Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, July 1, 2024

Episode Date: July 2, 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. ...

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Tonight, the Supreme Court handing down a major decision on presidential immunity that could shield former President Trump from prosecution. The highest court ruling that the former president has some immunity in his federal election interference case when it comes to his official acts as president, but rejecting Trump's claims of broad immunity. The liberal justice is responding with a scathing dissent, saying the president is now a king above the law. Our team of political reporters and legal experts standing by. Also tonight, Biden staying in. The president meeting with family members amid mounting pressure to step aside
Starting point is 00:00:39 after his performance at last week's presidential debate. The serious fear spreading within the Democratic Party, how the Biden campaign is responding to those growing concerns. And Bannon behind bars, Trump's former advisor and longtime ally, Steve Bannon, reporting to prison, surrounded by crowd, of supporters. His sentence now underway after defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack, our one-on-one interview before he turned himself in. Barrel takes aim, the earliest and most powerful hurricane ever seen in the tropics, making landfall in the Caribbean, slamming Barbados with 150-mile-per-hour winds. The dangerous Category 4 storm threatening the region with power outages and flooding. Our Bill Carrens is
Starting point is 00:01:27 here to track it all out. Violent clashes erupting in Jerusalem over that controversial Supreme Court decision. Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters clashing with police, law enforcement resorting to water cannons and horses to try and control the crowds. And terrifying collapse, harrowing video showing the moment a metal store awning came crashing down on a group of New York City firefighters as they attempted to put out a blaze. Plus, high-tech helper, engineers in China unveiling a groundbreaking invention to help the blind. How a robotic guide dog could lead the visually impaired to a better future.
Starting point is 00:02:07 And medication recall, the FDA warning some medical capsules could cause cardiac arrest. What to look out for when checking your medicine cabinet. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison. and Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision, sending shockwaves through the political world as the justices deliver a potential win for former President Donald Trump. The court protecting some of Trump's actions as president, meaning he can't be prosecuted for official acts related to his duties in office, but ruling
Starting point is 00:02:45 that unofficial actions are not protected. What those acts are will be decided in lower courts. Trump speaking out just moments after the decision, calling it, quote, big win for our Constitution and democracy. The move further delaying special counsel Jack Smith's prosecution over the former president's role in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election, making it almost certain Trump will not face trial before the election. The ruling falling along ideological lines with six conservative justices in favor and three liberal justices against. The liberal bloc led by Justice Sonia Sotomayor handing down a blistering dissent, saying the ruling, will have disastrous consequences for the presidency
Starting point is 00:03:28 and for our democracy, and that the relationship between the president and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. Chief Justice Roberts defending the court's decision, saying the president is not above the law, but under our system of separated powers, the president may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers.
Starting point is 00:03:49 Swift reactions coming in from both sides of the aisle, celebrations from Trump allies and major disappointment from Democrats. Congresswoman AOC even going as far to say that she will seek to impeach the justices. Today's decision setting the precedent not just for Trump, but potentially for many presidents to come. We're breaking it all down tonight, but first, NBC's Laura Jarrett starts us off. Tonight, a monumental win at the Supreme Court for former President Trump. The conservative majority finding the presumptive GOP nominee must receive sweeping,
Starting point is 00:04:24 immunity for any official acts taken during his presidency. The 6-3 ruling a defeat for Special Counsel Jack Smith, with the court bulldozing through the charges against Mr. Trump for his alleged criminal efforts to stay in power, making the completion of any trial before November virtually impossible. Chief Justice John Roberts laying out a new sliding scale of what can be prosecuted, saying a president may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers. that he has immunity from prosecution for all his official acts, but that a president has no immunity for private unofficial acts, while cautioning the president is not above the law.
Starting point is 00:05:05 A federal grand jury indicted the former president for orchestrating a conspiracy to retake the White House. Prosecutors alleging he leaned on his DOJ, VP, and state officials to help him reverse the election results, mobilizing meetings of fake electors. It all culminating in the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6th. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and argued without immunity, every president could be prosecuted by political opponents. If you don't have immunity, you're not going to do anything. You're going to become a ceremonial president. You're not going to take any of the risks. The majority today agreeing the commander in chief must be able to carry out his constitutional duties without risk of political prosecution.
Starting point is 00:05:49 writing, without immunity, such types of prosecutions of ex-presidents could quickly become routine, and that would weaken the presidency, which is exactly what the framers intended to avoid. The special counsel had pushed to get the case to trial before November. My office will seek a speedy trial. The ruling now dramatically chipping away at parts of Smith's case. The justices finding Mr. Trump's urging the then-attorney general to investigate voter fraud, now absolutely immune from prosecution.
Starting point is 00:06:18 What remains in the indictment, including his pressure on his former VP, Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us. And local officials like this phone call to Georgia's former Secretary of State. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more that we have. Are now entitled to a presumption of immunity. The liberal justices with a blistering pushback, Justice Sotomayor, writing, when a president uses his official powers in any way. Under the majority's reasoning, he will now be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy SEAL Team 6 to
Starting point is 00:06:56 assassinate a political rival, immune. Organizes a military coup to hold on to power, immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon, immune. Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, the damage has been done. And Laura joins us now from outside of the Supreme Court. Laura, now that this case is being sent to the lower court or back to the lower court, talk to us about what happens next. Allison, none of this is going to move quickly. As of right now, that lower court, Judge Chuckin, she doesn't even have jurisdiction. This still has to work its way through the Court of Appeals.
Starting point is 00:07:29 Then it goes to her, and at that point, she's going to have to schedule a hearing, bring everyone in, perhaps witnesses, testimony, and then whatever she rules, the former president may then try to appeal that. This could go on not just days, Ellison. We're talking weeks, if not longer. And, Laura, in Georgia, that is a case where we're talking about state charges, but Trump's attorneys did file a motion on immunity previously, and prosecutors that seemed to imply they were waiting for the Supreme Court to rule to then file a response to what Trump's attorneys had filed. Could you put that in perspective for us? I mean, how big of an impact could this have on a state case like the one in Georgia? A huge impact. And now I imagine Mr. Trump's attorneys are going to use this case as leverage to try to get that entire case.
Starting point is 00:08:12 really just thrown out. Remember, it's essentially on ice right now because of a dispute over whether the prosecutor has an ethical conflict. But now that they have legal grounds to try to get it tossed up, you can imagine they will there. And they're also going to do it in Florida, Ellison, where they've also tried to raise immunity issues as it relates to his classified documents case, Ellison. Senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett, thank you. For more on the legal significance of the Supreme Court's ruling today, let's bring in Jen Maskot, NBC News Supreme Court contributor who also previously worked as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and then federal appellate judge Brett Kavanaugh and NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos.
Starting point is 00:08:50 Jen, let's start with you as you read the opinion written primarily by Chief Justice Roberts. What stood out to you in his writings? Well, look, I think the court's opinion today reflects the extraordinary nature of the circumstance that we're now in where we've got a current presidential administration overseeing the prosecution of the individual who's now a current political rival. And as the court's opinion lays out, this is the first time that a president is facing criminal prosecution for acts taken while in office.
Starting point is 00:09:20 Another interesting thing is that this Supreme Court is made up of six justices who have had former senior high-level executive branch experience. And I suspect that a lot of the lessons and experiences that the justices had and thinking through these issues when they were serving in the executive branch may have informed the decision today. I think the decision is most broadly read
Starting point is 00:09:39 as establishing three buckets or classes of acts. There's the entirely private acts for which the president has no immunity. And then there are the acts falling within his core executive duties like prosecutorial function, pardon power, nominating officials for which the president has absolute immunity. And then there are these big, the big category of cases in between where they're just run-of-the-mill official acts and the president has presumptive immunity. However, the government, the special counsel, Jack Smith, if he can show that prosecuting the president for these acts within the outer perimeter of his authority are not going
Starting point is 00:10:15 to intrude on presidential functions, the prosecution can move forward. And the court today declined, I think, in most cases to determine definitively which acts in the indictment are going to fall within these buckets. And so to Laura's point, there's a lot of work that would have to have to be done in the district court on remand with the special counsel actually making an argument as to why the particular facts and the indictment fall under the classification of private acts as opposed to official, but the Supreme Court's given a roadmap for him to use moving forward. Danny, what did you make of the court's opinion and what stood out to you and specifically
Starting point is 00:10:51 the dissent, anything in that that really caught your eye? The doomsday scenarios presented by Justice Sotomayor are, she even admits, not likely, but there were going to be doomsday scenarios on either side, no matter how the court came down. you can imagine a situation where a president with no immunity whatsoever could be subjected to criminal prosecution by just a county prosecutor in a deep red or a deep blue state. So someone was going to be unhappy on one side or the other. But in some sense, very little of this was a huge surprise. At oral argument, the government conceded that core presidential powers should have, and they didn't like the word immunity, they said an Article 2 defense.
Starting point is 00:11:33 But the justice has picked up on that and said, you call it a defense, it's really immunity. It's pretty much the same thing. On the other side, Trump's team essentially conceded or literally conceded that purely private conduct would not be immunized. So everybody knew there was going to be something that was in the middle. So probably the biggest surprise comes down to one word, and that word is presumption. The fact that official conduct, not within the president's core, executive functions, pardon power, veto power, appointment power, something outside of that that may be arguably official, a presumption exists. And I can't stress to you enough how important a presumption is
Starting point is 00:12:15 in the law. It basically says to one side or the other, you're in the lead in this argument. You don't start out at zero-zero-zero. Trump starts out ahead of the game, and the government has the burden to prove that what he did was not official and therefore not entitled to protection. So if there is is a biggest hit, a biggest surprise here. It is that creation of the presumption of immunity for official conduct that may even be outside core executive functions. Yeah, Jen, let's talk more about that idea of the presumptive immunity, because one thing that struck me was a graph, and if I'm remembering correctly, this is on page four of 119 pages from the court, but I'll read you some of it. So they wrote, and this is Chief Justice Roberts, whenever the president
Starting point is 00:12:59 and vice president discuss their official responsibilities they engage in official conduct. Presiding over the January 6th certification proceedings at which members of Congress count the electoral votes is a constitutional and statutory duty of the vice president. They cite the articles, the clauses related to that, and then go on to say the indictments allegations, talking about the special counsel case here, that Trump attempted to pressure the vice president to take particular acts in connection with his role at the certification proceedings, thus involve official conduct, and Trump is at least presumptively immune from prosecution for such conduct. I look at that moment as someone who's not an attorney, but familiar with some of the tenants of
Starting point is 00:13:42 what we're talking about here. And I say, okay, wait, if we're saying any conversation between a president and vice president would be official business, but then we're clearly talking about an electoral process where, if I'm not mistaken, the election clause in the Constitution pretty clearly says that that power in setting how elections will go, that it's with the state, state legislatures, and then Congress, too. So the idea of a president having an official capacity in running for re-election or setting election standards, even though there's this electoral count that happens, this procedure with the vice president, that seems odd because it's just not specified in presidential powers in the Constitution, right? So talk to me
Starting point is 00:14:19 how that kind of scenario could maybe be litigated or discussed in lower courts because it's one thing to say a conversation between two people that's private because of what they do, but then they're talking about issues that are sort of outside of the specific bounds of what the Constitution lays out, right? Absolutely. And I think the court clearly and repeatedly in its opinion, actually, and this is a striking part of the opinion as well, it admits what it does not want to decide today, what it's hard to kind of figure out and determine, and the court makes the point that it is the court
Starting point is 00:14:50 of last resort. And so a lot of these issues in these line drawing determinations have not been made previously in the lower courts. The court is an uncharted territory, and it doesn't have a lot of precedent to go on. And I also agree with Danny that I think this presumption of immunity is a really very significant part of the opinion and was also somewhat, somewhat unnoticipated or not entirely clear how the court was going to come down during oral argument. But just to answer your broader question about what this is going to look like, I would
Starting point is 00:15:19 describe it slightly differently. What I would say is that the presumption is for. for official acts, but to your point, there are any acts that a president can take that involve any exercise of authority that Congress has a potential role in, that courts can have a potential role in, or that states can have a potential role in. So if there's any aspect of shared authority, if Congress can regulate it, and Congress can regulate a lot, think about spending, think about Congress having more powers and some foreign affairs influence, think about state role in areas.
Starting point is 00:15:49 Any play, like, as you point out in the election clause, any area like that is going to be off the table for this absolute immunity, and now there's only a presumption. And to Danny's point earlier, how that operates is, as he's exactly right, it essentially makes there be an additional element, I think, that special counsel Jack Smith has to prove. So he doesn't have to show it's not official. He has to show that even though it is official, that it's not going to burden the president's exercise of that power moving forward for him to face prosecution. And the court, I don't think, is entirely clear about exactly how that can be established.
Starting point is 00:16:21 Maybe it's because, as you say, it's a conversation that seems to fall more on the private side of the line. Maybe it's because the president isn't actually carrying out core functions of his particular role at that particular point in time. So I would expect not only a lot of argument on the facts in the lower court, but also a lot of working out of the law in the lower court and potentially, again, an appeal if President Trump brings an appeal this time around again. Yeah, Danny, it's interesting because a lot of the back and forth, it's things that you
Starting point is 00:16:48 want to see happening in court, right? should be this tension, I guess. That's part of the system of what people want. But when you read in the dissent from Justice Sotomayor, where she ends by saying, with fear for our democracy, I dissent. When you look at this ruling, I was struck by the fact that they referenced so many past cases, Aaron Burr's treason case, Nixon, all these ones decades passed, and you're reminded of the impact this ruling will have for the decades to come.
Starting point is 00:17:14 How big of an impact do you think this will have on future presidents? Massive. And that's what the Supreme Court recognized. They didn't have to go into this much detail. They didn't have to decide all these issues. They could have said, hey, we're only going to decide the issue of Donald Trump's case and say that he goes to trial. The issue of when and whether an ex-president has immunity, we're not going to bother
Starting point is 00:17:36 with some test or some kind of guidance for the future. We're just going to cabin our discussion to these particular set of facts, and they did not. They chose to write, as Gorsuch described at an oral argument, a decision. for the ages, far beyond the facts that were before them, at least arguably so, because now there is a test going forward, which arguably doesn't answer every question. So we still are going to need a fact-by-fact analysis of each situation. All right. Danny Savalos, Jen Maskot, thank you both. We really appreciate your time and insights. Thank you. The Supreme Court's immunity ruling another potential political win for the former president. Just days after President Biden's disastrous performance
Starting point is 00:18:18 at last week's debate. and huddling with family this weekend at Camp David to chart a path forward. The president's loved ones urging him to stay in the race as calls grow for him to step aside. For more on the political fallout from both of these developments, let's get right to Hallie Jackson, who joins us now from Washington, D.C. Hallie, let's start with this immunity ruling from the Supreme Court. What are allies of the former president saying tonight about this decision and how are his opponents reacting?
Starting point is 00:18:46 Well, let's start with the former president and his allies because they are echoed. what he is saying, Ellison, as he describes this, in his words, as a big win. He's calling the Supreme Court essentially brilliant. Lots of praise for this decision from the former president's camp and from the former president himself. And that is because this is exactly what Mr. Trump wanted, Ellison. Remember the whole reason, or one of the reasons why they had been pushing so hard on this front, the idea would be to delay, to try to get the start of this trial pushed until after the November election, or at least, of course, the verdict. And this ruling today by the Supreme Court virtually assures that that is going to be the case.
Starting point is 00:19:21 Why does that matter? Because if Donald Trump does win the White House come November, this case goes away. This case goes poof. And so that is why I think you are seeing some of the positive reaction. Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson, also calling this a victory, in his words, for the rule of law, for example. On the flip side of the coin, a very different reaction. I should note that developing tonight, Ellison, we are learning that we do expect to hear from President Biden himself on camera. At some point this evening, he is returning from Camp David here to Washington and we are told that he will talk about, obviously, this monumental decision from the Supreme Court. We know that his White House has already suggested that, has already said in a statement
Starting point is 00:19:58 from a spokesperson, that nobody is above the law. Pointing to this is a reason why President Biden has been fighting for, as they see it, fighting for democracy. Remember, that is the case that his campaign has been making now for months against Mr. Trump here, that in fact, his election fraud lies, what he did after November of 2020, should in effect disqualify him from ever being in the White House again. I would also say this, Alison, beyond sort of the reaction immediately from the campaigns and from the principles themselves, among some Democrats, there is a deep dissatisfaction, not simply with today's ruling, but with the court itself more broadly. You have former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggesting that this court has gone rogue,
Starting point is 00:20:37 and you have Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying that she plans to file articles of impeachment, presumably against the Supreme Court justices, when the House gets back in a session, that's not going to have teeth, right? The House is run by Republicans. That's really symbolic, but I think it does give you a sense of the frustration inside the Democratic Party right now. And you did mention President Biden coming back from Camp David. We'll wait to see exactly what he talks about tonight. Obviously, the Supreme Court ruling, but there also is new reporting from NBC News about the president's trip this weekend to Camp David with his family. And some of the conversations they had about the future of his campaign. What can you tell us about those
Starting point is 00:21:15 internal family conversations, if you will, at Camp David this weekend? That the posture is to keep fighting, that the president, according to multiple sources, familiar with the conversation, was encouraged by his family to stay in this race, not to step aside, as you have seen some Democrats anonymously, I should note, call for. We really haven't seen that spill out publicly, although there have been a couple of op-eds from the New York Times, from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, suggesting that President Biden, for the good of the country, should, in fact, withdraw from the race and let another Democrat step in. Now, First Lady Jill Biden is essentially confirming that in this new interview with Vogue magazine,
Starting point is 00:21:51 a new piece of an interview that's out this morning. They called her yesterday at Camp David. She said that, yes, the Biden family does not want the 90 minutes of that debate to define the president's four years in office, that they will keep fighting, essentially. Remember, the family had gathered for what we're told was something long planned, pre-planned, this trip to Camp David to take some family photos. by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz. So this was not like, at least as far as we understand, it's some crisis meeting that was called suddenly. This was on the books for a while.
Starting point is 00:22:19 But obviously it is significant, of course, that the president is with the people closest to him, the people who would be influential in any decision that he makes on the heels of what has been widely panned as a horrific debate performance by him. The fallout, of course, still reverberating, as there is expected to be a donor call tonight,
Starting point is 00:22:36 a call between top Biden campaign officials and a group of donors, presumably to try to reassure them that the president will stay on the ticket. That's similar to what we heard from a smaller call yesterday with a sort of more key group of donors, if you will, a call that apparently, according to sources, got tense at times as the Biden campaign laid out just what would happen if the president did try to step aside, how logistically messy that would be, what the process, the difficulty in those steps. I will say, Alison, even the fact that you have, you know, the campaign managers of one of the major
Starting point is 00:23:07 parties in this country talking about even that possibility and explaining why they think it's not a good idea. It tells you, I think, a lot about this extraordinary moment that we're in. Alie Jackson in D.C., thank you. Now to that historic storm battering the Caribbean, Hurricane Barrel making landfall earlier today north of Granada, bringing 150-mile-an-hour winds and a dangerous storm surge. NBC's Sam Brock has this look at the hurricane season's early storm. Tonight, Hurricane Barrow, the earliest recorded Category 4 to hit the Atlantic is battering the southeastern Caribbean, puncturing schools in the Grenadines and slamming the coast with wave after wave of damage and debris. Similar snapshots are pouring in from places like Granada
Starting point is 00:23:57 and the island of Kerakou, where the National Hurricane Center says Barrel made landfall as an extremely dangerous system producing catastrophic winds and life-threatening storm search. Granada's Prime Minister offering a sobering assessment and warning. We have reports of extensive storm surge. We have reports of extensive loss of roof and damage to buildings. There is the likelihood of even greater damage. As palm trees bend and storm surge floods communities across the Caribbean, making large boats bob up and down. and Barbados and even more jaw-dropping vantage point from space.
Starting point is 00:24:35 The International Space Station revealing Beryl's monstrous footprint. As hurricane hunters offer an eerie glimpse from inside the eye of a system sustaining 150-mile-an-hour winds, white-knuckle moments for residents still in harm's way from Union Island and Martinique to Caracu. Those are the areas that are most threatened now with both those devastating category four winds, as well as the storm surge of six to nine feet above normal tide levels. Meteorologists now keeping a close eye on countries like Jamaica, currently under a hurricane watch. As nearby Turks and Caicos issues this urgent warning to students,
Starting point is 00:25:12 in the interest of their health and safety, the country is organizing a charter to bring them home before barrel strikes. The scary situation to our south coming as Americans have been dealing with significant but far less serious cycles of severe weather. more than 4,000 delays at airports nationwide on the heels of Sunday's 9,000 and thousands more cancellations creating chaos. And Sam Brock joins us now from our Miami Bureau. Sam, talk to us about what officials are saying in terms of the damage barrel has already caused. Right. So Ellison, right now, we're kind of getting these smatterings of updates largely because the communication networks are really compromised right now. We did hear from the Prime Minister of Granada. Earlier today, you saw a little bit of a,
Starting point is 00:25:58 snippet of that press conference that was over social media. He did go on to say that the island of Kariakou, he believes, is flattened, right, after only about 30 minutes or so of hurricane activity. He also said that neighboring Petit Martinique has likely suffered extreme damage, and that as soon as he has the capability that is safe for him to travel to those islands to assess the damage he will, while at the same time, Jamaican officials right now are warning people on the southern part of the island. They're very likely to be vulnerable to extreme flooding and that if they need rescues, it's likely not coming because all those aircraft and boats and police vehicles are going to be secured for the hurricane. So he's putting everyone on full
Starting point is 00:26:37 notice right now. I will leave you with this. One of the scariest parts about all of it is the fact that Barrow went from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in 42 hours. That has only happened, Ellison, six times in the history of the Atlantic Basin when it concerns hurricanes. It portends, obviously, very negatively for the season to come. Alison. Sam Brock, thank you. For more on the weather, let's turn to the forecast with NBC News, meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, talk to us about this hurricane. What can we expect as barrel moves through the Caribbean?
Starting point is 00:27:08 This is as strong as it should get. It should slowly weaken for the next five or six days, but will it weaken enough before it gets close to Jamaica is the million-dollar question? And how close to southern Haiti will it also gets? 150-mile prime winds. It's almost a category five. And this is about as impressive as you see. This is like typically a storm might be showing you in late August. all of September. That's usually when we see beasts like this, not this time of year.
Starting point is 00:27:30 The hurricane center does have it weakening, down to a four, then a three, near Jamaica as a category two, but they're in that cone of uncertainty, so it's going to be a very close call, plus that's on the dirty north side. Then the storm weakens Cancun down to Belize. It should be either a category one or tropical storm by the time it gets there in about four days. Our computer model, Ellison, excellent agreement on taking it to the Southern Gulf. Right now, it looks to be a weaker storm to impact Mexico. Thank you. Now does Steve Bannon, turning himself into a federal prison in Connecticut today to begin his four-month sentence. This, after being convicted for contempt of Congress in connection
Starting point is 00:28:06 to the January 6th attack investigation, Arvon Hilliard sat down with the former Trump advisor ahead of his surrender. Tonight, Steve Bannon behind bars. Before starting his federal sentence, he played to the lively crowd, gathered outside the correctional institution and Connecticut. What group of pirates is out here today? The longtime Trump ally and former chief strategists surrendered himself to authorities to serve a four-month sentence on contempt charges for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack. I am proud to go to prison. If this is what it takes to stand
Starting point is 00:28:49 up to tyranny, if this is what it takes to stand up to the Garland corrupt criminal DOJ, if this what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden. A judge had allowed Bannon to stay free for nearly two years while he appealed, but ordered him to report to prison Monday after an appeals court panel upheld his contempt of Congress convictions for refusing to sit for a deposition and provide documents related to his alleged involvement in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. In ultimately the January 6th Select Committee, they did subpoena you. In an interview with NBC News shortly before his surrender, Bannon avoiding answering questions
Starting point is 00:29:31 about his involvement, including four phone calls he had with Trump on January 5th and 6th. What were you talking about with him on those phone calls? They were personal and private conversations. And doubling down on calling for the release of those convicted in the attack. I want to adjudicate January 6th. You've said that all those 1,400 individuals who were convicted should be freed. Should be free. There may be a couple of three on the violent side that should be determined, but by and large, they should be free and they should be freed the first day.
Starting point is 00:30:01 One week before the 2020 election, Bannon claimed that Trump would declare on election night that the election had been stolen from him, as ballots were still being counted. No, because he's going to sit right down and say they stole it. We pressed him on his repeated claims that the only way Democrats win the White House this election is by it being stolen. You said that there is no chance that the Democrats are going to win this. No chance. And if they declare that they do, then it was stolen.
Starting point is 00:30:27 They're stealing it, 100%. But you know that elections in the United States are close. Oh, why go and so that distrust in the American? Von Hilliard. Why go and so that distrust in the American public? Because Von Herriard, I knew that Thursday night was going to happen. How can you sit there unrelated to the facts? I sat there because we know and we follow every day that Joe Biden is feeble.
Starting point is 00:30:47 Bannon, whose War Room podcast is driving much of the conversation about the GOP's direction into 2025 says he is set to be released from prison on October 31st, the week before the election. Were you in talks for the Trump campaign to rejoin them here in 2024? No, absolutely not. War Room, 10 times more powerful and more needed in War Room. We're the kind of augmented media arm of the mega movement. And Von Hillier joins us now in studio. Yvonne, where did Bannon say the movement, if you will, goes post-November? This is the part for Steve Bannon that you're getting at with the MAGA movement, right?
Starting point is 00:31:26 It goes beyond Donald Trump in his mind. He told me, he described Donald Trump as being a moderate of the MAGA movement, that this is going to go beyond five, ten years from now. And I said, well, right, how does Donald Trump win in November? And he goes, right, it's not about winning over independence or those swing voters, but it's about galvanizing the base of support. You know, some folks that maybe Trump supporters now or MAGA supporters now, but maybe you haven't even voted in 2020 or 2016.
Starting point is 00:31:55 But if you can galvanize those folks to get out in 2024 and beyond, you could radically change American politics. And that was what Steve Bannon is aiming to do when he gets out of prison that week before this November election. Von Hilliard, thank you. Next tonight, we move overseas to France, just weeks from the Olympics, the country is on the verge of putting a far-right populist leader in power after round one of the country's elections. NBC's chief international correspondent
Starting point is 00:32:23 Kier Simmons is in Paris with the race the world is closely watching. Tonight headlines across Europe declaring President Macron humiliated by a charismatic 28-year-old with an impoverished childhood and no university degree. Jordan Bardella's far-right former fascist, anti-immigration party, winning 33% of the vote. We need a change, this supporter says. It's not the France I knew, says this woman, reacting to the result. At a polling station in Dijon, three hours from the capital, we found huge numbers voting, battling for the soul of a deeply divided country.
Starting point is 00:33:06 The people outside of Paris feel forgotten by the government. Yeah. Emmanuel Macron is a Parisian. He lives in an ivory tower, says this rival candidate, disconnected from reality. Tonight, France winning a major soccer match in Germany. But their superstar captain, his father in immigrant, warning extremists are at the door. Fans at the European tournament last week telling us inflation and immigration are to blame for this unprecedented post-war right-wing learned.
Starting point is 00:33:40 I kind of understand why people are angry. Do you think people are forgetting their history? Oh, yeah, they sure. Or they're kind of spinning it in a way that suits them. And Kier joins us now from Paris. Kier, what does this election mean for Europe and France's position in NATO? Well, the French far right is negative on the European Union, positive towards President Putin. isolationist, you know, kind of all about empowering France, if you like. Now, they may take over the government in a week's time, but the president will still be President Macron and he will still be in charge of foreign policy and defense. One of the issues is, of course, though, that effectively if it is a far-right government, if it isn't what you could call a hung parliament, then he will be a lame duck president with years to go.
Starting point is 00:34:40 without the political momentum. And France, Ellison, is so important to Europe. It would be a political earthquake, Alison. Kier Simmons in Paris, thank you. Still ahead, a community outraged after police fatally shot a 13-year-old. The team killed after police mistook his pellet gun for a handgun. What we know about the moments leading up to the shooting and the growing calls for justice. Also, heart-stopping moments as an awning collapses on firefighters. Three first responders rushed to the hospital, what we're learning about their condition. Plus, a warning for dog owners after a terrifying close call, police jumping into action to rescue a dog trapped inside of an RV in triple-digit temperatures. Top story is just getting started on this Monday.
Starting point is 00:35:36 We're back now with the investigation into the deadly police shooting of a 13-year-old boy. Authorities in Utica, New York, say the teen was shot and killed after they say he brandished what turned out to be a replica handgun. The incident sending shockwaves throughout the community as his family now searches for answers. NBC's Emily Aketa has more. New video of a gut-wrenching police shooting that killed a 13-year-old boy. What do we want? Tonight, prompting growing demands for answers and accountability. Family of Nye Mui, who graduated eighth grade just last week, joined protesters outside of Utica, New York City Hall. My case said the fact that he's gone from our family.
Starting point is 00:36:25 On Friday night, Utica police officers approached Mui and another young person who they say matched a suspect description for a recent robbery. I just patch it down and make sure you got no weapons on you. Body camera video shows that's when the team took off. Police pausing and highlighting the video where they say Mui pointed what looked like a handgun at officers. Later learning, it was a replica Glock pellet gun. Police tackled Mui and seconds later fired a shot. A use of force, protesters say, went too far. Mui's family is part of Utica's robust refugee population, members of the Karen, an ethnic group from Myanmar.
Starting point is 00:37:08 Our parents, they fled war, they pled persecution. We are the fugitive. This is our home. We're not running away. Utica's mayor now urging patience. People want justice, but they don't want to see due process. We have to see the process play out. The State Attorney General's Office and Utica police are both investigating with the goal, they say, of being. fair, thorough, and impartial. The officers involved have been placed on administrative paid leave.
Starting point is 00:37:36 Ellison. Emily Aketa, thank you. We'll be right back. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed. Three firefighters in New York injured after a storefront collapsed on them during a fire. Video showing two metal store signs
Starting point is 00:37:56 collapsing onto the firefighters working beneath it, knocking them, to the ground. Other firefighters rushing into help, lifting the signs away, the fire department saying those firefighters were transferred to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. A New Jersey drug company recalling 114 batches of its medication over concerns it could cause cardiac arrest. Glenmark pharmaceuticals recalling its potassium chloride extended release capsules. They say the batches failed to dissolve after being consumed, which could lead to dangerously high potassium levels. This can lead to an irregular heartbeat and in some cases cause cardiac arrest.
Starting point is 00:38:36 And Colorado police warning pet owners not to leave their animals in the summer heat after rescuing a dog from a hot trailer. Body camera footage showing officers prying open the door of the unattended vehicle and escorting a pit bull mixed to safety. Police saying the dog was left inside the trailer for three days with no access to water and inside it measured at 100 degrees under an infrared thermometer. It was taken to an animal shelter and is expected to be okay. Turning now to the bombshell mistrial in the Karen Reed murder case. The jury split on a verdict after deliberating for five days. Prosecutors alleged Reid killed her police officer boyfriend after hitting him with her SUV. But dozens of witnesses and hundreds of
Starting point is 00:39:17 exhibits were not enough to reach a unanimous decision. NBC News correspondent Aaron McLaughlin has the details. Tonight, Karen Reid walking out of court after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in her tumultuous trial. I'm declaring a mistrial in this case. Following five days of deliberations, the jury of six men and six women deadlocked over whether to find Reid guilty of murdering her boyfriend. Boston police officer John O'Keefe, the judge reading this note from the jurors. Some members of the jury firmly believe that the evidence surpasses the burden of proof.
Starting point is 00:39:54 Others find the evidence fails to meet this standard. O'Keefe's mother was visibly upset. Reid embracing her family. Her lawyers bowing not to back down. No matter how long it takes, no matter how long they keep trying, we will not stop fighting. It's the culmination of an extremely complex trial that included 74 witnesses, hundreds of exhibits, and allegations of a police cover-up, captivating watchers on social media and outside the court. Prosecutors allege following relationship issues in a night of heavy drinking, Reed backed her SUV into O'Keefe, leaving him to die in the snow outside the home of a fellow police officer.
Starting point is 00:40:35 Arguing the constellation of the facts point to Reed, including pieces of a broken taillight recovered in the snow. I hit him. I hit him. I hit him. I hit him. With the words of the defendant. The defense pointed to a botched investigation, arguing Reed was being framed for murder by police. Conflicts of interest, doesn't matter. Just look the other way. Prosecutors say those allegations are untrue, and tonight they're vowing to retry the case. Alison. Erin, thank you.
Starting point is 00:41:06 Coming up, the violent protests erupting in Jerusalem. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men clashing with police as thousands protested, a high court ruling that requires members of that community to enlist. Why the move is sparking so much outrage and why some think it might be a final breaking point inside of Netanyahu's government. Back now with the latest on the war in Gaza and an update on the controversial Israeli Supreme Court decision we've been following. Tens of thousands of Jewish ultra-Orthodox protesters coming to blows with police over a ruling mandating them to enlist in the military. Those demonstrations escalating into violence in central Jerusalem with law enforcement bringing in water cannons and horses to disperse those crowds. For more on these protests, I want to turn over to Danielle Hamanjan. She is in London, for us. Danielle, explain to people why there is so much outrage from the ultra-Orthodox
Starting point is 00:42:04 community and how these demonstrations really turned so out of hand. And I think the outrage and the anger can be summed up in one of the posters held by a protester. It said, we'd rather die than enlist. 63,000 men in the ultra-Orthodox community are now reliable to be drafted. What's driving this anger? This is a community that believes that studying religious texts and maintaining strict traditional customs is the purpose of their lives. They don't work, they don't pay taxes, they receive benefits, they make up 13% of the population.
Starting point is 00:42:45 By 2040, they'll make up 20% of the population. So there's a huge economic element here, and that over time has created quite a bit of resentment the more secular Jews in Israel who feel that they've paid a heavier price over the past nine months. 600 soldiers dead, thousands of reservists activated, upending lives, careers, and families. Yeah, and the Supreme Court decision, of course, putting a lot of pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well. His coalition does include two ultra-Orthodox parties that are firmly against this ruling. Talk to us about the repercussions or possible repercussions that this could have for Netanyahu and his cabinet.
Starting point is 00:43:30 Well, they've not said if they are going to leave the coalition just yet, but according to Israeli media today, there seems to be in the works a deal between those two parties and the government, a deal that would see 25% of eligible recruits enlisted in the first year, and every year after that, 5% until they reach 50%. It's unclear how the Orthodox community is. is going to react to this, how the wider population in Israel will react to this. But what we do know today is, according to the Israeli defense minister, that according to the IDF, 10,000 soldiers are needed immediately, he said.
Starting point is 00:44:12 Danielle Hammam, Jim, thank you. We are also following other international headlines on Top Story's Global Watch, starting with a series of suicide bombings in northern Nigeria. Authorities say female suicide bombers targeted a wedding, funeral, and a hospital in coordinated attacks. At least 18 people killed and dozens injured. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Islamic extremist group Boko Haram are heavily prevalent in that area. In ARI-Ropa flight, making an emergency landing in Brazil after hitting severe turbulence and injuring 30 passengers. New video showing the damaged airplane, a seat broken, and wires falling out of
Starting point is 00:44:52 the ceiling. The plane was traveling from Madrid to Montevideo, Uruguay, when it was diverted. Aer Europa says a second plane was sent from Madrid to pick up the passengers and continue that trip to Uruguay. And in China, researchers hope a new robot guide dog can improve the livelihood of the visually impaired. The six-legged companion is currently being field tested. Researchers say it uses cameras and sensors to navigate its surroundings, including the ability to recognize traffic light signals which regular guide dogs typically can't do. It's also equipped with AI technology, allowing for communication between the guide and the operator. When we come back, the performance scene around the world, Michael J. Fox joining Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury, performing
Starting point is 00:45:37 with him in front of a massive crowd by the band says he inspired their creation and how Fox reacted to that mega moment. Finally, tonight, a special moment at Glastonbury Festival. Coldplay performing in front of a massive crowd and bringing out a very special guest onto the stage, saying he is the reason the band exists at all. Our Valerie Castro has this report. A historic night in Glastonbury. Coldplay headlining the iconic music festival in England for,
Starting point is 00:46:14 for a record-breaking fifth time in front of tens of thousands of fans. But it was this moment. Michael J. Fox. That captured hearts around the world. In a surprise on-stage appearance, legendary actor Michael J. Fox joining the band for their hit song Fix You, seen in this recording by the BBC, the festival's exclusive broadcast partner. lead singer Chris Martin sharing with the crowd that Fox's character Marty McFly and this iconic scene from the 1985 Hollywood classic Back to the Future inspired Coldplay's existence.
Starting point is 00:46:55 The main reason why we're in a band is because of watching Back to the Future. So thank you to our hero forever and one of the most amazing people on earth, Mr. Michael J. Foote. Fox was just 29 years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991. Fox officially retired from acting in 2020, but continues to travel the world, advocating for Parkinson's research, while still finding time to have some fun. Fox's weekend performance with Coldplay was an encore of sorts. He also joined them on stage in 2016 at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. Now at 63, Fox rocking out on one of the summer's biggest stages writing on Instagram, Oh yeah, in case you were wondering, it was mind-blowing.
Starting point is 00:47:40 place saying, thank you Michael J. Fox for making our dream come true. Valerie Castro, NBC News. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news now is on the way. Thank you.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.