Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, February 10, 2025

Episode Date: February 11, 2025

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, President Trump's escalating trade war, hitting hard at Canada and Mexico. The president reimposing 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum and hinting at additional tariffs that could impact all imports from around the world. We'll explain what it means for your wallet. Also tonight, MAGA moves on Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau caught on a hot mic saying he believes President Trump will try to acquire Canada. We speak with Canadians furious over the table.

trade war and concern for the future of their country. And we'll explain why President Trump is zeroing in on Canada. The triple storm threat back-to-back winter storms bringing snow, rain and an Arctic blast to millions, the hazardous travel conditions, and power outage concerns as relentless storms pummel the U.S. Hostage deal in trouble, Hamas says it's delaying the release of three people held captive, accusing Israel of breaking the terms of the agreement. Could the ceasefire collapse? Chaos on an Alaska Airlines flight, video showing a flight attendant repeatedly hitting a man in an attempt to free a woman who was being attacked by that passenger. What happened next? And a surprise at the Super Bowl, Taylor Swift, getting booed,

will explain the bad blood between the pop star and Philadelphia Eagles fans. Turns out, Taylor used to be an Eagles fan before dating the Chiefs Travis Kelsey, the celebrities and fans rushing to her defense. The breaking news just in the Justice Department ordering the charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams to be dismissed. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We're going to have the latest on the breaking news out of New York City, Mayor Adams. It appears his charges could be dropped. We'll get to that in a moment. But first, President Trump once dubbed himself the tariff man. And tonight he's making good on that name. The president shaking up economic relations with our closest trade partners, announcing 25% tariffs on all imports of aluminum and steel, a move which aims to help domestic manufacturers compete against foreign producers, but is likely to drive up prices for consumers in the long run.

It's a gut punch to some of our closest allies, including Canada and Mexico. Just last year, the U.S. imported $6.6 billion of steel from Canada, accounting for nearly 23% of all steel imports. 2.2 billion from Mexico, counting for nearly 11% of our steel imports from our neighbors to the south. And if you take a look at your screen right now, these are the products you should expect to see go up in price. Can drinks, food, vehicles, heavy machinery, and appliances all expecting to take a hit. Meantime, President Trump is struggling, excuse me, suggesting Canada would be better off if the U.S. acquired the country. Yeah, all of Canada. But a new U.Gov poll finding Canadians are against joining the U.S. with 77 percent strongly or somewhat opposed to that idea. The president making other news late today in a newly released clip of his interview on Fox News.

Take a listen to how he responded when asked if Vice President J.D. Vance could be a successor. No, but he's very capable. I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he's doing a fantastic job. It's too early. We're just starting. We have a lot to get to this evening as we start. White House correspondent, Gabe Gutierrez, has all the late-breaking developments. Tonight, as part of his campaign pledged to rebuild the American steel industry, President Trump slapping new 25 percent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum imports. It's a big deal. It's a big deal. This is the beginning of making America rich again. Some American steel workers now praising the move.

That happens. It's going to help our industry. We're going to able to. to regroup, and we're going to be able to stay alive. But critics argue the tariffs will drive up prices for U.S. consumers. Discount store owner Peter Alitzer worries they'll hurt his bottom line. Are you worried that this will hurt your bottom line? There's no question about it, because we'll have to absorb some of that, which is tough in a business that works on tight margins anyway, and it will also be problematic for the economy generally.

And the president promising new tariffs this week on countries that restrict the sale of American goods. Reciprocal tariffs, and very simply, it's if they charge us, we charge them. That's all. The tariff talk comes amid a growing legal showdown over President Trump's efforts to downsize the federal government. This afternoon, a judge keeping the president's buyout offer to federal workers on pause, while another federal judge ruling the Trump administration has not fully followed his order

to unfreeze federal spending that President Trump had stopped and telling the White House to release all the money. But President Trump is defending his cost-cutting efforts. And the day you're not allowed to look for theft and fraud, et cetera, then we don't have much of a country. So no judge should be, no judge should frankly be allowed to make that kind of a decision. It's a disgrace. The president now telling billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to root out wasteful spending in the Education Department and the Pentagon. And employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are being told to stay. home this week.

Trump's budget director says the agency has a surplus of over $700 million and that the spigot is now being turned off. While the agency says it's won back $17.5 billion for Americans, Democrats slamming the Trump administration for five-patient Congress. Every time you hear Doge, the Department of Government efficiency, you just remember, it is the Department of Government evil. And in a new move, the President. Also, literally changing change, instructing his Treasury Secretary to stop minting new pennies.

It cost nearly four cents to produce a one-cent coin. All right, Gabe joins us tonight from the White House. We're going to have an update in just moments on that breaking news about Mayor Eric Adams in New York. But Gabe, I want to start with you at the White House there. Talk to me about these executive orders. Yeah, yeah, that's right, Tom. Just a few moments ago, the president talking about those executive orders in the Oval Office. He talked more about reciprocal tariffs.

He says he'll announce more of them over the next two days. And when asked if he was worried about retaliation, he said, I don't mind saying that the move will save American jobs. Now, the president also talked about banning paper straws, something that he says is getting a lot of attention. He much prefers plastic straws. And then also, he did issue a full pardon for former Illinois governor and celebrity apprentice contestant Rod Blagojevich, who had been sent to prison for selling Barack Obama's Senate. seat after the 2008 presidential election. President Trump had commuted his sentence back in 2020. Now he's giving him a full pardon time. And Gabe, I want to play for our viewers a little more

from the president's interview with Fox News when asked about Vice President Vance. Here's what he had to say. Do you view Vice President J.D. Vance as your successor, the Republican nominee in 2028? No, but he's very capable. I mean, I don't think that it, you know, I think you have a lot of very capable people. So far, I think he's doing a fantastic job. I think he's doing a fantastic job. It's too early. We're just starting. Not exactly a vote of confidence there. Have we heard any reaction tonight from the vice president or from the president himself?

Not quite yet, actually. Vice President J.D. Vance is just in France tonight for his first foreign trip as vice president. But certainly that answer, Tom, is raising a lot of eyebrows among the Republican Party. Notice he could have just said it was too early to talk about that. But without missing a beat, he said no, although he then tried to backtrack. But certainly, as the interview. if you were pointed out, not exactly the biggest vote of confidence heading into this new administration.

All right, Gabe Gutierrez, we thank you. We want to get right now to that breaking news tonight from the Department of Justice and the White House. Moments ago, the DOJ ordering the acting U.S. attorney of the Southern District of New York to dismiss all charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. For more on this developing story, NBC News, Justice and Intelligence Corresponding, Ken Delane joins us tonight. Ken, you know, we've been covering this story a lot here on Top Story.

What more do we know about what happened today? I know this story just broke moments ago. Yeah, it really just did break, Tom. A Justice Department official confirming to me that the acting deputy attorney general, Emil Bovet, who, as you recall, was once Donald Trump's defense lawyer, has ordered the Southern District of New York, the acting U.S. attorney there, to dismiss all charges against the New York mayor, Eric Adams. And I got a sense from this official of what the Justice Department's reasoning was behind this decision.

and it's multi-fold. They are saying that they believe this case was an example of weaponization, meaning that it was unfairly brought for political motive. And they've accused the former U.S. attorney Damien Williams of using this case for his own political gain. They also say that because of this indictment, the New York mayor had lost his security clearance, and that made it more difficult for him to cooperate

with law enforcement operations in the city, including immigration enforcement, which is a high priority for the Trump. administration. And they say that they felt they assessed that the Adams defense was not given enough time before the imminent trial to deal with all the massive amounts of evidence in the case. So they're ordering this dismissal. Now, the case has not yet been dismissed. That would have to be done through a motion filed by the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, and a judge would have a chance to review that. And one of the interesting questions is going to be,

will those prosecutors carry out this order? Will any of them resign rather than do that? I mean, they, no doubt that they believe strongly in this case. There's a lot of evidence. This is a massive bribery and corruption case, not brought lightly against a very prominent public figure. But this is also an example of how the Trump Justice Department is unafraid to weigh into these politically fraught cases and take these kinds of actions, Tom. Yeah, and then can remind our viewers what Mayor Adams was facing the charges he was facing, and then kind of give us the TikTok, right? Because around this time, we'll remember the mayor sort of got sideways with President Biden over the migrant crisis

in the city. And then Mayor Adams started to curry favor with President Trump, who was a candidate then, refusing to criticize him and saying he wanted to work with the Trump administration. Yeah, that's right. So before these charges became public, although no doubt the investigation was brewing, Mayor Adams began to distance himself from the Biden administration over. the migration crisis. He said that migrants were ruining New York. He really came out publicly and strongly, voicing the sentiments of a lot of people across the country, but for a prominent Democrat to do that really drew the ire of the Biden administration. Then you had this corruption case where he was accused of taking favors from the government of Turkey and people associated

with Turkey in the form of luxury air travel and other benefits in exchange for, allegedly, for doing favors for Turkey, including forcing the approval of a building, a Turkish-owned building in New York City that the fire department had said was not safe. And so prosecutors said this was a years-long influence peddling and bribery scheme. They also charged him with acting as an unregistered foreign agent. So it was a massive corruption case. There was a speaking indictment. There was a lot of evidence in it. But then as soon as Donald Trump was elected, Eric Adams began trying to curry favor with the Trump administration. He very publicly said that he believed that the charges were the result of his getting crosswise with the Biden administration.

He said things like he was told to be a good Democrat. There's really no evidence that the charges were in any way related to that. But that was his claim. And you know, you and I were talking not so long ago about the news that Maine Justice was talking to SDNY about whether they should dismiss the case. And today, they are ordering that that be done. On that breaking news for us, Ken, thank you for breaking it down. There was a lot there. We appreciate you bringing that to our viewers.

We do now want to turn back to our reporting on President Trump launching those new tariffs on steel and aluminum, also connected to Canada. Tonight, there's growing backlash over what could be an escalating trade war. And many Canadians now boycotting U.S. goods in response to what they say is an act of betrayal. NBC's Air McLaughlin is in Canada tonight. With President Trump announcing fresh tariffs and renewing talk of making Canada the 51st state. Tonight, many Canadians say they're stealing their resolve for a trade war. We feel betrayed. Outside Toronto, retiree Susan Bright is going to battle at Vince's supermarket, searching for over an hour to find produce that's not made in America, a tough task in the frigid

Canadian winter. Betrayal is a strong word. It is, and that's how I feel. Why? Because we've been neighbors and friends and partners and allies for years, hundreds of years. With Canada, a top supplier of both steel and aluminum to the U.S., President Trump's latest announcement could have a major impact on critical industries in both countries, from cars to construction. And while the president has temporarily paused his more sweeping 25% tariff on Canadian goods, it's all led to deep economic uncertainty and anger. Vince's store owner, John Carlo Tremarki. resurgence from our customer base as they look to shop local and support Canadian brands.

That's a huge movement right now. So customers are asking you? Demanding. Demanding. Demanding. Demanding. And we don't do that very often here in Canada. Those demands stretching to travel, with many Canadians canceling their trips to the U.S. Bob Bloomer has been traveling to Florida every winter for the last 24 years. I just can't justify going down there right now. Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was recently caught on a hot mic saying he thinks Trump's talk of annexation is a real thing. That threat leading to this reaction to the U.S. national anthem in stadiums across the country. All of it transforming Canadian politics, forcing the conservative premier of Ontario into a dramatic U-turn. Prior to these tariffs, you yourself said you were

100% Trump. Do you regret that position? Well, Trump 1.0 is now Trump 2.0. I never thought in a million years. He threatened as close as ally and treasured partner. With the U.S. GDP roughly 10 times the size of Canada's, some say all they can do is wait. So how does this end? In about four years, things will get better. If you guys down south, don't mess it up too much. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News, Toronto. For more on President Trump's relationship with Canada and how that may be impacting policy,

I want to bring in Annie Linsky. She's a White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Annie, thanks for joining Top Story tonight. Great to be here. So what is the obsession? for President Trump with Canada? Well, look, this has been one of his kind of more recent decisions to go after Canada and to focus so much on Canada.

You know, his relationship with Trudeau, of course, has been fraught. Trudeau did come down and visit the president in Mar-a-Lago before the inauguration. That was sort of seen as perhaps a moment where offenses were being mended, but clearly that wasn't the case. But ultimately, look, Trudeau is resigning from government. The relationship doesn't matter as much as whether Trump's comments about Canada are real. When he talks about wanting to Canada to be a 51st state, there is a lot of talk in Washington of that same old question with Trump. You know, do you take him at his word or do you wait for his actions? And, you know, you can unpack it a little bit. I mean, if Canada were really to become the 51st state,

Democrats would control Congress for quite a long time. The population there, even their sort of conservatives, are a lot closer to our Democratic Party. So when you play it out a little bit, it doesn't make a lot of sense. But the tariffs are real. He talked about it last night on Air Force One, and then today, just really about an hour or so ago, signed, signed papers to put tariffs on steel and on aluminum, which as your report pointed out, that those are products that come from Canada and really will impact that trade relationship. You know, when the president cites presidents that he admires, there are presidents usually that have had or have done some bold things for the country, right? And I wonder if there's a part

of him, whether he talks about Greenland or Canada or the Panama Canal, if there's something to be left of his legacy that he can show and say, listen, we annex this or we made our footprint bigger. Do you think there's some of that in this as well? Yeah, I think that's right. I mean, Trump, should this come to pass, would not be the first president to vastly expand American territory. You know, other presidents have done that. And it doesn't seem clear at this moment how that would happen right now, since the world is very different than it was back when, say, Alaska became part of the United States. But it is a big legacy type of move. And he is talking a lot about imperialism in a way that he didn't, you know, in Trump 1.0. You know, this is new for Trump, whether he's talking about Gaza, Panama, Greenland, or Canada. So the sort of expansion is on his mind. any of this, and I know you mentioned Trudeau and he's going to step down, but do you think that any of this is personal with Trudeau in the sense that they have had a rocky relationship that goes back to his last administration, right? Back in 2018, we can put this for our viewers. He posted at the G7 calling Trudeau meek and mild as well as dishonest and weak. Do we think any of this maybe is personal and that he sort of has this bad blood with Canada from his first administration and now he's making them pay? Or do you think there's a large? larger goal here in either applying tariffs and trying to get more money out of them for the U.S.?

I really think it's all of the above. I mean, when you look at Canada, you can, as you just did, layer up the reasons why Trump would, in some way, target them. You know, you have the bad relationship with the Canadian leader. You know, he does have this, you know, obsession and interest in tariffs. Steel is an industry that he's particularly fond of talking about and cares about. And so once you kind of put that, those, you know, collective thoughts together, you are kind of building a mound here of why Canada would become an obvious target for Trump, even though they are as, you know, they are a longtime friend, of course, of the country, and one of the closest allies of the United States.

Annie Linsky, we thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. Great to have you on. Thank you. Okay, we're going to turn now to the weather and more than 30 million people under winter alerts tonight with back-to-back storms set to cause chaos from the planes to the Mid-Atlantic. In South Dakota, snowfall already making for hazardous driving conditions. Those two separate rounds of winter weather forecasted to bring rain and snow, ice, and possible flooding. For more on how much snow we could see NBC News meteorologists tracking these storms for us tonight.

Bill, walk us through what we know. Yeah, this is trouble. Two storms in the middle of the week. So the implications alone for just people getting to work, so many schools will be canceled and delayed, and then you have the travel issues at the airports, too. So the storm is just beginning now to take shape, a little bit of wintry weather out there in Nebraska, but tomorrow is really when it blossoms.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, you're going to have snow in areas from Louisville to Lexington through West Virginia, then through Virginia itself. It looks like Washington, D.C. It's not going to move into your area probably until about, you know, mid-morning tomorrow, and then it will be snowing hard during the afternoon. So this is at 8 a.m.

The blue shows you're where the snow is, a little bit of ice to in North Carolina. There it goes into Washington, D.C., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. This is when it's snowing hard through the Delmarver region. Richmond, it looks like you go from snow over to a wintry mess, maybe over to rain. So a little lower snowfall totals there. But somewhere between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, we think someone's going to get eight, maybe even 10 inches of snow. Baltimore, it looks like around four for you. Philly, about two. New York City, only about one or two. And then storm number two is right behind it. And this one's

in a different spot. This one's going from Kansas all the way back up to Illinois, through Michigan. to dump some heavy snow Wednesday in Kansas City. Chicago, one of your biggest winter storms of the season, you're going to get about six or seven inches. And then, Tom, unfortunately, with that same storm Wednesday, also some severe weather. We'll track that until areas of Louisiana come Thursday. All right, Bill, we're going to be talking to you all week. We appreciate that. We're also following some breaking news out of the Middle East tonight. Hamas saying it's suspending the next release of Israeli hostages accusing Israel of violating the terms of their ceasefire agreement. This is outrage grows over the condition of the three hostages released over the weekend.

We're going to show you what they look like. Yasmin Basugian is in Tel Aviv with this report. In what may be the biggest test of the fragile ceasefire deal yet, tonight Hamas says they will indefinitely delay the next release of Israeli hostages. Hamas accusing Israel of violating the terms of the deal by refusing to allow aid into Gaza, delaying people from returning to the north and continuing shelling and gunfighting. While Israel has been allowing food and water to Ghazans, Palestinian officials say they've fallen short in providing tents and caravans as agreed to in the deal. The Israeli defense minister tonight calling Hamas's announcement, quote, a complete violation of the ceasefire agreement, adding he's instructed the IDF to repair at the highest level of alert.

Tonight, President Trump weighing in. Saturday at 12 o'clock and if they're not, if they're not here, all hell is going to break. There's been growing concern amongst both Israelis and Palestinians over whether the deal will hold, following pleas from Hamas for more humanitarian aid, and President Trump's remarks about owning and developing Gaza. Would the Palestinians have the right to return? No, they wouldn't because they're going to have much better housing, much better. Over the weekend, three Israelis were released, appearing gaunt. Family members saying they were starved in captivity and kept mostly in the tunnels under Gaza. Gaza. Six Israeli Americans remain captive in Gaza, with four presumed dead.

76 hostages in all still there. And hundreds gathering tonight in hostage square to celebrate the birthday of a captive Israeli. Instead, devastated to learn about the delay. All right, Yasmin, joins us tonight from Tel Aviv. So Yasmin, looking at your report there, it sounds like this ceasefire and the hostage release could be on the cusp of falling apart. What was the schedule coming up? And is that the sense over there in Israel? There is a sense of that. And we've been seeing protests throughout Tel Aviv all night when it comes to the ceasefire.

A lot of families, family members of hostages who are angry, hoping that the ceasefire deal does not, in fact, fall apart. We had heard that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was convening his security cabinet tomorrow afternoon to talk about the phase two of ceasefire negotiations. Instead, he has moved that schedule up to the more. because of what Hamas is now saying, essentially delaying the release of any more hostages. However, Hamas now clarifying their comments, essentially saying this is a shot across the bow.

We're giving you a warning shot. You have five days until Saturday to essentially come up with the humanitarian aid in which you have not supplied, to cease with the shootings and the shellings inside Gaza and to allow more Palestinians to cross from the north to the south and the south to the north. So if, in fact, that happens, it seems like Hamas will come through with the ceasefire

come Saturday. But now, of course, the rhetoric from the United States and President Trump saying, essentially, listen, if they don't hand over those hostages by noon, let all hell break loose. So we are certainly an incredibly perilous time, Tom, when it comes to this ceasefire deal. Yasmin Vasuvian reporting from Tel Aviv tonight for us, Yasmin, we thank you. For more on the concern for the three Israeli hostages released by Hamas over the the weekend. I want to bring in NBC News international correspondent, Ralph Sanchez. Raf, the images of these men after the release have been jarring, especially when compared

to the hostage release in previous rounds. I want to put this up for our viewers here. So this graphic comes to us from the Hostage Family Forum. It shows what they look like before. That's the photos on top. You see them there. And then after, on the bottom, after captivity. What more do we know about these three men and the conditions they were being held in? Because it is so stark, the difference. It is so stark. Tom, you and I have covered a number of these hostage releases so far. And you'll remember the first couple were moments of unalloyed joy in Israel, especially those young women coming home and apparently good physical condition being reunited with their families. What happened over the weekend was a lot darker. These three men frail, emaciated. Doctors in Israel say that they were malnourished. And two of them are not coming home to happy stories. Eli Sharabi, 52 years old. His wife, and his two teenage daughters were killed on October 7th, and he did not know that, Tom, until he was released.

So he spent his first moments of freedom receiving the worst news that any father, any husband can get, that his family is dead. And it is a similar story for Orr Levy, 34 years old. He was at that Nova Music Festival, along with his wife. He was taken hostage. She was killed. And that couple have a little boy who is now three years old. that is a child who has been without his father, who was held captive in Gaza, without his mother who

was killed since October 7, 2023. So that was a complicated reunion between father and son. And just finally, Tom, of the 17 hostages still in Gaza slated to be released in this phase of the deal, Hamas says eight of them are dead. So Israel knows that there are difficult days still ahead. It remains horrific. The Red Cross has been facilitating hostage and prisoner exchanges over the past few weeks. them there with the jackets on. Officials from the organization said over the weekend, they are, quote, increasingly concerned about the conditions surrounding release operations. We saw somewhat of that Hamas spectacle, if you will, over the weekend. What was different about this release? Walk our viewers through that.

So, Tom, this time we saw these three men marched up onto a stage erected by Hamas, which we have seen before. But this time, they were made to give these short speeches at gunpoint, basically. And they were made to thank their captors, and that is something that the Red Cross is deeply concerned about. Under the Geneva Convention, you prisoners should not be sort of paraded, made a spectacle of. The Red Cross is also expressing concern about the condition that some of those Palestinian prisoners are emerging from Israeli jails. And many of them looking severely malnourished as well. Some of them claim that they suffered abuse at the hands of Israeli authorities inside those prisons. Those are allegations that Israel denies.

Yeah, and then, Ralph, if I can just get your take on the news that we just heard there from Yasmin, that the headlines today, right, that this deal could be in trouble, and there may be hostages not released. At least that's what Hamas is saying right now. How serious do we take this? Is this a threat to gain some more power, to gain leverage in this deal? Because it feels like, you know, this could be a much bigger issue if it's not resolved. Yeah, absolutely, Tom. So this ceasefire has been fragile for the last four weeks. This is the biggest, by far, crisis we have seen so far. Even while there have been disagreements, there have been accusations flying back and forth between Israel and Hamas, both sides have continued to release hostages, release prisoners, and Hamas now pulling a handbrake saying that that is not going to go ahead. Israel is saying that it is putting its forces on high alert and that if those hostages do not come out on Saturday as planned, it's very unclear what will happen.

But the decision will rest with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whether or not to return to the fighting. And it is worth saying, Tom, that that is something that he is under intense domestic political pressure, especially from the extreme far right of his coalition to do. So these are critical days ahead. All right, Raf Sanchez for us, Raf, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the new update after a sports reporter covering the Super Bowl was found dead. What new surveillance images you see here reveal about his final moments and the woman who was spotted with them and later arrested.

Plus, the stunning video as a flight attendant punches a man who was experiencing a violent medical episode and attacked a female passenger while they were in the air. The airline's response tonight. And rescued from the ice, the fishermen in distress and stranded on the frigid Saginaw Bay.

Stay with us. We were back down with an update on the sports reporter who was found dead in his hotel while covering the Super Bowl in New Orleans. There's new surveillance images tonight showing his final moments entering the hotel alongside a woman who was arrested shortly after his death. That woman, police say, has a history of drugging and scamming men. NBC's Adrian Broadus has more.

Tonight, unsettling new surveillance images showing sports reporter Adon Manzano, hours before he was found dead in his hotel room while covering the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Police say the images, which were separately obtained and published by the Daily Mail, shows Manzano entering a comfort inn with Danette Colbert, a Louisiana woman who was arrested after Manzano's death and who police say has a history of, quote, drugging men and stealing their credit cards. What put COVID at that hotel room with surveillance video, and that's when we saw that she was the last one to be with him, and she left the room alone, and he never came out of that room absent the corner's office. Kinner police now saying that since Colbert's arrest, they've been contacted by other people, claiming to be victims or reporting suspicious deaths under similar circumstances.

It's a confidence game. She picks up on these guys out in public, gains their confidence. She takes them off. She drugs them and then walks away with money, credit cards, jewelry, cell phones, things of their belongings. Last week, police said they obtained a warrant for Colbert's home and found Manzano's criminal. credit card, cell phone, narcotics, and a stolen firearm, although they don't believe the stolen weapon is related to this case. Colbert had used Manzano's credit card at several stores in the New Orleans area, according to police. On Monday, officials saying multiple electronic devices connected to the case have also been seized and are undergoing a forensic examination. Potentially homicide or murder? So that's contingent on. the corners report. Once we get the corners report and we see what what the medical findings are

and how he classifies his death, it could absolutely end up as a homicide. Colbert's attorney did not return NBC's request for comment. Manzano was a young Telemundo journalist from Kansas City. His home station airing a heartfelt tribute to him saying that while he may not be in the newsroom anymore, his gift as a friend will never end. In a GoFundMe campaign for his funeral cost, His family emphasizing that through his work, Manzano, quote, brought communities together, sharing the excitement, emotion, and love for sports that he held so dearly. His death coming months after his wife was killed in a car crash. He was raising their daughter alone. Police say they want answers for his family.

This man has a mother that's coming in from other country to claim her son's body. As we all know, there's a two-year-old now orphan out there that he was responsible for. of the heartstrings of everybody, and we just don't want to see this happen to anybody else. All right, Adrian Broadus joins us tonight. So Adrian, the chief called Colbert a career criminal, and we heard about sort of the exchange there on homicide charges. Will she be charged with anything now that she's been charged with in the past? Well, you know what, Tom, right now she's already facing multiple charges, including bank and computer fraud, as well as simple robbery. And the chief says more charges could come. And this is in line with things she's been charged for in the

past when you think about that probation. That stems from a case dating back to 2023 for similar crimes, including theft. The chief says back then she pleaded guilty and her five-year jail sentence was reduced to probation, which she violated. Tom. Oh, wow. Okay. Adrian, we thank you for that. We thank you for being on top story tonight. Next to the chaotic moments inside an Alaska Airlines plane, a flight attendant, seen punching a passenger after that passenger started to pull the hair of the woman in front of him. NBC's Dana Griffin with that video. And she talked to the woman about how it all went down. Disturbing moments on board this Alaska Airlines flight as a passenger appears to lose control.

A flight attendant jumping in to subdue the man, at times punching him trying to get the passenger to release the hair of 32-year-year-old. old Erica Ramos sitting in front of him. I really wasn't sure what was happening in that moment. I was afraid that this person was going to start punching me. Erica escaping the seat and the flight attendant calling for backup. Erica says the attack caused painful swelling and she's still getting headaches nine days later. There was a moment where we actually see your face in that video turn around and look at him.

What were you thinking and did you say anything to him? I did not say anything to him. I think I was just really in shock. From my understanding of things, he was having a psychotic episode, and I didn't necessarily want to interact with him and possibly make things worse. The plane, still on the ground, was scheduled to fly to Portland, Oregon from Oakland, California on February 1st, but after the chaotic ordeal, it was forced to return to its gate so authorities could intervene.

It's not every day that you see flight attendants. throwing punches to try to subdue an unruly passenger. Was that the right move there? The flight attendant who had to respond to this took the immediate actions that you would take if you were able to take the crew member self-defense training. We're in a confined space. We cannot call for help. There's no other way to do this. And there was imminent danger here. And so the passenger needed to have action against them in order to stop what they were doing in severely harming another passenger. Alaska Airlines telling NBC news in part that the man appeared to be experiencing a violent medical episode that involved an ongoing physical assault against other passengers

and our crew. Our crew responded to the chaotic situation quickly and kept all guests safe, adding that the man has been banned from future flights. The airline has found itself at the center of increased public scrutiny recently after multiple high profile safety incidents. It was in Alaska Airlines flight last January that had its door plug blow off the fuselage of a Boeing 737 Max 9 midair. At the time, the airline saying incidents like this are rare and the passengers and crew landed safely. And in 2023, an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot attempted to disengage the engines of a plane mid-flight. That pilot later telling investigators he had recently taken magic mushrooms. This latest incident resolving relatively quickly, but leaving passengers in shock.

as flying continues to drive many to the breaking point. Dana Griffin joins us from Los Angeles. I think all of us would be at the breaking point if that happened to us. Dana, what else did you hear from that passenger you spoke to about what led up to the incident we saw in video? Yeah, well, Tom, Erica Ramos says that before the plane even left the gate, that passenger was overly chatty at first, then started hyperventilating and hitting his head on the back of her seat. She says he lost consciousness at one point, but once he regained it, that's when he grabbed her hair. She says she never spoke to him before or after the incident.

And according to Alaska Airlines, that flight was ultimately canceled because one flight attendant, not the one in that video, determined that they were unfit to continue. And that is a safety call flight attendants can make if they've experienced mental or physical trauma because they've got to be fully present in order to do their jobs. And Tom, as you just saw, sometimes it requires them to get physical. Yeah, we've seen a lot on airplanes. I don't know if we've ever seen anything like that. Okay, Danny Griffin, we thank you for that. when we return the shark attack at a popular Bahamian resort. Two American women airlifted to a hospital after being bitten.

What we're learning tonight. Welcome back to Top Stories News Feed. We begin with a shark attack in the Bahamas. The Royal Bahamas police saying two American tourists were bitten Friday evening while swimming in Bimini. Bimini Bay is the resort's name. And Bimini is about 50 miles from Florida. up. One of the women was seriously injured. Both were treated at a local clinic before being airlifted to a hospital in Nassau. Police say they are investigating this incident. And we're

also tracking news tonight. At least one person is dead after two jets collided at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona. The incident happening this afternoon as the Lear jet landed and veered off the runway crashing into a Gulfstream business jet. Three people were taken to the hospital and first responders are working to free one person still on board. The FAA, of course, is investigating. that incident. And in Michigan, the Coast Guard rescuing two stranded ice fishermen Sunday afternoon. Look at this video here. It shows the Coast Guard chopper airlifting the two men off the ice covering Saginaw Bay in Michigan. No update on their condition so far. It is unclear how the fishermen became stranded. The Coast Guard reminding people to check ice thickness

and wear a life vest. Good advice. Okay, next night to Los Angeles, where recovery efforts continue following those wildfires we've been covering. But now there are growing concerns over whether the EPA is processing toxic waste from the debris. NBC's List-Croits has more on the safety concerns for the community. In the Los Angeles burn zones, it's one of the most challenging next steps, safely removing miles of toxic debris. Both President Trump and California Governor Newsom have asked the EPA to speed up the first phase of the process.

We need it done in 30 days. The original commitment was 60 days. Spare no resources. One of the EPA's debris processing sites, Lario Park, located 15 miles east of the Altadena burn zone on land owned by the federal government, but long operated by L.A. County. So this is the park that's not been turned into this processing center. It's usually a public park with a bike path that runs through here. All of it is now close to the public, though. But what we can see, there's a large tent that's been set up.

The EPA says this is where they are bringing the debris. They are then sorting it and packaging it up for disposal. The use of this site in the largely Latino and working class community has sparked outrage. Why not out to Dina? Residents packing a recent town hall. Can you look me in the eyes and say, would you allow your children, your elderly, would you live in a place where this is going on? The woman who asked that question, Salisa Lueza.

This was a path of least resistance. They felt like we wouldn't put up a fight. Personally, I feel like it's a part of environmental racism, too. The EPA says the site is safe and that it will ensure no negative impact to the environment or its residents. But for Lueza, it's too late. The bridge of trust has been broken. And it's not just residents.

The four mayors representing the city's surrounding Lario Park tell NBC News they were blindsided. Were any of you contacted by anybody ahead of time or informed that this was going to be the site where the debris was coming? Absolutely not. No. I was watching the news and that's how I found out.

You found out watching the local news? Yes. No communication. Chief of police thought it was a sandbag distribution. Kind of looked like a rodeo was coming to town. They questioned if the new 30-day timeline played a role. The governor in competition with the president is trying to expedite everything that's through this process. It feels like we're in the crosshairs per se.

NBC News has reached out to several agencies seeking answers about who knew what and when. LA County supervisor Hilda Salis, who represent cities around Lario Park, declined to be interviewed, but told NBC News that the decision was made by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When NBC News asked when the county first learned the park may be used as a hazardous way site, her office did not respond. But according to the EPA, the agency first approached the county about the site on January 16th, nine days before any of the local mayors or residents say they became aware of the plan. I believe the higher-ups knew what was happening. Higher-ups who? The federal, the government, the president, the governor, they failed to inform us. We need to make sure that the

assurances are there in place that after they pick up their tents and material and leave, that we're not left in this region being affected from years to come. Liz Croyce, NBC News, Los Angeles. All right, when we come back, one Super Bowl ad that has people talking. You may have seen this Hems and Hers ad, which provides telehealth tailored to men's and women's needs, touting its weight loss medications, which are much cheaper than OZempic or Wagovi. But are they safe? down what you need to know with the doctor next.

We're back now with Top Stories Health Check and the Super Bowl ad bringing compounded weight loss drugs back into the spotlight. Telehealth company, Hymns and Hers, you've probably heard of them, airing this commercial during the big game, calling out the American health care system for the country's obesity epidemic before pushing its weight loss products, including compounded semi-glutide in case you missed it. Here's a clip. This system wasn't built to help us. It was built to keep us sick and stuck.

But not anymore. Hems and HERS offers life-changing weight loss medications. They're affordable, doctor-trusted, and formulated in the USA. All right, but some health experts are sounding the alarm. Lawmakers as well, saying the company failed to disclose the safety risks of those compounded drugs to patients. The only mention of any risk, look at this, the small text at the bottom of the screen during two seconds of the minute-long spot. Try to read that on your TV screen, saying the drugs are not FDA approved or evaluated

by the FDA for, quote, safety, effectiveness, and quality. In a statement, though, Hems and Hers spokesperson writing, we are complying with existing laws and are happy to continue working with Congress and the new administration to fix the broken health care system and ensure that patients have choice for quality, safe, and affordable health care. For more on this controversy and the renewed concerns regarding these drugs, I'm joined tonight by Dr. Rika Humar. She's an endocrinologist and the current head of medical affairs at Found Health, a telehealth weight care company. Dr. Kumar, thank you so much for joining us tonight. I appreciate it. So you saw the ad. What do you think about it? Yeah, so thanks for

having me. I think this ad really brought the conversation of prescription, obesity medicines, to the biggest stage in America. And I think that that that that's really important. But it also raised issues of concerns about access to care and responsible medical messaging. So explain to our viewers briefly. What's the difference between something like OZempic or Wagovi and these compounded weight loss drugs as well? Sure. So branded medications like OZempic, Wegovi, Mungaro, and Zepbound are patented drugs made by two companies. OZempic and Wegovi are made by Novo Nordisk, Mungaro and Zep bound by Eli Lili. and they have a patent on the active ingredient.

What compounded medicines are, or they are made in separate facilities and sold in compounding pharmacies that are under a different type of regulatory oversight. So the type of manufacturing and oversight is different in compounding pharmacies versus FDA regulated. So what are the dangers, are there,

if you want to take these compounded drugs? So I think that it's both play a big role in the health care system. Compounded medicines and branded medicines both play an important role for patients. And we shouldn't be saying compounded medicines are totally unregulated. They're under their own type of regulation, and there are specific compounding pharmacies that are under a type of FDA oversight. So that's important to state. But we should always tell our patients what the risks and benefits of any medicine they're taking are, and that's responsible health care messaging. So we should let patients know if medicines are not FDA approved or where

they're being made, side effects, potential adverse effects. In this specific scenario where no specific medicine name is mentioned, technically the FDA guidelines don't require that risks are described because no specific medicine was mentioned. That being said, this conversation that's happened is really important to bring up concerns about access and care disparities as well as responsible health care. Well, that leads me my next question. You're right, because price is obviously a big concern, okay? If you want to pay for something like Ozempic, I think the price is a month supply can run you about $1,000 for Wagovi, it's $1,300. But you look at Hymns and hers, and it's $1.99. So explain that to me. Yeah. So basically, these are medicines that are being made out.

side of the pharmaceutical company that originally manufactured them. So they are manufactured somewhere else. There is something called a 503B compounding pharmacy. That type of pharmacy, which likely Hymns and hers uses, does get their active pharmaceutical ingredient from FDA overseen facilities. But it can be manufactured less expensively. So should people be word, I guess, is the heart of this? I mean, should I just go to Hymns and Hers instead of maybe going to a company like yours? So even if you go to Hims and HERS, a company like ours or your primary care doctor, I would say the decision to choose compounded or branded that you should be aware that there are differences in oversight in manufacturing, price

differences, and access differences. So I would assume that the reputable companies are using reputable compounding pharmacies. All right, Dr. Kumar, we thank you so much for being here and explaining that to us. It's very, very helpful. We also want to tell you about another moment at the Super Bowl making headlines of Packed Superdome. Booing at superstar Taylor Swift, did you see this? Swift there to support her boyfriend, Chief Star Travis Kelsey. Up next, we speak to someone who was in the crowd, why the bad blood between Swift and Eagles fans

may run deeper than just a Super Bowl rivalry. We'll explain. Stay with us. Finally tonight, a Super Bowl moment that had nothing to do with the big game. One of the many celebrities there in New Orleans, Taylor Swift, of course, there to cheer on her boyfriend, Travis Kelsey, of the Kansas City Chiefs, but she was not met with cheers, instead getting some heat from those inside the Superdome. Here's NBC's Priya Shrether with the details.

Global pop star Taylor Swift, receiving a not-so-warm welcome at last night's Super Bowl. Swift trying to shake it off, as many in a crowd of 65,000 people in the Superdome booed when she was put on the Jumbotron. When they did show Taylor Swift, it was mostly booze, I would say. A moment getting attention from everyone, including President Trump, who said the only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift on Truth Social. The amount of booing in that stadium was absolutely horrid. coming to her defense right away, showing their support at the game. Even Serena Williams tweeting, I love you, Taylor Swift. Don't listen to those booze. That treatment, not a new phenomenon for the celeb, as the NFL and its broadcasting partners have received backlash the last two seasons

for showing too much of Taylor Swift, who's attended numerous games to cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chief's tight end, Travis Kelsey. I don't think that's based on on her musical abilities or fans, I think it's more just Eagles fans are so passionate about their team. And she's aligned with the Chiefs and anything Chiefs related, Eagles fans were going to boo. But this bad blood between Swift and Eagles fans might go deeper than a simple team rivalry. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Swift actually used to be an Eagles fan herself. Even referencing the team. Even referencing the team. her dad Scott Swift also said to be a lifelong Eagles fan, but supporting her daughter's

boyfriend, something that clearly didn't sit right with the passionate fans of Philadelphia, who are notorious for giving people a hard time, even booing Santa Claus in the 1960s. They're one of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL, and I think it may be border borders a little bit on aggressive compared to other fan bases. A potential end of the love story between Swift and Eagles fans. She's in a relationship with one of their biggest stars, and Eagles fans are going to say, hey, you know what? You're part of the other team.

We're going to let you hear it. Priya Shrether, NBC News. Those Eagle fans are hardcore. We thank Priya for that story. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.

Thank you.