Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, June 9, 2025

Episode Date: June 10, 2025

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

Tonight, the standoff in Los Angeles, protesters versus police, and now the state's governor versus the president of the United States. City on edge protesters out in force today as police braced for another chaotic night. Violent clashes with police, driverless cars torched, agitators throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at cars, all in response to ice rates across the city, and President Trump calling up the National Guard. Now the Marines are being mobilized. All this amid a war of words between. between President Trump and Gavin Newsom. The president saying California's governor should be arrested. Newsom says, bring it on.

And now the state filing a lawsuit trying to force out the National Guard. So what happens next? The shooting on the Las Vegas strip terrified tourists racing for cover. Two people killed and the suspect now in custody. Why did he open fire? Married to a serial killer, the new interview with the wife of the alleged Gilgo Beach killer, why she says he's still her hero? The major win for Blake lively, a judge throwing out the countersuit by Justin Baldoni against her.

Why her team says this is a total victory, what it means now for the case against the director, she says, sexually harassed her. TikTok skincare warning the new study just out about the booming trend of teens and tweens going overboard on skin care products. Why it's not just bad for your wallet, but for your health as well. And Air Zebra, the stunning video of that runaway zebra, finally captured in Tennessee and airlifted back. home. His owners joined Top Story. How is the most famous zebra in the country doing right now? Plus, the new initiative just announced by President Trump, how your newborn could receive $1,000 or more. Top story starts right now. Hey, good evening. We are following breaking news as we come on the air. A fourth straight day

of protest erupting on the streets of Los Angeles following ice rates throughout the nation's largest city. Right now, hundreds of Marines are being mobilized. The Trump administration taking that step after calling in the National Guard this weekend. We're taking a live look right now, an active situation of folding right now. These are protesters outside of a federal building in downtown L.A. You can see the signs there, the flags waving in the air, but it appears at this point to be peaceful. New video showing the LAPD side by side with the National Guard standing off with protesters in downtown L.A. And earlier, thousands gathering in downtown Los Angeles protesting Friday's deportation operations and widespread arrests.

Those protests ramping up over the weekend. Here are the images, dramatic video, as a police car was lit on fire, a major highway shut down as demonstrators swarmed the area. Some hurling rocks had officers, a reporter caught in the crossfire struck by a rubber bullet during a live shot. Take a look. Aud of L.A. We are told that reporter from Australia is okay. Clashes on the street sparking a political showdown between California Governor Gavin Newsom and President Trump. Governor Newsom saying he will sue the Trump administration over the decision to call in the guard.

The president reacting this afternoon to Governor Newsom daring borders our Tom Homan to come arrest him. I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing. He's done a terrible job. And protests spreading well beyond Los Angeles. Take a look at this from Washington, D.C. to Tampa, Florida. Thousands protesting against the immigration crackdown.

We have a lot to get to this evening. Our teams are on the ground as the situation changes minute by minute. I want to start tonight with NBC's Liz Kreutz. Liz, talk to us about what you're seeing there now that the Marines are also being deployed to L.A. Yeah, well, right now, Tom, we're in downtown, L.A. We're about three different protests that sort of converged here outside this old federal building. Los Angeles has just issued a citywide tactical alert. And these protesters, well, mostly peaceful.

We did just see a skirmish happen, and they are angry. They are shouting at these officers, those National Guard right there that have just been deployed. Tonight, a massive group of protesters again taking to the streets of L.A. In this country, no human is illegal. The city of Angels on edge after violent clashes over the weekend. Police in riot gear facing off with protesters who oppose immigration enforcement operations carried out by ICE agents. Tonight, President Trump saying he made a great decision to send 2,000 National Guard soldiers to the city. People that are causing the problem are professional agitators or insurrectionists.

California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom opposed the president's move, saying Trump was manufacturing chaos and violence. You had a disaster happening. I feel we had no choice. I don't want to see, I don't want to see happen what, what happened so many times in this country. I watched Minneapolis burn. All of this erupting in response to ICE immigration enforcement operations. More than 100 undocumented immigrants arrested last week, DHS saying most had final deportation orders, some with criminal records, including domestic violence and robbery. Mayor Karen Bass calling on residents to express their anger peacefully and blaming the president for inflaming the unrest.

I don't want people to fall into the chaos that I believe is being created by the administration completely unnecessarily. The confrontations escalating over the weekend. This video showing DHS agents pelted with objects while inside their vehicle. And here, a restaurant worker helping a sheriff's deputy who appeared to be pepper sprayed. Tonight we had individuals out there shooting commercial grade fireworks at our officers. That can kill you. Police firing non-lethal rounds to disperse the crowds, one hitting this reporter. The protesters taking over one of LA's busiest freeways, bringing traffic Sunday to a standstill.

Crowds above throwing rocks and incendiary devices at officers, an electric scooter landing on the hood of a police car. We're here on 101 right now. Protesters have shut down the freeway. You can see, so as things have been going off. Please are closing in. Protesters are running south. Bell, let's go. Our team pulling back to avoid the tear gas. Later, we watched as protesters vandalized multiple Waymo self-driving vehicles that got stuck in the chaos. Things are escalating now. Protesters have let two Waymo self-driving cars on fire. You can see the flames here. Police cars and this American flag also set a blaze. During the clashes, many protesters waving Mexican flags, what's become a symbol of resistance against ice. I'm flying this proudly because

because it's a product of my personal identity, my ancestor. Protesters opposing the National Guard deployment. What do you think about the National Guard being brought in? I think that it's ridiculous because where was the National Guard on January 6th? This violence that I've seen is disgusting. We are overwhelmed as far as the number of people out there engaged in this type of activity. The LAPD chief asked about the presence of the National Guard, saying he thought local authorities could handle it, but he's now reassessing.

Do we need them? Well, looking at it tonight, you know, this thing has gotten out of control. Liz Kroitz joins us tonight back from Los Angeles. Liz, I'm just looking over here at your shot over here on the monitor. Walk our viewers through what's different about this weekend and tonight, at least from what you're seeing. Yeah, well, this will be night four now of protests. So far, like I said earlier, it's mostly peaceful. Again, some skirmishes.

Yesterday around this time is when things started to turn. That's when we were there as they were shutting down the freeway, as they started lighting those Waymo cars on fire. We are not seeing anything like that at this moment right now. This is about three different protests that have now converged here. The National Guard, some of them are standing guard right there. And we do know, Tom, as you said before, that now 700 Marines are being mobilized here. We haven't seen them yet. But Defense Secretary Peace Hex said that they're coming up from Pam Pendleton down in San Diego. And we're told they're going to be experts in de-escalation and crowd control, Tom. Okay, Liz Croyd's leading us off.

We want to go now live to Gotti Schwartz. He's also at that protest showing us a different angle of what's happening over there. Gotti, I'm wondering if there are calls to stay peaceful because obviously some of what we saw, a lot of what we saw over the weekend wasn't peaceful, cars being torched, you know, officers being injured, rocks being thrown at both ice officers and LAPD, and even the LAPD saying things were out of control. That's right. And those calls continue as we speak.

Let's get close. We might have to fall back just a little. bit depending on how things go here. But right here, this is basically the front line. And a little bit earlier, you had, we're going to lift up our camera right here just to show you the front line here. You had some clergy that were right there on the front, keeping this crowd from escalating. And then you've got the California National Guard that's standing there. People have been coming up with bullhorns yelling at them. There have been a few bottles thrown. But so far, We have seen the National Guard just standing there side by side with what looks like agents from the CBP.

Again, we're getting a little bit closer here. And then I do want to show you on the other side in just a little bit because there's something interesting going on in terms of traffic. But this crowd right now, the crowd that we've seen so far, is about maybe 5,600. It's a sizable crowd. But when you think about all of the law enforcement that is around here, we've probably seen just as many law enforcement officers as we have protesters. and that's without the Marines that have come in from Camp Pendleton or from some of the other places. So this is the most tense area. Let me take you over here real fast because we're on the other side of where Liz is,

and it appears as though right now CHP and LAPD, which do look like they're in communication. It doesn't look like there's a lot of communication going on with the federal authorities that are protecting this building. But down here, you see all these lights back here. are where police have staged a massive presence. That's CHP, then over down to the right. That's going to be LAPD, and then down over to the left is going to be CHP blocking an entrance to the freeway.

That's the freeway where you saw Liz Kreutz yesterday kind of running from that skirmish line. And we have heard talk in this crowd of people saying, hey, are we going to take over the interstate? We've heard people say, no, there's not enough people yet. There's not enough people yet. That's something that police are definitely preparing for. So we've seen a lot more officers from LAPD and CHP now preparing all of these areas.

And there is a possibility that just from what we've seen, they're kettling maneuvers and kind of pushing the crowd in the ways that they want them to go, that they've started to take up skirmish lines on this side, on that side, and straight in front of me. And so the belief is that they may start pushing this crowd towards where. where Liz is on the other side, and then that would give a lot of these protesters an exit if there were these dispersal orders. But as for now, I mean, this road, this is Los Angeles Street, right here in front of the federal building, it is still relatively open if you can get past this crowd of people to traffic.

So it is a concern as rush hour approaches and as people continue to converge here in front of the federal building, Tom. Okay, Gotti Schwartz on the ground, KMBC's chopper in the air. reporting, please stay safe out there, Gotti. And as protests escalate on the streets of Los Angeles, President Trump is ramping up his rhetoric targeting California Governor Gavin Newsom and the leaders of the city.

NBC's Jacob Soberoff reports on the ground there tonight. What do we want? Where do we want us? Tensions high tonight on the streets of Los Angeles and between the Trump administration and the state of California. The state today announcing a lawsuit against the administration over its deployment

of the National Guard. I like Gavin Newsom. He's a nice guy, but he's grossly incompetent. Everybody knows. While President Trump suggested he's open to arresting Governor Gavin Newsom. I would do it if I were Tom. I think it's great. Tom is Tom Homan, the president's borders are. Over the weekend, Homan and Newsom throwing jabs at one another during interviews with NBC News. Homan saying anyone who breaks the law by standing in the way of immigration enforcement could be arrested, even Newsom or L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. They are they at risk of being arrested?

I'll say it about anybody. You cross that line. It's a felony to knowingly harbour and conceal and they'll go alien. It's a felony to impede law enforcement doing their job. That led to this reaction from Newsom, who I met up with last night at the Los Angeles County Emergency Operations Center. Tom Holman, the Borders are, said to me yesterday, he did not rule out, literally arresting you, nor Mayor Bass, if you interfere in his words. He said you hadn't yet.

He's a tough guy. Why doesn't he do that? He knows where to find me. So Tom arrest me. Let's go. Today, Holman clarifying his comments. They haven't crossed the line, but they're not above the law either. If they committed a crime, they certainly would ask for prosecution.

That's what was happening. I never threatened their arrest out of their newsom. The protests ignited after a series at immigration raids in L.A., where as many as a million undocumented immigrants live. Before those protests on Friday, one of the locations where ICE reportedly conducted an enforcement operation was right here in this parking lot of a Home Depot in the Cypress Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, where day laborers stand on corners just like this and wait for cars to go by in order to be offered a job and go take one for the day.

In the face of the uncommon raids, these undocumented workers felt it was important to speak out, but wore masks to protect their identities. Everybody is scared of my eyes. Are you worried about your family, about your families? Absolutely. Today, organizer Pablo Alvarado calling the raids the highest expression of hypocrisy. We need your labor, but we don't want to accept your humanity. We need your labor, but we don't want to respect your rights.

All right, Jacob, joins us tonight live from Los Angeles. Jacob, going back to the president's comments about arresting Governor Gavin Newsome. I'm sure our viewers at home are wondering, can the president do that? That would be up to the discretion of federal law enforcement, Tom. And here in Los Angeles, obviously they have been out on the streets. But a senior White House official says that's not being actively considered, nor plan. to NBC News. Meanwhile, Tom Holman, the borders are told me this weekend that, quote, every day ice enforcement operations will continue on the streets of Los Angeles, including at places

just like this one where one of the very first raids was carried out on Friday, took place and unleashed the protests that we're seeing today. Tom. Jacob's sober off for us tonight. Jacob, we thank you for that. Now to the deadly shooting in Las Vegas that left tourists running for cover. Authorities today arresting a suspect in connection with the double homicide, and a warning tonight, the video is disturbing. NBC News is Ryan Chandler has the latest details. Chaos on the Las Vegas strip. Police say two people are dead after a shooter opened fire. Officials say the suspect is now in custody. According to local police, 41-year-old Manuel Ruiz walked into a Henderson police station this morning turning himself in. Officials say he will be

booked on two counts of open murder with a deadly weapon. NBC News reached out to local police. who did not confirm if Ruiz is the man seen firing a weapon in this video. The shooting was caught on a live stream just before 11 Sunday night. Video shows what appears to be a confrontation before this man pulls out a handgun. Firing at least seven shots, sending people in the crowds running for safety. This is exactly where those shots rang out, leaving two people dead here at the scene, police tell us. We spoke to a man who said he was right here when it happened and ran for his life. Yeah, I started panicking.

Why did you come back here today? I mean, I guess I cannot be scared for the rest of my life. Police say this was an isolated attack that started with an online feud. The suspect and the victim had previously engaged in some type of conflict using a variety of social media platforms. As the investigation continues, officials have not yet disclosed the unlawfulced the identities of the victims. Ryan Chandler joins us tonight live from Las Vegas, from that point where that shoot happened. Ryan, the Las Vegas Strip sees millions of visitors a year.

The tourists you talked to who ran for cover was back out there today. Is there a larger safety concern on the strip right now? You know, Tom, no. In fact, the message that we're getting from law enforcement and from people here on the strip we've been talking to is quite the opposite. Law enforcement stresses that this was an isolated, targeted incident, not in indiscriminate violence. Violence here on the strip, especially deaths, are rare. And many of the people that we spoke to say that they didn't even know that this violence happened. Others saying

that in the reality we live in nowadays, you always need to be prepared and alert when you're in public places like this, Tom. All right. Thanks so much for that, Ron. We appreciate it. Now to the severe weather threat and a tornado reported in western New York with 52 million at risk for dangerous storms. This after a dangerous weekend of weather in the south. Take a look at this. You see it right here touching down in Felt, Oklahoma, and in northwest Texas, two-inch hail rain coming down, that region now bracing for more damaging conditions, plus the first hurricane of the season developing in the tropics. Let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns. Bill, walk us through what you're watching tonight. Yeah, numerous areas have at least a threat of some bad weather.

We've got the heat wave in the west, and we'll get to that hurricane. So we've got 52 million people through the rest of tonight with at least a chance of getting some severe weather. We're already seeing some of the worst of it in areas of Pennsylvania, western New York, areas of Virginia. Virginia, too. We have a severe thunderstorm watch here that we've been moving through Western Pennsylvania. At one point, we had a tornado warning near Erie of all places. Now we're watching a severe thunderstorm heading over the Finger Lakes of New York. That was a tornado warning near Bath. That has since weakened a little bit here as it heads over Seneca Lake. To the south, we're going to jump. We've had a severe thunderstorm right over the top of the Norfolk area.

Now it's on the east side of town on the 64-a-Lew. Large hail, damaging winds are possible with that as we go throughout the next hour or two. We're also still monitoring Hurricane Barbara. This is not in the Atlantic Basin. This is in the Pacific Basin. And this is the second-name storm already. It's a category one storm. Later in the season when the water gets warm enough, these can head up towards Kabul-San Lucas. The hurricane center does not think that's going to happen this time because the waters are cooler. So it's going to be meandering northward, some large waves, maybe a tiny bit of rain. But Tom, this is just kind of another one of those wake-up calls that hurricane season is here. And it's just a matter of time. It is hurricane season. Tough to believe. Okay, Bill, we thank you for that. We went ahead to the White House now where President Trump unveiled his new. Trump accounts, which promise a $1,000 savings plan for every newborn American. Joining me tonight is NBC's Vaughn Hilliard to break down what that means. So, Vaughn, we already have CEOs from Dell to Uber lining up expressing support for this and offering matching funds for children of their employees. What exactly are these Trump accounts and how would they work?

Right. This is what the White House is touting and hopefully being able to pass this legislation, promising every American family that has a baby between January 1st of this year, in January 1st of 2029, that they would have $1,000 placed into a savings account that is tied to the stock market, the idea is that it grows over the years, and that every year, if family members, friends, or even private entities were to choose to invest upwards of $5,000 annually into that account, they could. And that is where you're hearing from some of the CEO saying that they would seek matching funds, effectively matching that $1,000 that the government puts in in the first year.

is that when a kid ultimately turns 18 years old, they'd be able to use those funds, whether it's just that $1,000 and the extent to which it grew with the stock market over time or even potentially more towards educational investment or job creation investment. And so that is where the government is part of this reconciliation package, what the president is calling his big, beautiful bill. They are trying to put focus on this type of framework of an idea, $1,000 for every baby, as a way to convince us. Americans that ultimately this is a good investment through this legislation. All right. And then while I have you there, Vaughan, another headline we're following new reporting

that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is gutting the CDC's independent panel on vaccines? That's right. There are 17 members that are on this independent panel that makes historically recommendations to the CDC in terms of vaccines that they recommend to American adults and kids and those vaccine schedules. And Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., despite a promise, ahead of his confirmation vote, there was one Republican senator that he was very explicit, that Kennedy promised that he would not do exactly what he announced this afternoon, but effectively eliminating and removing all 17 of those members from that independent CDC recommendation agency and announcing that they are going to put forward 17 new individuals. Kennedy has been a vocal skeptic.

but even often critical of vaccines, including the COVID vaccines. He had sought through the FDA to retract COVID vaccines back in 2021. And so now there are a lot of questions ahead, including from Republicans, about who he is going to place on this, it was one time independent agency. All right, Von Hilli, a lot of reporting there for us. Von We thank you. We're back in 60 seconds with the calls for a mistrial from Sean Diddy Combs' legal team, why they say the whole case should be thrown out.

when will the judge rule? And the big win for Blake Lively, the countersuit from Justin Baldoni, tossed out her legal team's reaction tonight. And flying stripes, the zebra airlifted after a week on the run, its owners, speak out to top story. How is he doing now? And what will they do to make sure he doesn't escape again? Stay with us. We are back now with major news in the high-profile legal battle between actress Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, general judge dismissing Baldoni's $400 million counter suit against Lively, her husband,

Ryan Reynolds, and the New York Times, along with other parties. The public feud between the It Ends With Us movie co-stars boiled over in December of 2024 when Lively filed a complaint accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on set. Lively's suit against Baldoni will move forward. NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos joins us now. Danny, her team calling today a total victory. How would you describe it? Almost the same. I would say it's a near total victory. Some of the complaint or the allegations survive, but not many, and the causes of action that Baldoni is permitted to refile are not the most appetizing. The major claims in causes of action, defamation, civil extortion, those claims are essentially out and probably out forever.

Does this say anything about the case lively has against Baldoni? Can we read anything into that? No, but what is really significant is I cannot stress enough to you how rarely motions like this to throw out cases, at this stage because it's based only on the four corners of Baldoni's complaint. And the law requires that the judge give every inference to Balboni, give him every benefit of the doubt and assume everything he's alleged is factually true. And even still, given that, he failed to state a claim that the court could give relief to. So therefore, those claims are thrown out. That leads me to my next question. Does Baldoni have any other legal albinus? He does. He can refile the claims that the court allowed him.

him to refile. But these are things called torsious interference with contract, breach of the implied duty of good faith in contracts. Tom, I have to tell you, these are claims that I have brought to. They're usually the second to last and last one I list in my causes of action. They're not the most powerful. They're kind of add-ons. So this is a major, major victory for Lively. Do you think this says more about Baldoni's case or Baldoni's legal team? I think it might say more about the case itself. For example, the defamation and the defamation at least a lot of the defamation, was based on things that lively alleged in a complaint to a government agency. But here's the thing. Those kinds of complaints to government agencies

and harassment cases are privileged. In other words, you can say things in those, like you can say things in court filings, that would be defamation in the outside world on Twitter, in a letter, but when you do it to a court or an agency, they're privileged. So no amount of pleading, no amount of additional facts could have helped those defamation claims. All right. Danny Savalas, always great to have you. appreciate it. Okay, when Top Story returns an explosive new docus series about the alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer, the husband, father, and architect accused of leading a double life and murdering seven women. We have an exclusive new interview with his daughter and his wife speaking out for the first time. Plus, his music inspired generations of pop artists and everyday people

remembering the psychedelic sounds of funk and R&B legend, Sly Stone, who passed away today. But first, Top Story's top moment tonight. One mom in Virginia surprised. her children with the keys to their new home after years of unstable living situations. Take a look. I want a key. This reminds. Wait, so this means... Wait, what?

Yes! This is... This is... This is home? Yes! This is our house? My God! Oh my God!

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh, I love that video. That mom, Andrea Copps, who took this video, told Top Story today that she shared on TikTok one year after moving into their own home in honor of mental health awareness month, hoping it would inspire others to overcome their own challenges and get this. After her video went viral, strangers across the internet chipped in to help furnish her home, she says she now would love to use her platform to support other moms in need in the future. so much. All right, stay with us. We're back in a moment.

Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and tonight's President Trump's new travel ban has taken effect. The ban applies to citizens from these 12 countries, mostly located in the Middle East and in Africa, and additional seven countries are now under heightened restrictions. The White House says it will not revoke visas that had previously been granted to people from these countries. So far, no major disruptions have been reported at airports or across the country. The leader of an alleged sex cult convicted by a jury in New York, Nicole Daydun, founder of the Sexual Wellness Company, One Taste, you may remember, now found guilty on one count of forced labor conspiracy. Dead One sat down for an exclusive interview with Top Story

ahead of her trial in which she denied subjecting members to economic, sexual, and emotional abuse. She's now facing 20 years in prison. Two tourists found themselves stuck on cliffs by San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge this weekend trying to save a cell phone. The San Francisco Fire Department posting video of the rescue, one of the tourists had dropped their phones but couldn't climb back up after going back down to get it. The fire department coming in with a rope rescue operation, no injuries reported, but the tourists were given a ticket for climbing down the cliffs. And just days after the release of Nintendo Switch 2 Xbox announcing the release of its own handheld

console, the news coming after years-long rumors of the development of the console, the devices is expected to let gamers access their game libraries on the go. The new Xbox console set to be released later this year. So far, no word on how much it will cost. In New York City today, raw emotion in the Sean Diddy Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial as Diddy's former girlfriend took the stand saying he repeatedly, sexually and physically abused her. Her testimony coming as Combs' legal team called for a mistrial.

NBC's Chloe Malas was inside the courtroom and has the latest. Tonight, Jane, back on the stand for a stand for a show. a third day of tearful testimony. The woman who once dated Colmes testifying under a pseudonym to protect her identity. She described terrifying physical violence, testifying that Colmes broke down doors and choked her, even lifting her up by her neck, but also saying she did not report the abuse to authorities. Jane crying today as well, she testified to being forced to have sex with male escorts and drug-fueled encounters she referred to as hotel nights. Jane read several text exchanges between herself and Combs, in which she told him she did not want to

participate. One reading, I don't want to be used and locked in a room to perform and fulfill your fantasies. Jane telling prosecutor Maureen Comey that she felt forced because Combs was paying the rent for her L.A. home, and he threatened to stop if she refused to have sex with the escorts. Jane's testimony marks really one of the most legally transformative moments in the trial because she bridges the gap really between the narrative and the statute. Her account maps directly into the elements of sex trafficking. In the courtroom, Combs's mother and one of his son sat behind him. At one point, a rather subdued Combs turned around and appeared to mouth,

I love you mommy. Combs continues to deny the allegations against him. Jane's testimony later turning to Cassie Ventura's explosive civil lawsuit in which she sued Combs for physical abuse and sex trafficking, accusing him of making her participate in similar drug-fueled sex parties, which Ventura called freak-offs. That suit was settled with Combs admitting no wrongdoing. Jane testifying that when she first read Ventura's suit in November 2023, she almost fainted. In fact, I think I did, she said. I couldn't sleep. It felt like a nightmare. I can't believe I'm reading my own story.

Today, the first back in court, since Combs' legal team filed a motion for a mistrial. In a letter to the judge, his team writing that the prosecution, quote, has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false. Claiming Brianna Bongelen's testimony last week in which she said Combs dangled her over a 17-story balcony could not have happened because Combs was in New York at several public events near the time of the alleged incident. Not every misstatement by a witness amounts to a mistrial. The defense must prove if they really want that mistrial that the government knew that the statement was false and that the government failed to act. And most importantly, that that falsehood was so prejudicial that it deprives ditty of a fair trial.

The judge stating that he would make a decision once prosecutors had a chance to file a response. Jane is expected to be on the stand through the end of the week. And she might be the last key witness for the government, which means that we could see Sean Combs' defense team put on their case sometime next week. Things moving fast. We thank Chloe for that. Now to an exclusive first look at stunning interviews with the ex-wife and daughter of accused Gilgo Beach serial killer, Rex Heerman, talking on camera for the first time in a new documentary on Peacock. Here's NBC Stephanie Goss with that exclusive interview. While accused serial killer Rex Heerman sits in jail charged with murdering seven women.

The question everyone keeps asking is, how could you not know? His former wife and daughter are speaking out for the first time in a new crime documentary debuting tomorrow on Peacock, part of NBC Universal. I was 10, 12 and 13 years old when these girls were murdered. The Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island, New York were considered a cold case for more than a decade until 2023 when Hurman was arrested in Midtown Manhattan. The architect linked to the crimes partly through DNA he left on a pizza crust, according to prosecutors. How you doing? I'm doing great now that I've got you on the phone. In the documentary, his ex-wife, Asa Ellarup, says Hirman is her hero, and she is convinced police have the wrong guy.

The night of the raid, they drove us over to the hotel, and they got us a room. The reason she filed for divorce in the days after her his arrest, she says, was to protect the family's assets. But his daughter sounds less convinced of his innocence. I feel like I can't know whether or not he did or didn't because I was not around for it. I was too young to understand. Noting that she spent stretches of time not seeing her father. Like I said, at the same time, there was a lot of hours out of the day that I also was not home, including vacations that he did not join us on. Hureman pleaded not guilty to all seven murders.

There is still no date set for his trial. Stephanie Goss joins us tonight here in studio. talking, we've both been following this case pretty closely. It was a surprise that Peacock got these interviews, right? It is a surprise. So they haven't spoken, right? All we knew in the days following the arrest is that the wife divorced him. So there was some speculation that there had been a split. But now what we're learning from this documentary is that she doesn't believe that he did it. She is calling him her hero. So it'll be interesting to see what else. The daughter, not so much, but the wife. Yeah, she's wobbling a little bit.

Severate places. Thanks so much for that, Stephanie. We appreciate it. Okay, now to the Americas and a story you may not have heard about, an assassination attempt that has rocked the country of Colombia. A senator who is running for president shot in the middle of a political rally. The suspected shooter just 15 years old. NBC's Marissa Para has this report, and we do want to warn you, some of the footage you're about to see is graphic. Tonight, a Colombian presidential candidate is fighting for his life after an assassination attempt in the nation's. capital. New video shows the horrifying moment to a shooter in the crowd at a campaign event in Bogota pulls out a gun and shoots 39-year-old Senator Miguel Uribe in the head. People heard crying out in anguish, they killed him before Uribe was rushed to the hospital. Doctors say he remains in critical condition after undergoing brain surgery. Authorities arrested a 15-year-old suspect at the scene, who, according to the Attorney General's office, was armed with a 9-millimeter pistol that had been legally purchased in Arizona. We have seen an alarming increase in assassination attempts and attacks on political officials, elected officials, over the past five or six years.

And that seems to be largely driven by the increasing power of organized crime. Uribe, a member of the Right Wing Democratic Center Party, has pledged to crack down on violence. across the Latin American nation. If we're looking at once announcing his intention to run for president last October from the location where he says his mother, a journalist, was kidnapped by Pablo Escobar's cartel

and later killed in a rescue operation in 1991 during one of Colombia's darkest chapters with drug cartel violence. We haven't seen this kind of high level political assassination in Colombia for quite some time now. I mean, it happened routinely in the 1980s, even 1990s.

But to see it today is pretty shocking. It's a country experiencing a flashback. Uribe is also the grandson of Julio Cesar Turbay, who served as the president of Colombia from 1978 to 1982. He's been a vocal critic of leftist president Gustavo Petro, who has term limited and not eligible to run in next to May's election. This weekend, Petro condemned the attack and called for a thorough investigation. Meanwhile, supporters were seen gathering outside Uribe's hospital.

Praying for his recovery. As a nation still haunted by political violence of the past, recovers from the present. Marissa Paro joins us tonight from Miami. Marissa, people are going to be watching this. It's a horrific crime. But then you hear that the suspect is just 15 years old. What more do we know about it? And that's going to have an impact, of course, on the consequences in the aftermath of all of this, right, Tom?

So we know he was injured in this. We know he was able to get his hands on a gun that was legally purchased from Arizona in 2020. But in terms of what he's facing, we know he's facing charges of attempted. murder, illegal possession of a weapon, that same weapon we just described. But because he's just 15 years old, Tom, as of right now, our understanding as a minor, he would serve a maximum of eight years in a rehabilitation center instead of prison. But of course, right now, everyone is working around the clock to figure out, did he act alone? How did this happen? We know the Minister of Defense in Columbia is pledging money for anyone who has any information, Tom.

Okay, Marissa, we thank you for that story tonight. We want to turn out a Top Story's Global Watch beginning off the coast of southern India tonight, where people are missing after an explosion and a fire on a container ship. Look at this. 22 people were on board, the Singapore flagged ship. India's Coast Guard and Navy launching a search for at least

four missing crew members. The Coast Guard saying the explosion happened inside one of the shipping containers but has not yet given the cause of the explosion or said what was inside that container. And an update on the so-called Freedom Flotilla carrying activist Greta Thunberg intercepted by Israel's military

as it tried to break a naval blockade in Gaza. Tunberg and 11 other activists are now at an Israeli port where they're undergoing medical examines. before being deported back to their home countries. They were trying to deliver supplies to protest Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which has left 2 million Palestinians at risk for famine. And a video showing a man running around the tarmac at London's Heathrow Airport while planes were taking off.

You can see him running around near the planes, which are still taxing and moving around. Airport workers are chasing him eventually catching him and putting him in a police fan. In a statement, Heathrow wrote, operations are running normally. It's not clear how all of this started. And back here in the U.S., we marked the passing of a legend of 70s R&B and funk master, Sly Stone, who led the band Sly and the Family Stone to a series of huge hits like Dance to the Music and Everyday People. His songs redefined the genre and the makeup of his band, male and female, black and white, pushed the boundaries of what a music group could be. NBC's Ann Thompson now on his life and legacy.

Sly Stone produced a sound that reflected the best of the city. 60s and 70s. A mix of rock, funk, and soul, and almost always a dash of fun. Music that made you want to get up and move. Thank you for having the rain-soaked audience at Woodstock on its feet in the middle of the night to sing. Born Sylvester Stewart in Texas, he grew up in Kansas, he grew up in Kansas, he grew up in California, playing drums, guitar, and keyboards. As a DJ in San Francisco, he spun soul and rock records, the foundations of the sound he would make as a musician. He led Sly and the

Family Stone, a band of men and women of different ethnicities onto the music charts and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Thank you all very much. I love you personally very much. But drug use would curtail his career. Stone's legacy now documented in a new film by Quest Love. We were all heavily influenced by Slide. A sound of his times. Thank you for let me see my head that would outlast his times.

Ann Thompson, NBC News. We thank Ann Thompson for that. Sly Stone was 82. Up next on Top Story, one of the most powerful voices in podcasting out with new claims of sexual harassment against her former coach. Why call her daddy podcast Alex Cooper's stunning accusation is shaking the world of college sports

and burning for beauty, why a new study and what it shows about those popular TikTok and YouTube videos of tweens touting their skin care routines and why they may do more harm than good. You're watching Top Story tonight. Alex Cooper, host of Call Her Daddy, is now, is known for sharing almost every detail about her life online. Now she's opening up about sexual harassment. She says she was subjected to in college that she hadn't spoken about until now. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has this one.

Tonight, popular Call Her Daddy podcaster Alex Cooper coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment against her former college soccer coach. I experienced something extremely painful. all taken away from you. The allegations detailed in the new Hulu docu series call her Alex, which premiered Sunday at the Tribeca Film Festival and will be released Tuesday. I haven't spoken about this and I've spoken about so much of my life, why haven't I? And so that was the first moment where I thought maybe I do need to open this wound back up and the way to heal it will be to talk about it. Multiple outlets present at the screening reporting that in the two-part series, Cooper alleges former Boston University head coach Nancy Feldman, quote,

always wanted to be alone with me and would make comments about her legs and put a hand on her thigh. Cooper saying it was the psychotic game of you want to play tell me about your sex life according to the Hollywood reporter. Feldman and Boston University have not responded to our requests for comment. We've also yet to hear back from Hulu. The minute I stepped back on that field, I felt so small. I felt I just felt like I just felt like I was 18 years old again. And a Q&A after the screening, Cooper, one of the most popular female podcasters in the world with a serious XM deal valued it more than $100 million. Reflecting on the moment, the documentary crew filmed her back on the field.

I wasn't the call for daddy girl. I wasn't someone who had money and infant. or whatever it be, like I was just another woman who experienced harassment on a level that changed my life forever. Erin McLaughlin joins us now in studio. So Erin McLaughlin, the docu series is set to drop tomorrow. What more do we know about her involvement in this docu series? Well, Tom, it appears that she was heavily involved. According to Variety, her company called Unwell was involved in the production. Now, this is a two-part Hulu series that also explores her rise is one of the world's most popular podcasters.

Okay, Aaron, we thank you for that. Not at Top Stories Health Check and a new study out of Northwestern looking at how elaborate skin care routines for teens and tweens could actually do more harm than good. Videos like these growing in popularity on TikTok showing young girls using dozens of products they don't actually need,

influencing others to invest in a complex and expensive regimen that could negatively impact their skin. It's also been really into skin prep recently, so I wanted to show you guys some products. Okay, you got. Guys, I'm going to use my Glow Recipy Tona. Skin Care Hall. Guys, MediCube sent me a ton of skin care to try out, and I'm so excited to share it with you.

All right, those are just a few examples of what that looks like. For more on this, I'm joined by the author of the study Dr. Molly Hales. She's also a postdoctoral research fellow and board certified dermatologist. Doctor, we thank you so much for this. I've actually lived through this. I have a 12- and 9-year-old who tell me all about their skin care routines, and they went through a lot of this until one of them actually did have an allergic reaction. So I understand why you did this study.

How did this happen, I guess, is what I want to know, because you walk into some skin care stores now that are for adults, and they're filled with girls now. Yeah, I think that the skincare popularity has really taken off partly because of how much it's viewed and shared on social media. So in our study, we looked at TikTok as the social media outlet where many of these videos are circulating. And we collected 100 videos to look at what kinds of routines are being put forth

by these content creators, some of whom, as you mentioned, were only seven or eight years old. Yeah, it's so wild. So when you walk through this, what sort of dangers did you find with the products and those young girls' skin? For sure. So as you already mentioned, the routines themselves were very complicated and time-consuming. The average routine used six different products and cost $168. And some of those routines cost over $500 to purchase all the products that the kids were using. And yet, the products and combination of products were actually potentially harmful to young skin. And so they posed a risk of irritation, of sun sensitivity, as well as skin allergy. And then if a tween or a young girl is suffering from some type of

skin disorder or an allergy, how do you get to make sure that nothing that she's putting on her face when she goes to her friend's house and puts a moisturized on her face is not going to harm them? That's a great point. So most of the products that we found had at least one active ingredient that's potentially irritating. So in these skincare routines that are being posted, the most popular videos show girls putting 11 active ingredients on their skin at one time, each of which can be irritating. And sometimes they were putting the same active ingredient on their skin over and over again.

So those are all, you know, experiences that can compound the irritation potential of their regiments. It's also possible to develop an allergy to one or more ingredient included in the products, usually inactive ingredients like fragrance, and that can be lifelong. What is, you know, we talk about the costume, I'm glad you brought that up, but for young girls who are putting on lots of moisturizer that their skin doesn't need, is there any sort of lasting effect to that long-term damage, or were the skin sort of correct itself, if you will? In general, if it's just irritation that's the problem, then that will correct over time as those products are stopped.

The exception to that is skin allergy. So if a girl develops, for example, in allergic contact dermatitis to fragrance, which was commonly found across many of these products that these girls are using, that tends to be lifelong. And so it can actually limit the types of products that a girl can use for the rest of her life. Before we go, are there two products, two ingredients, you would have? you advise all parents to make sure their kids are not putting on their face right now? You don't have to give me name brands, but just the actual ingredient or what the product is called? I would say the ingredients to be wary of would be alpha and beta hydroxy acids. These are not necessarily dangerous on their own, but they are irritating.

And importantly, they increase the skin sensitivity to the sun. So you want to make sure if any of the products that your daughters or sons are using contain alpha or beta hydroxy acids, that you're making sure that they apply sunscreen with them. And we really were disappointed to find that only in about a quarter of the videos that we analyzed were these kids using any type of sun protection, even when they're using, you know, five, six, a dozen different products on their faces. The most important right there. Dr. Molly Hales, thank you for joining Top Story tonight.

I really love this conversation. When we return, there's no place like home, a runaway zebra. Days on the Lamb are over. What's next for the striped pet that took social media by storm? We talk with his owners about the dramatic rescue. You see it right there. His name is Ed or Zeke. We'll explain that mystery, too.

Stay with us. Finally, tonight, an update on that runaway zebra that took the internet by storm after a wild week-long search. Ed the zebra was found airlifted to safety. You heard me correctly. I spoke to his owners earlier today about how he got it and what they plan to do with him now. As these images took off on television and social media of a zebra on the loose in Tennessee. There's a tag on him too. Taylor Ford, who recently purchased a zebra, had one thought.

I said, hey, I think that I need to go check and see if our zebra is in our yard. Turns out the family's new zebra, they had just named Zeke, was done with the Ford's yard and took his show on the road. Careful, careful. It seemed every road in Tennessee. As millions saw the clips of Zeke, the fords, who owned about 100 animals on their farm, weren't exactly laughing. I was worried that someone was going to get hurt. I was worried that this was going to become a not a happy ending to the story. State and local officials joined private animal rescue workers in a week-long search. Zeke got so popular, he got a stage name, the internet calling him Ed.

Then this Saturday, a break in the case. This video from the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office showing the zebra air lifted and flown by helicopter to awaiting animal shelter. When you saw Ed in that harness being lifted by a helicopter, what did you think? Biggest relief you could ever imagine. The owners say they footed the bill for the search, but Taylor's true takeaway, listen to your wife. She thought buying a zebra might be a mistake. That should be a major lesson that America will learn. Your wife is always right.

In this situation, she was 100% right. Listen to your wife. That is good advice. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.