Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, January 22, 2024

Episode Date: January 23, 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, the last two standing, Nikki Haley going head to head with former President Trump on the eve of the first in the nation primary. Haley hitting the campaign trail hard in New Hampshire, hoping to appeal to undeclared voters to help pick up a much-needed primary win. She's now going up against Trump alone after that surprise dropout from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the weekend. But new polling shows Trump with a nearly 20% lead. Would the primaries be over if Trump left?

lands another victory. We have team coverage in the Granite State, including our Chuck Todd asking voters there how they're feeling about the two-person race. Also breaking tonight Israeli officials telling NBC News they've proposed a two-month pause in fighting in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages still in Gaza. The reported proposal, less than a day after the outraged family of those hostages, stormed Israel's parliament. Meanwhile, in Gaza, the last major functioning hospital surrounded by fighting how staff there trying to treat the injured while supplies run out. Ice disaster.

New video shows a fire truck spinning out of control in Missouri, hitting parked cars and nearly slamming into a home, icy roads and freezing conditions leaving dozens of people dead in multiple states. And now a new system bringing flash flooding to parts of California. We're tracking it all. Plus, Haiti's gang violence exploding neighborhoods and porter prints seized by gang members. Homes forcibly taken and roads set ablaze several. nuns kidnapped while they were on a bus, the urgent plea tonight from Pope Francis calling for

their safe return. And the massive storm surge bursting through the doors of a U.S. Army base in the Marshall Islands, floodwaters rapidly overtaking the building and knocking people over. The evacuation's underway. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Then there were two. Polls in New Hampshire open and less than 12 hours from now for the first primary of the election. But Republican and undeclared voters in the Granite State will only be picking between former President Trump and Nikki Haley. The once-P-filled now a one-on-one race after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a surprise turn dropped out yesterday. Shortly after his announcement, Trump's saying he believes he has this nomination

in the bag. I come back and I make a speech tomorrow night and hopefully that should wrap it up because we are so far ahead. It's incredible. With or without DeSantis, Trump's lead on Haley is widening. New polling showing him up nearly 20 points in the Granite State, and he's also getting support from his former opponents. Look at this. Out of the eight candidates who appeared at the first GOP debate in August,

four of them have since endorsed Trump, including DeSantis, Vivek Ramoswamy, Senator Tim Scott, and Governor Doug Bergam. But Haley is getting some star power behind her as well. Judge Judy in New Hampshire campaigning alongside Haley, calling her a trailblazer who, quote, doesn't mince words. While Trump may appear to be the frontrunner, he made a bizarre stumble over the week and appearing to confuse Haley with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi when sharing some mistruths about January 6th. Take a listen. They never report the crowd on January 6th.

You know, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, you know, do you know they destroyed all of the information? all of the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it, all of it, because of lots of things like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, so whatever they want, they turned it down. Haley seizing on the major mix of firing back at Trump and questioning the ages of both him and President Biden. And do we really want to go into an election with two fellas that are going to? to be president in their 80s? But last night, Trump is at a rally. And he's going on and on

mentioning me multiple times as to why I didn't take security during the Capitol riots. Why I didn't handle January 6 better? I wasn't even in D.C. on January 6th. I wasn't in office then. Our teams on the ground in New Hampshire have been talking to voters, many frustrated over their final two options. We'll hear from them. in just a moment. But we want to start tonight with Hallie Jackson. The sprint to what may be the finish tonight, with the Republican race down to just two candidates. It is go time. Tomorrow is the day. The campaign on the line for former UN ambassador Nikki Haley in New Hampshire on the trail here with babies and beer making the case. With

NBC's Ali Vitale, a Trump nomination is not inevitable. Let's keep in mind, we don't do coronations in this country because 70% of Americans don't want to Trump Biden rematch. Haley now has the one-on-one race she's been hoping for after a dramatic dropout by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Today, perhaps with an eye toward 2028, thanking supporters after he endorsed Donald Trump when suspending his campaign. He has my endorsement because we can't go back to the old Republican Guard of yesteryear, a repackage formed of warmed over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents. DeSantis, seen initially as a a strong Trump alternative, ultimately unable to overcome the strength of the Trump brand in the

GOP. He ran a really good campaign, I will tell you. It's not easy. Now from Mr. Trump, a more conciliatory tone toward his former rival. He endorsed me, and we have policies very similar, actually. I think those people will all come to meet. The latest polling shows without DeSantis in the race, Mr. Trump leads by 19 points in New Hampshire against Haley.

What does a good night look like? I don't know. You know what? I like wins. Mr. Trump and Haley with some stark differences, including on Ukraine, the former president, critical of sending more aid, for example. In New Hampshire, Haley will need independence, like Regine Philippi, to win and win big in this state. I know that she's going to do what's right for this country. And to make inroads with former Trump supporters.

So when Trump came in, it was a fresh face. And then as time went on, you know, there's just a lot of too much noise, you know. And that's why you're back in Nikki Haley? Yeah. Bob Burns has a different perspective. He grew up here, involved in state politics, a Trump backer since 2016. Now he's hoping for GOP unity. You suck it up, you get over it, and you move on, and you forge that alliance with Donald Trump.

And, you know, you work to make our country as great as it can be. All right, Hallie Jackson joins us now live from the campaign trail in Salem, New Hampshire. So I want to ask you first, you know, a lot of people expect DeSantis' supporters to back Trump eventually. in this primary. We'll find out tomorrow. But has the Haley campaign been able to benefit from DeSantis dropping out as well? They say they have, Tom, and we are just to set the scene for you, looking at the detritus of a rally now ended. She was just here maybe 45 minutes ago. It's a quick cleanup, but it was a packed house. And her campaign tonight says that they have raised something like half a million dollars plus since DeSantis dropped out of the race

just on Sunday from online grassroots donors. They are looking, as you know, to get some at their back here, into New Hampshire for a very strong finish, maybe even an upset, although nobody on her sort of surrogacy folks, any of the folks back in her, nobody's setting that as the expectation. Everybody's talking strong second. That said, she is looking ahead now, Tom, to South Carolina, her home state, which is more than a month away. And then, Hallie, I know you've been talking to some voters on the ground there. We saw in your report. What's the feeling out there? I mean, sort of give us a vibe check as we get close to voting. Can I please give you a vibe check? They're my favorite. Here's what I would say

that it is, right? Nikki Haley has got to win over independent voters here. They're called undeclared voters in this state. They're the biggest voting bloc. She doesn't just have to win them. She has to win them big. And they've actually got to show up to vote for her. It was interesting. We've spoken our team with two voters undeclared. One of them is writing in Joe Biden. The other is picking Chris Christie, even though he is not even in this race anymore. So those are the kind of voters she has to win over. That says I've also spoken with a number of independents who say they just cannot hold their nose and vote for Donald Trump. Flip side, right?

You also have a strong contingency of Donald Trump backers here. You saw it in some of that polling there, including, as you met, Bob Burns, who says that he is Trump through and through. He wants to see this race come to an end quickly. That's also what Donald Trump Jr. made the case for at his campaign stop. I will say, Tom, I know we're still talking 2024, but shades of 2028 there with Don Jr., as people were asking him if he'd run. And shades of 2028 when it comes to Ron DeSantis,

as he perhaps has his eye not on this race, but the next one, Tom. 2028, we still got to get through 2024. Hallie Jackson. Don't be mad. Don't be mad. Hallie Jackson, starting us off here in Top Story. Hallie, we appreciate it. And Hallie's talking to those voters about how they're planning to cast their ballots. But with less than 24 hours to go until the New Hampshire primary,

we also wanted to hear more from independence, those undeclareds in the Granite State. Many of them not happy about the growing possibility of a Trump-Biden rematch. has this story. Across New Hampshire, voters are feeling fed up. I just don't understand where my party is right now. Reed and Nancy Panasetti have lived and voted in Amherst for 25 years. This is one of the first ones that I can really recall. There's a winner being crowned before the race has happened. All of a sudden, you feel like, oh my God, the race could end here? Yes. Hope, but hopefully not. Nancy, like nearly 40% of New Hampshire voters, is an independent.

In this state, independence outnumbered Democrats and Republicans, like her husband Reed. They are both desperate for something new. I will always be a Republican, but I am slowly losing my party, and I want to know how I can get it back. Are you ready to accept this binary choice of Trump v. Biden? Are you hopeful something else happens? Still hopeful. What is that? What are you hoping for? That it's not Donald Trump.

With so many New Hampshire independent voters dreading the idea of a Biden-Trump rematch, some are holding out hope for a viable third-party or independent challenger. The Democratic Party has become far too liberal for me. The Republican Party has become far too conservative. In Milford, New Hampshire, independent Kathy Carson feels politically homeless. I'm open to a third-party candidate. You want to kick the tires on a third candidate, see if there's something there. If Biden and Trump are my choices, yes.

Yeah. That frustration with this year's political offerings is echoed at Yankee bowling lanes in Manchester. I can't pull the level for somebody that I don't believe in. You would like new people. New people, fresh minds, fresh ideas. That's the best we got. Come out now. But amidst the political despair, we did still find some hope.

Would you describe our politics as broken? Misled. It's not broken. This is what democracy is about. about. It's just kind of off track a little bit. Yeah, just need to bring back on track. I like it. You got a little bit of optimism. You have to. You have to. Okay, Chuck Todd, finding the optimism there in New Hampshire. He joins us live tonight from Manchester. So, Chuck, you've been on the ground there for a couple days. Talk to me about what's standing out to you. Do you feel sort of a surprise

finish tomorrow? Are people excited about this or have people resign themselves that this race is over? Look, there's just a lot of uncertainty, and it feels uncertain because this is an ending to a primary for all the New Hampshire primaries I've covered in person going back to the late 90s. We didn't have a closing debate. We didn't have multiple closing debates like we've had in multiple years. You know, when you think about when Hillary Clinton came from double digits behind, sort of where Nikki Haley is right now compared to Donald Trump, the last 72 hours, I think there were two debates, a couple of big rallies.

She did a bunch of interviews. If Nikki Haley pulls the upset tomorrow, you know what I can't do, Tom? I can't tell you, oh, here's why she did it. Boy, she was ubiquitous. She was everywhere. She did this. She did that. I can't point to that.

Maybe it happens. There's a lot of optimism in her team that there's going to be this massive turnout, and she needs, I think, a very high turnout to have a shot here. But you don't see it or feel it. And I think part of that was her decision to keep. Cancel all those debates. I understand why she did it at the time about Ronda Santis, but I think she missed an opportunity to talk to a lot of New Hampshire voters who take this primary seriously, Tom. Well, since you open the door, I'm going to ask you a follow-up there. Besides the debates,

there's also been some criticism that when people have covered candidates in New Hampshire who are trying to score an upset, they're trying to win, they're really burning the midnight oil. Do you get that from the Haley campaign? Are they trying to campaign as much as they can? Look, you know, I've traveled with candidates, and when you're on that third or fourth event as a reporter, you are dragging, you know what. She's doing four or five right now. But you do get at something. I think what you're getting at is there's always like this, you're not quite sure what to call it, right? What are the French call it, Geneseecois, right?

Whatever it is on the trail, in those last 72 hours, 96 hours, 48 hours, you're like, you're feeling it. And the campaign almost wants to create, almost wants to manufacture the momentum, right? Again, I go back to one thing that does stick out to me is this Haley campaign does feel as if it's just been put together. Like, this does not feel like a campaign that's been on the ground six months and it's all coming together. You know, she had been a sort of one-band candidate for a long time, and then she started to build as the money started to come in. So maybe that has something to do with it, too, that she just doesn't have. the tested resources on the ground. Look, we'll see. And you and I

could be totally proven wrong. You know, digital Get Out the vote efforts or stuff you don't see the way we used to see it. So I want to you know, I don't want to pretend that I know everything that I've seen on Get Out the Vote. All right, Chuck Todd, we'll see you tomorrow back here in New York. Looking forward to our

conversation and our coverage. For more of the state of play in New Hampshire and what we can expect tomorrow night, we have a great panel tonight. I want to bring in Mark Lauder. He's the former director of Strategic Communications on the Trump 2020 campaign. Steve Hayes, editor and CEO of the dispatch and a friend of Top Story. And NBC News political analyst, Maria Theresa Kumar, CEO of Voto Latino and an NBC News contributor as well.

We thank you all for being here. Mark, I'm going to start with you right now. You listen to former President Trump. He sounds like he's wrapped this up so far. Do you think in his mind he's already won the New Hampshire primary? Well, I know he very much values getting out to vote. He knows he's got to get the people out to the polls to make this thing a reality. reality. But there were two polls that came out today, both independent polls, that put him in the

high 50s, about 20 points ahead of Nikki Haley statewide. So that's a good place to be in. And if he can deliver on that, like he very closely matched the polls in Iowa, then this thing's all but done, but having her drop out. Steve, look at these poll numbers we have on the screen for our viewers. Let's put them back up there because I want people to sort of sit on these because it is a big margin between Haley and Trump. It is a two-person race right now. Yes, you have all those undeclared, right? That could score an upset for Nikki Haley. The problem is when you sort of break down these polls, Trump is just more popular with the Republicans than Haley is with the undeclareds, if that makes sense. Does she surprise everyone tomorrow night?

I mean, I think it's tough, given the polls that you just showed us. I mean, look, I think if you're a non-Trump Republican, you've been waiting for years to have a Donald Trump versus another Republican, fill-in-the-blank Republican. In some respects, Nikki Haley is as good a Republican as one could hope for to fill that spot, and she's still coming up short. This is a Republican Party whose base is rallying around Donald Trump, they're fond of Donald Trump, and I think barring some flood of independence tomorrow or some upset that is not reflected in the polling, he's likely to win. Maria, Teresa, you've seen campaigns come from behind, you've seen campaigns surprise people.

Does anything that Nikki Haley is doing right now, anything you've read or seen, lead you to believe we all may be surprised tomorrow. I think she just has a really tough road. I think that, to Steve's point, there were a lot of Republicans in the establishment and a lot of independent donors, high net worth donors saying, wait a second, we need someone to break the fever

for Donald Trump. Is it going to be DeSantis? Is it going to be Nikki Haley? And I think our answer is falling short, saying basically no, the Trump-based, the Trump-Republican voter, wants Trump.

And so I think it's going to be almost impossible for her to be able to pull it out. And that is despite the fact that 40% of all voters tomorrow are going to be independent voters, she would have to get the same amount of voters on the independent side as McCain did. And to give you an idea, the last time there was an upset in New Hampshire, was when Obama sadly lost that time to Hillary Clinton, and no one saw that coming.

So I think that it is absolutely a long shot because at that time, Obama and Hillary both had incredibly well-funded, well-heeled campaigns. Nikki doesn't have that. Mark, let's talk a bit about Governor Ron DeSantis for a moment here. Just hours before DeSantis dropped out, our colleagues here at NBC News published a deep dive into the fall of the Florida governor's campaign. What one of their sources called the campaign's failure to launch, it goes through a lot of the challenges, right? The campaign had from the botch campaign launch on Twitter to internal divisions and conflicts with the pro-Dissanta Super PAC never back down. You've worked on presidential campaigns before.

How would you assess the DeSantis campaign looking back? And even if they ran a perfect campaign, do you think they would have beat the former president? I honestly don't. And here's the reason. I mean, I think, and this is true of regardless of party, you've got to be the right person with the right message at the right time. And two of the three don't get you there. And so while Ron DeSantis definitely had some messaging and personality challenges, it also wasn't the time because the party was obviously still very much tied to President Trump.

and then once all of the legal things started to happen, it really coalesced even stronger around him. So, you know, could this be a 76 Reagan test run? And he comes back in 28. I know that when Haley mentioned that, it caused a little bit of a laugh. But, I mean, that's where he could be, where he learns from what he did in 2024

and applies that in 2028. The one thing we do know is that Donald Trump won't be on the ballot in 28. Steve, I want to ask you what you think about, of these Republicans coalescing around former President Trump, people who ran against him, people who were endorsed and supported by Nikki Haley, all going to former President Trump. He's currently being investigated, accused of trying to steal a federal election, and yet he's the most popular person in the Republican Party, and everyone's still trying to kiss the ring.

Yeah, pretty extraordinary. I mean, to speak of Ron DeSantis, he was saying just as recently as last weekend And you're sort of making fun of people who kiss the ring, go on to say nice things about Donald Trump, and here we have Ron to say it's doing exactly that. Look, I mean, you can talk about Marco Rubio, you can talk about Tim Scott, other people, Nancy Mace, who's been a critic in the past. These are people who don't, I think they don't like Donald Trump. I think they wish that they could do something other than endorsing Donald Trump. And frankly, I just think they don't have the courage to do it.

The Trump campaign behind the scenes has been very effective in going to these Republicans who had not yet endorsed and saying it. In effect, you need to endorse now. You need to endorse before it's not a race because that won't really count with us. I think that's one of the reasons that you've seen so many people in the new establishment, I would say. Trump is now the new establishment in the new establishment endorsing Donald Trump and rallying to his cause. Yeah, they don't want to be, they fear they're going to be left out if he ends up winning this next term. On that note, Maria Theresa, I do want to ask you, I want to put up another graphic here for our viewers at home.

This is the national polling in the GOP contest from the beginning of last. Last year through last week, DeSantis started this race fairly close to Trump. He had momentum, especially after a strong re-election in 2022. But where those two lines split is the exact week Trump was indicted for the first time in New York, showing the rally around Trump as those legal issues began. Do you think some Democratic lawmakers, maybe some Democrats in Attorney General's offices and DAs, do you think they miscalculated sort of the politics behind this and that some of these indictments may actually help the former president win in a lot?

election against President Biden? I'm glad you asked that question. I think to be perfectly clear, I think that the reason that the law was going after Donald Trump is because he broke it. And for them, I know there's a lot of political wins saying that it was a Democratic calculation. Quite frankly, it was being able to see the January 6th Committee's findings to find out that he indeed crossed so many lines.

And it was a bipartisan commission that discovered that. I think what was surprising, though, was more the amount of the way he was able to effectively message to his base and say, hey, they're indicting me. They're actually indicting all of us. And that resonated deeply with his party. That you can't calculate. I think that that is something that is something that history will show us that we're going to have to better understand the cult of personality that is Donald Trump.

Because at the end of the day, what we are finding is that he has broken multiple laws and he has allegations for possibly doing more. And what I find curiously, where does Donald Trump show up tomorrow? Is it going to be campaigning in New Hampshire, or will he be in the courtroom in New York City? 50% of Republicans, at least in Iowa, and maybe from those polls that we're seeing there, around 50%, still don't want Donald Trump to be the nominee. But if he wins tomorrow in New Hampshire, and I just want a quick response from all of you, what does Nikki Haley do if she comes in second place? Maria, Teresa, I'm going to start with you. I think she is going to drop out.

It's almost impossible for her to find a pathway moving forward. Stephen? I think she may well stick to South Carolina, which is her home state, and she can make an argument that if something does happen to Donald Trump legally in the coming months, she was the person to stay in the longest. Tough road, though. Mark? She drops out. She does not take this to her home state. The real clear politics average has her down by 30.

The governor, both senators, Nancy Mace, all endorsing Donald Trump. She will not want to be humiliated in her home state by losing that badly to Donald Trump. All right. Mark Lodder, Steve Hayes, Maria Theresa Kumar. We thank you all for joining Top Story tonight. And make sure to join me, Hallie Jackson, and Kristen Welker, for live coverage and analysis of tomorrow's primary. Our special begins at 5 p.m. Eastern right here on NBC. All right, we want to head overseas now to a major development in the Israel-Hamas war. Tonight, Israeli officials telling NBC news they proposed a two-month stop in fighting in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages inside of Gaza. The proposal coming just hours after the families of those hostages stormed his raily parliament, demanding action, and as fighting in southern Gaza intensifies. NBC's Ralph Sanchez reports, and a warning, some of the video in this story is hard to watch. Tonight, battles raging on the streets around Gaza's last major hospital. Al Nasser in the southern city of Han Yunus is the largest medical facility still functioning in the Strip.

But its staff overwhelmed by waves of the wounded. and the dying. I'm telling you that the hospital is on the brink of collapse, says this doctor. Medics desperately short of supplies, but doing their best to treat seven-year-old Dunya for shrapnel wounds. Her ponytail, cut off by doctors, lying on the bloody floor. Israeli forces have been fighting street by street in Han Yunus, hunting for Hamas leaders they believe are hiding in the city. The IDF says militants fired a robbery.

rocket at them from the grounds of Nassar Hospital. That claim, unverified by NBC News, is raising fears Israeli troops may storm inside, like they did at Al-Sheifa Hospital in northern Gaza last year. We traveled into Han Yunus with Israeli forces, following them into this tunnel, where Israel says Hamas held around 20 hostages in an underground dungeon. Are Israeli forces going to go storming into Nassar Hospital? they did at Chifa Hospital? We are looking at Nassar Hospital, but we need to assess the situation.

So you're not ruling out going into Nassar Hospital? We are assessing the situation. Above ground, tanks rumbling through what were once neighborhoods. Destruction, wherever you look. In southern Gaza, the Israeli bombing has been less intense than in the north, but you can still see here there is devastation everywhere. One satellite analysis finds that in Han Yunus alone, up to 45% of the buildings have either been damaged or completely destroyed.

The fighting has sent thousands of Palestinians fleeing South, displaced once again, and hoping for safety near the border with Egypt. Tonight, Israeli officials tell NBC News they've proposed a two-month pause in fighting in exchange for the release of the roughly 130 hostages still in Gaza. News of the proposal coming hours after the U.S. after hostage families stormed a parliamentary committee demanding action from the government. Among them, grandfather Gilad Korngold. You will not sit here while our children die, he shouts.

Seven members of his family were kidnapped on October 7th. We met him late last year. If you could speak to your family now, what would you tell them? I promise that I do anything to release them. All right, Raf Sanchez joins us tonight from Tel Aviv. Raf, I want to go back to that reporting on the proposed two-month pause in fighting. You've been covering this war for months. How realistic is this proposal?

So, Tom, there's no indication that a deal is imminent. You could argue the fact that Israel and Hamas are swapping proposals is potentially a positive sign. But the two sides still remain very far apart. Hamas is saying no more hostages will be released until there are. is a permanent ceasefire to end the war. Israel is saying the war will not end until Hamas is destroyed. So if there's going to be a deal, it's likely to be somewhere in between those two proposals. It is worth noting, as you saw on the piece, there is a lot of public anger in Israel towards the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Many people feel they are not doing

enough to get the hostages out. So the fact that we're hearing about this proposal is a potential sign that that anger is having an impact on government policy. Tom. And then, Raf, switching gears, just last week, we ran our interview when I spoke to two of the Palestinian-American students who were shot in Vermont. They told me they had feared violence in the West Bank in Gaza, but not in the U.S., at least not like this. Now, just days after that interview, a U.S. team with Palestinian roots shot dead in the West Bank. You spent the weekend reporting this story out, and you spoke with the teen's father. What did he tell you? Yeah, Tom, we spoke to the father of Tafik Abdel-Jabbar.

17 years old, born and raised in Louisiana. He moved with his family to the occupied West Bank last year. That's where their roots are. And his short life came to an end on Friday. His family says he was killed by an Israeli settler while he was out with his friends. We saw the truck he was driving, riddled with bullet holes when he was killed. And his father told us he was angry not just with Israel, but also for the United States. He is an American citizen himself, but he says his own country is supplying the weapons and the money which killed his son. And he said he has very, very little confidence that Israeli police will hold anyone accountable for his son's death. Tom.

Raf Sanchez for us tonight. Okay, Raf, we thank you for all your reporting. Back here at home, we want to turn to the latest legal drama surrounding Fulton County VA Fawnee Willis. She's prosecuting former President Trump and 18 other co-defendants for attempting to overturn the 2020 election. But now she's wrapped up in a case involving her alleged relationship with a special prosecutor on the case. NBC's Blaine Alexander with the new reporting out tonight. She is one of the nation's most recognizable local prosecutors, charging former President Donald Trump and 18 others with election interference in Georgia.

But tonight, Fulton County DA Fannie Willis is facing a separate court battle of her own, involving allegations she financially benefited from a romantic relationship with special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, a high-profile member of the team prosecuting Trump. Willis is now fighting a subpoena to testify in Wade's divorce proceedings, and today, a judge ordered those divorce records unsealed. It all stems from a bombshell court filing by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, questioning the process by which Willis hired Wade and alleging Wade used money earned from the DA's office to fund vacations with Willis without providing direct evidence.

A separate filing by lawyers for Wade's estranged wife included credit card records, showing Wade purchased airline tickets for himself and Willis to travel together. All of it is giving new fuel to critics of the Georgia election interference case. These are corrupt people. Willis has not responded to the allegations, but appeared to defend Wade while speaking at a recent Martin Luther King Day celebration. I appointed three special counsel as is my right to do. They only attack one. Meanwhile, Willis called the subpoena an attempt to harass her. How do you respond to her allegations?

It wouldn't matter who she is and what position she holds. If she's having an affair with my client's husband and he's spending my client's money on that relationship, I'm going to find out about it. Blaine Alexander joins us tonight from Atlanta. So Blaine, you had an interview there with the defense attorney. Did she tell you anything else of note? Well, Tom, you know, she was very guarded. and what she could or couldn't say

and kind of strayed away from a lot of our questions. But one thing she did underscore and make clear is that she does also believe that there was a romantic relationship going on between Fannie Willis and Nathan Wade. In fact, she's used the word paramour. She used it in her court filing last week, and she used it again today in the courtroom.

And she says that she wouldn't be pursuing this line of discovery if she didn't believe that, Tom. So will Fawney Willis ultimately testify in this case? And when does she plan to respond to the allegations? Let me touch on the response first. We haven't heard from her directly on this, but again, a judge has given her until February 2nd to respond to the initial allegations for Michael Roman in writing in a court filing, and her office tells me that she does plan to do so.

Now, as for whether or not she's going to testify in the divorce proceedings, well, she had a small victory today. She's not going to have to show up to a planned deposition for tomorrow, but that doesn't mean she ultimately won't have to testify. A judge today basically said he doesn't have enough information to decide what. whether or not she needs to testify, he's going to wait until a hearing in about nine days to hear from Nathan Wade, who will have to testify to determine if there's enough information to get Fannie Willis out of the subpoena or if she'll have to come forward under oath.

All right, Blaine, Alexander, out of Atlanta for us. Blaine, we thank you for that. Still ahead. Tragedy off the coast of Somalia. Two Navy SEALs presumed dead after they went missing while conducting a nighttime seizure of an Iranian-owned ship. Their identities just revealed. Plus, sleet and ice triggering this fire truck spin out in Missouri where that deadly winter storm is heading next. And a California woman caught red-handed with the hottest gift of the year, how many Stanley Cups she tried to drive away with before police caught up to her. Top story, just getting started on this Monday night. Back down with the deadly storm striking millions.

Much of the country dealing with new severe weather tonight, more than 70 weather-related deaths. reported in dangerous icy driving conditions causing massive crashes and travel headaches. Morgan Chesky reports. Tonight from West Coast flooding to a southern deep freeze, a nearly coast-to-coast winter mess, wreaking absolute havoc.

Multiple storm systems putting 51 million people under winter weather alerts. Freezing rain heading southern states especially hard. In some cases, shutting down entire highways littered with wrecks. There's no way making it up through here. I don't think nobody's going to be able to make it up through here until they get the roads taken care of.

Near St. Louis, this frightening scene, a fire truck spinning on ice before slamming into a car, barely missing a head-on impact with a house. In Pennsylvania, another close call, a jackknife semi-truck sliding towards a clinic, knocking down light poles before stopping just in time. In hard-hit Tennessee, officials now confirm at least 30 storm-related deaths, many from hypothermia, and stress the danger isn't over. While out west, thousands are without power after drenching rains unleashed flash flooding in San Diego, leaving some drivers stranded on top of their cars. Waters rising so fast, others waded through chest-deep water to escape. Our house is flooded up to our waste, so we decided to just go ahead and get out. And, you know, because we don't know how severe it's going to get. And tonight in Texas, we've learned that flash flooding prompted dozens of calls for water rescues in San Antonio.

And here in Houston, a slow, steady rain could prove to be a growing risk over the next 24 hours. Tom? All right, Morgan Chesky first. Morgan, we thank you for that. For more in the winter weather threats, crisscrossing the country tonight. NBC News meteorologist Bill Kerrins is in-house. He joins me now. So, Bill, talk to me about some of this icy storm weather you've been talking about over the last couple days and where it's headed.

Yeah, so the deep freezes over, but now as that warm air was in, you still have issues because we still have pockets of cold air. So this white line is the 32-degree line. When the green rain reaches it, that's where we have freezing rain. So northern Indiana and now in western portions of Pennsylvania and New York are starting to get a little wintery mix. That's going to be the issue. That's why we have 50 million people under weather advisories. This is where the air is going to be just cold enough for a coating of ice as we go throughout the next two days. So here's the timing.

Tomorrow during the day, snow over northern and central Michigan. snow breaks out in areas of western New York, along with it, some ice, too. Even New Hampshire is going to have a little bit of snow tomorrow evening, not during the daylight hours, mostly after the sunsets. By the time we get to Wednesday, the air is warm enough everywhere that we're talking just rain. So how much ice potentially? Maybe a tenth of an inch, Chicago to Fort Wayne, Northern Indiana, Southern Michigan, also central Pennsylvania. But anywhere where you see the pink or the purple, that's where we could have a glaze of ice out there. So that's where we're going to have a lot of school delays. Not a lot of snow with

this, maybe just an inch or two from central. Michigan all the way through New England. Notice New Hampshire here. We are predicting about an inch of snow for about the southern half of the state, but with highs tomorrow 33, and Laconia 36, Manchester 39, most of those accumulations, Tom, should be on the grassy surfaces or on cars. The roads should be just fine, really should not affect the turnout whatsoever. All right, we'll be covering every inch of it, so we appreciate that, Bill. Thanks so much. When we come back, an incredible rescue in Utah, group of snowmobilers, using their bare hands to dig out a man trapped by an avalanche, what they use to pinpoint his location.

Stay with us. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the Navy SEALs presumed dead up the coast of Somalia. Late today, the U.S. Navy identifying them as 37-year-old Navy Special Warfare operator, First Class Christopher Chambers, and 27-year-old Navy Special Warfare Officer, operator second class, Nathan Ingram. Chambers enlisted in 2012, Ingram, in 2019.

They were both highly decorated service members. Both men went missing while conducting a nighttime seizure of an Iranian ship carrying supplies to the hoodies in the Gulf of Aden. They were declared dead over the weekend after a 10-day search. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families tonight. Dexter King, the youngest son and third child of Martin Luther King Jr. And Coretta Scott King has passed away. The King said are announcing he died after a child.

battle with prostate cancer. According to the state, and he died at his home in Malibu with his wife by his side. King was 62 years old. The heroic rescue of a man buried by an avalanche caught on camera. Look at this. New video shows snowmobilers in American Fort Canyon, Utah, spotting using shovels and their bare hands to dig a man out of the snow. The group using an avalanche beacon to track the man's exact location. They eventually freed the man. He is okay. And a woman in California arrested for stealing $2,500 worth of Stanley Cups. The Roseville Police Department says these photos showed the 65 cups found in the suspect's trunk and inside her car. Police say staff at a store saw her leave with a shopping cart full of the products,

placed them in her car, and drive away. She was eventually pulled over, arrested, and is now facing grand theft charges. Okay, next tonight to an update on those devastating wildfires in Hawaii. Questions now swirling around the millions of dollars donated by some of the world's wealthiest donors, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who came under fire after an article by Bloomberg said no one knew where his pledge of $100 million was going. Well, our team went searching for answers and tracked down where some of that money has actually been distributed. Stephen Romo has those details. In the wake of one of the deadliest wildfires in American history last summer,

Big names made big pledges to help people recover in Lahaina and the island of Maui. Among them, Amazon CEO and multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos and his fiance, Lauren Sanchez. They pledged a whopping $100 million for recovery efforts on the islands. The pledge is increasingly how philanthropy is being done. But months later, the question, where exactly, if anywhere, did that money go? In their initial post, the couple promising not a one-time lump sum, but multiple donations over, quote, the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves. Tonight, a spokesman for Bezos telling NBC News the couple donated $15.5 million to the Bezos Maui Fund, which provided funds to at least four local organizations. NBC News independently verifying the Maui Food Bank did receive a donation, but the lack of transparency,

with the community on how exactly the money will be used is leaving a bad taste in the mouth of Hawaii State Senator Angus McKelvey. But what hurts us is when you hear about $100 million, why are you guys looking at raising taxes for Laino? Why do you need more money? You had $100 million. How come you guys are still living in congregate shelters? Benzoskis, who researches contemporary philanthropy practices,

says while philanthropists in the past gave privately, that's really changing. It's increasingly important for the richest members of our society to kind of don the mantle of the public philanthropist. The public pledge is becoming the primary way the mega rich give back. Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, all opting for this strategy. One side of that is you get publicity. I think the flip side, again, is accountability. This is a sense that. the public is entitled to some sense of where the money is going. Bezos, the world's third richest person, has announced several large donation pledges in recent months as part of his Earth Fund.

Do you plan to give away the majority of your wealth in your lifetime? Yeah, I do. It's not a question of Bezos not being truthful or not making good on his promise. It's about the way in which the money is actually, transparently dispersed. These pledges getting philanthropists a lot of positive press when they're first announced, but communities are often not included

in a discussion of what's actually needed in that moment. A philanthropist is in partnership with the communities that they're serving. So at the moment of peak publicity, when you have minimum details, you make it difficult for the community to engage and to help and to offer guidance, and feedback.

As for Lahaina. Hopefully philanthropists can try to organize whatever relief they can give or investment in the community into a way where it's not being, there's not a thousand different version of it floating around. Stephen Romo, NBC News. Coming up next, gang violence exploding in Haiti

and a group of Catholic nuns caught in the crosshairs kidnap while traveling on a bus, the urgent plea from the Pope tonight to bring them home. That's next. We're back now with the latest out of Haiti, the Pope pleading for the safe return of at least six nuns who were kidnapped by armed gunmen on Friday. According to Catholic Church officials, it's the latest incident in what has been a tumultuous few years for the nation, gripped by gang violence. Guadvanegas has this. Residents in the Haitian capital of Port of Prince forced to shelter in place after a new wave of gang violence erupted across several neighborhoods.

in the small Caribbean nation. Footage showing streets blocked off by burning tires and rocks covered by plumes of black smoke in the sky. This woman saying she had to leave after armed gangs took over her house, but then found herself inside an invaded neighborhood once again and now has nowhere to go. It's estimated gangs control up to 80% of Port-of-Prince and are suspected of killing nearly 4,000 people and kidnapping another 3,000 last year. Gangs gain power over a nation trying to get back on its feet after the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021. On Friday, armed gunmen stopping a bus and taking a group of people, including six nuns,

that were part of the country's congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne, according to the Haitian Conference of the Religious. Over the weekend, Pope Francis pleading for their safe return. to stop the violinses that provocano tante sufferance to that car population. Despite the dangers and the security issues in Haiti, a lot of non-profits continue to operate. What is your advice to them at this point?

Groups like that are maybe the only thing that are stopping Haiti from becoming a truly a failed state. With these nuns being kidnapped, the gangs don't necessarily, they're not going to leave you alone just because you're doing good for their country. All right, with that, Guad joins us

tonight from Miami. So Guad, Haiti was supposed to receive outside help with its gang crisis. Where does that stand right now? So, Tom, the United Nations approved a peacekeeping mission late last year in October. That mission was said to be led by Kenya. It would send these peacekeeping officers into the country and finance by countries from all over the world, including the United States. Now, the issue is that there's been some opposition in Kenya, so it's now gone to the courts. Now, we expect the courts to make a decision this week, and we would then know if the Kenyan government is, in fact, authorized

to send these officers in Haiti would then begin receiving the help of this peacekeeping mission inside of the country, Tom. Guadvinagus for us, sticking with our international headlines into Top Stories Global Watch, starting with the powerful earthquake in China. The seven-magnitude quakes strike in a mountainous area near China's borders, with Kyrgyzstan. Tremors reportedly felt through Kyrgyzstan and nearby Kazakhstan. So far, no word of any injuries or the extent of damage. Several aftershocks have been reported. A U.S. military base was evacuated after massive waves struck the Marshall Islands. Take a look at this. New video shows a three-to-four-foot storm surge bursting through the doors of the base,

sweeping into the dining hall, and even knocking people over. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt. In a statement posted to Facebook, the base says all non-mission personnel, were evacuated over the damage, the massive waves also damaging two local airports. And a major global milestone, Cameroon has begun the first mass rollout of the malaria vaccine. After decades of research, the first shots were administered today in the capital city of Yahundi. The free vaccine will be offered to infants up to six months old. 20 other African countries are expected to follow suit with the hopes of vaccinating 6 million kids by 2026. About half a million children die from the mosquito-born.

illness in Africa every year. Okay, coming up, the coach who just broke the record for most wins in the NCAA, the incredible feat and what she focuses on to keep her teams winning. That's next. Finally tonight, the inspirational story of the women's basketball coach at Stanford University, who just landed her spot in the record books with the most wins in NCAA history. Stephanie Gosk has her story and the emotional moment she earned that title. A record 46 years in the making.

An incredible milestone. Stanford basketball coach Tara Vandervere has now won more games than any other coach in NCAA history. After a commanding win against Oregon State in front of the home crowd, her players had hugs and t-shirts ready. I just want to thank everyone for coming out today. It is so exciting to have you all here. 1,203 wins, won more than Mike Shoshchewski. Duke coach had this message for the coach who snatched his crown. TAR, congratulations. What an amazing achievement. And what's even more amazing is the manner in

which you achieved so many victories. Wow. Vandevere has shaped women's basketball for decades, winning three national titles, sending 30 players onto the WNBA and getting a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. Sports grades and her players honoring the latest achievement. Congratulations on the amazing milestone. And thank you so much for your leadership. This is huge for women's basketball. I think she's the greatest to ever do it. After the game, the 70-year-old Vandavir spoke with NBC News. I've really enjoyed coaching every single player that I've ever coached. And it's just, I'm just very fortunate. The coach who admits to not really liking the line line, still focused on the team. I thought we had a great game and we want to keep doing what we're doing. And the wins will keep

coming. Stephanie Goss, NBC News. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.