Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, April 13, 2023

Episode Date: April 14, 2023

FBI arrests 21-year-old Air National Guardsman suspected of leaking classified documents, the historic rainfall causing a flooding emergency in Florida, Ron DeSantis's team tries to stop Florida Republicans from endorsing Trump, and John Leguizamo speaks to Tom about his new travel show and searching for "Latino exceptionalism."

Tonight, breaking news, an Air National Guardsman arrested for leaking a trove of classified documents. Aerial footage shows heavily armed officers taking the 21-year-old there in those red shorts into custody at a home in Massachusetts. The FBI accusing the airman first class of posting photos of the documents on an online chat platform, which revealed details of the U.S. spying on Russia's war efforts in Ukraine and intelligence on American allies. What we've just learned about his role in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, and the big question tonight, how or why did he have access to this material? Also, the flooding emergency in Florida, historic rainfall, submerging roads and stranding drivers in Fort Lauderdale for up to 15 hours. Passengers forced to sleep inside the airport after runways were turned into rivers. Boats also seen outside of a hospital to assist patients, and tonight millions in the area on a hospital.

alert for more heavy rain. Frontrunner fight, exclusive NBC news reporting showing the political team of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to stop some members of Florida's congressional delegation from endorsing former President Trump. Trump back in New York City for another legal battle, how are the two facing off in the polls? We'll show you. Louis Vuitton storm. Protesters in Paris forcing their way into the headquarters of LVMH, the luxury giant that owns brands like Louis Vuitton, and Moe. Mass demonstrations in France again one day before a crucial ruling on a bill that would raise the retirement age. Our team on the ground in Paris tonight. Plus, an arrest made in the deadly stabbing of Cashap founder Bob Lee in San Francisco. Another tech executive now charged

with his murder. Investigators say the two were together right before the attack. Snake scandal, shocking video showing wildlife officers in Florida, realizing the moment they accidentally killed, a pregnant boa constrictor worth up to $100,000. So how did this mistake happen? And John Leguizamo does America and Top Story. In his new travel show, the acclaimed actor takes viewers to areas of the U.S. rich with Latino culture. And he joins me tonight to share more on that once-in-a-lifetime road trip. Top story starts right now.

And good evening. tonight in those classified documents leaped online, the suspect, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Aerial footage shows heavily armed FBI agents arriving at a home in North Brighton, Massachusetts late today. Airman

First Class 21-year-old Jack Teshera, seen surrendering moments later and was swiftly taken into custody. Attorney General Merrick Garland announcing late today, he's accused of, quote, unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense

information. That information which he allegedly shared in an online chat room contained highly sensitive information on U.S. spine of Russia and the war in Ukraine, in addition to intel on American allies, including Israel. President Biden speaking overseas, saying he is not concerned about the major fallout from those leaks. And we're just learning more about his role in the Air National Guard, that suspect, and why he may have had access. NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent, Andrea Mitchell, has been following all the late-breaking developments. Tonight, backed up by an armored SWAT vehicle with guns drawn, the FBI arrested a 21-year-old Airman First Class in the Massachusetts National Guard, working in IT in their intelligence wing,

who the government says is the source of that major intelligence leak. Today, the Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas DeShera in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information. The Washington Post was first to report that Tashara, under the moniker O.G, shared classified intelligence, including photos of the leaked documents, in a private group of mostly young men on Discord, an online chat platform popular with video gamers. The post spoke with an anonymous member of that chat room, populated by gun enthusiasts who frequently shared racist memes. I don't think that there was a goal nor some sort of accomplishment that he was looking

for in sharing these documents. Of course, there's some anti-government sentiment. DeShera had enlisted three and a half years ago. The anonymous group member told the Washington Post he was a natural leader, but not a whistleblower. OG was not hostile to the U.S. government. However, he had disagreed with

several occasions such as Waco and Ruby Ridge and thought that the government is overreaching in several aspects. There was no heavy Snowden-like conspiracy here, like some people may believe. The leaked intelligence was online for months, with photos of classified documents visible for weeks.

Some of it was in public. Right. Clearly, the administration was slow on the uptake. How was it not that discovered, and how is it that an individual like this could have the access that they did? In Ireland, President Biden downplayed the impact. I'm not concerned about the leakings. I'm concerned that it happened. But there's nothing contemporaneous that I'm aware of that is of great country.

According to the New York Times today, one of the leaks reveals broad infighting inside the Kremlin over the scale of their capital. in Ukraine. And the Washington Post is reporting that the U.S. expects the war to continue into next year. Kristen Welker asked Poland's prime minister about that. Is that your assessment? I think so, too, because Russia has huge and vast natural resources, human resources. Now the Pentagon is reviewing who has access to top secrets. We do have stringent guidelines in place for safeguarding, classified and sensitive information. This was a deliberate criminal act, a violation of those guidelines, and if there are any areas where we need to tighten things out, we certainly will.

All right, Andrea Mitchell joins us now live. Andrew, you know, in that interview you had with Representative Turner, he brings up a good question. Why would somebody with the Massachusetts National Guard, Air National Guard, have access to these sensitive documents? And he wants answers to that, Tom. Exactly. That's what he told me he is going to be asking at an oversight hearing. as well as why they're not monitoring social media more effectively. In any case, whatever to share his motive, the Attorney General indicated in the way he described the charges

that he's likely to face, that it is likely to be espionage, under the Espionage Act, and that could mean he's going to face very serious penalties if he is convicted. And significant damage done with those leaks. All right, Andrea Mitchell, leading us off here on Top Story. Andrea, thank you. Next tonight, our other major headline, the flash flooding emergency in Florida.

Historic rainfall, taking Fort Lauderdale and Miami by surprise, seven months' worth of rain slamming the state in just seven hours. Roads now turn into rivers and airports underwater as the region's hit with more wet weather tonight. Guadvanegas is there. Airplanes cutting through water on a Fort Lauderdale runway that looked more like a lake than a landing zone. What the? Oh, my God. Historic rainfall causing a shutdown in and around the airport with drivers and passengers stranded in vehicles.

My friend's set a vehicle stuck in the flood water, caller. If she does not know how to swim. Daniel Scarphone spent 15 hours stuck in his vehicle unable to get help to move. My big truck could do it, but it couldn't handle it. Rescue teams saving this elderly woman from her home, as first responders at Broward General use a boat outside the front entrance. You can't get there by car. Get there by boat.

The flash floods are a result of torrential rain hammering forward. Fort Lauderdale in its surrounding areas with seven months worth of rain in just seven hours. This is just one of the flooded neighborhoods here in Fort Lauderdale. The street looks more like a river, and we still have cars that are stuck with residents pretty much stranded here until this water recedes. Jessica Falls stuck overnight inside a crowded terminal with her family. It rose up to, like, right up the door. Tonight, Fort Lauderdale declaring a state of emergency.

All right, I'm going to go back and get your mommy and daddy, all right? After a once-in-a-thousand-a-thousand-year rain event, as officials warn of more rain on the way. So Gwad, he joins us now from Fort Lauderdale. Explain to our viewers how this catastrophic rain event took so many people by surprise. Well, Tom, as you know, this part of the country gets a lot of rain, and the infrastructure is in place to deal with the flooding. But this was just too much rain, too fast, in a very short amount of time. And the system just wasn't able to drain it fast enough, as you saw the numbers, as much as 25 inches of rain in some parts.

It was just too much. We did get a break from the rain earlier today. We saw some of the water recede here at the airport in certain neighborhoods, but before that water could drain away, we got more rain. It's been raining. It's been pouring for the last two hours, and this is expected to continue, which will, in fact, affect some of the flooding that we have here in the airport and in other areas. in the Fort Lauderdale area here, Tom. Yeah, those massive rain events can be both crippling and incredibly terrifying.

All right, Guadvanegas, we appreciate it. Four million remain under flood alerts tonight in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I want to get right over to NBC News meteorologist. Bill Carrens, Bill, you are the meteorologist here. So sort of explain to us what happened there. I mean, as Guad said, look, I'm from South Florida. You're used to rain events, but not like this.

Yeah, I lived in Florida for four years. And usually you say, okay, it's sandy soil. You can get the heavy downpours, but as soon as the intensity, the thunderstorm lets up a little bit. Usually the water will soak in. Usually you deal with what we call like urban flooding on the highways or roads and parking lots. The fact that there's still water on the tarmac and the runways is pretty unbelievable if you know like the soil consistency in Florida. It just shows you it's saturated. There's nowhere for it to go. That's why it's still sitting there. And it has been pouring, as Guad said. We've already had one or two additional inches in the last couple hours.

We have a flash flood warning from Fort Lauderdale all the way to Pembroke Pines and watch this new storm cell right here heading over the same exact area. This is where my finger is where the airport is located, and it looks like they're going to get even more rain. They think they're going to open or they're hoping and praying for 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. That seems unlikely, knowing that they're going to get probably another half inch on top of what they have. Tornado watch has been canceled in Georgia, but we still have a severe thunderstorm watch. Daytona Beach, Flagler Beach areas, and down here through Volusia and Bavard counties there near the space coast. All right, so a lot of rain down south. Talk to us about that record heat in other parts of the country. This has been an incredible day. I mean, it was 88 degrees in Burlington, Vermont.

areas are still open in Vermont. I mean, how insane is that? New York City, by the way, did hit 90 at the first 90 of the season. And it only happens like once every 15 years in New York City. Last time was 2010. So very unusual heat. Boston hit 90, Hartford, too, and very warm all the way back through Chicago. We're going to do it for one more day than cool it off. Tomorrow, Chicago 80. Looks like that 84 in Philadelphia. We have a chance for breaking the record high on New York City two days in a row. Right now, 85 is the forecast for Central Park. So you get the idea. We will try to cool things off a little bit by the time we go into Saturday, back in the 60s and 70s. But this has been quite a heatway for so many areas. A lot of people went straight from the heat

to the air conditioners. That doesn't save anyone money. We did it. We did in our house. We're definitely confused. All right, Bill, we thank you for that. Next tonight to the escalating fight over access to an abortion pill. The Justice Department says it will now ask the Supreme Court for emergency action to stop new restrictions from taking effect. This says the Republican and dominated Florida legislature passed a six-week abortion ban. NBC's Laura Jared has all the late-breaking details. A fierce battle over abortion now headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Attorney General vowing to challenge a ruling from a federal appeals court that could jeopardize access to Miffa-Pristone, a commonly used abortion pill. We believe that the law is on our side.

Overnight, that appeals court blocked a portion of a Texas ruling that invalidated the approval of Miffa-Pristone, allowing the drug to remain on the market for now. But the judges also rolled back several FDA moves in recent years that made the drug easier to obtain. If the Supreme Court doesn't step in, women may soon be required to visit a doctor's office in person to receive the pill instead of taking it at home. It will no longer be available through the mail.

The generic version also off the table, and the pill will only be approved through seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10. Having more in-person visits mean women will have to take time off of work, get child care, often during the work week. If the medication can't get into the hands of the people that need it quickly, then it isn't available. Doctors like Laura McIsaac, who've practiced for over three decades, alarmed by the ruling. That will absolutely increase pregnancy complications and increase maternal mortality. restricting access to Miffa-Pristone at the heart of the original Texas lawsuit. The FDA has basically sanctioned male order abortions.

Aaron Hawley represents the advocacy groups and doctors that sued the FDA. The Fifth Circuit's decision is a huge victory for women and for the rule of law. The FDA did not have a valid basis for approving that drug. While the fight continues in the courts, tonight a clash at the State House. State House! In Florida, anger erupting on the House. floor. Show the bill passes. As the Republican-controlled legislature passed a six-week abortion ban, headed to the governor's desk for signature soon. All right, and with that, Laura, joins us now

live here on Top Story in studio. So, Laura, I do want to ask you, picking up where you left off there, can that six-week ban in Florida be challenged? You could try, and they have tried, with a 15-week ban that Florida has, and that's gone through some legal wrangling. But to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, that's going to be really hard because the court has decided there is no federal constitutional right to an abortion in this country. They kicked it back to the states, and that's why you've seen this explosion of all these state restrictions. And Florida really had been the only state left that had some sort of wiggle room there compared to all of its surrounding places. And so I think it's going to be really hard to challenge it. More and more states

adding a ban. I do want to also ask you about the abortion pill. When did the restrictions take place. Good question. So as of this moment, unless some other court blocks it, the restrictions are supposed to take effect when the clock strikes midnight on Saturday. However, if the Supreme Court steps in, then we may be in a different land. And also, remember, there's still this lingering other decision out of Washington State. It was a different federal judge, different case, but about the same drug. And in that case, the judge said the FDA, you have to maintain access to the drug as it currently exists right now. And so that's why you see this arguable tension between all of these conflicting

rulings. Okay, I'm sure you're going to stay on top of all of it. We appreciate it, Laura. Thank you. We turn now to power and politics and a new battlefront in the fight for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Exclusive new reporting from NBC News showing that Ron DeSantis' political team has been

calling Florida Republican U.S. representatives asking them not to endorse former President Donald Trump. This, as Trump appears for a deposition in New York today, one week after his historic indictment. Gabe Gutierrez has this one. Tonight, the battle between the GOP's top two presidential hopefuls is intensifying.

Exclusive new NBC News reporting showing the political team of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has tried to stop members of Florida's congressional delegation from endorsing Donald Trump. Sources close to four of the six Florida congressmen his team contacted now confirmed the outreach to NBC News. It was completely much to stop the lead because as of right now, President Trump has four congressional endorsements in Ron DeSantis' backyard.

That has been noticed by Governor DeSantis, by his team, and that's the prompt of these phone calls. DeSantis has not yet officially announced a White House run, but is Super PAC releasing its first national ad today. Freedom is here to stay. It all comes just days after Trump secured a key endorsement. Florida Congressman Byron Donald, apparently snubbing the man who poured billions of dollars into his district. in the wake of Hurricane Ian last fall. America's governor Ron DeSantis. Donald is now backing DeSantis' chief rival.

Who's the person that can go on the world stage with China, with Russia, and say, America is now back, and here's what we're going to do, it's Donald Trump. Trump, scoring the endorsement amid historic legal scrutiny, just last week, becoming the first former president ever indicted. And today, returning to New York for a deposition in. in a multi-million dollar civil suit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, alleging Trump and his namesake company orchestrated a massive fraud scheme over 10 years, which Trump denies.

While it's still very early in the GOP primary race, the gap between Trump and DeSantis is widening. Ron DeSanctimonious is being crushed in the polls. Last month, one poll had DeSantis within 14 percentage points of Trump. Now, after Trump's indictment, the former president, is up by 30. 27. DeSantis' new outreach to Florida Republicans also comes as Trump repeatedly slams him on the campaign trail and goes after him in a national ad blitz. The more you learn about DeSantis, the more you see he doesn't share our values. And while DeSantis has tried to keep his distance, he raised eyebrows last month when asked about the New York grand jury investigation into hush money Trump allegedly paid to Stormy Daniels. I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn store.

It's a far cry from a few years ago. Ron DeSantis for governor. He's going to be a great, great governor. Ron, come on up. Trump, putting DeSantis on the political map with a long-shot endorsement in his 2018 bid for Florida governor. Build the wall.

Now, the wall is growing higher between these two men as the fight for the future of the GOP ramps up. All right, Gabe Gutierrez joins us now. Gabe, besides the fight for endorsements and polls, there is the fundraising fight. How does the governor stack up against former President Trump at this point? Well, Governor DeSantis is in a very enviable position, especially for a candidate that hasn't even formally declared yet, Tom.

His national super PAC says that so far has raised at least $30 million, but it's unclear whether Governor DeSantis will try to take some of the money from his state coffers. He raised his super PAC has about $80 million cash on hand, quite a considerable war chest back in Florida. As for former President Trump, his Super PAC claims that it's already raised more than $54 million, and his campaign says that it's raised more than $12 million since he was indicted. So both candidates in very good financial positions in terms of fundraising. The question is, as you said, Tom, what about those Republican mega donors? Who do they end up backing in the coming months, Tom? All right, and before you go, Gabe, you talked about the national polls.

They've been in Trump's favor since his indictment. What about some of those early primary states? What are they showing, telling us? It's a much closer race, at least at this point in Iowa. Again, it's incredibly early. One poll has Governor DeSantis within seven points in Iowa. And as for South Carolina, though, he's down about 20 points or so, about neck and neck with Nikki Haley. Still, though, Tom, it is incredibly early at this point.

It is, Gabe. All right, Gabe. We appreciate all your reporting. The race for 2024 is still heating up with a roster of top Republicans likely to launch their own bids for the White House in the coming months and weeks. But what candidate will emerge with enough support? to win over a divided GOP. I want to bring in our panel now,

MSNBC contributor and political analysts and my good friend Matthew Dowd, Alencia Johnson, founder and chief impact officer at the Social Impact Agency, 1063, West Broad, and NBC News political analyst, Susan Del Persio. I thank you all for being here tonight. Matt, I'm going to start with you. You are the polling guru here.

What is the toughest challenge for Ronda Santis as you look at the polls and you look at the field right now? that Donald Trump is far more popular than he was when he won the nomination in 2015. I mean, that's the problem, is Donald Trump won the nomination as a less popular candidate for Republican than he is today. And I think that's the real challenge. I think the only path, in my view, for Ron DeSantis, is he has to show Donald Trump can be beat. And the only way he can show that is he has, in my view, he has to win Iowa. If he can't win Iowa, then this race is over, and Donald Trump rolls with it.

So I think that Ron DeSantis, maybe four years early in this if he wants to run now, because Donald Trump right now, while vulnerable in a general election, is incredibly powerful in a Republican primary. Matt, what do you briefly, what do you think the magic number is as far as the number of candidates on the GOP side that make this a very easy race for Trump to win? Anything more than two? Anything more than two candidates, I think, Donald Trump wins because he's going to walk in with 40 or 42 or 43% of the vote automatically. And so this has to become a one-on-one race quickly.

Susan, you know the GOP well. You saw those ads. Ron DeSantis is out with an ad. Former President Trump, I think, is a super PAC. They have an ad as well. Might be the PACs for the both, to correct myself. Which ads seem more effective? I mean, who's winning the race?

I was surprised they're starting this early going against each other. Well, they're going against each other because Donald Trump just hates DeSantis and wants to crush him early. And DeSantis, for all the hype around him from the political insiders, people don't know him. But what I find curious about his ad is that he tries to live up to the hype that he's like Donald Trump, but without the baggage, like he's not as crass and he's not all these other things. Whereas, in fact, probably the only other person's named in a general life. in the primary so far that will do worse than Donald Trump or equally as bad as Donald Trump in a general election is Ron DeSantis. He's a horrible general election candidate.

You're saying because of independence, and polling you've seen with independence, especially independent women. Yeah, just recently in Florida, Emerson College did a survey, and 61% of independent women in Florida said unfavorable. They just can't stand them. Now, add to that, we just had the six-week ban abortion passed in the Senate, which DeSantis said he supported, which he danced around in in his gubernatorial race just a few months ago. We now, guns are now a major issue with independent women, and he's now believes that everyone should just have a gun.

Go buy one. I will still argue, though, he is still very popular with Republicans who are looking for an alternative to Donald Trump. With that, I want to go over to Alencia. Alencia, President Biden hasn't officially announced a 2024 campaign yet. I get the sense from talking to people like you and to other Democrats. they would rather run against former President Trump. They think that might be an easier race. But if it is Governor Ron DeSantis,

if he emerges as the nominee on the GOP side, are you worried that sort of his youth and energy may affect President Biden when the matchups are two together because there's going to be a huge age gap there? I'm not too, too worried because that's probably the only thing that is working in his quote-unquote advantage because, as Matt and Susan were talking about,

this polling of who Ron DeSantis is, even if he makes it to the general. He's not doing well with independence. He's not doing well with women. He's not doing well with young people, LGBTQ folks, people of color. And his track record are these critical issues of democracy that I would say were not polled well in the 2020 election, which, as we saw, young people, people who folks weren't able to poll and capture actually delivered more so for Democrats than Republicans. And so I believe you would see something similar in a general election.

Talk to me about what your initial reaction was when you heard about Florida passing the six-week ban that we just reported here with Laura Jarrett. You know, honestly, it's gut-wrenching. I worked at Planned Parenthood for their national office for six years. It's gut-wrenching, but it's something that we honestly predicted. We predicted that these states would be like a domino effect as soon as the Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade. But the other piece is that there's this glimmer of hope, while there's this, immediate unfortunate scenario for people who need immediate care. This has galvanized, not just women, it has galvanized people of color, young people, and people who are independence and

might be Republican as well, around an issue that is so critically tied to agency, so critically tied to freedom, so critically tied to democracy, that it's going to actually give a political edge to a lot of Democrats and independence as well. Susan, do you agree with that? Oh, absolutely. We saw it in the midterms. You think it's We saw it in the midterms. We saw it in Kansas. We saw it in the Wisconsin judge's race. What Ameri, even pro-life people, even Kansas is not a blue state by any needs. But what people said was, we reject extremism. And a six-week ban is an extreme position. And I think you're only going to see these Republican candidates having to play harder into it.

You know, again, on do they allow medicated abortion pills? Where do they stand on? on those. It is going to be such a disaster for Republicans if they keep going down that path. Real quick, Matt, before we go, I do want to ask you about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. It appears he's going to be challenging President Biden. What do you think happens here? He ends up dropping out because he can't raise money and he's not going to do it well in the polls. I don't think Robert, he's not going to get any benefit from the Kennedy name because the problem is today he's more tied to somebody like Steve Bannon who encouraged him. to run in this race. Democrats are going to figure that out if they haven't figured it out already. And my guess is he ends up dropping out because he can't go anywhere. I mean,

I mean, you know that Kennedy's have a little bit of a history of challenging the nominee. It happened back in 1980. Obviously, we're talking about Senator Kennedy who's much, much different states, but you don't think we get anywhere to that level. You don't think he raises awareness or he gets any type of excitement to challenge the current president. I think he raises awareness, and it's to his detriment. I think the more Democrats get to know. Robert Kennedy, the more it's worse for him. Matt Dowd, Alencia. Susan, thank you so much for all joining Top Story.

Great conversation tonight. We head to Capitol Hill now, the growing calls for Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein to step down, even from within her own party. The 89-year-old longtime congresswoman has been absent from the Senate for almost two months due to illness. Ryan Nobles has this one. Tonight, Senator Dian Feinstein fending off calls from members of her own party to resign. California deserves a senator who is actively participating in the votes.

Feinstein, a member of the Judiciary Committee, has not cast a vote since February, stalling the confirmation of more than a dozen Biden judicial nominations as the 89-year-old recovers from a shingles diagnosis. Grumbling behind the scenes bursting into public view last night when a fellow Democrat, Congressman Roe Kana, tweeted she should resign. Kana telling Fox News today. I have a lot of respect for Senator Feinstein. She's unable to fulfill her duties. And I guess I don't know any other job where if you're unable to fulfill your duties, you can continue to have the position.

Democrat representative Dean Phillips from Minnesota, quickly backing up Kana's initial tweet with his own, saying in part, I believe it is now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate. Those calls drawing fierce blowback from a towering contemporary of Feinstein. former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi, acquitting them to sexism. It's interesting to me. I don't know what political agendas are at work that are going after Senator Feinstein in that way.

I've never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way. Feinstein responding by asking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to temporarily fill her seat on the Judiciary Committee until she returns. Feinstein saying in a statement last night, quote, I intend to return as soon as possible. once my medical team advises that it's safe for me to travel. President Biden's press secretary offering supporting words on Feinstein's committee work. The president is deeply appreciative of her support for his extraordinary, qualified and diverse nominees. He truly, truly respects and appreciate her commitment to public service.

Feinstein, a trailblazing Democratic icon, was the mayor of San Francisco in the 1970s. Both Mayor Mosconi and Supervisor Harvey, milk have been shot and killed. And has held her Senate seat for more than 30 years. Women have come out to vote, to participate as never before. But facing questions about her health and mental stamina even before the shingles, she announced last month she would not seek re-election in 2024. All right, Ryan Nobles joins us now live.

Ryan, I want to go back to those comments from Speaker Pelosi. Do you know what she was referencing in particular? Was it a veiled reference to Senator? John Federman, who is slowly returning to work in the Senate after a battle with depression? She wasn't specific, Tom, and that's certainly a possibility. Fetterman is expected to return here to the Senate and the Capitol on Monday, but there are a number of examples of men, both Republican and Democrat, who served in the Senate well into their 90s, Strom, Thurman, Robert Byrd, many others.

Pelosi is saying that many of them did not get the same level of criticism that Feinstein is getting in this instance. But of course, Tom, there's a lot of politics at play here as well. Nancy Pelosi has already endorsed Adam Schiff to replace Dianne Feinstein, Rokana, who also appeared in our story. He's endorsed someone else by the name of Barbara Lee. This is a competitive seat in one of the most important Senate seats for Democrats in the U.S. Senate. Okay, Ryan Noble's with a lot of new reporting for us. Ryan, thank you.

Still ahead tonight, the tech executive just arrested for murder. New details tonight about the man accused of fatally stabbing the cash app founder we've been telling you about. The two men apparently knew each other. Plus, an update from the Indiana recycling plant, the growing concern for residents in that area. And a dime heist, thieves getting away with a big chunk of change in Philadelphia. After, get this, they broke into a truck

with $750,000 worth of dimes. Top stories, just getting started. We're back with the arrest in the murder of Bob Lee, the cash-hap founder, who was stabbed to death in San Francisco. Police saying the suspect was a fellow tech entrepreneur. Miguel Almiger has these details. Moments before a mortally wounded Bob Lee staggered down a San Francisco street desperate for help, police say this man, Nima Momeni, stabbed the 43-year-old multiple times. Investigators say the two tech executives were acquaintances and were together. when their gathering suddenly turned into a pre-dawn murder near the city's Bay Bridge.

The evidence is that they knew each other, and there's still more to delve into in terms of what the depth of that relationship was. Mo Meni, whose 38, was arrested during an early morning raid at his Bay Area home. A self-described entrepreneur who attended UC Berkeley, Mo Meni launched his technology consulting company, Expand IT, in 2010. Is there some type of altercation that they went into before the stabbing occurred? Not exactly. I can't disclose. Lee, a tech titan, perhaps best known for creating cash app, called 911 after he was stabbed at 2.35 a.m. Tuesday. There's a male screaming help saying someone stabbed me to advise he's bleeding out. The Daily Mail.com obtained this surveillance video and says Lee was seen trying to wave down help minutes before officers arrived.

Now nine days after the murder, authorities confident they have their killer who's expected in court tomorrow. Before today's arrest, the city's safety came into question, but now authorities confirm this was not a random attack or a robbery, but motive remains a mystery. Tom. Okay, Miguel, thanks for that. Protesters in France are taking to the streets once again, angry over plans to raise the retirement age, and this time they barge into the headquarters of Louis Vuitton. Why? We'll explain. That's just ahead. All right. We are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the massive fire at an Indiana recycling center, still burning tonight. The cause of the fire is unknown, but authorities saying they are looking to the facility's citations and code violations over the years. At least 1,500 residents in that area are under mandatory. evacuation orders as potentially toxic smoke billows out from the plant.

Officials say the fire could burn there for days. And an investigation is underway into a theft involving, get this, $750,000 worth of dimes. Video shows went police found when they responded to a robbery of a truck in northeast Philadelphia, thousands of dimes scattered across a Walmart parking lot. Authorities saying the truck was traveling from the U.S. Mitt in Philadelphia and that about a hundred thousand dollars worth of dimes were taken. All right, we went ahead overseas now where hundreds of thousands of protesters

took to the streets in France for one last push against the government's unpopular pension reform. At one point, people storming into the headquarters of luxury brand Louis Vuitton. NBC's Alia Ruzi is in Paris tonight. Tonight, a fresh round of demonstrations across France. As protesters rally against,

the government's plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, a day before a crucial ruling on the legality of the bill. Hundreds of thousands showed up for one final push. In Paris, taking their anger out, some activists forcing their way into the headquarters of luxury giant LVMH. Setting off flares and chanting songs. And saying that the government should shelved the new pension plan and tax the rich more instead. LVMH in one year could reduce all of the holes in the social security system over several years. The resurgence of large-scale protests or Paris garbage collectors resuming their strike just hours after protesters piled garbage in front of the Constitutional Council, which is set to decide whether to remove any or all articles in the pension market.

reform plan. The gulf between the two sides keeps growing and neither side seems to understand one another. But the tension and the motions with the protesters is palpable. They keep chanting slogans against the government and the police calling them fascists and is punctuated by running battles and bursts of tear gas. Hundreds of rail workers also joining the strikes, marching at the Guard de Leon station, forcing some trains to be cancelled. Opinion polls show that a wide majority of voters still opposed the pension plan.

But if the council gives its approval, the government will enact the law and will hope to eventually put an end to the protests. And do you think if they push this law, it will be easier to take the pension to 67 in a few years? Yes, of course, of course. If we keep going on this way, this is going to happen. Tom, things have settled down here tonight, but there are. There is a sense that things are going to kick off again tomorrow for another big push before that crucial court ruling. People I've spoken to here feel that if the government get their way, then it's going to be a very slippery slope for pension reform plans in the future.

Tom? Ali, a ruzzi for us tonight from Paris. Allie, we appreciate it. Time now for Top Stories Global Watch, and we begin with the deadly bridge collapse in Colombia. Social media video shows the absolutely destroyed bridge over La Vieja River. with twisted metal remains of several trucks and vehicles. Two police officers are dead and 15 others are injured. No word yet on what caused the collapse, but the bridge was last inspected only three months ago.

In Peru, former Interior Minister Daniel Uresti sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in the murder of a journalist back in 1988. Journalist Hugo Bustillos was reporting on human rights abuses and he was shot and then blown up with explosives. Udesti was a military intelligence officer at the time, his lawyers say they will appeal today's ruling. And in Russia, opposition leader Alexei Navalny's health is deteriorating. The imprisoned Putin critic is in failing health due to a new suspected poisoning, believed to be administered in low doses over an extended period of time, according to a spokesperson.

Navalny fell ill last Friday with severe stomach pains. He lost 18 pounds in just two weeks. According to a recent tweet from Navalny, he's now in a punishment cell for another 50. day term. Still to come, snake scandal, a legally owned pregnant boa constrictor accidentally killed in Florida, the moment wildlife officers realized they made a $100,000 mistake. We'll explain. Back now with a wild story out of Florida, shocking video shows wildlife officers killing dozens of pythons and a pregnant boa constrictor that was legally owned. The moment they realized the massive mistake and an owner of some of those snakes killed at a loss over the laws they say

he violated. Armae Eagland has all this. Tonight, a snake scandal in Florida. The bullet is dead. What? The bullet. A pregnant ball. No. No.

Oh, my God. That guy's going to flip out. According to the United States Association of Reptale Keepers or U.S. Ark, this video shows officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, accident. killing a pet boa constrictor that was pregnant with up to $100,000 worth of other snakes. And when the officers realized their alleged mistake? Disbelief. One officer immediately raising his hands to his head and appearing to mouth, we messed up. And 20 minutes later, at least one officer heard admitting to the error.

Is there a way to maybe save the babies? Oh, no, dude. This guy's going to throw bananas. Oh, my God. Why? It was a mistake. The video was taken by snake breeder Chris Coffey, who U.S. Ark says legally owned reticulated and Burmese pythons until a ban in 2021. I can't watch it. Those animals mean a lot to me. It's like watching someone kill my kids.

According to the agency, he was unable to rehome more than 30 of them, which after a lengthy court battle were killed by those FWC officers on April 6th. My back was against a wall. There was nothing I can do. Coffee told NBC Miami, his snakes were being stored at a warehouse in West Palm Beach and claims he warned the officers not to kill the 10-year-old boa constrictor, which was legally owned. A lot of people have them as pets, and they're just wonderful snakes. They're generally very friendly.

In a statement to NBC news about the incident, the FWC said, while complying with the facility's owners' request to euthanize the relinquished pythons, officers inadvertently euthanized a boa constrictor, which was not on the list of dozens of snakes relinquished. The FWC will examine if there are appropriate methods to avoid similar inadvertent events from occurring in the future. But U.S. Ark says the error is unacceptable. They're not difficult to tell apart, and especially an officer empowered to kill animals, should be able to identify them correctly before basically sentencing them to death. Now that reptile owner without a pet, he says he raised since she was a baby.

You can't fix it. You just killed something. There wasn't illegal. A lot going on there. We thank Maya for that story. And before we go, actor John Leguizamo joins top story. He's in the house tonight. He's in too many movies to count, but now he's taking on a new adventure. Sharing this country's Latino communities with the world. We're talking about his new project. Leguizamo does America. You don't want to miss it. Stay with us. Finally, tonight in the Americas, we are so lucky to be joined tonight by the team behind Leguizamo does America. In this new six-part series from NBC News Studios and MSNBC films, actor John Leguizamo travels across the country to celebrate the rich and diverse Latino culture from coast to coasts, six different locations, exploring food, politics, music, and everything in between. Let's take a look.

me, Chicago, Puerto Rico, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles. This place made me what I am, and it made me a fighter when I didn't want to be a fighter. When I first got to Hollywood, I was told that if I changed my name, I would work much faster. No one is going to fight more vigorously for the Latino community than Latinos themselves. We're one Latin family. Yes, he are. And joining us live right now. You heard him there.

The one the only, John Leguizamo, showrunner, Carolina Saavedra, and direct. Ben De Jesus. This is the secret sauce behind this really magical show. So, John, you've been at the forefront of educating Americans about Latinos, right? About our history, about our culture, about Latino excellence. Talk to me about why you wanted to do this show right now. Because I feel like we have such a great moment and opportunity to shine a light on Latin exceptionalism, Latin excellence, and this is the moment. If we don't do it now, when I'm going to do it? But for you, the education needs to continue, right? Because people tend to forget or they have no idea. We don't even have an idea.

I mean, we're not in our history textbooks in America. We're not in the Discovery Channel or the Learning Channel. Our stories are nowhere to be seen. And we've got thousands of stories, great stories. And exemplary people like Carolina and Ben DeHs, who's right here? And that leads me my next question. 75% of the people who put together the show were Latino. And Catalina, one of the things I told you because I had the opportunity to watch the entire series was that it felt so authentic.

How are you guys able to do that? Because this is not cliche. I mean, even if you're Latino like I am, you're going to learn a lot. Yeah, well, I think, first and foremost, knowing John, I didn't know him at the time, but I knew of, I mean, I knew him as a personality, and I had been a fan of his for decades. And I could see his heart, you know, and I could see what he cares about. Every time I heard him speak, he came from a place of such authenticity that there was no way that we could make a show that was anything less than that. Right? So right off the bat, we knew that it had to carry that with it. And so in the stories that we were finding, the people that we were trying to interview, they were going to be sometimes, you know, entrepreneurs who are doing really well, sometimes entertainers, sometimes singers, et cetera. But sometimes just your everyday people who make our culture in this country great on a day-to-day basis and offer so much to this country. And then, Ben, one of the fun things about the shows that you put John in all these situations, right? He's eating tacos that he can't handle with George Lopez. It's like way too spicy.

Thanks for repeating that. He's dancing, which John can't dance. I'll give you that much. He's dancing. But also, he even goes to, like, an indigenous ceremony with real tainos. And it's this beautiful experience. Talk to me about sort of filming and taping and putting John in these situations. Sure.

Well, I've been fortunate enough to be touring and working with John on documentaries for, like, the last 13 years. So I had a really good sense of what John's kind of game for, which is a lot. John loves to be in front of people. He's a very curious person. He's an academic. A lot of people don't realize how intellectual he is, but he has a curiosity that's very infectious. So I knew that if we put him in the right scenario, talking to incredible, extraordinary people who maybe aren't well known but deserve to be known, I knew that he would shine, and he really exceeded our best expectations. And they asked me, no, said, when we went to Puerto Rico to the indigenous community, they were upset about something I said in Latin History for Morons that I said Taiwanese had been exterminated completely, and they felt it was dead. damaging to their

fight for their land because the government can easily take it away from them. And I apologize on camera and I was okay and these guys set it up and I was okay with it because I felt it was important to do that. Yeah and that's one of the things I liked because

the show keeps it real, right? And like we don't always agree on things. Latinos come from various different countries all different parts south of the border. And we're Republican, we're libertarian, we're Democrats, socialists. And there was a moment in the New York episode, that blew my mind because it's a debate that happens around tables all across America about Latin X.

Yeah, yeah. And the response was hysterical. I want to show our viewers. Let's take a look at that clip. You know, I want to understand, like, how did it happen? So Latin X represented all Latin people, regardless of masculine, feminine, and then it has sort of a non-gender. But a lot of people don't like it. A lot of people know, I like Latino, you know, leave it alone.

somebody who say that like Hispanic, you know? Those are just inclusive terms that younger people have created to make space for people who don't feel represented in scene. And so as a woman and as a man who identify as Latina and Latino, when a non-binary person feels that they don't identify with either, they want to be, they want a term that is inclusive of who they are. And the first part of that conversation was Fat Joe saying, look, I don't even know what it means. And it's true.

A lot of Latinos don't even know what it means. But you want to include that because it's like, it's real. That's what people talk about it's what people are arguing about because they like people will like Latin people like to argue. Yeah. So we're going to argue about something. Let's argue about that. But I like Latin X. Yeah.

It sounds like we're X-Men. Like we've got a superpower like Latin Xers. It's progressive. John, there's also moments where you sort of, the way I described this on the text. today's show is that you see your soul and you see the soul of different people across America. And that was the moment in the theater in Washington when those kids are talking about their immigrant experience, but also their experience being Latinos. And it is not an easy road for so many. I know. These were kids who felt very sort of muted. They were being made fun of picked because they had accents

because maybe they couldn't express themselves as clear. Something you went through. Yeah, I mean, I was an immigrant kid. So yeah, you know, obviously I was bullied. I was bullied even when I could speak English. I'm still being bullied sometimes by some people around me. I'm not going to name name. But, yeah, so this place was so beautiful. It gave these kids a space to tell their stories, to be histrionic. And it was a very powerful moment. But it brought you to tears because it was so real.

I think all of us were brought to tears. I mean, I'm an immigrant as well. I was picked on for a long time when I first landed in this country. I'm an ESL kid, you know, although it was my third language, actually. but it's showing off that's yeah yeah yeah no but it's an experience that I think so many of us go through and these kids feel alone

we felt alone and this is a place that gives them community and it gives them an outlet and a place where they can really thrive Ben how did you guys decide on the six locations I mean Latinos are all over the country how did you guys pick these first six while we were shooting in the middle of the summer so we decided to pick the hottest cities

in August to make you challenging But no, we figured, look, John is from the East Coast. He's from New York City, Jackson Heights, Queens. So we wanted to start there, because that's where John's story begins. And then we just worked our way down the East Coast. We went out to D.C. next. And we went to Miami, and we made our way to Puerto Rico, Chicago, and L.A.

But it was about where our Latino communities are thriving. But there's a whole list of other cities that we want to happen. And on that point, yeah. Latin comedy circuit. We used to call the Cucci Frito Circuit because we're New Yorkans. But it was 26 cities across America that have a huge. large Latin population in their big bustling cities, and these were the first six of 26. And then so, Carolina, on that point, is there, I mean, is there going to be a season

two? Is it, like we're going to take America again? Knock on wood. Talk to your boss. Talk to your boss. All of us would love there to be. I think there's so many more stories clearly for us to tell, so many cities to hit. And just, yeah, it would be incredible. John, I'm going to give you the last word here. For somebody who's watching top story tonight, and for some reason, they're like, I'm never going to watch that show. I don't care. What would you tell him? I tell you, you're missing out on laughter, on great music, and great food, and me, especially.

You're missing a lot of them. And if you don't like me, well, what can I do? Who doesn't like Johnny Legs? That's right. This is where you can watch it. Let's put it up on the screen so everyone can see it and they can take a picture and they can watch it. Leguizamel does America, six-part series. It begins this Sunday, 10 p.m. Eastern on MSNBC. Streaming on Peacock, where you find Top Story, of course. John Carolina, Ben. It has been a pleasure. Thank you so much for joining Top Stories.

Thank you for doing this, too, because I think a lot of people are going to learn a lot, and also it's going to touch a lot of people. It's really great work. Thank you, guys. And we thank you for watching Top Story Tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.