Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, March 25, 2024

Episode Date: March 26, 2024

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

Breaking tonight, federal agents' rage Sean Diddy Combs' homes in Los Angeles and Miami. Law enforcement, with guns drawn, swarming his mansions on both coasts. The raid stemming from a search warrant out of New York linked to a sex trafficking investigation. It comes after numerous sexual assault lawsuits were filed against Diddy in recent months. The new details just coming in. Also tonight, former President Trump's first criminal trial now said, A judge denying Trump's attempts to further delay the case, that decision capping a consequential legal day for the Republican presidential nominee,

an appeals court handing him a victory as they cut down his nearly half-billion-dollar bond in his civil fraud case, what's at stake for Trump as we draw closer to the November election. Storm strike, a dangerous storm system, takes aim at millions in the South, tornadoes, destructive winds, and hail threatening the region. In the Midwest, blizzard conditions causing spin-outs, shutting down highways and forcing schools to close. And more snow is on the way. Bill Kerrins is in the house. He'll time it out for us. Haiti and chaos, the nation spiraling as gang violence escalates, carnage on the streets, plunging the country further into turmoil. We hear from a teen on his desperate search for food as hunger hits record high levels.

Plus, fighting endometriosis, the incredibly painful disease and impacting one in 10 women. It can take years to diagnose. We hear from several women on the toll it takes on their lives every day and the new trial giving them hope for the future. And finally, lost in translation, L.A. Dodgers star, Shohay Otani speaking out for the first time since theft allegations against his former interpreter came to light.

The interpreter accused of stealing his money to place illegal sports bets overshadowing the star's Dodgers debut. O'Tani, in his own words on what he did and didn't know about the scandal. Top story starts right now. And good Monday evening to you. We start with that breaking news tonight. Federal agents raiding two homes of rapper Sean Diddy Combs.

The search is stemming from a warrant out of the Southern District of New York. Dozens of law enforcement officers, some, as you can see with their guns drawn, swarming Diddy's Los Angeles mansion. At the same time, over on the East Coast, his Miami home was also searched. Homeland Security confirming to NBC, they raided the properties as part of an ongoing investigation in New York.

That federal investigation looking into allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and guns. Diddy has been the subject of several sexual assault lawsuits in recent months. In November, the rapper settling a suit brought forth by his former girlfriend and singer Cassie, accusing Diddy of sexual abuse. NBC's Steve Patterson's tracking all the breaking news tonight for us, and he starts us off.

Tonight, the multiple homes of Sean Diddy Combs from coast to coast raided by federal law enforcement. Heavily armed and armored tactical teams sweeping through Combs' posh Los Angeles property this afternoon, guns drawn, clearing room to room, people in handcuffs as agents made their way through the property. A similar scene playing out in Diddy's homes more than 2,000 miles away on Miami's Star Island, where several celebrities, including Gloria and Emilio-Lewa-Stefon and Jennifer Lopez also have homes. The fact that Diddy's home was rated means that agents for Homeland Security were able to show probable cause that a crime was committed and that evidence of that alleged crime would be found at these homes. Combs' whereabouts right now unknown. He was in Los Angeles, his recently.

is last week. Sources close to the investigation say the raids are part of a sex trafficking warrant being executed by Homeland Security in New York's Southern District. NBC News has learned multiple witnesses have been interviewed by prosecutors and investigators in connection with the case. The speed at which it appears these raids were conducted suggests that agents were concerned that they needed to secure evidence quickly and prevent anyone from destroying evidence before they got there. It's the latest in illegal firestorm surrounding the 54-year-old music mogul with multiple lawsuits alleging sexual assault, abuse, harassment, forced drugging,

and the distribution of illegal firearms and narcotics. The allegations began last year with Combs' ex-partner, R&B singer Cassie, filing a lawsuit in New York. She was seeking $30 million, alleging physical and sexual abuse as well as sex trafficking. They settled for an undisclosed amount. Several other women came forward with similar accusations. Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to NBC's request for comment. All right, Steve Patterson joins us tonight, live outside of Los Angeles, outside of Diddy's Home.

We can see that police tape just behind you. Steve, walk our viewers through what you're seeing there. Yeah, hours after all this started, Tom, still an incredibly active scene police activity, starting at this barrier stretching, really as deep as I can see beyond this police line. up boxes of evidence combing through the properties in this, what has become a quiet, affluent neighborhood, a home to the stars. In fact, one of the most bizarre things we keep seeing are these busloads of star tours of people trying to get a glimpse of the media and what is now a sprawling law enforcement investigation. That's just here in Los Angeles as well as what's

happening in Miami. And then, Steve, I know there's been images put out there on different publications of what looks like people possibly being arrested or at least one person being detained. Do we have any information about that? Yeah, you can see very clearly the people visible with handcuffs. Obviously, there has been some reporting. There has been some speculation based on familial ties and who the homes are registered to. But as far as identifying who is in those handcuffs, we don't have that information at this time. All right, Steve Patterson, on that breaking news.

There's so much to talk about here. So let's continue this conversation for more on the investigation. And these latest searches by law enforcement, I'm joined now by NBC News, National Security, analyst Frank Figuzy. He's also the former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI. Frank, I know there's a lot that we don't know, but we obviously have those stunning pictures. Tell our viewers what you think is happening right now in this investigation. Yeah, a couple of insights, Tom, that might be helpful. First, some people might not be completely familiar with HSI. That's Homeland Security investigations. And sometimes, not always.

That means there's some kind of international nexus. It's not required. And sometimes that nexus could be simply computer traffic, perhaps trafficking in images or other internet communications. But when you add in the guns and the drugs, it may well be that there's an international connection here. And drug trafficking, child sex trafficking, as we see in one of the allegations that his victims have done in civil court, they allege that they were teenagers when they were victimized. And so that's HSI.

The other thing that comes to mind here is what's required for a search warrant. And it's been alluded to already in this coverage, but I want to emphasize that it's not enough for a victim to say, I had sex underage in this home or I saw this happen here. It needs to go more specific. And that means that you need to have reason to believe that that evidence is still there, not stale, but fresh, as the term used by lawyers and investigators. and their specificity to it. I saw this here.

I have reason to believe it's still there. That would be what an agent attest to a magistrate who approves that warrant. Frank, talk to me about the coordination here, right? Because you have massive raids happening in two major cities on a celebrity at the same time. Yeah, this appears to be coming out of New York, HSI, New York. And that may well be that the victims, and I do see a New York nexus to some of the victims. in the civil lawsuit were interviewed in New York, and they took charge of it, and then they did what's called a collateral request to their Miami and Los Angeles offices, very big offices.

We're talking about the three largest offices in HSI, who are familiar with doing this, but I do also, like you, note, the size of these residences. This is big. You don't do this easily. You may see, and I don't know if there have been reports, but sometimes when you're looking for thumb drives, for example, or weapons. You will use specialized dogs who are actually trained to sniff out electronic devices, thumb drives, and key in on weapons as well. And then, Frank, I do have to ask you, is this a modern phenomenon that we've seen sort of in law enforcement where there are civil litigations or congressional investigations? And I'm talking about former President Trump here. I'm talking about the Me Too movement, that they started civil

litigations and they move into criminal investigations? Or has that sort of always been part of law enforcement in America? Great point. I think under the Trump administration, what we saw and subsequently what we've been seeing happen is the fact that NDAs are not holding. NDAs are not holding when there's a criminal complaint, when there's a complaint. No one's been sexually trafficked or victimized. And so while maybe there was a settlement, as has been reported with with Mr. Combs and at least one of his victims, that does not mean that she necessarily could not speak to criminal authorities and file a criminal complaint.

Frank Figluse, always a pleasure to have you on Top Story. We thank you for your analysis. Another major headline tonight, a massive victory and a setback for former President Trump after a consequential legal day for the presumptive Republican nominee. Two of Trump's legal battles colliding on the same day, one civil, the other criminal. First in a civil fraud case in appeals court, cutting his nearly half-billion-dollar bond, check this out, to $175 million.

The ruling of relief for the former president after his attorney said coming up with that larger bond was nearly impossible. Also today, a judge denying Trump's defense to further delay his hush money trial, setting the date for April 15th. The former president facing serious legal headwinds and a packed schedule ahead of the November election, all of this as he navigates four criminal cases, three of which remain in limbo. We'll have a full breakdown of what's at stake. Let's start with NBC's Laura Jarrett. Tonight, a win for former President Trump at the last minute, an appeals court reducing the bond in his civil fraud case by more than half, to $175 million. The trial judge had said it at more than $450 million, Mr. Trump praising the ruling. What they do is they do election interference, which is court cases, and let's try and tie them up

Let's take as much of his money as possible. I respect the appellate division for substantially reducing that ridiculous amount of money. With no lenders willing to cover the staggering penalty while he appeals, Mr. Trump was facing the prospect of New York's Attorney General seizing his iconic properties and bank accounts as soon as today. But now has 10 days to come up with the far smaller bond. Mr. Trump saying he has the cash and was pressed by NBC's Garrett Haig. And now the bonds have been reduced, or are you going to start putting money into your campaign? Well, first of all, it's none of your business, I mean, frankly, but I might. The court found Mr. Trump falsely inflated the value of his properties to get banks to give better loan terms.

His attorneys are appealing, saying there were no victims that the banks were repaid. But today, New York Attorney General Letitia James highlighted the former president is still on the hook should he ultimately lose his appeal, saying Donald Trump is still facing. accountability for his staggering fraud. The $464 million judgment plus interest against Donald Trump and other defendants still stands. Meanwhile, the presumptive GOP nominee sat stone-faced in a different courtroom today, receiving a serious setback, a judge in Manhattan setting a new date of April 15th for the first ever criminal trial of a former president. Facing charges of doctoring his company's records to cover up an alleged affair before the 2016 election, Mr. Trump's legal team today failed to convince the judge from delaying the trial any further.

I don't know how you can have a trial that's going on right in the middle of an election, not fair. They're all trying to damage Trump as much as possible. It's having the reverse effect. Laura joins us now here in studio. So Laura, the Manhattan Hush Money trial gets started in about three weeks. And Trump was asked if he would testify. And he says he will testify. Tommy He says he's done nothing wrong, and he did testify when it came to his civil fraud trial. We know how that turned out. But a criminal trial has different risk, and then he might make a different calculation at the end of the day. We'll see.

So April 15th is when we start. Do we know how long this case will go? The judge has expected everyone to be there for at least six to eight weeks. He's not going to hear the case on Wednesday, so it might take a little bit longer. He's not going to meet during Passover, so this might drag out a little bit longer. But the former president has to be there every single day. All right, Laura, Jarrett. Laura, we always appreciate that.

for more in the major developments tonight's former President Trump's legal troubles. I want to bring in criminal defense attorney, Bernardo Villalona. Bernard, there were a few heated exchanges, right, between the judge and Trump's legal team. How do you think the atmosphere is going to be in this trial? Well, it's very concerning for them to have heated conversations, because remember, in the end, this is the same judge that if Donald Trump is found guilty, it's going to be sentencing Donald Trump. But I think it was good of Judge Merchant to set the scene in the same. the sense of, look, I'm not going to take any nonsense from anyone. I'm going to call you out

if I need to call you out. Are you making arguments based on the law? Because that's what we're going to deal with in this courtroom. The law and we're going to leave politics outside of the courtroom. I know you're a former prosecutor, but take a step back for a second and act as if you were a criminal defense attorney in this case for Trump. How strong do you think this case is against the former president? I know there was some legal jujitsu they were putting together to sort of put this case together. I think it's one of the first cases of its kind of. being tried like this, does the Manhattan DA have a case? The Manhattan DA, Alvin Brague, does have a strong case again, Donald Trump.

You've got to think, one, it's already been indicted by your grand jury. So we've already had a first preview of what general citizens in New York County would do. Granted, it's a different burden because this probable cause more likely than not, as compared to beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal case. In terms of Donald Trump's defense team, their chance of trying to beat this case is really going after the credibility of the witnesses, and their star witnesses is Michael Cohen. Unfortunately, it's Michael Cohen who's already pled guilty to perjury. However, we already know a judge has already said that just because you pleaded guilty to perjury or have a perjury

conviction doesn't mean that you're beyond being believed. He's got a problem with the truth. He has a vendetta against the former president. That may hurt him? Yes, yes. It's going to hurt him. It's going to hurt him. The question would be, can the prosecution overcome that credibility? issue and the way they overcome that credibility issues by trying to find as much corroboration as they can. So that's how the documents come into play. That's how you have other witnesses coming into play to try to corroborate Michael Cohen's testimony as much as you can. So in the end, when it comes to close an argument, the prosecutor can get up there and argue, look, we've proven our case beyond a reasonable doubt. You may not like Michael Cohen. You may not like this witness.

The question is, can you believe what they say? Have we met out these elements? The adult film star producer-director, Stormy Daniels, is obviously at the heart of this case. Will she have a role in this trial, you think? She is going to have a role in this trial. Her name is going to be mentioned throughout the trial, because remember, the hush money, the purpose of these payments to Michael Cohen is to repay him for the $130,000 that he paid to Stormy Daniels. So at the very least, you're going to hear about Stormy Daniels involvement, what her mode of employment was, what the story was.

Did she get paid? how much she got paid, how she got paid, by who she got paid, and the timing of those payments. So, yes, she is going to have a role in this trial. Finally, last question, do you think he can get a fair trial in Manhattan? And what role, two last questions, what role will the timing in this play? This happened before the 2016 election. It's been a long time, almost a decade. Will that affect this case?

And can he get a fair trial here? He's going to get a fair trial in New York. So it's not like there hasn't been a jury trial against Donald Trump already. Remember when we had E. Jane Carroll, the civil trial, that was a New York jury. Granted, it was different counties that was involved as opposed to here in this criminal case. It's just going to be jurors that are based and live in New York County. He's going to get a fair trial. The judge is going to ensure he gets a fair trial.

In terms of timing, yes, this took place in 2016 and we're in 2024. Memories fade. However, a jury can see past that if there is enough evidence that's put forth that can show the reliability of the witness's testimony. And again, when we come to the documents, the documents haven't faded. Those are in black and white. Bernardo Villalona, one of the great legal minds here at Top Story. Bernardo, we always appreciate you. Great to have you on. Thank you. We're also following some dangerous weather across the country. Up north, you may know this, blizzard-like conditions dumping up to a foot of snow in parts of Wisconsin. While further south,

the same storm system is threatening to spin up dangerous winds and even tornadoes. NBC's Jesse Kerrish has been tracking it all. Brutal weather from coast to coast, this dramatic water rescue playing out in California. And tonight, the weather headaches are not done yet. Across the plains, cars stranded in white-out conditions. From Kansas to Texas, tornadoes carving a destructive path. Parts of Colorado, Wisconsin, and Minnesota all seeing more than a foot of snow. Today alone.

In the Twin Cities, the workweek starting in a slushy, rainy mess. Well, it's beautiful because I'm working from home. I'm glad I don't have to drive in it. everybody be safe, make good decisions. On Sunday, Minneapolis hit a daily record, 8.2 inches of snow. And there's more on the way tomorrow. But for some locals, this spring snowfall is business as usual, literally. Well, it's normal Minnesota, yeah.

All I see is money falling from the sky. That's all I see. So it works for me. Meanwhile, to the south, communities like Garden City, Kansas are recovering from twisters. Debris just flying everywhere, hitting the window. You could hear it hitting the wall. And tonight, there's more severe weather and potentially more tornadoes on the way.

All of this after a weekend bringing almost three feet of snow to the northeast and flooding around Philadelphia after a winter that is not going away quietly. And beyond snow, standing water here in the Twin Cities could turn to ice overnight bringing its own hazards. Tom. All right, Jesse Kirsch, they're in the elements.

For more on these spring storm striking across the country, NBC News meteorology. Bill Karens joins us now live in studio. So, Bill, what are you watching tonight, and where is this thing headed? We've been concerned if we get severe storms and if we get any spin-ups of tornadoes. I've been the concern all day long.

And we're that time of year where we get severe storms almost every single day and it only peaks in through April and into May. This was the area of concern, especially this orange region here. From Alexandria, up here to Monroe and then into areas of central Mississippi. This is where the storms will head

later on this evening. And we have this hatched area from the storm prediction center. They said, if we can get thunderstorms to form that are strong enough, we could even get a few strong tornadoes. That gets everyone's attention. You know, the big tornadoes are the ones that can just take out towns.

So that's what we're trying to avoid. And up to this point, fantastic. We haven't had any tornadoes. We haven't even had any tornado warnings. And we have a line of thunderstorms. When you get that, usually you don't get strong tornadoes. You're looking for those individual, what we call super self thunderstorms, that are out ahead of the line.

So we watch for stuff like this developing. And we'll wait and see if they issue a new tornado watch. But right now we only have one. We only have one severe thunderstorm warning. This is Interstate 20 in Louisiana. south of Lake Providence. You can see all the lightning strikes here. They're worried about 60 mile per hour winds. And that will head towards Yazoo City here in about the next 15 to 30 minutes. But that's really the only story out there as far as severe storms goes. The blizzard is

continuing. It's a treacherous drive at interstate 70 heading through western Kansas, also from about Kearney to Grand Isle, North Platte, Central Nebraska is still getting some snow. Now Minneapolis was snow over the weekend, rainy day today, and then the snow returns tomorrow. And we do expect a chance. There's going to be another heavy band, six to ten, as possible in some areas outside the Twin Cities, Tom. So, yeah, it's been quite an up-and-down roller coaster ride in the Northern Plains. Spring can't come soon enough. All right, Bill.

We appreciate that. Next to the worsening crisis in Haiti, where evacuations are ramping up for those trapped as the country descends deeper and deeper into anarchy. But despite the chaos, some Americans are some reason choosing to stay, including a pastor who runs an orphanage in Port of Prince. Our Ellison Barber is in the neighboring Dominican Republic right on the border tonight and spoke to that pastor about why he's refusing to leave. As Port-au-Prince falls further into chaos,

evacuations in Haiti are expanding. Haiti's sunrise airways now selling tickets on flights from Cape Hacian to Miami. France's foreign minister says their government is organizing chartered flights out for French nationals. And the U.S. State Department continues to evacuate Americans. But some. Welcome to our cafeteria, our dining room. Like Florida Pastor David Wine are choosing not to leave. Well, I come Haiti three months and then go back to the U.S. for one month.

For me, this is my family here. He's run an orphanage about 35 minutes outside of Port-au-Prince since 2012. Say hello. I have people knocking on my gate, you know, day and night. Pastor David, we need food. We can't feed our families. Our families are hungry. Don't get down.

I know how dangerous it is because we had to evacuate in August. I had to load 85 people in the back of a big truck, and we had to literally flee from here, guns blasting. And I just can't imagine not being here. Sitting next to him is Fritz. He's 18 years old and was primarily raised by David. I love where I am. And the other place where I came from, it's the area. Have you ever thought maybe I'll just leave Haiti and I'll go start a life work somewhere else?

I thought about it, but it's difficult. I want to see change in my country. What is your hope for Haiti's future, for your future? For my future, I want to graduate from school first, and that will only be possible if the gangs let the school function. In Port-au-Prince, many schools are closed because of the escalating violence. And other parts of Haiti schools are open, but some parents are scared to send their kids, or they're so desperate for food, they need them to work. This boy is just 13 years old. He told us he skipped school and walked, crossing the border to sell candles along the bridge in the Gabon, Dominican Republic.

He told us his mom and younger brother and sister are waiting for him on the Haitian side of the border. Most Haitians cross the border temporarily, trying to find food, toilet paper, and work. Others cross hoping to stay and build a new life in the Dominican Republic, only to realize they're not wanted. And the DR's president has vowed to increase deportations. As we were driving, making our way towards the border with Haiti, we were behind for about an hour. This immigration truck inside it is full of migrants. They were standing, all cramped in here. They are about to, we believe, be let go right here on the border and just told to cross

back into Haiti, where many of them will not have food and are certainly faced with the threat of violence every single day. But with our cameras focused on the van, the immigration officials seemed uncomfortable, one waving at the other to stop. Then they drove closer to the border, where cameras could not go, and later returned with an empty van. So people, they can temporarily come here to get some goods, buy things like this from the market, take it across Haiti, but there really is not massive amounts of aid that

is crossing into the border here. Just down this way, if we keep walking a little. We have to watch our step-time, but we can walk this way and show you some. So that is the gate. That's where Haiti is on the other side. You see the flag there. There's just not a lot of help going through. You were in Ukraine covering the war in Ukraine.

Remember on the Polish side in the early days when violence started to erupt there, Poland and other European nations, they were very quick to open their doors and say, if you're a refugee, come across. That is not happening for Haitians by and large. In the Dominican Republic's government, they have been very clear. Not only do they plan to continue deporting Haitian migrants. They also say they will absolutely not open any refugee camps. Tom.

Ellison Barber tonight from the Haiti-D-R border. Ellison, our thanks to you. We want to turn now to the growing tensions between the U.S. and Israel after the U.S. abstained from a vote issuing a demand for a ceasefire in Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu accusing the U.S. of retreating from America's consistent position in the war, allowing the vote to pass. Now, Israel has canceled a trip to Washington by the prime minister's top advisors. I want to get right over to NBC foreign correspondent, Raf Sanchez, who's been tracking this for us from Tel Aviv. Raf, first, I want to ask you about the significance of this move by the U.S.

What does it mean by abstaining from this vote? So, Tom, the U.S. could have vetoed this resolution, stopping it from going through. That is what the Israelis wanted to happen. Instead, the U.S. abstaining, so it passed, it went through. And the Israelis are furious about it, Prime Minister Netanyahu making very clear that he believes the U.S. should have vetoed this resolution. The U.S. has vetoed several previous ceasefire resolutions, but the official line from the American ambassador at the United Nations was because this resolution both calls for an immediate ceasefire and demands the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. It is consistent with the American position. What it doesn't do, though, and what the Israelis wanted to see, was it explicitly linking the ceasefire to the release of the hostages.

It's interesting because it comes at the same time when President Biden specifically asked for this trip of Netanyahu's top advisors to come to Washington when they spoke on the phone last week. What do you think the canceling of the meeting means for relations going forward? Yeah, it is a sign of the deal. deep, deep strains in the relationship right now. As you said, this was an explicit request from the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Israel in a sign of displeasure canceling that trip. This was a trip to talk about Israel's potential ground offensive into the city of Rafa in southern Gaza. Now, President Biden is still having the Israeli defense minister at the White House today. He was meeting with Jake Sullivan. He also at the State

Department meeting with Secretary of State Blinken, but it is another indication of the deepening tensions right now between the U.S. and Israel. And then, Raf, before we let you go here, we assume this ceasefire resolution will not materialize in any major way. What does this mean for the possibility of a ceasefire, hostage release deal, and humanitarian aid deal to Gaza going forward? Yeah, it really tells you something about the age we're living in in international relations that the UN Security Council, the top UN body, can call for an immediate ceasefire,

and we can all safely assume that it probably isn't going to happen. But there is no indication it will lead to a ceasefire, lead to the release of the hostages. The best chance at this point for both the hostages, Palestinian civilians suffering in Gaza, is some kind of breakthrough at those ceasefire negotiations underway right now in Doha. Tom. All right, Ralph Sanchez for us, Raf, thank you for that. Still ahead, fire on board, flames and black smoke. out of an exhaust funnel on a carnival cruise ship.

Upcoming sailings now canceled. What may have caused this? Plus, store owners fighting back against shoplifters posting videos of the suspects online, along with their personal information, could the store owners face legal repercussions? And L.A. Dodgers, Shohei Hotani, breaking his silence after his interpreter was accused of stealing his money to allegedly place illegal bets, what the MLB Star said about allegations that he was also involved in the betting. Stay with us.

All right, we're back now with a surge of shoplifting in California, and the lengths some businesses are going to fight back. Store owners posting videos of alleged thieves online, even blasting the suspect's names, personal information, and more on social media. But are now they going too far? NBC Stephen Romo has a story. Fed up with thefts, these California's small businesses are taking matters into their own hands. posting videos of the alleged shoplifters on social media.

And I was just shocked like it happened back to back. I was really upset. Chandler Tang, owner of PostScript, a gift shop in San Francisco, says she posted alleged shoplifters last month after being targeted twice in just one week. She posted both incidents hoping her followers could help her identify them, though she had no luck. We want to alert our community and get support, especially, knowing that like the police might not be able to help us. Kits in clothing stores in L.A. once known as a celebrity hotspot of the 2000s takes it one

step further, not just using social media for help identifying suspects, but posting what the store believes to be their names, social media accounts and other personal information unrelated to the incident in at least two instances, even after getting paid or getting the goods returned, a potentially risky move. If you imply that somebody committed a crime, and that's false, that will usually make you liable for defamation. The LAPD says it is currently investigating a case involving Kitsyn alleged shoplifting, but would not provide details on specific cases. Owner Frazier Ross says he does it in part to alert other small businesses. Armed guards, we don't have that.

So all businesses have to be aware of these shoplifters. And if they come into your complex, you need to be. be on top of them. The police can't really help us. And there's a certain law where, you know, it has to be a certain amount of items stolen. That law, known as Prop 47, was passed in 2014 and increased the amount of which shoplifting could be prosecuted as a felony from $400 to $950. By moving the dollar amount upward for qualifying felonies, you make more crimes misdemeanors. And misdemeanors alone are often crimes that police simply aren't that interested in investigating. The law has many critics, including some elected leaders in San Diego,

currently gathering signatures to try to reform it. Proff 47 has failed us, especially in retail theft, where theft now has really been almost decriminalized. As for Kitsen and PostScript, posting about alleged thefts has not helped deter shoplifting. We do our year-end shrinkage. Our shrinkage is up. I don't know if it's deterred shoplifting, but we've had a lot of people come in because of the TikTok and because of all the media. We've had a ton of people come in. Tang, saying more than 60 people have been in just over the past few weeks after seeing her posts about the thefts.

Did I do the right thing? I want to say, yes. We're representing the business and, like, are we putting these shoplisters, you know, in harm's way? And it's just there's so many elements. All right, Stephen Romo joins us now. Steven, so that last business owner, she seems sort of torn over what she did, would she still do it? Do it again? Yeah, I ask her that question.

She says she's not really sure. She's hesitant. She doesn't know the effect that this could have on her business, as well as the effect. She says that it could have on the shoplifters. It is a very different story, though, with Kitsen. He's actually told us that he's continued to post about someone even after she apologized and paid for the items, return some of the items. Two very different philosophies here, but in both of them, they don't seem to be helping out right now. And they both sort of feel they have nowhere to go with law enforcement, that just police aren't going to help the situation out and they can't afford security guards?

Yeah, exactly that. They say, for instance, they're small businesses, they can't afford, like, some of the big box stores, having these guards. And they don't think police usually, they have both called police. And they don't seem to be very interested in it, since, as Danny Savalos told us, that they're just misdemeanors. Right. Okay. Stephen Romo, great story. We appreciate it. When we come back, a wild chase in South Florida, a masked man on an ATV, leading police through multiple counties on highways.

Look at that thing, and even drove the wrong way at one point, how this scary scene finally came to an end. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the fire breaking out on a carnival cruise ship. New video captured by a passenger shows flames and black smoke pouring out of the ship's exhaust funnel. No one was hurt, but the funnel was damaged, and two upcoming sailings had been canceled.

No word yet on a cause, but passengers reported a lightning strike hitting the funnel. It's a second time in less than two years that a fire has broken out on this ship. A Florida man arrested after a wild cross-country police chase while on an ATV. New aerial footage video shows the driver in a ski mask riding the ATV on I-95 near Miami. Police were seen leading officers through neighborhoods, crossing intersections, even driving in the wrong direction. The 18-year-old finally stopped in Lauderdale Lakes. he was tackled by officers and arrested. Nobody was hurt.

Also in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis signing one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors. The bill makes it illegal for children younger than 14 to have social media accounts. 14 and 15-year-olds will need a parent's permission. Any company found in violation of the law could face a fine of up to 50,000 bucks.

The companies are also being instructed to delete the accounts of children under 14. It's set to take effect in January, but legal challenges are expected. Okay, now to a major headline out of the sports world. Baseball's biggest star breaking his silence about a scandal that's rocked America's favorite pastime. Shohei Otani pointing the finger at his now fired interpreter amid allegations of theft and gambling.

Here's Liz Kreutz. Tonight, baseball's biggest star, Shoay Otani, speaking for the first time about the theft and gambling allegations swirling around his former interpreter, Ipe Misuhara. IPE has been stealing money from my account and has told lies. I'm very sad and shocked that someone who I'm trusted has done this. Speaking through a new translator, Otani addressing reports $4.5 million was allegedly wired from his account to a bookmaker in Southern California, where sports betting is illegal. So I never bet on baseball any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf. Those remarks come nearly a week after the Dodgers fired Ms. Ujahara, who allegedly told conflicting stories about what Otani knew and when.

The MLB is now investigating. They're going to look at the paper trail with respect to communications between Mr. Otani and his interpreter to see exactly what it is he understood he was authorized when these substantial transfers of funds were being made. According to the L.A. Times, Otani's name surfaced in a federal investigation into bookie Matthew Boyer. His attorney says Boyer had no interactions with Otani. Only Miss Uhara and no bets were placed on baseball. At some point, Mr. Boyer understood that a wire transfer had come through with the name Otani and the subject line said loan. But that was the only knowledge that Mr. Boyer had and he never asked any questions about it. The IRS now investigating Boyer and Ms. Huara. Yeah, and they'll likely get to the bottom of it. Liz, she joins us now from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. What else did we learn at that press conference? Hey, Tomya. Well, Otani somewhat gave a timeline of what he learned and when. He said that he only learned about Ms. Huara's gambling addiction, about his debts, and about that wire transfer that came from his account at that game last week in South Korea, where the two were seen chatting, that he only learned about it after the game. We said that's also when Misuhara told him about media inquiries he was starting to get about these wire transfers.

And Otani said to reporters through this translator that he was shocked by this. He was saddened and he insisted repeatedly that he did not pay off Miss Yuhara's debts. That said, Tom, there's a lot of questions we didn't get answered. For instance, how it was that Miss Yuhara was able to get access to Otani's account to send this much money. It has been reported that he was somewhat of a gatekeeper for Otani that could be part of it. He did not address their relationship in any way. way and Otani did not take any questions from reporters. Tom. Yeah, a lot of questions and gambling has taken down some of the games, best players, so we're going to have to wait and see. All right,

Liz, we appreciate that. Coming up, outrage in Argentina, massive crowds overtaking Buenos Aires to commemorate the victims of the country's former dictatorship, while the annual demonstration turned into a protest against Argentina's current leaders who critics say are trying to rewrite history. We're going to explain this with Guadvanegas. Stay with us. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with mounting tensions in the disputed South China Sea. Here's what's happening. New video showing Chinese Coast Guard boats launching water cannons at a Philippine Navy-operated supply boat over the weekend.

Official said several crew members were hurt and the boat was heavily damaged. You can see why. The Philippines is now summoning top Chinese diplomats over the assault. But China has warned the country over, quote, playing with four. fire, the U.S. and other allies, vowing to defend the Philippines. Okay, we head to the Vatican, the Pope noticeably absent from the Palm Sunday homily. Pope Francis deciding last minute to skip his homily during Palm Sunday Mass, and he also did not participate in the procession of Cardinals in the piazza at the start of mass.

His absence coming after recent respiratory infections and knee issues, but so far there have been no changes to his Holy Week schedule. And an update tonight, more than 130 children in Nigeria have been. rescued after being abducted from school two weeks ago. Video shows students returning to a government house in Kaduna State after they had been taken by armed gunmen earlier this month. At least 17 other school children in another state were also rescued. No group so far as claimed responsibility for the abductions, but Boko Haram has carried out

numerous mass kidnappings you may remember in the last decade. Okay, time now to head to the Americas where thousands of people in Argentina have taken to the streets to commemorate those killed during the military dictatorship of the 70s and 80s. But many at this year's demonstration outraged after newly elected president, Javier Bile, known for his far-right ideology, is now pushing to change the narrative of that national holiday. NBC's Guadvenegas explains. Tonight, Argentinians pushing back against an austere new government while honoring their embattled history.

Thousands of protesters flooding the streets over the weekend for the Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice. A demonstration marking the 48th anniversary of the traumatic military coup of 1976 and the seven-year dictatorship that followed, known as the Dirty War, when 30,000 people were killed or disappeared. Crowds passionately vowing, nunca more, never again, reliving the fear and violence, that dominated the country for years. But they're going and se aboderated to all the dictator. You're out of your house.

They put pamphletos. And they'd they'd throw them in the river. But human rights groups are now sounding the alarm as they believe President Javier Milay,

who was a child during the authoritarian government of the 70s and 80s is attempting to rewrite history. The newly elected far-right president posting this video commemorating the other dead, referring to the victims of leftist guerrillas opposing the coup, but not mentioning the tens of thousands killed during the military junta. Vice President Victoria Villarroel echoing the sentiment, writing on social media,

those responsible for these crimes cannot go unpunished. It wasn't 30,000. This isn't the first time he lay in his party appear to try and change the narrative of Argentina's history. In Argentina, during a presidential debate ahead of his election win last fall, Milay downplaying and even denying the human rights violations. No, they were 30,000 disappeared. So, 8,753. How meaningful is it for him to do this with a holiday that a lot of living Argentinians can remember? Well, I think it's quite dangerous.

So when you have a president like Milay, who's now in office and saying, well, you know, maybe we misunderstood that period, maybe we need to rethink. what everyone knows about that period, and perhaps the abuses have been blown out of proportion. I think it's, you know, kind of poking a finger in that wound or opening up a crack in that kind of consensus that so far helped sustain Argentinian democracy. Just the latest controversy facing the political newcomer whose first few months in office have been marred by social and political unrest. And with that, Guad vanegas joins us tonight from Miami.

So, Guad, I'm trying to understand this. Do we know what exactly is behind the administration? take on Argentina's dirty war. If it happened in the past, why fight it now with everything else this country has to deal with? Well, Tom, it's controversial, but not surprising to see Milet bring this up. Remember, Argentina had been leaning left for some time. Now, it's going right. Now, during his campaign, Milay actually failed to acknowledge a plan of extermination

that the military had executed during that dictatorship when he was asked. He did not want to acknowledge that. Now, he has been focusing a lot on the economy, but also on social issues and issues like this one. Also, his vice president, Victoria Villarroel, is the niece and granddaughter of military personnel. She has been asking for more attention to be placed on who she says where the victims of guerrillas or left-wing groups who attack members of the military during that dictatorship. So again, controversial, but not surprising, Tom. And we can also look at what they've already changed.

Right away, Milay shut down the women's ministry. He also shut down the national institution against discrimination, and now his vice president is talking about using the military to fight drug violence in Argentina, something that's going to raise a lot of alarms because of the history with the military, Tom. Guad vanegas for us from Miami, Guad, always great to have you on the show. When we come back fighting endometriosis, our team getting an inside look at a trial working a cut down on the lengthy diagnosis time for the painful disorder that affects so many women. Plus, we speak to three patients who hope their participation could mean one day no one will have to go through what they have done. That story next. Finally tonight, March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. It's a painful and sometimes debilitating condition that affects 10% of all women in childbearing age.

But it can take an average of eight years to be diagnosed accurately. We set down with researchers who are working tirelessly to change that, and patients who are working tirelessly, who hope their work can help future generations of women. Erin McLaughlin has this one. I describe it as like giving birth to a broken light bulb over and over again. You never know when it will hit. It makes you think like, oh, am I being a baby if I want to call out of work just because I'm in so much pain. So just being in chronic pain all the time takes a huge mental toll on you.

So it really affects all aspects of life. Lucia Jazzieri, Justine Casco, and Anna Delegati are living with endometriosis. It affects one in ten women. And it happens when tissue, similar to the lining of the uterus, grows outside of the uterus, often found on the ovaries or fallopian tubes. This tissue can bleed and become inflamed, damaging surrounding organs and can cause severe pain, heavy and lengthy periods, and even infertility. For me, the one thing I want in life is to be a mom and the thought that I might have a hard time. achieving that is really scary. Like many women with endometriosis, Anna's symptoms began at a young age. I started experiencing symptoms when I was 14. Really heavy periods, I would bleed through

everything, no matter what I used. And it just got to a point where I was like, I can't live like this anymore. For more than a decade, and while living with around the clock pain, she visited multiple doctors. But she often felt ignored, dismissed, and left without answers. I just brought up, I want to discuss the possibility of me having endometriosis, and he looks at me and goes, I'm not convinced you have it. I walked out of their crying. Last year, she was officially diagnosed. Getting the official diagnosis was probably one of the best things that have ever happened to me because I felt just like very reassuring that, all right, this is serious.

Like Anna, Justine, and Lucia getting that news only after laparoscopic surgery. Just to see it written out and what the surgeons did and how long it took and all of that was happening inside of me. It definitely made me realize that I am very strong for having lived through all of that pain. It's currently the only way for a definitive endometriosis diagnosis, and women can wait an average of eight years for that confirmation. So this looks good. When was this plated? Dr. Christine Metz at Northwell's Feinstein Institutes for medical research has been working for years to change. that. The main problem with not being diagnosed in a timely manner still rests on dismissal of pain and young people. She's now helping lead a team of researchers using women's menstrual

blood to help speed up that lengthy diagnosis time frame without the need for an invasive and painful procedure. We believe that there are major alterations in the endometrial lining of the uterus, which is shed as menstruation, and can be determined. in those with endometriosis versus healthy controls. They've launched a trial called Research Outsmarts Endometriosis or Rose, calling on women across the nation to enroll and supply their own sample for study. The sample came refrigerated using an at-home collection kit. We are enrolling patients who are symptomatic and think they have endometriosis.

Lucia, Justine, and Anna answering that call. Yeah, I don't want anyone to have to go through what I went through, so to be able to bring more awareness to what so many women go through and hopefully more women can get diagnosed. Earlier this week, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to expand research on women's health care. And I'm going to assure that women's health is integrated and prioritized across the entire federal government. The president pledging $200 million towards the cause, funding that Dr. Met says is vital for all women's health. This is really opening the floodgates to people studying this condition. In the past, it's been very difficult to obtain funding because so little money is available for women's health in general.

Anna, Lucia and Justine tell us they are still dealing with serious and painful symptoms. So they hope their contribution to Rose will help future generations and are urging anyone experiencing symptoms to not give up. With more people just coming out with it, it starts to improve. and it just becomes, there's less stigma for it. Don't take no for an answer. Keep digging until you find someone or something that's going to help you because chronic pain is not normal.

Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your coworkers about it. You might be surprised by the positive response that you get. Erin McLaughlin, NBC News. And a big thank you to all the women who shared their personal stories. If you want more information on the Rose trial, you can scan the QR code on. your screen. We've also provided a phone number and an email as well. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamis back here in New York. Thank you again for watching. Stay right there.

More news on the way.