Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, May 20, 2024

Episode Date: May 21, 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, stealing from the boss, Michael Cohen's shocking admission during former President Trump's hush money trial. Trump's former fixer capping off his marathon testimony, confessing to embezzling tens of thousands from the Trump organization. The defense seeking to undermine Cohen's credibility, calling lawyer Robert Costello, who once advised Cohen, and says he has proof that refutes Cohen's testimony. Cautic moments in the courtroom as the judge excuses the jury and reporters to reprimand Costello. The defense asking the judge to dismiss the case. Tonight, we'll ask a veteran prosecutor if the Manhattan DA's office has done enough to win over the jury. Also tonight, no survivors. Iran's president and foreign minister killed in a helicopter crash.

Dramatic images of the wreckage, the chopper mangled and mountainous terrain, what this means for the country's leadership, the international reaction. A new search at the home of the alleged Gilgo Beach killer. The latest twist in the gruesome case as forensic crews are spotted at the suspect's house again what they could be looking for. Growing tornado threats, spring storms targeting the central U.S. with twisters hail and hurricane force winds. In Houston, thousands suffering without power facing a brutal heat wave and tomorrow 43 million at risk for severe storms. Bill Karen standing by it out. Several Americans involved in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dozens arrested after the attack on the presidential palace, including the coup's leaders, American-born son, the dramatic video showing one man pleading with soldiers. Push to port the Dolly ship on the move for the first time in nearly two months after it brought down Baltimore's key bridge. Plus, fire in the sky will show you the comment that took Two countries, by surprise, exploding across the horizon, painting the heavens green and blue. And price drop, why Target is slashing prices on thousands of essentials before summer. Is this the start of a new price war? Top story.

Starts right now. And good evening. It was one of the most dramatic days since former President Trump's hush money trial began. Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen, wrapping up his testimony, revealing he stole tens of thousands from his former boss. Then the defense calling its first witness and within moments of being on the stand, the judge clearing out the room to scold him. But first, that pivotal exchange between Michael Cohen and Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, Blanche saying, quote, you stole from the Trump organization, right? And Cohen responding, yes, sir. That was a key moment for the defense as they tried to cast the prosecution's key witness as a professional.

professional cheat. Cohen admitting he pocketed 30,000 bucks, also adding that he has a financial interest in the case's outcome, and that, get this, he's now contemplating a congressional bid. But it was the heated exchanges between the judge and the defense's first witness that took the spotlight. The defense calling Cohen's former legal advisor, Robert Costello, who claims he has proof that Cohen lied in his testimony. The judge quickly losing his patience with Costello after he attempted to strike down his own answer from the record. NBC's chief legal correspondent Laura Jarrett was in the courtroom. She starts us off tonight.

Tonight, former President Trump's defense team launching a fiery start to its case, taking direct aim at the credibility of star prosecution witness Michael Cohen, calling Robert Costello, a former federal prosecutor and attorney for Rudy Giuliani, who advised Cohen before a falling out. Costello describing Cohen as, quote, manic at a 2018 meeting after Cohen's home and office were raided by the FBI. While Cohen is now implicating Mr. Trump in an alleged crime, Costello testifying Cohen told him back then, I swear to God, Bob, I don't have anything on Donald Trump, directly refuting Cohen's testimony that Mr. Trump directed him to pay off Stormy Daniels before the 2018 election. Quote, Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments and that he did this on his own, Costello testifying.

The judge repeatedly sustaining prosecution objections leading to a. a heated scolding of Costello. After he audibly muttered, quote, ridiculous and geez, the judge at one point saying, are you staring me down and clearing the courtroom? All of it after Cohen earlier revealed, he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his former client. Cohen, who once said he would take a bullet for Mr. Trump, today admitting he duped his old boss into reimbursing him more money than he was owed. Cohen saying that he gave a tech company $20,000 in a brown paper bag and pocketed the rest, tens of thousands of dollars more for himself. Trump attorney Todd Blanche saying, you stole from the Trump organization, right?

Cohen answering, yes, sir. Later, when questioned by the prosecutor, Cohen saying he stole the money because he had not received a large enough bonus. Quote, I just felt it was almost like self-help, Cohen said. The defense also suggesting Cohen has profited in other ways off his association with the former president, pointing to the fact that he raked in over four million dollars in consulting agreements while also serving as Mr. Trump's personal attorney. And the defense says Cohen is now cashing in as a top Trump critic, too, making over $3 million on two books,

while Cohen testified he's considering a potential TV show and a third book. The defense calling it a motivation to lie. Blanche asking, do you have a financial interest in the outcome of this case? Cohen saying, yes, sir. Though Cohen insisted he'd make more money if Mr. Trump were acquitted because Cohen says it gives me more to talk about in the future. Cohen's credibility critical to the DA's case, as he's the only witness who has testified the former president had advanced knowledge of the plan to pay Stormy Daniels and then approved a scheme to disguise how he paid Cohen back, which Mr. Trump denies. There were no crimes.

We did nothing wrong. And I want to get back to campaigning. I'm representing millions and millions, hundreds of millions of people. in exchange with prosecutors today, quote, do you have any doubt Mr. Trump gave you the final sign-off for the payment before you went to the bank? Cohen replying, no doubt. All right, Laura, Jared, joins us once again

from outside the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. So, Laura, take us back to that moment you talked about in your report there where the judge essentially cleared out the courtroom. Why exactly did he have to do that? Tom, I've never seen anything like it. He was almost bubbling over with anger. It had been building throughout the past couple minutes before he actually cleared the courtroom. And it was because Robert Costello, this main witness, who's there to counter Michael Cohen,

was muttering under his breath certain things. And everybody could hear him. It was audible. But the judge finally had enough and says to him, Tom, are you staring me down? So frustrated that then he realized, I guess, everybody was obviously going to witness a pretty dramatic confrontation. He clears the courtroom. But get this, Tom, not everybody. The Trump surrogates that have been marching into court every day, they stayed.

including law professor Alan Dershowitz and his advisors, Eric Trump, they all stayed in the room. Only the press, and our media lawyer, was cleared out of the courtroom, Tom. You know, Laura, so much happened in court today. There was a lot of news today. I know they've changed the calendar a little bit. I'm concerned now, confused. Since things are moving so fast, it sounds like they may have an hour left tomorrow. Will closing arguments happen faster? And then this is a separate part of that question. How important are the closing arguments for the prosecution? They essentially have to connect all the dots. in these closing arguments?

The closing arguments, Tom, I think, are going to be key here for both the prosecution and the defense. But before we get to that, we're still going to hear more from Bob Costello. He has not finished yet. They left off in the middle of his cross-examination. That's going to finish up tomorrow. Then there might be a redirect of him to try to rehabilitate anything that he said that the defense finds a little problematic. And then, Tom, we're going to have a long fight over jury instructions.

Jury instructions huge here. That's what instructs the jury. on the actual law, and both sides are basically a mountain apart on those. So we're going to have a fight about those, and then finally closing arguments will happen next Tuesday, according to the judge, Tom. All right, Laura Jarrett, leading us off once again tonight. Laura, we thank you for that. For more on today's testimony and what it means for the case against Trump.

I want to bring in our guest tonight, Misty Maris, she's a criminal defense attorney and has worked previously in the New York Attorney General's office. Misty, thanks so much for being here. I want to start with Michael Cohen, right? The key witness. So we know he's a perjurer, we know he's a liar, we now find out he wants to run for Congress, and he stole $30,000 from his client. How much damage did the cross-examination on Michael Cohen today due to the prosecution?

So for the most part, we've already established a lot of what the defense wanted to get out there, which directly relates to credibility. Number one, you've got someone who's an admitted liar has lied in every forum. Number two, personal animus against Donald Trump. Number three, financially benefiting from talking about some. said personal animus. But today we find out that he actually stole tens of thousands of dollars in what he said was a reimbursement and he lied and kept the money. Why is that so important? Well, number one, it feeds into all of that, right? This is a guy who will say or do anything

to serve himself. But it matters a little bit more because this $50,000 reimbursement was also a part of the money, the $420,000 payment to Michael Cohen that is the subject of this case. So from a defense perspective, I'm going to take that and say, you got a liar, you've got a thief, you got to cheat, but also you have someone who brazenly stole this money at the time. How close was Donald Trump to the day-to-day financials? Well, that leads to my next question, because you have the argument from the prosecutors that he was a penny-pinscher. Donald Trump, he knew where every single dollar went, right? It's in the art of the deal. He talks about being a penny-pincher. Well, he didn't know all this money was being stolen from him. And number two, well, he's writing the check, so he had to know where the checks were going. Well, he's writing the checks, but he's writing too much. Right. And so all of that is going to feed into this. And that's why knowing that Michael Cohen pocketed that money is really critical for the defense to focus on from that respect, because the other piece of this is Michael Cohen goes rogue. Michael Cohen went and made this payment without the express authority of Donald Trump. And it was, he was not involved in the day-to-day

machinations of what went on. And Michael Cohen admitting that he stole this money and going back to that time, he thought he could get away with it, right? So how in the day-to-day machinations of what went on? So how involved was anyone with these transactions and was Michael Cohen able to act relatively autonomously when it came down to cash? So the prosecution has rested their case, but they're going to try to connect the dots in closing arguments, and it's going to be very complicated because they didn't provide any witnesses who sort of connected the dots and went this way, this way, we told Trump this.

You have Cohen's testimony, but they've already been able to stow some doubt with the phone call and other things. So how complicated is this closing argument going to be? The closing argument is going to be critical because we have a lot of documents, right? At the end of the day, this is a falsification of business records case. And you have Cohen, the testimony by Cohen, is what keeps Donald Trump close to the transaction. So that's why his testimony was so critical. But they're going to have to put it all together because keep in mind, as Laura was talking about,

you've got the jury instructions. And here's how this case goes. So number one, falsification of business records for the purpose of covering up another crime. What's the other crime? Well, it's a New York State election law crime. It's a misdemeanor to conspire to prevent or promote an election through unlawful means. What are the unlawful means? Well, that's really the question.

How is the prosecutor going to talk about that and tie it altogether? Because hush money in itself, not de facto illegal. So there's going to have to be something to speak about that fraudulent intent, tying all the evidence together and presenting it to the jury in a digestible way that they can understand. Tell me if I'm wrong here. Trump committed a misdemeanor. and then by doing that, he committed the felony because he was running for office.

That's what they're going to have to explain to those 12 jurors. I know two of them are attorneys, but everyone else is going to have to sort of understand that legal arithmetic. Right, exactly. You have to go down, and the prosecutors have to prove

every link in that chain. And that's why the jury instructions are so critically important because that's the jury's roadmap to understand what the prosecutors have to prove. And so tying it together, we have the story now, right?

We have a lot of narrative, but tying together how it actually violated the law. What is that underlying, it's called the operative crime? That's going to be key for the jurors to understand when making their decision. Bob Costello testified that when he was going to represent Michael Cohen, Michael Cohen told him, I've got nothing on Donald Trump, right? I've got nothing. And that was when he actually would want some juice because his apartment had just been raided by the FBI. So he'd want something on Trump. He'd want Trump to know, hey, listen, I got something I knew, you better get me out of this. And he said, I didn't have anything on him.

That's what Costello testified. fine. Will that help the defense's case? Well, so the defense brought him on, and actually a lot of people, myself included earlier today, said, I think that the defense is just going to rest, but maybe they'll call Bob Costello. And they called him to address prior inconsistent statements made by Michael Cohen, exactly what you just said. That there were, during that, during that critical time period, he was having conversations with Michael Cohen, where he was saying, I don't have anything on Trump. I'm going to go to jail for an NDA. NDAs aren't illegal. All of these things that really feed into the defense case. Now, look, that helps to solidify that point. It corroborates

what the defense is trying to say about Michael Cohen, that he's going to say whatever he wants on the stand. But there's all this other information that's already out there. But he made a little bit of it. He had a little fiery exchange today, sort of undermining the judge. So whether or not the jury will see that as potentially something that discredits him, we'll have to make that determination. It's a good point, because they had a clear of an out of court. Do you think the judge sticks with the calendar here because it sounds like they could wrap up things tomorrow. He wants to have closing arguments next Tuesday. Do they just hang out for a couple days? There's the Memorial Day holiday. And who does that help or hurt the most? So right now, the jury is probably going to have

a couple of days off after testimony wraps up. Today, the defense move for a directed verdict. This is typical in every case. They ask the judge to throw the whole case away. Judge reserved decision. There is going to be a battle royal about these jury instructions, though. And what the judge does not want to do is instruct the jury before the Memorial Day holiday and have them deliberate next week. So best to just punt that all until the following week. So the jury is instructed on the law, closing arguments are done by both sides, and then the jury deliberates. That's why we're seeing this hitch in the calendar. But those jury instructions, both sides submit what they want to see. And then the judge makes a decision. And because this is a case of first

impression, this combination has never been done in New York. There's going to be a lot of argument about how these jury instructions are actually presented. You could have four to five days. days, maybe even six days, where there's no court action. With the jurors, does that help or hurt the defense of prosecution? It doesn't matter. Well, I think the defense and the prosecution wanted to keep that momentum and keep it going and try and get this in before the Memorial Day holiday because a lot of times that'll get the jury to speed up a little bit if you know you got your right cue on Friday, but you're deliberating Wednesday and Thursday. But in this particular case, I think it behooves both sides to have all of that happen next week. So it's not cut in the

middle where the jury is instructed and then closing arguments, there's a few days in between. If the jury had the case right now, they agreed on the instructions, how do you think this goes? Look, I can't tell you, without those jury instructions, I truly think that is going to be the linchpin for either side, and we're going to be able to predict who's the frontrunner once we see those on paper. Misty, Mayor, it's been great to have you tonight in Top Story. We thank you for your analysis. Next tonight to the other big headline we've been following, Iran's president, Erahim Rahasi, killed in a helicopter crash. His death coming at an especially volatile time in the Kyr Simmons has more on the incident and what it means for Iran and the region.

Tonight, the wreckage of the fiery crash that killed Iran's president and its foreign minister in a region already rocked by instability and war. TV crews reaching the remote scene today, the hardline leader of America's long-standing adversary dead suddenly, and it seems, by accident. Today in the streets of Tehran, men openly wept for President Rice. Ayesi, seen as a potential successor to Iran's aging supreme leader. At some Iranian embassies in the West, opponents celebrated. The U.S. tonight says there are no signs of outside interference and saying Iran's government

reached out for help during the rescue efforts. Ultimately, largely for logistical reasons, we weren't able to provide that assistance. And just last month, Iran's foreign minister, who also died on the helicopter overnight, telling Tom, Iran and its people have a future." They will achieve even greater success. The sanctions have rendered damages to us, but also taught us great lessons, and because of it, we became self-reliant on our own capabilities. Raiisi described today as a friend by fellow presidents Putin and she.

Hamas sending its sympathies. Since the October 7th terror attacks, Iran's proxies have launched multiple offensives escalating the tension in the region. And tonight from Tehran, an advisor to the government telling NBC news not to expect policy changes despite the unexpected death. This is a big loss. But when we're talking about the general direction of the state, it goes beyond any individual. Lester Holt sat down with Raezi last year in what was among his last interviews with Western

media. Raeisi telling Lester the billions of dollars unfrozen during a deal with the U.S., in exchange for five American prisoners, were Tehran's to use as it wanted. Do you believe you have the right to use that money in any way that you see fit? This money belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and naturally we will decide, the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide to spend it. wherever we need it. Raisi crushed internal dissent, including a wave of demonstrations for women's rights.

Some of the worst human rights abuses occurred during his tenure as president, especially the human rights abuses against the women and girls of Iran. That said, we regret any loss of life. Kier joins us now. Kier, you mentioned in your piece about the Iranian government asking the U.S. for help. Do we have any more information about that in the diplomatic, between the U.S. and Iran in a situation like this, which is obviously a rescue operation. Well, stunning, isn't it, Tom? And what I think it tells us, and moments like these can

shed a light on the situation, is that perhaps, just perhaps, there are more diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Iran than we necessarily see, and still an effort to kind of reach for contact, reach for something like a resolution between those two. to adversaries. I'll make another point too, Tom, in relation to that. Across this region in the Middle East and the Gulf states, we've seen governments offering their condolences to Iran. I think that is an effort to show to Tehran that countries here like the UAE, like Saudi Arabia, like Qatar, do want more of a relationship with that traditional adversary. That is another change. It gives you another picture of the way things

are shifting. Things haven't changed that much. I'm not sure they necessarily will in the years to come, no matter who becomes the new president. But there are glimmers of shifts diplomatically in this moment. And then, Kim, that sets up the next question here. What do we know about the interim president? Well, he's another hardliner, honestly. And by the way, we know now that the elections will take place at the end of June. He may not be the person who is elected president. But just to give you an example, he was the one who headed to Russia and agreed to do a deal to give Russia drones and more ammunition to fight in Ukraine. So certainly, he is not a leader that is going to shift. And by the way, the Supreme Leader is the one who really sets the direction

for Iran. And that's the big question tonight, Tom, because the Supreme Leader is 85. President Raeisi was someone who was talked about as somebody who would replace the Supreme Leader leader. Who would it be now? Dear Simmons for us tonight, Keir, thank you. For more on President Raeisi's death and what it means for Iran and really the region. Let's bring in Jason Razion. He's a global opinions writer for the Washington Post, and once served as the Post's Toronto Bureau Chief. He was wrongfully detained by Iran for 544 days.

He's a good friend of Top Story. Jason, great having you on tonight. Let's get right to it. It's important to note that the Ayatollah is the supreme leader of Iran. What is the significance of President Raeisi's death to the people of Iran who are looking maybe for more moderate? leadership? Well, Tom, I think that it's a great question. The people of Iran, by and large, have voted for more moderate leadership in every election

where there was large turnout. Raezi became president in one of the lowest turnout elections in history, and it's probably the first time since 1990s that the establishment really tipped the scale in favor of one candidate. So I think Keir's point that the Ayatollah, the supreme leader, is the ultimate power, is an important one. I don't think that this changes the course of everyday policy of the country. But I do know from speaking with Iranians in and outside the country, a lot of people were celebrating this death, not because they thought it was going to signify a massive change

in policy, but they like to see anything that hurts the Islamic Republic. So on that point, Iran is suffering from crippling inflation, human rights abuses, a growing back and forth with Israel, and now this embarrassment, right, of leaders dying in a helicopter crash, likely because of those dated helicopters. Does this put the Ayatollah's position of leadership at risk at all? I don't think it puts his leadership at risk, but I do think it points to fragility in the system. You don't have aircrafts with... top officials flying out of the sky, whatever the circumstances are, if your country has everything under control.

You pointed to sanctions that have led to Iran's antiquated civil aviation, transportation. The economy is in tatters. There's all sorts of conspiracies floating around that Israel might have been involved, or this was an inside job. And that sort of innuendo conspiracy doesn't really help authoritarian state hold on to power. And I think it's a matter of time before this regime is no longer with us. I just couldn't give you an expiration. Right.

Jason, do you think this is going to lead to more restrictive laws than we've already seen on the citizens of Iran by the Ayatollah? And I asked that because we saw them cracking down even harder on women as soon as they launched that attack against Israel. Look, I think that any time Iran under this regime faces external pressure, the natural instinct is to crack down on people in the country to send the message that we won't tolerate any sort of dissent. I don't see that there will be a major change because they're already cracking down. The summer weather is starting, it's getting warmer, women naturally don't want to keep themselves completely covered up. They're pushing up against the mandatory hijab rules. And the teams

of what they call morality police are back in the street arresting people. I think that's going to continue. I don't think that that will slow down. But I don't think Raezi's death or the manner in which he died will change that dramatically. You know, you alluded to this, and I just sort of want to make sure we're clear with the viewers here. There is no reason to believe that this was more than just an accident, right? At least not yet. I don't think that there's any reason to believe that yet, but I don't think you can rule it out either. I mean, this is a very precarious time in that region.

There has been a series of back and forths, as you mentioned, between Iran and Israel over recent months and recent years. And one thing that I pointed to in a column that I published today is the fact that Israel has shown that it can attack Iranian targets within Iranian sources. soil. And I think that element, surprise, element of fear has to be in the back of their mind. But as you said, there's nothing that would indicate that there was any foul play here that we know of yet. Jason, always great to get your perspective on Iran. We thank you for coming on tonight. We do want to stay overseas now. We turn to the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

where the military says it stopped a coup over the weekend. Parts of the attack live streamed from inside the presidential palace where the leader of the attempt to takeover was killed in a shootout, and his American-born son appears to have been arrested. Ellison Barber has the latest on this wild story. Tonight, at least six people are dead and 50 detained. After the military of the Democratic Republic of the Congo says it foiled a coup attempt. Video of the attack inside the presidential palace, verified by Reuters, was live-streamed on Facebook early Sunday morning by the alleged leader of the failed coup, Christian Malanga.

Malanga at one point standing next to a man that appears to be his American-born son, Marcel, an American flag visible on the younger Malanga's chest. The older Malanga said the Congolese military is tired of the president. A president Malanga said has messed up the country and must leave office. The president did not leave office. Within hours, Christian Malanga was dead, killed during a shootout with presidential palace guards, according to a spokesperson with the Congolese army. They say two guards at the presidential palace and three other assailants were also killed.

The Congolese military says the coup attempt involved three Americans, including one they identified as Malanga's son, Marcel, who was. According to the AP, appears to be in this video being circulated online by the presidential palace. More footage circulated by the presidential palace shows several unidentified Congolese men being rounded up by soldiers. It was a very bizarre attempt to take power. It's not clear what the objective was. It also indicates that the security services, the intelligence services, were very poorly organized. After all, they were able to attack and briefly control the presidential palace. The U.S. embassy issued a security alert on Sunday, and the American ambassador to DRC said in part, quote, we will cooperate with the DRC authorities to the fullest extent as they

investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved in criminal acts. The attempted coup is another black guy for the Congolese government. President Felix Chessie Keddy was re-elected for a second term back in December. But opposition parties called the results a sham and demanded a rerun. The government dismissed allegations of fraud and ultimately rejected calls for a rerun of the elections. All right, Alison, Barbara, joins us now live on set. So, Alison, what more do we know about the attempted leader of this coup, Christian Malanga? Yeah, so it's been a little confusing because you have leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo saying we've detained three American citizens. And then at a press conference today, the spokesperson

for the State Department said the person who was deceased, seeming to imply Christian Malanga, that they have no record of him being an American citizen. One thing that we did find is that there was an obituary that was published for a man in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June of 2020. His name was Joseph, and it lists a Christian Malanga as one of his sons. It talks about his sort of life story and says that he came to the United States with his family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to raise them. there than has grandchildren. So it seems that at some point, Christian Malanga came to the United States, lived here, had a family here with children, and then at some point went back. So he was

sort of this self-described leader in exile, but self-exile. The son, Marcel Malanga, that's been wrapped up in all of this. That is really stunning. Because you look at these photos, you see him playing football there, really seems to be the story of this all-American kid, born and raised, it seems, in Utah. We found a roster from 2019, 2020. for a high school from West Jordan, Utah. He was an offensive linebacker and a senior that year in college. The question is, how did he get wrapped up in all of this? State Department, Bureau of Consular Affairs, government in Utah.

We've tried to reach out to all of them, and they're all kind of just sticking to what the State Department has said so far. Okay. Alison Barber with all those developments, Alison, thank you for that. Back here at home, we want to talk about the other week of potentially devastating storms in the plains of Midwest. Tens of millions at risk after a weekend that brought even more destructive weather to the region, including at least 13 reported tornadoes.

Residents now picking up the pieces in dangerous heat. Here's Priscilla Thompson with the very latest. Another vicious storm system, this time barreling toward the Central Plains and Midwest. After a violent night, when at least 13 reported twisters tore a path of destruction through Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma, injuring two. No! Oh, my gosh! The I-70 corridor whipped by winds topping 100 miles per hour. Drivers seen here sheltering at a gas station as baseball-sized hail rained down.

That was massive hail. Here in Houston, thousands are suffering through a fourth day without power. Today, lines at food drives like this one wrapped around the block. Some running out of food for hundreds within less than two hours. We were inundated with families today. Multiple families per car. People really do seem to need some additional assistance. My concern was him having a heat stroke. Some now turning to cooling centers as temperatures soar into the 90s throughout the week.

What was it like in that house? If you turn on your oven at 350 degrees and you open it up, that's how it feels. That's how it feels in the house. EMS rescuing senior citizens inside this crumbling assisted living facility. after officials say they were abandoned for days. No food, no ice, no nothing. Tonight, millions across the South and Midwest in the bullseye for severe weather, with spring storms showing no signs of letting up.

And Tom, as for tonight, 16 million people are at risk for severe weather, including damaging winds, hail, and the possibility of tornadoes from the Central Plains through the Midwest, and the severe weather threat is not over get with much of the U.S. hit by that weather for the next three days. Tom? Okay, Priscilla, we thank you for that, and so many people still in that risk zone, as we just heard there from Priscilla. So let's get right over to NBC News meteorologist Bill Carrens, who joins me live in studio tonight. Bill, walk us through what we should expect this week. A very, very dangerous day tomorrow. Tonight, isolated, and then Wednesday kind of scattered. So currently we have a severe thunderstorm

watch in Michigan. We also have a severe thunderstorm watch and a tornado watch. This is that northeast corner of Colorado where we can get some isolated tornado. you can see the thunderstorms just now beginning. Tomorrow is going to be a little different, though. Tomorrow we're going to be watching this storm system that's tonight in Nebraska and Iowa shifting towards areas like Missouri, Illinois. We're very concerned with Iowa,

southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. When you see the red bullseye here, the red, that's what we call a moderate risk of severe weather. That's a level four out of five, and that usually means we're going to have a severe weather outbreak and potentially even a tornado outbreak. If we get strong tornadoes tomorrow, they'd be at this time.

It would be from Des Moines to Kirksville, to Iowa City, the Quad Cities, Dubuque, heading up here towards Madison, Wisconsin. That's the favored area for any strong tornadoes, and that means they'd be capable of, like, you know, mass destruction. We're hoping we can avoid those, and if they do happen, that they'll be out over farmers' fields. And then by the time we get to Wednesday, Dallas all the way to Cleveland, is at risk of severe storms. Not so many tornadoes, Tom, on Wednesday. Tomorrow, though, looks like it'd be a very dangerous day. It's been such a dangerous month all around.

All right, Bill. We thank you for that. Still ahead, an update on the Gilgo Beach serial killer investigation. authorities returning to the house of Rex Ehrman 10 months after he was arrested in connection to a string of murders on Long Island. So why did they go back? Plus, the cargo ship that triggered

the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse finally moved from the wreck site today where it's heading next. And chat GPT about to get a voice makeover, OpenAI pulling down the latest version of its AI model after it was compared a few too many times to Scarlett Johansson,

the statement she released moments ago. Stay with us. We're back now with a surprising twist in the Giggle Beach murder investigations. Police arresting Rex Sherman last summer, you may remember, charging him with the deaths of four women. But today, authorities executing a new search warrant on his home where his ex-wife and children still live, putting the Long Island neighborhood back in the spotlight.

Earlier today, the DA addressing that search. We speak through indictments. So up and until, and if that happens, we'll talk. But as for right now, we're not going to say anything other than it's part of an ongoing investigation. All right. For more on this search, I'm joined tonight by NBC New York reporter and a friend of top story, Ida Siegel, who joins us live from that home, outside the home, I should say. Ida, police have had teams there all day.

The DA really didn't tell us what was going on. Do we know anything else? Well, that's the major question, Tom. Why did investigators return to this house today, especially. after spending so much time here last summer. They scoured through the entire house. They even dug up the backyard. And yet, they returned here today. And as you heard, the Suffolk County DA really didn't give us much information as to why that is. We do know from the DA that generally speaking, he said as investigations evolve, new evidence comes to light. But exactly what that evidence is,

he's not revealing that. We also know that just a month ago, investigators are on the Gilgo Beach case, went back out to eastern Long Island to two separate locations, including Southampton, with cadaver dogs. What they uncovered there, and if it has any connection to the decision to return here, also unknown. But we do know that 60-year-old Rex Heuerman has been charged with the deaths of four women. There were an additional six women discovered in the Gilgo Beach area, and the district attorney has said that he is committed to finding out what happened to them as well. So it's anyone's guess why they are back here,

but certainly there's a lot more investigating that needs to happen, Tom. Yeah, it's strange because it's not a very large house or property, and they've already turned it upside down when they were there months ago, but we'll have to wait and see if they find anything new. Has the family said anything at all about the new search? About this new search, they have not. Through an attorney, they confirmed that Hewerman's ex-wife and his son are out of state. The adult daughter was home when police showed up.

She is now at a different location as investigators continue their search. We know that in the past, the ex-wife has previously said that she's going to give her former husband the benefit of the doubt. She believes that he's not capable of committing the crimes he's accused of. And a lot of folks in the neighborhood have questioned how he possibly could have committed these murders without his family knowing. and the district attorney has said that the family in many of these cases was actually out of the country when the murders were committed. Tom? Ida Siegel for us from Long Island tonight. Ida, always great to have you on the show.

We appreciate your reporting. When we come back, a follow-up on a story we brought you earlier this month. Remember those websites we showed you selling reservations at New York City hotspots like Carbone and Polar Bar for hundreds, even thousands of dollars? Well, tonight, their days could be numbered. legislation moving through the state legislature that could make those sites illegal. That's next. Okay, back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the cargo ship Dolly, which was refloated today nearly two months after the deadly Baltimore bridge collapse. The 984-foot vessel towed away from the site where it slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and into the port of Baltimore. tugboats there pushing it along. It is expected to remain in the port for another four to six

weeks as the NTSB and Coast Guard investigate before heading to Norfolk, Virginia for repairs. The AI chat bot we told you about last week will be getting a new voice after Scarlett Johansson threatened to sue. OpenAI suspending the voice for its new chat GPT 4.0, which drew comparisons to Scarlett Johansson, who you remember voiced an AI assistant in the movie Her. In a statement, Johansson saying Open AI CEO Sam Altman asked her to be the voice, but she declined. Writing, when I heard the release demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference. OpenAI says the voice belongs to a different professional

actress, but said in a statement, AI shouldn't, quote, deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinct voice. And an update tonight to a story we first brought you earlier this month about services, selling restaurant reservations, sometimes for hundreds, even thousands of dollars? Will New York State lawmakers introducing a bill that would prevent third-party sites like appointment trader from selling reservations without the restaurant's permission? Lawmakers say the practice is predatory and drives up prices for all consumers. As we reported here on Top Story, some sellers are earning thousands of dollars, selling seats at the most coveted tables in major cities.

One college student made 100 grand. These sites would get fine if the bill passes. Now to the latest in the sexual abuse allegations against Sean Diddy Combs, the rapper and producer issuing an apology on Instagram, following the release of that disturbing video we showed you on Friday of him beating and dragging his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. NBC's entertainment correspondent, Chloe Malas, has the latest, and a warning. The details in this video, of course, are disturbing. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. Sean Diddy Combs now walking back his denial of domestic abuse. wake of disturbing footage, showing him violently attacking former girlfriend Cassie Ventura. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. Combs posting an apology to his

Instagram late yesterday. I went and I saw that professional help. I had to go into therapy and go into rehab. The surveillance footage, which was obtained by CNN, shows Combs chasing Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Combs has seen grabbing Ventura by the neck and throwing her to the ground before repeatedly kicking her and dragging her down a hallway. But I'm committed to be a better man. He's in every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry. Ventura's attorney slamming Combs' response that he was only compelled to apologize once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words. New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he's weighing weather to rescind the New York native's key to the city. We were probably sick to our stomach.

In March, federal agents raided Combs's properties in Los Angeles in Miami as part of an investigation into alleged sex trafficking. Feds are investigating him. And so if they didn't have this video then, they certainly have it now. And they could utilize it as evidence for any underlying charges they may lodge against him. Combs is already facing multiple civil lawsuits, alleging abuse and sexual assault. All right, with that, Chloe Malas, joins us now in studio. So, Chloe, there's a lot of people speaking out.

There's also a lot of people that haven't said anything at all. And now some questions about what Diddy says he did in that video going to therapy and getting help. Diddy was instrumental in the careers and music careers of several high-profile individuals. And it's interesting that tonight, all of them are remaining silent. You know, fans of Combs are turning to Little Kim, Mary J. Blige, they're not saying anything.

But the ones that you are hearing from are his adversaries, like 50 Cent, who's having a lot of fun with us on social media and reportedly has his own documentary coming out on Diddy this summer about this. Then in the TMZ documentary that came out the other day, you're hearing from Shug Night, one of Diddy's arch enemies from behind bars. So those are the ones that you would expect to have a field day with something like this. Also, I want to point out that some of the things that people are taking issue with, especially in the comments section, which was interesting that Diddy didn't turn the comments off on that Instagram apology on Sunday. He says he sought treatment. He went to rehab. He worked on himself spiritually. Went to therapy.

But that incident that takes place in that surveillance footage that Cassie talks about in her federal civil suit was from 2016. She stayed with Diddy until 2018. There are other allegations after that incident in her civil suit. Again, they're allegations. And there are other civil suits. with other allegations that are post-2016. So if he did go to therapy and did work on himself, it's just fair to point out that there are more recent allegations

of sex trafficking, emotional abuse, and physical abuse. Chloe, my loss for us tonight. Chloe, thank you for that. Coming up next, Top Stories Global Watch, the skies over Europe lit up by a mysterious object. Some residents calling emergency services reporting what they thought was a fireball. We'll explain what created.

those dazzling images. That is next. We are back now with the latest on Israel's war against Hamas. Late today, President Biden rejecting allegations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. But the International Criminal Court now seeking an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside top Hamas military leaders. The organization says Israeli forces are deliberately starving and targeting Palestinian civilians. Netanyahu denying these charges. NBC's Ralph Sanchez has the very latest.

What a travesty of justice. What a disgrace. Tonight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denouncing the international criminal court after its prosecutor accused him of war crimes in Gaza and called for a global warrant for his arrest. The prosecutor also seeking to arrest Israel's defense minister and the three top leaders of Hamas's military and political wings. Israel accused of deliberately starving civilians in Gaza by choking off food supplies.

Prosecutor Karim Khan also says Israel intentionally targeted civilians. These crimes were committed in the context of the ongoing armed conflict and as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza. Netanyahu denying the charges. Mr. Khan creates a twisted and false moral equivalence between the leaders, of Israel and the henchmen of Hamas. This is like creating a moral equivalence after September 11th between President Bush and Osama bin Laden. President Biden calling the prosecutors move outrageous. Let me be clear. We reject the ICC's application for arrest warrants against

Israeli leaders. Hamas accused of atrocities during the October 7th terror attack and beyond. Allegations including murder, rape, torture, and hostage taken. Hostages must be released immediately. Hamas denies committing war crimes as the wheels of international justice begin to turn. If ICC judges approve the warrant, Netanyahu could face arrest in any nation that's partied to the court, including most of Europe. Tom. Ralph Sanchez for us tonight, Raf, thank you. Time now for Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world.

We begin with a legal victory for Julian Assange, a London court allowing the WikiLeaks founder to appeal his extradition to the U.S. on espionage charges. His lawyers arguing their client would not be fully protected by the First Amendment in the U.S. because of his Australian citizenship. Assange is facing 17 counts of espionage related to the publishing of classified documents on WikiLeaks. The British Prime Minister apologizing to the victims of a blood contamination scandal, which he called a decades-long moral failure. An independent report published today revealing an estimated 3,000 people died in the UK after receiving blood tainted with hepatitis or HIV from 1970 through the early 2000s. The report finding those deaths could have been avoided if blood transfusion safety and product risks were addressed. More than 4,000 affected patients have already been awarded more than $120,000 each. Haiti's main international airport reopening for the first time since gang violence overtook a lot.

in March. The airport came under attack in early March when violent gangs took much of porter-prints by storm. The reopening is expected to ease shortages on medication and other supplies. U.S. airlines, though, not expected to resume flights until later this month or in early June. And a rare space event lighting up the skies over Spain and Portugal. Check out this video. It's a comet fragment crossing the sky at high speed, emitting blue and green tones, dazzling residents. Some shocked viewers even calling emergency services saying the site looked like a fireball. The icy fragment came from an unidentified comet. The scientists say may have been formed at the dawn of the solar system.

All right, pretty cool. When we come back, Target announcing its slashing prices on 5,000 items, everything from laundry detergent to butter to spinach, about to get cheaper while Target is making this move and could other competitors soon follow suit? What you need to know the next time you're looking to stock up. We are back now with Money Talks. And some good news tonight for consumers. Big Box Giant Target announcing lower prices on 5,000 items nationwide. The price cuts impacting groceries and household staples, even sunscreen. The company says they could save shoppers millions this summer. Welcome news as inflation remains stubbornly high. Here with us now on how this could impact your next target run is Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Brooke DePaul. She joins us in studio. Brooke, thanks so much for being here. Yeah, thanks for having me. So they're going to mark down 5,000 products, and I know you're going to talk to us about some of the products where people can save some money. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, first let's walk back a bit and just say, why exactly is Target doing this? Well, they're doing this because they want to change the American shopper's perception that it's too expensive to shop there. And so 5,000 items are expected to cost less over the course of the summer. They'll roll out those lower prices.

$1,500 already got marked down. And some of those items, as you mentioned, include things like sunscreen, include things like Clorox wipes. We also see everyday grocery staples, like detergent, that's going to cost less, baby wipes, baby spinach, good and gather. That's their private label brand and other items like unsalted butter. And really, what these items are or where consumers are spending their dollars right now, everyday grocery. I love getting those discounts on that spinach. Love it. Just want to save some money there. You were looking for it, Tom.

Yeah, so customers have been feeling the pinch, of course, because of inflation. We know the numbers went up. We can put it right up here for our viewers here, 3.4. is the consumer price index, the yearly rise. So, you know, why do you think, I know you're talking about they want to get the shoppers back in, but how can you get shoppers back in and still make money when you're lowering those prices?

Yeah, absolutely. Well, if you take a look at another America's biggest retailer, Walmart, they've been doing just that, and they've actually been luring in even more Americans because of their low-price, everyday model. And what they've been able to do is lure Americans with cheaper grocery prices. Walmart's seeing gains from all-income cohorts,

now Target missing out on that. Target expected to come out with their fiscal first quarter earnings report on Wednesday, and they do expect to see sales drop. And why exactly do they? Because consumers are pulling back and they're not spending as much when they do shop. And so Target really hoping that by lowering prices, they're going to put more in their basket and they're going to come to Target more frequently. So Walmart's also lowering prices. Are we going to see a price war here? And how does Amazon play into this? Oh, very interesting. Good question. Well, what we saw from Walmart is that their e-commerce, game. They're definitely stepping up. We also saw Target with our Circle Rewards Program. They're

also ramping up discounts. They're ramping up reward member options. And Amazon, of course, with their Whole Foods partnership and also with grocery in general, they're really looking to ramp up. I wouldn't call it a price war just yet. But consumers are especially weary of paying those higher prices. They really do want value and convenience. So all these big box retailers and e-commerce looking to get in the game by offering things like delivery, like quick-pocket. pick up and more grocery options. Once again, where consumers are spending? And you think we'll see these low prices for a while? You think they'll be around for a while? I think that once Target introduces this, it'll be hard to then bring prices again, especially because that foot traffic

and just the average basket size is something that we've seen drop as consumers are really pinched right now with just how much they're spending and they're going to other retailers to get the best bank for their buck here. Yahoo Finance Senior Reporter Brooke DePalma. Thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamous in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.