Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, March 23, 2026

Episode Date: March 24, 2026

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight the deadly crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport. Two pilots killed and dozens injured after an Air Canada jet collided with a firefighting truck, and we've just learned the runway will be closed for days. Horrific video of the moment that jet plows right into the truck just after landing. A flight attendant found ejected hundreds of feet away still in her jump seat. Chaos on board as the plane ended up suspended upright. Passengers climbing off the wing. the apparent admission from the air traffic controller saying, quote, I messed up, but why was a

controller handling two jobs at once? Also tonight, the controversial move ICE agents deployed to airports across the country. Can they do anything to ease long security lines? President Trump walking back his threat to strike Iran's power plan, citing new talks to end the war, but Iran says there are no negotiations, our new reporting on where it all stands. DHS saying the suspect accused of killing a college freshman was in the country illegally, the outrage from her parents tonight and how police tracked him down. Newly released body camp footage shows Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest what he told officers when he was pulled over and handcuffed. Fireball streaking across the night sky, this meteorite crashing through a Texas home, leaving a crater in the floor.

And the incredible moment this medical student gets accepted into her dream residency at Yale, where she once worked as a janitor. Plus, the comeback show for K-pop sensation, BTS, falls short. Isn't a sign of waning interest in the boy band? Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with that deadly collision between a passenger jet and a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Two pilots dead, dozens injured. And we've just learned new details from the NTSB, including that the runway will be closed for days. Surveillance video capturing the moment the air can't flight slams right into the truck on the runway just before midnight last night. The nose of the jet, you see it here, completely mangled. The entire plane tilted on its back. Port Authority officials say 41 people were hospitalized, some with serious injuries. The Air Canada pilot and co-pilot both killed. Video taken by a passenger shows an up-close look at the wreckage.

NTSB investigators now on the scene and were learning tonight that the air traffic controller in the tower was working two jobs at once. You'll hear the panic moments from the control tower moments after the crash. The controller saying, quote, I messed up. All of LaGuardia shut down for hours. It's back up and running tonight after hundreds of cancellations and delays. The deadly crash comes as travelers across the country, already facing hours-long wait times and spiraling TSA lines. Now tonight, hundreds of ice agents sent to airports across the country as the partial government shutdown presses on. We're covering it all tonight, and NBC San Brock leads us off from LaGuardia Airport.

Tonight, an excruciating first look at the collision at LaGuardia Airport. You can see this Air Canada Express Regional Jet coming down the runway, then about two-thirds of the way down, plowing into a Port Authority Rescue and firefighting vehicle. Slamming into it so hard, it cheered off the aircraft's nose, killing the two pilots. They just lifted in the air. About 40 people were taken to the hospital, including Joe and his fiance Payton. We're jolted forward, but immediately maybe a second or two later, it felt like a crash, these two pilots who unfortunately lost their lives did everything in their power to

stop the plane and slow it down at the very last minute when they saw the fire truck there. He took this video moments after getting off the plane. You can see people climbing out on the wing. Air traffic control recordings revealed the truck had just requested permission to cross runway four, trying to make its way to another plane that had just declared an emergency because of an odor on board. Truck one company with already power requesting to cross four at Delta. A controller giving the go ahead. Truck one in company crossing four at Delta.

Then seconds later, this urgent plea. And later in the recording, this. Now, man, he did the best you could. Jack Cabot was sitting in seat 18A. The really scary moment was when the plane tipped from being, it was nose in the ground on the original photos that you'll see. And then it kind of like the front of the plane fell off. and then that caused the weight imbalance to kind of shoot the plane up.

And there was people exiting the plane as that was happening. The NTSB and FAA, both on the ground investigating. As two sources tell NBC news, the controller at LaGuardia was doing two positions at the time of the accident, managing aircraft in the rainy sky, as well as planes and vehicles on the ground, something that's common later at night with less traffic. They've been able to at least verify that the cockpit voice recorder was not damaged. LaGuardia reopening one of its two runways this afternoon. But the impact on air travel was massive.

More than 700 flights canceled and a flight information board filled with red. As incredible survivor stories surface, like the two port authority officers driving the fire truck who were expected to make a full recovery. And a flight attendant who was ejected from the plane and found in her jump seat about 300 feet away, according to her daughter. And with that, Sam Brock joins us tonight from LaGuardia Airport. Sam, we just can still see the plane there behind you. And we heard from the NTSB about how long. that runway could remain closed?

Yeah, that's absolutely correct. The FAA says the runway behind me is going to be closed at least until Friday. That's another four or five days of reduced capacity here at LaGuardia. But how bizarre, how sobering is this? The fact that you have the mangled aircraft that is still out there right now on the tarmac and all these flights at LaGuardia from the other runway have to keep business moving. So passengers are flying directly over it as they try to resume some sense of normalcy here. I'll also add Jennifer Homandy, who is the chair of the NTSB,

just wrapped up a press conference. She said that they had to drill a hole in the top of that aircraft and go in, and they were able to retrieve the cockpit voice recorder and also the flight data recorder. That's going to be going to Washington, D.C. now, Tom, to see if it's viable. Hamondi also said, do we know how many people, what the staffing was like at the air traffic control tower? Yes, we do.

Do we know how many positions they were assuming? Yes, we do. Are we going to tell you? No, we are. not because that's information that we need to continue to collect and verify. So key questions, obviously. Secretary Duffy didn't answer them, and tonight neither did Chair Hamidie. Yeah, the investigation ongoing, but I'm sure that will all come to light. Sam, we thank you for that. With the news of that one air traffic controller doing two jobs last night, there are new questions, as you can

imagine, about whether that contributed to this crash amid a 3,000 person shortage of air traffic controllers in the U.S. I want to bring in NBC's Tom Costell's. He's been tracking everything tonight for us. Tom, do we know if the shortage yet played a role in last night's crash? I know we just heard from Sam there, but what do you understand? The short answer is no, but it's an important question because the FAA has been struggling for years with a shortage of air traffic controllers nationwide. We've been reporting it for years, and the agency is trying to ramp up hiring, but Transportation Secretary Duffy says Liguardia is actually well-staffed. It has 34 of 37 air traffic controllers working and those positions are filled. And while one controller,

was handling two jobs. Veteran controllers tell us that's not necessarily bad and not unusual late on a Sunday night. But of course, it was just over a year ago that we had the mid-air crash at Reagan National Airport blamed in part on the fact that there was one controller doing two jobs. By the way, Tom, importantly, the FAA not impacted

by the partial government shutdown that is affecting Homeland Security. Air traffic controllers are getting paid. They are working. It is completely separate from what's happening with the TSA. But this is so wild, right? Because you mentioned the TSA. We've been covering those long lines at TSA checkpoints. We're going to hear from Jesse Kirsch in a moment. It even impacted an NTSB specialist trying to get to New York. Yeah, that's right. So there's an NTSB specialist

on the ground in Houston. She had a three-hour wait in Houston and just missed her flight. Wasn't able to get on the plane because of that line alone. And then separately, as you know, New York Airspace was an absolute mess today. I tried. ride for hours to fly into New York. I'm in Miami right by the way on a different shoot. Could not get into New York because LaGuardia was shut down. Newark and JFK were a mess. Philadelphia was also pretty much sold out. So this has had a really big impact on New York airspace. And as you heard from Sam, it will be most of the week. Yeah. And as you're there in Miami reporting for us, I know you're tracking another plane crash this time in Columbia. And there's some

devastating images that are coming out of that country. Yeah, that's right. So this was a Colombian Air Force C-130 that crashed after takeoff in the southern Amazon region. 125 people on board. The military is reporting 71 people have, in fact, been rescued, but dozens at this hour are on account of four. We're told at least one person has died, but this is an early investigation. Of course, the C-130 is an American-built military plane. Tom.

Okay, Tom, Costell for us, Tom, thank you. Now, to those massive security lines we were just talking about at airports all across the country, the Trump administration, sending ICE agents into dozens of of airports and TSA feels the strain of the ongoing partial government shutdown as it has been for weeks. NBC's Jesse Kirsch has a story. Tonight from Chicago's O'Hare to Atlanta and Houston, some seeing hours-long security lines. It's ridiculous. And tonight a new twist, the Trump administration sending hundreds of ice agents in hopes of speeding things up. They'll do great. And if that's not enough, I'll bring in the

National Guard. Thousands of unpaid TSA officers have called out sick, with the Department of Homeland Security now not fully funded for over a month. Ice agents sent to roughly a dozen airports so far. It makes you nervous, and you just wonder why they're here and what they're doing. I appreciate them working. I feel bad for the TSA people not getting paid. A senior ICE official tells NBC News, agents can help check IDs and handle crowd control, but they're not trained on X-ray machines. In Atlanta, we saw ICE agents helping this woman into a wheelchair. The only fix is if there's another group of federal employees that are certified to process passengers as the TSA is.

Ice seeming to have little impact on the morning rush here. Typically, you want to give yourself about two hours at the airport in case you run into a line. But if you think this looks bad, these people are in the same line and it stretches to baggage claim. And that line doesn't end until it reaches the other end of the other end of the airport. terminal and spills onto the sidewalk. And tonight, President Trump also saying he's asked ICE agents at airports to not wear masks. I'm a big believer that they should be able to wear a mask when they go and hunt down, you know, murderous criminals and others.

But for purposes of the airport, I've requested that they take off the mask. Meanwhile, this woman was arrested by ICE Sunday at San Francisco's airport. DHS says she's from Guatemala, had a deportation order signed by a judge, and tried to flee, as officers were deporting her. DHS saying the incident was unrelated to efforts to help TSA. Tom, the GM says the only quick fix is finding a way to pay TSA because it can take months for those officers to be fully trained and they are the only federal officers fully certified to screen the flying public. Tom. Okay, Jesse Kirsch, where it's a little slower tonight there. All right, Jesse, thank you. Now to President Trump's decision to walk back his threat to strike Iran's

power plants citing positive talks with the Iranian regime. But Iran is denying any negotiations. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez explains. Amid new attacks in the war against Iran, tonight President Trump is telling the Pentagon to postpone by five days more serious strikes against Iran's energy infrastructure after surprised negotiations. We have major points of agreement. I would say almost all points of agreement. A major change in tone after the president's Saturday threatened to obliterate Iran's power plants that the country did not reopen the crucial straight of or moose within 48 hours. Now, we're doing a five-day period.

We'll see how that goes. And if it goes well, we're going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we'll just keep bombing our little hearts out. But multiple Iranian officials publicly claim there have been no direct talks. The president saying his special envoy, Steve Whitkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, are speaking with the Iranian regime, though he would not say with whom. I can't. Mr. President, I know you've deployed.

because I don't want them to be killed. The president today touting the progress on a trip to Memphis. I think there's a very good chance we're going to end up in a deal. Even stopping to tour Elvis's Graceland and signing a replica guitar. A temporary de-escalation sending the Dow up more than 600 points. The price of crude oil plummeting to around $88 a barrel down for more than 100 overnight. While the president also says he expects any deal could. mean the Strait of Hormuz would be jointly controlled.

By who? Maybe me. Maybe me. Maybe me. Me and the Ayatollah, whoever the Ayatollah is, whoever the next Ayatollah, look. And there'll also be a form of a very serious form of a regime change. NBC senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez joins us tonight live from the White House. Gabe, President Trump says there's progress in the talks, right? Iran says the talks aren't even happening.

So what happens after the end of this five-day period? Well, Tom, the White House telling me late today, this is a fluid situation. And though we have no confirmation from the Iranians, the president says that they have agreed to hand over their stockpiles of enriched uranium. He says if there's a deal, the U.S. will go and quote, take it ourselves. But again, the White House says this is very fluid. We have no concrete information about whether there could be talks over the next several days, no confirmation of where they might be. The White House is saying that that special envoy, of course, Steve Whitkoff, and the President's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are involved in all this.

But again, Tom, as of now, so much of this remains up in the air, and it's not clear what will happen at the end of these five days. All right, Gabe Gutierrez with some new reporting there. Gabe, thank you. To Hawaii now, where historic floods have swept away homes and left entire communities underwater. And at this hour, the state is dealing with the threat of mudslides after the worst floods to hit the region in decades.

Steve Patterson is on the ground for us tonight with his team. Oh, shit. Tonight, Hawaii reeling and now the fear of mudslides. Recovering from a days-long deluge, surging floodwaters, sweeping through neighborhoods across the Aloha State, and ripping away homes like this one, the living room turning into a rushing river. This house, blown away by strong winds and falling into the wall of water below.

We need to go. We need to go. Families finding everything they own underwater. Now communities are cleaning up with their new reality slowly settling in. We met Farron Bernan and her family, who say they had to be rescued on surfboards, their home unrecognizable. What is it like to see this home now? It's devastating. This is our family home.

And to see it like this, it's destroyed. As the cleanup continues, Shum Hirshay, the local government has to be a lot of the government has to hasn't been doing enough. What happened to us was pretty inexcusable. No sirens, no nothing until like two in the morning, that was way too late. Officials hearsay sirens were activated a little after 4 a.m. But residents say that was five hours too late. All right. And with that, Steve Patterson joins us now live from Wailua on Oahu. Steve, we can see the cleanup situation there behind you. Give our viewers a sense of what's happening right now and this threat tonight about mudslides. Yeah, Tom, first things first, the rain is back, the hood is back on, but I can show you there's a huge cleanup effort on the ground.

These are neighbors, these are volunteers, these are union members. They're grabbing rakes. They're grabbing hoses. They're grabbing shovels and they are trying to clean as much of this community out as they possibly can before as you mentioned because the ground is so saturated, especially the hillsides, which you can't see above us. Any time you get a ground that saturated, there is always the risk, the possibility of mudslides. the new threat, the new warning from the state and local government. But the governor saying everything, for the most part, is back in business. It's just a matter of cleanup, and that's going to take some time. Tom? All right, Steve, Paterson, his team there, right in the thick of all of it.

All right, Steve, we thank you for that. We're back in a moment tonight with the latest on the search for Nancy Guthrie. Why investigators zeroed in on a day weeks before she disappeared. Plus, the new details in that deadly shooting near a college campus, what we're learning about the suspect accused of gunning down in 18-year-old. year old student. He was in this country illegally and more dazzling scenes in the sky. The big fireballs flying over cities causing a little chaos for some communities. That's ahead on top story. We're back down with the latest on the search for Nancy Guthrie, now entering its eighth week.

Tonight we're learning why investigators have been asking neighbors for footage from 20 days before the abduction. Here's Liz Kreutz. Tonight for the first time, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos explaining the significance of January 11th. A date three weeks prior to Nancy Guthrie's abduction that neighbors say investigators have specifically been asking about during their search and that the Guthrie family also noted as a key day and a new statement shared over the weekend. The sheriff tells NBC News the date initially came from Google, the owner of Nest, which has been helping retrieve images from Nancy's doorbell camera. He says the company initially told investigators that this surveillance image of the suspect were unlike in the others, he does not appear to be wearing a backpack, was taken on that day. But Nana says Google later took that back and said they actually could not definitively peg the photo to January 11th or any specific day. He says it's for that reason he has maintained that it's still unclear if the suspect visited Nancy's home prior to the kidnapping on February 1st.

He may have and was still looking into that. I just can't say with any clarity that, oh yes, on this day, this time he was there. NBC News has reached out to Google but not heard back. The FBI has also not commented. on the timeline. It's now been 51 days since Nancy disappeared. In that new statement, Savannah and her family saying in part, we desperately asked this community for renewed attention to our mom's case. No detail is too small. It may be the key. We miss our mom with every breath, and we cannot be in peace until she is home. And we, of course, are always thinking about the Guthrie family. Liz Kreutz joins us now. Liz, the family is really asking people to look deep into their communications. Explain that.

Yeah, so in that statement, Tom, it was really notable. It's specifically a statement geared towards the Tucson community. And in it, the Guthrie's say, we believe it is the Tucson community and the greater Southern Arizona community that ultimately will hold the key to finding a resolution in this case, meaning the family must believe that whoever is behind that is from that area. And they specifically say, we are asking this community for this renewed attention to consult camera footage, journal notes, text messages, observations or conversations that in retrospect may be significant to dig deep into your memory, they say. And in that statement is where they specifically say, please think back to the weekend of the abduction,

January 31st and February 1st, and then they also note, Tom, January 11th. And then, Liz, you know, people may be watching your report and trying to understand what the sheriff was saying, even trying to understand what Google was saying. At the end of the day, is January 11th, still significant? Tom, that is still an unknown. It could be. It could not be. It's an unsatisfying answer. But we at least now know the origin of where this date came from

and why investigators were at all interested in this date. And according to the sheriff, it literally came from Google that has been helping retrieve the footage. They were the ones that initially, as they were going through this painstaking process to try to recover video footage, they thought they found a date affiliated with, that image, January 11th, that is what they initially told investigators. But then according to the

sheriff, they then backtracked and said, actually, you know what, we cannot give any date or timestamp. And we should say the only reason we know any of those images were taken on February 1st is simply because you can see the suspect take down the camera and that then lines up with when the camera goes offline so they can deduce that most of those images were at least from February 1st, Tom. Liz, Croix, explaining it all for us. Liz, we thank you for that. We want to turn to some stunning videos of meteors streaking through the sky, and this time in Texas and California. A piece of one even crashing into a woman's home. Priscilla Thompson has more.

This ball of fire streaking across the night sky. The latest in a string of stellar sightings seen here overnight in California. Whoa! And Space City living up to its name. Did y'all see that? With this one Saturday afternoon in Houston. It's going to be an explosion. The meteor hour and missile solar.

the sky. Traveling at 35,000 miles per hour, NASA says. It's where it came in at. Part of it crashing through this woman's roof, leaving a massive crater. The meteor was about three feet in diameter, NASA says, and weighed about a ton before it broke apart in the sky, sending researchers and hunters alike to this park, searching for fragments. Yeah, so it found two meteorites this morning. So how does it feel?

I was very excited. You know, it's very exciting to find it and know that you're holding something that just two days ago was in space. Three galactic spectacles in the past week, experts say. What the fuck was that? This in Ohio. The size of the meteor is pretty big. You can see the fireball more easily. And out of this world experience that one need only look up to see.

And with more of these sightings, a few things to know. Experts say that this material is not radioactive, so you're okay to touch it. And if you find it on public or you. your property, you can even keep it. But if you donate all or part of it to science, researchers will give your meteorite a name. Tom? Oh, very cool. Good to know. All right, Priscilla, we thank you. Still to come tonight, the fiery attack on a group of ambulances in London, why it's now been investigated as an anti-Semitic hate crime. Plus, the expanding recall at Trader Joe's more than 10 million pounds of frozen food now at risk what shoppers need to know.

But first, top story's top moment in a special anniversary celebration, Aurora was working behind the counter at a Walmart in Kansas when her husband Daniel came to surprise her to celebrate their 46 years of marriage and look what happened. Beautiful music there in the bakery section.

Daniel and Aurora say the secret to a successful marriage is patience and forgiveness. All right. Happy anniversary to those two. Looks like the romance is still going. Stay with us. More top story on the way. We're back now with an update in the killing of Sheridan Gorman, the Loyola University Chicago freshman who was shot and killed last week.

Tonight, a 25-year-old man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder. I want to bring in NBC Shaquille Brewster who's been following this case for us. And, Shaq, we're learning tonight that the suspect is a Venezuelan migrant. Walk us through how police say they tracked him down. Yeah, that's exactly right, Tom. And, you know, the Chicago police use a lot of quick investigatory work to come to the conclusion and to get and track down this suspect. We're learning a lot about it in the arrest records that have been filed in court.

So remember, this is something that took place at about 1 a.m. on Thursday. That's when police say the suspect shot Sharon and Gorman. And witnesses at the time described the suspect. as wearing all black, having a mask, and according to these documents, he walked with a limp and quote, a very distinct and slow gate. Now, police use video evidence from multiple buildings in the area to essentially track down where he lived, then showed that video to the building manager, and that's how they were actually able to pin this subject down, even using his name, putting his name into a Border Patrol

database. Now, the Department of Homeland Security, they're firing out at Chicago's leaders saying that this is a result of failed policies and saying that this is someone who entered the United States in 2023 was apprehended and released, and then a month later was again apprehended for shoplifting arrest. Leaders here on the ground, including a spokesperson for Governor Pritzker, saying that the White House is essentially politicizing what is a tragedy, but you're expecting this back and forth to continue, and you can expect it to only increase, Tom. Yeah, I mean, besides the politics, you can understand what the parents are thinking, and I know the

family of Sheridan Gorman is speaking out after the arrest tonight. What are they saying? Yeah, you can imagine just how heartbroken they are. They're releasing a statement. Saying that, one, they're kind of reserving judgment and not going to say much until she's brought back home, until they can lay her to rest. But I want you to look at a bit of the statement that they're saying, they say we are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in position to commit this crime when systems fail, whether through, police decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act, the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are very permanent. Last week, they described her as someone

who lived with a kind heart, who walked in faith. This is an unimaginable loss for this family. And you can just tell how much they're grieving right now, especially considering that this is a loss that's being put right in between and right in the middle of this political debate, Tom. Terrible for her and terrible for the family in that Loyola Chicago community. Thank you. Time for Top Stories News Feed. We start in London where four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire. British police say they're now investigating the attacks, as in anti-Semitic hate crime. Surveillance video shows three people walking up to the vehicles just moments before they went up in flames. We're told nobody was hurt and that no suspects have been arrested.

Back here at home, the Supreme Court hearing arguments in cases over mail-in ballots that could have major implications for the midterms. The main issue? Whether states should be allowed to count ballots, that are mailed on time but arrive after election date. Overall, the court's conservative justices appeared skeptical of state laws that allow late arriving mail ballots to be counted. A ruling is likely to come in by late June. A massive recall of popular frozen foods from Trader Joe's now expanding. A new FDA memo warns nearly 10 million pounds of the vegetable fried rice could contain glass

and are being pulled from shelves in more than 40 states. It comes just weeks after Shoe My dumplings and other, fried rice products were also recalled. And a stellar weekend at the box office for Project Hail Mary. Ryan Gosling's sci-fi epic bringing in more than 80 million bucks, making it the largest debut for a movie this year. It also scored a record opening for the Amazon MGM Studio and the second biggest opening for a non-franchise movie behind only Oppenheimer. Now to the Americas and the NBC News exclusive interview with Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister. He spoke with our colleague Kristen Welker on Meet the Press this week and making a number of headlines,

including that the Cuban military is preparing for possibly a, quote, aggression from the U.S. Here to break down more on what he said, we have our expert panel tonight for Top Story. Rosa Maria Paya, she's a Cuban activist for freedom and human rights. Nora Games Torres, she's a U.S. and Latin American policy reporter for the Miami Herald and Nuevo Herald, and Paul Johnson, co-chair of the United States Agriculture Coalition for Cuba, which pushes for more agricultural trade between the two countries and who recently just got back from the country. I thank you all for being here.

I'm going to start with a very important question. Kristen Welker asked that deputy foreign minister. Let's listen in. Let's talk about what changes you would potentially be willing to make to save your country. The embargo with the U.S. ends if Cuba does three things. Schedule elections, recognize political parties, unions, and a free press, and release all political prisoners. commit to any of those steps, Mr. Deputy Foreign Minister, in order to save your country?

Let me be clear. We are in dialogue with the United States to talk about bilateral issues. We're not talking about prisoners in the United States, and the U.S. has the highest record of prisoners in the world. But we're talking about political prisoners. We're not talking about political prisoners. Or constitutional system. Well, the United States has a huge amount of people that are in jail for whatever reasons, but that have strong political positions. If we're talking about political positions, we're not talking about those in the case of the United States. In Cuba, we're not talking about prisoners in our negotiation with the United States. It's a domestic issue of Cuba.

It is not a bilateral issue with the United States. And the U.S. knows it. But there are many, many important issues of a bilateral nature that should and could be discussed between Cuba and the United States for the benefits of both countries. And that is what we are ready to engage with in conversations with the government of the United States. So Rosa Maria, I'm going to start with you. It seemed like the former minister, the deputy foreign minister, completely dodged the question. He didn't want to even open the possibility of sort of those three benchmarks that are needed for the embargo.

And again, again, to release the political prisoners, to schedule elections, to recognize political parties and labor unions and a free press. Why can't Cuba even entertain those? Explain to our viewers. the Cuban regime is incompatible with that reality. And that's why we are seeing the civic mobilization that we are experiencing in the island. Since the summer of 2021, protest hasn't stopped in Cuba. During the last weeks, every night there are cities in Cuba protesting. And the demand is very clear. The demand is an end to the regime, freedom, a transition process. The regime has said once and again that they are not ready to do that.

So that the solution is very clear. The only way out, the only way to end the humanitarian catastrophe that is taking place in Cuba is the end of the regime. And that's why you see the people protesting in the streets. That's why the position and civic organizations are organized and united behind a plan to lead that transition to be able to have free, fair, and multi-party elections. And that's also why we welcome the pressure from the U.S. Nora, what's your understanding of what these negotiations are about? There's been a lot of reporting by various news organizations, including our own,

about what's at stake here and what Secretary of State Marco Rubio is trying to get done. What is your understanding? Well, we know from our reporting that the Trump administration has told Cuba, that, for example, Cuba's handpicked President Miguel Diazcanal had to leave. It was an obstacle for the agreements. So far, we haven't seen a crack on Cuba's leadership. We also know that there were some offers for economic deals, also humanitarian aid, and a request that Cuba, of course, would have to make significant reforms.

We haven't seen that. And I'm really, I mean, it was expected. Many experts warned about this, but it was still a little bit surprising, seeing the Vice, the Deputy Foreign Minister, not taking the chance to pitch some reforms. Yeah, no, it was interesting. There was no olive branches extended there. As I had mentioned earlier, Paul, you've just returned from Cuba.

You're somebody who wants to open relations. so people can trade, especially farmers, if I'm correct. I hope I've characterized that correctly for you. You were there. What did you learn and what is missing from this debate from what you've seen with your eyes? Well, I think we all want the same things. We all want to see more freedom in Cuba.

We want to see the political prisoners released. I think it's also important to understand how we engage Cuba. The more we insist, the more they resist. But there is some common ground. I think it's important to start there, and then we can start tackling some of the larger historical issues. And part of the common ground, it seems to me that both sides are agreeing on is economic development. And from my perspective, economic development is freedom.

So if we can give some more business opportunities for folks here in the United States and the new private sector in Cuba, I think that will go a long way for them to begin developing their own country, the way that they see fit. So our point of view here is to increase trade, bilateral trade. So focus just on agriculture. The situation is dire in Cuba. The ration system that most Cubans are dependent on doesn't exist anymore. Maybe they offer bread, but nothing more.

Your average Cuban now is dependent on the private sector to supply them food. And with the lack of fuel, that's sort of. certainly makes it more challenging for them. Not only to get the food into their homes, but on the production side as well. We've seen some agriculture production that's been that's set in some historical lows, which is certainly concerning. You've been there before, from what I understand, how much worse is it now than your other trips? I've never seen it this bad. The first time I was there was in 1995, when Cuba was just coming out of the special period, as they called it.

I've talked to a lot of people about this. I think everyone's agreement that it hasn't been this bad for as long as I can remember. It's not just the food situation, but obviously there's blackouts and everything that that impacts, water, hospitals are in dire conditions. So, yeah, it's as bad as I've ever seen it. Paul, explain this to me. You're somebody who wants to do business with Cuba. How would you get paid if the country,

right now has no no money, no credit, no capital? Well, we have a law here in the United States called the Trade Sanction Reform and Export Enhancement Act that was passed about 25 years ago that allows us to export food to Cuba legally. And part of the stipulation to do that as we receive cash in advance. So that business is doing fairly well, although it could do a lot better. The United States agricultural exporters did $480 million of food exports to Cuba last year. And Cuba, even though it's a small country, represents an important country for our

U.S. agricultural producers. It's the third largest importer of poultry meat. So it's the third and most important market for our poultry producers. It could be the top three markets for our rice producers, and so on and so forth. So to answer your question, we have a law in place that allows us to export food, and we get paid in cash before. they take possession of those goods. And those payments are still coming in? It's actually been interesting to watch because, you know, what, five years ago when we exported food, there was only one buyer in town, which was the government.

And now that's changed because the government doesn't have any money, but now they have a private sector, and now we've seen that this new private sector is responsible for about 70% of all the imports into their country. And yes, the private sector in Cuba does have access to capital. And that's why they're buying it now. I want to play another portion of the interview. I'm going to ask our fine director, Brett Hohley, here, to run the third clip from Kristen's interview with the deputy foreign minister. President Trump says he believes that Cuba will collapse on its own. Is your country currently in a state of collapse?

What does on its own mean when it's being forced by the United States? It's a very bizarre statement. And it's claimed by most U.S. politicians repeatedly that Cuba will collapse on its own. Then why does the U.S. government need to employ so many resources, so much political capital, so many human resources to try to destroy the economy of another country? Evidently, it implies that the country does not have the characteristics to collapse on its own. But is your country in a state of collapse, Mr. Deputy Foreign Minister? It is not in a state of collapse.

We're being as creative as possible. We're mustering all our creativity, our ingenuity, to try to find ways in which we can cope with the reality that we did not choose, of which we are not responsible, and that would help our people go through this with the least pain possible. But pain is there, have no doubt. And a quick reminder here and a fact check to our viewers, even though the U.S. does have an embargo with Cuba,

other countries have been open up until this oil embargo to trade with Cuba, to do business in Cuba. And a lot of countries do do business in Cuba, but some have found that once they do business in Cuba, the money comes in it never comes back out. Prosa Maria, I do want to ask you about the situation right now in Cuba. What are you hearing from your friends and family on the island? That maybe in the house of this particular representative of the dictatorship, the lights are on, but in the rest of the country, people have to survive with... maybe if they are lucky, two hours of power in a day.

There are not medicines. There are no access to food for the most part of the families. The data that has been coming out from the island says that the most part of the families have to skip one, if not two meals a day. Every day, the situation is catastrophic. And it didn't start it in January 3rd. It has been like that for years now, actually, between 2021 and 24, the regime acknowledged, the number is probably larger, but the regime acknowledged that the population decreased

in 1.6 million people. That's not only the people that fled. That's also the people who die. And that number itself talks about a humanitarian crisis, a humanitarian catastrophe. is provoked by the Cuban regime. And just one more note, I think that we all can agree that there cannot be free enterprises if you do not have free people. And that's what we do not have in Cuba.

And economic reform without real freedom, without political reform is another trap. We can't know that trap very well was the same trick that they pulled during the administration of President Obama, and this time the Cuban people are very clear. We want to change the system toward democracy. We want basic human rights. That's the way in which we can overcome this crisis. Nora, before we go, a lot of people have been tracking a Russian oil tanker that was headed towards Cuba. I think it is since diverted to a different island. There is that oil embargo right now, and I think some of the estimates are that Cuba will run out of oil. I think it's within weeks. They're suffering right now with an energy crisis. What do we know

about that Russian tanker? What happened to it? Well, actually, there were two tankers carrying Russian oil. One already diverted and went to another Korean island. But there's one that is still in the Atlantic, which is actually a Russian-owned tanker who is reportedly heading to Cuba with about 800,000 barrels. We're watching whether, you know, like the tanker is able to approach the Caribbean where there's still a significant military presence, U.S. military presence. So I think for Cuba, the question about getting oil is going to have like a big impact also in the talks with the United States. We have seen the change in tone. They have hardened the tone. And, We don't know if that's because perhaps they think they're going to get some external aid that would allow them to survive.

We're going to have to wait and see. Guys, this has been a fantastic panel. It's been honest, informative, and very civil. So I thank all of you. Rosa Maria Paya, Paul Johnson, and Nora Games Torres. We thank you. When we come back tonight, two major headlines out of the music world, body camera footage. And we're going to take a turn here, obviously, of Justin Timberlake.

and his DWI arrest released what he's heard saying to officers about his world tour. Plus, BTS is back, but our K-pop fans still clamoring to see them while turn out at their big show in Seoul since stocks tumbling. We're going to explain. Stay with us. We are back now with newly released Body Camp footage showing music superstar Justin Timberlake during his 2024 DWI arrest. The singer's seen struggling to walk in a straight line before being cuffed and taken to a police station. NBC's Chloe Malas tonight with that video.

What do you visit him? Yeah, I'm on tour. What are you doing? I'm on the world tour. These are the moments global superstar Justin Timberlake did not want the world to see. So the reason for it stops is because you're keeping veering off to the left and then you're not

stopping at the stop signs. Yeah, sorry about that. Body cam footage from Timberlake's June 2024 DWI arrest shows officers approaching his vehicle. just after midnight in the affluent beachside town of Sag Harbor, New York. What's your name? Justin Timberlake. You are Justin Timberlake. The singer's seen stumbling, slurring his words, and struggling to complete a series of field sobriety tests.

Are your left foot on the line? Yep. You're going to have your right foot in front of your left. You look at the top. And then just walk. I'm sorry. I'm... I'm...

I'm a little nervous. By the way, these are like... These are like really hard tests. Timberlake arrested. arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Just turn around for me, please. A woman and apparent friend of Timberlakes, tries to intervene. Can you guys please just do me a favor?

Because you loved bye, bye, bye, you're like sexy bad. Like, do me one favor. More footage shows Timberlake cuffed to a table at the police station before being taken to a cell. 30. All night? It might not be this one. You might be over at the other one,

and they actually have blankets for it. Yeah, that's a wild man. Earlier this month, Timberlake sued the village of Sag Harbor, trying to block this video's release. But both sides came to a settlement to allow portions of what happened that night to be made public. I had one martini and I followed my friends home. In 2024, Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, saying this outside of court. This is a mistake that I made, but I'm hoping that whoever's watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake.

Justin Timberlake was ordered to pay a $500 fine and ordered to do 25 hours of community service for a charity of his choosing. Tom. Chloe, thank you. And Global Phenomenon, BTS facing the music tonight after turnout for their big comeback concert fell short. The K-pop superstars reuniting for the first time in nearly four years for a performance in Seoul ahead of a global world tour. Officials telling the New York Times that attendance numbers did not even meet half of the expected 260,000 concert goers. And the lack of excitement is proving to be bad for business.

BTS parent company, Hyde, seeing shares fall more than 15% today. So is the BTS comeback a bust? Let's bring in business and data correspondent Brian Chung. Brian, I can remember a short time ago you could not say anything bad about BTS because they were so intouchable. It was going to light up on social media. They were so incredible. So what happened here?

Yeah, well, I mean, first off, the expectations may have been set too high. Again, that 260,000 number was reportedly floated around. by the local government because of this massive concert that was held a huge concert. I mean a whole million people again this was a concert that was going to be held in a public square in Seoul of course the capital of South Korea and there were a lot of questions over logistically how that was going to be possible it seems like as of the reporting that there was only about a hundred and four thousand people that actually showed up I should point out that the actual but wait more

than a hundred thousand people showed up still pretty good people still impressive but that is less than half of perhaps what was expected apparently There were a lot of local businesses in the area that said we were preparing for a quarter million people and only over 100,000 people showed up. But again, it was live streamed on Netflix. BTS being back after almost four years of a hiatus because of military service. It's a big deal. People around the world are so. And they were unstoppable, man, when they were at the top.

So can we draw anything about the world tour or do people think it's going to be a very successful world tour? Yeah. And again, the reason why there was so much focus on this particular concert, of course, BTS hosting it in their home country was because it's this kickoff to this huge world tour that they're going to. have nationwide, 82 shows around the world starting in April. In fact, BTS is actually going to come here to 30 Raka later on this week. But now, nonetheless, it is still, of course, a question over whether or not those tickets will sell. Tom, I can tell you, those tickets have sold. Some of the shows here in the New York metro area are going for almost $1,000. So people are buying up those tickets for this new album, Ari Rang, is what it's called. And it seems like the hype

is still very much. Very, very talented group of guys. All right, Brian, we thank you so much. We appreciate it. When we come back, the emotional match day for one doctor, returning to the hospital where she used to help clean the halls. That's right. She was a janitor, the full circle moment. Next. Finally tonight, an incredible moment for one doctor who's just getting started,

getting the opportunity to do her residency at the very same hospital where she used to be a janitor. Take a look. Inside this envelope, something Shea Taylor never thought was possible. A med student at Howard now heading to the road. residency program at Yale. I would have never known starting at 18 as a janitor in the hospital that I would be sitting here as a doctor going back to the same hospital that I was born at. That's right. Not only was Shea born at Yale Hospital, she worked there for 10 years as a janitor.

I remember parking wearing my brown janitor top. She had to after high school, postponing college. Her family needed a paycheck. I chose at that time to get a job. My mom got sick. when I was in my sophomore year of college. As she helped her mom through illness, she recalls the frustration at the lack of answers and representation. So she started down the path towards becoming a doctor. I knew that I wanted to make a change.

They can look at me and they can see their selves and they can feel safe. Years of hard work leading to this incredible moment at the place where it all began. Congratulations. You matched! I told you! I told you, let's go. A homecoming for the ages.

I would never have imagined where I come from that this was even possible. Whatever that you can think or manifest that you want to do is possible. What an incredible story. That does it for us tonight. We thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yomis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.