideas. Domer, Monster, the Jeffrey Dahmer story. You didn't know. Pam and Tommy. That's Pam. Anderson. The White Lotus.

Lay low and knock him out of your room. And only murders in the building. My dog! My God! The competition is tight for best television series drama, Better Call Saul. How are you doing on this beautiful day? House of the Dragon. No queen has ever sat the armed throne.

Ozark. Your father's laundering money for a Mexican drug cartel. Severance. I make these statements freely. And the crown are all in the running. Well, there were three of us in this marriage. So it's a bit crowded. One of the snubs that people are talking about was Yellow Jackets. Yellow Jackets did not receive anything. And it's been a fan favorite this entire year. So I was a bit surprised that Yellow Jackets didn't receive anything. The Golden Globes are back on television after NBC refused to broadcast last year, joining the chorus of voices in Hollywood, boycotting the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. If you can remember last year when the Golden Globes were going through their controversy, Tom Cruise famously gave all his Golden Globes back.

So does that have something to do with him not being nominated? Probably, do we really know? Not really sure. An investigation by the L.A. Times highlighted allegations of corruption and revealed that not one of the organization's then 87 members were black. The winners were just announced from the HFPA's Twitter account. The HFPA has changed all that. They've cleaned house. They've added 21 new members, including six black members.

While the organization doubled the size of its voting body, this is the last year of NBC's contract with the HFPA, leaving the future of the show uncertain. I mean, we never really know what goes on in people's minds or what they do, right? All right, Gotti joins us tonight from Los Angeles. Gotti, I guess the big question is, will the award show be able to recover from last year? And I know already one bold-faced nominee has said they are not going to attend this event. That's right, Tom. There are a lot of unknowns about the future. This ceremony could be kind of the deciding factor.

Normally, the show is held on a Sunday. This year, it's going to be held on a Tuesday, you know, not the biggest ratings grab for a Tuesday night. We've also seen a more subdued response online from the nominees compared to years past. We do know one person who isn't going to be in attendance, that's Brendan Fraser. He has said publicly that he has a big problem with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association after he said he was groped by one of the former presidents in 2003. So he is nominated, but he will not be there. Another big question mark, Tom, is Tom Cruise after he gave back his Golden Globes.

His role in Top Gun Maverick wasn't nominated, but the movie was. He's also one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, so we're not sure exactly what he's going to do. But so far, those seem to be the biggest question marks with a lot of Hollywood agents saying right now that their stars will be in the audience on that Tuesday night. Okay, we're going to have to wait and see Goddy. Great to have you on the show tonight. we appreciate it. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.