Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, March 4, 2024

Episode Date: March 5, 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.

Tonight, we're counting down to Super Tuesday, the biggest night of the election in 2024 so far. Fifteen states will hold Republican primaries tomorrow. Will former President Trump win them all? Or can Nikki Haley pick up some much-needed delegates after her win over the weekend in the nation's capital? But with Trump way ahead, he's now looking towards the general election. Several polls showing him with the lead over President Biden if they went head-to-head right now. We're breaking down everything voters need to know. Also breaking

tonight Haiti's capital city under siege by the country's dangerous gangs. A state of emergency declared after gang members stormed two prisons and porter prints, releasing an estimated 4,000 inmates onto the streets. Bodies piling up and police

calling for backup as a shootout erupts at the city's main airport. Gang leaders now calling on civilians to join them, how the U.S. is responding. Buried in snow, new drone footage showing dozens of semi-trucks trapped on a snowy California highway after a major storm dumped five to ten feet of snow on the region,

but residents won't be able to dig out for long. Miami Beach telling spring breakers, it is over. In a cheeky new PSA, the city warning would be partiers about strict guidelines this month, including bag checks on the beach and major road closures. But the rules don't appear to be a deterrent with massive crowds already seen converging on South Florida's beaches.

could authorities crack down even more? Plus, this just in, the first images of Princess Kate since she underwent abdominal surgery in mid-January, where she was cited after weeks of speculation about her health that has even prompted viral conspiracy theories. And Trader Joe fans listen up. More than 60,000 pounds of the chain's popular soup dumplings recalled over concerns they could contain pieces of plastic.

Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are less than 12 hours away from the first polls opening for Super Tuesday. It is expected to be the biggest night of the election so far and a make-or-break moment for Nikki Haley. Let's show you what's at stake. Fifteen states will hold Republican primaries tomorrow, including Alaska, Texas, and California, the largest states in the nation. 865 delegates are up for grabs, a massive chunk of the 1,215 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination. Nikki Haley, seeing her first 2024 victory this weekend, winning the Republican primary in Washington, D.C. You can see how she did right there.

But former President Trump's still with a massive lead. He will not clinch the nomination tomorrow, even if he sweeps, but he would be very, very close. There are also Democratic contests in more than a dozen states and American states. Samoa, but President Biden is running largely unopposed. However, two new polls show Trump with a lead over President Biden among registered voters if they were going to face off right now. Trump, Haley, and Biden now gearing up for a major nine in this election. So let's get right to Garrett Hake, who has been following the Trump campaign for us. On the eve of Super Tuesday, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, insisting legal efforts against

him are giving him a big boost. The polls show that I'm much more popular. than I was in nonsense cases, and everybody sees it. With just hours to go before polls open on the biggest single day of the Republican primary, Mr. Trump's last remaining challenger also welcoming the high court's ruling. This is America. Look, I'll defeat Donald Trump Fair and Square, but I want him on that ballot. Republican voters in 15 states casting ballots tomorrow, with more than 800 delegates at stake. Many in winner-take-all states, where the former president,

is likely to claim key victories. New polling shows him leading President Biden in a head-to-head matchup within the margin of error. Both men unpopular. But unlike 2020, polls showing more Americans now have an unfavorable view of Mr. Biden than of Mr. Trump. While in Colorado, which holds its primary tomorrow with former President Trump on the ballot, both Trump supporters and detractors shrugged off the Supreme Court's ruling today. Trump staying on the ballot is good because, you know, he has a tough hit.

My biggest thing about President Trump is I think he's a terrible example on how to treat people. But I don't like the idea of people of the government saying someone can't run. All right, Garrett Hake joins us live tonight from West Palm Beach, Florida. So, Gary, you spoke in your piece about the New York Times-Sienna poll. There was also another big poll release over the week and two. Tell our viewers what we learned there. Yeah, this Wall Street Journal poll tells a related story here. It has Donald Trump leading, but within the margin of error.

But it also shows that while voters' attitudes about the economy have improved by a significant margin, about 10% over the course of that poll's run here, President Biden is not seeing the benefit from that that perhaps folks might have expected. It's related to that point about his unpopularity in the poll we used in the piece. President Biden is a problem bigger than the specific issues on which he's being judged. right now. That can be a very difficult thing for a campaign to turn around, but they're probably going to spend about a billion dollars to try over the next seven or eight months, Tom. Garrett Hake, leading us off here on the eve of Super Tuesday, Garrett, we appreciate all your reporting for more on what could happen this Super Tuesday and what it means for the general

election. Joining Top Story live right now, Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont and a 2004 Democratic presidential candidate and Julia Manchester, National Politics Reporter for the Hill and a friend to Top Story. Thank you both for being here. Governor, I want to start with you, and I want to ask you about a piece that appeared in the New York Times that has an interesting take on media coverage of the election. In this piece, the reporter's right, it says, but in a twist, many Democrats are now hoping for an increased coverage of Mr. Trump. The current Biden team thinking is the more Trump, the better in order to remind voters about what they didn't like about him in the first place. Some Biden officials welcome national television networks carrying Super Tuesday's results with special coverage because more voters, would grapple with the reality of a Biden-vers-Trump contest.

Governor, do you think this is a good strategy? You may remember in 2016 how much coverage the former president got. He won that election. Will that work this time around, or will it hurt Democrats? Well, it's hard to say. I think we have to run on our record, and I think our record is very, very good compared to the record of Donald Trump, who ran up huge deficits, cut taxes for the richest people in America while working people suffered.

As far as that Trump's coverage, you know, the press just can't resist Trump because he makes headlines and he's outrageous every single day. The problem for him is going to be his health is not much better than Biden's, if it's better at all. You know, this is a guy who exists on cheeseburgers, apparently. And while I think Biden ought to challenge him to do a push-up contest, he probably would like to go into a cheeseburger eating contest. So, you know, he could have a health problem. And I also think the kind of coverage is going to get, if he gets convicted, he's already in Hock for about $400 million, and he's going to have to pay that by the 25th of March. So, yeah, bring it on. Governor, as much in.

Yeah, you know, you mentioned the health of both these candidates and sort of the mental acuity, if you will, the mental capacity of these two candidates. Why do you think in poll after poll voters think the current president, President Biden, is too old, even though former President Trump is just four years behind him? Well, a lot of people think Trump is too old. If you look at the polling, especially younger people, are complaining about the age of both of them. Look, the question is, who did a good job? Trump did a terrible job, wrecked our relationship with our allies, ran up a huge national debt, and embarrassed the United States on the international and local scene. Biden has done a really good job as president of the United States.

So where's the disconnect? Governor, if you believe that, where is the disconnect? because the polling actually doesn't show that. The polling is showing voters now think they were better off under Trump and he was actually a better president. I'm just pointing out with the poll show. Is it a communications problem or is it a messenger problem? Well, I think it's all kinds of things.

You know, Trump is on the air all the time because the press can't resist the clickbait of Donald Trump, who's an exciting character because you never know what he's going to do next. I think when people sober up about it, they're going to find out that Nikki Haley is right. should not be president of the United States. Julia, I want to talk to you about a piece you wrote for the Hill. Let's turn it Super Tuesday

here. Haley looks to beat expectations against Trump in Virginia. That would be great for her campaign, except that there's 14 other states, and there's been several other states that she hasn't been able to win. She, of course, won in D.C. But what does tomorrow really mean for Nikki Haley?

Look, I think it's a make or break moment, Tom, for Nikki Haley tomorrow. I think time is really running out for her. Look, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan, those were the first few primary states. And if she had, you know, at least one of those states, she might be in a different position now. But it's getting down to the wire for her. And what I mean by that is that she's lost the funding of the Coke-backed, you know, political machine. Her campaign says it's still fundraising, but she's, we're starting to, you know, it seems like she's running out of arguments as to why she wants to stay in the race.

She says she wants to stay in the race because another part of the Republican Party needs to be represented, that it can't be the longest general election in U.S. history. But there are questions about what she does next. Now, we know that Donald Trump likely won't get the half of the total, a lot of delegates tomorrow night. So there could be, you know, some reason for her to stay in. But, you know, I wrote about Virginia, and I think that same strategy could be applied to North Carolina. these are slightly more favorable states to Nikki Haley if we were really to get into the nitty-gritty of it. The problem is, though, we're seeing that Trump and his base are really running up the margins in these states, even where Nikki Haley could perform well.

So it's hard to see, really, where a path is at this point. Yeah, she's had a tough time sort of connecting up until late in the campaign where she sort of grabbed those independents. If things don't go her way on Tuesday, do you think she drops out Wednesday? You know, we don't know for sure. It's, you know, she could have, if she performs at least decently in some of these states. And when I say decently, you know, I don't necessarily mean she wins. But if she's running up the margins in some of these states, yeah, maybe she has, you know, a reason to stay in. And if she's continuing to fund raise, if she's continuing to get that money, theoretically she could stay in as long as she wants until the convention.

It's when the money runs out. When the donors get pessimistic, that's when she'll make that decision. You know, it'll be this month, I think, not only these contests, but the contest next week. And later this month, once Donald Trump hits that halfway number or crosses that threshold, then she's going to have a real question on her hands. Governor, let's turn back to President Biden. There have been analysts out there, Democratic strategists, who have suggested that maybe a coalition of surrogates, maybe people like yourself, go out there and help the president get reelected.

We've seen the vice president, Kamala Harris, out on the campaign trail, recently outgiving speeches. The same with the First Lady. Do you think this is the best strategy, and could a coalition of sort of liberal surrogates help the president get reelected? He already has that coalition. He can get anybody he wants to go out and talk about his record. This guy's probably got the best domestic policy record of anybody since Lyndon Johnson. I mean, the irony of it all is the people he's helped the most are actually the Trump voters in rural areas. The jobs that he's bringing into areas like West Virginia and all these places where in the south where they're,

having chip plants, those are good-paying jobs. And Donald Trump never did anything for those people. So, you know, this is just something we've got to get through. We've got to, eventually the media will decide that don't want to talk about Biden's age and stop clickbaiting Donald Trump, and they'll decide they do have a patriotic job to do for the country, and things will turn around. I'm not worried about it. Julia, are Democrats worried at all tomorrow about the uncommitted movement?

Are there any states? I know there was some reporting. out of Colorado, that it could impact Biden tomorrow? Yeah, I've heard some rumblings out of, you know, Washington State going forward. But, you know, in terms of what this looks like going forward, I don't know it's as big of a concern right now. I think what we saw out of Michigan, the reason why that got so much coverage is because Michigan is such an important swing state to the former president and the president in this

eventual general election. And the Arab American and Muslim American boat is so incredibly important. I think a lot of, you know, the coverage was because of that. In terms of the rest of the country, though, I don't know if it's going to have as big of an impact. However, it's something I think the Democrats should very much be paying attention to. And I think they are, because it's not only the Arab American and Muslim American vote that are paying attention to how the Biden administration has handled the war between Israel and Hamas. It's also Gen Z voters and younger voters, and they need that coalition to turn out. Governor, you know, this is a big week for the Biden team and for the White House, to be honest with you,

because he's going to have the State of the Union on Thursday. I covered the presidential campaign in 2004 when you tapped into a huge portion of the Democratic voters. You figured something out early on in that campaign that electrified your campaign. If you could give advice to President Biden on what he should say on Thursday, what would you tell President Biden? Well, first of all, let me just say, I think the, withholding of the vote in Michigan was a good thing because it's already the president's traditional American policy towards Israel isn't working. And when Kamala Harris yesterday went out and talked about immediate ceasefire, that was a substantial change in American policy towards

Israel. And it's one that's long overdue. Netanyahu has really abused the American people and abused the United States. And he is not fit to lead Israel. And basically, Harris is now saying, okay, straighten up and fly right. One atrocity does not deserve another atrocity, and this is enough. That is where most of the voters we really need are in this issue, and especially younger voters. So you think he needs to talk about that, the state of the Union? You'd like to hear more support for Palestinians versus for Israel? It's not a question of support for Palestinians. There's a question of not letting people get murdered by the tens of thousands. Look, what the Hamas did was a terrorist act, and it was

disgusting, and it was disgraceful. There's got to be other ways than just killing 30,000 men, women, and children who were unarmed and had nothing to do with any of this. And I think that's where a lot of our voters are. So I think actually what happened in Michigan was a very constructive thing, and I've seen the policy begin to change already, although, to be honest with you, I think it was changing to begin with. Governor, real quick, because we got to go, but would you give any advice to President Biden for that speech? No, just knock it out of the park. He's capable of it.

Knock it out of the park. All right. Governor, we appreciate Julia, Manchester. Always a pleasure. Make sure to tune into news now tomorrow night. Hallie Jackson and I will be kicking off special Tuesday special coverage starting at 5 p.m., bringing you all the results as soon as we get them. Lester Holtz, Savannah Guthrie, and Kristen Welker continue the coverage after 10 p.m.

Okay, now to our other major headline tonight, that massive ruling from the Supreme Court on Trump's ballot eligibility. The nine justices ruling unanimously that the former president cannot be removed from the ballot. This comes after multiple states tried to strip Trump from the ballot for his role in the January 6th insurrection. Laura Jared has the latest. Tonight, the U.S. Supreme Court dealing a final blow to states trying to ban former President Trump from the ballot. In a unanimous decision, the justices effectively leaving it up to voters to decide if the former president returns to the White House. Mr. Trump praising today's ruling.

The voters can take the person out of the race very quickly, but a court shouldn't be doing that. The justice is rejecting a Colorado state court's ruling, finding Mr. Trump ineligible to be president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. A largely untested clause of the Constitution passed after the Civil War, disqualifying those who engage in insurrection from holding public office again. An elections official in Maine and a judge in Illinois later doing the same, banning the Republican frontrunner from the ballot in those states in light of his actions on January 6th. Today's ruling from the High Court now ending all similar efforts to disqualify Mr. Trump from the ballot. While most states were thrilled to have me, there were some that didn't, and they didn't want that for political reasons. The justices today saying that patchwork of different rulings across the country cannot stand, finding responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates

rests with Congress and not the states. But at the same time, the three liberal justices accusing their conservative colleagues of going too far by ruling Congress must enact new legislation in order to ban a presidential candidate. Writing, this ruling will make it harder to bar an order. oath-breaking insurrectionists from becoming president. Conservative Justice Barrett cautioning this court should turn the national temperature down, not up. Laura Jarrett joins us now in studio.

So Laura, we know that Colorado wasn't the only state that was trying to take Trump off the ballot. Illinois and Maine, Maine, of course, which is a Super Tuesday state, tried as well. So what happens with those states? Those will all go away, Tom. Any of the pending or existing disqualification efforts will all be wiped out because of the breadth of this decision with the court saying simply, this is not up to. to the states. So if any decisions had essentially been put on hold as well, those are all, again, off the table. I also know you have some other reporting about the Trump organization's

former CFO, Alan Weisselberg, that he has now pleaded guilty to perjury, and we should remind our viewers he was already convicted once. What happens now? What exactly did he lie about? Yeah, this is about an issue related to his testimony in Trump's recent civil fraud trial, so a completely unrelated different issue. But remember, because he's the longtime CEO, he knows a lot about Mr. Trump's finances. And so he could have perhaps been an essential witness for the prosecution in the upcoming hush money trial, as of course prosecutors say that he knew a lot of details about that. But as a part of this deal, it's our understanding he's not actually flipping on the former president. He's not cooperating with prosecutors. But the fact that he's pleading

guilty does strengthen the district attorney's hand going into this upcoming trial. Laura, Jared first. Laura, thank you for that. Next to a new explosion of violence in Haiti where thousands of prisoners now roam free after armed gangs stormed two of the country's largest jails and then set them free. Those gang members now trying to seize control of the nation's largest international airport. NBC's Ellison Barber has more.

Tonight, Haiti spiraling toward anarchy. A 72-hour state of emergency declared after armed gang stormed two of the nation's largest prisons on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, according to the government. ROBERT STACKLIN, close to 4,000 prisoners reportedly escaped during the violent assault. The exact death toll is unknown.

But bodies were seen lining the streets of Port-au-Pr-Prince as police unions publicly pleaded for backup. Tonight, the Associated Press reporting heavily armed gangs tried to take control of the country's largest international airport exchanging gunfire with soldiers as employees fled. The government says gangs that now control an estimated 80 percent of the nation's capital city following the 2021 assassination of President Juvenile Mouise are behind the bloody prison break. One of their targets, Haiti's national penitentiary, houses several high-profile inmates, including Colombian nationals accused of being involved in the plot to kill President

Moise. Prolific gang leaders, like Jimmy Cherizier, who's known as Barbecue, have been calling for the arrest of Haiti's acting president, Prime Minister Ariel Henri, for months. Barbecue doubled down, following the prison attacks, releasing a public message telling Haitians the gangs, quote, seek to liberate the country. Henri was out of the country at the time of the prison break, working with leaders in Kenya to finalize an agreement that would fast track the deployment of police officers for a UN-approved mission aimed at regaining control of the nation.

Violence in Haiti is not new, but it is steadily escalating. Last year, the number of people killed in armed gang conflicts was two times higher than the year before. is trapped. Trapped with a government that doesn't govern, incapable of doing anything. It looks now like the gangs, which are the only ones that can establish any kind of political order in Haiti, are coming together. For the residents, support a prince. Help can't come soon enough. Okay, and with that, Alison, Barbara, joins us now live in studio. So, Alison, I know you have some

new reporting. The State Department spoke out about Haiti today. Yeah, they did. So they are urging U.S. citizens inside of Haiti to leave as soon as possible. On top of that, Matt Miller spokesperson for the State Department. He says they are closely monitoring the situation and condemn efforts by gangs to further destabilize and take control of Haiti. Pretty limited in their official capacity right now. I think one of the big questions moving forward and what we'll be watching over the coming days is where is Prime Minister Henri? He was last seen on camera on Friday in Kenya. Hasn't been seen since then. An official with the State Department saying the U.S. that he should and is on his way back to Haiti and that they believe he should be allowed to do so.

But that's something we'll be monitoring. And you also wonder if the U.S. is going to start evacuation flights because the airport has been taken over at times. Flights have been canceled. There's no way out. Americans have no way out, right? Okay, Ellison, we thank you for that. Back here at home to the dangerous weather out west tonight, a major winter storm dropping five to 10 feet of snow, shutting down major roadways and stranding drivers.

Residents there now in a race against time rushing to dig out before yet another. storm could dump as much as two more feet on the already hard-hit region. Steve Patterson is there tonight. Tonight, an entire region digging out in the aftermath of around-the-clock winter weather thrashing. We woke up to a lot of snow yesterday, and it never let up. This weekend, the storm of the season unleashed a life-threatening assault on the mountain west, dumping five to ten feet of snow across the region. and spawning blinding white-out conditions on the roads.

It kind of felt like we were, like, swimming through the snow almost. Just south of Lake Tahoe, several cars temporarily trapped when an avalanche crashed on the road. Thankfully, no one injured. The region's major thoroughfare, Interstate 80, shut down for days, a perilous mix of wind and snow, stranding drivers for hours. The road finally reopening today. The blizzard bringing snow totals to more than seven feet in several communities. with winds gusting up to 190 miles per hour in the highest peaks.

It was full on. It was definitely some pretty intense periods of wide-out conditions. Today, relief. Blizzard warnings lifted for the first time since last week. This really turned out to be a storm. We were all kind of laughing, and we were like, ah, it's snow. We've got this. And then Snowmagedon.

Snowmaged did come. The storm moving out. allowing residents to catch their breath ahead of a few more inches of snow predicted right around the corner. All right, Steve Patterson joins us tonight from Truckee, California. Steve, I want you to pick up where you left off there. Even with this pause and snowfall, is there a concern that two storms back to back could do more damage? Tom, anytime you have this amount of snow already on the ground and you add more on top of that, that is always a concern, of course.

But I've got to tell you, in this one-day break that we've had, all the highways that I've seen, in this area have been cleared. The interstate is back open. Businesses are back open. Crews we've spoken to say they are very competent and very efficient about handling the snow. They've gotten a foothold and they say that if they were able to handle everything that just happened, anything that happens in the future, they can handle as well. All right, Steve Patterson, surviving that snowmageddon there in Truckee. Steve, thank you for your report. Still ahead tonight. Greek life shut down. All sororities and fraternities at the University of Maryland told to suspend all activities immediately what they're accusing multiple chapters of doing.

Plus, potentially more bad news for college students. Miami Beach, cracking down on spring breakers, announcing strict new guidelines this month, what the city is doing to prevent the violence that has been breaking out for years. And Princess Kate, she's been spotted, where the Princess of Wales was seen for the first time after she underwent surgery nearly two months ago.

Stay with us. Back now with the first glimpse of Kate Middleton since she underwent surgery in the UK nearly two months ago. The princess stepping back from her royal duties following that hospitalization and her disappearance sparking a ton of rumors. Stephanie Gosk has more. The picture is grainy, but appears to be the Princess of Wales in sunglasses being driven by her mother. The photo agency that owns the image says it was taken near Windsor Castle, where a royal spokesperson says the Princess of Wales is recuperating from abdominal surgery. The 42-year-old mother of three hasn't been seen in public in months, not since Christmas Day with her family. In January, Kensington Palace announced she had been admitted to a London hospital for planned abdominal surgery.

A spokesperson later adding that the surgery was successful and that Kate did not have cancer. Just under two weeks later, she returned home and was making good progress, according to the Palace, but would not be attending public events until after Easter. With little information being released, social media buzzed with conspirators. Some about the seriousness of her condition. The rumors were fueled last week when Prince William made a last-minute decision not to attend a memorial service for his godfather, citing a personal matter. The palace issued another statement the princess was doing well and adding that it made clear in January the timelines of the princess's recovery, and we'd only be providing significant updates. The palace declined to comment on today's photo.

Adding to the health concerns for the royal family is King Charles' unspecified cancer diagnosis. But tonight, an image that may provide some solace to those wishing a princess, a speedy recovery. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. Okay, back here at home now with the latest crackdown facing spring breakers, officials in South Florida implementing new safety measures like curfews, bag checks, and DUI checkpoints to prevent the out-of-control violence they've seen in recent years. The city of Miami Beach even launched a campaign to encourage people a tourist city. Imagine this, not to come there.

Sam Brock is there with the latest. From the skies above Miami Beach, this might look like the start of the same old spring break. Why Miami Beach? It's the best space deal for spring break. But one thing's already clear. Those flocking to South Beach for some fun in the sun are aware that the rules are going to be very different this year. If you plan on coming to Miami Beach for spring break, don't do it. All of the streets are walked down here.

Do not come down here. The city's high-profile campaign to break up with spring break. This isn't working anymore. And it's not us. It's you. Includes videos like this. You can expect things like curfews, bag checks, and restricted beach access. DUI checkpoints.

$100 parking. All of it coming after violence and bad behavior. marred the last few years. Police trying to monitor seas of out-of-control partiers on Ocean Drive and gunshots that have prompted stampedes and claimed lives. During spring break last year alone, Miami Beach Police made 573 arrests and impounded more than 100 firearms. Two fatal shootings, including one on Ocean Drive, led to a curfew and a state of emergency. Somebody gets shot right in the The middle of the street, I think that's, you know, that's the height of insanity that's going on out here. Justin Sternad lives blocks away from the epicenter of activity, which is also close to his job.

What is it like living near this? It's garbage. I mean, it's not ideal. I mean, who the hell wants to live next to all that? You know, stuff that's going on. Other neighbors, like John Sevelli, have more hope the crackdown will make the beach safer this year. Have you noticed the increased presence of police officers? Yes.

And towing, increase, please, towing. They block these streets off right here. As for the revelers, like this group of students from Virginia, who heard about the city's recent spring break history. Did you see the stampedes, though? I did. It's scary. It really is. But it felt comforted by what they've seen this spring break. The lines to get into places at night have been a lot shorter, but there's been a lot more security. And for businesses in the thick of the entertainment district, like Mango's Night Club, owner David Wallach, acknowledges any sort of shutdown which certainly hurt business, likely to the tune of hundreds of

thousands of dollars, but that's hardly at the top of his priority list. What does the monetary effect for businesses like yours? Even given that there are stampedes, if there are stampedes in a volatile situation that I've seen many times before out in the street, I'm going to close mangoes for the safety of my customers and my staff. Monetary is last place. Wallach isn't convinced yet that these new safety protocols will make a difference. We'll see. It's really a wait and see. Miami Beach's police chief, Wayne Jones, telling us every member of the department is working extended hours for spring break. And they're using new drone technology from Skydeo to track incidents and those in distress.

He says the city's safety plan is comprehensive and the message crystal clear. You come here, you have a good time, you behave. we will invite you back. If you come here, you break your law, we're likely going to arrest you. Sam Brock joins us tonight from Miami Beach. So Sam, you spoke with a lot of residents there. When do they say this version of out-of-control spring break gets started? Yeah, this version is key, right? Like spring break, obviously, has been going on, Tom, for a long time here. Really since COVID, that's when they said this all cropped up. You got a time period where a lot of states and major cities were largely closed, except for the beautiful state of Florida

and Miami, and you had stimulus checks going out to people all over the country. They took that money. They came down here, and people felt unfettered. They were getting outside for the first time, really, getting up all that pent-up aggression out, and you saw it on the streets. All these videos going viral, the rest of the world saw this. And from that point onward, for the last three or four years, it's been utter madness from start to finish of spring break. And then Governor DeSantis is coming to Miami Beach tomorrow. What can we expect from that visit? So about a month ago, Governor DeSantis was in Miami, Tom.

What he said was he was prepared to supply the area with state police officers, if necessary. And recently I just spoke with the new mayor of Miami Beach. What he told me was that they're expecting more state police and highway patrol than the history of spring break. So there's going to be a lot of state presence. But in terms of what else he might offer from the state perspective, not clear what he could do that's not already being done here on a local level. DeSantis did say, we're not going to have these streets taken over. again, we're not going to diminish the quality of life for the people who live in Miami Beach, but as exact measures or add-ons, we'll find out in less than 24 hours, Tom.

All right, Sam, Brock, from Miami Beach for us. Sam, thank you. When we come back, Trader Joe shoppers, check your freezer. More than 60,000 pounds of their popular soup dumplings recalled the concern tonight the product may contain pieces of plastic. We'll explain next. All right, we're back down with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the desperate search for a missing teen in Tennessee. Authorities tonight announcing they are scaling back efforts to find Sebastian Rogers, a 15-year-old with autism, who went missing eight days ago. After a week of searching by helicopters, drones, and on foot, police say they will focus their efforts on investigative work, but adding, there is no indication he is not alive.

The team was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and sweatpants in Sumner County. Next to a shark attack at a popular surfing destination in Hawaii. The 40-saint an 11-year-old girl was bitten the foot on Saturday at a spot known as rainbows on the island of Oahu. A witness described what appeared to be a small reef shark in the area. The child's injuries, thankfully, were not life-threatening. The University of Maryland shutting down Greek row indefinitely. The Student Affairs Division sending a notice on Friday overing all fraternities and sororities to suspend activities immediately. saying it believes multiple chapters have been, quote, conducting activities that have threatened the safety and well-being of the community.

The college now prohibiting current members from communicating with new or prospective members indefinitely as it investigates. Trader Joe is recalling its steamed chicken soup dumplings over concerns they could contain hard plastic. The recall affecting more than 61,000 pounds of the dumplings, which regulators say it may be contaminated with, quote, hard plastic from a permanent marker pen. Okay, Trader Joe is telling customers, to throw out the dumplings or to return them for a full refund. No illnesses or injuries have been reported just yet. An Eagle Star Center, Jason Kelsey, announcing his retirement in a tear-filled speech. The Super Bowl champion holding a 45-minute press conference, stopping multiple times as he was overcome with emotion,

discussing his love for the game of football. Kelsey played his entire 13-year career with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was also played in seven Pro Bowls. You may know him, of course, because he's the brother of Travis Kelsey. also was also brought to tears in the audience there during the speech, but the two say they will continue to host their popular podcast, New Heights, together. Okay, now to the latest on the fentanyl crisis at the U.S. southern border,

officials there using new technology to detect the deadly drug crossing over in cars and trucks. But NBC News has learned millions of dollars in scanners paid for by taxpayers are just sitting in warehouses. Are Julia Ainslie speaking with the head of Customs and Border Protection about why those potentially life-saving devices are still seating unused. Tonight, we're on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis, Nogales, Arizona. Half of all fentanyl seized coming in from Mexico is stopped here. But critics say the Biden administration is not doing enough.

With fentanyl overdoses, now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. Acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller tells us virtually all fentanyl is brought across in vehicles. It's driven by men, women, young, old, U.S. citizens, Mexican citizens. And he tells us border agents have begun using a new technology to identify fentanyl hidden in vehicles. We watch as officers first question drivers and inspect cars. Then they may be referred for a scan. This is new technology that's been installed to x-ray cars that officers suspect might be carrying narcotics. It's been installed here in Nogales because it's considered the ground zero for fentanyl trafficking. But less than 5% of personal vehicles and 20% of

commercial vehicles coming into the U.S. are actually scanned. With more new technology, Miller wants to bring those numbers up to 40% of cars and 70% of commercial trucks, but not for another two years. Why not scan every vehicle through an x-ray? We see a million people crossing our border every single day. If we tried to scan every single shipment and person coming into this country, we would shut down legitimate trade and travel. And tonight, we've learned millions of dollars of taxpayer-purchased fentanyl scanners are sitting in warehouses, unused. We need approximately $300 million for civil works to actually put the technology in the ground.

And this money you've already spent, but it's sitting there. Is that frustrating for you? Very frustrating. It's extremely frustrating. But that's not stopping some companies from developing the next generation of AI technology to detect fentanyl and vehicles at the border. There's international trade and travel. Kevin McElhenan leads one of those companies, Pan Giam. He was former acting secretary of DHS, and before that, he once stood in Miller's shoes, running CBP during the Trump administration.

Vast, vast majority of trade crossing the border is lawful. Over 98% has no violations of any U.S. laws. So they're really looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. And so what AI can do is tell them if this image that the officer is now about to review meets what's supposed to be in that container. Did the trader say it's an empty container? Well, that image should say that, and the algorithm can help detect that.

Knowing what you know now about fentanyl, would you have made any decisions differently when you were the policymaker in charge? So we did see the increase coming. The efforts we undertook in 18, affected and reduced overdoses in 19. But I would have really made an emphasis point about staying on top of this

and staying in front of it. But in Tucson, Teresa Guerrero is demanding authorities do much more. Every year, enough fentanyl is trafficked into the U.S. to kill every American. I think the border needs to be closed, to be honest with you, because we're a super highway. I mean, look how close, you saw how close today that we are, and they're just pouring in. This is, I believe, our last picture together. Guerrero lost her son Jacob four years ago when cocaine he ingested was secretly laced with fentanyl. She says Jacob was athletic, a free spirit, and always ready to help his friends.

If only, if only, you always ask those questions, but I don't want another parent to have to say, if only. And tonight, the Biden administration is asking Congress for more funding so they can start using those currently unused scanners. Tom? Julia Ainsley for us tonight. Julia, thank you for that. That of power in politics and a closer look inside the campaign of former President Donald Trump. NBC News with exclusive new reporting on the woman behind Trump's blockbuster primary one. The headline, she sits in a tough chair, meets Susie Wiles, the operative, trying to guide Trump through four indictments to the White House.

For more on how Wiles has shaped Trump's campaign so far, I want to bring in two of NBC's best reporters who were behind that story. Senior national politics reporter Jonathan Allen and national politics reporter Matt Dixon. Thank you both for being here tonight. John, I'm going to start with you. explain to our audience who exactly is Susie Wiles and why she's so critical to Trump's campaign. What's so interesting about Susie Wiles is that for a president, former president, seeking to become president, who's so anti-establishment, she's actually somebody who's been a real part of the Republican furniture for the last 40 years. Worked for President Reagan, worked for Dan Quayle, worked for Senator Rick Scott, worked for Governor Ronda Sanis before he ousted her from his

his team. But basically, the important thing that she provides for Trump is sort of a counterbalance to his volatility. That doesn't mean that she's going to be able to control him. I think anybody who's tried to manage him before has failed, but what she's trying to do is keep a low drama atmosphere around his campaign and do the blocking and tackling of campaigning alongside, you know, that sort of unique political specimen that Trump is. Right. Matt, you guys make clear in this story that Wiles is very much in charge of the campaign, but she's not technically Trump's campaign manager. Why is that? Well, it's very interesting. Susie Wiles enjoys sort of being out of the this sort of spotlight. So she has run Trump's campaign and sort of the idea of running his

political operation going back to 2016. But this title, it's very important. Campaign manager is a very important title because it's the first person that gets fired if something goes wrong and it's the first person that, you know, sort of gets the bad, the bad rap if things don't go right. So Susie, I think, is very smart in the idea, just like others, and saying, hey, we're going to have a very smart sort of voice in governing what Donald Trump does, but we don't want that title. And I think that's what we're kind of looking at. You know, John, I want to show our viewers some of your reporting and show them this part of your story. when Wiles is talking to Trump about releasing those gilded sneakers that started selling a few weeks ago. You said she thought it would be, quote, a disaster.

Here's more on that section. She says, are you sure you want to do this? She recalled asking Trump, as he prepared to hawk glitzy gold $39 a pair, never surrender high tops at sneaker con in Philadelphia in mid-February. Yes, I do, said Trump, who was greeted with the mixture of cheers and jeers at the convention. You got to trust me on this one. John, there's a lot of speculation during the first Trump administration about senior White House officials who would be the adults in the room for Trump.

Describe how this relationship works with Susie. Unless she tries to be the adult in the room with him. She tries to be the adult in the room with everyone else around him. She tries to maintain order. You know, Donald Trump's way of dealing with the world, dealing with adversity is to try to disrupt the order around him. She's the exact opposite. She's collected.

She wants to make sure the trains are running on time, if I can borrow an old metaphor, and really try to reduce that. drama around him. You know, the point that you just brought up that little excerpt from the story. I asked her, I said, Susie, when was some time that you gave President Trump a, you know, your advice and he ignored you and you were wrong? And so she brought up the sneakers, which who would think a presidential candidate should go sell seekers in the middle of a presidential campaign? Seems kind of ridiculous. The possibility of getting booed at a sneaker convention

in Philadelphia is pretty high. And yet Trump had this sort of idea that, you know, his celebrity would carry him through it, and that he'd be able to sell the shoes, which not only did he sell out those shoes, but they're going for thousands of dollars on the resale market. So a little bit of politics and a little bit of business for him. Matt, there have been a lot of different people, right, who have led Trump's presidential campaigns over the years with many different titles. Let's remind our viewers, 2016, you had these people. Trump's campaign was led at various points by Corey Lewandowski, Steve Bannon, Kelly Ann Conway, Paul Manafort. 2020, Brad Parskell led Trump's re-election campaign until he was replaced. Just a few people.

months before the election by Bill Steppian. This year you have Susie Wiles. She's at the helm alongside Chris LeCovita. How is Susie Wiles different from those other people? It's her general sort of how she sort of views politics. A lot of the sort of Trump and Maga characters have been the idea of, hey, we need to be forward facing. We need to sort of have, you know, get the attention. Susie has for a very long time going back to, gosh, the 70s and 80s when she started in Republican politics, her idea was, hey, let's win, let's take the candidate that I'm working for and get them across the finish line, as opposed to making myself a celebrity, as opposed to making myself someone who is an important

political player. And I think that really sets her apart from the people you just mentioned, who I think kind of want to be sort of political people in their own right, their own right. John, did you come, and we're running out of time here, but did you come across any proof that Trump actually listens to Susie? Yeah, it's a great question. Yeah, I think the answer is yes, because what we've seen from Trump is that the campaign has remained small and really populated mostly by the people who seem to have his interests at heart rather than their own. So I think this campaign has been a lot different.

And so just in the structure of that campaign and not as many of the sort of wildestown. outsiders that normally have access to him, I think you see that influence. Matt, we only got about 45 seconds, but I do want to ask you, how much of an influence do you think she will have in who he picks for his vice president? I don't think there's actually any decision that President Trump makes without giving Susie some deference. At the end of the day, it's Donald Trump. He has been a dominant sort of alpha player in business and politics for several decades. He's going to make the decision he wants to make. But I don't think he makes that decision without at least running that by Susie,

and I really believe that. All right, Matt Dixon, Jonathan Allen. We guys appreciate you being here on Top Story. Continue to enjoy the campaign trail. Coming up next to flooding emergency unfolding in the Amazon, torrential rains leaving entire communities underwater in Bolivia. Look at this. The first responders now going door to door by canoe to get critical supplies to stranded residents. Stay with us. Now to Top Story's Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We begin with a national emergency declared in Bolivia, the Army delivering food, water, medicine to stranded residents via canoe after historic rains flooded a region of the Amazon along the border of Bolivia and Brazil over the weekend. At least 40 people have died in more than 570 families forced from their homes because of images like this.

Okay, France tonight becoming the first country in the world to make abortion a constitutional right. French lawmakers overwhelmingly approving a bill to enshrine access to abortion in the Constitution by a margin of 780 to 72, the move prompting celebrations throughout the country where poll shows 80-poles show, 80% of people support abortion rights. And Apple hit with a nearly $2 billion fine for violating antitrust laws. The EU says Apple prevented music apps like Spotify from Texas. telling users about cheaper ways to subscribe outside of the Apple App Store. Forcing more in-app music purchases that Apple charged a 30% fee on, Apple says the EU failed to uncover any evidence of harm done to consumers and is vowing to appeal.

Okay, when we come back, passing skills and sharing some dreams, Venezuelan migrants who used to play soccer professionally, now coaching young children in Denver. The donation-based program allowing kids to learn soccer from the pros while helping the coaches who are seeking asylum, find work. Stay with us. All right, finally tonight, a special kind of soccer clinic in Denver. The kids are paired up with former professional soccer players who arrived in this country this year while fleeing Venezuela and now seeking asylum. The donation-based program letting them work by sharing the sport they love and training American youth soccer players, all of it while giving these Venezuelan

immigrants a way to afford rent, groceries, and more while they wait in legal limbo. Wheeling McCall from our Denver affiliate, KUSA, has this great story. When they arrived in the United States, the coaches here brought the sport they grew up with. And basically, we live in the football, this is a passion, a love, that we've seen from the new. Juan Pirela played professionally in Venezuela. Yeah, I was a footballist professional, I during that career. I lived in the football.

Me pagaban, like, who said, for patting a ball. But for situation of the country, economically, we have to emigran. While they were forced to leave their dreams behind, they're planting new ones with the kids here. I think it means a lot to them. They love the game of soccer. And all they want to do is, you know, to help teach the children in the community, the game. that they love. Lori Conway brought her son to a previous clinic. Him and his dad watch professional soccer every Saturday morning. And he just watches old

YouTube games of Messi and Ronaldo and learning from professional soccer players is exactly what he wants to do. So it's, yeah, he's very, very excited about it. Lori is now helping the coaches set up additional clinics. The donations they get from these days help them as they settle here in Denver. I am a very proud mom. He, I love soccer and I love watching him play the game that he loves and, you know, getting the community involved and, you know, helping people out in the long run is a win-win in my book. And it helps the kids who would never get the chance to learn from a professional. It kind of felt kind of special because not everybody gets to do it. Bringing their passion from home to create new dreams within the community here.

All right, we want to thank Angeline from our affiliate KUSA in Denver for her help on that great story. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.