Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, June 3, 2024

Episode Date: June 4, 2024

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

Tonight, order at the border. President Biden preparing to sign an executive action restricting migrant crossings. The sweeping measure would shut down the southern border and cap the number of migrant encounters, turning away those who missed the cutoff. The plan, one of Biden's most aggressive immigration policies of his tenure, and a plan he criticized when running for office. The president attempting to address one of his biggest political vulnerabilities, as voters find him weak on the issue. The pushback tonight from immigration advocates. Also, the new face of Mexico when Biden will have to work with closely with on border relations.

Mexico naming its first ever female president, Claudia Shanebaum, winning the landmark election in a landslide victory. The biggest issues she faces including cartel violence, corruption, and of course, immigration. Will she be able to turn things around for her country? Growing wildfire danger, a massive fire raging outside of San Francisco. thousands of acres scorched, residents forced to evacuate, and major highways cut off. Firefighters injured as they're met with walls of flames and brutal temperatures, the concerns for more fires amid a triple-digit heat wave. The jury is set in Hunter Biden's gun trial, the historic case marking the first time a child of a sitting president is on trial.

The questions about substance abuse, political ties, and gun views taking center stage as the jury was selected. A tourist arrested in Turks and Caicos for having bullets in his luggage speaking out tonight right here on Top Story, how his vacation in paradise spiraled into international incarceration, and the moment he was released returning to his wife and kids after being detained on the island. Atlanta water emergency, one of the nation's largest cities in a deepening water crisis after a string of water main breaks. School programs forced to close thousands under a water boil advisory, some neighborhoods without drinking water. So what's going on? And unwelcome to the WNBA, rookie Indiana fever star Caitlin Clark, body checked by Chicago

Skyguard, Chenity Carter. Was Clark targeted? Or is this just the name of the game? Plus, the shark attack on a popular SoCal beach, how that swimmer fought back. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, President Biden taking his biggest step yet to crack down on migrant crossings at the southern border. The announcement coming just as Mexico makes history electing the country's first female president. Biden slated to sign an executive action that will temporarily shut down the border once the number of migrant encounters between legal entry points exceeds 2,500 in a day, turning away those over the threshold. That announcement coming as Biden ramps up his reelection campaign,

facing mounting pressure from voters to take action on the issue, and NBC poll finding 69% of voters disapprove of his handling of the border. Biden's executive action will deny those seeking legal entry to the country. A move he once criticized his political opponent, Donald Trump, for on a debate stage in 2020. Take a listen. This is the first president in history of the United States America, that's anybody seeking asylum, has to do it, in another country. That's never happened before in America. That's never happened before

in America. You come to the United States and you make your case that I seek asylum based on the following premise, why I deserve it under American law. Now, though daily encounters continue to remain high, the number of monthly border encounters has sharply decreased. You can see it here in this graph from reaching record highs back in December, thanks in part to a collaboration between the U.S. and Mexico. Will that collaboration continue as Mexico's elected president Claudia Shainbaum steps into her new role. Immigration is just one of several major issues of the U.S. and Mexico will have to work together on to resolve. NBC's Julio Bakato starts us off tonight from Mexico City.

Facing mountain pressure over his handling of the border, NBC News has learned that the Biden administration is expected to announce a sweeping executive action that would allow the president to temporarily shut down the border. If the number of illegal crossing reaches 25 a day, according to three people familiar to the discussions. There are currently more than 4,000 illegal border crossings every day, according to homeland security, suggesting a shutdown could go into effect immediately. This policy is a reversal from the president's stance in January. With the presidential election approaching, Mr. Trump routinely slams President Biden over his

handling of the border. They're pouring through every state. Every state is now a border state. Now, President Biden is trying to institute restrictions similar to those Mr. Trump tried to enact in 2018, which courts struck down. This really what sounds like a draconian and potentially unlawful immigration shutdown of the border. This announcement on the heels of history in Mexico. Claudia Seymbaum won yesterday's presidential election, becoming the first woman and the first Jewish president in the country's. 200-year history.

The climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City will now be tasked with working with the U.S. to contain the flow of migrants at the border. I'm sure we're not going to have any major announcements of changes or proposals until it's defined to find out who's the next president of the United States. And Julio Bakato joins us tonight from Mexico City. So Julio, explain to our viewers how significant is this that we now have the first female and the first Jewish president of Mexico.

It is really remarkable, Tom. Just think about this. Every day, according to the United Nations, 10 women are killed in Mexico. And this is the same country that now just elected the first female president. So the big question now is, will she be able to govern as an independent president,

or will she follow the instructions from her predecessor, or current president, Andres Manuel Lopez-Ovador. He's very popular. And a lot of people are asking if she is going to implement policies that really favor women in this country? Telemundo anchor, Julio Bakero. Julio, we thank you for that, leading us off tonight. For more on Mexico's president-elect and the impact she could have.

I want to bring in Guad Vanegas, who also joins us live tonight from Mexico City. So, Guad, we just heard there from Julio about the significance of the first female president of Mexico. But she is connected to the current president, AMLO. So how much will Mexico really change with Claudia Schaembaum? Tom, she's connected to him. They are allies. In fact, she was there with him when they founded the Morena political party to which they both belong. So here's what we know. She has pledged

to continue with AMLO's legacy. Amlo has talked about the fourth transformation of Mexico. That has been the period of time when she's been president. He says that the first transformation of Mexico is when Mexico got his independence from Spain. The second transformation was when they separated church and state. The third was the Mexican Revolution that set terms of presidential terms. They set a limit. And then this is the fourth transformation. And this fourth transformation, they've set up social services to help low-income Mexicans,

to help people most in need. They raised the minimum wage. They also cut down on the salary of a lot of government officials. That's what Mexico has been working on. And Claudia Sheeban is expected to continue with that legacy, also the spending on large projects that the government has focused on, like using trains for public transportation across the country, a government-run airline, and other major projects that some people have criticized Amlo for, but Shane Baum says she will continue to focus on. And as Julio mentioned, a lot of people want to know what she will do when it comes to women. There's an issue with femicides in Mexico. Women would like the government to focus on the fact that a lot of the crimes against women go unpunished. So these are the things that will be a challenge for shame on as she moves forward. And lastly, as someone who has a PhD in energy engineering, what can she do to help a country move into the future when it comes

to renewable energy when it comes to dealing with climate change and also a drought that is affecting a large part of the country? Gwana, I want to turn now to this upcoming executive order we mentioned the top of the broadcast from President Biden, likely sealing off the southern border to asylum seekers if daily crossing surpassed 2,500 in a single day. At least temperature, temporarily, right? Actions like this always require coordination with the Mexican government. So how easy do we expect this new Mexican administration to be for President Biden to work with? Well, this new administration in Mexico is going to be from a president that belongs to Morena to another president that belongs to Morena. So it'll be an easy transition, right? And if Biden

were to remain president and win the re-election, that would be the easiest transition for both sides because they would be working with people that they know. Now, there's one thing I'd like to mention about the announcement today. So we've heard about the U.S. announcing that they will shut the border down if they have more than 2,500 crossings. It's important, Tom, to keep in mind, you've been to the border, you've reported at the border, I've been to the border to report as well. When we talk about the border, there's ports of entry,

which people use every day to cross back and forth necessary for businesses, both on the Mexican side and the American side. And there's also a lot of ports of entry for commercial vehicles. There's the trains that have to go with commerce. When they talk about shutting down the border, they are not referring to that. They're referring to the areas in between the ports of entry, where migrants cross illegally to then request asylum. So what they mean when they say they're going to shut the border down, it would mean that

Border Patrol, to our understanding, Border Patrol, would detain undocumented immigrants and probably send them back to Mexico, perhaps an expulsion without perhaps a allowing them to request asylum. So very important to keep that in mind as the two countries work together, Tom. Has the president-elect said anything about President Biden or our former president, Donald Trump? So this is interesting, Tom.

She has said that whether it is Trump who wins the presidency or Biden, she will be able to work with both of them. A lot of critics here have said that Trump went in the election of the U.S. would complicate things from Mexico because Trump has said he would immediately deport undocumented individuals back into Mexico. And Mexico has already been dealing with an increase of migrants

coming through the southern border. So that would complicate things for shame-bound. But she pointed out to the fact that when Andres Manuel López-Obrador began his presidency, Trump was president in the United States, and they were able to have a good relationship and work together. So she said she would be able to have a good relationship with Donald Trump, just like Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador had at one point, Tom. Guad vanegas, some phenomenal reporting there on this historic election out of Mexico. Guadde we thank you for that. Back here at home to our other major headline, a wind-driven wildfire out west forcing evacuations and shutting down a major highway. Firefighters battling the flames all weekend in an early start

to fire season as the first major heat wave in the region begins as well. But the risk is not over just yet. A new heat wave across the southwest spelling even more danger. Dana Griffin is there in the fire zone tonight. Frightening images of a wind-fueled wildfire in northern California, as San Joaquin County, nearly 60 miles east of San Jose, families forced to evacuate under heavy smoke. The flame was actually lapping up on the side of the trailers and on the side of my car. This house, the only one to go up in flames, now a charred reminder of what once stood. The corral fire, driven by 40-mile-per-hour winds, started Saturday afternoon near the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Two firefighters were injured as more than 14,000 acres burned. The cause unknown.

week marks the first significant West Coast heat wave of the year. Coming off the hills of a wet winter, there's a lot more vegetation to burn. Heat alerts are in effect for 23 million people across the southwest, including California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas. Temperatures expected to soar 20 degrees above average. This could be a heat wave that lasts for 10 days or longer, and so the impacts of a heat wave this significant this early, are probably greater than they would be, say, if we saw the same temperatures in July or August. A vastly different weather pattern taking shape in the Pacific Northwest, a pair of atmospheric rivers dumping heavy rain in Washington,

causing multiple collisions and snarling traffic during the morning commute. From heavy rain to wildfires, just the beginning of a wacky week of West Coast weather. All right, Dana Griffin joins us tonight live from Tracy, California. Dana, you mentioned there, there's more vegetation to burn. how bad could this fire get? Yeah. Well, Tom, remember, this fire broke out June 1st, and we usually don't see these sort of smaller grass fires

pop up until July. So the Cal Fire PIO told me that this is an indication that we may have a more active fire season. Because we had that wet winter, we've got a lot more grass, and this fire that burned behind us, we are told that some of the vegetation was up to five feet tall, so they had to use special equipment just to try to put it out. So the warning for people out there is to be ready, be ready early for a potentially active wildfire season.

All right, Dana Griffin for us tonight. Dana, we thank you for that. And severe weather still threatening the South tonight with millions in the risk zone. So let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens, who joins us now live. Bill, we have those fires out west. I know you're watching that severe weather in the middle of the country. Yeah, over the weekend, we did have some significant severe weather. Thankfully, we didn't have any big tornadoes that took out towns like we had been dealing with throughout much of the month of May. So severe weather, we have a risk in northeast Texas and also area right along to Texas, Oklahoma border.

We're watching this area from Dallas over to Shreveport. Looks like damaging winds, small hail with these storms is probably the worst of it. That'll be approaching Shreveport shortly and heading into El Dorado. Dallas, you've been hitting on and off showers. The worst of the weather, definitely to your ease. Still downpours right over the downtown area. Fort Worth, by the way, has been completely missed. Tomorrow we're taking our severe weather threat north, Kansas City, northwards, up to Minneapolis, isolated tornadoes,

more the biggest threat is going to be hail and damaging winds. And as far as the heat dome going in the west, it's going to build. And this is the beginning of our summer dry season and the beginning of our heat season in the west. And as we're mentioning, the last two winters in a row were very wet. We had a lot of snow, a lot of rain. And last year, we didn't have a lot of fires. It was actually a very low year for the west for fire season. So there's a lot of stuff to burn if fire starts. We got 23 million people. We got heat warnings up from Phoenix to Tucson all the way to Central California. And we do expect, Tom, this will last well into the upcoming weekend. All right, Bill, Cairns. Bill, we thank you for that. Next night to the chaotic day on Capitol

Hill, Republicans facing off with Dr. Anthony Fauci over his handling of COVID in his first public testimony since leaving the government in 2022. NBC's Ali Vitale has a look at some of those explosive moments. Tonight, Dr. Anthony Fauci in the hot seat. You belong in prison. I am so sorry that you are subjected to those level of attacks. House Republicans pressing the former face of America's pandemic response on past COVID restrictions, including that rule, Americans should stay six feet apart. Wearing a mask, maintaining six feet of distance. Fauci told the committee behind closed doors that six-foot rule sort of just appeared.

Today, clarifying he meant there were no clinical trials done. Do you think that a role that sort of just appeared is substantial justification for the regulations that we saw based on that six-foot rule? When saying it just appeared, it came from the CDC, and you didn't feel an obligation as the lead scientist at the NIH to challenge that. I've challenged the CDC multiple times. Publicly, you challenged them on the six-foot distance. It is not appropriate to be publicly challenging a sister organization. Republicans also pressing him on COVID's origins.

Fauci denying he downplayed the possibility of a leak from the Wuhan lab in China. Do you agree that there was a push to downplay the lab? leak theory? Not on my part. Really? Really? Wow. Wow. I think most of the country would find that amazing. But look at the facts. I've kept an open mind throughout the entire process. Fauci, emotional talking about the threats he and his family still face. It is very troublesome to me. It is much more troublesome because they've involved my wife and my three daughters. All right with that, Ali joins us tonight from Capitol Hill. So, Ali, anyone's seen these headlines, anyone's seen the exchanges on television, on social media.

I mean, they're going to kind of see everything that happened, the back and forth. But did we actually learn anything today? I think the big question that I was hoping to learn, and frankly, that the committee needed to learn, too, is are we better prepared now for whatever the next public health crisis is, whatever the next pandemic is, if and when it comes? And candidly, not much time was spent on that. Instead, it ended up being a lot of looking better. specifically at the origins of the coronavirus itself, but also the certain regulations that were put in place around social distancing and masking. All of that are rehashing, not exactly a forecasting in how we could be better prepared for the next one. That's why we'll be looking ahead not just to what the committee learns from other governors, like former governor Andrew Cuomo

of New York, who will be testifying behind closed doors next week, I'm told by the committee, but also the ways in which this committee writes its final report, are they able to look forward when it's clear that this Republican majority really wants to look backwards at how this was handled back in 2020. And I want to ask you about that. Do you know why they want to question former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo? He was one of the key people, of course, alongside of Anthony Fauci, who really was a face that people associated with the government response to the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, Cuomo was an executive in his own right in the state of New York, Contrasting that with Fauci, who was working as part of the Trump and then, of course, Biden administrations.

But I think that for them, it's a question of getting to the bottom of all of the different ways that regulations were made around this pandemic, especially in states that really did implement restrictions on closing businesses, churches, other entities like that, and, of course, places that advocated for mask wearing and social distancing, the exact kind of policies that Republicans today and in the past have railed so heavily against. Hill next to Joe Biden's son, President Joe Biden's son in court, Hunter Biden, appearing in Wilmington, Delaware today. He faces three firearms-related charges brought by Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee. Biden pleading not guilty, and the jury sworn in today with several potential jurors dismissed for saying they have strong opinions about the first family. Ryan Nobles is in Delaware tonight. Tonight, for the first time in American

history, the child of a sitting president is facing a criminal trial. And now the 12-member jury is set, six men and six women, including six jurors who own guns themselves or have family members that purchase them recently. Hunter Biden accused of lying on a federal form in 2018 to purchase a gun, checking a box saying he was not an active drug user. Despite acknowledging in his book, he was addicted to crack cocaine at the time. First Lady Joe Biden making a surprise appearance, sitting just a few feet behind her son in court. And the president offering his support, saying, as the president, I don't and won't comment on pending federal cases, but as a dad, I have boundless love for my son. President Biden spending Memorial Day weekend with Hunter and recently inviting him to state dinners and defending him publicly. First of all, my son's done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in it.

But his son's legal battles likely to take a political toll on the president in the midst of a re-election campaign. Hunter's original plea bargain, which would have resulted in no prison time, was blasted by Republicans as a sweetheart deal, and it fell apart under a judge's scrutiny. Special prosecutor David Weiss then charging him for both tax and gun crimes, to which Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty. Weiss saying he'll rely on Hunter's laptop, writing the defendant's laptop is real. It will be introduced as a trial exhibit, and it contains significant evidence of the defendant's guilt. Prosecutors also expected to call Hallie Biden, who Hunter was dating when the handgun was discovered. She's the widow of his brother, Bo.

Okay, Ryan Noble joins us tonight from outside that courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware. Ryan, do we know anything else about the jurors? Yeah, we actually know quite a bit, Tom, and it was interesting sitting in the room listening to them being questioned by the prosecution and the defense about their backgrounds, their interaction with the Biden family. Delaware is a relatively small state, so it was difficult to find a completely impartial jury, but we do know that it ended up being six men and six women, one of them, a secret service agent, six of the members of this panel, either own firearms themselves or have had family members

that have owned firearms in the past. So this is an interesting cross-section of the people of Delaware, and they are the ones that ultimately have Hunter Biden's fate in their hands, Tom. And I know you have some new reporting tonight about the first potential witness? Yeah, that's right. We're going to see opening our arguments in this case kick off first thing tomorrow morning. This trial's not going to last very long, only about a week and a half. The first witness to prosecution is expected to call as an FBI, a special agent who was one of the lead investigators into the Hunter Biden case. She will be the first witness on the witness stand. Of course, a number of other witnesses also expected to be called. One name, though, that's still a lingering question is whether or not Hunter Biden will testify in his own defense. Tom. All right, Ryan Noble's covering that trial for us. We want to turn out of the race for the White House, the Biden campaign unleashing a wave of attacks on former President Trump over his historic conviction here in New York last week. And the new comments from Trump sparking some outrage predicting if he's thrown in jail, the American people, will reach a, quote, breaking point.

Gabe Gutierrez has this one. Tonight, former President Trump is blasting his sentencing date in July, just days before the Republican National Convention. Well, that's part of the game. he was initially surprised by last week's guilty verdict. Well, it was weird because we go in and the judge, it looked like it was a hung jury for a while. The new comments out today, as the former president has seen a flood of campaign donations following his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. He now says he plans to appeal, posting the Supreme Court must decide.

He was also asked about revenge. Revenge will be success, and I mean that. but it's awfully hard when you see what they've done. And the potential for prison time. I'm okay with it. He could get probation or up to four years behind bars, so that's unlikely. I'm not sure the public would stand for it. I think it would be tough for the public to take.

You know, at a certain point, there's a breaking point. The Biden campaign is seizing on that, accusing Mr. Trump of teeing up political violence and now escalating its attacks, branding the former president, a diminished man, white-collar crook, and convicted felon. to remind people who Donald Trump is. But most Republicans are rallying around him. A new poll shows just one in 10 say they're less likely to vote for him after his conviction.

Gabe Gutierrez joins us tonight from the White House. So, Gabe, we had covered on Friday how much the Trump campaign says they raised since that guilty verdict. And that number has gone up since then. Also, let our viewers know what's next for the Biden-Harris re-election campaign. Yeah, Tom, the campaign says it raised 53 million. in the first 24 hours since the conviction, as you mentioned. And now it says it, along with the R&C, raised $141 million in May. A quarter of those donations, it says, came from new donors. And Tom, President Biden is heading to France this week for the D-Day anniversary and a state dinner.

And later this week, the vice president is campaigning in Michigan. But they're really trying to hit that message. The campaign is of reminding voters who they say Donald Trump is. So expect to hear that phrase, convicted felon, a lot. Tom? Gabe, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the new charges for the alleged Gilgo Beach killer. Prosecutors say Rex Heerman now responsible for a fifth murder, but we're learning about the searches that reported and led to the new indictment.

Plus, getting out of Gaza, loved ones of Palestinians trapped in the war zone turning to go-fund me to raise money for their evacuation, how social media influencers are now getting involved. And in our top story spotlight tonight, nightmare and parent. We sit down with one of the five Americans arrested in Turks and Caicos for having bullets in his bags. Stay with us. Top Story. Just getting started on this Monday night. New York City architect Rex Hurman is expected to be arraigned on his fifth murder charge on Thursday. Heerman was arrested last year in the deaths of four women found along a remote stretch of Ocean Parkway and Long Island.

The new charge following searches of Hurman's home in a wooded area about 70 miles east of New York City. And a shark attack closing down an entire stretch of beach north of San Diego. Beaches in Delmar, California, closed after a 46-year-old man was bit on the arm, hand, and torso by a shark. The man was rushed to the hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. A witness saying the man punched the shark in the face and nose to fight off that attack. We want to move now to Atlanta in that story we've been talking about all throughout the broadcast where major water problems have carried on into the fourth day. Two massive water main breaks over the weekend leaving residents cut off and without clean drinking water.

Officials partly blaming old and worn down infrastructure. Macy's Priya Shrether is in Atlanta. Tonight, a state of emergency. in Atlanta after two major infrastructure breaks over the weekend left thousands without water people need their water people got to eat people got to cook we got kids need to help it all started Friday morning when a water main break was reported near the downtown area just hours later another unrelated break this time in the midtown area several Fulton County Board of Health facilities and

summer school programs shut down a boil water advisory is also in a fetch for most of the city. In my area where I live, people aren't able to take showers unless they use water bottle. The Atlanta Fire Department setting up a water pickup location for residents. That same fire department struggling to fight a fire at an abandoned apartment on Sunday afternoon. Each fire has its own challenges. In this case, because of the environment that we're in, there were water supply challenges. The fire crew relying on the help of water tankers from three other counties. The city's mayor assured the public that crews were working nonstop to solve the widespread water issues. Our main priority is to restore water service to all

residents and businesses. However, he did not offer a timeline for when the repairs would be done in the impacted area, something that's frustrating residents and visitors. I would have thought that being America, it would have been a lot more prepared. Four days on, I think. is quite scary. Is it ill-preparment or is it just stupidity? Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management saying at least one of the major breaks was the result of old and corroded pipes. An issue Mayor Dickens addressed head on this morning with NBC's Joe Friar. This is a result of crumbling infrastructure. Old pipes, there's pipes down there that's been since 1910, since 1930. The long-term plan is to invest in our infrastructure. And at a city council meeting,

earlier today. City officials said that part of the reason it took so long to lift that boil water advisories is because they had to wait for the crews to finish repairing the water main break so that they could test the water. Tom? All right, next to Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with the Chinese spacecraft making a historic landing on the far side of the moon. China's national space administration said the unmanned spacecraft will gather rock and soil from the lunar South Pole in a three-day exploration. Researchers say this will give a look at moon rocks

never seen before, and hope analyzing the materials gathered will answer questions about the formation of planets. China is still the only country to have landed a module on the dark side of the moon, and it has done so now twice. Deadly flooding continues to devastate parts of Europe. Take a look.

New video shows helicopter crews searching for several people swept away by floodwaters in northern Italy. In Germany's Bavaria state, widespread flooding has left homes underwater, thousands forced to evacuate across both countries. At least six people are dead, but dozens are missing. And in El Salvador, President Naïbe Bukeli was sworn in for a second five-year term. A U.S. delegation was present at the inauguration led by Secretary of Homeland Security,

Majorcas. Donald Trump Jr., Matt Gates, Representative Matt Gates, and Tucker Carlson were also present. In 2021, Bukle, Allies removed several of the country's Supreme. court justices. The new justices then lifted a ban on consecutive re-elections, allowing Bucheli to run for his second term. He was re-elected with 85% of the vote. We turn out to Gaza as the U.S. pushes Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire proposal laid out by President Biden on Friday. Many families are still trying to get out of the war zone, but evacuations out of Gaza cost tens of thousands of dollars. Now, many are turning to crowdfunding to raise that money,

and the movement is taking off on social media. Roman has one family story. I was sleeping maybe two to three hours a day. When the Israel Hamas war broke out, many Palestinian refugees living abroad, like Hussana Boba, had just one focus. To get my family out of Gaza as soon as possible. This is my sister, Sarah. Sarah was studying international law.

His mother and five sisters, he says, saw 20 relatives die in a single day. It was very difficult to imagine what they were going. through at the time, especially when communication was lost, sometimes for weeks. As a U.S. resident in Buffalo, New York, Ababa tried everything. I came to the conclusion that no one will be able to help get them out of Gaza. So that's when we started to go fund me. It's a strategy being taken by many. People now with Palestinian passports are able to travel through Egypt by paying upwards of

$10,000 per person. This money, according to Ababa, is going toward getting families on. to an approved traveler's list to cross into Egypt. But this does not include transportation, food, clothing, or shelter, which varies family to family and can add thousands of dollars. Today I'm asking the public to help me rescue my family. Ababa took to social media, even reaching out to influencers. Really, his message kind of stuck with me. Anisa Mahmoud is a Palestinian-American social media activist. So I've received, At this point, now it's been thousands of messages from different families in RZA.

I try to verify that before I post those go-fund means. Solo activist or grassroots collectives like Operation Olive Branch have emerged to help verify and promote these direct aid campaigns by reaching out directly to the family or relatives and cross-checking details through social media. Choose a family. Share it with your family and friends on Instagram, on Facebook. I think people sometimes forget how far out their reach may be. Ababa ended his Ramadan fast this year with his sister Yara by his side. While he also raised enough for his mother and other sisters to make their way to Egypt, their futures remain uncertain. They overstayed in Egypt and they are unable to receive any funds from me.

Though Ababa and his sister are safe in Buffalo, their peace too feels tenuous. I'm very grateful that I survive. But I struggle with feelings of guilt for leaving my family and friends behind. I hate how the world can be so cruel and unfair. And there is still such a great deal of need right now. Operation Olive Branch says it's trying to help more than 800 families who are in Gaza right now. But raising money, that is just part of this battle. They also have to get that money to where it needs to go.

Hassan telling us that you basically have to have someone in Egypt to help facilitate that. Thankfully, he had a friend who was able to help his family with that. But as we know, that is not the case for everyone. Tom? All right. We thanks, Tiven Romo for that. Coming up, meme stocks like GameStop surging again today. The new social media posts by online user Roaring Kitty that sent those stocks soaring and what this could mean for the markets.

That's all next. All right, we are back down with the revenge of the retail traders. Meme stocks like GameStop surging again after the man behind the 2021 stock rally revealed he's apparently back in the game with two cryptic posts on social media. NBC's Business and Data reporter Brian Chung breaks down the wild day on Wall Street. Surprise. Tonight, the largest rally of meme stocks could get a sequel. I was watching the meme trades today.

GameStop was up 100% pre-marked. has come off the pre-market boil, but still up almost 30. Cheers, everyone. The driving force behind the 2021 GameStop frenzy, Keith Gill, known online as Roaring Kitty, revealing his first public stock position in three years. Until now, there hadn't been any action from his account on Reddit. That changed over the weekend. Showing off a screenshot of a new stake in GameStop.

Five million shares in the company purchased for $21 per share and $120,000 calls. The option to purchase more of the stock. later this month at a $20 price and posting a cryptic reverse Uno card on X. NBC News has not independently verified this position. But after that post, GameStop share prices skyrocketing, finishing the day up 20 percent. With shares at $28, Gill's trade could be worth over $300 million, prompting questions from analysts. His last summary of what occurred in his YOLO update, as he called it. He had about 30 million in his account. And now he has roughly 130 million. So it makes you wonder, is there some sort of outside investing going on? Did he just make some really

great trades elsewhere that he's now putting into GameStop? All right, let's explore the different elements of the GameStop. This is a bit further. The 2021 GameStop squeeze saw social media users banding together to purchase the stock, which soared as much as 1,000 percent, propelled by Gill's online analysis. Gil, beloved by amateur traders on Reddit and and across the internet, defending his methods to Congress in 2021. The idea that I use social media to promote game stock to unwitting investors and influence the market is preposterous. That saga, even getting the Hollywood treatment in dumb money, with star Paul Dano leading the revolt against Wall Street. Babe, how much did we make today?

Five million? How much did we lose today? A billion. So what will the roaring kitty's return mean for the markets? At the very least, a renewed interest in trading by retail investors. This actually brings people into the market, and it brings some excitement and some interest and some research into the market. So as long as you're doing it sensibly, I think it's a good thing for markets, and I think it's a good thing for investors overall. All right, Brian, Brian, people may have wanted to get into GameStop.

They may be hearing this buzz, but there were problems today? Yeah, well, I mean, for those that were looking at Keith Gillen going, well, maybe I'll try to make a play on GameStop this morning. there were a lot of issues on the New York Stock Exchange, and that's because they said that there were issues of what they call their limit up and limit down systems. Basically, in the stock markets, there are these bans by which if it trades prices up or above or below that ban, they'll try to stop trading in there to make sure that markets aren't volatile. Now, what happened is those bans apparently weren't put in place correctly. Either way, it led to about an hour and a half of issues this morning, which included stocks like GameStop. It was only about 40 or so stocks. Now, the New York Stock Exchange says that they were able to get through the issues and resolve everything within about it two hours or so.

But again, the morning was very rough for those that were trying to make a play on games. Boring kitty, just getting everyone crazy. Okay, Brian, we appreciate it. Thank you. When we come back, basketball phenom, Caitlin Clark, getting a rough welcome to the WNBA. The Indiana fever rookie shoved to the ground in what was ultimately ruled a flagrant foul. So are her competitors taking things too far, or is this a treatment the number one draft pick is facing just part of earning their stripes in the league? next.

Finally tonight, the major hit on Caitlin Clark that's causing a lot of controversy. The number one draft pick slammed by Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter, that flagrant foul now the subject of a heated debate. Are the league's veterans targeting the record-breaking rookie, or is this just Clark's welcome to the WNBA? Valerie Castro reports. On Saturday's game. between the Indiana fever and the Chicago Sky,

a blatant shove sending rookie sensation Caitlin Clark to the ground and sparking debate across the basketball world. The question is will they call it unnecessary? The hit from Sky Veteran Kennedy Carter called a common foul at the time, but upgraded a day later to a flagrant foul after review. Clark brushing off the incident after the game. Yeah, it wasn't expecting it, but I think it's just like,

just respond, come down, let your play do this. talking. It is what it is. It's a physical game. It's tough, you know, to keep getting hammered the way she does. Carter refused to comment. I didn't answer an okay one Clark questions. But later took a shot at Clark on social media, saying besides three-point shooting, what does she bring to the table? Sky's head coach Teresa Witherspoon saying in a statement, she and Carter discussed what happened as not appropriate and that Kennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. Sky rookie Angel Reese, who jumped off the bench to applaud her teammate after the foul, was also fined for failing to make herself available to media after the game.

The incident lasted just seconds, but has fueled days of discussion about whether the number one draft pick and highest college score of all time is being unfairly singled out. There are girls, young ladies in the WNBA who are jealous of Caitlin Clark. She is a white girl that has come into the league. She has bursted onto the scene. She hasn't proven herself yet. Others argue the intensity clerk faces on a regular basis is part of playing with the pros.

I will say this. It is a contact sport. Yeah. And it's not dainty play. Caitlin is someone who hasn't backed down from that competition as a rookie. I think everyone else around the situation is making it bigger than what it is.

She understands that there will be an adjustment period as a rookie coming into the W. Clark's debut was watched by 2.1 million people, the largest audience for a WNBA game in nearly 23 years. But some argue her undeniable popularity is tied to white privilege. WNBA is a league of 70% black women. And when we talk about the coverage of the WNBA, you have to talk about the intersectionality. And that these women are always subject to sexism. and racism. Experts also point out that even as one of the most exciting rookies to ever play in the league, Clark still has a lot to prove. Caitlin is helping to grow the league. These women understand that, but she cannot be babied as a rookie.

Clark herself acknowledging on Sunday, there's work still to be done. You know, my strength will evolve over the course of, you know, having an offseason and having time to do those things. You've got to find a way to hold your own. All right, Valerie Castro joins us in studio. So Valerie, how has Caitlin Clark been playing over these last few weeks? Well, look, as a rookie, she's had a great start to the season. In fact, today she was named Rookie of the Month for May. And in her first 10 games, she became only the third player to score more than 100 points, have more than 50 rebounds, and more than 50 assists.

But overall, she's ranked only 18th in the league right now, points per game. In fact, last night, she only scored three points against the New York Liberty, and Indiana went on to lose that game by more than 30 points. All right, still a pretty good start. Valerie, we thank you for that. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.