Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, May 13, 2024

Episode Date: May 14, 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, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former fixer turned star witness at the heart of the former president's hush money trial takes the stand. His testimony cutting right into the core of the case. Cohen describing the Trump approved agreement to reimburse him for the payment to Stormy Daniels. The secret audio recording between Trump and Cohen will a jury find Cohen credible after he was found guilty for lying under oath. A former executive assistant DA from Manhattan joins Top Story to break down the blockbuster day. Also breaking tonight bridge detonation and explosion rocking the port of Baltimore as crews carried out a controlled demolition on a section of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that has been sitting on top of the Dolly cargo ship for months. Sections of the bridge falling into the water, what's next for the lengthy operation to open that critical port? Hollywood actor Steve Buscemi punched in the face in broad daylight, and the terrifying moments also caught on camera a man stabbing a tourist in New York City's Times Square, what we're learning tonight about the alarming attacks.

Prince Harrigan, Megan Markle, in trouble over their charity, the state of California ordering the couple's Archwell Foundation to stop raising or spending money, the reason behind the shocking decision. Making millions in bug smuggling, an expert with the Museum of Natural History, detained after being caught with more than 1,000 scorpions and spiders. The disturbing finding sure to make your skin crawl. Plus, finding her voice, AI giving one woman a new lease on life after a surgery left her vocally impaired. Tonight, you'll hear her voice replicated through new technology, restoring hope what she thought all was lost. And a 1006-year-old skydiver soaring into the record books, this daredevil's determination to reclaim his title, inspiring others to reach for new heights. Top story starts right now. And good evening, just take care of it.

That was the most repeated line from Michael Cohen describing former President Trump when he was informed about Stormy Daniels' story. Trump's former fixer taking the stand in the former president's hush money case, his highly anticipated testimony pivotal to the prosecution as he facilitated the payments to Daniels. Cohen's striking at the heart of the scheme as he came face to face with his former boss, Trump's ex-lawyer giving jurors a play-by-play of how he made the $130,000 payment at Trump's direction and how Trump allegedly planned to repay him. But for years, Cohen was by Trump's side, defending him, once saying he would even take a bullet for him.

I'm obviously very loyal and very dedicated to Mr. Trump. I think he's going to be not just a good president. I think he's going to be a great president. Cohen's striking a much different tone as their relationship turned sour. Right after the election, and Cohen wasn't invited to Washington. The very first things I said, Donald Trump is a liar. He's a cheat and he's a con man. A big question is if a jury will believe Cohen, who served three years in prison for a slew of crimes,

including for campaign finance violations. He has a documented history of lying, even under oath. He withheld information from Congress and Special Counsel Mueller's office during the investigation into Russian election interference in 2016. He also admitted to lying to a judge who oversaw his own guilty plea. So how much will his web of lies impact the prosecutor's case? We asked that question to a former executive assistant DA from Manhattan just a moment. But first, NBC's Laura Jarrett, starts us off tonight.

Tonight, a highly anticipated courtroom showdown. Prosecutor's star witness Michael Cohen, former President Trump's self-described fixer turned fierce critic, telling the jury Mr. Trump directed him to pay off an adult film actress days before the 2016 election to protect his campaign. Mike, you tell it a liar. Everything required Mr. Trump's sign-off, Cohen told the jury, testifying Mr. Trump was furious in 2016 when he learned Stormy Daniels was still trying to sell her story of sex with the former president, telling Cohen, I thought you had this under control.

Cohen explaining he'd managed to suppress Daniels story years before, but it resurfaced on the heels of the Access Hollywood tape. And Cohen feared if Daniels went public, it would be, quote, catastrophic for the campaign. Saying Mr. Trump told him, just take care of it. This is a disaster. Women are going to hate me. Guys may think this is cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign. Cohen said Mr. Trump told him he met Daniels at a golf tournament, describing her as a beautiful woman. Mr. Trump has denied he had sex with Daniels and pleaded not guilty to charges of illegally disguising his reimbursement checks to Cohen as legal expenses on his internal books and records.

The defense team arguing there was no crime that Cohen was his personal attorney. attorney at the time, handling a personal matter to avoid his family embarrassment. Former Trump aide Hope Hicks previously testifying, Mr. Trump did not want newspapers with details of a hush money payment to a different woman delivered to their home. But Cohen suggesting today that Mr. Trump wasn't concerned about Melania's reaction. He wasn't thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign. Cohen adding, Mr. Trump told him, I want you to just push it out as long as you can.

just get past the election, because if I win, it will have no relevance, and if I lose, I don't even care. Cohen testifying that he told Mr. Trump he would pay Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement, opting to use money from a home equity line of credit. And Mr. Trump was appreciative, saying words to the effective, don't worry, you'll get the money back. The state trying to show that Daniels' payoff wasn't isolated, but part of a pattern. Cohen admitting he secretly recorded his client while they discussed repaying the National Inquirer, which purchased the story of another woman who said she had sex with Mr. Trump, which he denies.

When it comes time for the financing, which will be... What finance? Well, I'll have to pay you, so... Prosecutors have presented no direct evidence Mr. Trump knew about or told anyone to falsify business records, so Cohen's credibility here key, telling jurors today Mr. Trump never used email because too many people have gone down once prosecutors obtain their emails. Cohen now a disbarred attorney who has been convicted for lying under oath. The defense argues he's out for revenge after he didn't get a job in the White House.

Today, Cohen testifying he would have liked to have been considered for White House Chief of Staff for his, quote, ego. There's no fraud here. There's no crime here. This is four weeks of keeping me from not campaigning. Okay, Laura joins us tonight from Lower Manhattan. Laura, this was sort of one of those monumental days. So many people were looking forward to in this trial to see what would happen.

How did Michael Cohen come off as a witness? You were there inside that courtroom? Tom, I gotta tell you, this was not like the Michael Cohen that you and I and so many of our viewers know before. He was calm, he was cool, he was collected, he wasn't rambling, he was answering the question. In short sentences is what lawyers always wish their clients would do, and so many get up on the stand and do otherwise. He was very, very well prepared, is what I would say. And I know that his credibility is going to be, obviously, key here for prosecutors, as he is the lynchpin to their case.

They do not have a case without Michael Cohen, and we have not yet seen cross-examination, but so far, he is holding his own up there. And then, you know, I do want to ask you, as we know, we've talked about this on top story, the two of us here, Cohen is a chronic, well-documented, habitual liar. Do you think he came off credible to the jury? And we had talked about the strategy of how prosecutors would sort of deal with that. Did they lean into it? Did they address it? So the jury was aware?

They didn't beat the jury over the head with it, Tom. But they did sort of preempt lines of defense questioning that are likely to come up on cross. It's a classic tactic so that the jury hears it out of the mouth of the prosecutor and the witness for the first time, instead of hearing it out of the mouth of the defense. So we didn't go all the way through, obviously, all of Cohen's prior convictions and to like like that. But we did hear, for instance, the idea that he was mad, that he didn't get a job in the White House, that his ego was bruised over it and that he thought that he had been passed over. But instead of hearing it from the defense, again, we got to hear it from Cohen today, which I think sort of helps him in front

of the jury and helps him sort of ingratiate himself a little bit. But there are tough, real credibility issues for him that he is going to face in a brutal cross-examination to come. And then how much more are we going to hear from Cohen? How much longer do we know if he's on the stand? A lot. A lot. He's got a lot to say. They're still walking him through. They've gotten through the part where he actually makes the payoff to Daniels. And really no one disputes that he made the payoff. The question is how it gets documented on the books of the Trump organization. And he's going to start walking the jury through that, I would expect tomorrow. We sort of dipped our toe in it today, where he talked about meeting with both the former president and his long-time

CFO, Island Weisselberg, who the jury is not going to hear from in this trial, and talked about meeting with them and how he, they were all sort of working out the repayment plan. And now I expect we're going to hear a little bit more about how exactly this was all documented, which is really the heart of the prosecution's case, Tom. Okay, Laura, Jared, for us outside that courthouse. Laura, we thank you. For more on Michael Cohen's first day on the witness stand. We are joined tonight by Adam Kaufman.

He's a former executive assistant district attorney for the Manhattan DA's office. While working there, he supervised all white collar and corruption investigations and conducted numerous investigations into international financial crimes. Adam, thank you so much for joining Top Story. I guess the first question is easy. Do you think based on what you've heard so far in the Michael Cohen testimony, the prosecutors have proved without a reasonable doubt that Donald Trump knew exactly what was being written down in his books, and he committed that crime?

So, I think that they went a long way today with Michael Cohen. The issue they have is that, you know, you come down to this is a very technical crime. It's about the entries in these records. It's not about catch and kill. It's not about Stormy Daniels. It's not about Karen McDougal. It's about what's documented here. And I think that the jury can draw an inference that Donald Trump knew about this, that he engaged

in this with Michael Cohen. But there's still room for a doubt. Is it legally proof beyond a reasonable doubt? I think a jury could come to that conclusion. But there's still some problems with the case. Who made those entries? Weisselberg is a huge piece of this, and it looks like he's not being called. Alan Weisselberg, right?

The bookkeeper, the accountant, the person who knew all about all this, the person who was in contact with Michael Cohen. So why aren't we hearing from him? It's a mystery to me. Weisselberg is at the heart of this. He's the one who's directing how these entries are going to be made. And I think that really leaves an opening for the defense attorneys on their summations, on their closing arguments, to ask where he was, why he wasn't there. It's a problem for the case. And I think the prosecutors are hoping that Michael Cohen, with his testimony about how Trump micromanaged and how he knew everything and all of these other situations that he must have known.

But it's a hole at the center of the case. But we talk about micromanaging, but at the same time he was not one. President of the United States, right? So you have the conversations going on, but he's also trying to run the free world. Yes, he signs the checks. But even if he was a micromanager, you're saying the quote-unquote smoking gun has not been revealed yet. I don't think there's been a smoking gun yet. There's been a lot of build-up around Cohen. And Cohen gets them to where they need to be. There's enough for the jury to convict. But to me, you still have this question of, look, Trump didn't make the entries in the Trump records.

It's his personal records, the Donald Trump Trust and the Donald Trump checkbook. But who made the entries? The testimony that's come in is that the Trump employees would receive these invoices from Cohen and they would make these entries, but the person who's orchestrating that is Weisselberg, who's telling them what to do. And reminder viewers, you just need one juror to not buy this story, right? To not buy the prosecutor's case and you lose. It's the worst thing in the world as a prosecutor, right?

You've got 12 people sitting in the box. All you need is one person who buys into a defense story or doesn't believe something, and you have a hung jury. So, you know, that's a real problem. I think tomorrow we're also going to see a lot from the defense on the cross-examination about Cohen, did he do this at the direction of Trump or did he do this himself? And, you know, if you think back to that tape recording, the Karen McDougal tape that Cohen surreptitiously made with Donald. Trump, there are these statements on it where he says, I got this. I'm all over this. And if I'm the defense, that's even more important than all the lies to really go after him and say, you did this. You're the one that went after this. You set this up. Trump had nothing to

do with it. You know, Michael Cohen, he's lied to Congress. He's lied to federal investigators. He's lied to journalists. He's had no problem lying. So tomorrow when he's going to be cross-examined, if that does happen tomorrow, does he have to be careful? Because he's put out so. so many public comments about this. He's had podcasts. He's done numerous interviews. He's been in front of Congress. Does he have to be careful? Well, you know, what he said, he has said. So let's break that down. We all know that he's a serial liar. The jury knows he's a serial liar. There's no surprise there. What the prosecution has tried to do is find corroboration, things that, phone records, bank records, other people's testimony that are consistent with what Michael Cohen has said.

Because you've tried cases where, hey, your star witness maybe is not squeaky clean, right? That's generally how it works, right? Murderers, drug dealers. So people get convicted on the testimony of witnesses who are a hell of a lot worse than Michael Cohen. So they're looking for the corroboration. But at the same time, you know, the defense is going to have, as you just said, every one of those prior statements that he ever made. And they're listening to what he's saying today and tomorrow, on direct examination, and they've got a catalog of everything he said that was contrary.

They've got a catalog of every time he said he was going to get Donald Trump. And we're going to hear about all of that in what I'm sure will be a very lengthy cross-examination. We think the prosecution is about to wrap up their case. And I ask all the great legal minds that come on top story. Do you think the defense is going to present a case? So it's interesting. There was a motion in limine, which means a motion at the beginning of the trial, where the defense wanted to call an election expert, a campaign finance expert. And I wouldn't be surprised if they do that.

You know, there's a lot of gray area in whether or not this was a, I mean, it's a very technical complicated... To go from the misdemeanor to the felony. Right, to elevate it on the campaign finance theory. So I think that's part of it. And the other thing, look, we have to ask this question, right? Every defense attorney in the world would tell you that Donald Trump should not testify. It would be, you know, you talk about perhaps snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. But will Donald Trump be able to restrain himself? He sat there for all of these days. He listened to Stormy Daniels talk about their alleged sexual relationship. Now he's listened to Michael Cohen, describe him. He sat there through all of this. And you have to wonder whether

politically, forget the legal side, politically, can Donald Trump sit there and take that and not respond? You've got to think of his lawyers say, listen, we could win this case. You just got to stay off the stand what he does in that situation. 100%. Adam Kaufman, thank you. It's been a very enlightening conversation. Next tonight to Baltimore, and a major step in the mission to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scottkey Bridge, a spectacular explosion taking place as crews conducting a controlled demolition on a section of the bridge,

still on top of the container ship. NBC's George's release has that report tonight. With a reverberating, boom. A major section of the collapsed Francis Scottkey Bridge disappearing in a cloud of smoke. The controlled demolition comes after weeks of careful planning to remove a massive piece of the bridge that's sitting on top of the 984-foot container ship. Captain, did everything go according to plan? Yes, so we did the blast.

The section separated, so it went according to plan. Demolition crews made small cuts into the steel, then placed small charges to ensure accuracy of the blasts. The dolly has been sitting essentially frozen in time since it lost power and rammed the bridge on March 26. New police body camera footage obtained by NBC News shows the shock of first responders that night. Like there is no bridge. Six people were killed. All Latino immigrants who were filling potholes when the collision occurred.

The body, the final victim, was found just last week. The ship's 21-member crew has remained on board and sheltered in place during the controlled explosion. federal investigators are still looking into how and why the ship lost power. But tonight, the governor says the port of Baltimore is close to fully reopening and vowed to rebuild. Rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge is not about nostalgia. It's about necessity. This is a critical artery. The Dolly will be refloated and move back to the port of Baltimore within a few days.

Now the goal is to fully reopen the channel by the end of the month. Tom. Incredible pictures there from that explosion. All right, George, we thank you for that. Moving back here to New York City, where police are searching for the man who punched actor Steve Buscemi in the face in a seemingly random attack in broad daylight. The actor's seen left with a black eye and a swollen face. And there's also a new video tonight of a separate, unprovoked assault in Midtown Manhattan. A tourist stabbed on the sidewalk just steps from Times Square. NBC's Emily Keta has it all. tonight the new york police department searching for this man who they say punched actor steve bushemi in the face and an apparently random and unprovoked attack the boardwalk empire star spotted over the weekend with a black eye and what appears to be a bruise on the left side of his chin the mypd says bushemi was transported to the hospital after the wednesday attack in kipps bay and was treated for bruising swelling and bleeding to his left eye a spokesperson for bushemi a native news Yorker calling it random, writing, he is okay and appreciates everyone's well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of

New York. In March, authorities say his Boardwalk Empire co-star Michael Stolberg also randomly attacked on the streets of New York City in Central Park. The suspect now charged with assault. I was literally just walking and a man came up and watched me in the face. These incidents follow a series of TikToks posted by a young. young women in New York, alleging they were punched in the face while walking through the city. Numerous people have been charged in relation to recent attacks on women. According to the NYPD, felony assault and robbery are trending up so far this year compared to last. But overall crime is slightly down.

Overall crime, above ground and transit crime, they both are down. While managing the large amount and number of protests that are taking place. in this city, they continue to carry out their primary function of keeping our cities today. Emily, Akeda joins us now in studio. And Emily, I know there was another high-profile attack this time in Times Square over the weekend. We've been covering the city's sort of struggle to get a handle on crime. What happened in Times Square? Well, I think when you consider the circumstances around it, it happened in broad daylight,

Saturday afternoon, near Times Square, we all know an extremely trafficked area. It's really turning a lot of heads. And there's some chilling surveillance video that captures a man lunging at a woman, 36 years old, and he stabs her in the chest. She fortunately is in stable condition, according to police. But that video really turning a lot of heads, causing a lot of alarm. And I can tell you that police say that he has been charged with assault. And it was a completely unprovoked attack?

It appears to be that way. This is a tourist, a 36-year-old woman. You can see her walking with a group of people. And again, in Times Square, where so many tourists go. All right, Emily, Akita for us tonight. Emily, we thank you for that. of some severe weather, and there's a threat down south. 21 million people at risk from southeast Texas to the panhandle of Florida. The region bracing for possible damaging wind gusts, large

hail and tornadoes, heavy rain also leaving 8 million people in the path of flooding. So let's get right over to NBC News meteorologist, Bill Kerens, who joins Top Story Live tonight. So, Bill, what are you watching right now? Louisiana. That's my biggest concern with these thunderstorms that are rolling through with really extreme wind gusts, like almost like a eye of hurricanes going through quickly. So here's our storm reports, and this is the batch of storms I've been watching over the last hour or two. We've had numerous reports of 60 to 80-mile-power wind gusts of possible tornado and sulfur. And so this area is under what we call an enhanced risk of severe weather, so that's like a level three out of five. And so 60-to-70-mile winds are the primary threat, isolated tornadoes, and the possibility of some really big hail as we go through the rest of this evening here, especially in areas of Texas.

But let's get into that area I was just mentioning. So severe thunderstorm watch was just issued, now includes New Orleans to back. Baton Rouge. Houston, you're in the clear. All your bad weather's over with for the day. Here's that reported tornado in sulfur, so just outside of Lake Charles. So that line of storms is racing at 50 miles per hour. It's right over the top of Lafayette. If you still have power in Lafayette, Louisiana, congratulations, but I doubt it with the way this looks. And this is now even a tornado warning. It's been upgraded. So 80 mile per hour winds with this line of storms and the possibility of embedded tornadoes. That's about as rough as it gets, Tom. So everyone here

in I-10, we're going to watch you closely. This will head towards Baton-Rew. and maybe New Orleans in about an hour to two from now. All right, we're going to stay alert for all that, Bill. I also want to walk our viewers through something else that's happening when it comes to weather, an intense Western Canadian wildfire forcing thousands to evacuate, wind pushing a band of heavy smoke from that blaze down to Minneapolis, prompting air quality alerts. It seems like we might be in for another summer of dealing with conditions like this, Bill.

That's why I wanted to talk to you about this. We can all remember last summer and how bad and how poor and how hazardous the air was because of those Canadian wildfires, which they, just let burn. They don't put them out. So how's this fire going to impact the U.S.? Oh, what's nuts is they're called these zombie fires. So a lot of these are fires that were in the fall, then the snow went over. These fires were kind of burning underground all winter long, and now they flared back up as soon as the warm season has returned. So let's get into show you where the smoke is. You can see it coming down here. This is tonight and to tomorrow,

especially northern portions of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The air quality problems are from Minneapolis, the St. James to lacrosse. This is where they're telling people, you know, if you have health concerns that make sure you stay indoors, shut your windows, and use extra precautions. Okay, it's something else we're going to keep an eye on. All right, Bill, we thank you for that. Time to head overseas to the Middle East. Israeli forces pushing deeper into Gaza as the U.S. warns of a growing Hamas insurgency. NBC's Richard Engels in Jerusalem with more details. Israel thought it had defeated Hamas in northern Gaza, but the militants have regrouped and are now fighting from the rubble. Once the government of Gaza had triggered a war.

war when they stormed into Israel and carried out a massacre. Hamas has become an insurgency. And as the United States learned in Afghanistan and Iraq, insurgencies can last for decades. In southern Gaza, Israel is expanding military operations in Rafa, despite warnings from President Biden about the risk to civilians. Israel claims Hamas has four battalions of fighters in Rafa and has ordered the evacuation of large sections of the city. The UN says around 360,000 people have already left. For most, it's not the first time.

That's the sixth time I evacuate from anywhere I was in. So I feel so lost. This time, Israel is telling Palestinians to go to an area on the Mediterranean coast. But Palestinians say there's nothing for them there. No tents, no food, no future. Are we going to keep living in this ongoing loop? Our crew found these men packing up pieces of their own bombed out home so they could build shelters with the debris, while Hamas fighters are nowhere to be seen. They brought this war to Gaza, but now provide no services and no help. They've gone underground, ready for a long insurgency, apparently at any cost.

Richard Engel joins us tonight from Jerusalem. Richard, your report there showing how much different the landscape now is in Gaza. We know that ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas seem to have fallen through for now and with Israel pushing deeper and deeper into Rafah. Is there still a general sense, is there any sense of optimism that maybe some sort of agreement will be reached? There's no optimism that I'm sensing at the moment. There was some about two weeks ago. Even one week ago, Hamas made this offer.

It said that it was willing to accept something that was fairly close to a U.S.-backed proposal, but Hamas added its own conditions to it. Israel said that the conditions that Hamas added were something that they couldn't accept, and then Israel moved on to Rafa and things have more or less fallen apart. And I think the core issue about these ceasefire talks, it's really about the future of Hamas. According to what Hamas was proposing, things would more or less reset as they were before. Hamas would let all the hostages go in exchange for Israel leaving all of the Gaza Strip, strongly implying that Hamas would remain in power in Gaza, and that is not something that the Israeli government wants.

Israel government wants the equation to fundamentally change for Hamas to be gone, and that is something that Hamas apparently is not willing to contemplate. And then, Richard, I also want to ask you tonight about a headline that was crossing the wires earlier today here in the states, essentially Hamas saying that they've lost contact with a militant group that claimed they were holding four Israeli hostages. Do we know anything more about the situation? We don't. And those kind of reports are very difficult to confirm. I was just talking to one of the parents of one of the hostages that they're presumed to be talking about just the other day. And the families follow these reports. They've learned now, after seven months, not to follow these reports too closely, because it could be a negotiating tactic by Hamas. Hamas could be trying to send a message to the Israeli government that they don't have as many live hostages as they think or if it's died.

They could be trying to blame it on Israel. So, yes, I've heard that. The families heard that. But at this stage, I certainly can't confirm it. And I think there's so many different factors that you have to consider here that I, I, I, I, I, I certainly. really wouldn't give it too much credence at this stage unless they offered more proof. Richard Engle for us tonight. Richard, we thank you for that. We want to go down to the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin ousting his longtime minister of defense in a rare shake-up to the country's

war strategy. The shift coming as Russia conducts what's being called a sabotage campaign across Europe targeting the U.S. and its Western allies through alleged attempts of arson and cyber attacks. NBC's Kirsts Simmons has more on this. Tonight, Russia's renewed offensive pounding a Ukrainian town less than 50 miles from the city of Kharkiv. Residents evacuated. I'm terrified, this woman says, for Ukraine, fresh U.S. weapons cannot come soon enough. Keeve is still fighting.

Across the border, inside Russia, a Belgarod apartment block demolished by a missile. Fifteen killed, Russia says. On the same day, President Putin sending an unmistakable signal about how he thinks the war is going and has gone. His long-time friend, seen here fishing with the president, defense minister Sergei Shogu, is out, moved to a new role weeks after a deputy defense minister was charged with corruption, and a year after Yvgeny Pogsin accused Shoygu of mishandling the war. Pagosin, dying after an explosion on his plane.

The State Department calling Putin's changes desperate. This is further indication of Putin's desperation to sustain his war of aggression against Ukraine, despite it not just being a major drain on the Russian economy and heavy losses of Russian troops. The war and Russia's economy are now so intertwined. The new defense minister, Andrei Belasov, is an economist. Today, he declared the treatment of soldiers a mess, barely disguising criticism. of the man he is replacing.

A senior European intelligence official told NBC News last year that Shuigu was part of Putin's inner circle when Russia invaded Ukraine. Tonight, Russia redrawing its battle plans, Putin preparing for a long war. Tom? Dimons for us, Keir. We thank you for that.

Still ahead tonight an update on the killing of Whitey Bulger, the infamous mob boss murdered in prison in 2018. The three men who have agreed to plead guilty in the case. Plus, a mystery involving a fish in Florida, involving fish, I should say in Florida, that started to spin out of control,

potentially solved the new theory for what caused that bizarre behavior. And Prince Harry and Megan Markle making headlines for their charity, but not for the good work it's doing. Their Archwell Foundation declared delinquent in order to stop fundraising.

So what's going on? We're going to explain right after this break. Stay with us. Top story, just getting started on this Monday night. We are back now. You might have seen some of these headlines today. Prince Harry and Megan Markle's Archwell Foundation declared, quote, delinquent in order to stop raising or spending money. But that's not the whole story. Per an official letter from California's Attorney General, the Archwell Foundation has not paid its annual registration fees or submitted an annual report.

Dana Griffin joins us live tonight from L.A. for more on this developing story. So, Dana, what's at the heart of this? What more do we know about the order? Yeah, Tom, so this delinquency notice was issued May 3rd. And as you mentioned, it said that the couple failed to submit the required annual reports and those renewal fees, at least the Foundation, Arthwell Foundation, failed to do so. It also goes on to say that an organization that is considered delinquent is not in good standing, which means they cannot raise money.

They also cannot disperse funds. And we've seen the couple recently in Nigeria touting their charitable causes and trying to bring attention to that. So this kind of comes at a really awkward time, so to speak, for this foundation. Yeah, I think people at home are going to be hearing this. And it's going to sound pretty wild at a foundation as high profile as Harry and Megan's wouldn't make sure their registration fees were up to date. What is their camp saying about this? Yeah, so a spokesperson close to the Archwell Foundation told NBC News that everything was filed. on time. They also say that part of the filing was a physical check and it appears that that

check was never received. Well, the spokesperson went on to say that a new check has now been submitted and they believe that this will all be wrapped up within the next seven days and they will have, they will once again be back in good standing. Now, this Archwell Foundation was started back in 2020 when the couple relinquished their roles with the royal family and moved from the UK. And they tout it as supporting families. children. And it says that their mission, quote, is to simply show up and do good. Wow. Okay. Dana Griffin for us explaining all of that. We appreciate it. When we come back, a museum curator accused of smuggling bugs worth millions. Look at this. The man who works at the

Museum of Natural History here in New York detained in Turkey, after authorities found more than a thousand scorpions and spiders in his bag, their venom worth up to $10 million a vial. But that curator tells us tonight, he was just doing his job. We'll break. down what happened here. That's next. All right, welcome back now. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed, starting with an update in the killing of infamous mob boss James Whitey Bulger. According to court records, three men have agreed to plead guilty to murder charges. The 89-year-old Boston gangster was serving two life sentences when he was beaten to death in his cell at a federal prison in West Virginia in 2018.

unclear how much time, additional time the men will serve. Now an update in that baffling underwater mystery impacting fish in the Florida Keys. As we reported in March, a strange phenomenon was causing fish, including endangered sawfish, to spin out of control and wash up dead. According to a new scientific theory, natural toxins produced by algae growing on the seafloor may be causing neurological problems in certain fish species in the region. Florida lawmakers have since allocated a total of $2 million to investigate. All right, now to power in politics.

Tonight, we are less than six months from the 2024 presidential election, and new polling shows former President Trump with an advantage in the states that will likely decide who wins this race. The New York Times reporting Trump leads in five key states as young and non-white voters express discontent with President Biden. The poll showing Trump leading by double digits. You see it here that's outside the margin of error in two of those five states, while President Biden has a two-point lead in Wisconsin. us analyze these numbers. Let's bring in our political pros tonight. Zach Petkansas, president of Petcanus Strategies and former senior advisor to the Hillary Clinton campaign and Republican strategist Krisha Lenzzo. Zach, I'm going to start with you very simply. What is going on with the Biden campaign? Well, look, I mean, this is going to be a close election. But I worked

on the Hillary Clinton campaign, as you mentioned. And if the New York Times polls were good at predicting winners of presidential elections, we'd be at the end of Hillary Clinton's second term right now. And Donald Trump wouldn't have been in office to overturn Roe v. I know we're focusing on this New York Times poll, because it sounds like it's the New York Times, but what we're not focusing on is the fact that there are 30-plus other polls recently that show Joe Biden not ahead or trending upwards. That, at this stage in the race, when we're talking about polling, I mean, that is not what this election is going to be about. It's going to be decided about issues and the choice we have between two candidates. We have Joe Biden, who is writing on a record

of accomplishment, lowering insulin prices for seniors, and Donald Trump, who brought. about overturning Roe v. Wade. Fair enough, but there's a data point here that I think has to be troubling to Democrats like yourself. 18 to 29-year-olds and Hispanic voters, right, essentially tied. Former President Trump and Mr. Biden, those are two groups. He won by more than 60 percent in 2020. That has to worry you. If we were looking at polls and we were deciding campaigned by New York Times polls, then sure.

But, Zach, you know, that's been a running theme in recent polls. Let's be honest here. That's been a running theme with younger voters and Hispanic voters. Also in this poll, black voters, former President Trump has the highest ratings with black voters since I think the Civil Rights Act in 1964. You got to tell me that's got to be of some concern. You're going to ignore it?

Look, as I said, this election is going to be close, and everybody has to get their behinds in gear and get out there to vote. But we remember we are going to have a very clear choice that's going to be on display with paid communication. And when the voters that you are talking about right now are so turned off by Donald. Donald Trump bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade, allowing abortion to be criminalized

in states across the country, women and doctors, allowing them to be put in prison. That is what this election is going to be about, that choice between those two issues, not about New York Times. Yeah. That have been wrong many times in the past. Krisha, what do you think has happened here? The former president hasn't been on the campaign trail. He's been in a Manhattan courtroom, really being embarrassed in a lot of ways, in a very public

way about some of these alleged sexual encounters he had with Stormy Daniels. Why do you think his numbers are where they at if he hasn't been on the campaign trail? I think precisely because of the embarrassment of what's occurring in our New York legal system. The lawfare that the Democrats are promoting, they're prosecuting him, and they're taking him off the trail and in trial being held hostage day after day. This is the result. The poll number is, yes, while polls are a snapshot in time, they've been consistently trending towards Donald Trump. And you can't overlook the fact that his rally. Even just recently, the rally in New Jersey, over 100,000 people are turning out on their weekend to go and support and hear Donald Trump's message, which is more than just abortion and which is all the Democrats will be harping on. It's the primary issues facing voters right now, the border, the economy, world, our global platform, which Joe Biden has failed on every single one of these issues.

Donald Trump is expanding the electoral map as a result of Joe Biden. Biden's lack of leadership. Zach, I want to talk about some of the numbers again. Let's put up some poll numbers for our viewers. This is from back in October, I believe. And you can see where the former president has gained almost 10 points across the board. He's gone up, a net positive of 10. What can the Biden campaign do?

I know you got six months. There's a lot of time left. But what can the Biden campaign start to do to slow this trend or end it? Well, I mean, again, I'm not conceding that this is the trend. I mean, you talked about where the numbers are going. The numbers are actually going in Biden's direction. at polls. We have 30 plus polls recently that it is heading in Joe Biden's direction. But if you're talking about what's happening in the states, I think we should look at what happened during

the primaries, where people are actually voting. There's still primaries that are happening right now. I mean, the nomination is all wrapped up. But Nikki Haley, last week, what was the percentage that she got in the primary contest? 20% of the primary contest, even after they know that Donald Trump is going to be the nominee. And so I think we should stop looking at polls. And And we should start looking at how people are actually voting. And what we are seeing is that while Joe Biden has consolidated the Democratic Party, has a block of unified folks who are ready to go out and vote for him, Donald Trump cannot say the same thing.

But, Zach, is the party unified? Because when it comes to the issue of Gaza, right, if Gaza is the most important issue for you as a voter, Joe Biden loses the race, right? He loses those voters. So is the left completely united? I mean, look, there are, the administration has taken enormous. steps on this issue, including holding the Netanyahu administration accountable, that I think is going to, as people learn more and more about the steps that they're taking, this is going to

be less of a thing that folks are looking at and dividing us. But I think we should look at the things that are uniting us, and that is opposition to Donald Trump. We are not, we are six months away from this election. And one of the things that will unite Democrats more than anything out there is going out there to vote against Donald Trump, specifically, if you were, because of Rovi Wade. Chris, I do want to ask you, you know, he was over the weekend campaigning in New Jersey. You mentioned Hannibal Lecter. It was somewhat of an interesting rally. What do you think former President Trump has to sort of hit upon? And he was trying to make a point there, but a lot of headlines he grabbed for mentioning Hannibal Lecter. What do you think he has to sort

of hit upon in the next six months and stay sort of disciplined and focused on? I think he has to continue to hit upon the message, which is his policy. He has a proven track record with respect to his leadership. He's been warning about the border and the crisis we are currently facing. Every American, every state is a border state. Every American is facing problems with respect to the border. Crime is through the roof. Inflation continues to rise. And two-thirds of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. We're all experiencing hardship. He needs to continue staying on this message. Because if he doesn't, Joe Biden really is trying to get an edge with the only edge that he has, which is to keep.

keep President Trump off the campaign trail and in court. And the American people are smart. They see through this, and they recognize the authenticity that Donald Trump has when he speaks in front of the American people, that he really is, this is completely unfair. If he's convicted in this Manhattan case, do you think it hurts him? I don't think it hurts him, again, because the case is baseless. It has no base in law. And this is proven by the fact that even DA Alvin Brad...

Well, if he's convicted, he's going to have some base. Well, it'll have base to show that the... judicial system is completely corrupt and run by Joe Biden and the prosecutor who is a former DOGA, top DOJ official who's leading this case, it will just again show that we need to clean house and start from the bottom up. Krisha, Zach, we thank you so much for joining Top Story. Thank you. Thank you. Time now for a check of what else is happening around the world, which means it's time for Top Story's global watch. We start with a deadly flash flood in northern Afghanistan.

devastating villages, wiping away homes and livestock. Officials say at least 315 people have died and another 1,600 people were hurt. Aid groups now warning of possible damage to health care facilities and the area's water supply. A Chinese citizen journalist jailed while reporting on COVID-19 has finally been released, according to her supporters. At the start of 2020, Zhang Zan covered the growing virus outbreak in Wuhan and government effort to contain it. She was arrested in May of 2020 for, quote, provoking trouble and sentenced to four years in prison simply for reporting what she saw. Rights groups say it's a charge often used to silence critics. Advocates say she will likely be placed under house arrest and heavily watched.

And King Charles has passed on his military role to his son, Prince William. In a rare joint appearance, William named Colonel and Chief of the Army Air Corps, taking on a title his dad had for more than 30 years. the military handoff happening as the king undergoes chemotherapy for an undisclosed cancer. Prince William carried out his first engagement in the new role by viewing a training and getting briefed on the army's current work. Okay, now to a smuggling scandal in Turkey

involving scorpions and spiders whose venom could be worth millions. Police in Istanbul detaining a museum curator who they say tried to sneak hundreds of those bugs out of the country. But that curator who works at a popular museum right here in New York City tells us he had the proper permits and was just doing his job. Matt Bradley explains.

As museum curator Lorenzo Prendini makes his way through the airport in Istanbul, inside his bags are roughly 1,500 spiders, tarantulas, and scorpions, with venom worth up to $10 million per vial. Police and civilian clothing talking to him at security before taking his bag into a back room, pulling out dozens of sealed bags and vials containing various types of scorpions, and tarantulas, endemic to Turkey. The Istanbul police say they also seized 88 bottles containing liquids, and accused Brandini of trying to smuggled the specimens out of the country.

But the curator, who was detained by the Assemble Police Monday and has since been released, tells NBC News the arrest was a, quote, total hit job. Writing in part in a statement, I have permits to do this work in collaboration with colleagues at a Turkish university from the relevant Turkish ministry. I presented them to the police at the airport, but they completely ignored this. The American Museum of Natural History hasn't responded to NBC's requests for comment. According to its website, Prandini works as a curator for the Arakhanid collections.

My work is focused on primarily discovering and describing new species, going out into nature and finding these animals, understanding how they're distributed geographically over the landscape. In a video posted in 2012, he describes precarious situations he found himself in while on the job. From being shot at by policemen in Puerto Rico to having run-ins with farmers who, you know, accusing us of stealing their sheep in South Africa, Encarners with lions and leopards. Brandini tells us he appeared before a judge and he was freed. So now he's a free man and he says that he's planning on leaving Turkey on Tuesday. Tom? All right, Matt, we thank you for that. Coming up, artificial intelligence, changing a woman's life.

The technology exploding in use, replacing a voice that had been lost. You're going to want to stick around for this next story. It is incredible. Back now with the new use for artificial intelligence. That technology that seems to be in everything, now helping one Rhode Island woman speak with her own voice again after it was altered from brain surgery. She can now do everyday tasks she thought she'd never be able to do again.

And Ellison Barber has this incredible story. What can we get for you? This sort of thing is probably a blip in your daily life. Most of us wouldn't give the drive-thru a second thought. But for Alexis Bogan, ordering a coffee, once seemed impossible. Hi, can I get a grand day, iced brown sugar? Now, for the first time in a long time, she can do these things again thanks to AI. It was amazing to have, like, other friends in the back pocket.

They can just pull out and have it talk for you. The 21-year-old who used to love singing along the country music in the car, was left without a voice after doctors made a terrifying discovery last year. The Associated Press spoke to the specialist who treated her. We discovered that she had a brain tumor in the back of their brain called the posterior fossa, the size of a golf ball. It was very vascular. She had to go into urgent brain surgery.

The 10-hour operation successfully remained. removed the tumor. But it damaged the part of Alexis's brain that controls eating and voice functions. When she spoke, even Alexis didn't recognize her own voice. I thought that if I didn't talk, I couldn't be independent. So specialists in Providence, Rhode Island, using new artificial intelligence technology, worked to create a digital clone of Bogan's voice. We were given this early access to this technology called voice engine, developed by Open AI. Taking 15 seconds of audio, it can recreate someone's voice.

They used an audio sample from a clip well before the surgery, where she talked about cooking. You can chop up cucumbers and put this in here. Now, with just a few keystrokes on her phone, AI brings her voice to life. It feels amazing to get my voice back. An AP reporter Matt O'Brien was there as Alexis got her voice back. She kind of voiced some of her feelings about this technology and how it was bringing back the piece of our identity that she felt she had lost. AI is already expanding access for people with disabilities. Last year, we spoke with Brian Fisler.

He's legally blind, but uses a virtual assistant powered by AI as a second pair of eyes. Where is the shampoo? The shampoo is located on the bottom shelf towards the last side of the picture. Having this kind of information in the palm of my hand, it's just going to change so many things. Alexis is one of the first to get her own voice back using AI, but those who specialize in the technology, hope she's not the last. The doctors that worked with Lexi are already starting to work with other people at the same hospital. A medical breakthrough, helping Alexis Bogan rediscover something that always made her unique, her voice.

Now I can have throw my independency back because I have this technology. Ellison Barber, NBC News. We thank Ellison for that story when we come back, a daredevil at any age, one Texas man breaking the record for oldest skydiver. So how old is he? Try 106 years young. He's broken that record before when he was just 103, while he got back in the parachute and the high-profile companion he took along for this ride. Stay with us. Fearless at any age.

That right there is World War II vet Al Blaschke from Texas, skydiving for the first time at 100 years old back in 2017. It's a story I've been following for years. Now Al is jumping out of a plane again. This time, at the age of 106 years old, all the take back is title as the world's oldest skydiver. NBC's Rahima Ellis has this update. For Texas centenarian Al Blaschke, his daredevil days took off in his golden years. Al first trying his hand at skydiving in 2017 as a way to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Oh, wow. Wonderful. Pretty amazing, isn't it? His second skydive at age 103, earning him the Guinness World Record for oldest tandem skydiver. But since then, Swedish great-grandmother, Rutlarsen, broke that record in 2022. Al upping the rivalry, vowing to take that title back, teeming up with Texas governor Greg Abbott. He says he jumped with me. He's a matter of his word. The pair jumping from 9,000 feet last November. What do you think, Al? We just broke the world record. I lost my breath.

You lost your breath. I can't hardly talk. You're looking good, buddy. Well, I wasn't paying any attention to that. I was just paying attention to what was going on. It was a little bit unusual, a little bit chillier that I'm used to. Now, Guinness World Records has made that attempt official. At 106 years old, Al is still smiling.

You're smiling. The whole world smiles with you. Happy to be back on top of the skydiving world. And every letter I write, and every Christmas card I send, keep smiling, always. We did it. We did it again. We did it again. Glad he got the record back. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamison, New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.