Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, April 11, 2024

Episode Date: April 12, 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, O.J. Simpson, the former NFL legend whose murder trial captivated the nation has died. His death coming nearly three decades after he was acquitted in the brutal murders of his ex-wife and her friend. Simpsons fall from Grace playing out in real time on millions of television sets around the world. The once-beloved superstar ultimately ending up behind bars for a robbery scheme involving his own sports memorabilia. Tonight, you'll hear from the father who says O.J. Simpson killed his son. The trial of the century forever changing the trajectory of not just OJ's life, but of the media. In a few moments, you'll hear from the high-flying photojournalists who first captured that infamous Bronco police chase. The media sensation both in

and out of the courtroom reshaping television, plus the man who first interviewed OJ after the trial. Americans glued to the TV as Simpson's lawyers dubbed the Dream Team, discredited the evidence against him, how the trial became one of the most divisive in American history. Also tonight, Show Me the Money, the former interpreter for MLB Star, Shohei Otani facing charges accused of stealing millions from the Dodgers superstar, even impersonating Otani to get the money for illegal sports bets. Federal investigators clearing up what Otani knew and didn't know about the scheme. Anger over abortion ruling, Arizona reaching a boiling point as the state's Supreme Court

reinstate's a near total abortion ban. President Biden's new aggressive push, buying ads against former President Trump's wavering stance on the issue. Trump accusing Biden of using the issue as a distraction from the economy and immigration, how the ruling is shaking up the landscape ahead of the 2024 election.

Plus, tycoon sentenced to death. A Vietnam real estate mogul found guilty in the country's biggest fraud case, the conviction sending shockwaves across that country. and castaways rescued sailors stranded for a week on a remote island carving out their desperate plea for help their creative sOS rescuers say was pivotal to finding them top story starts right now good evening tonight o j simpson former NFL hall of famer and hollywood actor who was

acquitted in the murders of his ex-wife and her friend in a trial that captivated in a trial that captivated the nation has died. O.J. was at the center of one of the most watched trials in American history that quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Three decades ago, Simpson was accused in the brutal murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Days after the murder, this infamous scene playing out on live television, as OJ, in a white Bronco, led police on a slow-speed pursuit in a moment we'll hear from a journalist who was in the helicopter filming that chase. But it was the trial that became a national focal point.

Americans glued to their TVs, as Simpson's lawyers dubbed the Dream Team, refuted what appeared to be overwhelming evidence. And the history making, if it don't fit, you must acquit moment, as OJ tried to put on the gloves found at the scene of the murder. The acquittal of moment many remember where they were when that verdict came down. OJ cleared on all counts, later found liable in a wrongful death suit. But the divide in the nation couldn't be. clearer, the trial, a key inflection point on race relations across the country.

Simpson ultimately ending up behind bars in Las Vegas for armed robbery after attempting to steal a trove of his own sports memorabilia. OJ's family announcing this morning that he died after a battle with cancer. NBC Cynthia McFadding covered the OJ trial since the very beginning, and she starts off our coverage tonight. The trial of the century and the death today of the man at its center, OJ Simpson, brings back the long legacy of a trial that concluded nearly 30 years ago. We, the jury in the above-entitled action, find the defendant, Orenthall, James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder.

That not-guilty verdict in the brutal murders of his former wife and mother of his two children, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, reverberated around the country. Met by outrage by many who believed he was guilty and that there was a mountain of evidence that proved it. This prosecution team didn't lose today. I deeply believe that this country lost today. Justice was not served. While many in Black America cheered what they saw as justice so often denied in their community, finally done. The nation had been captivated just five.

days after the murders on a Friday night when 95 million TV viewers watched as Simpson in a white bronco driven by a former teammate led officers on an hours-long low-speed chase reportedly holding a gun to his own head he has been charged with two counts of homicide finally he surrendered to police within months Simpson went to trial which was broadcast daily much of the public following each day's testimony, judging the evidence in the eight-month trial for themselves. Now that I did not, could not, and would not have committed this crime. The trial highlighted many of the fractures in the country's legal system, bringing together

celebrity, race, and the power of money. The defense team, dubbed the dream team, was made up of super lawyers who were able to both undermine the state scientific evidence. All right, will you show that to the jury, Mr. Simpson, that meant. While also capturing the jury's attention with their members. mastery of courtroom theatrics. If it doesn't fit, you must acquit. And the jury did acquit, a man who until the trial had led what appeared to be an accomplished

life. He rose from poverty, becoming one of the greatest football players to ever play the game. A college star at USC, Heisman Trophy Winner, and a record-setting player with the Buffalo Bills, who became known as The Juice. He went on to starring commercials. Nobody does it better than hers. and television and movies. And while he was acquitted of murder,

his life afterwards spiraled downwards. In a civil lawsuit, he was ordered to pay over $33 million to the victim's families. Most of that debt left unpaid. He returned to court multiple times over the next several years for traffic violations,

even pirating cable TV. But it was a Las Vegas robbery in 2008. Simpson said he was taking back personal stolen property that ultimately sent him to prison. Count one, conspiracy to commit a crime. Guilty. He served nine years. He died yesterday at 76 from cancer. His family said he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father, did not mince words. It's no great loss to the

world. It's a further reminder of Ron's being gone. And with that, Cynthia McFaddle in studio, Cynthia, let's pick up where you left off there. In many ways, the Brown and the Goldman families, they could never move on because this was constantly in the news. Yeah, and the loss was just so enormous. Of course, for the Brown family, it was especially hard because Nicole Brown Simpson and OJ had two children together. So, you know, that just made the whole response to this so different, much more difficult, I think, than people realized. And for the Goldman's who were just broken by this, Kim Goldman, his sister, who I got to know very well in covering the trial, really devoted so much of her life to victims' rights after this,

and her father, Ron Goldman, as you saw on the piece, today, lays it on the line. Take me back to 1995, 1996. This creates a whole new form of journalism, especially television journalism. What types of pressure were you under? Because in network news at the time, Big J. journalism, this kind of stuff wasn't covered. This was considered tabloid, and then 95 million people watch the chase? Yeah, imagine that. people watching the same thing at the same moment. It seems incredible now in retrospect.

Yeah, there were a lot of pressures brought to bear. And some of the big J. journalists that I was working with at ABC at the time, Peter Jennings, being one of them, was very uncertain about how much to cover this and what way to cover this. And we had battles about it every night. Now, where were you? Where were you on the arguments? Did you realize what you were covering and that it was captivating America? Listen, I had worked at court TV. So I've been covering trials for a long time. I covered about 250 trials of court TV, so I was no stranger to covering trials. And I just said, listen, this is the intersection of things that we need to pay attention to. It's the intersection of money. It's the intersection of race

and justice. And remember the context. What had been happening in Los Angeles, there was videotape of the LAPD beating Rodney King up, and that just preceded this. So people were on alert. This was a story worth covering. This wasn't just because he was a famous football player. It changed the business in so many ways. Did it change for the better or the worse? I don't know. You know, I'm an advocate of cameras in courtrooms. These are the public's, these are public trials, and they should be public. And yet, I would be less than honest if I didn't say, I do think the camera changed some of the behavior of some of the people in the courtroom, playing to the camera. And the defense was much better at it than the prosecution. I mean, I came to

admire Johnny Cock when we came to know each other very well. By the way, his entire house was covered in white shag rugs, which made going there with a TV interview very complicated because you couldn't get it dirty. You know, he was an amazing advocate. And he, you know, he could turn a phrase and he had the jury captivated. And I think he had much of America captivated. In these trials you observe the person who's accused, you spent a lot of time watching O.J. Simpson. What did you learn from just watching him in court? Well, you know, during the criminal trials, He was, of course, in lock-ups. He was in jail, so he would be taken in and out through the back door,

and we never had any interaction with him as part of the press. During the civil trial, he was wandering around. He'd been acquitted, so he would come out and try to, you know, sort of jolly it up. I wasn't interested in that. He had a big personality. It was easy to understand why he had been this popular sort of everybody's favorite guy in his early career. But I think it would be fair to say.

O.J. was always saying, they found me innocent. Well, that isn't what American courts do. He was found not guilty, and that's different. And I think that the prison that he was in in his later life, the fall was in part from that acquittal. I don't think he ever recovered from it. And I think his life just descended.

So, yeah, I think he no longer in so many ways was free. Cynthia McFadden, we thank you. Next, we want to turn to one of the most infamous O.J. Simpson images ever, the chase. That white Ford Bronco pursued by police on an L.A. freeway, still mesmerizing decades later. It's estimated, as we just said, 95 million people watched this as it was happening. That's thanks in part to the work of helicopter journalist and co-founder of Los Angeles News Service, Marika Gerard. And Marika joins us now live on Top Story tonight. Marika, thank you so much.

If you can, take us back to that day. June 17, 1994. Do you remember how you got the call and how you guys were able to locate the Bronco? Oh, I remember it very clearly. We were on pins and needles waiting to find out if OJ was going to. to turn himself in. He was supposed to turn himself in. And we had gone down, we had flown the helicopter downtown to do the press conference where he turned himself in. And that's where the LAPD spokesperson said he's not turning himself in. He's in the wind. I'll never forget him

saying that he was in the wind. So we flew our helicopter back to the hangar and tried to figure out where we thought OJ would go. And we figured that in the end that maybe he would go down to Orange County to Nicole's gravesite. So we headed, got in the helicopter headed that way. And we were just over an area called the El Toro Y, where several intersections intersect there. And we heard over the scanner that OJ had been spotted, the Bronco had been spotted at the El Toro Y. So I slid the door of the helicopter open and pointed the camera down, and lo and behold, there was the white Bronco in one police car and then several more by the time. And within a couple of minutes, there must have been 10 or 12 police cars following it. And we're looking at this now, Marika, as you were talking about it, happening moment by moment.

Now, you know, you've had so much experience at this point. And in our business, when you have a shot and you know you have something incredible, you're fully aware. When you're shooting the Bronco as it's going along the L.A. freeway, and it's feeding out live, are you realizing the shot you have and what you're witnessing? Absolutely. I had covered so many stories by this time. I think we've been doing news about 15 years at this. At this point in Los Angeles, and this was the culmination of two major types of stories in L.A.'s covering celebrities and covering pursuits. So here we are looking at a pursuit with a celebrity, and we had no idea what was going to happen. We're used to see high-speed pursuits. We're used to seeing them crash at the end. but what we're watching was a slow-speed pursuit, and we're told that OJ inside had a gun to his head. And at one point, I think he showed a shot of our helicopter down low,

because we had gone down low so that I could try to point my camera into the back of the Bronco to see if he actually was holding a gun to his head, but the windows were tinted and we couldn't see in. And remind our viewers how low you went, because I've heard you talk about this, and it's incredible. You were 70 feet from the highway? Yeah, we were very low. We were 70 feet, just for a very short period of time, just long enough to realize that we couldn't actually get a shot that we were trying to get. But the other amazing thing was all the people on the overpasses that were cheering OJ on.

That's what I was going to ask you next. How did you realize that? So you're on the Bronco. How do you realize that cars are stopping and then people are like gathering towards the freeway to watch this? Well, it's a combination of listening to it, hearing it on the radio that I'm listening to, but also I would pull back every so often and look at what was going on, the bigger picture of what was going on below me, and you could see it. And we had a cameraman who was at the off-ramp when he got off of the freeway. So there was a crazy crowd at that point, too. And then, you know, what was strange about this, and you phrased it perfectly,

it was a slow-speed chase. Did that make it more challenging or was it easier? It was more challenging because you couldn't fly that fast. And we didn't know when it was going to end. We didn't know if we'd have enough fuel to stay up that long. As a matter of fact, we had to stop for fuel in the middle of the pursuit, which was it worked out because he went by LAX and you actually could not fly over the Bronco

while it was traveling in the area of the airport. So we just enough time to stop, get some of. fuel and continue the pursuit live until it ended up at Rockford. I can't even imagine the exchanges between the team of trying to fuel up, get back in the air, find OJ, along with the newsroom. My last question to you is, what do you think the legacy is of that famous chase, and what did we learn about ourselves? Well, that's a big question. I think maybe we've learned to, we know we haven't learned that just being a celebrity doesn't make you a more important person or a bigger story,

that that's just another element that if you commit a crime, you've committed a crime. You're just a person that committed a crime. But unfortunately, we do live in a society where when you're a celebrity, it seems to mean either more or less. Marika Gerard, it's been an honor to talk to you about that amazing day, what you captured as a journalist and what's a piece of American history in a very strange way. Again, we thank you for your time. Thank you for having me. After that chase and that infamous trial, O.J. Simpson was acquitted,

and he did his first TV interview with BET in January of 1996. The interview was live and there were no lawyers to interrupt or object. Here is some of that high-stakes interview. I didn't kill anybody. I could not kill anybody. Nicole Brown Simpson was the mother of my kids. She was a great mother. It hurts me today to know that my kids will not know her as a mother.

I certainly would not have left my kids there to see that sign, that that horrible, gruesome scene that was outside her house. I love my kids. I love Nicole. I could not have killed anyone, and I did not kill anyone. Since then sat down for that interview with BET's Ed Gordon, and tonight, Ed joins Top Story. Ed, first off, thank you so much for joining our broadcast.

I want to start at the very beginning, if you can remember, How did you first book this interview? How did you get it? And it was such a major interview because it was going to be live, and it was the first time he was going to talk after the verdict. Yeah. Well, I, like everybody else at that time, was trying to land the first interview. And unlike today, when you got an exclusive, it was absolutely that.

No one else was talking to that person at that time. And so at first it seemed he was going to go with one of the major networks. He got some word that they may have been able to truly plan kind of a I gotcha interview. Johnny Cochran, who I've known for many years, suggested to him that he thought that B.T. and I might be fair. He said, I've known Ed for many years. He's going to ask you hard questions. He's not going to throw softballs or let you skate, but he will be fair. And ultimately, we were able to win that interview, and as you might imagine, Tom, just sitting there across the way from Mr. Simpson when the world was transfixed on this trial and on him was one of those things that was a bit surreal, even as a journalist. And then, Ed, when you sat down with him, how did you find him during the interview? Was he nervous? Was he fidgety? Did you find him truthful? He wasn't fidgety. He was a little nervous.

in the beginning, but we have to remember, here's a guy that had played in front of a stadium full of people. He was a world-class athlete. He had been a celebrity, a pitchman for Hertz and other companies. He'd been a movie star. So he was used to press. He was used to eyeballs on him. But once we got in the midst of the interview, there were times where he was somber. There were times where he was defensive, combative at times. He was all of the things. He was all of the things that you might imagine. In terms of truthful, I think that that's one of those things that you have to ask people to judge for themselves. I just felt the need to make sure that I ask him everything that people had been talking about and people had been thinking if memory

serves me correctly. I think the very first question I ask him is, Mr. Simpson, did you commit these murders? Yeah, I actually want to play a clip, Ed, from when he got a little testy at times, You were asking him about sort of his behavior. At one point, he was asking, and that saying that he would hunt down the killer, right? But then he was also playing golf. Here's what he had to say. Don't tell me about mourning and suffering.

I sat in a cell by myself. They wouldn't let me speak to another prisoner. When I walked down the halls, they made all the other prisoners turn their backs to me. I mourn, and I'm still mourning for the rest of my life. I'll mourn. But I should have the right to go outside. I enjoy golf.

I should have the right to play golf. You know, it's sort of interesting, Ed, as I'm watching this, right, because there was the OJ that America knew, right? He was a pitch man. He was the NFL hero. He was a broadcaster. And then there was the man that was accused of killing two people. And people spoke about the temper. And you saw that a little bit. You saw a flash of it there. What were those moments like? Well, you know, when you're in the moment, Tom, and you can appreciate this. You're kind of in the moment. You don't read it at that point. I think to some degree, there were expectations of Mr. Simpson that would have not, would not. not have been put on other people. Most of the time, we don't ask those who may have been suspects of a murder, even of a spousal murder, to get out there and find the killer. That was the expectation of many Americans that O.J. should be pounding the streets. I thought that

that was a bit unfair. No matter what you believed of him, I think we did see two and three sides of O.J. Simpson throughout the trial, and throughout this interview, he was charming. at times, people don't like to attach that word to him now based on the fact that he has been America's pariah for many years now. But he was a charming character, a charismatic figure. That's why he was a broadcaster, a pitchman, and all of those things. And so it was interesting to see the dichotomy between the two. And I think, as we all found out, it was interesting to see what happened right as the acquittal came in and how America viewed it. And I want to ask you about that, because I do want to, I want you to walk our viewers through

how some in black America reacted to that verdict. There is sort of that iconic video that was played over and over again of a group of black viewers celebrating once he was acquitted. And then you getting the first interview, this is sort of a two-part question, if you will, Ed, you getting the interview being a black journalist. Did you feel any pressure in your own community while you were sitting down and trying to get the facts and trying to hit him with tough questions, but also realizing there was a segment of America who was

sort of happy he had beat the case? Well, I think that that was what the cheering was for. It wasn't necessarily for O.J. Simpson specifically. But I think what you've hit on there to some degree, Tom, is the kind of what we call the black tax that many African Americans have to pay. No one would ask you, Tom,

if you did a high-profile interview with a white person, well, could you, in fact, be fair? How could you interview a white person or a Hispanic person or whatever your ethnicity is? That usually is defined by blacks. I remember... I think, I mean, to be fair, and to be fair, and I respect your point. I'm Hispanic, my parents are Cuban. I think it happens to Hispanic journalists, too, though, sometimes.

Not as much, but I think it does happen to Hispanic journalists, too. Certainly not as much, time. I won't suggest that it doesn't happen, but I think you understand. I understand what you're saying. You're where I stand on that, and I will tell you, and I brought it up at the time, no one ever asked Barbara Walters, who got the first interview with Mark Furman, whether she could be fair. How could she sit across from a white man and be fair? Black America, to your point, and I think we've got to be careful because we tend to lump black America in one pile.

I know we deal in generalities in these discussions, but it wasn't as though. there weren't black people who believed him to be guilty or believed that he got away with murder. There were certainly those. But the media portrayed Black America as all encompassing and all believing, hey, he beat this and aren't we happy. It wasn't that they were happy about the two murders. It wasn't that they were happy about it for O.J. Simpson. I think, if I may be so bold to speak for that group, our group, is it was simply for once you saw an African-American beat, if you believe that to be the case, the justice system, when typically the justice system has weighed heavily on African-Americans and typically has been unfair to them.

And then, Ed, finally, you know, you always learn something when you get to do these interviews and you get to sit face to face with someone who's at the center of a mega story like that. My last question is to you, what did you learn? And afterwards, do you think he committed those murders? I've never suggested publicly what my thoughts are, so I won't start tonight. But I will say that what I saw was a human being, monstrous to some, beleaguered to others. I saw a man who clearly had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I saw a man who I think probably was fooling himself in terms of how the world was seeing him at that very moment.

And I think it really shone a light and put a mirror on America even more than O.J. Simpson. I think that this is one of the first times that we can personify the divisions that we saw in race. We talk about it often. But this trial from the court to the streets really showed the difference, the purview difference, between black America and white America.

And that's what I saw. And I think, unfortunately, and sadly, we continue to see that today. Journalist Ed Gordon, with a fascinating look back at the major interview, Simpson's trial, the trial of the century, changed the media landscape. TV trial exploded across American televisions, along with the idea of the celebrity attorney

and put a spotlight on what the best attorneys money could buy could actually do. Joining Top Story right now live is someone who knew that dream team very, very well. Civil Rights Attorney and managing partner of the Cochran law firm in California. He was on that dream team, Brian Dunn, and he was one of the lawyers who helped secure OJ. Simpson's not guilty verdict. We welcome you to the show. Also with us is Sarah Azari. a white-collar criminal defense attorney at the law office of Sarah Azari, who is now, I would argue, a superstar TV lawyer in part because of the O.J. Simpson case,

but we're going to get to there in a second. Brian, I want to start with you. Talk to me about what it was like to be part of that dream team when the entire world was watching all of your moves. Well, I should tell you that I was bringing the dream team lunch. I don't know if I really get credit for being part of the dream team. I was so low on the totem pole at the time, but I was a fly on the wall. And I can tell you that we were in a fishbowl of sorts. And when you think about the courtroom and you think

about all the people that were watching what happened in that trial, we were focused exclusively on the blocking and tackling of what was going to happen in that courtroom. And we were not as focused on the way that the nation was perceiving everything that was happening. And we certainly weren't thinking about how this incident was going to be looked at three decades down the line. And the idea that this was something that was so pivotal to the course of American history, to the course of the way the media would be pursued, that's something that was not at the forefront of our consciousness, but it was still the most electric time I could remember in my entire life by far.

Sarah, you know, we talk about Johnny Cochran and the world watched, right? a master just taking over that courtroom. And I wonder, as somebody who now is a successful attorney, but also has a successful TV career, what you thought as you watched the O.J. Simpson trial? I mean, I always say a good trial attorney as a performer, as an actor. And when people ask, well, what does it like to be on TV? I said, really, it's a smooth transition from what I do before a jury. But to me, Tom, I think this trial was so, instrumental and pivotal and what I do and other defense attorneys do because it coincided with

the news cycle going 24 hours. And even though the fascination with trial and crime has always been there, it just really, I think the true crime fascination was really spearheaded as a result as trial. There's just the perfect melange of, you know, sex and violence and infidelity and celebrity and wealth, and it just had all of the ingredients where I, you know, the crime scene was a block away from where I lived. I was in college at the time, and I was absolutely fascinating. I remember going to summer abroad, and I couldn't stop watching the trial. So it really was something else, and even though we've had high-profile trials since there's nothing been close to.

Nothing quite like it. Brian, what was Johnny Cochran like at this moment? And when did you guys realized that sort of the entire world was watching this. And did that put an added pressure because he always looked very cool in the courtroom? Well, he was very cool. He was very cool in the courtroom and very cool out of the courtroom. He had the most unshakable faith of any person I've encountered so far. He was completely in the zone and he was completely focused. That entire dream team revolved around him, but he did not act alone. Barry Sheck had a big role. Peter Neufeld had a big role. F. Lee Bailey had a big role.

But one of the things that's so fascinating is why this was so much more than just a typical double homicide. And that has to do with the fact that it dredged up so many of the social divisions in this nation that are typically unspoken. And there were so many elephants in the room that were discussed that we were not really focusing on. And when you start thinking about the events that happened from day to day, No one really thought that they were going to be spokespersons for the race or spokespersons for the future of social interactions in this country, but it turned out to be that way. And we have to talk about why this is not just another homicide. And it has to do with a lot of the things that we don't like to talk about in this country.

There are many aspects of our history that aren't pretty, and they all came to focus in just shocking clarity during this. time. And then Sarah, there was a perception, right? And we've talked about this, that OJ had the dream team. He had the best lawyer's money could buy. And then there were also hiccups and big mistakes on the prosecution side. And we talk about the gloves. And that was sort of like one of the iconic moments of this trial. As a lawyer, what did people learn from this trial as far as what you do? And I know there's different types of defense work. But what type of sort of lessons did you learn from this trial? I think, look, we have to remember it's proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the burden entirely on the prosecution. There was a lot of fodder for the defense, and those are

not technicalities. There was tainted evidence. There was a search that was without a warrant. That other glove that was found was as a result of that search. There was a lying lead investigating officer who was a documented racist at a time when Los Angeles was racially charged at the heels of the Rodney King trial. So it was, I think, the prosecution completely missed the mark on, you know, the shoddy investigation, the tainted evidence, the mismarked photos. This case had all of that. So, yes, there was a dream team like we've never seen before, but there was also huge

evidentiary problems. Ryan, you know, we're talking about this and we're revisiting this because, of course, O.J. Simpson has died. And I wonder how you've looked back over the years. And I know you were honest, and you said you played a very small role in that dream team. But how have you looked back at your work in defending O.J. Simpson? And I asked that because he was found not guilty, but later on he was found civilly liable for the murders of Brown and Goldman. And I just wonder if you've ever sort of wrestle with that or you've ever thought back on that.

Honestly, I look at it as one more job that I had to do for my boss, Johnny Cochran. We had so many cases, and one of the things that Johnny really experienced some frustration with is that he became associated with this trial. And he was so much more than this. He used to be fond of saying, I represent the No J's. Everybody thinks I just represented OJ, but I represent the No Js. And his commitment to police misconduct litigation was unprecedented. His commitment to just balancing the scales of justice was reflected through so many of these other trials.

And in so many trials, when the verdict comes down, there might be, you know, eight people in the courtroom, seven people. But this was a trial when everybody was watching every little thing that happened every day. And that type of scrutiny is not something that anybody could have been ready for to. Yeah. Sarah, what do you think that the legacy of the trial of century is going to be? Look, we draw so much from this case three decades later. But number one, I think it's really highlighted the deadly epidemic in America, which was domestic violence. The way that domestic violence was prosecuted, I say this because I practice in L.A., is completely different. We take it very seriously. And I also think that we've shifted from this idea of celebrity justice to celebrity, what I call injustice.

We now see celebrities be used as examples to send louder messages. We saw what happened with Bill Cosby, with, you know, Felicity Huffman, all of these people, aside from race. So I think it, you know, it was instrumental in so many ways. Yeah. Brian, last question to you. O.J. Simpson, obviously famous in the worst possible way. His death tonight. Do you think this sort of closes the chapter on the trial of the century on O.J. Simpson? Or do you think this is something that as Americans, we talk about and keep reading about

and stay fascinated about in years to come? That is such a great question. And that's a question that needs to be asked. asked. As long as we have the open wounds in this country that we have, cases like this will resonate with our consciousness. This is reflective of hundreds and hundreds of years of our country's struggle with social justice. We have not come as far in the last three decades as we may have thought we did. But as long as our nation remains divided on the level that it is, cases like this are going to anger people on each side. And what we have to do

is ask the questions, why? Why is this so much more than just another double homicide? Brian Dunn. And that's, yeah. Brian Dunn, Sarah Azar, we thank you for your time and your analysis. And you can watch more on this historic trial on the Dateline episode, The People v. O.J. Simpson, what the jury never heard. That will air right here. And NBC News now tonight and tomorrow at 11 p.m. Eastern. Still ahead tonight, we're following other major headlines, including the dangerous weather in the south. The new video showing a tornado touching down near Jacksonville, Florida, several homes damaged. 30 million people now under alert for severe storms. Bill Carrens,

he's standing by for us. Plus, parents listed up a new report finding lunchables contains concerning levels of sodium, lead, and other heavy metals the push by one nonprofit to get them out of schools. And the new details on the gambling scandal involving a former employee of baseball star Shohei Otani, the criminal charges his ex-translator, is now facing. Stay with us. Okay, we're back now with an update in that massive scandal involving the former translator for baseball sensation, Shohei Otani. Tonight, federal prosecutors charging the ex-translator with allegedly stealing more than $16 million from Otani, all linked to an illegal gambling operation. NBC's Liz Kreutz has the details tonight.

Tonight, federal authorities charging Shohei Otani's former translator Ipe Misuhara with bank fraud, alleging he stole $16 million from the baseball superstar. Mr. Mitsuhara did all this to feed his insatiable appetite for illegal sports betting. Prosecutors say Misuhara, who they describe as Otani's defense, facto manager made 19,000 bets with an illegal bookmaker. He used a bank account of Otanis, which he helped Otani set up and had access to. At times, he even impersonated Otani to get the wire transfers approved. Mr. Mitsuhara used and abused that position of trust in order to take advantage of Mr. Otani. While they found no evidence he bet on baseball, authorities say

Miss Suhara racked up more than $40 million in gambling debt between 2021 and 24. Text messages obtained by prosecutors show him admitting to a bookie he stole from Otani, saying, it's all over for me. The Dodgers star recently telling reporters through a new translator that he was duped by his friend. I'm very sad and shocked that someone who I'm trusted has done this. Authorities saying there is no evidence, O'Tani was aware of Ms. Huara's actions. Mr. Otani is considered a victim in this case. And no comment today from Otani, the Dodgers or Ms. Huara, who prosecutors say will have his first court appearance here in Los Angeles tomorrow. If convicted, he faces up to 30 years in prison. Tom.

All right, Liz, thank you for that. When we come back, Castaways rescued. Three men look at this stranded after their boat capsized while on a fishing trip. How they managed to get messages to authorities, which may have saved their lives. That's next. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with an update in the lawsuits tied to the deadly crowd rush tragedy at rapper Travis Scott's Astro World Festival in 2021. All claims against hip-hop artist Drake were dismissed by a Houston judge after his legal team argued he had no involvement in the planning of the festival.

Drake was a guest performer at the event that left 10 people dead and hundreds injured and was on stage during Scott's set. Scott and several companies associated with the festival, including Apple, remained defendants. Consumer reports urging the National School Lunch Lunchables from school menus. The nonprofit group finding the lunch kits sold in stores contained concerning levels of sodium and at least three products contained lead and other heavy metals. None of the products exceeded legal lead limits. Manufacturer Kraft Heinz said the results of the study are misleading and lunchable products,

means all government safety regulations. Okay, the U.S. Coast Guard rescuing three men stranded on a remote island in the Pacific after their boat capsized. The men using palm leaves or palm fronds to spell out help on the beach of the island they landed on. Coast Guard officials say the move was pivotal in their search and rescue operation. The group of fishermen had been missing for nearly a week when a relative called authorities, no injuries somehow. Now to the dangerous weather wreaking havoc on the south. A confirmed tornado touching down near St. John's Florida just outside of Jacksonville. You can see the massive funnel cloud there.

This surveillance video catching the moment that twister slammed into a St. Augustine home, tossing lawn chairs and sending debris flying. And the severe weather threat still active tonight. So let's get right over to NBC News, meteorologist Bill Karen's bill. Talk to me about your tracking tonight. I see some rain crossing over Florida there. Yeah, Florida just threw the worst of it. But that was an impressive tornado.

That was a wedge tornado outside of St. Augustine here just south of Jackson. showed you the pictures of now we've cleared it so the area of concern as we go throughout the rest of tonight is going to be in the ohio valley but there's been a lot of rain and a lot of clouds we don't have the energy really available for like widespread severe weather but we'll keep an eye on this but it is a possibility some wind damage maybe a spin up or two of a tornado and coastal flooding tomorrow morning this is going to catch a lot of people by a surprise we got gusty winds we've got the high you know we had the new moon with the eclipse and the water levels are still pretty high we have coastal flood warnings up for many locations in the Delmarva region. You'll see pictures tomorrow

with water on roads and up to some homes. So here's how it all plays out. 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, heavy rain in New England. And then the pinwheel behind this, cooler temperatures, windy, showers, ugly weather, especially from Cleveland to Erie. And yes, even some snow as we go throughout the Saturday morning, especially in western New York and some of the hills in central New York. So again, we're not dealing with tornadoes like we did yesterday, isolated, weather the rest of tonight, Tom. All right, Bill, we thank you for that. Next up, Top Story's Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world.

We start with a real estate tycoon in Vietnam, sentenced to death today. Trung Milan, who was a chairwoman of a real estate company, was convicted for her role in a $12 billion financial fraud case, the biggest in Vietnam's history. She said to have bribed government officials and controlled the Saigon Central Bank illegally. Her trial seen as an example of the anti-corruption campaign of the ruling communist party leader. Guatemala's president issuing a natural disaster declaration as more than 40 forest fires

raged across the country. Video shows smoke billowing above a landfill south of the country's capital. Authorities saying 80% of the fires were started by people, many of them farmers, burning grass and fields to prepare for crops. Classes were canceled for students across three provinces to protect them from those fumes. And archaeologists in Pompeii unearthing paintings once buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, New video showing the remarkably preserved, wow, look at that, artworks which depicted scenes from Greek mythology. Archaeologists say the paintings were put on black walls of a banquet room and appeared to move under flickering light from oil lamps to entertain guests.

All right, we want to turn now to the latest out of the war in the Middle East. President Biden promising continued support to Israel after Iran threatened to launch an attack. The fear of a widening war coming as three sons of a top Hamas leader were killed in Israel. Israeli airstrike in Gaza. NBC's Hologorani has the latest. Yes, Tom, there are fears of a wider confrontation between Israel and Iran. This is, after last week, Israel is believed to have targeted a consular building in Damascus, killing two top Iranian commanders and five other senior officials. Ever since Iran, Tom, has said that it will retaliate.

How will it do so? That is the big question. Intelligence officials have told NBC they believe Iran is more likely to target intelligence or military targets. Israel has said if its territory is hit, it will respond in kind. And that, of course, is raising fears of a much wider conflagration across the region. And this is, of course, after President Biden has said that the U.S.'s support for Israel in case Iran targets this country is ironclad. Despite the fact that President Biden has been more. and more openly and publicly critical of Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the Gaza

war. We're, of course, Tom, continuing to monitor what is going on with these ceasefire negotiations. There are concerns and questions about whether or not Hamas can even produce the number of hostages that Israel is demanding in these ceasefire talks. Concerns about whether or not some of these hostages have, in fact, died in captivity. And all the while, Ismail Haynie, who received news on camera, our viewers will remember that three of his sons were killed, received a condolence call from the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Tom, back to you. All right, Halle, we thank you for that.

Coming up back here at home, Arizona's abortion ban in the spotlight, how both President Biden and former President Trump are now using the ruling in their campaigns for president. Plus, Arizona's Democratic governor, speaking with our Hallie Jackson, her reaction to the 1864 abortion law being reinstated. That's next. All right, we are back now with power in politics, and the latest following that controversial abortion ruling in Arizona. President Biden slamming the decision in a new campaign ad, putting the blame squarely on former President Trump. NBC senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson explains. A new aggressive push tonight from the president. If Donald Trump gets back in power, what freedom will you lose next?

A new ad blitz pinning the blame on his predecessor for Arizona's controversial abortion ban. Your body and your decisions belong to you, not the government, not Donald Trump. I will fight like hell to get your freedom back. On the Arizona ruling that reinstates an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions, with the exception of those to save the mother's life, The Biden campaign's looking to put Republicans on defense. As Mr. Trump acknowledges overnight, Democrats have the political advantage. The only issue they have, the only issue they think they have is on abortion,

and now all I say is the states are handling it. The former president, accusing Democrats of trying to distract from the economy and immigration, both consistently the most important issue for voters, with polls showing Americans prefer Mr. Trump to President Biden by about 20 points on the economy, 30 points on the border. Even though Mr. Trump opposes the Arizona abortion ban and a national ban, he's also taking credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a decision which paved the way for very restrictive, broadly unpopular abortion limits. He and other Republicans now trying to thread the needle, including Arizona's Kerry Lake. A full ban on abortion is not where the people

are. The issue is less about banning abortion and more about the saving babies. For the ban's Opponents in Arizona? Anger turning to action. You say you're ready to do whatever it takes to get the ban repealed, but how? I immediately called for the repeal of this ban, and I'm going to continue to do that. I think a lot of Republicans are seeing that this is going to hurt them in the election. Hallie Jackson joins us tonight from Washington. Halie, is there anything the Democrats are doing to try to stop the law before it goes into effect? Yeah, the answer to that, Tom, is yes, there are things that they are hoping. to do. The question is, will any of those things be successful? The first thing, of course, is trying to get a repeal through the Arizona State Legislature, through the State House and the State Senate. I just spoke with the Governor not too long ago, the Democratic Governor of

Arizona. And I got to tell you, she didn't seem all that confident that that was going to potentially be successful as soon as next week, although one Arizona Republican has told our network that he is very confident that that could happen. So there's this repeal question that's in front of the state legislature. We should know more on that in maybe the next week, this ban is set to go into effect later this spring. The other piece of this, right, if that is not successful, the governor says she's open to maybe a special session, but look ahead to November. That is when abortion rights supporters say they are confident, they will have the signatures to get an initiative on the ballot to protect abortion access, and then it'll be up

to the voters to decide. Tom? All right, Hallie Jackson for us. Hallie, we appreciate all that reporting. When we come back, we're going to switch gears and hopefully put a smile on your face. You're going to meet the youngest member of the Linwood, Illinois Police Department. This six-year-old sworn in as an honorary member, even getting a ride in a squad car. The long health battle he's endured to get to this point. And the job he tells us he's looking forward to that's happening next. Stay with us. Finally tonight, a dream fulfilled for one six-year-old boy who is battling a serious heart condition.

His biggest goal in life to help others. And now his local police department is helping him do just that. NBC Stephen Romo talked to this little hero about his big special day. Who's going home? The first six years of life have already been tough for little Kiwan and Druin. When he was actually born, seeing what he was going through, I was thinking like he wasn't coming out the hospital no time soon. Born with a rare heart condition called hypoplastic right heart syndrome, which affects cardiac blood flow. He spent his first few years in and out of the hospital.

15 to 20 surgeries, but procedures of going on during everything over 58. How has this been for you guys as parents to deal with all this? Honestly, it was a really rough journey. We were all sleeping in the pick-you-on, pull-out beds and waiting surgeries. Or if we just turn around to go home to get rushed, we're getting rushed right back. But despite the hard road, he's already faced in his young life, Kewan's family says his passion has always been to ease the pain of others. I want to hurt people. After hearing his story, the villain.

of Linwood Police Department near Chicago decided to make his dream come true, making him an honorary officer. How does it feel to be a police officer, Kiwan? On the deafening side, he's been talking about this since he was two years old. You want to be a police officer. With the help of the mayor, the department organized a ceremony to swear in the six-year-old. Kiwan taking his job very seriously. To make sure everybody buckles their sea belt every time we're in the car. and he makes sure the child safety locks are on.

And safety first. And safety first. Soon he'll get to go on patrol with friends and siblings, spreading his enthusiasm and desire to help around the community. And he's already managed to score a second job. Next month, he says the Linwood Fire Department will let him take a spin on their fire truck. I want them to beat the horn. Stephen Romo, NBC News.

All right, we thank you for watching. Top story tonight. That does it for us. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.