Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, December 30, 2024

Episode Date: December 31, 2024

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

Tonight from peanut farmer to president, remembering the legacy of Jimmy Carter who died yesterday at 100 years old. The Georgia native with humble beginnings rose to Commander-in-Chief in the late 1970s. He was celebrated for his role negotiating the historic peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, what was known as the Camp David Accords, but the hostage crisis in Iran and a fuel shortage back home made him a one-term president. How he used his years after the White House to continue his service and rewrite his legacy. Also tonight, tragedy in South Korea. The moment a plane crash lands on a runway slamming into a wall and bursting into flames. 179 people on board killed only two survivors.

The investigation now underway to uncover what went so wrong. New Year's Eve security. The NYPD bracing for more than a million revelers in Times Square. The safety concerns and precautions officials are taking ahead of the big night. MAGA versus Musk, the Tesla CEO fiercely defending the H-1B visa program, which allows employers to temporarily hire non-U.S. citizens for highly skilled jobs. But other Trump allies, they remain staunchly opposed. So whose side is the president-elect taking?

Celebrity bling ring, police in Chile recovering multiple luxury watches, some belonging to action movie star Keanu Reeves, how this discovery ties to a string of other high-profile break-ins. Chess champion returns Grandmaster Magnus Carlson competing again today after quitting a world championship over an outfit dispute, how a pair of jeans put the number one chess player in the world in a stalemate. And Rocky Road, the shocking moment caught on camera in Colorado,

a massive rock slide engulfing a highway, causing travel chaos across the state. Plus, breaking tonight a major new hack at the Treasury Department, the U.S. blaming China. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, former President Jimmy Carter remembered for a life of service both in and out of the White House. From a young peanut farmer in Georgia to a Navy submariner to president.

of the United States. Carter campaigned on a promise to never lie to the American public, a welcomed commitment in a post-Watergate era. His four years in office characterized by some major foreign policy wins like the Camp David Accords, but also remembered for some serious losses like the U.S. citizens held hostage in Iran for 444 days. After leaving the White House, he founded the Carter Foundation, devoting himself to protecting democracy, advancing human rights and fighting disease around the world, even earning himself a Nobel Peace Prize, and new details on his state funeral just coming in. Services beginning this coming Saturday in Georgia, and they'll culminate with a ceremony at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., next Thursday on January 9th.

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell leads us off tonight with more on Carter's leadership and legacy. We'll be honored by days of events into the new year to remember a modest, man who defied expectations. My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president. Release tonight new details, tributes beginning in his beloved hometown of Plains, Georgia. On Saturday, his final journey back to his boyhood home. Then on to the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he will lie in repose, open to mourners to pay their respects.

Some visited today. Compassion, kindness, decency. Jimmy Carter was, he was just a great hermentarian. Signs of respect from Washington, D.C. to the United Kingdom and the United Nations. January 7th, the late president will return to the Capitol Rotunda to Lyon State until the national funeral January 9th. Jimmy Carter stands as a model of what it means to live a life of meaning and purpose. At the 2013 Obama inaugural, he recalled his own. Did a moment like this evoke memories of your own time?

Well, it did. The difference was it was six degrees, and the wind was blowing when I was inaugurated. But it seemed warm up that day than it did today. From that rural boyhood to a career as a naval officer. Later running the family peanut business led to local office and a long shot run for the White House. as the outsider who loved God and Southern rock and roll when the country was weary after Watergate and the Vietnam War. It had not been for America's dissatisfaction with Washington

and things that are happening here. I would not have been elected. Carter strided into the presidency in 1977. Rosalind always by his side. Together, promising change. We want to be proud again. We just want the truth again. It's time for the people to run the government. and not the other way around. His presidency, both consequential and complicated, crises from inflation to Americans held hostage in Iran.

Defeat denied him a second term. So I can't stand here tonight and say it doesn't hurt. But out of that disappointment, an unparalleled chapter of service, using his influence and his bare hands. Around the world, his work defended democracy and helped eradicate disease, leading to a Nobel Prize for peace.

We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make these changes. And we must. And Kelly O'Donnell joins us now from the White House. Kelly, what else are we learning about the state funeral to honor Carter that begins this weekend in Georgia? There will be many days of.

different expressions of respect and honor, and they will travel from Georgia to here in Washington, D.C., and then back to Georgia again. So people will be able to line the streets of the motorcade routes. The Carter family is asking for that. Visitation will be open in Atlanta at the Carter Center, where he will lie in repose. In Washington, also visitation for the general public at the capital, and then that formal funeral will be on January 9th. There will be a private funeral, in plains for the family and those closest to him at his home church. And then there will be the final internment. And that will happen on the grounds of his own home next to Rosalind, who, of course, was by his side for 77 years of marriage. Ellison. And Kelly O'Donnell at the White House,

thank you. The nation also remembering President Carter's diplomacy tonight, including his work on the Camp David Accords, which has in short nearly half a century of peace between Israel and Egypt. NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, takes a look back at that historic agreement and Carter's critical role in getting it over the finish line. Tonight, the horrific war in Gaza still raging, with peace in the region elusive. But nearly five decades ago, Jimmy Carter brought two age-old enemies to Camp David to bridge their grievances. Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Manachim Began. It was a bold plan built on little more than hope, and Jimmy Carter's confidence in his own powers of persuasion.

The members of all three delegations have spent endless hours day and night talking, negotiating, grappling with problems that have divided their people for 30 years. There had been shouting matches and threatened walkouts. Carter even blocking the door at one point so they couldn't leave. Six months later, a signing ceremony at the White House. Carter's persistence had paid off. But Carter's broader vision of a regional peace was not to be then or now. Eight months later, Iranian revolutionaries stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran,

taking more than 50 Americans hostage. Israel expanded Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Palestinian leaders couldn't prevent terrorist attacks. The same issues leaders are confronting today. How was President Carter able to get two bitter enemies to make peace? peace. What made Jimmy Carter special as a negotiator was that he was trusted by the others. They might not have always agreed with him or liked him, but he was trusted.

Back in 2014, I asked Carter what kept him going. Promoting peace, enhancing democracy. It's unpredictable. It's adventurous. And I have to say, it's gratifying and exciting for us still to do that. Tonight, both President Biden and President-elect Trump are pressing Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire before the inaugural. with time running out.

Andrea Mitchell, thank you. For more on President Carter's life and how history will remember him, I want to bring in a man who knows his career better than almost anyone. Jonathan Alter, journalist, NBC News contributor, and the author of the book, His very best, Jimmy Carter, A Life.

Jonathan, thank you so much for joining us here on Top Story. Glad to be here, Alison. You wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian yesterday, and you said in part, quote, the easy shorthand on Carter, inept president, but superb former president, is a major oversimplification. Explain that to me. What is it that you think is missing from the public and or historian's view of Carter's presidency? Well, that cliche is half true. He's been

an, he was an inspirational former president, and he revolutionized the role of former presidents. It's the part, the inept president part that is incomplete. There were moments of ineptitude. But this kind of easy shorthand greatly diminishes his many accomplishments as President. And Camp David is only one of them. So I think what's going on now is there's a bit of a reappraisal. So we all know that Jimmy Carter was a political failure. He lost to Ronald Reagan badly. But he was a substantive and often visionary success on the environment, on energy, a whole series of other issues, and especially on foreign policy, with the exception of Iran, where things didn't go well, though the last just came out.

But if you look at the Panama Canal Treaties, normalization with China, the human rights policy that helped end communism and move dictatorships to democracy, I could go on with his achievements that are derided because people look at him through a sort of a simplistic lens. It's interesting you mentioned some of those things because it is easy to forget that we didn't have normalized trade relations with China prior to Jimmy Carter stepping in and doing that. I believe domestically, he started the Department of Education and the Department of Energy, is that right? And FEMA. And FEMA. So all of those under his presidency. You mentioned Iran. That has always been

interesting to me, in part because it arguably, the Iranian hostage crisis was arguably the moment that cost him re-election. But you look at what he did when he came into office as it related to universal human rights. And talking a lot about it, we thought it was so important for the United States to promote and lead in promoting human rights all around the globe. And he caught out the Soviet Union for human rights violations. He caught out allies like South Korea for human rights violations. But when there were issues with Iran Shah at the time and concerns domestically about him becoming increasingly tyrannical, he did not, for a time, sanction them or withhold military aid, despite some of his advisors saying he should. Then there was that moment when the Shah

was exiled and living in Mexico, and Jimmy Carter said, okay, you can come to the United States for medical treatment and stay here. The Iranian hostage takers, they said that was one reason why they took the Americans at the embassy and Tehran hostage. Did he ever regret his early relationship with the Shah and with Iran? Well, I'm sure that he did on some level, but he wasn't really in a position to pull support from the Shah. This was in the middle of the Cold War. And it's true that the human rights policy was unevenly applied, and there were a couple of other examples of that. But this was the first time, almost in world history, where a major power said that the way other countries treated their own people would be part of our evaluation of foreign policy.

And he set up a human rights bureau in the State Department, and this policy had really very positive effects, even if in Iran, you know, he got a little too close to the Shah, although he warned him right after they had been tear gassed on the south lawn of the White House when the Shah was visiting. He warned the Shah, clean up your act, stop abusing dissidents as much as you are. The Shah didn't listen. And the revolution, as impactful as the Russian revolution, the Iranian revolution on Carter's watch, changed the world. It led to the inflation that arguably ended Carter's presidency, not to mention the seizure of the hostages. You know, I'm a Georgia girl, and I spent time as a kid.

They took us to America's Georgia to show us the Habitat for Humanity Infrastructure. And Jimmy Carter and his wife were such an enormous part of that. Talk to me about what you think in terms of his efforts and just his philanthropy, I guess, abroad and at home, how he will probably be remembered. or how you think he should be remembered. Well, as I said, I think that the presidency needs more attention. But the post-presidency was astonishing. And he wasn't even running Habitat for Humanity. He didn't start that.

But he put it on the map, and he wrote all night on the bus. Can you imagine a former president riding all nights, go work, build a house for poor people? He built thousands of houses for poor people. And I worked with them on a site in Memphis. He showed me how to hammer. This guy knew what he was doing on a work site. And then in terms of disease eradication, what they did with Guinea Worm disease, the Carter Center took it from 3.5 million cases,

afflicting mostly Africans down to about 15. That's an astonishing accomplishment, something similar on river blindness. So these diseases that don't get a lot of attention, Carter said, I don't care how much credit we get. We're going to do something to improve it, in some cases, save people's lives. And that is a record of humanitarian achievement that I think has rightly made him a global icon, and which will inspire people for many years. Jonathan Alter, thank you so much for being here.

And thank you for the reminder for all of us that as time passes, we should go back to those pivotal moments, the period of time when people were serving in office and maybe with history and some context re-revaluate our views on that. Thank you so much for your time and insights. We really appreciate it. Thank you. Turning now to what officials are calling a major cybersecurity breach in the federal government. The Treasury Department now revealing they'd been breached by China backed hackers earlier this month. In a letter to Congress, the United States Treasury, says hackers accessed employee computers and stole unclassified documents. NBC business and data correspondent Brian Chung joins us now with more. Brian, walk us through what we know right now. What is the U.S. government saying

do we have a sense right now of how these hackers were able to access the computers used by government employees? Yeah, well, what these actors were, which by the way, they were identified as China state-sponsored actors. They were able to tap into Treasury Department systems, essentially by accessing a third-party company that provides the Treasury tech support. So they were able to hack into this company, get a key, basically, from this third-party company that then allowed them to access what the Treasury Department says were workstations at the department, which could imply computers and laptops and what have you. Either way, they were able to use that key to then access documents which the Treasury Department

says were unclassified, not classified. Again, I just want to reiterate there. So not necessarily anything that would be too sensitive, but nonetheless concerning that a China state-sponsored actor was able to hack into the Treasury Department again via a third-party actor. Now, this is a disclosed in a letter that was dated today, December 30th, but they said that they were alerted to this potential hack as of December 8th by the third-party provider. A lot of questions swirling around any more detail beyond that, which we don't have. However, the Treasury will have 30 days from this point to then provide Congress with more details about exactly what happened here, what they were able to take, which could provide a little bit more detail into maybe what they can do to prevent this type of thing going forward, Ellison. Yeah, I imagine Capitol Hill will have a lot of questions. I mean, this hack it did come, what a week after those revelations about hacks at AT&T and Verizon of their networks. U.S. officials have blamed that on China as well, right, even though the Chinese embassy has denied responsibility. Big picture, Brian, what do experts think?

this possibly means for the state of American cybersecurity overall? Yeah, and I think what was so alarming about those issues and this potential hacks into AT&T and Verizon was that those actors in that case were specifically targeting people in high-power positions, people within the government, people within political campaigns. But what was interesting was that in the fallout from that, the FBI sent out as guidance not just to those that might be highly targeted or within the government, but to everyone, all Americans advising them to use encrypted messaging. The reason being, if you use encrypted messaging to text your friends or to your family or

even use phone calls over those same platforms, that it would be a lot more difficult for state-sponsored actors or any type of hacker, really, to access those communications. So the FBI now saying you should use applications like WhatsApp or even signal to make sure that your communications are protected, which again is pretty alarming from the FBI. Interesting stuff. Brian Chung, thank you so much. We appreciate it. We're going to turn overseas now to South Korea and a nation consumed by grief, even canceling New Year celebrations after that plane crash and killed nearly everyone who was on board, 179 people dead in all.

Tonight, we are hearing the first words from one of the only two to survive that crash as investigators work to determine how it all happened. NBC's Steve Patterson has more. Tonight, investigators digging through the remnants of that crash Juju Air Jet, now, recovering both black boxes. That Boeing 737-800 skidding down the runway, slamming into a wall, bursting into flames, 175 passengers and four crew members dead. Miraculously, two crew members survived, including a 33-year-old flight attendant who reportedly asked doctors, what happened, and why am I here? The flight was traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, to Mouan, when South Korean authorities say the pilots were warned.

of a potential bird strike. But aviation experts are questioning why the aircraft's flaps were likely never deployed to slow down the plane or the landing gear itself. Bird strikes don't bring down airplanes like this, nor do they prevent landing gear from extending. This, while officials confirm Monday, a second J-JU Air Flight where the pilot reported a landing gear problem forcing the plane to turn back, landing safely. Meanwhile, Mouan International Airport transformed.

This is right inside the departure's terminal. early in the morning. People are sleeping. You can see these makeshift shelters set up all over here. People do not want to leave their family members. This is part of this agonizing identification process that could take the next few days, weeks, even months. Lee Dong-sook's aunt and uncle are among the Dan telling us he thinks the government should be focused on quickly working to identify his family, an active grief marred by an exercise in frustration. In those black boxes now recovered from the scene. Treasure troves of information, the flight data, the voice recordings, but none of that can get parsed for at least the next few weeks and maybe even the next few months. Meanwhile, investigators say they are making progress. 164 remains identified out of 179 loss. All of that since Sunday. So investigators say they're doing all they can. Ellison.

Steve Patterson. Thank you. And back here in New York City, major preparations underway ahead of its iconic New Year's Eve celebration. More than one million people are expected to gather in Times Square Tuesday night to ring in the new year, with police now ramping up security. For more on this, we're joined by Emily Aketa from Times Square. Emily, we are just one day away from 2025. Talk to us about what you are seeing in Times Square. How are things looking right now when it comes to security and what should people? people may be attending expect. Hey there, Alison. Well, you can see and probably hear the excitement building ahead of tomorrow. As you mentioned, more than a million people are expected to pack into Times Square. But first, they will have to go through counterterrorism checkpoints. It's one of a series of sweeping security measures by the NYPD who are deploying a number of things, including officers in and out of their uniforms, canines, an aviation unit, drones, concrete blockades, and also sand trucks. Those trucks are meant to.

prevent bad actors from plowing into crowds like what we saw happen at a Christmas market in Germany earlier this month. I sat down with the counterterrorism department with the NYPD. Take a listen here. We calibrate our counterterrorism overlay based on lessons we learn from incidents, whether they happen here in our city or elsewhere around the world. And law enforcement here at all levels say they remain concerned about potential targeting of this high-profile event, but the good news is they say there's no specific threats at this time. Alison.

Emily Akata, thank you. Next to the deadly weather outbreak across the south, residents reeling after a string of tornadoes tore through the region. This video showing an apparent wedge tornado forming in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Nearly 50 twisters reported across five states with at least four storm-related fatalities. One of those, an 18-year-old woman in Natchez. Mississippi, who died after strong winds uprooted a tree, slamming it into her family's home. The severe weather stretching from Texas to Georgia, reducing homes to rubble, causing flooding,

and leaving over 20,000 without power. We're also tracking a new system set to bring rain and snow to ring in 2025. So let's get over to NBC News meteorologist Michelle Grossman. Michelle, what can we expect as we head into those New Year's celebrations? Hi there, Ellis. I'm great to see you. Well, we're looking at this new system in the middle of the country, bring some rains and heavy rain at times where you see those brighter colors. On the back side, we're looking at colder air and we are going to see some colder air later, but we are actually miled over the next couple of days. So this will make its way towards the east. This is New Year's Eve. So it's tomorrow, New Year's Eve day. We're looking at rain and snow now into the Great Lakes, the Ohio

Valley, parts of the northeast. You see that snow and portions of the Great Lakes on the back side of this system. That's that cold air working in. A little bit of flurries throughout the inner mountain west, but notice the rest of the country looking nice and dry, the southwest. The the southwest, the south central states, into the southeast. But look what happens as we go towards the later part of tomorrow where we're looking at those delays, possibly in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, Minneapolis. This will be the spot where we're going to see that weather. It's not going to be severe, but still we're going to see the rain falling. That's going to slow us down. The air will slow us down on the roadways as well, I-80, I-96, I-81. So as we go

throughout tomorrow, Allison, we're looking at New Year's Eve. Umbrellas needed in New York City, it will be 50 degrees with some rain falling. Back to you. All right, Michelle Grossman. Thank you. Sure. So ahead tonight, MAGA versus Musk, why the Tesla CEO is battling with some of Trump's other closest allies over a visa program and who the president-elect is siding with. Plus, celebrity bling ring, police in Chile uncovering multiple stolen watches belonging to actor Keanu Reeves, why officials are sounding the alarm after a series of high-profile break-ins. And frightening dash cam footage showing a passenger train colliding with a fire truck. We'll have an update on the passengers inside.

Stay with us. Back now with the latest than President-elect Trump's transition to office. Tonight, a controversial immigration visa for highly skilled workers is dividing Republicans, pitting some of Trump's biggest MAGA supporters against tech mogul and close Trump advisor, Elon Musk, all the while a TikTok ban in the U.S. draws closer. NBC's senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez is outside in Maralaga with the latest. President-elect Trump weighing in on an issue that's been dividing some of its most high-profile supporters. The controversy is over H-1B visas that allow foreigners with highly coveted tech skills

to work in the U.S. for up to six years. H-1B visas? That's not what it's about. It's about taking American jobs and bringing over essential I've become indentured servants at lower wages. Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon ramping up his criticism of the visa program today, arguing that Americans deserve reparations for having to coexist with immigrants on H-1B visas. That comes after Trump told the New York Post,

I've always liked the visas, even though he criticized them while running for president in 2016. Now saying, I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H-1B. It's a great program. The controversy has been dividing Republicans for days. Some of Trump's closest advisors, including billionaire Elon Musk, have been defending the program, along with others in the tech industry,

which relies heavily on those workers. Some Republicans skeptical of the program. I think the abuses of the H-1B program have been evident. One far-right activist even slamming Trump's new artificial intelligence advisor for supporting easing restrictions on skilled foreign workers in the past. The immigration issue revealing, a rift in Trump's coalition weeks before his inauguration, pitting the populist mega wing of the GOP against business leaders.

Trump appearing to agree with Musk this summer. Somebody graduates at the top of the class. They can't even make a deal with a company because they don't think they're going to be able to stay in the country. That is going to end on day one. Over the weekend, Musk threatened to, quote, go to war on the issue, but later wrote that the program is broken and needs major reform. It all comes as the tech industry faces a number.

looming battle. A ban on TikTok in the U.S. set to begin January 19th if the social media giant is not sold by its Chinese parent company. In a new legal filing Friday, the president elect is trying to buy himself time, asking the Supreme Court to delay that ban, arguing the unfortunate timing of the law interferes with the incoming administration's ability to negotiate a resolution. It's the latest move in Trump's complicated history with the app, trying to ban it in 2020, then promising throughout his 2024 campaign to save it. The Supreme Court now scheduled to hear arguments in the TikTok case on January 10th, leaving just nine days to issue a decision before the ban would take effect. And Gabe Gutierrez joins us now from near Mar-a-Lago. Gabe,

Elon Musk's influence is not only being felt here in the United States. We are also now getting word of a new accusation. This one coming from Germany. Yeah, that's right, Alison. The German government is now accusing Elon Musk of trying to influence Germany's national elections. Elon Musk published an op-ed over the weekend in a German newspaper endorsing a far-right party. And again, that's causing the government there to say that he is trying to influence the election, which is set to happen in late February. Elson. And President-elect Trump has come out in support of the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Why is he doing that and why now?

Well, Alison, he's trying to hold together his party. Yes, you're right. President-elect Trump on social media earlier today, giving his complete and total endorsement of House Speaker Mike Johnson. Of course, this comes just days after right before Christmas. There was that contentious battle on Capitol Hill to keep the government open and prevent a government shutdown.

There are a lot of questions heading into the next year of whether Mike Johnson will keep his job. So far, already one Republican, Thomas Massey, has said that he wanted to vote for Mike Johnson as House Speaker. And with such a slim margin in the House, Johnson can only really afford to lose one other Republican. So right now, President-elect Trump throwing his full support behind Johnson. We'll see if that will be enough to help Johnson keep his House speakership. Allison? Gabe Gutierrez, thank you.

The President-elect also suffering a legal setback today, losing an appeals court challenge in his civil case. against author E. Jean Carroll, where he was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming her. For more on the case and the path forward from here, let's bring in Charles Coleman, a civil rights attorney and former New York prosecutor. Charles, thank you so much for being with us, as always. So explain to us what happened today. What was the Trump team asking the appeals court to do here? And ultimately, what did they say in their decision? Well, Alison, Donald Trump's attorneys made the argument that there was evidence that came out during the initial trial

against him that was bought by Eging Cowell, the civil suit, where there was evidence that was heard by the jury that should have been heard, specifically that two witnesses who testified to encounters with the former president or the soon-to-be president in the past of regarding improper sexual behavior, as well as the access Hollywood tape, which we all heard, should not have been put before the jury, should not have been considered. And so they wanted a new trial. They wanted the appeals court to invalidate the evidence and invalidate the findings and the verdict of that case and basically grant a new trial. Ultimately, the panel of judges that looked at this says that there wasn't sufficient argument made to basically substantiate that and that they denied

his motion. And this is not an issue anymore as far as the validity of the verdict in that case. Okay, so what likely happens next? Is there still a path to appeal? And do we expect Trump and his team to continue with that path? We should fully expect that Donald Trump is going to continue to appeal this. He can appeal it to the larger, broader panel of this is a federal case. This is a federal of the district court here, he could, or the circuit court, rather, at this point. And then after that, if potentially he wanted to, he could try and make an argument to appeal before the Supreme Court. I doubt that the Supreme Court will grant cert here, but please understand that it is not going to be that E.G. and Carroll simply just enjoys a payday now that this issue

has been resolved at this level. There are absolutely going to be appeals. Okay. And another case sort of related to this is that $83 million defamation case where Trump is supposed to pay that. He has appealed that. Does the ruling that we saw today impact or have any sort of relation to what happens with whether or not E. Jean Carroll gets that $83 million settlement, if you will? Generally it does, to some extent, Ellison, because that case is underpinning this case, meaning that if this case had somehow been invalidated or a new trial had been granted, then that case which basically affirmed what the ruling was here and that Donald Trump continued to defame E.G. Carroll after that verdict, it would have put that second case in doubt. The fact that this case, basically, the decision today basically continued to say, look, Donald Trump does not get it down the trial pretty much allows that second appeal to go forward, but it also damages it and does not put it in the type of jeopardy that had we seen a different outcome today, it might have. Okay. And the fact that he is going to be taking office in not a very long time at all, we're just a couple weeks away now.

This is a state case. There was already a verdict related to it. It's a civil state case. but him being president and having that office, would that impact whether or not they continue with some of the back and forth here? Generally speaking, no. I think that this is one of the outliers in the matrix of Donald Trump and his different legal entanglements that sits outside of the criminal realm because it is a civil case, because it is at the state level. These are things that you're not likely going to have affected by him assuming the office of the presidency in the way that you have seen the criminal cases affected. Right. Really interesting stuff. A lot still to watch. Charles Coleman. Thank you. As always, we appreciate your time. and insights. Thanks for out for me. When we come back, a terrifying rock slide caught on camera, the side of a cliff seeming to crumble away in Colorado, what we're hearing from authorities there about how long that road buried beneath it could stay closed.

We're back with Top Stories News Feed. Six former Florida State basketball players are suing their coach after claiming he promised them money that he never delivered. The plaintiff saying Seminole's coach, Leonard Hamilton, promised to get each of them $250,000 in name, image, and likeness compensation from his business partners. FSU said it is conducting an inquiry into the allegations, but has not yet heard of any unfulfilled commitments by the university in terms of payments owed to the athletes. A rock slide that has shut down two state highways in southern Colorado caught on camera. You can see the piece of the mountain just falling away

as rocks tumble onto the road in Custer County last night. The Colorado Department of Transportation warning that the highways could be closed for multiple days. Amazingly, though, no injuries were reported. More than a dozen people injured after a passenger train collided with a fire truck in Delray Beach, Florida this weekend. Dash camera footage shows the fire truck

bypassing a crossing gate by driving on the wrong side of the road. cuts away before the moment of the crash, but the impact flipped the fire truck on its side. The 12 injured passengers and three firefighters are all in stable condition, according to the fire department. And Christmas may be over, but Will Ferrell, keeping the spirit alive, kind of. The actor is sitting in the stands of a Los Angeles Kings hockey game, dressed as a disheveled version of his character from the 2003 Christmas classic elf. Buddy there, taking sips of a drink as a cigarette dangles from his mouth.

The actor jokes that it had been a rough holiday season for Buddy, but was all smiles as the Kings won their seventh straight home game. Next tonight to a police operation in Chile that may have uncovered a missing $9,000 Rolex belonging to Hollywood star Keanu Reeves. Officials say at least one person has been detained in Santiago, Chile, as the crackdown on the alleged crime tourism rings continues here in the U.S. NBC's David Noriega reports. Tonight, police in Chile say they've recovered luxury watches belonging to action-star Keanu Reeves. Stolen in a criminal scheme that could have been pulled right from one of his movies. During an interview on Chilean TV, police showing one of the Rolexes found during a police operation in Santiago. The $9,000 submarine watch engraved with the words, Kianu, thank you.

The actor gifted several other watches with the same inscription to the stuntman he worked with on John Wick for. A franchise, coincidentally, that begins with Reeves' character John Wick, seeking revenge after his house is broken into. The jewelry is thought to have been stolen from the actor's Los Angeles home in late 2023. Local Chilean media reporting that 16 watches in total were recovered over the weekend and that at least three could belong to Reeves. Chilean police say at least one person was detained. It's the latest development in a continuing crackdown on alleged crime tourism rings, officials sounding the alarm last year

over Chilean criminal gangs who take advantage of the fact that people from Chile can travel to the U.S. for 90 days without a visa. Those gangs connected to a string of burglaries across Southern California. While I was at my game yesterday, I had a home invasion,

and they took most of my prize possessions. In November, both the NBA and NFL issued a warning to its players about burglary risks after a string of break-ins that targeted high-profile athletes, including two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes and his teammate Travis Kelsey. The NBA saying the FBI warned that many of the burglaries were connected to transnational

South American theft groups, and that the groups used advanced methods and tools like pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices. These burglary rings tend to hit very wealthy homes, and that's why so many celebrities are among the victims. They also target the properties extensively, including online, which is why the FBI has advised potential targets to keep their movements and pictures of their valuables off social media. Ellison? David Noriega, thank you.

We're going to turn now to our health check. And a new study that's out today warning cigarettes shorten life expectancy more than doctors previously thought. Researchers at University College London found that on average a single cigarette takes about 20 minutes off of a person's life, which would mean the average pack of cigarettes can shorten a person's life by close to seven hours. this study. We're joined by Dr. Raja Flores. He is the chairman of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Flores, thank you so much for being with us.

So this isn't surprising. I think to most people, we all know and we've been told for many years now, cigarettes are not good for us. But this is different than what we'd seen in other studies. There was a study back in 2000 that had found that on average a single cigarette reduced life expectancy by about 11 minutes. Now we're being told by about 20 minutes. What did they find in this study that made them revise those numbers or change those numbers so much. So it's interesting because now you have a longer period of time that these patients are being followed. It's the doctors study over in Britain. So basically you have doctors who smoked compared to doctors who don't smoke. And that makes it more comparable because they have

similar education, socioeconomic status, etc. And it's just showing that it's you're twice as likely as you were in 2000 to die of lung cancer. But smokers know that. that. They know that they're going to, that smoking kills you. They're just trying to get through the day. Many are hyper-anxious and, you know, they can't think long-term. But it's not just life and death. Smoking really affects your quality of life. And the patients that I see every day, so you have men who are smoking. They have erectile dysfunction. That will get them to think about stopping smoking. You have women who are premature, premature aging, wrinkling, et cetera. That will get them to stop sooner as well. The day-to-day does not, they can't see, oh, I'm going to die

from this. They're just trying to get through their day. You mentioned some of the other things that can happen. We talk about lung cancer and kind of the big things that can come from smoking. We're also in a space now where people are vaping. We have a lot of other products of to us and it really runs the gamut. What other things do you want people at home, especially young people who may be here about this study, and they're like, well, I'm young enough, what's 20 minutes compared to 11?

What do you hope they understand or take away about the other things that can impact your health if you are smoking at such a high rate or really leading in at an early age to something like vaping? So you already touched on it. Most of these smokers start at a young age. Now you've got vaping. People already understand.

I mean, it took 50 years to prove that. smoking kills. Now you've got vaping, cigars, marijuana. Anytime you burn something and inhale it, that's not a good thing. All these things have a similar carcinogen, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Anytime you burn something and you inhale that, that's going to give you lung cancer, esophageal cancer, problems with your arteries that go to your heart or any other part of your body. Smoking spares not one part of your body. And before we let you go here, can quitting actually help people maybe, if say they're a month in, say they're two, three years end, say they're in their 20s, if they quit, could they reverse

some of the damage that's been done? Or is it you're set on you've cut off this much of time from your life regardless? Any time you can stop, that's important. But the major myth is that it just takes willpower. It doesn't. It takes a support system. But once you stop today, you're going to get rid of many the effects. Now, your propensity to develop lung cancer remains, but you reverse your incidence of stroke, heart disease, et cetera. So yes, if you can stop, that's the most important thing. The most important thing is to never start smoking. And we have to reduce the glamorization in the media, the advertising that are targeting kids, whether it's vaping or any other

substance that you burn and you inhale. All right. Dr. Roger Flores, thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Coming up next, the number one chess player in the world storming out of a championship tournament. The move had nothing to do with his match or his competitors, but an item he was wearing. Why it caused such a big stir and how event organizers are responding. We'll explain it all next. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch. We begin with the apology from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the people of Azerbaijan for a plane crash that killed 38 people. The Kremlin stopped short of taking responsibility for the deadly crash on Christmas Day, writing that Putin, quote, apologized for the fact that the tragic incident

occurred in Russian airspace. Putin said the plane was attempting to land at an airport under Ukrainian drone fire. Two U.S. military officials have told NBC news that the plane may have been hit by Russian missiles and that Russia likely misidentified the plane and shot it down. Five people have been charged in connection to one-direction singer Liam Payne's death. According to prosecutors in Buenos Aires, two hotel managers and a friend who was traveling with pain have been charged with negligent homicide after the singer fell from his hotel balcony in Argentina. Two other hotel employees were charged with supplying illegal drugs. Prosecutors say traces of alcohol, cocaine, and prescribed antidepressants were in pain's system at the time of his death.

At least three people have been killed in 100 ports closed as powerful waves, rock the western coast of South America. Video shows waves up to 13 feet high, crashing into Peru, Ecuador, and Chile, swallowing up boats and prompting dangerous rescues at sea. Peru's Navy says the tsunami-like waves are being generated from winds blowing off the coast of the United States.

The surge is expected to recede on New Year's Day. Now, some controversy in the chess world, the top-ranked player in the world, briefly walking out of a championship tournament after he was asked to change out of his genes. The incident sparking conversations about traditions and the future of the game. NBC's Dana Griffin explains. Tonight, chess grandmaster Magnus Carlson returning to the arena with a power move that has nothing to do with pawns or queens.

Magnus is showing up fashionably late, probably some fashionable jeans as well. The best chess player in the world, rejoining the World Blitz Championship in jeans, historically a dress code violation according to the World Chess Federation. That fashion choice comes after a dispute over denim on Friday when Carlson abruptly quit the rapid chest championship in New York after organizers asked him to change his pants. I think the situation was badly mishandled. The Federation saying the dress code, which explicitly prohibits denim, is designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants. I didn't agree with it. I didn't want to comply. And I see. stand by that. But the Federation now loosening its regulations in the wake of their top dogs rebellion, saying elegant minor deviations are now allowed. If you love him, then you think that he's a godsend and the goat of chess and he should be able to do whatever he wants. If you

don't, then you think maybe he's a bad boy and just a spoiled brat. This isn't the first time Carlson has made headlines. In 2022, he accused his rival Hans Neiman of cheating, famously exiting a game in protest after his opponent's opening move. What? Neiman admitting to cheating earlier in life, but denied Carlson's specific allegations. I was 16 years old. I never wanted her anyone. These were random games. I would never could even fathom doing it in a real game. Neiman hit Carlson and others with the $100 million lawsuit that alleged slander

and libel, which was later dismissed by a judge. Magnus has given some pause. The tradition of sophistication in the chess world. The series now moves to Lening. read made more formal in the age of corporate sponsorships and popularized for young people in shows like the queen's gambit now in flux with Carlson looking to relax strict dress code guidelines I know that not every player has the same means for for clothes and so on but I think if I think it's good that they're making at least some sort of some sort of effort a

change Grandmaster Maurice Ashley says could spark new interest in the sport. I think that there are a lot of young people, especially, who would love to play chess and don't want to feel as though they necessarily have to dress to the nines, as though they're going to the prom or a wedding. A checkmate for players wanting focus on the game, not their clothes. Dana Griffin, NBC News. When we come back, a special New Year's message from Tom Yamis. Stay right there.

Finally, tonight, as 2024 comes to a close, we wanted to thank you, our viewer, for tuning in every night. This year, we've covered everything from presidential elections to back-to-back natural disasters, ongoing wars. But there was also some fun stuff as well, some major pop culture moments, social media trends taking off. It was another year that took Top Story on the road. We met communities all over the country and all over the world. And I'd personally like to thank the staff who makes this year. show happen day and day out. Whether it be here at 30 Rock or in the field, on the editorial side or the technical side, they make this show happen day and day out. So from all of us here at Top Story

at NBC News, happy New Year.