Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, March 13, 2023

Episode Date: March 14, 2023

Two powerful storm systems batter both coasts, a second bank collapses days after Silicon Valley Bank went under and the government steps in to prevent more runs, hundreds of migrants at the Southern border attempting to rush into the U.S., how Newark got duped into signing a sister city agreement with a non-existent country, and the historic wins at the Oscars that were decades in the making.

Tonight, double storm danger, two powerful systems battering both coasts. Devastating scenes across California tonight. Homes flooded with water after a critical levy breached. Hundreds of rescues reported and yet another storm taking aim. Well, time out that system, plus the powerful Northeastern moving in on the east coast. Just how much snow is expected to fall. Bank failure spread, a second bank collapsing just days after a Silicon Valley bank went under. President Biden addressing the nation attempting to assuage fears of a broader meltdown.

So is this the end or will things get even worse? What you need to know tonight about how this could affect your own money? Trump's line of defense, a lawyer for the former president telling NBC News, Trump will not testify about hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, how his team is explaining that decision as former Trump ally Michael Cohen does testify before the grand jury. And dramatic images coming in from the southern border, hundreds of migrants attempting to rush past security and into the United States.

What officials say led to this southern surge. Plus, nuclear tensions. North Korea launching a missile from a submarine just hours before the U.S. kicked off its largest war games in the region in years, while U.S. officials fear a nuclear test is imminent. And a bizarre story out of New Jersey, the city of Newark

duped into signing a cultural agreement with the country of Kailasa. The only problem? That nation doesn't exist. How they fell for this sister city scam. Top story starts right now. And good evening. I'm Morgan Chesky.

In for Tommy Amas. We begin top story tonight with dual storm threats on both coasts at this hour. The waterlogged west bracing for yet another round of torrential rain as the nor eastern barrels towards New England. Take a look at this drone footage in just tonight. This is a scene in Pajado in northern California. Rivers turned into roads, entire neighborhoods underwater after a 300-foot levy breach.

In central California, crew is pulling off daring water rescues. The California Highway Patrol airlifting this man to safety after his car was washed away by floodwaters near King City. Hundreds of rescues reported over the last several days and likely many more coming tomorrow. When yet another atmospheric river dumped several more. inches of rain. We're keeping an eye on that storm, plus this monster nor'easter swirling over the mid-Atlantic, parts of New England bracing for up to a foot and a half of snow. Bill Karen's here to time it all out in just a moment, but we begin first out west in Pajado, California, and Miguel Almaguerre leads us off. Tonight, waiting through a sea of mud and muck, the flooded

community of Pajaro is cleaning up from the last storm, just as the next one barrels in. A 300-foot Levy breach near Santa Cruz has left houses underwater, power out, and washed away roads. So even when the waters recede, we don't know how much damage it's done to our railroads to our roads. After more than 200 rescues, this is what authorities fear tomorrow, a second atmospheric river closing in, days after this damage from the first one. The sound of the river is just so loud that it's just frightening. The same central and northern California cities inundated with a foot of rain and in the middle of severe flooding today face another 8 inches Tuesday. We've got a lot of shoveling to do.

We are too old for this. We just cleaned it up from the last flood. As another foot of snow blankets the Sierra by coastal storms have 24 million under winter weather alerts. with up to 18 inches of snow forecasted in parts of New England. A March nor'easter is bringing a mix of rain, sleet, and snow to the northeast. Salt trucks ready in Boston, 8,000 utility workers on standby in New York. This could be deadly. For millions, a winter of misery.

And now the threat of another dangerous blow. And Miguel Almagher joins us now from Pajado, California. Miguel, you're in one of the hardest hit areas there. You mentioned the power outages in California. How many are still in the dark tonight? Yeah, Morgan, in this area where their floodwaters have not yet receded, and they probably won't recede for several hours, if not days, when that next storm comes in, there are hundreds of people here who don't have power,

but across California, that number is easily in the thousands. Utility crews are doing all they can to get people back online. That next storm is expected to hit overnight, Morgan. And Miguel, ahead of those storms on the East Coast tomorrow, what are authorities telling residents to do now in order to try and stay safe? Well, they're asking folks on the East Coast to stock up on supplies, food, medicine that they may need. That Northeaster, again, is bringing that mix of snow, sleet, and rain, but in any parts of the Northeast, they're expecting several inches of snow. The roads could be treacherous. As you know, they haven't had really serious winter weather conditions out there.

This could be a major test tomorrow. No doubt. Miguel Almagare right in the middle of the storm zone. Miguel, thank you. And for more on these devastating conditions, NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens joins us now. Bill, I'm curious. What areas are you most concerned about over the next 24 hours here? The Northeast, I'm concerned with power outages and falling trees on houses and cars. And then in Southern California, I'm very concerned with how much rain we're going to get in a short period of time on the ground that's already soggy. And so I think the pictures out of Southern California will be a lot worse than what we get out of the Northeast.

But let's start in the Northeast, then we'll go to the west. The Northeaster is forming and brewing. Heavy rain is moving in the southern New England, snow in the Catskills. And then this is all going to combine tomorrow for our Northeaster. And when you wake up tomorrow morning, if you're watching live TV and you see reporters in the Boston area, it'll look like a tropical storm or a low-end hurricane, 50 to 65-mile-per-hour wind gusts and driving rain or wet snowflakes. So that's what coastal areas will deal with. But we have winterstorm warnings.

This is easily the biggest snowstorm of the winter season for areas of New York. in all of New England. The cities themselves, though, aren't going to get as much as the higher elevations. All right to probably be one of the cities that gets the most with a good chance of 10 to 16. But Hartford to Boston, 2 to 4 in New York City, nothing, probably just seeing some flakes melt on the pavement, Scranton 6 to 10, Syracuse 8 to 12, and Maine will get it also here. But I'm very concerned with that one-the-two feet of snow, and all the high elevations of New England includes all the mountainous areas, and that's where we're going to see the worst power outages. That's where people are already stocking up and filling their gas cans and

worried about the power. And then that storm in the west, here comes the atmospheric river, Morgan, and we are going to watch these rainfall totals are going to be scary in Southern California. Right now, we're thinking three inches in Los Angeles of all places. Yes, scary measures there, Bill. Thank you so much. Next tonight, President Biden's administration seeking to reassure Americans that their money is secure after two of the largest bank failures in U.S. history. The government reassurance appearing to go a long way towards easing nerves on Wall Street. However, for concerns remain high over where the things will get even worse.

NBC's Jake Ward with the latest on those bank jitters tonight. With two U.S. banks being forced into closure in recent days, President Biden sought to assure the country before markets opened this morning. Americans can have confidence that the banking system is safe. Your deposits will be there when you need them. His administration announcing Sunday night that customers at Silicon Valley Bank, which collapsed on Friday, and signature bank in New York, which was shut down on Sunday,

would be made whole by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDIC. No losses will be, and this is an important point, no losses will be borne by the taxpayers. Let me repeat that. No losses will be borne by the taxpayers. The Biden administration saying its move is not a bailout of the banks like we saw in the 2008 financial crisis, but rather a decision to protect bank customers. The money to pay the uninsured depositors such as it's needed will come from a deposit insurance fund. That's paid for by the banks.

The news is welcome relief for Ben Kaufman, founder and CEO of Kid's Store Camp. Most of his company's money was in SVB when the bank went under. We were panicked. I mean, we didn't know how we were going to make ends meet in the coming weeks. Desperate to raise cash, his company slashed prices by 40%. We sent out an email with a discount code. The code was bank run. Markets closed mixed today as concern over what comes next for the smaller banks took a toll.

The overall stock value for regional banks declined by more than 12%. Experts say the White House had no choice but to act by declaring a so-called systemic risk exception for SVB and signature so that the full amount of deposits would be covered by the government. The government was trying to stop a precipitous withdrawal, essentially a bank run where uninsured depositors remove their deposits from banks. So it looks for sure like the worst possible outcome has been avoided. The question is whether or not confidence has been reinstilled into the banking system. Ben Kaufman, who regained access to his funds today, says he typically only has to worry about running his company. We now also have to think about where our cash sits and what bank we're at. And that's a whole another added layer of complexity in the already complex world we all live in.

And Jake Ward joins us now from Menlo Park, California, not far from Silicon Valley. So, Jake, in the aftermath of SBV's collapse, it appears we're also seeing heightened screwing. scrutiny of actions taken within that very bank now. That's right, Morgan. At this hour, we've been watching people come and go from this branch of Silicon Valley Bank trying to get their money out and working directly with FDIC personnel on site. Now we're seeing that there is a class action lawsuit filed against two executives from SBV and the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank.

That lawsuit alleges that they did not pay enough attention to rising interest rates and the risk that they pose to the bank, we've reached out to Silicon Valley Bank for comment but have not heard back. Morgan? Jake Ward, tracking it all. Jake, thank you. For more on the fallout after two banks have now crashed and what it can mean for your money,

I want to bring in Betsy Stevenson, former member of the Council of Economic Advisors during the Obama administration and a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan. Betsy, thank you so much for joining top story tonight. So we have the Fed backstopping bank deposits to avert a crisis.

But then you have regional banks who stocks tanked today. In fact, you can see these banks here all down, First Republic taking the biggest hit, while the overall stock market mostly flat today. So, big question, do you think this plan worked? Oh, I think the plan absolutely worked. It's really important that we distinguish between depositors. Those are people who have their money in the bank and shareholders. Those are people who are investing in a bank hoping that the bank,

is really profitable, makes a lot of money, and therefore they make a lot of money. What this plan did was said, we're protecting depositors. Your money's safe in the bank. I'm sure that if you're running a small business like that toy store, you had one heck of a stressful weekend, but the reality is you don't have to think about whether your bank's the right bank to put your money in. We have FDIC insurance. You know, I think it would be a good idea to get rid of that cap and we should just insure

deposits. There's a lot of people who feel that way. What we saw this weekend was the, you know, government stepped in and said, we're not going to worry about the cap. If you had your money in this bank, we're going to protect you. Now, that doesn't mean they're going to protect the shareholders. You know, you were open to make money. They were making a lot of risky bets. If those risky bets had paid off, those shareholders would have made a lot of money. Those risky bets didn't pay off. Those shareholders aren't going to make money. In fact, they're going to lose money. I think what you saw stocks falling on some of these regional banks is realizing that, you know, maybe they're not as profitable as the shareholders thought.

That's, I think, a real big, you know, question there is, gee, you know, are these banks going to make the kind of money I thought they were going to make? Maybe it's time to sell my shares in this bank. I think the other thing is, you know, what we learned is the 2018 banking deregulation failed. And what it did was it allowed smaller banks to be riskier. That risk can come with upside profit potential, but it also comes with downside potential. And we knew that when we passed it. And so I think people are thinking, hmm, they're probably going to be re-regulated and they're not going to be able to make as many risky decisions, which means that the upside potential profitability might not be there.

So I think that's why you're seeing those movements in the stock market. That's not about people having to worry about their money in the bank, though. Right. Betsy, I do want to ask you, President Biden and the Treasury Department have said this backstop will be funded by Wall Street and large financial institutions, not taxpayers. So do you think this will eventually, though, impact everyday people? Is this just another bailout? I don't think it's a bailout. If you have your money in the bank, I bet you didn't investigate how solvent that bank is. You just put your money in the bank.

And that's what we all want you to do. That's what the government wants you to do. I think that's the way for the economy to work smoothest. You know, I just pick a bank that's convenient, that offers the services that I want. I'm not asking questions, like, is that bank going to be able to give me my money when it's, you know, time to pay a bill? So that I think it's important that we guarantee depositors their money back. A bailout is when we help out the shareholders and the CEO, and we're not doing that. what is likely going to happen is when we actually liquidate like Silicon Valley Bank,

there's still a lot of assets there that are worth a lot of money. So they're going to be able to recover a lot of the money to pay those depositors. So I think that that's one reason why it's not coming from taxpayers. And they've said if at the end of the day, you know, the assets aren't enough to make all the depositors whole, then they'll do this through a levy on the banking system, through a tax on the banking system that tries to get the money, back from the risky behavior that banks have done. Therefore, it's not going to come out of sort of general funds from a typical taxpayer. Some financial food for thought. Betsy Stevenson,

thank you so much. And after the latest on the criminal investigation into President Trump, his lawyer telling NBC News, he will not testify in the grand jury in the Stormy Daniels hush payment probe. The president in Iowa tonight on a campaign stop as he is unleashing attacks against those investigating him and his political rivals. Rican Delanyanian has more. Tonight, with a criminal indictment potentially looming and a campaign battle beginning, Donald Trump drawing from his well-known playbook, sounding off with a barrage of social media rants. Can't let it happen. It's illegal as can be. We're going to stop it.

On the bank failures, he gave a doomsday warning, posting, We will have a great depression far bigger and more powerful than that of 1929. As proof, the banks are already starting to collapse. He lashed out at the campaign finance. investigation regarding alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, describing it as an extortion plot. His lawyer, Joe Tocopina, telling NBC News his client is not going to testify, then laying out their strategy in an interview with ABC News. He had to pay money because there was going to be an allegation that was going to be publicly embarrassing to him, regardless of the campaign.

His former attorney, Michael Cohen, who has turned on his one-time client, testifying to the grand jury today. I'm just here to answer the questions. This is all about accountability. He needs to be accountable for his dirty deeds. While Trump is the only candidate to declare for 2024, his potential rivals are sharpening their attacks. His vice president, Mike Pence, speaking in his strongest words yet about Trump's role in the January 6th riots in a closed dinner for elected officials and journalists on Saturday, saying, I had no right to overturn the election and his reckless words endangered my family

and everyone at the Capitol that day. And I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable. In the past, Trump has attacked Pence, questioning his loyalty. Mike Pence had a chance to be great. He had a chance to be, frankly, historic. But just like Bill Barr and the rest of these weak people, Mike did not have the courage to act. Tonight, Trump visiting the key state of Iowa, just three days after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was there, leveling this apparent attack on the former president without saying his name.

There's no drama in our administration. There's no palace intrigue. They basically just sit back and say, okay, what's the governor going to do next? And we roll out and we execute and we do things and we get things done. Ahead of his speech, Trump posting a more pointed attack at DeSantis, saying, no other president was as pro farmer as me. Tell that to Ron DeSanctimonious when he shows up to your door hat and hand. Tell him to go home.

And Ken Delanyan joins us now from New York. York. Ken, given that Trump just turned down the offer to testify and Michael Cohen testify today, does that tell us anything about just how soon an indictment might be coming here? Hey, Morgan. Well, Michael Cohen's lawyer said that he's expected back before the grand jury tomorrow, and we think that the prosecutor would like to probably sum up the case to the grand jury before any indictment is issued. But that said, the grand jury meets on Thursday. So conceivably, something could happen as soon as Thursday, or we may have to wait. We'll just have to wait and see, Morgan.

And you'll be watching all of it. Ken, thank you so much. For more on President Trump's legal and political strategies, want to bring in our all-star panel tonight. NBC News legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuaid and Republican strategist and NBC News political analyst Susan Del Percio. Thank you both for joining us. Barbara, we heard from Trump's lawyer in that piece that his client, former President Trump, had to pay the hush money because he was going to be politically embarrassed. He also claimed it had nothing to do with influencing the 2016 presidential election. Do you think that's actually an effective to Vince here? No, not at all. Those might explain motive. Those things may very well be true. It may also be

that he was trying to save his wife, Melania, from embarrassment, or exposing his own conduct to her. None of that matters, because the fact is he falsified a business record and that it had the effect of being a contribution to his campaign. You can have mixed motives. What matters is whether you have the intent to commit the crime. For example, in public corruption cases, it's often the case that someone accepts a bribe to vote in favor for a particular contract on a city council. They later say, I was going to vote for it anyway because I thought it was the best one. It doesn't matter. If they accepted the bribe and they did it to advance that scheme, that still counts as bribery. So I don't think it is going to negate anything that he did here.

Susan, question for you. We know the former president is in Iowa tonight. Do you think that these possible pending criminal charges will have any impact whatsoever on his base? Well, it's not right now. But if there is, in fact, an indictment, which looks likely, according to brilliant people like Barbara, it will have an impact. An indictment's not good for a campaign. Will it cost him his base? Probably not. But the only thing he can build off of, And I don't know the answer to this question is, did the Manhattan DA's office speak to the Department of Justice and to Georgia's district attorney to make sure that all of these potential indictments don't happen within two or three weeks of each other? Because if they do, that will actually kind of look like what Donald Trump calls a witch hunt, even though they would be completely valid. And Barbara, back to you.

We've learned Michael Cohen testified for three. hours, and he's coming back. We know he's been vocal about Trump needing to be held accountable. So how much damage can he do to his former client? And do you think a grand jury will even find him credible? Well, he obviously is a key to all of this. He is the one who was accepting these legal fees. He's the one who paid off the money in advance. He is the one who can explain why the records are false because they were framed as legal fees when, in fact, they were hushed money. So he is a key witness to all of this. But it seems to me. like the prosecutors wanted to pepper him with questions. They've had him in for questioning

something like 19 or 20 times, which makes sense when you were dealing with a convicted perjure, after all. First, prosecutors have to ensure that they themselves believe what the person is saying. It is unethical to sponsor perjury or put on a witness when you don't believe his testimony to be true. So the first thing they had to do is satisfy themselves that he was telling them the truth by testing everything he had to say against other witnesses and against other documents. The next thing they have to do is make sure that a grand jury and a jury ultimately can also believe him. And that typically requires corroboration. Don't just take Michael Cohen's word for it. Certainly he can explain how this all worked, but you need other witnesses and

other documents to confirm what he is saying. So bank records, phone records, canceled checks, and other witnesses here like the folks from the National Inquirer could help bolster this story. And so I think, yes, I have put on all kinds of people who have been convicted of serious crimes before. You can get juries to believe them, but if and only if they can be corroborated with other objective evidence. Yeah, any evidence goes a long way here. Susan, we know the former president has been all over social media, somewhat unsurprisingly, with a barrage of videos and attacks about criminal allegations and his political enemies. This was a big part of his strategy since 2016 when he won, then again in 2020.

when he lost. So do you think he'll feel any need to change the strategy here? Absolutely not. This is what Donald Trump knows. This is what he does. He will have a better campaign probably operationally. That's the stuff that people like us don't see. But he will be just as bombastic as he ever was and actually probably more dangerous. And that does concern me quite a bit is how he can, as we know, we're all up a crowd, and potential threats he can make against others does concern me quite a bit. Concerned there. Barbara, this investigation into hush money paid to Stormy Daniels started years ago. So based on your experience, it's one thing to get an indictment, entirely another, to get a conviction. What are your thoughts? Yes, and the passage

of time typically does not help in a case, because, you know, as witnesses or test, about things that happen in 2016, by the time this case goes to trial, that'll be seven or even eight years down the road. And so I think sometimes witnesses can be skeptical of a human being's ability to remember things that happened that long ago. But a document's case is easier to prove after the passage of time because the documents themselves don't forget and they don't have memories that fade the way humans do. So if this case relied on an eyewitness identification, for example, that might be problematic. But instead, it relies on documents, and I think that a jury can believe that people can remember what

was going on with documents, even after the passage of seven or eight years. Critical insight. Barber McQuaid and Susan Del Percio, thank you both. Now, to the growing clashes at the southern border, chaos erupting after hundreds of migrants from Mexico forced their way onto an international bridge connecting to El Paso. The port of entry shut down for hours as border officials attempted to regain control. Wadvenegas with that story tonight. A border shutdown in El Paso, Texas, as hundreds forced their way onto the Pazzo del Norte International Bridge.

Men, women, and children pushing Mexican soldiers out of the way in an attempt to enter the U.S. It seems they were misinformed, said this Mexican official, telling our Telemundo affiliate, they were told they would be allowed into the U.S. once at the port of entry. who did that or why they did that. Democratic Congressman Henrik Weillard saying the bridges were built for trade and tourism and immigration is now stressing the system. My district, South Texas, people don't want to see this. They want to see an orly process.

Customs and border protection responding with barricades and additional officers to stop the migrants. The crowd, including migrants from Venezuela, seek an asylum. Like this man telling our affiliate, he's been waiting. too long at the border and couldn't delay anymore. This woman adding the phone app used by U.S. authorities to process asylum request has not worked for her. This type of situation does not help their cause.

We need to make sure that people that want to come over, we have law and order at the border. U.S. border officials say two other international bridges in the area were affected by other groups of migrants coming from Ciudad Juarez. I just saw everyone recording understand what they're going through, but I think that they need to do it the right way. This is not the first time a large group arrives this way at the port of entry. In 2018, members of a migrant caravan attempted to force their way through the San Isido Port of Entry in San Diego. The border there shut down temporarily as the migrants were stopped, the incident forcing officials to tighten security. But the border in that region still strained.

Just this weekend, eight people died after two suspected smuggling boats crashed north of the city, according to the Coast Guard and CBP. Back in Texas, the border bridge has reopened, but thousands still waiting in Mexico as the migrant crisis continues. And Guad vanegas joins us live in studio, Guad. I knew had a chance to speak to the congressman. What more did he tell you about how Mexico and the U.S. can cooperate in light of this recent incident? Well, Morgan, Congressman Goyard told me that federal officers on the U. the American side are speaking to Mexican federal officers all the time, trying to coordinate as

best as possible. Now, we saw on the images that a lot of these Mexican soldiers were overpowered by the crowds. So Guillard did tell me that there could be more resources going to the border on the Mexican side to help with this issue. We know that hundreds of migrants are arriving on a daily basis at different cities along the Mexican border, and there just isn't enough resources when it comes to those Mexican federal officers to support the American CBP officers, Morgan. All right, Guadmanegas, thank you so much. Staying at the border, Texas state officials

now advising U.S. citizens not to travel to Mexico at all as safety concerns grow after the recent kidnapping of four Americans in a dangerous Mexican border city. The warning comes as many travelers gear up for spring break just around the corner. NBC Sam Brock with more on those trouble spots. Right as a crush of spring breakers hit the beaches from Cabo to Cancun. An urgent warning from Texas state officials not to travel to Mexico due to the ongoing violence throughout the country.

That's why we urge anyone because of the volatile situation to avoid traveling into Mexico, especially when out this time. Mexico, here we come. The abduction of four Americans from South Carolina visiting one of the most dangerous border towns and murder of two of them has cast a harsh spotlight ongoing. south of the border. There's also the recent disappearance of three women from the McCallin area who went to sell items at a flea market and haven't been seen in weeks. The State Department's highest level four designation, Do Not Travel, was issued in October for just six states in Mexico. But popular tourist destinations like Cabo and Cancun are at level two. Exercise increased caution. That's the same category as most of Western Europe, including England and France.

If you were a family planning a trip right now to one of these coastal destinations, Would you still go? I think it depends on what the destination is. What's the security situation like? What are past incidents like there? On the shores of South Beach, Florida, mixed reactions. There's many other parts of the world where it's warm and nice and necessarily have to go to Mexico. So safety would be potentially a concern for you.

Safety would be the main thing because when I think about traveling, you're looking for comfort and experiences. You're not looking for trouble. Reality is any country, including Mexico, you go to the wrong places. There's potential for things like this to happen. With spring break just now hitting its peak, fresh warnings and a wave of questions. And Sam Brock joins us now from Miami. Sam, as you mentioned, spring break, just around the corner here. So what are the recommendations for those who are still choosing to travel to Mexico?

Morgan, sometimes the simplest advice is also the best advice. Do your homework, reach out to the resort where you plan on staying and find out what's their security plan like? What's the criminal environment like in history there? Do people feel safe? What are their backup plans? So at least you understand what you're getting into. Also, experts say that you should absolutely connect with the U.S. Embassy ahead of time and register with them, whether it's a natural hazard or at some sort of criminal threat.

You'll be glad that you did. Morgan? Preparation key, Sam Brock. Thank you so much. Still ahead tonight, a tense 13-hour standoff in Missouri. A man suspected of killing a police officer barricaded inside of this home. The dramatic moment officers confronted him in his front yard. Plus, sister city scam.

All the officials in New Jersey got tricked into signing an agreement with a country that doesn't exist. We'll explain. And go ship seized. The Colombian Navy intercepting a submarine with massive amounts of cocaine inside. The other gruesome discovery they made on board inside. Top story just getting started on this Monday night. Stay with us. It's not often a major U.S. city comes out and says it got plain fool, but that is the case in Newark, New Jersey, where city officials recently had to admit they signed a sister city agreement with a country that technically doesn't even exist.

Valerie Castro with more on this bizarre story. It had all the makings of a diplomatic ceremony. Newark mayor, Ross Baraka, alongside a representative from the United States of Kailasa, signing a cultural trade agreement to become sister. city's in January. Faisalesee City's. Kailasa calling it a bilateral agreement with the United States of America. So you might be wondering, where is the United States of Kailasa? Turns out it doesn't exist.

It does, however, have an extensive website documenting its official flag and emblem and says it's ruled by Nithi Annanda Paramashav. I am as old as sun, as new as sunrise. The self-proclaimed supreme pontiff of Hindust. Hinduism. But according to the United Nations, it is not a recognized country. Newark isn't the only place duped into thinking it's a real nation, though. The same woman who appeared at the Newark ceremony even testified at a UN meeting in Geneva last month. I'm here representing the United States of Keralasa. I'm the permanent ambassador. The meeting hosted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Supreme Pontiff of Hinduism and Keralasa have gone through intense persecution and human rights. violation. The guru with dozens of videos on a YouTube channel documenting his teachings claims he left India in 2019 to seek protection. I have the immunity of non-prosecutable

and immunity and protection as the head of the state. He was arrested there years earlier, accused of sexual assault charges by five women who say he abused them at a religious retreat. Local reports say he appealed the charges and eventually fled India. NBC News reached out to the United States of Kailasa for a statement on the allegations against its leader and the legitimacy of its partnership, but have not heard back. Back in New Jersey, a few days after this ceremony, the city says it realized it had been deceived, calling it, quote, a regrettable incident. They're sending an established sister city's relationship. City council members passing a unanimous motion to dissolve the agreement. And one city council member calling for better vetting in the future.

Hopefully, that includes a Google search. Thank you. Valor Castro, who joins us now from New York. Okay, Valerie, been waiting all day to ask you here. What more can you tell us about Newark's response to this? And do we have anything more on where Kailasa is supposedly based here? Well, Morgan, it took the New York City Council about a week to rescind the agreement, but it's still unclear how this all came about in the first place. The city did say it will continue to partner with people from diverse cultures in the future. Now, as for where the United States of Kailasa, claims to be located. The website doesn't say, but you can apply for e-citizenship. And Morgan, it's apparently free to register. There you go. Wonder where that passport will get you. Valerie Castro, thanks so much. When we come back, emergency ejection. A scary scene over the skies in California, a pilot forced to abandon his single-engine plane, how he's doing tonight. That's coming up. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a 13-hour standoff

of doing Missouri police and a man accused of shooting one of their officers. Dramatic videos showing the moment a SWAT team arrested the suspect after they drove him out of his home with tear gas. Police say late Sunday night that man shot and killed Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith and wounded another inside of a convenience store. All of this happening in Herman about an hour west of St. Louis. Charges are still pending. In California, a pilot was forced to eject from a small plane moments before it crashed. Cell phone video shows the plane nosediving into a lake just northwest of Salinas, California.

In fact, you can see the plane plunging at high speed on the left, the pilot parachuting after it on the right. He was later taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. The FAA and NTSB are both investigating the cause of that crash. A man in Ohio has been hospitalized after being attacked. by a zebra Sunday afternoon. Body camera footage from the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office shows the aftermath of the attack. Deputies helping the injured man to an ambulance after he was bitten in the arm by a zebra he owned. Police said the animal remained aggressive and it was later put down.

And Stanford University investigating an anti-Semitic incident inside one of its own dorms. The school says multiple swastikas as well as an image of Adolf Hitler. were found on a whiteboard attached to the door of a Jewish student's dorm room. The university condemning the incident, calling it, quote, a brazen threat. This is now the third anti-Semitic incident to occur on campus in just the last two weeks. Turning overseas now, the United States and North Korea began their biggest joint military drills in years as tensions rise in that region. And breaking tonight, South Korea's military says North Korea just fired a ballistic missile towards the sea of Japan. ABC's forward correspondent Josh Letterman, with more on that.

Tonight, the U.S. and South Korea launching their biggest joint military exercises in years, readying themselves to defend against an evolving North Korean threat. North Korea wasting no time in retaliating. Official state media saying the North launched two cruise missiles on the eve of the drills from a submarine off North Korea's coast, claiming they flew for two hours in figure eights over the sea of Japan. South Korea's military confirming they tracked at least one missile launch from the north, saying they're working with U.S. intelligence to analyze it. The test launched a pointed reminder of the escalating security threat from North Korea,

which conducted more than 70 missile tests last year, the most ever. As the U.S. intelligence community predicts Pyongyang may soon conduct its seventh nuclear test. It continues its efforts to steadily expand and enhance its nuclear and conventional capabilities. targeting the United States and our allies. U.S. National Intelligence Director of Real Haynes saying North Korea is using aggression to reshape the region. And to reinforce its status as a de facto nuclear power. The joint U.S. South Korean military drills are the largest in five years.

Ever since former President Trump scaled them back as he pursued diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. They'll involve some of the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, plus others deployed from Japan and the U.S. Kim Jong-un says the exercises are proof it's South Korea and its ally of the United States provoking tensions. His military treating the joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion of his country. Amid the specter of nuclear war, Seoul's mayor telling Reuters tonight that South

Korea should consider going nuclear itself as a deterrent, a position at odds with the U.S. stance that the whole Korean peninsula should be denuclearized. Tonight, the region on high alert as the war games begin, bracing for potentially even more North Korean retaliation. And Josh Lighterman joins us from Seoul, South Korea. Josh, you reported this will be the largest joint exercise with the U.S. and South Korea in five years. So what more can we expect to see during these exercises?

Well, Morgan, they're set to last for 11 days with no breaks. And the U.S. and South Korea will be practicing joint amphibious landings, live artillery fire exercises, and even computerized simulations of what a North Korean attack on South Korea could look like. Morgan? All right, Josh, thank you so much. Now, to an NBC news exclusive, nightly news anchor Lester Holtz, sitting down with the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his first ever U.S. TV interview discussing everything from rising tensions with China to his personal relationship with King Charles. Britain is back and, you know, part of the job that I've got as Prime Minister is to give people that confidence in our country. Rishi Sunak emerged last fall from a revolving door of British Prime Ministers. Now returning to a state he called home for several years, we fittingly met aboard a retired warship, now the USS Midway Museum.

Just as Prime Minister Sunak leads the UK into an even closer military alliance. with the U.S. and Australia, as concerns grow over China. Is China a threat? China represents the biggest state threat to our economic interests, for sure, and is a systemic challenge for the world order. Now, that's why it's important that we take steps to protect ourselves against that. Alarms raised recently over that Chinese spy balloon. What kind of signal did the balloon that overflow the U.S. send?

The balloon incident here was an example of that behavior that I talked about, that is concerning, whether it's the balloon incident, whether it's how China's behaving in the South China seas. Those are all examples of a regime that is acting in a way that is not aligned with the values that we share between the U.S., the UK, Australia and other allies. And then there's China's role in Russia's war in Ukraine. China already gives crucial economic aid to Russia. Would it go further and provide weapons? If that were to happen, what should the response be? You know, that would be a very worrying and dangerous development. Would you support sanctions against China? You know, I think with sanctions, it's always something that is best

done coordinated with allies, because for sanctions to be effective, we have to do them together. You have suggested that everything is on the table when it comes to defending Ukraine. UK step forward with tanks, longer range missiles. Do you draw the line at fighter jets, or is that still in the cards as far as you're concerned? I think it's important right now. I think it's important right now. that we accelerate and intensify our support to Ukraine. And the reason I say that is because they have an opportunity to have a decisive advantage on the battlefield if they're given the right support.

And that's why we've led an effort to provide extra capabilities, heavy tanks, longer-range fires, more air defense. And what we want to do is to ensure that Ukraine can win. Your counterparts in Germany and France have suggested this is going to end up in negotiation when all is said and done. think that's where this, where and how this ends? Well, I think, look, ultimately, those decisions are for Ukraine to make.

You know, our job is to put them in the best possible position to make those decisions. We want to see Ukraine victorious. Prime Minister Sunak making history as Britain's first Prime Minister of Color, and he came into office at another moment of historic change, with the UK getting its first new monarch in over 70 years. What's your relationship like? with King Charles. I mean, I was his first appointed prime minister, actually.

It's a very special moment in my life. And now I have the privilege of sitting down with him every week. Good discussions? Great discussions. You know, he's trying to modernize the monarchy. You're trying to bring more tech into the UK's economy. Are you kindred spirits on some level? I think, actually, you know, King Charles is someone who issues

that politicians and governments are grappling with, have been issues that he's been talking about for a long time, particularly climate change, and where he's been very passionate about that topic. He's someone who, you know, absolutely is somebody who wants to represent everybody. As Prime Minister, it's a great privilege to champion all our British institutions, our culture, our history, our values around the world, but particularly the monarchy. Powerful insight, Lesterhol, thank you so much. Coming up on top story tonight, the longest-running cyclone in history. It's now killed more than a hundred people will tell you where it's made

landfall again. That's next. News is more than a headline. It informs, it inspires, and it still matters. To cover it, you have to be in it. And that's what we're going to do. Every night, we take you to the front lines of the story where it's actually happening with NBC News journalist on the ground from all over the world. We cover what you need to know and bring your news to life in primetime and streaming live it's your news playlist every night top story with time yamas weeknights at seven on nbc news now back now with top story back now with top story's global watch and we begin with an update on tropical storm of freddie which we've been covering here for weeks now at least 60 60 people killed in malawi after freddie made landfall for a second

time the storm is now officially the longest lasting most energetic cyclone in world history. More than 100 people have been killed across multiple countries since the cyclone first formed back on February 6th. And the Colombian military seizing a submarine with an estimated $80 million worth of cocaine on board. The Navy releasing video of the ship, which they say contained not only 3,600 kilos of cocaine, but also two dead bodies. Authorities believe a toxic fume leak on board the drug smuggling vessel caused their deaths. Two surviving crew members were also found on board the ship and were taken to a hospital for treatment. And in South Korea tonight, a massive fire breaking out at a tire factory. In fact, we have video just in from

Dajon, South Korea. It shows flames raging through the building and black smoke rising into that sky, at least five workers rushed to a hospital for smoke inhalation. Nearby neighborhoods also evacuated as strong winds caused that smoke to spread. Coming up, the magical moments at the highly anticipated Oscars. All the big acting winners once thought they were shut out of Hollywood have now have comeback stories to their names.

Stick around. Finally tonight, history at Sunday's Academy Awards. Everything everywhere, all at once, cementing itself with seven wins, including Best Picture. NBC News now at anchor Joe Fryer, has more on that big groundbreaking night.

The 95th Academy Awards packed a punch, or perhaps more of a counter punch, right from the start. If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year. Nothing. Host Jimmy Kimmel took time throughout the broadcast to reference last year's drama, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Hopefully this time it goes off without a hitch, or at least without hitch. You're not unlovable. This year's headlines are focused on the heartfelt sci-fi movie Everything Everywhere all at once, which dominated the night with seven awards, including Best Picture.

This award is ours. The movie's success, a watershed moment for Asian Americans in film, a story that quickly connected with audiences across the academy. Michelle Yo. The film star Michelle Yo became the first Asian woman to win best actress, and just the second person of color to win in that category. The first since Hallie Barry won for Monster's Ball more than 20 years ago. Barry was on stage to present Yo with her statue during the history-making moment. For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope.

Yo also thanked her mom who was celebrating the win from Malaysia. I have to dedicate this to my mom, all the moms. in the world, because they are really the superheroes. Also grabbing Oscar's glory, Yo's co-stars, with Jamie Lee Curtis, a child of Hollywood, winning her first Oscar. We just won an Oscar together. And former child star Kihei Keehu I Kwan

kept his remarkable comeback story, winning best supporting actor. I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow I ended up here on high. It's all of its biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it's happening to me. This, this is the American dream. The genre-bending film is just the third movie to land three acting Oscars,

joining 1951's A Streetcar Name Desire in 1976's Network. The other winner, Best Lead Actor Brendan Fraser, prevailing for his performance in the whale in a year defined by career comebacks. I started in this business 30 years ago, and things, they didn't come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn't appreciate at the time until it stopped. And I just want to say thank you. The four acting winners, each representing decades of work in what can be a fickle industry, A note highlighted by the heartwarming reunion between Kwan and presenter Harrison Ford.

39 years after Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. That's just one of the show's many poignant moments. The wife of Russian political dissident Alexei Navalny spoke on behalf of her imprisoned husband. My husband is in prison just for telling the truth. There were also monumental wins. Dance hit Natu Natu became the first song from an Indian film to win best original song, beating pop icons, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. And Ruth E. Carter became the first black woman to win two Oscars,

triumphing for her costume design in Black Panther, Wakanda forever, taking time to remember her late mother. This past week, Mabel Carter became an ancestor. Night honoring motherhood, perseverance, and firsts, with Jimmy Kimmel slipping in one last laugh before closing the curtain. Joe Fryer, NBC News. A night of so many well-deserved firsts. Well, thanks so much for watching, Top Story for Tom Yama. I'm Morgan Chesky. And up next, a big first we're all very excited about.

Stay tuned now with Gotti Schwartz gets its start right now and will be on at 8 p.m. every night after Top Story. Good luck, Gotti. We know you to do a great job. job. Go get him.