Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, June 12, 2023

Episode Date: June 13, 2023

Former President Trump arrives in Miami ahead of his arraignment on federal charges tomorrow, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez joins Top Story to discuss the city’s preparations and his potential run for the White House, a judge denies bail for the woman accused of killing her husband and then writing a children’s book about grief, devastating flooding hits Cuba, four children who went missing after a plane crash in the Amazon are found alive, UFC superstar Conor McGregor knocks down a basketball mascot with a punch during a pre-planned promotional skit, and a recap of the historic and unscripted Tony Awards.

Tonight, law enforcement on high alert as former President Trump prepares to surrender to federal authorities. Trump touching down in South Florida late today, where in just hours, he will turn himself in to face 37 felony counts related to his mishandling of classified documents. Trump blasting the charges, calling them an abuse of power. Authorities bolstering security outside of the federal courthouse in Miami. But is it enough? Tonight, we press Miami's mayor, Francis Suarez, is his city ready to deal with a surge of potential protesters? And the new reporting just in, the dangerous rhetoric boiling over on conservative corners of the internet. Also breaking tonight a tour boat capsizing inside of a cave in upstate New York, at least one person killed.

The late details coming in. Grizzly discovering police in Philadelphia recovering a body from the scene of the fiery, crash that caused a section of I-95 to collapse, what we're learning about the cause of that highway meltdown. Pulled from the floods, crews carrying out daring rescues by land and by air as deadly floodwaters ravage eastern Cuba. Water rushing into homes and wiping away roads, the urgent evacuations still underway tonight. Surviving the jungle, we'll show you that remarkable moment four children were found deep in the Amazon. 40 days after their plane came crashing down, how the oldest child helped keep her siblings alive. The Colombian general

who led the effort to find them joins Top Story Live. Plus, killer confrontation, the Utah mom accused of poisoning her husband, coming face to face with her former sister-in-law in court, her scathing testimony, and the chilling internet searches that mom allegedly made in the days after her husband's death. And McGregor versus mascot, the M.A. firefighter knocking the Miami heat's beloved Bernie to the ground? The product he was trying to promote when the stunt took a violent turn. Top story starts right now. And good evening.

Tonight we are just hours away from an unprecedented moment in this nation's history. Former President Donald Trump facing 37 felony counts, preparing to surrender to authorities in Miami where he will be federally charged. by the government he once led. Trump making the journey from New York to Florida, you see here, touching down at the Miami International Airport late today, supporters lining the streets, leading to his hotel and golf course in Doral,

just outside of Miami. Trump giving them a thumbs up through the window. Many more supporters expected to show up at the courthouse tomorrow. Federal, state, and local police working to secure that area in downtown Miami ahead of Trump's arrival. The case being handled in Florida, because that is where the president

allegedly held classified government documents illegally. Photos released in the indictment showing boxes stored in a ballroom, a bathroom, and at a storage room at Trump's Mar-Lago estate. So the eyes of the political world now in South Florida, straight ahead, you'll hear our interview with the mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, how his city is preparing to handle this unprecedented moment, and the reports Mayor Suarez may soon enter the race for president facing off against Trump and the governor of his state.

And tonight, this new reporting just in, a watchdog group warning that they are seen a willingness among users on telegram to engage in violence related to tomorrow's arraignment, though no definitive wide-scale plans are in place. NBC's Garrett Hake is in downtown Miami, outside the courthouse, where former President Trump will be arraigned. Former President Trump arriving tonight at the airport in Miami. Later, greeted by a crowd of supporters in South Florida, ahead of his historic court hearing. tomorrow. The former president now a federal criminal defendant, defiant in the face of a 37-count indictment. The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration's weaponized Department of Injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country. Writing, hard to believe that the leading candidate by far of the opposition party

got indicted. This is strictly third world, and vowing if elected to appoint a quote, real special prosecutor to investigate President Biden. An appointment he as president would not have the authority to make directly. Tonight, outside the courthouse in Miami, security preparations underway for the nation's most high-profile defendant. A special counsel alleging Mr. Trump mishandled classified documents and obstructed efforts to retrieve them. Saying boxes of classified information were kept in Mar-a-Lago storage rooms, a ballroom, even a bathroom, and alleging at one point the former president suggested to lawyers hiding or destroying the documents. Elected Republicans largely rallying around Mr. Trump, even his presidential rivals, and

blasting the Biden Justice Department. I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country. You can't protect Democrats while targeting and hunting Republicans. President Joe Biden, that has a number of classified documents sitting in a garage, The idea of equal justice is not playing out here. But not Mr. Trump's former Attorney General Bill Barr, calling the charges serious. If even half of it is true, then he's toast. And it's very, very damning.

And this tonight from former Trump U.N. ambassador and current GOP candidate, Nikki Haley. If this indictment is true, if what it says is actually the case, President Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security. All right, Garrett Hake joins Top Story Live tonight. Garrett, walk us through the logistics for tomorrow. Well, the former president will motorcade down to the courthouse behind me. We probably won't see him leave the vehicle. You can enter and exit this courthouse through an underground garage. And then we won't see him in the courtroom either.

There are no cameras in federal court. Tom, we expect the former president to be processed, much like any other federal defendant would. Whether that includes fingerprints or a mugshot, we won't know. until it's all said and done. Then he'll have his hearing, which should be shorter than the one we saw in Manhattan, mainly just a plea, likely a waiving of the reading of the indictment. But there will be one key difference. In this case, he has a co-defendant. Tom? Garrett Hake, leading us off tonight from Miami. Garrett, we appreciate that. The city of Miami now bracing for possible large-scale demonstrations as President Trump calls on his supporters

to protest his arraignment. For more on how the city is preparing, I want to bring in Miami's Mayor Francis Suarez. Mayor Suarez, thank you for joining Top Story tonight. I do want to get to what you're worried about, right? This is going to be a major situation, the entire world, if you will, will be watching downtown Miami for this arraignment. What is the thing that worries you the most? Obviously what worries me, Tom, is, of course, they're being law and order. I'm making sure that there aren't any conflicts, disorder, anyone gets hurt, any small business owner gets affected, our destruction of property. We had large-scale demonstrations during the George Floyd incident, and we did it without

any major disruption to the quality of life of our residents. I think we were a model across the nation. We had a press conference today with our police chief to talk about our readiness. We are obviously socializing our plans with Miami-Dade County and also with our federal partners, because this is a federal building. And we want to make sure that what happens tomorrow, can happen without any sort of negative event or any sort of, you know, black eye on our city that, of course, wants to give people the right to express their constitutional rights,

their First Amendment rights, and wants to make it peaceful. Mayor, you mentioned your police chief at that news conference. He mentioned a number. I think this is correct. Five to 50,000 is what they're expecting. Is that a real number? And if so, there's already been some criticism about some of the sort of precautions out there. There's these, you know, yellow police tape and some plastic barriers.

People are concerned if you're going to have a massive amount of people demonstrating, is the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County prepared? We are prepared, Tom, and obviously I can't give away all the strategies that we use to be prepared. I can tell you that we are accustomed to large-scale protest. And, you know, the numbers that he put out there are numbers that indicate our readiness, right? It could be, you know, 1,000 people, it could be 5,000 people. but we're ready for anything upwards beyond that and at scale. And so we have a variety of different tactics.

We're working with our federal partners, and we're saying this is a federal building, so we don't control every single decision that is made with reference to the property. And I want to emphasize that, you know, those decisions are made in collaboration with the property owner and obviously out of respect for what they want to do. But we feel confident.

Our police chief has handled this before our department. made up of 1,400 men and women of the Miami Police Department have handled these situations before. And I know that we can do it, and our citizens can do it, and anyone who comes from outside can do it in a respectful and peaceful way without there being any incidents. That's, of course, my hope. Mayor, the former president has put on truth social. He has asked his supporters to, quote, fight. If you had the chance to speak to former President Trump tonight, would you tell him to tone down the rhetoric? You know, my message would be to everyone who goes tomorrow that we want you to exercise

their constitutional rights, but we want you to do it peacefully. This is a great country. We're in a beautiful city, and we have protested many times, the Cuban dictatorship, a variety of different incidents in our history, and we always do it in a way that's respectful, that doesn't create conflicts or clashes. And, of course, our department is going to be there to ensure safety and security without trying to exacerbate or escalate the situation. Mayor, this is a big week for you on many fronts, and since we have you here, I would like to turn now to the race for president because there's a lot of speculation, and you have hinted at this as well, that you're about to enter the race for the Republican nomination.

I do want to point out to our viewers who know very well here on Top Story. Your governor, Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, is also running. Of course, former President Trump is in the race as well. What can you offer Republican voters that both Governor DeSantis and former President Trump cannot? Well, I think if I decide to run for president over the next couple of days, and I intend to make a big speech at the Reagan Library, I think what I want to highlight is a new vision for this country, a vision where this country can have generational prosperity by understanding the dynamic challenges that it faces. A country where the poor don't get poorer, as they seem to be under this administration, where America is not getting weaker, and where, you know, the conversation that we're having is a healthy conversation. But we're focusing 80% of the time on the 80% of the things that we agree on, instead of 80% of the time on the 20% of things that we disagree on. I think, you know, people want to be inspired, they want to be led, they want someone who has a track record of success, but also a positive vision for the future. I think that's been lacking in our politics for a long time. And I'm hopeful that if I decide to run for president, that I can bring a breath of fresh air, someone who looks different, who sounds different, who has a different set of experience, but also has a positive.

positive vision for the future of this country. Do you think governor... Do you think governor... ...that I love. Yeah. Do you think Governor DeSantis would make a good president? Well, listen, if I were... If I thought someone else would be a good president, I wouldn't be running or wouldn't be

talking about the possibility of running for president. So, you know, if I do decide to run over the next couple of days, it's because I think that I'm the best alternative and the best option for, you know, for this country. I've traveled the country. I've been to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada. And I can tell you that when I talk to voters across the country, they want to hear more. They love the Miami success story, where we've kept taxes low. We've kept people safe, and we've leaned into innovation.

And they think that that is a model for prosperity in America. And so that would be the platform that I would run on. It would be one where we try to give people hope for a brighter tomorrow, make sure that we can ensure prosperity for themselves and their children, and make sure that people can live in safety, which is what we're doing here in the city of Miami. Mayor, can you tell me one thing briefly you've learned since the pandemic. The city of Miami, the county of Miami, South Florida has boomed. So much business has moved down there. People are moving down there. What's the one thing you've learned over the last three years?

I think the biggest thing that I've learned, Tom, is how dynamic the economy is, is that we're changing from a highly industrialized economy to an increasingly digital economy. And at the same time, we have an incredibly vulnerable supply chain. We're giving China a trillion dollars of our wealth in the full. of a trade deficit and in the form of them stealing RIP. They're using it to subvert us in our own hemisphere, which is creating a poverty in our hemisphere, which is creating immigration pressure on our country.

You know, we have a lot of issues that we need to tackle, but we need someone who can bring us together, solve problems like mayors do across America and get people unified. I was blessed to be elected by close to 85% and re-elected by almost 80% because I focus on solving people's problems, not blaming people for problems.

Mayor, you are a lawyer. You're also a part-time mayor. You can have outside income and outside job. Your hometown paper, the Miami Herald, is reporting this. I want to put it up on the screen for our viewers, essentially reporting that you help push a real estate project through and were paid to do so. They're now saying the FBI and the SEC is now looking into this. What do you say to your critics who say you were on the take to at least one big developer? Well, what I would say is I've been a public official for 13 years. I've never had any issues. There's never been ever a question as to my integrity. I've been a working councilman and a working mayor throughout that entire time. And I find it interesting that our local newspaper, you know, just a couple weeks before, I'm set to make a big announcement, all of a sudden uncovers this troublesome, you know, story.

Look, I have always distinguished myself by someone who's never used my public position to benefit any private entity. I never will do that. And people can feel comfortable knowing that. Unfortunately, in today's day and age, you know, the press is oftentimes one of the least trustworthy institutions, and we've, you know, Americans have grown worry of a press that wants to focus on destroying people, as opposed to telling the beautiful story of how much prosperity we've created in our city, where we're number one of the nation in wage growth. We have the lowest unemployment in America.

Our homicide rate is at its lowest level since 1964. I was born in 1977, and this year we're 40% below that number. And so that's the story that oftentimes the local papers don't want to tell. You know, there's no profit as beloved in their own hometown sometimes. But listen, I'm very, very excited about the prospect of delivering this speech on Thursday and making a big announcement that will set the course for the future of our city and our country. Mayor, I would also say the press can act as a watchdog. So I do want to ask you, have you or anyone in your office spoken to the FBI?

No, not at all. And of course. And listen, I'm not above criticism, of course. Anytime, you know, the press asked me questions, I try to answer them. And, you know, I'm not above criticism. That's part of being a public official. And so, no, we have not been contacted by any agency. We ourselves have cooperated with the Commission on Ethics, which is a local ethics commission. And we feel very confident that once he, once the process ends, it will end in a way that's satisfactory and will show that I was not involved. in any way, trying to help anyone. Finally, Mayor, is there anything you'd like to say here on Top Story that you may be going to say on Thursday? I'd like to tell the American people to tune in. We're going to have a great opportunity on Thursday at 6 p.m. Pacific time to tell a story about

the son of a Cuban immigrant who came to this country, whose parents came to this country with nothing at 12 and 7, and who's been given all these blessings and opportunities to shape the city that I was born and raised in and create a dynamic ecosystem that's number one in tech jobs, that's creating prosperity, that's reduced crime to historic levels. And that model is one that can be scaled across our country to create generational prosperity for more and more Americans. That's what we want to talk about on Thursday, and that's hopefully we'll be able to talk about into the future. Mayor Suarez, we know you're going to be busy this week.

We thank you for taking your time here on Top Story. Thanks, Tom. All eyes on the federal courthouse ahead of the former president's arraignment. But questions are remaining over whether he's secured the local legal counsel necessary for the hearing to happen. I want to bring in NBC News legal analyst Danny Savallo. Standing, two questions here for you, really, right? The first one, he starts off with a new legal team after the indictment is posted, right? And I don't know.

I'm not a lawyer, but I think to start from scratch on such an important case would be hard. And two, he has no legal counsel yet at last. check he hasn't. How big of a deal is that? I was concerned about this because I thought number one attorneys trustee and parlority were very competent counsel, very experienced. And the story that was bandied about was that, hey, he's now in Florida, we've done our work, we're D.C. type people. That didn't sit well with me because in federal court, federal court is pretty much federal court everywhere. These are federal charges, the same in D.C. as they would be in South Florida. Now, do you normally need local counsel? Someone will show you

the ropes and the local rules and how the courthouse works. Yes, that's always a good idea to have local counsel. But it doesn't mean you're out-of-town counsel, especially if they are experienced federal practitioners, can't take on the case. They could have. So I wonder if there was another reason why Trump no longer has those attorneys. And in terms of finding counsel down there, this is something that probably should have been anticipated at least a couple weeks ago. From the day someone first learned that a grand jury was being, was underway in South Florida, the search should have begun. And there are a lot of really good federal practitioners down.

That's where I don't understand. There's a ton of attorneys down in South Florida. Why do you think it's taking so long? Do you think people would not want to represent former President Trump? I think, I won't go so far as say they don't want to, but I know this. After watching former President Trump over several years now. I know that if I were to prepare a fee agreement for the president, it would probably have a few extra clauses in it. Just because there are so many stories about difficulty being

paid, you'd want to make sure there's enough retainer. This is somebody who has practically bragged of, hey, look, I'm not going to pay you. Go ahead and sue me if you want to with contractors. So I think a lot of attorneys might be concerned. And then there's another major reason, and it's conflicts. And that's why Donald Trump isn't going to get a lot of large firms, because large firms have to do a complex check. So, for example, if you've represented some company that had a dispute with Donald Trump, you probably can't represent both unless each side gives permission. You've had time to digest the indictment since we spoke on Thursday night. What for you is the single biggest piece of evidence you saw that hurts the former president?

For me, I keep coming back to the recording, the alleged recording of Donald Trump in his office saying, hey, I could have declassified this, I didn't declassify this. There is so much to be gleaned from that statement, if true and if it's admissible, which is that he's admitting that he didn't declassify something, that he was aware he could have, and that he was aware in the context of the discussion that it's something that was naughty, for lack of a better term. The other reason is that audio tapes, any kind of video recordings, images, prosecutors know juries love this stuff. They love playing CSI. They've grown up on CSI. They're accustomed to things like DNA. They expect things like surveillance video in a trial. So this is exactly the

kind of thing the government loves. And the other great thing about video and audio tape, is that you don't worry about it being cross-examined for being not credible. Who cares if the person who authenticates it is a criminal or a lying liar? The tape don't lie. I do want to ask you that these charges, if he's convicted and the potential prison time add up to a lot, even if he's just convicted on one or two of these charges, he could theoretically spend the rest of his life in prison. Is that a reality for a former president? You know, you have a lot of former federal prosecutors on these shows on our network. I'm not You get their perspective.

Let me tell you my perspective as a defense attorney, and maybe other defense attorneys won't say this. There is no more terrifying or depressing place to be at times than federal criminal court. Most criminal defense attorneys would take any case, homicide, drugs, anything in state court, rather than a long-range investigation like this that culminates in a white-collar type indictment. That's sort of what this is. the government makes their cases airtight. And the punishments under the federal sentencing guidelines can be draconian. Now, they're not mandatory anymore.

They haven't been for about a decade. But the sentencing guidelines for almost all of these cases are at minimum felony level. I've never had a misdemeanor federal case. If you're in federal court, there is a very, very, very good chance you're going to prison. At least the guidelines will call for prison. Sometimes a judge will throw you a bone and sentence below the guidelines. But being in federal court, make no mistake about it, is usually a stop on the way to a federal correctional institution. Danny Savalos, maybe one of the best legal minds in TV.

On top story tonight, Danny, we appreciate you, and we will be with you tomorrow for a long period of the night. Now to the tourboat disaster in Western New York, the boat capsizing in a cave with dozens of people on board, leaving at least one person dead. Jesse Kerr has the latest on this investigation. After an underground tourboat that appears to be like this one capsized in Western. New York. Tonight, police are trying to figure out how a tourist attraction along the Erie Canal turned deadly. In Lockport, New York, near Buffalo, authorities saved this morning in a boat with 29 adults on board somehow flipped over in a cave, leaving one person dead with 11 more

sent to the hospital. A number of victims were on top of that boat initially when rescues got to them. But authorities say it appears at one point a man believed to be around 60 years old was trapped underneath and died. And it did take some time to get him. recovered and back to a safe location. Unfortunately, he had succumbed to his injuries. Officials say some taller people were able to walk to safety on their own, with first responders rescuing 16 others. We had 11 people total taken to area hospitals for minor injuries, the worst of which we believe is about a broken arm and a possible head injury. The mayor of Lockport says the attraction has operated for decades without incident.

Tonight, the operator has not responded to NBC's request for Comet, as authorities tell us no one on board was wearing a life fest. Could this even avoid it if they were wearing life fest? Hard to say. We still don't know what capsized the boat. And even with a life jacket on, if the boat flipped in a certain way, somebody could still have been trapped under there. Questions unanswered after a day of exploration gone wrong. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News. All right, we want to turn out of the latest on that massive explosion. on I-95 over the weekend, a tanker truck erupting in flames, causing parts of the major highway to actually collapse. Officials recovering a body from the wreckage today. Emily Aketa has more on the months it will likely take to get things back to normal.

Tonight, commuters in a crunch after a fiery crash that collapsed a critical section of I-95 in Philadelphia. Thick plumes of smoke emanating from an accident involving a tanker below that authorities say was carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline Sunday morning. What can you tell us about the circumstances leading up to the vehicle fire? The tractor and trailer were trying to navigate the curve, lost control of the vehicle, landed on its side, and ruptured the tank and igniting the fire. The commercial truck crushed by the collapse, and tonight, Pennsylvania State Police

confirming a body was recovered from the wreckage. And you can see just how massive of an undertaking the rebuilding process will be. cruise right now clearing out 500 tons of debris. I-95 is the East Coast main highway, stretching from Florida to Maine, and this section typically sees 160,000 vehicles a day. Now severed, the Transportation Secretary warns both commuters and the supply chain will feel the impact. This is going to be a major disruption in that region, and it's really going to affect the whole northeast. All right, pulling up, where 95 is closed now. Standstill traffic snaking along I-95, as drivers brace for longer commutes, and the interstate closure funnels people onto local roads.

This is a way that I would never take to work under normal circumstances. The devastation is reminiscent of an interstate failure from a fire in Atlanta back in 2017, worsening the gridlock for weeks. Steel girders supporting overpasses like the one in Philadelphia can become vulnerable when exposed to flames. According to engineering experts, steel loses about 20 percent. of its strength at 750 degrees and half of its strength at 1,000. If you heat up the structural material, you know, gradually it softens. It loses the ability to carry the weight that was above it. And as a result, you know, we can have damage to the breeze.

And in extreme cases, you can have full collapse. Officials say before the crash, Tom, this overpass was completely sound. In fact, it was part of a reconstruction project, a $212 million. million dollar run that was just completed five years ago. And now Cruz are having to rebuild both the northbound and southbound lanes, which is what you're seeing behind me. And it could take a matter of weeks, if not months. Tom? All right. I think a lot of people are shocked how that collapsed. All right. Emily Aketa for us, Emily, thank you. We do have a severe storm threat across the country tonight. 27 million people are at risk for dangerous storms, including

possible tornadoes. One of the main threats of this system hail already blanketing parts of Boulder, Colorado. Look at that snow in June. The city also hit with flash flooding, submerging streets. I want to get right over to meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, we were just chatting here. You're on the hunt tonight for tornadoes? Yeah, isolated strong ones. And these same storms that could produce the tornadoes in central Texas could produce tennis, baseball size hail, too. And everything was blank. And just in the last 30 minutes, our first storm is popping up. So this will be what we'll be tracking as it heads towards the Waco, Hillsborough area. Looks like it should say south of downtown Dallas. We've also had some very strong storms with

a ton of lightning with them heading through southern mississippi and alabama they're heading through mobile right now looks like new orleans you got lucky they're just going to miss you barely up to your north so for as far as everyone else goes the rest of this evening i 10 is by far the worst drive we'll keep an eye on you here in beloxy as you'll probably be under severe thunderstorm warning shortly so here's that look at that 27 million people at risk of severe storms the east coast hasn't been too bad we really didn't get enough heating during the day so that's fine no one's complaining much needed rain heading through new york city shortly and then tomorrow we'll see additional strong storms in the same area all through the southeast tom so a two days of your

weather event here heading into the end of spring okay i know you and your team will stay on top of all of that bill thank you still ahead tonight the killer confrontation the utah mom accused of poisoning her husband appearing in court the scathing testimony delivered by one of her in-laws and her chilling search history just revealed plus a delta crew member injured after an emergency slide deployed actually inside of the plane. Look at that. What the pilot was trying to do when that accident happened. And closing in a pot of hammerhead sharks, wow, circling a group of boaters where all this went down. Stay with us. Top story. Just getting started. Okay, back now with that murder case out of Utah we've been telling you about. It involves a mother

and an author accused of killing her husband. A judge denied her bail today. The prosecution revealing new details about her alleged internet searches she made around his death. And today, she was confronted face-to-face with her sister-in-law. NBC's Valerie Castro has the latest out of the courtroom. Tonight, a Utah mother accused of poisoning her husband with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl, crying while handcuffed in a courtroom and coming face to face with his sister. Eric died under horrendous circumstances.

The prosecution laying out evidence, including what appear to be damning internet searches they say Corey Richens made after her husband, Eric's death, and bringing his sister to the stand for a victim impact statement during the bail hearing. I am tormented at the thought of what he endured. I play it out in my mind. I go through the terrible sequence of events. I wonder when he realized he was in mortal danger. I wonder what Corey may have said to him in his last moments. Corey dabbing her eye during the sister's testimony. The state arguing Eric's death was murder at the hands of his wife. Five times the lethal dose is not accidental, Your Honor. And the person who benefited the most from Eric being dead is the defendant. Court records filed Friday leading up to the hearing alleged rich and searched incriminating terms on her cell phone, including

what is a lethal dose of fentanyl? And if someone is poisoned, what does it go down on the death certificate as and luxury prisons for the rich in America. The judge denying her request for bail. The court finds the circumstances of this case, as supported by substantial evidence, weigh soundly against any form of pretrial release. Prosecutors allege in court documents the trouble started eight years ago when they say Corey started purchasing and forging signatures for life insurance policies on her husband. At least four policies totaling upwards of $1.6 million that named Corey as the beneficiary. Another internet search prosecutors alleged Corey made, quote, death certificate says pending, will life insurance still pay? The state saying the two were

also fighting over purchasing a sprawling new home and that then Corey contacted an acquaintance and asked for fentanyl. One day after Eric died, she closed on that home according to a search warrant. Her defense attorney arguing that the transaction doesn't prove murder and the death may have been an accident. It could have been accidental. I mean, it very well could have. And I think that given the evidence presented today is a very plausible situation. Being bad with money does not make you a murderer. The defense also arguing that there is no substantial evidence to support the charges and that no traces of fentanyl were found in the home. Richens has not entered a plea. In the year after Eric's death, Corey penned a children's book about grief included her sons in the

story and dedicated it to Eric, even going on TV to promote it. It completely took us all by shock. Today, his sister advocating for her nephews. Because of her actions, there's not been a day that has gone by. We have not lived with paralyzing anxiety and fear worrying for the boys' lives as well as our own. Valerie Castro joins us now live in studio. So Valerie, we learned a lot today.

A lot happened in court. Do we know why? Is there anything more we learned from the judge about why he decided to keep Corey in jail? So the judge says that she could pose a substantial danger to the community. He says is based on the fact that she's also accused of purchasing a large amount of fentanyl after her husband died, although it's still unclear why she might have done that. A pretrial hearing is now set for June 22nd. Okay, Valerie, we thank you for that. When we come back surviving the jungle, the new video showing the moment rescuers found four children who were missing inside the Amazon

for 40 days. The Colombian general who led the massive search operations. to find them and never gave up, joins Top Story Live. Next. All right, we are back down with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the latest on that building collapse in Davenport, Iowa. Today, Cruz began dismantling the remains of the building with an excavator, two weeks after that deadly incident. City officials saying the process will take several weeks. Also today, the owner of the building pleading guilty to a civil

infraction for not maintaining the building safety. A Delta crew member was heard after the emergency slide accidentally deployed on a flight from New York to L.A. Look at this. Photos from passengers show the slide inflated inside the cabin. Delta says the slide deployed while the plane was preparing to make an emergency landing in Salt Lake City for a maintenance issue. The crew member was taken to the hospital but is okay. And boaters off Alabama's Gulf Coast had a surprise encounter over the weekend. Check this out. posted to social media shows several hammerhead sharks circling boats that were anchored off Robinson Island, sharks swimming in shallow water about two feet. Luckily, no one was hurt. The sighting

comes two months after a pregnant hammerhead shark washed up near the same beach. Okay, next to a story we've been following closely here on Top Story four children rescued after surviving in the Amazon jungle on their own for nearly six weeks. Kelly Kobiea has the stunning new details on how they stay alive. Tonight, the miracle moment when rescuers found four siblings deep in the Amazon jungle, hungry, covered in insect bites, but alive after 40 days in the forest, the youngest, a one-year-old. Over the weekend, lifting them to safety. The family overjoyed, the father of two of the children calling it a miracle of God.

The children from an indigenous tribe were on board this Cessna with her mother and two adults when it went down May 1st. At the crash site, rescuers found three adult bodies, but no children. Their mother was alive for four days, their father said, telling them before she died, they had to leave. For weeks, searchers found clues, half-eaten fruit, small footprints, a baby bottle, tiny shoes. The children's grandmother said the eldest child, 13-year-old Leslie, always took care of her siblings and knew what was safe to eat, reportedly taking cassava flour from

the wreckage. Their grandmother's voice blared out across the jungle, telling the children to stay still. Rescuers finally found them near a river using camping gear Leslie took from the wreckage and say they heard those messages from their granddad. mother. The children now recovering at a hospital. The director says they're weak, but speaking and drawing. These pictures tweeted by the Colombian military today, one saying, Siempre Bendecida, always blessed. Kelly Cobella, NBC News. For more on this incredible story of survival, we're now joined by General Pedro Sanchez, commander of the search and rescue

operation that found those children. General, thank you so much for joining top story tonight. And congratulations to you and your team. I have to ask you after 39 days, how did you not lose hope? Hi, Tom, and good night, everyone. This miracle, it was possible because focus on the mission and very careful on the tail. We use all capabilities to find them. My feeling in this moment is the peace on my soul. and happiness in my hair.

It's because we made honorable decision. We maintained, we keep the faith, although the uncertainty and happiness in my head because we found them and we found alive.

How exactly did you find them? What was the one sign you saw that you knew you had discovered the children? Could you say again, please? Yeah, how did you really that you had located them. What was it for you that stood out that you guys had realized you had found them?

Okay, to found them, we used a cell combined mixed between indigenous people and troops. We organized similar to a grid on the map working 24 hours because just not only work. only work the people inside of the jungle, but also people working about the strategy, thinking about the variables that we appreciate, we analyze with evidence to go, to find them. What did the kids do when they first saw you? see each other

is only in silence they don't know who I am I just only I'm a soldier who talk on behalf of the real heroes the kids of course the soldiers, the army

and the indigenous volunteers how are the children eyes? Yeah I saw how are the children doing tonight the eyes how are the children doing tonight that night that night the children were very weak and we traveled that age we move in the airplane using the capability of the air force to move

to the hospital and they just only do or just only don't a scene around them maybe with surprise but their eyes show hope and life okay general I want to thank you so much for joining top story tonight we really do appreciate it you and your team are incredible incredible heroes. Those children have an amazing story to tell that I'm sure one day will likely be made into several books and even to a movie. But again, the courage and the heroic efforts of your team not to give up after 39 days and to find them there in the jungle. It is incredible. And those kids themselves are so, so resourceful. Truly an amazing story. We thank you again, General, for joining Top Story tonight. Coming up next here on the show, floods in Cuba turning deadly. Video showing water rushing into homes. pulled to safety by helicopter, the dramatic rescue efforts when we come back. Okay, we are back now with Top Stories Global Watch, and we want to get right to a deadly yacht infernal

off the coast of Egypt. Take a look at this. New video shows the moment of man. You see him there on the right hand of your screen, forced to jump from one of the upper decks of the burning boat into a raft below. The yacht was part of a scuba tour in the Red Sea. In a statement, the company confirming,

three British tourists died in that fire. Twelve other people were rescued. The cause of this fire is under investigation. And evacuations are underway in the Philippines over fears of a volcano is ready to erupt. Here's what it looks like. The new video is showing lava spewing out of the Mayan volcano and down its slopes. Anyone within a 3.7 mile radius of the volcano urged to leave their homes. Pilots also told to avoid flying near it.

Mayan is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines. And Italy's former Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has died. Berlusconi was Italy's longest-serving premier, but his career was filled with sex scandals and criminal investigations. The billionaire was also known as forming Italy's largest media company, media set. In recent years, he had several health battles, including a leukemia diagnosis. Berlusconi was 86 years old. Okay, now to the Americas and the terrible flooding in Cuba.

The island nation hit with record rainfall, destroying homes and critical crops. The military now evacuating thousands of civilians to dry ground. Guadvinegas has this report. Tonight, a flooding emergency in Cuba turns deadly. Raging water sweeping through homes, leaving communities underwater, thousands evacuated, and at least one person killed. The military using helicopters in some areas to rescue families,

including women and children. They warned us before, but we didn't want to leave. leave. And now we had to get out, said this man after he boarded one of the military helicopters. Others like this elderly couple rescued on boats from their homes. Cuba Central and Eastern areas are the most affected after a weekend of heavy rain causing rivers to overflow. Over 400 rural communities affected by the flooding. We're trying to save everything we can while helping neighbors, said this man. Official media reporting some 10,000 homes have been damaged And more than 7,000 people have been evacuated.

Days of rain have left the ground saturated with water, with dams at capacity, and the forecast indicating more rain may come in a country where the needs are overwhelming. Lack of food, lack of medicine, lack of gasoline, which affects aid to any part of the country right now. The flooding already damaging over 2,000 acres of crops, including fruits, and vegetables vital to help with those food shortages. Added disaster, such as flooding or hurricanes, and it becomes almost unbearable for the Cuban people right now.

Many bracing for another tough year with a new hurricane season just beginning. Guadvinegas, NBC News. All right, when we come back, McGregor versus mascot, the UFC legend, knocking out the Miami Heat's mascot during a promotional stunt, gone wrong. What we're hearing about the mascot's condition and the reaction tonight from the sports world. Stay with us. All right, welcome back to Top Story. We want to turn out to a shocking incident in the middle of the NBA finals, but it's not from the game. Instead, a stunt pulled during a timeout. Former UFC star Connor McGregor knocking out Bernie, the Miami Heat Team mascot

in a promotional skit gone wrong. The person inside that costume needing medical attention, NBC Stephen Romo has a story. Former UFC champion Connor McGregor landing his first knockout punch in years. But it was not for a title belt. It was against the Miami Heat mascot, Bernie. The punch in what was supposed to be a promotional stunt for McGregor's pain relief spray caught on camera by fans attending Friday's NBA finals game between the Heat and the Denver Nuggets. The Irishman is seen socking Bernie. with a left hook leading to the character falling on the floor.

Moments later, McGregor lands a brutal second punch while Bernie was already down. Then teammates step in to drag the mascot off the court while McGregor tries to spray him with the product. The athletic reporting, the man in the mascot suit was brought to the emergency room. The heat saying Saturday that the employee, who was not identified, received pain medication and was resting at home. McGregor, the gregarious fighter, became a UFC powerhouse through the 2010s, racking up a 21 and 3 record and titles in multiple weight classes, known for his banter

out of the ring. I certainly know I'm going to win. I certainly know that. His persona drawing huge crowds, like in this massive exhibition fight against undefeated Floyd Mayweather. And the money followed. McGregor was for his highest paid athlete in 2021. beating out the likes of superstars,

Leonel Messi, and LeBron James. But he's only won a single fight since 2017 and hasn't fought since injuring his left leg two years ago. McGregor is expected to fight again later this year. His team and title sports, the company that produced the pain relief product, did not return NBC's request for comment. It's not the first time a fighter has taken out a mascot.

In 2018, heavyweight champ Deonté, Wilder decked this character on TV. UFC founder Dana White weighing in. What's up with mascots wanting to get punched in the face by professional fighters? What do you expect? Back in Miami, the heats head coach making light of the stunt gone wrong over the weekend. That's the Miami heat toughness that we're talking about. We won't reveal who that is, but he's tough.

If you can take a punch and get back up and yeah, he's not going to miss any time. The Miami Heat telling NBC News the man inside the Bernie costume is on the road to recovery. And with that, Stephen Rilmo joins us tonight. Stephen, this is obviously a different type of story than the kind you cover here in Top Story. Look, you feel for Bernie. He got hit really hard. But this is actually not the first time Bernie's been at the center of controversy, right? Yeah, back in 1997, a woman was actually awarded $50,000 from a federal grand jury

because she was pulled onto the court by a previous Bernie performer as she was injured in all of that. Now, there's no word of any charges or lawsuits from this most recent round. Of course, we'll have to see if Miami gets to game six for when this current Bernie actually might make it back. And they're going to get to game six. Go read from Tom. All right, Stephen, we appreciate it. Okay. Speaking of hits, we want to turn now to the Tony's, this historic night at the Tony Awards, the 76 annual ceremony kicking off with huge musical numbers and trailblazing winners. But the event was entirely unscripted due to the ongoing writer's strike.

explains. Last night's Tony Award ceremony started with a show-stopping number. Then historic moments taking center stage. Critically acclaimed musical, Kimberly Akimbo,

ranking in five Tonys, including Best Musical, the most of any show. While World War II drama, Leopoldstadt, was named Best Play, winners, including even big names, like Sean Hayes, Jody Comer, and Glee alum Alex Newell, Newell breaking barriers for their

win in shock. I should not be up here as a queer, non-bionary, fat, black little baby from Massachusetts. Alongside, some like it, Hots, Jay Harrison Gee, the pair becoming the first ever out non-binary performers to win Tony Awards. For every trans, non-binary, gender, non-conforming human, whoever was told you couldn't be, you couldn't be seen, this is for you. The show also going off script, literally. Yes, I am unscripted, as well every presenter who comes on this stage tonight. Becoming the first major award show to go on during the weeks-long writer's strike.

Our siblings over at the WGA are currently on strike in pursuit of a fair deal. A point mentioned repeatedly by nearly all the presenters and recipients. Please support the WGA. We stand with the WGA in Solidary. The award show putting writers in the spotlight, as over 11,000 have been on strike now for over a month. Network scrambling to salvage the fall season, some green lighting unscripted shows to fill the schedule. The impact of these writers and their absence stealing the show throughout the unscripted evening. I don't know what these notes stand for.

So please welcome whoever walks out on stage next. And shining a spotlight on the integral role they play. And as the Writers Guild continues to strike, the members of the Screen Actors Guild are also in contract negotiations of their own with the studios. The union has already voted nearly 98% in favor of a strike authorization if an agreement is not reached. That would shut down any remaining production immediately and could potentially for, networks to rely on reality TV and unscripted shows in the fall. Tom? And also probably even more news. All right, Rahima Ellis for us tonight. Rahima, we appreciate that. And we thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.