Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, March 31, 2025

Episode Date: April 1, 2025

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

Breaking news tonight. The tornadoes hitting the southeast right now. 60 million at risk for severe weather with even more in the crosshairs in the days ahead. A twister slamming into a school in Alabama. The video just in showing the destruction from above. Students injured. New security video of a playground being ripped apart. The same system spinning off tornadoes and dangerous winds across the Midwest and South. Now there's another storm right behind. behind it. Bracing for tariffs, President Trump promising his biggest round yet within days. How everyone from car dealers to grocery stores to the stock market are preparing. Race against time to find survivors, the mother and child pulled from the rubble days after the earthquake in Southeast Asia and the video of nurses saving babies in the maternity war. Robbed at Gunpoint, former NFL star Richard Sherman, posting these videos, armed robbers

rampaging his house with his wife and children inside his call for help to find the thieves. Fearing for her life, new claims against the doctor accused of trying to kill his wife in Hawaii, while the wife says cheating allegations set him off. Torpedoes away the game-changing new bats shattering records in the Major League. We take you to Yankee Stadium, should these be allowed? And breaking their silence, our interview with the astronauts left in space, For nine months, did they feel abandoned up there? Plus, Elon Musk is handing out $1 million checks to voters in a local race in Wisconsin.

But who's taking home the prize? Top story starts right now. And good evening right now. Millions are on alert as severe storms target the East Coast after carving out a path of destruction across the country. And it's not just this storm we're watching tonight, but a number. new round of life-threatening weather from coast to coast. Take a look at this new video of a possible tornado. This is in Midland City, Alabama, just southeast of Montgomery. You can see the massive funnel cloud on the move. That same system leaving several students injured at a school

in Dothel when the roof was ripped right off debris tossed around the campus. Again, that's in Alabama. And further south of possible waterspout spotted swirling in Pensacola Bay, Florida. New security cam video just in from northern Michigan has incredibly strong winds, sent playground equipment flying. At this hour, more than 385,000 customers are without power.

The worst outages are in Michigan as that ice storm brought down trees and power lines. And right now the storm continues to put a strain on air travel. We're just learning moments ago that Newark International Airport is temporarily closing as severe storms move through. Hartsfield, Jackson, Atlanta,

Charlotte Douglas and North Carolina and Boston Logan all seen some of the highest number of delays and cancellations and we're not out of the woods just yet another major storm system look at this is bringing the threat for tornadoes damaging winds large hail and flash floods

we're going to break all the timing down in just a moment but we want to start tonight with Adrian Broad us in the storm zone a scramble for safety students rushed out of classrooms in Alabama as multiple tornadoes swept across at least seven states and killing seven people. A number expected to rise. Nearly 70 million Americans still in the storm's path as Mother Nature showed her strength, slamming parts of the

South and Midwest this weekend. All of a sudden, just the wind gushed all at once and you saw leaves and debris offline and then your visibility was gone. There's another one. Look, there's another funnel. The strongest tornado reaching gust of 120 miles per hour in Louisiana as freezing rains turned deadly in Michigan, where three children, age 2, 4 and 11, died after a tree fell on their family minivan. This family had no ability to, you know, predict when a tree was going to fall on their vehicle. In Indiana, two dead from high winds on the roads.

The power is out in this neighborhood and you can hear the hum of the generator. Those 60-mile-per-hour winds knocked down trees crashing into houses and cars. Steve Baker is the president of Indiana-Michigan power. The biggest challenge right now is to make sure that we get the power restored for customers before the next round of weather hits and to make sure that we're keeping our customers and the general public safe. From ice to dangerous floods in the south, water filling the streets of Miami Sunday, drenching fans attending the famous Ultra music festival. As I've come from London to Ultra and I'm not letting the weather stop me. As the storm continues to move toward the northeast, more tornadoes are possible, but damaging winds and quarter-sized. hail is the main threat, as millions brace for round two, wondering if the worst is yet to come.

Adrian Broadus joins us tonight from Elkhart, Indiana. Adrian, we can see the damage there just behind you, that massive tree. You've been on the ground in the aftermath of the storms all day. What have families told you that they're doing to prepare for this next round of storms? Hey there, Tom. Right now, they're really trying to secure any loose debris and tree limbs like this. really anything that could fly and injure someone when those winds pick up. The homeowner here said it could be days before someone from his insurance company shows up to assess the damage. And as you pointed out, this massive mature tree fell on top of his house and the car. And with that extra storm coming in later this week, he says the weight could even be longer.

Tom? Adrian brought us for us right there in the storm zone. Adrian, we thank you for that. There is another round of dangerous storms we were telling you about. It's starting up. NBC New York meteorologist and a good friend of mine. Rafael Miranda is tracking that for us tonight. Rafi, great to see you. Tell us our viewers what we should be expecting. Yeah, Tom, great to be here. Unfortunately, no break for us. Even right now, we're tracking severe thunderstorms moving towards Charleston, the Carolina coastline. Now, here in the northeast, New York City, Philadelphia, D.C. We've been waiting for these storms all day.

They're just about knocking on the door. The potential is there for severe storms after the commute, thankfully. But it could be a rough evening ahead, flash flooding of possibility, some very high. heavy rainfall between one and two inches in some spots. We'll be watching that flood threat throughout the evening, and that could affect travel. And then the next storm, tomorrow late in the day, we see that storm moving into the Rockies. That's going to give us another chance for severe thunderstorms, especially tomorrow night, into the overnight. Those are those dangerous nighttime tornadoes that were concerned about in parts of the plains. And then into Wednesday, more severe storms firing up as this cold front marches towards the east eventually. Thursday,

another threat. Here's the threat for tomorrow. Again, mainly at night. Tornado's a possibility. We have that enhanced risk for Kansas, including Kansas City and down towards the south. Large hail a possibility, two inches plus in places like Wichita and Oklahoma City. Heading into Wednesday, again, 72 million at risk. Tornado's possible here in this enhanced area, including Chicago, Indianapolis, all the way down towards the south. And then Thursday, the risk slides to the east of it, so it's going to be a very busy week ahead. Tom? All right, millions on alert all week long, Raffey. We thank you for that. The countdown to President Trump's sweeping new tariffs is on as we transition to politics

with promises of a major announcement in just two days. This coming as consumers and business owners brace for a 25% tax on imported cars and even auto parts. NBC's Garrett Hake is on the ground in Detroit for us tonight. Tonight, the countdown continues to President Trump's promised reciprocal tariffs. The president expected to slap import taxes. on allies and adversaries alike worldwide, but keeping the specifics under wraps with a Rose Garden rollout planned for Wednesday. I think it's going to be something that's going to bring a lot of wealth back to our country, tremendous wealth back to our country.

That's left businesses and buyers of everything from pharmaceuticals to food to computer chips, guessing at what the president has suggested, will be a massive reordering of American trade. One of the few tariffs detailed by the White House is the 25% levy on imported vehicles beginning Thursday and on auto parts by May 3rd. The people that are going to make money are people that manufacture cars in the United States. But in Metro Detroit, home of the American auto industry, the picture is murkier. How do you compare the uncertainty of this moment before these tariffs kick in to other things you've seen in your career?

I'm more uncertain now than it was for COVID. Jim Seavitt has owned Village Ford in Dearborn since 1982. Is there any such thing as a force? fully American vehicle anymore? Not that I know of. Not on this lot. No. Most of the cars have four parts coming from Mexico, some from Canada and some from the U.S. So it's a real, it's a world economy. So even a brand as American as Ford is going to be caught up at this? Yes. Goldman Sachs estimates the tariffs could add five to $15,000 to the price tag of foreign made cars and three to eight thousand on cars made in the U.S. because of the tax on parts. On Saturday,

he, quote, couldn't care less if foreign car makers raised their prices to pass on the tariff costs. Autoworker James Benson agrees. You believe in this tariff program across the board? Yeah, I do. He says he's optimistic the president's programs will lead to more jobs like his coming back and be worth the cost. How will you judge if this has been successful? Well, if we have job growth and we have jobs returning to our country and we have, you know, values coming back to where they used to be. I definitely see that, you know, coming in the future. Garrett joins us tonight from Dearborn, Michigan on that lot tonight.

Garrett, you know, our viewers are going to be hearing about this Liberation Day coming from the White House and President Trump himself. Walk our viewers through exactly what it means and what it is. Yeah, Tom, look, to make it make sense, you have to understand that President Trump really firmly believes that for basically, you're in my adult life. Since the 1980s, the U.S. has been taken advantage. of, by trading partners, by our friends and by our adversaries alike, and that it's up to him, essentially, to reverse that trend by putting in place these tariffs that could

counteract not just the prices that other, the tariffs that other countries put on American goods, but also the tax systems that other countries use, or the low wages that other countries offer their workers, and essentially free American workers from the global trade system that we've been in since the late 80s and early 90s. So he uses that term Liberation Day to kind to describe this broader package of tariffs that the White House hopes to roll out on Wednesday. I say hope so, Tom, because it's really unclear, as we talk here Monday night, exactly what's going to be in this package. Different advisors from the Treasury Department, from the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, from the White House itself, have painted different pictures of

exactly what the president will accomplish on Wednesday and what's still a negotiating tactic or in negotiations for him. So it's all a bit of a mystery here, 48 hours from when it's supposed to be unveiled. All right. Garrett Hick explained it all for us tonight. Garrett, we thank you for that. Sticking with President Trump now, he's now teasing the possibility of running for a third term. It's something he's joked about in the past, but now he's telling our Kristen Welker, he's serious about it, even entertaining ideas on how to get around the Constitution, which forbids it. Our Peter Alexander has more from the White House. Tonight, new fallout after President Trump did not rule out the possibility of a third term,

even though it's prohibited by the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution. People are asking me to run, and there's a whole story about running for third term. I don't know. I never looked into it. They do say there's a way you can do it, but I don't know about that. But I want to do a fantastic job. In an exclusive phone interview, NBC's Kristen Welker asked the president about a possible scenario where Vice President Vance is elected with President Trump as his running mate, and then Vance steps aside.

The president's saying that's one method, but there are others, too, saying he would not talk about them. Still, that could require amending the Constitution to allow Trump to run for re-election. There's no proposal to change the Constitution right now. Republicans telling reporters the president was not being serious. I think he's probably having some fun with it. Probably messing with it. President Trump has repeatedly joked about a third term. I think I'm not allowed to run again.

I'm not sure. Am I allowed to run again? But on Sunday, the president told NBC News, I'm not joking. Meanwhile, as Tesla becomes a target of new vandalism and violence, the company's CEO, a top Trump ally, Elon Musk, hosted a town hall in Wisconsin ahead of a crucial state Supreme Court election tomorrow. Musk offering money to voters there who signed a petition against what he calls activist judges, handing out a pair of million-dollar checks last night. Democrats accuse him of trying to buy the seat, but Musk says he's just trying to

energize voters in a state Trump won last fall. If the people that voted for President Trump, simply vote on Tuesday, we will win. That's actually all it takes. Just vote. Boom, done. Victory. So. All right, with that, Peter joins us tonight from the White House. Peter, it was quite the site today in the Oval Office.

President Trump signing an executive order on ticket scalping with Kid Rock there behind him. But he also made some news on Ukraine's ceasefire negotiations. Where do we stand there? Yeah, that's right. The president tells NBC News that he is, quote, very angry at Vladimir, Putin for criticizing Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky threatening to impose additional tariffs. The president says 25 to 50 percent on Russian oil, Tom, if Vladimir Putin stands in the way of any deal. All right, Peter Alexander at the White House, Peter, we thank you for that.

In the Middle East tonight, Israel issuing evacuation orders for a major city inside of Gaza and what could be the biggest escalation in months. That warning, even as Israeli airstrikes, hit inside Gaza as Palestinian families. marked the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for Muslims. NBC News international correspondent Matt Bradley reports tonight from Tel Aviv. Israel's army is expanding its attacks against Tamas and Gaza, nearly two weeks after it resumed fighting, announcing new evacuation orders to include the entire region of Rafa in southern Gaza, its largest such order since Israel broke a two-month-long ceasefire.

It comes as Gazaans celebrate one of Islam's home. earliest holidays. But in Gaza, prayers for Eid al-Fitur are surrounded by rubble. And according to Palestinian health officials, Israeli airstrikes often kill the most vulnerable. The Abu Sultan family, already displaced, were sheltering in their tent when missiles struck over the weekend, killing eight family members. The children were in their holiday best. Hassan is four years old and Habiba, she's seven, said Mona al-Harrani, a relative.

They're dressed for Eid. They were murdered while wearing Eid clothes. Last night, Israel's cabinet approved plans to intensify the fight in Gaza. Israel's prime minister said it would increase the crushing of Hamas and create the best conditions for the release of our hostages. As the IDF pushes deeper into southern Gaza, a grim search for the bodies of 50. 15 aid workers were discovered there after they disappeared a week ago. We arrived at the site where the ambulances were hit. These ambulances were being buried in the sand.

The UN said eight of them worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent and one was a UN staffer. In a statement, the Israeli defense forces said the ambulances had been advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights or emergency signals. Their movement was not coordinated in advance. The statement said the group included nine operatives for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad. But the U.N. says they were simply emergency workers, among more than a thousand killed since October 7, 2023. Health workers should never be a target. And yet we're here today digging up a mass

grave of first responders and paramedics. They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave. Yesterday they were finally buried, a solemn ceremony flanked by other rescue workers whose ranks continue to thin as the war in Gaza drags on. And Tom, despite how the casualty count in the Gaza Strip continues to rise, believe it or not, there's still some bit of negotiations that are still ongoing to try to release those remaining hostages. According to Reuters, the Israelis submitted a proposal that would see more than a month-long ceasefire in the Gaza Strip return for the exchange of about half of those remaining living

hostages, of whom they're thought to be about 24 of them, and half of the remaining dead hostages, of whom they're thought to be about 35. but despite that, it seems unlikely that Hamas would agree to something that would give away its last leverage for further negotiations. Tom. Dyer situation remains there. Okay, Matt, we thank you for that. When we return, astronauts back here at home opening up after nine months in space, how Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams are readjusting to life back on Earth

and how they really feel about that 270-day extension to their trip. They spoke with Tom Costello. Plus, the NFL great's home broken into the robbers. Look at this, caught on camera, carrying weapons busting through a window. What Richard Sherman is saying about how his wife and kids were there and they were put in danger and changing the game, how the Yankees used these new bats to break a home run record. Will other teams put them in their lineup? They're called torpedo bats.

We'll tell you about them. Stay with us. We are back now with NASA. NASA astronauts, Butch Wilmore, and Sunni Williams speaking out for the first time back here on Earth after their short test flight turned into a nine-month stay in space. NBC's Tom Costello has that interview. And splashdown, crew nine back on Earth. Nearly two weeks after their spectacular return to Earth. Earth is nice.

Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams opening up about that 10-day mission that turned into 286 days, a remote possibility. that had always been on the table. We came up with a plan and prepared to deviate from that plan, and that's exactly what we enacted. All that preparation we did for all the various things that we wound up doing over the next 10 months, we enacted that plan. President Trump has said President Biden abandoned the astronauts,

and Elon Musk offered to rescue them last fall. But former NASA Chief Bill Nelson, his deputy and NASA sources all tell NBC News they knew of no such offer. By midsummer, the plan was to return the pair with space, We were planning, you know, from day one to return toward the end of, end of February. Delayed till March due to a SpaceX rocket issue. Did you ever feel abandoned up there? Did you ever feel that NASA, the White House, anybody had abandoned you?

Felt abandoned? No. I mean, we didn't, I didn't think about those type of thing. We were busy. We were, we were focused on our mission from day one until we came back, and that was our primary focus. I'm going to springboard real quickly on Butch's answer, because the we that he's talking about is not Butch and Sunny. Yeah. The Wii is a huge amount of people that we knew and we trust down here at Johnson Space Center

at NASA all over the world for the International Space Station that we're coming up with a plan. So actually, I wasn't feeling, I don't think any of us were really feeling abandoned because we knew that there were so many people down here who were focused on making sure that the right crew compliment was there. We'd do the right things and we'd get home safely. Back home safely and that spectacular splashdown beamed live around the world. What wasn't seen as widely was their family homecomings. When you finally got your feet on the ground and you finally saw your families,

what's the first thing you wanted to do? I'm sure give them all a hug, but then what? Well, we landed at Ellington, our families came on board the aircraft, and there were a group of people that were there. Some of the ones that we asked to be there, that were instrumental in getting us to the space station. I went down the line and hugged everybody's neck. Yeah, butch.

I wish there were more, they were there. I loved to hug more of them. So it was great to see those individuals face to face after so long. Well, my husband was there on the airplane when we arrived at Ellington, and that was wonderful. I think he hugged Butch as a matter of fact. He did. And then he hugged me. And Sonny finally reunited with her dogs.

He lost his mind a little bit and came up and gave me a big lick, and then he was, oh, wait, I need to go get a stick and pretend I don't care too much. Sonny, anything final to say? After nine months in space, what did they want to do the most? do the most after seeing their families? Gravity makes you tired, very tired, so it was time to go and get some rest. It was a long day, and so sleep was great, and it was just really nice to lay down in a bed. We hadn't done that for many months, and so actually to just sit down and this fall back felt really awesome.

Did you sleep okay that first night in a bed? Oh, heck, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. One of life's simple pleasures finally fulfilled back on Earth. What food did you miss the most when you were up on station? Sorry, two words. Chicken, salad.

A latte. Have you all had your cravings satisfied? Yes. Absolutely. Yeah, too much. A latte and chicken salad. All right. For more on Sunni Williams and Butch Wilmore's extended mission,

tune in tomorrow night at 10.30 p.m. Eastern for mission space right here on NBC News Now. We look forward to that. We are back in a moment with the armed robbery caught on camera. NFL great Richard Sherman says his house was ransacked as his wife and kids were inside now to the manhunt to find the criminals. And the new allegations against that Maui doctor accused of trying to kill his wife, the restraining order she filed against him providing new clues into his motive. We are back now with Top Story just hours ago. Retired NFL star,

Richard Sherman sharing surveillance footage of an alleged arm break-in at his Washington State home. He says the crime taking place while his family was inside. NBC's Liz Kreutz has the details. Tonight, retired NFL superstar Richard Sherman says these are the armed intruders who broke into his Washington State home while his wife and children were inside. The home security images posted on X by Sherman showing several mass suspects walking through the home. In the post, Sherman, a former cornerback and five-time all pro, says they then robbed his family at gunpoint. He's now pleading for information to catch the perpetrators. The King County Sheriff's Office confirming to NBC News, they are investigating a home burglary in the area, adding so far no arrests have been made.

Someone broke into my house. This incident comes months after both the NBA and NFL issued warnings to its players about burglary risks after a string of break-ins that targeted high-profile athletes, including Chief Stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. I feel like my privacy has been violated in more ways than one. The NBA saying the FBI warned that many of those burglaries were connected to transnational South American theft groups and that the groups use advanced methods and tools like pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices. In February, U.S. prosecutors announced criminal charges against seven suspected members of a Chilean theft ring, accused of breaking into and stealing from celebrities' homes.

That same month, police in Ohio arrested three men all from Chile in connection to the break-in at Joe Burroughs home. The FBI saying the suspects took photos with the stolen items. While law enforcement has not said Sherman's case is connected to the others, tonight another scary incident targeting yet another well-known athlete. Yeah, Liz, it's scary and it's dangerous. You're live in Los Angeles for us tonight. What war is the Sherman family saying tonight? Yeah, Tom, so Richard Sherman is essentially saying that this was a really scary situation that his wife handled masterfully. She was the one home with the two kids. He was out of town. It sounds like she, the wife, Ashley Moss, posted herself on Instagram and said that she was

awoken by intruders outside her bedroom with a gun. Very scary. She says that while they are physically okay, they're very shaken up and they're posting those videos hoping that the public will see them and help them try to find the perpetrators in them. You know, in your report there, you highlight to our viewers, this has happened to other professional athletes. What do we know about the transnational gangs and this incident was part of a broader coordinated effort? Yeah, so as of now, like we mentioned, we don't know if it's part of that coordinated effort. Officials at this point just say that they are investigating the burglary. They don't have any known suspects.

They haven't made any statements about if it's part of a broader trend that we're seeing. But overall, Tom, as we've reported, we do know that there is a wave of crime tourism from people from South America, so much so that the FBI has begun having now a nationwide task force group to investigate these South American theft groups. The FBI has also issued guidance for people so that you maybe don't become a victim of this yourself. The number one thing they say is to be careful what you post on social media to not post if you're on vacation or out of your home. It is really good advice. All right, Liz, we appreciate that. We want to turn out of Top Stories news feed a single engine plane crashing into a Minnesota home,

killing the pilot and sparking a massive fire this weekend. The video showing the plane falling out of the sky near Minneapolis. You see it right here crashing into the home where one person was inside. That man somehow escaping out the kitchen door as the house was engulfed in flames, as you can see. U.S. Bank Corp saying the company's vice chair, Terry Dolan, is believed to be the pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board says there was only one person on the aircraft. An air traffic controller at Reagan-Washington National Airport charged with assault after a fight in the control tower. Politico first reporting that last week.

Two air traffic controllers got into a physical fight in the control tower. One of the controllers now charged with assault and battery, the FAA saying he is on administrative leave. No word yet on one led up to that fight. An update tonight in the tragic deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife. Late today, a judge blocking the release of body cam video and other images that showed the bodies of Hackman and his wife. However, other images from the scene and documents related to the case will be released to the public. A lawyer for the Hackman family estate originally asked the courts to seal those records for the case to protect the family's privacy. No word yet on when those documents will be released.

And a consumer alert to tell you about tonight, the FDA is recalling thousands of pounds of ground coffee that were mislabeled as decaffeinated. The recalled bags of, get this, are family, Traverse City, cherry decaf light, roast ground coffee. Very specific there. We're sold across 15 states. The FDA is saying the error may cause temporary health consequences for people who cannot have caffeine. Okay, we want to turn now to that massive earthquake. Multiple rescue teams are on the ground working to find the remaining survivors from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked Southeast Asia on Friday. The military and the government that rules Myanmar says more than 2,000 people have died so far.

NBC's Janice McAfrayer is in Thailand and has more. Tonight, nearly four days after the U.S. earthquake, the rush to save lives and extraordinary stories of survival. A woman, five months pregnant, carried out of the debris to applause. A child freed by Chinese rescue teams. And two girls filming the hours they spent trapped under a collapsed hotel with their grandmother before, incredibly, they were freed. In Thailand, this building came crashing down with the earthquake hit. Trapping nearly 80 construction workers inside. This woman's husband, among them. I cannot talk about it, she says. It's unspeakable. U.S. military personnel

now here to help with the search. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake was felt for hundreds of miles. In China, nurses at a maternity ward were holding on to babies as the hospital with an ongoing civil war inside Myanmar international aid is only now trickling in it's one of the most complex emergencies on the planet and our focus right now getting those supplies in in Mandalay families are sleeping on the streets fearing aftershocks while here in Bangkok signs of life in the mountain of debris where workers remain trapped. Janice joins us now live from Bangkok tonight behind or I should say in front of a lot of that

destruction there. Janice, how much longer do search and rescue teams think they have? We saw that very compelling video of those girls who were trapped inside the hotel. How much more time do they think to rescue people like that who may still be under the rubble? Well, Tom, rescuers talk about this golden window of time that they would have to reach survivors. It's 72 hours. So technically, that window has closed. But as we've seen with those dramatic videos and rescues in Myanmar, there is still some hope. There are Chinese, Russian, Malaysian, Singaporean teams that are fanning out there. The problem is that there still isn't a

clear picture of how many people may be trapped or are still missing. Here, they're up against seven stories of concrete, steel, and broken glass. They have been picked. picking away at it over several days. The heavy machinery has fallen quiet now. Officials have said that they had heard or detected signs of life from within that mound over the last couple of days and that they will continue to keep digging until they get everyone out, Tom. And then Myanmar has such a complicated political situation right now. Who's leading sort of the search effort over there and are they getting any type of foreign assistance? Well, they are getting foreign assistance. It's just not coming from the U.S., at least not in the traditional way that the U.S. was part of this international aid footprint when disasters like this struck.

USAID, an agency hobbled by Katz, is giving $2 million and sending only three people to Myanmar. You contrast that with the hundreds who are on the ground now. Search and Rescue teams. units surgeons coming from China, India, Russia, and other countries in the region. So there are countries that are stepping in to fill the gaps. This was an issue that was put to the State Department today by NBC, Tammy Bruce saying, quote, we have partners that we work with who help us and that we may not be required to be physically present for the nature of what's being done. We have partners who are around the ground regularly, and that would reject.

the premise that success is that we are there physically, that statement coming from the State Department. But there is, Tom, overall, the noticeable absence of U.S. presence at this earthquake. Janice McAfee, we thank you for that. Also overseas, President Trump taking a new, more combative approach in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, lashing out at Russian President Putin after he called for a transitional government in Ukraine, possibly pushing out President Zelensky. Trump telling NBC's Kristen Welker in an exclusive interview, he is very angry and pissed off with Putin,

saying he may level secondary tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil if he can't get a ceasefire deal and thinks Russia is to blame. President Trump sold himself in the 2024 campaign as a historic dealmaker who could end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, but with Ukraine talks getting stalled in the Gaza conflict reignited, questions are now growing about whether the president can get peace across the finish line. Joining top story tonight is Josh Rogan.

He's the lead global security analyst with the Washington Post. Josh, thanks so much for being here. I want to start with these new comments from President Trump on Putin. Shortly before the inauguration this January, you wrote in your paper this. Russian President Vladimir Putin's own cynical strategy

is to use negotiations to buy more time for his aggression. Trump must avoid the trap. If Trump hopes to avoid being outplayed, he will need to recognize what every recent president has. In return, Putin's goal is not peace, but dominance. He responds only to pressure.

Do you think President Trump is taking your advice, and is this the kind of pressure Putin will respond to? Well, Tom, it seems that President Trump is starting to realize that President Putin may not have peace as his first priority in Ukraine. And, of course, many people, including I, warned that this is exactly what was going to happen, that Putin would use the negotiating process to increase his aggression and to get Donald Trump to pull U.S. support for Ukraine.

And so far, that's been the policy. Now we see that President Trump, now that we're into the negotiations, is starting to realize that Putin may be lying, that Putin may not be interested in a peace that Trump or Ukraine can accept. But whether or not that leads to President Trump actually increasing the pressure on Putin, imposing what I think he meant to be secondary sanctions, not secondary sanctions. tariffs, by the way. I think he just misspoke. Whether or not they actually put pressure on Putin

remains to be seen. I do want to talk about potential tariffs, right? Because let's talk about some solutions here. I want to read to you something that was in the New York Times last week that caught my eye from former Council of Economic Advisors Chair Glenn Hubbard and former deputy assistant treasury secretary, Catherine Wolfer. They write in part, there's a simple way to improve the American hand. The administration should impose sanctions on any company or individual in any country involved in a Russian oil or gas sale. Russia could avoid these so-called secondary sanctions by paying a per shipment fee to the United States Treasury. The payment would be called a Russian universal tariff, and it would start low, but it increased every week that passes without

a peace deal. Josh, you know, I remember when the start of this war, everyone said, and the United States, that was their first move, right? Russian oil, Russian oil, it seems not to have worked. When you look at the books, Russian oil is directly tied to Russian military spending. Is this a real Well, over the, as you point out, Tom, over the last three years, there have been various ideas and schemes to try to take Russia's oil profits away from Russia, and none of them have worked for a very simple reason, is that the entire world energy markets are intertwined, and there are plenty of customers for Russian oil, no matter what we say about it. And moreover, you can't drop the price of Russian oil any lower than the price of American oil, because we're an oil exporter, too. Or are you will undermine American businesses. There's also the consideration of economic pain for Americans if energy becomes more scarce and what that will do to the cost at the pump for Americans, which Donald Trump has to also think about, and the markets.

So for all of these reasons, putting pressure on Russia, especially in the oil and energy sector, is an extremely complicated and difficult thing to do even when you're firing on all cylinders. And in the current environment, Tom, where the Trump administration is levying worldwide tariffs in the middle of several trade wars, I just am very skeptical that they're going to be able to pull it off. Before we move on to Israel and Gaza, I do want to ask you there. I kind of want to put a bookend here.

At the beginning of this year, it felt if maybe naively so, we may get some peace in Ukraine with Russia. It feels like we're getting further away from that. What is your sense? My sense is that the Trump administration's theory of how to get to peace was never really aligned with the reality of the war on the ground in Ukraine. In other words, they have this vision where European troops go into the breach, and the Americans, you know, have a role in brokering, a ceasefire along the current lines, and somehow Russia agrees to all of that.

And it was probably a view that was not rooted in the reality of the interests of both sides. And we saw first the Zelensky people reject that kind of idea. Now we're saying the Putin people reject that idea. Wars end when one or both sides are too exhausted to keep on fighting. just may not be there yet, and the fighting may have to continue. Let's turn to the war in Gaza as well. That ceasefire there completely collapsed. President Trump said his election was what made the ceasefire deal there possible,

and yet now he's encouraging Netanyahu to break the ceasefire and resume attacks on Hamas. What is the strategy here? Right. I think the status of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was always more directly related to Israeli politics than to American politics, despite what President. Trump has said, and the bottom line is that for reasons on both sides, Israel and Hamas have been reluctant to go to that next stage, to go to the stage of the ceasefire where they determine the final settlement.

They can agree to stop fighting for a few days or a few weeks or even a couple months at a time, but if Israel sets an end goal that Hamas can't agree to, and Hamas sets an end goal that Israel can't agree to, we're no real closer to a permanent peace. And now that Netanyahu's political survival and his physical freedom are tied. to the ongoing efforts to keep the war going, at least in the eyes in the view of many, many Israelis, including hostage family members, I think we're unlikely to see anything more than a series of short temporary ceasefires. But even though short temporary ceasefires can result in hostages coming home, and that is, of course, the most important goal.

Before you go, I do want you explain something to our viewers here. We have a Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. We also have an envoy to the Middle East, Steve Woodcoff, who seems to be traveling to every conflict zone, seems to be handling all the major negotiations here. Who is really in charge, and how is this dynamic and or this team working? You know, it's a great question. According to my sources, Tom, Whitkoff, Rubio, Vance, these guys all sort of work together. We saw that in the signal chat. They kind of all keep in touch all the time in various ways. It's unusual because usually you would have a Secretary of State who would be more powerful than the president's best real estate buddy. That's not the case anymore. So on any

given day, Whitkoff can be in charge or Rubio could be in charge. In the end, Donald Trump's the only one that can really make any decisions in this White House, and especially in this term. And so I think they're all trying to compete for his good grace and for his to appeal to his whims and then trying to figure out where he wants to go and how to get the country there. And to be honest, it's pretty chaotic. The closer you get to the top of the Trump administration, the more chaos there is. Josh Rogan, a good friend, a Top Story. We thank you for being here.

You can read Josh, of course, in The Washington Post. All right, time now for Top Stories, Global Watch, a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with a tragic update out of Lithuania, where authorities have recovered the bodies of three American soldiers who disappeared last week. You may remember we first reported this. New video shows recovery teams digging the soldiers. armored vehicle out of a bog, which is a swampy pond after it sank during a training exercise. Search and recovery efforts are ongoing for the body of a fourth soldier. The soldiers

were based at a Fort Stewart in Georgia. So far, the DOD has not released the names of those soldiers. The French far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, sentenced to four years in prison and banned from public office for five years. A French court ruling that Le Pen and her national rally party, embezzled more than 3 million euros in EU political funds to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016, the sentence shaking up France's 2027 election, where Le Pen was likely frontrunner. And a German startup space rocket exploding in a fiery crash in Norway this weekend. You can see the launch appear successful at first, right?

But take a close look, the unmanned rocket lifting off for a few seconds, but then it abruptly turns back towards Earth, erupting into a fireball as it crows. crashes into the icy Arctic Ocean, the rocket was the first attempt at an orbital flight to launch from Europe. Back in this country, we have new details in a case we've been following here on Top Story. The Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife while at a popular tourist destination. Now hit with a restraining order, those documents shedding light on what the wife describes as a tense relationship and providing new information on the alleged murder attempt. NBC's George Release has this one.

Tonight, there are new twists in the case of a Maui doctor accused of trying to murder his wife. Court documents obtained by NBC News, painting a picture of jealousy and aggression by 46-year-old anesthesiologist Gerhard Koenig. In a restraining order petition, Ariel Koenig, writing that after police launched a manhunt for her husband, he facetimed his adult son telling him, I just tried to kill Ari, but she got away, and that he wanted to kill himself by jumping off a cliff. Ariel also writing, she was fearful that Koenig would attempt to harm or kill me, as well as harm or kill our children. A judge agreeing, ordering Koenig to stay away from Ariel and the couple's two small children. Koenig was charged with attempted murder on Thursday after allegedly trying to push Ariel off a cliff and striking her in the head multiple times with a rock.

Police say the attack happened when the couple was visiting the Polly lookout just outside Honolulu. According to court documents, Ariel refused to take a selfie with Konig. That's when he grabbed her arms and began pushing her towards the edge of the cliff. Court documents also revealing Koenig feared for her life if her husband was released from custody. Adding last December, he accused her of having an affair. According to her petition for the restraining order, the couple had also been in therapy and counseling. She is a special person that she didn't deserve this. Housekeeper and friend of the Koenig family, Christina Ferguson, in shock.

It's hard to fathom. It's hard to grasp the severity of the... tragic incident. I wouldn't think that this would be something that he would ever do. Coden's attorney did not return NBC's request for comment. His bail is set at $5 million. The last update from Honolulu PD is that Ariel remains hospitalized with multiple injuries to the head and face. George Solis, NBC News. All right, we thank George Solis for that story. And coming up, the Bronx Bombers taking on a new meaning. The New York Yankees scoring 15 home runs in the first three games of 2025. comes as some of their players use the new so-called torpedo bat.

So do the Yanks have an advantage? Or is it fair play? That's next. Welcome back. It's called the Torpedo Bat, a new piece of baseball equipment, striking fear in the hearts of pitchers everywhere. The new design redistributing weight so it's heavier in the sweet spot where hitters usually make contact. The bat is legal by MLB standards, but some are now questioning whether it's too good to be fair. The Yankees this weekend, beg to differ. See ya! Tonight, from the stands to the dugouts, everyone in baseball is talking about the

torpedo bag. A three-run, home run for Jazz Chisholm. The balls just keep flying out in the Bronx. And how it may be helping the Bronx bombers live up to their nickname. In just three games, 15 homers so far, nine on Saturday alone. Three to. several Yankees going yard using a torpedo bat. The bat worked, a three-run home run. It looks like a bowling pin, designed with more wood in the middle of the barrel, the sweet spot where players want to connect with the ball. Some of the game stars amazed.

I have no idea what they are. Is that right? They should send a few over here if they're going to be hitting homers like that. It was developed in part by physicist turned coach Aaron Lennhart, who spent six years with the Yankees, but jumped to the Marlins this season. It's definitely been surreal for the last, you know, a couple days. Kevin Smith tried it out while playing for New York. So the bat looks weird.

How does it feel when you hit the ball? It doesn't feel much different, man. I remember going up to the plate with it last year and catchers were laughing. I was laughing. But when you get the science behind it and you kind of understand it a little bit more and you start taking swings, when you're swinging, it doesn't feel much different. I don't know the science of it. I just play baseball.

Jazz Chisham. Hit three home runs with it this weekend. I started using it the last week and a half of spring, I think. And, I mean, I just never looked back after that. But the player that hit the most home runs this weekend at Yankee Stadium, Aaron Judge says no torpedo bat for him. He blasted four home runs over two games using a traditional bat and says, why change something if you have something that is working?

Well, they're not for everyone, but players on the Rays, Blue Jays, twins are using them as well. And after this weekend, we bet others may join them. So any team wanting to use the torpedo bat has to make sure it meets the requirements of the MOB. Several teams are already ordering more. And we're going to be back in a moment with the powerful tribute on the ice. The moving moments this skater remembered his parents who were killed in that American Airlines plane crash. Stay with us. Finally, tonight, it was an emotional weekend at the World Figure Skating Championships. Many of the skaters honoring those who tragically died in that D.C. plane crash in January.

Among them, a 23-year-old who lost both his parents that day. Stephanie Goss tonight takes a look at the special performance and how he uses skating to heal. It's a heart-wrenching moment, to be honest. A powerful and emotional tribute on ice. Figure skater Maxime Naumov dedicating his exhibition performance at the World Figure Skating Championship to his parents. Champion skaters Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, who were both killed in that January mid-air collision between an American Eagle jet and military helicopter in D.C. At this weekend's performance in Boston, their 23-year-old son stopping in the middle of the ice, looking up towards the sky, and with his hand on. on his heart, mouthed something to his parents.

It's all in Russian, but it's, this is for you guys, you guys are with me. I love you both. The crowd also overcome with emotion, brought to their feet for a one-minute standing ovation. While the U.S. dominated at the world championships, the sport is still grieving the 28 members of the figure skating community killed in that January crash, including six from the Boston Skating Club, U.S. national champions and American teammates. Misha Mitrovanov and Lisa Ephamova holding up photos of them. They're always in our minds, always in our hearts, and I really feel like they helped us today.

For Maxime, he says skating has helped him cope with the tragedy, telling today's Craig Melvin, each skate he does now is a dedication to his parents. The only way out is through. There's no other way. I don't have the strength or the passion or the drive. or the dedication of one person anymore. It's three people. Stephanie Gossk, NBC News.

Some powerful words there from Maxim. We thank Stephanie Goss for that report, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.