Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, April 18, 2024

Episode Date: April 19, 2024

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Breaking tonight, the U.S. vetoing a U.N. resolution that would have paved the way for Palestinian statehood. The move coming under sharp condemnation as the U.S. faces mounting pressure over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Plus, officers in riot gear arresting dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. The breaking details just coming in. Also tonight, an NBC news exclusive, Hezbollah's second-in-command. What he says will happen if Israel fires back at Iran, the leader blaming President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for dragging out the war in Gaza. Also breaking right now 12 jurors plus an alternate selected in President Trump's historic criminal

hush money trial, the announcement capping off a day of jury shuffling and drama in the courtroom where the selection process stands and I sit down with one of the reporters who first broke the story on the hush money payment. how his work led to the first ever criminal trial of a former president. Family turns on RFK Jr. more than a dozen members of the Kennedy family throwing their support behind President Biden. RFK Jr.'s response to his family, giving him the cold shoulder, how the Democratic Party is working to fend off the independent,

concerned over his appeal to younger voters. Koberger's new alibi, the suspect at the center of the brutal murders of four Idaho college students, disputing his location on the night of the killings. New court documents claiming he was out driving something he did often to see the moon and the stars. Plus, office bully? Imagine coming to work and finding your desk put on the roof of your office.

But does it go much further than just a practical joke? The employee is questioning that boss's relationship with a top official saying he will never face the consequences of his actions. and fully electronic humanoid. Boston Dynamics revealing its most human-like robot yet, the brand-new state-of-the-art machine, moving like nothing we've ever seen.

Top story. It starts right now. And good evening. Coming on the air with breaking news tonight, the U.S. vetoed a Palestinian bid for full U.N. membership, ultimately blocking Palestinian statehood. This was the moment. United States Ambassador Robert Wood struck down the widely backed measure. The U.S. was the only one of the 15 U.N. member states.

There are the Security Council to veto the measure. Two countries abstained and 12 others voted in favor. The move coming under sharp criticism from several countries, including Russia and Egypt. The U.S. arguing the two-state solution should be a result of negotiations between Israel and Palestinians, not the United Nations. And it comes as tensions mount across the country, right? Over the Israel-Hamas war at Columbia University, police in riot gear arresting more than 100 demonstrators during a pro-Palestinian protest. And concerns over a wider war in the Middle East cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and southern Lebanon intensifying over recent days. In just a moment, you'll hear from Hezbollah's second in command in an exclusive NBC sit-down.

The Iranian-backed militant group vowing to strike Israel if they provoke an attack. We'll get to all of that in a moment. First, I want to get to that breaking news on the UN Security Council's vote. NBC's Ellison Barber joins us now. Ellison, take us into the UN and what happened today. Yeah, I mean, look, this wasn't a surprise. The U.S. had been very clear from the State Department briefings earlier today saying we intend to veto this. We saw the U.S. try to delay this resolution having a vote, presumably hoping that they wouldn't have to take this very public position against it. But the way that this works with the U.N. Security Council is that you have all of these members. members that are on the Security Council. In order for a resolution to pass the UN Security Council, you need nine votes in favor,

and you cannot have any no votes or vetoes from any of the five permanent members. The United States, one of those five permanent members. So when we're looking at this 15-member council, the U.S. voting, no, that minute was going to be dead on arrival. It won't go to the full UN, 193 members, to vote on this. For Palestinians, that means their hope of statehood, of an independent state, is even further from reach. This would not have meant that they were going to.

have statehood and be an independent state, but it would have given a lot of validity to that push that they've been trying to get to for decades for Israel. This is a moment where despite public disagreements between Netanyahu and Biden, Israel can look at this and say we still have our top ally in our corner. So many countries voted to approve the statehood. We obviously voted not to. As the White House reacted to this yet? Yeah, they have. So we heard on Air Force one from the National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. He told reporters this, quote, We believe in a two-state solution and a state for the Palestinian people. We believe the best and the most sustainable way to do that is through direct negotiations between the parties.

That's echoing what we heard from the spokesperson of the State Department earlier today, where he said that direct negotiations need to happen between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But the question moving forward is when and how does that happen? Because the Palestinian Authority, they control the West Bank, but they don't have full support of the Palestinian people. Hamas controls Gaza. and Netanyahu has been very clear that he does not support a two-state solution, saying after the terror attacks on October 7th,

that that is just essentially a non-starter for them. They believe that it would be a win for Hamas and that it would further threaten Israel's security. And this may be a little bit of a problem or maybe a big problem for President Biden as he heads into the election because he's already felt the pressure from progressives in his party and from Arab Americans as well in places like Michigan and Pennsylvania. Yeah, I mean, when you look at that graphic that you had up earlier

of who voted in favor of it? the countries that said yes, and then the countries that abstained. You have key U.S. allies like France, Japan, voting in favor of this resolution. Then you have another key ally like the UK abstaining from voting. Domestically, you have to look at that and you think President Biden is really on a global island of sorts in some ways. And the most pressure he's faced in terms of his position on the Israel-Gaza war is from within his own party. That is something that will probably be an issue for him politically moving forward because you have other key Western allies who made a very different decision than the United States did here.

Ellison, Barbara, on that breaking news from the U.N. Allison, we appreciate that. And as we mentioned, a stunning scene at Columbia University in New York City today as this vote came down. Police in riot gear at the request of the university president moving to clear an encampment of student demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza. Antonio Hilton is there as demonstrations continue tonight. Confrontation at Columbia today.

Police removing protesters from campus. Citing extraordinary circumstances, Columbia University President Manu Shafiq, called in the NYPD to clear an encampment of pro-Palestinian student demonstrators. The encampment set up Wednesday morning, the same day Shafiq testified on Capitol Hill about anti-Semitism on campus.

We must uphold freedom of speech because it's essential to our academic mission, but we cannot and shouldn't tolerate abuse of this privilege to harass and discriminate. In a letter to the university, community, Shafik noted protests have a storied history at Columbia where anti-Vietnam demonstrators took over buildings on campus in 1968. But in asking for help from the police, she said, the encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger to the substantial

functioning of the university. We are risking like our academic standing just to like show the administrators that we are not okay with their decisions. Several demonstrators today stomping on an Israeli flag. Some students saying they feel unsafe on campus. I feel as though people are kind of weaponizing anti-Semitism. Demonstrators telling us, they plan to keep their protests going, despite the police presence. Do you feel like this administration has clamped down on students and faculty members free speech? 100% yes. I do believe that. New York City's mayor tonight saying police made more than 100 arrests on a campus severely

divided. Antonia Hilton, NBC News, New York. And fears continue to mount that the war between Israel and Hamas will explode into a wider regional conflict. The world waiting to see how Israel will respond to that large-scale aerial assault by Iran over the weekend. Tonight, in an exclusive interview with NBC News, a top leader of the Iran-back militia Hezbollah says it is not seeking to get involved in the war, but if Israel strikes, it will strike back. Here's Matt Bradley with that interview. Tonight, as the world waits for Israel's response to Iran's massive aerial assault, the entire Middle East teeters on the brink of a region-wide war.

The Iranian-backed militia, Hezbollah, vowing to match any escalation from Israel. Israelis have indicated that their response, which we're still waiting for, will likely not be against Iran itself. It could very well come against Iranian-backed groups, like Hezbollah. In that case, are you prepared to respond? Are you prepared to escalate? If Israel attacks us and aggresses us, then we will definitely respond. If they escalate, we will escalate.

In a rare and exclusive interview, Hezbollah's Second Command, Naim Qasem, said the group is determined not to ramp up fighting unless Israel does first, faulting Israel in the U.S. for escalating the war. Israel's two-front war against Hamas and Hezbollah, both backed by Iran, by Iran is now in its seventh month. The war began with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7th. Hezbollah stepped in the next day, attacking a disputed border region between Israel and Lebanon and what it described as solidarity with Hamas. We didn't expect that the war would last that long because we didn't think that Netanyahu

was that foolish. Same for Biden and the other countries. Hezbollah claimed responsibility Wednesday for an attack that injured 14 soldiers in northern Israel, a response, they say, to Israeli strikes that killed two of the group's top commanders. Hundreds have been killed on both sides of the Lebanese border since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. Qasem defending Iran's decision to attack on Saturday night, which Iran says was in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Iranian military leaders at the country's consulate in Syria.

Tehran speaks publicly and clearly. They do not want war. they have responded to the attack on their embassy, and that's it for them. I think Iran is honest. This is what they told us, and this is what they keep reiterating to the media. Like their patron state Iran, Qasem said that Hezbollah is determined to avoid a broader war and will only ratchet up their attacks on Israel if the Jewish state escalates first. But American officials believe Israel may respond to Iran's aerial attack by striking

militant groups like Hezbollah. What are you expecting Israel's attack to be? The Israelis are confused. They do not know whether to respond or not. And you want me to know what Israel will do? You think Israel doesn't have a plan right now? They do not have a plan, nor the courage, nor do they know what they will do. If they commit a mistake, then they're going to pay a high price for that.

Do you think they're scared? They are 100 percent scared. They did not expect Iran to respond. And it did. But there are good reasons for fear. A single spark from this conflict could ignite the entire Middle East. In such a blaze, it would be hard for the United States to avoid getting burned. All right, Matt Bradley joins us fresh off his interview from Beirut tonight.

So, Matt, you asked what Hezbollah would do if Israel strikes. How concerned are they that they could be the target of Israel's retaliation against Iran? Yeah, well, Kossum told me that, you know, he doesn't think. the Israelis actually know whether or not they're going to be attacking Hezbollah or whether they're going to be attacking anyone. He said that the Israelis are confused and scared. And Tom, I don't know if concerned is the right word. He said that, you know, when it comes to the path of jihad, when it comes to fighting against Israel, martyrdom is one of the only options and that there is no way to surrender. Tom?

Matt, Bradley, for us tonight here on Top Story, Matt, we thank you. We want to turn now the latest in the Trump Hush Money trial. Twelve jurors now seated to hear the case plus one alternate. The accelerated selection came after the process appeared to suffer a serious setback when two previously selected jurors were dismissed from the case today. NBC's Laura Jarrett has the latest. Tonight, a full jury of 12 now sworn in

in former President Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial after the day began with drama surrounding two jurors dismissed. The full jury now including an investment banker, security engineer, retired private wealth manager, speech therapists, physical therapists, someone in e-commerce, and a product development manager. It's supposed to be in a lot of different places campaigning, but I've been here all day on a trial that really is a very unfair trial. The whole world is watching this New York scam.

Mr. Trump arriving this morning with seven jurors sworn in, only to see that number quickly go down to five. after an oncology nurse who had said during questioning that no one was above the law, I'm here to just hear the facts, tell the judge today she had concerns she could not be impartial about Mr. Trump and worries about her identity becoming public after loved ones figured out she'd been impaneled. The other juror, an older IT consultant who had called the presumptive GOP nominee fascinating and mysterious in court Tuesday, excused today after prosecutor said he was arrested for tearing down conservative political ads decades ago and did not reveal it on his juror questionnaire.

But late today, those additional jurors selected to serve. Among them, an investment banker who said he follows Mr. Trump's truth social posts and has seen quotes from his book The Art of the Deal, but has not read it. The retired private wealth manager who said he does yoga every morning, And that speech therapist saying of Mr. Trump, I tend not to agree with a lot of his politics and his decisions as a president, but said she can be impartial. At one point, a prospective juror even apologizing to the former president for her past criticisms of him on social media, she was dismissed. Today's events underscoring the challenges of seating a jury in deep blue Manhattan were 85% of people voted for President Biden. When the pool of 96 prospective jurors was asked this morning if they could be impartial in judging the likely Republican nominee, nearly 50 hands went up saying they could not and were dismissed.

Kat was among them. I couldn't be impartial. It's a historical case and, you know, this is going to define so many things. But at the same time, our job as a juror, right, is to be impartial. Mr. Trump's sounding off about the jury selection process right? he was given the second worst venue in the country. He's accused of doctoring his internal business records to hide a reimbursement payment to Michael Cohen,

who allegedly paid off Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election so she couldn't go public about an affair. Mr. Trump denies any sexual relationship with Daniels and has pled not guilty. And with that, Laura joins us tonight from Lower Manhattan. So, Laura, I know you have some new reporting about the witness list. Yeah, Tom, at the very end of the day, Todd Blanche, Mr. Trump's lead lawyer, asked the prosecution to provide the names of the first three witnesses that are expected to start to testify after opening statements.

It's a typical courtesy you see in court a lot of times, but the prosecution here, Tom, said no. They said they're not going to do it because they're so worried about Mr. Trump posting about these people on social media. And Tom, get this, the judge agreed. He said, I can't blame them, and I'm not going to order the people to turn those over. So they're going to go into court on the first day with the first witnesses not knowing who they are, Tom. Yeah, it speaks to the sensitivity of this case, but also how a lot of the people all around the country and the world are watching this. Laura, walk our viewers through the sort of the timeline. What can we expect the calendar, if you will?

We know they're still looking for alternate jurors. They still have to do that. Do we know when opening statements could start? That's right. So we have one alternate now sworn in and ready to go, but we still need about five more. The judge has said he wants six in total. You can understand why, given that two of the people who had been impaneled had to get dismissed today. So we will take up with more questioning of potential alternates in court tomorrow morning.

And then opening statements in this case could begin as soon as Monday, Tom. Laura Jared reporting from Lower Manhattan tonight for us. Laura, we thank you for that. Next tonight in Top Stories Spotlight. Before there was an indictment or a trial, there was a breaking news story. The investigation that led to the first criminal trial of a former president, was prompted by a Wall Street Journal exclusive. The article, you see it right here,

Trump lawyer arranged $130,000 payment for adult film star silence, broke in 2018 and detailed the arrangement of a $130,000 payment between Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Donald Trump. And we are joined tonight

by one of the reporters of that byline who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work, Michael Rothfeld. Michael is now an investigative reporter within New York Times, and Michael, welcome to talk. story. So I want to get your first thoughts, right? It's been six years since you broke the story, nearly a decade since the alleged affair happened, and now we're about to start the criminal

trial. What are your thoughts? I mean, it's pretty mind-blowing. As a reporter, you always sort of are amazed when your stories have some consequences in the world, and this one, you know, the consequences having been the first indictment of a former president, the first criminal trial of Donald Trump, maybe the only criminal trial before. you know the election in November and you know you don't hope for any particular outcome but just to see that reporting play out over so many years since we first reported the hush money payment in 2018 is really amazing and I think that's the operative Fraser right over so many years and I want to ask you you

know the Justice Department had looked into this case right and we're going to get into that in a bit the Manhattan DA's office before Alvin Bragg had also looked into this but they never suit it, right? And now we're about to start the criminal trial. I mean, did you ever think that was going to happen? No, actually. I mean, I knew that Cy Vance, who preceded Alvin Bragg, was looking into this. And, of course, we knew that the federal prosecutors were also looking into it, but they couldn't charge Trump when he was president because of a Justice Department policy. And then afterwards, they really didn't want to use Michael Cohen as a witness because he

had been convicted of crimes. He had lied. They had criticized him themselves in court papers. they weren't going to do it. And then Cy Vance thought this case was either not serious enough or, you know, that was one of the main things. So you brought up Michael Cohen, and you bring up a question I have a lot from when we interview lawyers here and former district attorneys. How do you think a jury is going to perceive Michael Cohen with his history, sort of the way he carries himself, and what he told reporters, what he told authorities, that turned out to be lies? Yeah, I think that is largely going to depend on how he performs on the witness stand, and he's very practice. He's been on television a lot.

He testified before Congress, and he's a smart guy. So he will be prepared to be attacked. How he does will make the difference. But there's witnesses, cooperating witnesses all the time in criminal trials who have criminal convictions, drug dealers, really bad people. And, you know, mob hit men, you know, become... And, you know, so this is not unprecedented. Right.

I want to go back in time if we can. And I was reading again your initial report. I'm going to put a piece of it up on this. screen since we're talking about Michael Cohen here. In it, you guys write, this is a statement from Michael Cohen. He told you guys, this is now the second time that you were raising outlandish allegations against my client. You have attempted to perpetuate this false narrative for over a year, a narrative that has been consistently denied by all parties since at least 2011. Talk to me about the process and nailing down this story, because that was a tough cast of

characters you had to deal with. And you guys spent over a year working this? Right. Well, we first broke the story at the Wall Street Journal of Karen McDougal's hush money payment, or it was a non-disclosure agreement with the National Enquirer. Actually, they bought the rights to her life story, and then it was a catch-and-kill. And then we knew Stormy Daniels at the time had been represented by the same lawyer as represented Karen McDougal, but we did not know who had paid her off if anyone had paid her off. So throughout 2017, we kept asking this cast of characters around Donald Trump, you know, playboy models, porn stars, paparazzi, and towards the end of 2017, we had a source meeting, and that that source said, you know, think taxis.

And, you know, Michael Cohen owned a lot of taxis. So we knew that, you know, that meant that he had paid her off and that he had used at an LLC, a shell company to do it. And so then we had to search for the shell company, and we poured through corporate records until we found one that had his name on it. Incredible. Yeah. Incredible reporting. You know, after your reporting, after this all came out,

Michael Cohen's office was raided. This was part of the Mueller investigation. Federal agents raided his office. And I ask you this because do you think there's evidence that lawyers have that the prosecutors have, that maybe the public doesn't know about yet, that we may be surprised in this case? I would like to know that.

I mean, we, you know, Joe and I, who broke the Stormy Story, wrote a book about this. We have extensively interviewed everyone. But, you know, I'm really curious what more could come out. I bet there will be some new details. I doubt there will be many new details, but I'm sure we're going to hear from David Pecker. He was the publisher of the National Inquirer and Associate of Trump's. He's never spoken publicly. So I'd love to hear what comes out of his mouth. Michael, having covered this case for so long, what's the one thing you're looking for in this trial? Well, I really want to see if Donald Trump testifies and how he's going to talk about these events on how he's going to perform on the witness stand. And I really

want to see how prosecutors are going to lay all this out. And just to see this all play out in a courtroom, this whole story that I've been covering all this time and whether it will result in the first conviction of a former president or whether Trump can take this back to the campaign trail and say, hey, look, I was being persecuted here. All right, Michael, we thank you for your time for all your reporting. Time now for power of politics and the family feud playing out in the 2024 campaign trail. More than a dozen members of the Kennedy family endorsing President Biden at a Philadelphia rally, even though their own relative, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running against him as an independent. Gabe Gutierrez is at the White House tonight

with the latest. Today, with his opponents stuck in court, President Biden on the attack in Battleground, Pennsylvania. The 2024 election in about two fundamentally different visions for America. Donald Trump's vision is one of anger, hate, revenge, and retribution. The campaign touting the endorsement of 15 Kennedy family members, even though one of their own Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running against him as an independent. The best way forward for America is to re-elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to four more years. Responding to his family's endorsement of his opponent today, RFK Jr. posted on social media. We are divided in our opinions, but united in our love for each other. The environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activists first ran

as a Democrat. Now Kennedy's independent campaign is polling above 10% in a few key swing states, where Biden is also trailing Trump. Democrats are aggressively attacking third-party candidates like Kennedy, whom they view as a threat to President Biden's re-election. People involved tell NBC News. Though it's not clear which candidate, President Biden or former President Trump, would lose more votes to RFK Jr. Kennedy told NBC's Vaughn Hilliard this in February. I hope to draw equal numbers from both of them. I think at this point I'm probably drawing more from President Trump. All right, Gabe Gutierrez joins us tonight from the White House.

And Gabe, I understand you have some new reporting on how this endorsement came about? Yeah, Tom. A source familiar with the Biden campaign's planning says that the Kennedy family, was months in the making and that it was the Kennedy family that came up with the idea and brought it to the campaign. And, Gabe, I know NBC News has a bit of other reporting on the Kennedy-Shanahan ticket with a bit of other news out there. Not a great day for their campaign, but they received a financial boost in a very unique way. Yeah, that's right, Tom. And we're just learning about it through an FEC filing. But it turns out the day after she was announced as a vice presidential candidate, Shanahan donated two million to that campaign, and she had donated previously, but now that she is a candidate on the ticket,

she can spend unlimited amounts of her own money. Tom? Okay, Gabe Gutierrez at the White House tonight. We want to switch gears now to a close call at Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport. The F.A. now investigating how two jetliners nearly collided on the tarmac this morning. Air traffic controllers scrambling to halt jet blue and southwest planes cleared onto the same runway. NBC's Emily Aketa has the story. A hair-raising moment today on one of America's busiest runways. Stop, Southwest 2937, stop. An air traffic controller frantically telling a Southwest plane to stop.

We stopped. We were cleared to cross runway four. After it was cleared to taxi across a runway at Reagan National in Washington, D.C. When come, runway four, clear for takeoff. A jet blue plane was about to take off, according to the FAA, but then also suddenly told to abort. And we're stopping at 7.54. A source says the planes came less than 1,000 feet of each other.

Something went amiss, causing one controller to clear the airplane to take off and another ground controller clearing the Southwest Airlines to cross that same active runway. So to me, it looks like it's what the FAA calls an operational error involving an air traffic control issue. After a string of near misses, an independent safety review found last year overtime is at a historically high level for air traffic controllers. And challenges, including staffing shortages, have caused an erosion of safety margins that must be urgently addressed. Tonight, the FAA reports serious runway incursions are trending down. Regarding the latest scare, both airlines say they're working closely with federal investigators to determine what went wrong.

And Tom, you know, I mentioned how the FAA is ramping up its hiring process, but it says to improve safety, it is also taking a number of other measures, including introducing modernized simulators to help make the training process for all of those new hires more efficient. They're also exploring more advanced technology for the runway to help improve controllers' situational awareness, all in an effort to bring the number of serious close calls down to zero. Tom? Yeah, we hope so. Okay, Emily, thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, Brian Kohlberger's new alibi, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, claiming he could not have committed the murders in November of 2022, what his lawyers say he went on to a drive to do at the time of the slain's. Plus, the LAPD confirming Kanye West is a suspect in a criminal investigation, the charges he could be facing.

And terrifying moments at a Taco Bell drive through an 11-week-old in the back of his mother's car, suddenly unable to breathe. You're going to hear from the employee who jumped into action and saved that baby's life. Stay with us. All right, we're back now with the latest on the Idaho College murders. Defense attorneys for suspect Brian Coburger filing an updated alibi in August. His lawyer said he had been out for a drive at the time of the murders, but couldn't give a specific time or place. Prosecutors arguing that was too vague, and a judge agreed.

Dana Griffin has the latest claims from his legal team and the reaction from the family of one of his alleged victims. An alleged alibi revealed in the deadly stabbing of four University of Idaho students, Madison Mogan, Kaylee Gonzalez, Zana Karnodal, and Ethan Chapin. Brian Coburger's defense writing, Mr. Coburger was out driving in the early morning hours of November 13th, 2020, as he often did to hike and run and or see the moon and stars. The Gonzalez family telling NBC News in a statement in part, we are not sure why it has taken over a year for this to come out, as these don't seem to be complicated activities. We believe that if this alibi had any weight, it would have been submitted months ago. It's the same defense the judge questioned last year. So-called alibi, not really an alibi, we're suggested that you're going to some weaknesses that you have not. No witnesses were included in the filing.

Koberger's team will instead rely on analysis from a cell phone data expert. Could this help him or hurt his case? I think the defense had to file this notice of alibi. I think they know that it's a tough alibi. He's not arguing that he was hundreds of miles away in another state. He's not arguing that he simply wasn't in the area. It's essentially saying my alibi is I was in the area, just not specifically there. But last January, police say cell phone data.

data showed Coburger was attempting to conceal his location. His phone was turned off from 247 to 4.48 a.m. that morning during the time of the murders. Coburgers' phone also pinged 12 times near the victim's house months leading up to the slaying's prosecutors say. His DNA was on a knife sheath left at the crime scene and affidated noted. And records show Coburger changed his car title five days after the killings, days before his arrest. Kohlberger was stopped in Indiana on a road trip to Pennsylvania with his father, driving a white Hyundai Alantra, the same vehicle caught on surveillance near the crime scene. Mr. Koeberger is standing silent. I'm going to enter not guilty pleas on each charge.

The alleged murder weapon, a large fixed blade knife, has never been found. Dana Griffin joins us tonight from Los Angeles. Dana, this trial has already been delayed quite a bit. Do we have any idea when it's actually going to go start? We don't, Tom. A trial date has not been set much to the frustration of the victim's families. And based on dates that have been thrown around by the judge and prosecution, it could start sometime next year, although the defense says other issues have to be dealt with before they

even set a date. Now, in June, the judge will hear arguments on moving the case to a different county. And Tom, this is adding to the growing bill. Idaho taxpayers are footing over this. case. According to the Idaho statesman, this is already costing taxpayers a whopping $3.6 million, and the University of Idaho confirmed months ago this steep private security bill for the home-turned crime scene is part of the reason they tore it down. Tom? Dana Griffin for us from Los Angeles. Dana, we thank you for that. Over here on this side

of the country in Pennsylvania, a terrifying moment for one mom at a Taco Bell drive-thru. With a baby's life on the line, an employee there, springing. into action just in the nick of time. NBC's George Solis spoke to that mother and the woman she's now calling her baby is guardian angel. A mother's worst nightmare caught on video. These are the heart-pounding moments Natasha Long realized her 11-week-old son was struggling to breathe while at a Taco Bell drive-through just outside Philadelphia in Buck's County, Pennsylvania. I saw that he was turning blue, so I pulled him out of his car seat, and that's when I blacked out. I didn't know what to do.

Here you see long cradling Baby Miles as she begins that desperate search for help. The tension building with each passing second, baby Miles, who was born with a rare syndrome involving his breathing and airway, was unresponsive to his mother's touch. But the pair isn't alone for long. She was there right when I needed her. It was the wrong time but the right place. Watch as seemingly out of nowhere this Good Samaritan rushes to her rescue. Like a guardian angel.

Yes, absolutely. She, it was literally out of nowhere. I heard someone scream and then someone yelled and drive through. Call 911 baby not breathing. So I threw my headset off and ran outside. A mystery woman taking charge. That's Taco Bell manager Becky Arba, who began performing life-saving CPR on the infant. What were you telling Natasha to calm her down?

I just kept saying, it's okay. He's fine. He's going to breathe. He's fine. He will breathe. He's totally fine. And she's like, I can't lose him. She didn't, thanks to Arba, who was able to get Baby Miles breathing before

paramedics arrived. A mom before herself, Arbaugh said a similar experience with one of her own years ago had prepared her for a moment just like this. You don't want to be called a hero. No. I'm just a mom helping a mom. I didn't do anything different from what anyone else should be doing. I knew how that was and I heard it and I felt it instantly and I had to go and help her because I knew it's painful. You're just so helpless as a mom when that happens. The two moms now friends and feeling forever bonded. I think I'm going to look back and be like, Like, you know, oh my gosh, thank God Becky was there because, and I'm going to let Miles know exactly why Becky is Aunt Becky. Safe to say that he has a friend for life?

Absolutely. Baby Miles is doing a lot better, but we'll need at least one surgery to help improve his quality of life and hopefully prevent another scare like this one. Taco Bell also issuing a statement about their employees' heroic actions, companies saying they're incredibly proud. Back to you. All right, George Solis, great story there. when we come back, talk about a horrible boss. An employee at a Bay Area school district showed up to work to find this. His desk had been put on the roof.

While he claims his supervisor did it to get back at him, and it's not the only allegation why his employees say he'll never get fired. We'll explain what's going on there. That's next. All right, back now with Top Stories News Feed. Los Angeles police confirming to NBC news that Kanye West is the suspect in a battery investigation. West is accused of punching a man in the face multiple times. TMZ reporting West accused the victim of assaulting his wife, Bianca.

This is not yet, this is not Ye's first run in with a battery investigation. He was cleared on charges last year after grabbing a photographer's phone and throwing it in the street. Okay, the FBI on high alert for threats to the Jewish community ahead of the Passover holiday. Director Christopher Ray speaking at an event hosted by Jewish community security officials. Ray saying the FBI is especially concerned of lone actors attacks and that increased caution should be used at large gatherings and houses of worship. Ray also warning of state-sponsored threats from Iran. And how much do you think your city spends on its public toilets?

Well, a newly open public toilet in San Francisco's No Valley was originally going to cost the city $1.7 million. bucks. You heard that right. The 150 square foot structure only holds a single stall and the price sparked major backlash among taxpayers. Two companies ended up donating materials and labor so it ended up costing the city only around $300,000. Still a lot of money. Okay, we want to turn out of the bully boss. Have you ever felt pushed around by a supervisor? Well, this Bay Area employee says his boss put his desk on the roof after a disagreement. And he's just one of 10 people who have now filed complaints. But But they say this bully boss isn't getting proper discipline because of friends in high places.

NBC Bay Area investigative reporter Candice Wynn, push for answers. This picture isn't the start of the story or the end, but it might be the last chapter in Jim Kessar's 30-year career as a maintenance worker at Antioch Unified School District. He says his new boss, Ken Turnage, waited until he was not at work to trash his desk and then direct multiple district employees. to use this forklift to put his desk on a roof in the district's maintenance yard, where he works. Besides it, a sign that read Kester's access and a ladder. I literally was in the emergency room the next weekend. My wife said, you're having panic attacks, and I thought I was having a heart attack. Why do you think you put your desk on the roof? I asked that question a hundred times. At first, I thought, you know, he's bullying me for speaking out for a conversation

we had a few months earlier where he asked me to do a job assignment. And I said, I'm open to doing, you know, whatever you asked me to do, but I just want to let you know because you're new. I'm not a mechanic and I'm not an electrician. And he literally blew up at me. When you say he blew up at you, what happened is? He could do it from zero to 60 in five seconds. It wasn't a joke. It was predatorial. It was bullying. is the school district's purchasing technician. She handles district dollars and says this was not an appropriate way to use public resources.

We're a school district. Our money is for students. And we're spending money and employees' time and overtime to put a desk on a roof as a cruel bullying prank. Kessar and Atkinson are two of about 10 Antioch Unified employees who've reported Turnage to the district. Ken Turnage is the school district's director of maintenance, operations, and facilities. He oversees everyone in the department, including these four who provided the investigative

unit copies of their complaints against him. They say his behavior put three of them on medical leave for stress and convinced Bruce Cordamansch to retire early. I said, I honestly feel like you're disrespecting me. And he did this little shoulder thing and he says, oh, I respect you. And I said, okay, thank you. I appreciate that. He stomped behind his desk, clenched his fist, did his thing, and he says, I don't respect you.

I don't respect you at all. He's charged up on me. Thought I was going to be physically assaulted. I asked him where I could put my printer, and I was told I could put it on the roof. We reached out to turnage multiple times, but he didn't respond. I believe in ecological balance. He did speak with us back in 2020 during the height of COVID, right before. he was removed as Antioch's planning commissioner for writing a lengthy social media post,

advocating for ending the shutdown and allowing the virus to kill off the weak and the elderly. Is it something I'm advocating to happen? No, but it's nature's course. Also on Facebook, photos that these employees say reveal a bigger problem. Why they believe 15 months after this roof incident, turnage still hasn't been held accountable. He is best, friends with Stephanie Annelo's husband. Stephanie Anello is Antioch Unified Superintendent. She's shown here near Ken Turnage, along with her husband, Alan Contando. Antioch's former police chief, Kentondo and Turnage are pictured together outside of work,

over and over again, in different locations. They go golfing together every weekend. They're golf buddies, barbecue buddies. I've seen them on the golf course. I golf. I literally saw him playing with Kentando and Stephanie Anello. We took the allegations that Anello is failing to discipline turnage because of his friendship with her and her husband, straight to her and her husband. After multiple emails and calls, we never heard back.

But we did get this email from the district's HR director, saying AUSD takes all matters concerning our employees seriously. As this is a personnel matter, there will be no further comment. We still wanted to hear from the district's top official. So we went to last week's school board meeting. I'm here to speak to Superintendent Innello. You have not directly responded to any of my calls or my emails. You have received numerous complaints about Kenneth Turnage. And I want to ask you, has he been disciplined?

We can't talk about him. He is accused of putting one of his employees' desk on a roof using district resources. What was your reaction to? to that? Several employees feel he has not been properly disciplined because he has a close relationship to you as well as to your husband, a former Antioch police chief. How do you respond to that? These employees say the silence makes them more uneasy. I'm ready for complete retaliation. I'm scared what he's going to do to me. NBC Bay Area's Candice Wynn joins top story tonight.

So Candice, we're hearing that there's now a disciplinary meeting that was scheduled after your report aired? That's right. Just hours ago, the board president of the school board, he called me. He told me that he is now calling for a special meeting tomorrow. Board members will get together to talk about possible disciplinary and even possible removal action of a public employee. Now, right now, school officials can't specify who that employee is, but they told me it is. is a result of our report, Tom. All right, Candice,

win tonight here on Top Story. Candice, we appreciate all your reporting. Coming up next, we're going to take you right into the future. The latest generation of the humanoid robot Atlas, looking like something out of a sci-fi movie, but its creators say it's going to be used to do some very real manual labor. The major automaker that's already hired that bot. That's next.

All right, we're back now with Top Stories Global Watch and a tsunami alert in Indonesia as a volcano erupts on a remote island. Officials say the volcano has erupted several times, raising fears it could collapse into the sea, triggering that tsunami. Authorities closing a nearby airport and ordering more than 11,000 people to evacuate, so far no injuries or deaths have been reported. Police in Southeast Germany have arrested two suspected Russian spies in the state of Bavaria. Authorities say the dual German Russian citizens are accused of plotting bombing and arson attacks on U.S. military facilities in Germany in hopes of sabotaging aid for Ukraine. Prosecutors say they were in contact with a person linked to the Russian intelligence group. The Kremlin has not yet responded to those allegations. And bone fragments discovered by a child on a U.K. beach turning out to be an ancient fossil that's more than 200 million years old.

Researchers now say the jawbone found by a girl and her father. father on a beach in Somerset in 2016 was from a gigantic marine reptile. They estimated it measured between 72 and 85 feet, which could have put in the ranks of one of the largest creatures on the planet. Okay, from ancient fossils to the cutting edge of technology, robotics company Boston Dynamic unveiling a new model of the Atlas robot, an electric upgrade of a robot we've seen dance and stumble throughout the years, this one even landing a job with a major car manufacturer. Romo has the nuts and bolts of this story.

When the Atlas robot first arrived on scene in 2013, its futuristic humanoid look wowed tech enthusiasts all over the world. Over the years, Boston Dynamic releasing clip after clip, showing the hydraulically powered bipedel robot running, dancing, and doing so much more, including parkour. But now as that generation of Atlas, This goes offline. A brand new, fully electric version is rising to take its place. Every roboticist that I've spoken to about this thus far, they've all been incredibly impressed by just that really short video. This atlas has a sleeker design, a new round head, and is stronger with a broader range

of motion according to the company. The movement and look immediately drawing comparisons online to the killer cyborgs from the Terminator movie franchise. But unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger's iconic character or this talking robot from UK company engineered arts. I'm good. Today I am doing drawing. The Atlas models aren't designed to simulate human interactions using AI, but are instead

intended for manual labor. In fact, Atlas was originally created for a military research competition to be used in natural disasters. This latest evolution of Atlas will be tested in a real world factor. setting, partnering with Hyundai to continue improving its applications. Historically, what's happened here is new technologies come into different industries. They either replace or augment those jobs, and then new jobs are created around them. And this isn't the first Boston Dynamic Robot to get a job.

Their dog-like robot spot is used by some police departments. This one used by Massachusetts State Police getting shot last month, which officers say may have saved a real dog or a human from getting a bullet. Robotics have been used in factories for decades, but humanoid robots are a new frontier. Agility robotics, which already has a pilot program with Amazon, has its digit robot even doing hands-on tasks. Any packets that you get delivered to you at this point, especially those from Amazon, has been touched by a robot at some points. Boston Dynamic has not yet said when Atlas will be available to buy. And for an average consumer, experts expect the cost to be out of reach. If I had to ballpark these kinds of robots,

I would say we're talking, you know, probably hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably a rental fee, but again, still out of most people's price ranges. All right, Stephen, Robo joins us down studio, Stephen, those robots, they're just so incredible. Do we, I want to hone in on this a little more. Do we know what types of jobs are going to do? I know you mentioned manual labor there. Yeah, something a lot of people are asking. It looks like this is geared toward the auto industry in particular. It's not clear exactly what these robots can do.

We just have this 30, 40-second clip right now, but they are stronger and more agile than their predecessor. So it seems like they'll be able to do a lot. The company is saying they can tackle dirty, dangerous, and dull jobs. But humans have those jobs right now. Another consideration in this new technology. Yeah, can they report or anchor the news? No, we have to find out about that one. All right, because we like you, Stephen.

We don't want to see Atlas here. All right. When we come back, Caitlin Clark Fever, since she was picked first in the WNBA draft, her jersey has sold out, tickets for her first game with the Indiana Fever, selling for $3,000. The new rumors she could soon sign an eight-figure deal and get her own shoe. Can you guess the company? That's next. All right, finally tonight, the Caitlin Clark Fever is on.

From ticket sales to jerseys, the WNBA's number one. draft pick is turning up the heat in basketball, obsessed Indiana and across the country, really, as NBC's Guadvenegas reports, the rookie is already on a path to superstardom and could be one step closer to the deal of a lifetime. Check it out. The Indiana fever select Caitlin Clark. After going to Indiana as the number one draft pick, Caitlin Clark's popularity is now reaching a fever pitch. She's just a great shooter overall, great players. She's a team player. that about her. The athletic reporting, the 22-year-old basketball star, is nearing a lucrative eight-figure endorsement deal with giant Nike that would include a signature shoe, which would

see her joining the ranks of sports legends like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Serena Williams. Please welcome Caitlin Clark. In Indiana, excited fans lining up to get their hands on number 22 merch. So I got the Clark Effect T-shirt, and then we got the hat for my dad because he wanted it. She's also shattering sales online. Sportswear retailer fanatics says her Indiana Fever jersey is their top-selling jersey for a first-round draft pick ever and that they're already sold out. At times, like, it doesn't feel real. I don't know. I think the biggest thing, like, I try to remember is, like, how grateful I am to have this opportunity.

Fans might also have to shell out some big bucks to see the star play. Some court-time tickets to the fever home opener now listed for a whopping $3,000 on ticket, resale. I expect, you know, big numbers this summer and, you know, I think just people couldn't be more excited about where this organization is going. Clark expected to dominate on the court and on the air. The WNBA announcing 36 of the fever's 40 games will be streamed or broadcast nationally the most of any team in the league. Here to comment is Caitlin Clark. Clark already crossing over into mainstream celebrity status with a surprise of on SNL.

I am a fan, Caitlin, by the way. Really, Michael, because I heard that little apron joke you did. And magazines writing splashy articles about her life and boyfriend, but through it all, the Iowa native Clark says she's staying true to her roots. People might think I'm crazy for wanting to stay in the Midwest, but that's just who I am. That's where my roots are. I love the people here. All while giving confidence to a new generation of Indiana basketball stars.

Caitlin Clark's like always been like a mentor to me because she's been really good at basketball and I want to be like her when I'm older. I will be looking for those Caitlin Clark sneakers. I can promise you that. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.