Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, November 18, 2024

Episode Date: November 19, 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, President-elect Trump vowing to make good on his promise to use the military to carry out his mass deportation plan. Trump confirming on Truth Social, he'll declare a national emergency to begin removing millions of undocumented immigrants and use military assets to do it. The president-elect also considering bringing back some controversial border policies from his first administration. His new borders are heading to Mar-a-Lago this week to finalize their plan for the border. why some top Democrats are saying it may be against the law. Confirmation conflict, the fallout growing for two of Trump's cabinet appointments, both facing allegations of sexual misconduct. His pick for defense secretary, Pete Hankseth, denying claims he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017,

despite paying her settlement, and her Hallie Jackson sitting down with an attorney for one woman who says she witnessed Matt Gates having sex with a minor at a party. Also tonight, Brazil's first lady launching a profanity-laced insult, against Elon Musk ahead of the G20 summit, how the staunch Trump ally is responding as President Biden makes his final visit to the international gathering.

But now speculation growing about why he wasn't in this group photo with dozens of world leaders. Plus, Biden giving Ukraine the green light to use long-range American missiles to strike deep inside Russia. The move coming after a series of deadly Russian attacks inside Ukraine this weekend. More than a dozen people killed,

including a child, why the Kremlin is saying Biden is pouring oil on the fire. Spirit Airlines flying into bankruptcy, the discount carrier filing for Chapter 11 after losing more than $2 billion in less than five years. Could this impact your holiday travel plans? And how much would you pay to change the color of your eyes?

We'll tell you about the $12,000 procedure, surging of popularity, and the potential dangers involved. And the deadly stabbing spree right here in New York City, two people killed and a third seriously hurt, in unprovoked attacks. What we're learning about the suspect's criminal past. Top story. It starts right now.

Hey, good evening, I'm Tom Yamas. Happy Monday. We begin tonight with that major announcement from President-elect Trump, planning to declare a national emergency to address the crisis at the southern border. That declaration would allow him to use military assets to carry out one of his signature campaign promises,

conducting mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Trump has promised to prioritize those migrants who have criminal records. He's also considering reviving a few policies from his first administration, including family detention and remain in Mexico, which requires asylum seekers to wait south of the border while their claims are processed. His new borders are, Tom Homan, helped oversee one of the most controversial border policies from his first term, family separation. Homan now set to lead the deportation effort in his new role,

Telling Fox News, he's traveling to Mar-a-Lago this week to put what he calls the finishing touches on that plan. The announcement comes as Trump's transition team weather's a firestorm around two of its nominees. His pick for AG Matt Gates facing sexual misconduct allegations and his nominee for Defense Secretary Pete Hegzith accused of sexual assault. Or Halle Jackson sitting down with an attorney for one woman who says, she witnessed Gates have sex with a minor at a party in 2017. Gates and Hegseth have both denied wrongdoing. also reportedly thinking, rethinking his pick for another key cabinet position, Treasury Secretary. Hedge fund billionaire Scott Besant was initially thought the frontrunner, but Trump is meeting

with several other candidates now as well. And just moments before we came on the air this news, Trump announcing his pick for Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Fox Business News host, former Wisconsin Congressman, and you may remember him from Real World. But we begin tonight with that major border announcement from President-elect Trump. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez leads our coverage. Tonight, President-elect Trump's campaign promised to carry out a mass deportation of migrants is taking shape. He responded true to a post saying he will declare a national emergency and use military assets to deporting undocumented immigrants. He's pledged to start with convicted criminals. On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program of criminals in American history.

Trump's new borders are sent today. He's heading to Mar-a-Lago this week to put final touches on the plan. We will prioritize public safety threats and national security threats. Second thing is secure that border. Lock that border down. Two sources familiar with the planning tell NBC News. The incoming Trump administration is already talking to private prison companies about drastically expanding immigrant detention centers to use for a short period of time

between arrest and deportation. The administration also considering restarting family detention. Democrats are blasting the deportation plan. The idea that soldiers are going to be carrying out. these types of deportations. I think, number one, it's just not something that we in the United States are used to see. Okay, Gabe joins us now live from the White House. Gabe, let's pick up right there. Do we have any idea how much mass deportations would cost? And how exactly would the president like to use the military? Are we talking National Guard or Marines?

Well, Tom, Trump's new borders are set today. It's still not clear what the budget will be. And one immigrant rights group estimates it could cost $90 billion a year to say nothing about likely legal challenges. Now, the president-elected recently told NBC News there would be no price tag because it's so important. And as for which branch of the military would handle this, look, those details are still up in the air, but back in 2018, Trump sent more than 5,000 active duty troops to the southern border to help customs and border protection with logistical support, not deportations. It came from the Army, Navy, and so we're just not sure, we're not just not talking National Guard here, Tom. Keep in mind, by law, some branches

of the military are prohibited from conducting law enforcement operations, so it's unlikely they'll actually be apprehending migrants. Still, a lot of this is still being worked out, Tom. All right, and let's talk about the latest Fox News host who may enter the cabinet as well. We're talking about Sean Duffy here. Yeah, late today, President Elect Trump announced his pick for Transportation Secretary at former Wisconsin Congressman and Fox business hosts Sean Duffy. Again, he's from Wisconsin. He began his career as a district attorney before running for Congress. And as you mentioned, Tom, he was also in the real world.

And he's married to another Fox News host. And that's a detail that the president-elect made sure to note in his written statement, Tom. Real World Boston. Gabe, I know you were a fan. All right, we thank you for all of this. Gabe Gutier is leading us off. As we mentioned, this all comes as some of Trump's cabinet picks face mounting scrutiny, including defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseith,

an attorney for Hegseth confirming to NBC News at the court. combat veteran and former Fox News host paid a settlement to a woman last year who had accused him of sexual assault. For more on the allegations, NBC's Dasha Burns is in the house tonight. So, Dasha, what more do we know about this settlement and a Republicans saying this could derail the confirmation? So this attorney didn't disclose how much exactly he paid, but we know from a Washington Post report that a friend of the accuser actually sent a memo to the Trump transition team detailing some of these allegations, including claims that this happened at at a California conference, and she was there with her husband and children and, quote,

didn't remember anything until she was in Hegsett's hotel room. Now, Hegsett's attorney says that he maintains his innocence and calls this a consensual encounter. And when it comes to President Elect Trump, he is standing by him not wavering at all. A statement to NBC News from Stephen Chung says that Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations. No charges were filed, and we look forward to his confirmation. So we know about the president-elect that he's standing by him. What about other Senate Republicans? Have we heard anything yet?

Look, everyone is kind of hedging on both Heggseth and Gates, saying, let's let the confirmation process play out. Of course, this thing is hanging out there of potential recess appointments. There was also an issue with a tattoo that Pete Heggseth apparently has, right? That got him into some trouble as well. What do we know about this? Yeah, so our Courtney Kuby has some great reporting from this. She has a source that was a U.S. military official directly involved at the time who told her heard that there were concerns about him during his time and the D.C. National Guard that

someone did show that tattoo to guard leadership. It's a tattoo that has links to a Christian national group that has a history of extremist activity and that during the Biden inauguration, he was not activated because of concerns around that tattoo and hex-sus behavior. The source also telling Courtney about his leadership, quote, he had zero leadership capability. He had his own agenda. He didn't care what the rules were. He didn't care what the parameters were. He was just doing what he needed to do to get ahead. All right. Dasha Burns for explaining all that to us, Dasha, we appreciate it. Over on Capitol Hill, the House Ethics Committee now saying it plans to meet later this week

over the growing fallout into another nominee, former GOP Congressman Matt Gates. Trump's pick for Attorney General under intense scrutiny for his alleged involvement in sexual misconduct with an underage girl and illicit drug use. NBC's Hallie Jackson tonight with a big interview. President-elect Trump's pick to run the Justice Department facing an intensifying spotlight. As NBC News has learned, the House Ethics Committee will meet Wednesday, according to a source familiar, to discuss its investigation into now former Florida Congressman Matt Gates, the committee investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use,

which Gates denies, including that he had sex with a then-17-year-old at a Florida party in 2017. That accuser's attorney, John Clune, wants the House report to be released in a statement saying she was a high school student and there were witnesses. Joel Lepard represents one of those alleged witnesses, whom NBC News is not naming. What did your client witness at this party? She was walking outside to the pool and she observed to a right, her friend who was 17 at a time, having sex with representing Gates. They were leaned up to what she described to as a game table of some type.

Leopard says his clients testified to the House Ethics Committee this spring. Did your client believe that Gates at the time knew that her friend was underage? Yeah, so the House was curious about that. She testified that her belief was that Representative Gates had no knowledge that she was under 18, that she was 17 years old at the time he was

having sex with her. She also testified that when Representative Gates found out that she was underage, that they stopped their sexual relationship and did not resume it until after she turned 18. Leopard says his clients, both the alleged witness and another woman, testified Gates

paid them repeatedly for sex. and drugs. Leopard says the FBI asked his client in 2020 to record a phone conversation with Mr. Gates as part of a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking and obstruction of justice, but prosecutors ultimately declined to bring charges. The Department of Justice declined to prosecute Matt Gates for these allegations. So how should people square that decision with everything that you've laid out here today? Whether or not a federal prosecutor takes a case and decides to move forward on a trial or move forward on an allegation is that particular prosecutor's decision. It doesn't mean they didn't do it. Gates has long denied the allegations against him and in a

response to the House Ethics Committee in September said, your correspondence of September 4th asks whether I have engaged in sexual activity with any individual under 18. The answer to this question is unequivocally no, adding he has not used drugs that are illegal and writing the lawful, consensual, sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress, suggesting investigators have a sinister motive to harm him. Leopard says the women he represents want the Ethics Committee to share what it knows publicly so Americans can judge for themselves. They did testify, both of them, that they consented to their activities. They were also asked whether or not they were victims, and she broke down in tears, and she said it's a very complicated

the question. Did your clients make any assessments in their testimony about Mr. Gates's fitness or judgment to serve in office? They're very careful about what they might express publicly, but one did say, I do not think a man like him should have that much power. That was Hallie Jackson for us. For more on Trump's cabinet picks and what it means for his administration. I want to bring in our political pros tonight. Hogan Gidley, former deputy press secretary with the Trump White House and advisor to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Don Calloway, a Democratic strategist, and Steve Hayes, a good friend at top story. NBC News, political contributor, and CEO and founder of the dispatch. Hogan, I'm going to start with you.

I know you were in Mara Lago the last four days. Doesn't look like you were in the sun, so I guess you must have been working a lot. I do want to ask you, I mean, take me into Mara Lago. What does the president-elect think and all of his top aides with all the news that's coming out about some of these cabinet appointments? Yeah, it's full steam ahead. We're talking about Matt Gage, obviously, off the top here, and it's pretty clear the Biden administration, the Biden-D-O-J, actually investigated these very same claims for quite some time, and in fact concluded that Matt Gates did nothing wrong. In fact, he was exonerated. The only person that actually went to jail in this was the one lying about Matt Gates in the first place. Not to mention the fact,

they claimed that those folks who were accusing Matt Gates of this were not credible at all in this situation. So a lot going on at Mar-a-Lago, obviously, about moving the president's agenda forward. And while we are seeing these stories about Pete and Matt Gates as well, the president still resolute that he wants these people in power because we've seen such failures from the DOD over the last several years, failures from the Attorney General as well, the weaponization of government. And the American people voted for change in those roles. And so Donald Trump put up change agents to lead both places. But Hogan, let me ask you something. You have Todd Blanche, who's got nominated to be the deputy attorney general and someone who wasn't formerly under

federal investigation or investigation by the House of Representatives. Why not just go with that pick? Why does it have to be Matt Gates, someone who has a lot of baggage, when the president wants to accomplish, the President-elect wants to accomplish so much in his first few days in office? Well, look, the president's obviously confident that Matt Gates is going to get through, as will Pete Heggseth, because he's sticking by them and saying, listen, this is time for change. We have 100 days to really move out of the gate really quickly. We're coalescing our forces in the House and the Senate. I want my picks to be confirmed as soon as as possible. The American people spoke loudly and clearly he swept all the swing states,

of course, and won the popular vote. He believes that gives him a MAGA mandate, and I think it does too, to move forward with the way he would like to run this government and try and fix the ills and the problems of the previous administration that have really gone to hurt so many people's lives in this country, and he's going to stick tough with his decisions. Don, NBC News has reporting that a majority of Senate Republicans doubt Matt Gates will be confirmed as Attorney General. The House Ethics Committee is meeting tomorrow to discuss its report to Matt Gates. Do you think we'll see the Senate Republicans working with Democrats to prevent Gates from getting confirmed? No, probably not. Those things will probably be handled behind

the scenes at Mar-Lago or the Capitol Hill Club, wherever Republicans get together and decide what they're going to do. But they'll find a way to move. If they want to get Matt Gates out the way, they'll find a way to do so without causing embarrassment to the president's agenda. And so here's thing. Matt Gates is deeply unqualified, both from a merit perspective as well as his personal character traits. You know better than that, try to defend a lot of those behaviors, Hogan, because you know as well as I do that Matt, Matt Gates is a true creep, and we know it in this profession. But also Pete Higgseth is extraordinarily unqualified, both on merit, as well as personal characteristics of behavior. If you consider all of the perfection that Lloyd

Austin had to have in a distinguished career as a military man in which he held every job along the way and did them extraordinarily well along the way to being Secretary of Defense. If you consider a man of such merit and you compare him to a local weekend Fox News affiliate with white supremacist tattoos and a square jaw, that's what Pete Texas brings to the table. There's nowhere near the level of qualification or seriousness. But if either one of these characters is somehow moved out of the way or not confirmed, the Trump agenda will still be confirmed in the positions of these secretaries. And that's what's problematic for America.

not these characters who are just outrageous, hopefully political footnotes. Hogan, your name was invoked. I'll let you get in there. Yeah, okay. First of all, let's talk about Pete Hegseth for a minute. I know you leaned on the fact that he hosts a show on Fox News on the weekends, but he also served in combat. He won two bronze stars working in Afghanistan and also Iraq. He won a combat infantryman medal badge as well for his service to this great nation, number one. Number two, I'm sorry that Donald Trump didn't pick all of the Beltway bureaucrats that have taken us down these whirlable rabbit holes for the past several decades, but let's be

clear what the DOD is accomplished under Joe Biden. He let us Chinese spy balloon traverse across the entire width of our country, starting in the Pacific Northwest, pausing, of course, over military installations and nuclear sites, and finishing through Texas, all the way through the southeast, all the way over to South Carolina, before it was actually taken down. That's the legacy of this particular DOD, not to mention the fact they botched the Afghanistan withdrawal leading to the deaths of 13 service people there as well. Clearly, the failures are mounting up for this DOD. So Donald Trump wants someone different. He wants someone with experience, someone who can handle the job, who can root out a lot of the wokeism, too, that has seeped its way into

the military industrial complex as well. So it's important to understand. It's not as though these entities had pristine records before. Donald Trump wants, Donald Trump, Hogan, wants exactly. who he nominated, which is credibly accused sexual assaulters and people with low integrity and character who don't have the managerial or substantive experience to run these extraordinarily important jurisdictions that have real ramifications over everyday Americans' lives, people's safety, and global affairs. And you know that. Stephen, I want to get you in real quick. Stephen, I want to get you in real quick. The top story producers, they listen to everything. They heard you say this on the Dispatches

podcast. Let's play it. Nobody did retribution on Donald Trump's behalf, like Matt Gates. This is a guy who toured the country with Marjorie Taylor Green after January 6th, continuing to make the stolen election claims. This is the guy who went to Wyoming to hold rallies against Liz Cheney in her primary. This is somebody who believes in Donald Trump's retribution and who acted on Donald Trump's retribution. I think this is a reward for that. Before I ask you more on that point, I do want to read a little from an interview

the president elected with Fox Digital, because I think this is important. This is the President-elect saying, I'm not looking for retribution, grandstanding, or to destroy people who treat me very unfairly or even badly be uncomprehension. He said, I am always looking to give a second and even third chance,

but never willing to give a fourth chance. That is where I hold the line. Do you believe Matt Gates, in the position of Attorney General, could punish political opponents for the President-elect? Yeah, I think that's why he was chosen. I do think the President wants retributions

on his political opponents. He would call them his enemies. He campaigned on this. I mean, nobody should be surprised by this. I mean, I think Hogan is right in that Donald Trump campaigned on some of these things, and what he's doing now is moving to implement them, whether that's picking Tulsi Gabbard, who has, I think, repeatedly articulated sort of pro-Russian propaganda

as sided with our enemies as the top intelligence official in the United States, or whether it's Matt Gates. But some of the other picks that Donald Trump has made have been more traditional picks, Marco Rubio, at Secretary of State. Brendan Carr at the FCC, I think what you're looking at here, what really matters to cut through some of the rhetoric back and forth is where the U.S. Senate ends up on this. Where are the Republicans in the U.S. Senate going to end up on this? And I think Don is right in that we're likely looking at some kind of a deal where I think they will bring great skepticism to the Matt Gates nomination. I think they'll bring great skepticism to the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nomination, probably the Tulsi Gabbard nomination, perhaps in exchange for looking favorably on some of these other controversial picks, including potentially Pete Hagseth.

You know, Hogan, I want to ask you about the Elon Musk of all of this since you were at Mar-a-Lago. I want to put up something from the Washington Post. This is reporting from several people in Trump Circle that the Washington Post had, basically saying this about the next position about the issue of the issue of Treasury and the economic role. saying Musk's endorsement of Lutnik, Howard Lutnik, who runs Cantor Fitzgerald, very involved in the transition, is likely to exasperate the substantial confusion and even fear in Trump's orbit about the central role. Musk appears to be playing in personnel and policy decisions for the new administration. Hogan, what's your understanding what's happening with Treasury and what is the Musk dynamic in all this? Well, look, just having witnessed it from afar, I didn't get into a lot of conversations directly with Elon Musk and Donald Trump, but I did talk to the president for a bit. to staff. They have a great relationship. It's clear that they've kind of befriended each other.

They both have a mutual respect for what the other has been able to accomplish. And of course, he looks to Elon to try and help him fix what tends to be a very bloated, oversized federal government that wastes a lot of money, that loses money in fraud and abuse every single year to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. And so he's looking for Elon to help with some of those issues we see in the government. As far as Treasury's concerned, look, this still is going to be Donald Trump's pick. And we hear a lot of names circling about for all of these positions, but until Trump says it, then it's not a reality. And a lot of folks are lobbying behind the scenes to try and get their handpicked guy or the person they think is better for the job than

anyone else. And so only time will tell, and as Donald Trump likes to say, we'll see what happens. Don, I do want to ask you, what do you think about this relationship between Elon Musk, who obviously has government contracts when it comes to SpaceX. He runs X itself, a social media platform. What is your take about this relationship between Elon Musk and President Electron? Well, Hogan said that one thing they had in common is they, like, they respect each other's accomplishments. Another thing they have in common is they both inherited massive fortunes from entirely unscrupulous, unethical white supremacist fathers who put them in a position

to do what they now do, and they have somehow gotten their hands on the reins of American government and have every intention of looting the public trough. When you talk about Department of Government Efficiency, which, by no coincidence, shares the name of his cyber, his crypto coin, you know, what do they plan to do? They plan to loot the federal government, completely gut it, completely gut the departments that he talked about the first time. Well, now those things can be made a reality, and that's a very dangerous reality, because federal government employee service is honorable, it's noble, and it is a way that has sustained paths to the middle class for millions of Americans, and they're talking about

gutting it. I find it an entirely nefarious relationship. Stephen, what's the report card so far as somebody who covers, you know, a conservative journalist, but you also, you're tough on the Trump administration's on the president-elect. What's your report card so far on these so-far nominations? Yeah, look, talking to members, particularly of the Senate, Republican members of the Senate, I think people have mixed views on this stuff. I think they're pleased with some of the colleagues that they see, like Marco Rubio, as I mentioned earlier, as Secretary of State. They look at some of these other nominations and nod their heads and think these are good picks. I think there are real questions about a handful of these picks.

We're likely to see some of those questions raised privately with the Trump administration. One thing that we know is Republican senators really don't want to get publicly crosswise with Donald Trump. They don't want to be seen as challenging him. They'd like to use Hogan's phrase. They'd like to recognize the MAGA mandate. He did win. He won with a sizable vote. and they think he's entitled to his picks.

I think that won't prevent them from applying scrutiny to some of the fringier picks that he's put up. But I expect that they'll do what they can to help him see the cabinet that he wants. Hogan, before we go, there is reporting that Lara Trump may be in the mix to be the next senator of Florida. If Senator Marco Rubio is confirmed,

he will have to resign his seat. Governor DeSantis will have to replace him and appoint somebody. Is Lara Trump going to be the next senator of Florida? Oh, I'm not going to get ahead of any of that. Listen, they're going to put someone in place there, I think, that not just supports the will of the people of the state of Florida, but also that agenda that Donald Trump put forward as well. So regardless of whether or not that's Laura Trump, she's obviously someone that the American people do like and they do respect.

She did an outstanding job at the RNC working to make sure the vote got out for her father-in-law. She's ready, willing, and able to serve. I do know that. But there are a lot of positions that Laura Trump could have if she wanted them. The U.S. Senate's just won. All right, Hogan Gidley, Don Calloway. Stephen Hayes, we appreciate you all be on Top Story tonight. Thank you.

In the final months of his term, President Biden making a major change in Ukraine. Two U.S. officials say the U.S. has now approved Ukraine's use of long-range weapons for strikes inside of Russia. The policy shift coming after Russia unleashed a barrage of strikes targeting the country's power grid and brought in thousands of North Korean troops. For more on this chief international correspondent, Keir Simmons, joins top story tonight. So, Keir, this seems like a turning point in the war, right? Ukraine's been pleading with the U.S. for a while for access to this weapon system.

What do we know about the specific weapons, and why did President Biden make this decision now? Well, the U.S. version, Tom, attack teams or army tactical missile systems. They can travel for hundreds of miles to us very precise, target within around 30 feet. They are very difficult to intercept. And so they are going to be useful for the Ukrainians around that cursed region that the Ukrainians took in the summer. That is a Russian area that the Ukrainians stormed. Now there are tens of thousands of Russian troops and, as you mentioned, those North Korean troops ready for an offensive.

These long-range missiles have the capability to help Ukraine in that battle. I think that's one of the reasons why the Biden administration decided to agree. Apparently, it hasn't been officially confirmed, decided to agree to allow these missiles to be used. The danger, of course, just one example, that if you hit North Korean soldiers, what kind of response do the North Koreans have to that? And another example is that they are controlled by satellite. That's how they are so specific, how they are so precise. But President Putin has been saying, before this decision was even revealed, he's been saying that they would only be able to be used with the help of the U.S.

and that that is a step change in the U.S. involvement in this war. And then talk to me about some of the reaction to this, at least from the incoming Trump administration. Well, if you listen, for example, to President-elect Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., who is posting on X, they are very upset about it. He suggests that this is moving the world towards World War III. The reason why he says that is because of those risks of escalation that I talked about, Tom.

By the way, you're hearing the same kinds of warnings in Russian media. But, of course, the Russians in the past years, have made a lot of noise. And we haven't heard from President Putin yet. They've made a lot of noise, but what kind of reaction they'll really be from the Russians is open to question. There have been so many ways in which Russia has turned on the West already, of course. There is always that worry of a nuclear escalation, but China has been pretty clear with Russia not to act in that way. And I think that may be one of the reasons why that is not the kind of escalation that you, you will see. This is a complex picture, Tom, but certainly much of what is happening around the

Ukraine war now is about the election of Donald Trump and his insistence that he will do a deal between Russia and Ukraine. Tom. Simmons for us tonight, Kear, we appreciate that. Next tonight to the FBI investigation into a new round of offensive text messages. Federal authorities say anonymous messages were sent to members of the Latino and LGBTQ communities. telling people they had been selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp. This after some black Americans were sent messages telling them they had to be selected to, quote, pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Again, these are incredibly offensive following the presidential election.

For more on these attacks, NBC News Justice and Intelligence correspondent Ken Delaney and joins Top Story Live tonight. Ken, what more do we know about this round of text messages? And are they related to the ones we saw being sent to black Americans after the election? The FBI is saying that they are related, Tom, although it's not saying how it knows that. We've seen reports from around the country of various examples of the kinds of texts that you just described, vile and hateful. And it's very clear that whoever was sending them had a way to target particular groups, although the FBI hasn't said how they think that happened either. But that suggests a level of sophistication beyond just some pranksters. The FBI is actively investigating along with state and local authorities.

Do we know how this works? I mean, how would they get the names of these people and then know whether they were Latino or if they were gay or if they were black and then be able to send these hateful messages? That is an unanswered question, but it's a good question because, again, it suggests a level of sophistication. It suggests some kind of use of data. There's a company called Text Now, which allows users to set up anonymous phone numbers and text through that.

And Text Now has said that one or more of its accounts were used to send them. these hateful messages and that they're now shutting down those accounts. So presumably that's an avenue where the FBI could try to identify who is sending these tax. Yeah, let's hope they get to the bottom. This is terrible. Kendalini, we thank you. When we come back, the horrifying stabbing spree here in New York City, police say a 51-year-old man attacked three people in different locations across Manhattan.

Two of them killed, the other badly hurt. What we're learning about that suspect's extensive criminal record. Plus, a major recall on organic carrots. Have you heard about this? The produce sold at grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's linked to a deadly E. coli outbreak, what you need to know. And new rules at Roblox, the digital gaming platform updating its parent parental controls to protect young users. Top story. Just getting started on this Monday night. Okay, we're back now with a deadly and unprovoked stabbing rampage in New York City.

The frightening incident unfolding earlier, what police are now called. calling a random attack that left two people dead. NBC's Antonia Hilton has this store. Tonight, chilling video of a suspect police say was preparing for a stabbing spree in New York, donning a hoodie, putting on gloves, and pulling a knife from his bag. The senseless violence should never happen.

Officials say 51-year-old Ramon Rivera use these knives to stab three people unprovoked. This is our subject for all these stabbings. Leaving two men dead and one. woman in critical condition. Well, I'm very nervous walking the streets of New York anyway, so to hear this is really upsetting. The random attacks began at 8.20 a.m. this morning on Manhattan's west side, where Rivera stabbed his first victim, a 36-year-old construction worker, according to police.

Police say Rivera then moved by foot across the city. About two hours later, he stabbed another 68-year-old man out fishing by the East River. And just before 11 a.m., police say he stabbed a 36-year-old woman near the United Nations headquarters, the woman still fighting for her life in a local hospital. A cab driver followed the suspect and tipped off the NYPD. I just heard a commotion from where I was, stepped outside, heard what people were saying, and reacted. This witness says he saw the arrest. That's when he put his hands up. He went on the ground, no struggle, no anything. He didn't fight. Rivera has an extensive criminal record with eight arrests in the last year. City officials say he has a document.

history of mental health concerns. It is a clear, clear example of the criminal justice system and mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers. The third stabbing victim is still receiving treatment in the hospital tonight. And police say that if it wasn't for the witnesses and drivers who spoke up today, there's no telling how far Rivera could have gone, Tom. Terrible, terrible incident. Okay, Antonio Hilton for us.

When we come back, another shocking story. New York, video showing the moment a scaffolding comes crashing down onto workers below the race to save them from the rubble. Stay with us. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, starting with the small plane collision in Pennsylvania. Officials say a single-engine plane was doing practice takeoffs at the Bucks County Airport when it left the runway and struck another small, unoccupied plane that was parked there. Two people will rush to the hospital. No word yet on the extent of those injuries.

The FAA is investigating. Okay, several people are hurt after a major scaffolding collapse in New York City. Here's the video. It shows the moment a box truck pulls down the scaffold. The debris crashing down on the workers below. Some good Samaritans working to rescue those buried underneath the wood and metal when more of the scaffold collapses. Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries.

One remains in critical condition. The driver stayed on the scene and is cooperating. And Roblox launching, announcing significant updates to parental controls. The digital gaming platform tightening security and safety measures that would allow parents to remotely access and monitor their child's account. They can also set spending and daily screen time limits. The move comes as digital platforms ramp up protections for young users. Other features include age-appropriate content labels will launch next year. Okay, we want to turn now to a consumer alert.

Organic carrots sold that major retailers now recalled over possible eco-recollable, over possible E. coli contamination. Tonight, a new lawsuit has been filed. NBC's Ann Thompson has an update. Oh, my God, another freaking E. coli outbreak. Warnings spreading on social media about some organic carrots. You guys should check your refrigerator. Possibly tainted with E. coli.

The outbreak linked to the death of a Los Angeles County adult over 65 with medical conditions. 39 cases in 18 states are under investigation. 15 people hospitalized. The company recall involves bagged hole and baby organic carrots produced by Grimway Farms and sold at some of America's most popular stores, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Wegmans, to name a few. No longer thought to be in stores, the fear is they could be in your refrigerator or freezer. If so, the CDC says throw them out. Food safety expert Ben Chapman. Unfortunately, washing produce doesn't eliminate the issue.

It might reduce the risk a little bit, but that is really the issue that we have with fresh produce is that we can't wash it off. This follows the E. coli outbreak at McDonald's linked to slivered onions on quarter pounders. The company says it is spending $100 million on a recovery plan. With these two outbreaks, should we be worried about our nation's vegetable supply? I wouldn't say that we should be worried about our nation's vegetable supply. I will say that fresh produce always provides us with complications. Complications that can't be washed away. Ann Thompson, NBC News.

Now to the announcement by Spirit Airlines, just days ahead of the busy holiday travel season, the low-budget airline filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after struggling to recover from ongoing financial losses, growing debt, and a failed $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue earlier this year. It's the first U.S. major airline to file for bankruptcy in more than a decade. Tom Costello joins Top Story tonight. Tom, let's get right to it. What does this mean for travelers who booked spirit tickets for Thanksgiving next week or the upcoming holidays? Yeah, the airline says that the operations will continue that those tickets are still valid.

In fact, they say that their credits and the loyalty points program will continue to be accepted and they will continue to be valid. The bottom line is the airline is going to continue flying. This is Chapter 11. In other words, the airline is restructuring its debts with its creditors, and it owes more than a billion dollars coming due in 2025 and 2026. It has to find a way to remain kind of a viable operation. The trouble is the big airlines, United, Delta, America, and you name it, they have been playing the same game that Spirit has been playing, and they're starting to eat Spirit's lunch. In other words, they're also offering dirt cheap airfares. And then, charging for all the extras. When you're going against Goliath and they're going to do the same

thing you are, it's tough to be David in that fight, and Spirit simply can't go on like this. So it needs to restructure its debt. It'll hopefully get out of bankruptcy sometime in the first quarter. And then is there a chance another airline, and we mentioned what happened with JetBlue, but could another airline come in to help or buy Spirit? At the moment, that seems unlikely. You mentioned that, of course, the JetBlue merger was not approved by a judge, and the DOJ had disapproved it, or not wanted to see that go through. And then, of course, the deal that was supposed to go through with Frontier, that fell through. But here's the big change. We have a new administration coming up in the new year. So might that new administration be more open to some sort of a merger with a bigger airline?

We'll see. The bottom line is that the judge had decided that he really felt like, by losing spirit and what the what they offered on the low end of the rate structure, by losing that and a tie up with JetBlue, that was not going to be good for consumers. All right, Tom Costell for us, Tom. We thank you for that. Coming up, the world leaders gathering at the G20 summit in Brazil. But over the weekend, Brazil's first lady launching a profanity-laced insult against Elon Musk, how he's responding as he prepares to take on a role in President Alex Trump's administration. Stay with us.

News is more than a headline. It informs, it inspires, and it still matters. To cover it, you have to be in it. And that's what we're going to do. Every night, we take you to the front lines of the story, where it's actually happening. With NBC News Journalists on the ground from all over the world, we cover what you need to know and bring your news feed to life.

In primetime and streaming live, it's your news playlist every night. Top Story with Tom Yamas, weeknights at 7. on NBC News Now. Back now with Top Story and in the Americas tonight, world leaders meeting in Brazil to kick off this year's G20 summit. President Biden pledging billions to the world banks fund for the poorest countries, but foreign leaders now preparing for the return of President Trump on the global stage. NBC's George Solis reports. Tonight, leaders from some of the world's biggest economies converging in Brazil as the two-day G20 summit kicks off.

but I urge you to keep going. President Biden bidding farewell to his global counterparts in his final summit appearance. But it was his lack of appearance at this photo that grabbed headlines. A group photo of the world leaders taken before Biden and the leaders of Canada and Italy had arrived at the location. The White House says it was due to logistical issues. But it was the incoming American president who was not in attendance at all who dominated the conversation as world leaders prepare for the return of President-elect Donald Trump and his new appointees.

On Saturday, Brazil's first lady, Jean-Jarlula de Silva, startled by a horn at a G20 event, joking that it came from billionaire Elon Musk, who was recently appointed by Trump to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency. Then, saying this, I don't have a mead of you, including. Boa! Fuck you, Ellen Musk. Musk reacting on X with a crime.

laughing emoji, writing, they will lose the next election. Brazil lifted a month-long ban on Musk's X in October after the company complied with court orders and paid nearly $5 million in fines. As Brazil's president, Luisinacio, Wula de Silva, opened the summit, launching a global alliance to combat poverty and hunger. He had this tense moment with Argentinian President Javier Malay, an avid Trump supporter. The Associated Press reporting that one Brazilian official and one from another G20, nation, say Argentina is standing in the way of a joint summit declaration, opposing a clause

calling for a global tax on the super-rich and another promoting gender equality. Malay was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump since he won the election, attending a gala at Mar-a-Lago last Thursday. Just the latest preview of Trump's possible influence in Latin America and in the world, even before he takes office. George Solis, NBC News. Staying overseas now to Top Stories Global Watch and the devastating super typhoon battering the Philippines. Aerial footage shows homes and roads completely submerged in Luzon, torrential rain and winds gusts

up to 120 miles per hour, pounding that island, triggering flash floods and landslides. Officials say at least eight people have died and hundreds of thousands evacuated. This is the sixth typhoon to hit the Philippines in the past month. Police in Spain arresting 14 people linked to Mexico, Sinaloa Cartel. New video shows police raiding five homes and a restaurant in Barcelona, seizing multiple firearms and large amounts of drugs. Authorities say the Catalonia-based ring was trafficking drugs from Mexico. The suspects who are mostly Mexican nationals are also accused of kidnapping and murder. Okay, an investigation underway after a burglary at Windsor Castle.

Police of the UK confirming to NBC news that two intruders broke into a farm building and stole two vehicles from the estate. The castle sits on around 13 acres of land and is the primary residence of Prince William and Princess Kate, and their three children. It is unclear whether they were at home at the time. So far, no arrest there have been made. Okay, when we come back, have you ever wanted to change your eye color? Well, there's a new cosmetic surgery that can do just that, and its popularity is surging. But is it safe? We check it with an expert to find out.

That's next. Back now with Top Story's Health Check and the rise in a new cosmetic surgery that can change the color of your eye. It's a story we first saw in the Wall Street Journal detailing a procedure known as keratopigmentation. Some doctors warn the procedure comes at a high risk, but patients who pay up to 12 grand say it's worth it. Here's how they describe one operation. Dr. Alexander Moscovich used a laser to cut donut-like tunnels into his corneas. That's the patient. The clear outermost layer, the surgeon used a tool to widen the tunnels before filling them with dye.

The procedure was completing in about half an hour. The effect was immediate. That's kind of what the eyes look like. Joining us now is Dr. Allison Coombs. She's an ophthalmic plastic surgeon at Manhattan, eye, ear, and throat hospital. And, doctor, the first thing you're going to do is you're going to correct my pronouncer on that. What is it? Right, ophthalmic plastic.

Optalmic. Okay, there you go. So you deal with eyes and surgery, plastic surgeries, and ophthalmology. So talk to us about this. How exactly does it work? So carotopigmentation is a process where we deposit pigments, almost like dies, onto the front windshield of the eye. So our cornea is a naturally clear anatomic barrier between our eye and the outside world. And for many years, we've used this technology for medical reasons. If patients have a defect in their iris, the colored part of their eye, we're able to pigment and tattoo the cornyny.

to help them functionally and cosmetically. And this has now been extrapolated onto a cosmetic or aesthetic surgery, where if patients want to change the color of their eye, they can do so. So you're, and I know you don't do this, but they're putting color dye into the, to an eyeball. They're putting colored dye into a layer of the front of the eyeball, yes. Okay, and I want to show some of our viewers, some of the colors that are available, in case you were wondering it all, from honey gold to gray, even though, gray, even blue. You can see how your eyes would come out here. Jade, I guess, is a color as well.

Doctor, you came on and you were very honest. You said you're not super into this. Talk to me about why you think this is dangerous, or it's not necessary. So I tend to be very conservative when it comes to eye health as a board-certified ophthalmologist. My patient's vision and their health is paramount to me. And I feel as though when you take on cosmetic surgeries that haven't been done for many years. We don't know the longevity or how these pigments could change over time. And you suscept yourself to risk of potentially visually threatening diseases like infection or scarring. And I think we just don't know yet enough about the downstream effects to say that this is totally safe. Tick-Tocker talks a top story about this. She had the procedure done.

Here is what she told us. I was scared about any complications, but I didn't receive any. And as you can see, my eyes look amazing. And I didn't deal with no infection, no ruptures. Nothing scary. Nothing happened to me at all. So I'm going to ask our great director, Brett Hohley, if you can go back to that clip, play it again just without the sound.

I noticed, at least from that patient, it looks like, it almost looks like the color contacts kind of effect. That's the way it comes out. Yeah. And so the color can be almost opacified, like colored contacts, which is desirable to some patients. So they like that look? Some do. Okay.

I also want to put this up. This is, and you mentioned this a little bit, this is a warning from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a warning over the procedure, that dangers can include vision loss, light sensitivity, reaction to the dye, and even infection. So what would you tell a patient who reads this in the Wall Street Journal, watch this top story, and it's like, I've always wanted blue eyes. This is my dream. What would you tell them? So I would encourage them to seek out care of an ophthalmic plastic surgeon from a cornea

specialist and talk to these experts in the field more about what their options are. I would refer my patients to an optometrist or an ophthalmologist that could fit them with nice, safe, colored contacts where they can remove them, maintain the health of their eye, and achieve their goals of whatever color they might want. Explain something to me, what's the difference between this and LASIC? So the same machine is used, actually, the femtosecond laser is used to build these channels, the donut that you mentioned, as it is to achieve refractive change or almost dialing in a prescription onto the eye surface.

And so the laser itself is FDA approved. We know how to use that safely and effectively. And the goals are very different. So the goals of LASIC is refractive improvement, getting someone out of their glasses or contacts. And the goal of this procedure, the carotopigmentation procedure, is to change the color of the eyes. Okay. Dr. Coombs, we thank you so much for explaining all this. I'll let you know if we end up changing our eye color. But we appreciate all your guidance.

We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.