Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, December 12, 2024

Episode Date: December 13, 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 fast-moving snow storm dumping feet of snow prompting a state of emergency. The winter blasts leading to treacherous road conditions. Scary video as a box truck crashes into a fire truck sending first responders running for their lives. The storm dropping visibility. The area is being impacted right now. And the Malibu wildfire raging. We speak with legendary actor Dick Van Dyke recalling the desperate moments he narrating. escaped as the flames closed in on his home.

Also tonight, the new details about the CEO murder suspect, Luigi Mangione's latest petition pushing back against being brought to New York, investigators piecing together how he allegedly got away, the concerns over potential copycats targeting other executives. An American man found in Syria after being imprisoned by the former regime for months. Are Richard Engel speaking with him tonight about what brought him there? and what life was like behind bars. New hope for a potential ceasefire deal. U.S. officials saying Hamas is changing its position

as a result of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, why this time could be different from previous negotiations. The wife of an American-Israeli hostage tells us she hopes her husband will one day see the child he's never met. The shocking video as a bear crashes into a snowboarder at a popular ski resort. That animal charging across the mountain slamming into the rider will tell you what happened next. A man taking a tip out of Santa's book using a chimney to hide from police, but his escape did not go to plan. How he ended up needing to be rescued after getting trapped.

And the Swift effect, Popeye Con Taylor Swift generating billions of dollars globally from her era's tour to the NFL. Even small businesses are profiting off of her own success. The phenomenon changing the economic landscape and entertainment business, so how did she do it? Plus, the major reality star just arrested the charges he now faces. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, millions on high alert as a nasty snowstorm brings dangerous conditions across the Great Lakes. Right now, parts of New York.

are under a state of emergency. Take a look at this. Terrifying video out of Michigan, a box truck losing control, slamming into a fire truck. Firefighters forced to run out of the way just as they were responding to another crash. The box truck driver suffering from minor injuries.

Dozens of cars and semi-truck stuck on a road in upstate New York as the snow quickly piles up. Several drivers spinning out and getting trapped in snow banks. Take a listen. Do you guys just come off the road? road?

No, a couple hours. You've been stuck here for a couple hours? Yeah. We might be able to get you out here in a second. I don't know about you. You're really in there. Those cars were eventually pulled out, but more than a foot of snow is expected in some areas. And those flakes are coming down fast as strong winds quickly reduce visibility.

These videos from I-90 just south of Buffalo, New York, showing just how tough it is to drive right now. This all coming on the heels of last night's storm. that walloped parts of the northeast, this dramatic video of a tunnel in Boston completely flooded. Cars look like they're driving through a river. And out west, crews continue to battle the Malibu wildfire that has forced thousands from their homes. For more on this storm and those fire conditions, we want to begin with NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns. Hey, Bill. Allison, when in western New York can't keep up with the snow, it tells you just how intense and how bad it is. They're the best at clearing snow in the entire country. They get this all the time

every winter, but this has been a fire hose coming off of Lake Erie. You can just see it. It's narrow. It's not wide. It's mostly missed Buffalo, but just south of Buffalo, the snow has been coming down inches per hour for the last 24 hours. Orchard Park right here, home of the Buffalo, builds one of the spots, and right along Interstate 90, those cars were trapped on Route 20. And some of these snow totals are now approaching three feet. Hamburg, New York 28, Eden's on the top of the list at 32, and it is still snowing in all of these areas. So as we go throughout the tonight. We're going to see some additional snowfall in the range of around three to six inches just south of Buffalo, an additional six to 12 just south of Watertown. And the cold air is

continuing to pour in. The lakes aren't frozen yet. And that's why we're getting these intense lake effect bands anytime we get these cold outbreaks. It's still negative 25 wind chill in Duluth. And tomorrow morning, it's going to be very cold in the northeast. Some of the coldest of the season. New York City is going to feel like 18, 11 in Maine, 12, and Vermont, 3 in Buffalo. And the Lake effect snow should be coming to an end as we go throughout tonight into tomorrow morning. The winds will shift directions. It gets a little bit warmer by the time we get to Saturday, but we really don't get significantly warmer until we get towards Sunday. Then we get a break from all of this, Allison.

But yeah, Western New York, very dangerous travel right through the night tonight. All right. We'll keep an eye on all of that, Bill Carrens. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. We're going to turn now to that other breaking news we've been following. New details tonight on the alleged escape route of the CEO shooting suspect. Luigi Mangione. Investigators mapping out how they believe he managed to evade police for five days. It all comes as fears mount over threats made against other high-profile executives. NBC's Stephanie Gossk has the latest.

Tonight, new details about how police say Luigi Mangione fled New York City after allegedly murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The NYPD said they lost the shooter after he took off from the scene on an e-bike into Central Park, ending up at a bus station in uptown Manhattan. The chief of detectives now says Mangione got on the subway from there and went back downtown, revealing the details in an interview with NBC News as Jonathan Deans. We believe he may have taken the subway back to Penn Station and then made his way to Philadelphia from there. The chief says he then traveled west to Pittsburgh and then back east to Altoona, withdrawing

money from an ATM and paying for everything with cash along the way. When Mangione was arrested five days after the murder, police say he had thousands of dollars in his bag. He also had this gun, according to police. The chief laying out how the NYPD Crime Lab matched it to shell casings left behind at the murder scene. That is by an NYPD detective test firing that gun and then matching the ejection marks from the casings to the casings that we fired. He says they still don't know where Mangione got the weapon. The gun itself, it is a ghost gun. It is a receiver that comes from a gun manufacturer from parts, and then the gun was built

up from a 3D printer. As the case takes shape against Mangione in New York, the alleged murderer remains in a Pennsylvania prison. Today, his attorney filed a petition contesting his detention. Arguing Pennsylvania has not proven Mangione was in New York the day of the murder or provided probable cause that he was responsible for the crime. A hearing for extradition has been scheduled for December 30th. New York Governor Kathy Hochel says she's been coordinating with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Governor and I both want him brought back to New York as soon as possible. And there is real concern officials say that there could be copycat violence. This incident has created a torrent of online reactions, many of which cross over into a more uncomfortable realm of territory. that we would think of as closer to threats. The support for Mangione ranges from shared anger over the health care industry to actually being sympathetic towards the violence, according to Clint Watts, an expert on cybersecurity. What we're seeing, which is always the most dangerous situation is people either condoning violence or maybe mobilizing to violence. That's where the concern is right now, that contagion

effect that could take off. And Stephanie Gossk joins us now from holidays. Pennsylvania. Stephanie, did we get more information from the police about the months leading up to this alleged crime? Yeah, Alison, we learned a couple of things from the chief. He said that the family filed a missing persons report on Luigi Mangione. And we also learned that when he arrived in New York City on November 24th, that was 10 days before the murder, he knew exactly when and where the United Health Care Conference was set to begin, Allison.

Stephanie Gossk in Pennsylvania. Thank you. Turning now to those drone sightings over New Jersey and other East Coast states, they're not only causing concern, but there's growing frustration over the lack of information about them. NBC News, Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Noble's reports on the lawmakers now also demanding answers. This is over my house right now. Tonight, as mysterious drones continue to pop up in the skies over the East Coast. Now it's over and over my other neighbor's house. Lawmakers in Washington are growing frustrated that the Biden administration isn't explaining what they are. You've seen the Internet's running wild with conspiracy theories and that do you feel like the administration needs to fill that void? Well, I think they should get out something as quickly as they can. Theories are running wild about what the flying objects may be. One New Jersey congressman said they were being launched by an Iranian mothership off the Atlantic coast.

The White House today saying an investigation is underwent. way, but there is no cause for alarm. Right now, there's just no indication that this is some sort of foreign malign activity or, in fact, even criminal. Adding the objects being seen in the sky aren't even necessarily drones. It appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft that are being operated lawfully. And while the Pentagon has said they aren't military drones and they do not come from a foreign threat, senators like New York's Kirsten Gillibrand are demanding more information. We cannot simply say, well, they're not causing any harm. Well, do we know that? What are they doing? And who's sending them? And Ryan Nobles joins us now from

Capitol Hill. Ryan, what else can you tell us about investigations being done by the government into these drones? Yeah, Alison, the FBI has said that they are conducting an investigation. They expect to receive support from the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security. But at this point, they have not revealed any information as to what that probe has discovered at this point, which means the mystery as to what is in the skies over the East Coast continues. Allison? Ryan Nobles on Capitol Hill. Thank you. Heading overseas now to Syria, where a missing American man has been found after he says he was held for months by the Assad regime.

But there is still no word tonight about American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared there almost two decades at almost 12. years ago. NBC News, chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel spoke to the freed American and has this report from Damascus. As we drove through Damascus, looking for information about missing American journalist Austin Tice, suddenly a video appeared online. An unidentified group claimed to have found an American who'd been held by the former regime. We immediately contacted our sources.

Information is coming in piecemeal, the latest, that we just heard, is that, yes, an American was found, but not Tice, a different American who'd been traveling in the region on some sort of pilgrimage. He was in a small house packed with rebels, aid workers, and journalists. And there on the floor was Travis Timmerman from Missouri. As I pushed in, I knocked our microphone, making it buzz. Was it been seven months you've been here? Yes, I was in prison for seven months, but it's been okay.

I'm on a pilgrimage, and that's when I was arrested. Timmerman says he crossed into Syria from Lebanon without a visa. What did they do to you once you were picked up? I was interviewed to see if I was a political actor, but then they cleared me, essentially, and then I was just held in prison. I wasn't beaten. Timmerman was freed on Monday when the rebels overthrew the government and broke into jails to free political prisoners.

It was found today walking barefoot and alone. Last night I slept outside, and then the night before that, I slept with a friend, and the night before that I slept in an abandoned apartment. Have you been in touch with your family? I haven't, but I plan to do that when I can. I was excited, but I was her. Late today, we spoke to his mother and stepfather back in the U.S. You always want your kids safe, you know.

I don't know. I don't know if he's safe right now. He said this was a religious mission. Was this sort of like following in the footsteps of Jesus, the road to Damascus, that kind of thing? Well, I've heard the word of God. He was taken outside to Cheers. Now a free man after his religious journey met the harsh reality of the modern Middle East. Timmerman told us he didn't see any other Americans while held captive by the Assad regime

and knows nothing about the whereabouts of Austin Tice. Alison. Richard Engel in Syria, thank you. Concerns are mounting around which forces will fill the power vacuum left by Assad's ouster. For more on Syria's future, let's bring in Matthew Levitt. He is the director of counterterrorism and intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Matthew, I want to start by asking you about some new reporting from our partners at Sky News. In an interview with Sky, the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic forces, warned that ISIS is trying to

to exploit the turmoil in Syria. We also understand that U.S. Central Command struck dozens of ISIS targets, they say, to prevent the terror group from regaining a foothold after the Assad regime fell. Talk to us about ISIS and their involvement there in Syria. How concerned are you about the possibility of what we're hearing from our partners at Sky News of them sort of regaining a foothold there? I'm quite concerned, and we're hearing it not just from Sky News, but from from U.S. officials. There's a reason that Central Command has carried out so many airstrikes since the fall

of the Assad regime. The concern is that in this vacuum that happens, as Hayat-Tahr-Al-Shan, the main rebel group that is now controlling much of the country sets itself in power, that the Islamic State could take this as an opportunity to push out of the areas it controls and attack other places. Remember that the Kurdish militias in Syria are the ones who are holding many ISIS prisoners in detention camps. And that if the rebels now holding Damascus choose to fight the Kurdish rebels, you could find a situation where some of these ISIS prisoners get out.

Already the Kurdish fighters, General Muslim, have said that they've had to stop fighting ISIS in the past few days for instead having to focus on being attacked by Turkey and Turkish-backed militias. So in this vacuum, we're all very concerned about what the Islamic state might do. You know, when I first started seeing reports of Assad leaving, I did think back to Senator John McCain when he was alive, often making the argument that he thought the United States should have gone in earlier and tried to arm some of the rebels that the United States could potentially work with in the earlier period of the Civil War. That obviously did not happen under the Obama administration or administration's past, but I'm curious when you look at some

of the things that you mentioned from the Kurds and where they're guarding Syrian prisoners and the lack of support they say they have and just the situation in terms of who is the right person to step in now, who is an ally that the West would support. Are we in this situation and this confusion in some part, in your opinion, because of U.S. policy in the region? And what should U.S. policy look like here going forward? Look, I think it's a little too easy to criticize U.S. policy passed. There were, in fact, efforts where the CIA provided certain types of weapons to certain elements of what was then the Free Syrian Army, and they lost them very quickly. They fell back very quickly.

It didn't work. Today, the U.S. has very clear policy interests in making sure that the Hayat-Tahrir al-Sham government, this is a group that came out of al-Qaeda, broke with al-Qaeda, but it's still jihadist, that it does not allow Syria to become. a safe haven for terrorism, that it continues to crack down on the actual al-Qaeda elements, Hurasadine and Islamic State, that it respects minorities and women, that it allows humanitarian aid in, and that it makes sure that Syria in no way threatens its neighbors, not Turkey, not Jordan, not Israel. These are very clear policy interest that Secretary Blinken has been pushing to all of our allies in the region very, very clearly. And he and other U.S. officials are in the region right now to try and coordinate with our allies on our policy moving forward, how to

help Syria get to that point. But we need to be wary that people who are running Syria now were al-Qaeda. They're not anymore, but they're still jihadists. And so we're not going to take them just at their word. We want to see actual actions. And based on those actions, we can consider things like removing some of the sanctions. But sanctions removal has to be earned, not gifted. What do you think is most important from the United States perspective or even other possible allies who could play a role in this, say, Turkey, for them to see in the coming weeks as it relates to who is stepping in to fill this power vacuum? The first thing is to make sure we're all on the same page, because Turkey, for example, is going to have an immediate interest in pushing back on the Kurdish militias. The SDF, we, the United States, have been working with very, very closely to fight the Islamic State. They've been the most effective fighters on the ground fighting the Islamic State.

And so we're going to have to negotiate that with Turkey. But together, moving forward, we need to make sure that Syria is stabilized, that the various rebel groups, it's not just one, are able to get together, put together a transition government that is respecting minority rights, respecting religious freedom, respecting women, accommodating all of the Syrians who are flowing back into the country, who have been displaced by the Assad regime. and making sure that Syria is not a place that is a threat to Syrians or to others in the region. Matthew Levitt. Thank you so much for your time and insights. We appreciate it. We want to stay in the Middle East where hope for a ceasefire in Gaza is growing.

Biden's national security advisor tonight says Hamas has changed its approach to negotiations following the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, but the situation for hostages growing increasingly desperate. Arraf Sanchez spoke to the family of one Israeli Americans still trapped inside of Gaza, marking the bittersweet birthday of his one-year-old daughter, who he has never met. Tonight, far from the noise and chaos of revolutionary Syria, U.S. and Israeli officials say there's quiet momentum towards a ceasefire deal in Gaza. President Biden's national security advisor meeting today with Israel's prime minister, saying the recent agreement to end a year. A year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has breathed new life into negotiations on Gaza.

Hamas's posture at the negotiating table did adapt following the announcement of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. From that moment forward, we've had a different character to the negotiation, and we believe that it puts us in a position to be able to close this negotiation. The push, bipartisan. President-elect Trump demanding an agreement by the time he's inaugurated on January 20th. A deal would bring desperately needed relief to Palestinian civilians as winter closes in and Israeli airstrikes continue. The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 30 people were killed in the last day. While 101 hostages remain in Gaza, including three Americans, still thought to be alive, Idaan Alexander, Keith Siegel, and 36-year-old Sagi Dekyllhan. This week, Sigi's family marking a bittersweet birthday.

His baby daughter, Shahar, turning one. She was born two months after her father was kidnapped on October 7th. Sigi has never held her, seen her face, and may not even know she's alive. It's unbelievable situation for young kids to understand. For 433 days, Segui's wife Abital has held their family together alone. How I can stand near to the table with cake and balloon and present and, you know, and in the same time, my husband needs to survive. Caring for little Shahar and her two older sisters.

The hardest questions come from several. year old bar. She asked me why daddy is not here. She asked me, are you think he's blindfolded or he's hitting him? She has a very vivid, detailed sense. Three-year-old galley, overwhelmed. I want my daddy, she sobs. This was a hard moment for me and I decided to show that.

People must know this is my. This is my life. Present is an album. Every year, Avital and Sagi made their daughter's photo albums on their birthdays. This year, a struggle to make Shahar's album without a single photo of her with her father. It's not possible to give her a present an album without her father. An album waiting to be finished and a family waiting to be made whole. And Raf Sanchez joins us now from Tel Aviv.

Raf, you mentioned in your report that President Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, met with Prime Minister Netanyahu today. What more can you tell us about Sullivan's movements in the region and any discussions he may have had as it relates to a possible ceasefire? So, Alison, Sullivan is going to go on to both Egypt and Qatar. And Qatar is especially significant because you might remember they have been the mediators since October 7th, but they actually backed away from the process a few weeks ago saying neither Hamas nor Israel seems serious about a deal. They are indicating now that there is seriousness.

And Israeli official tells me that there is more flexibility on both sides. The Israelis prepared to show a bit of willingness about potentially removing troops from the Egypt-Gaza border, which had been a major sticking point. And Hamas potentially prepared to live with some kind of Israeli military presence inside Gaza. I can tell you something else Sullivan told us, which was actually fairly encouraging. He said that this is genuinely a bipartisan effort that the Biden White House is really working hand-in-glove with the incoming Trump administration to try to get this deal over the line. President-elect Trump has actually created a certain sense of urgency saying that there is going

to be, quote, hell to pay if there is not a deal by the time he is sworn in on January 20th. And Sullivan said he has been working very, very closely with Congressman Mike Walts, who is Trump's national security advisor incoming on this issue, trying to get a hostage shield, trying to get a ceasefire over the line. Awesome. Important reporting. Raf Sanchez, thank you. Still ahead tonight, the new civil cases just filed against hip-hop mogul Sean Diddy Combs, three men accusing Diddy of drugging and sexually assaulting them while they were unconscious. One of the accusers speaking out tonight.

Plus, the suspect trying to escape police, but getting stuck inside a chimney, how he was eventually rescued by the same officers he was trying to avoid. And facing the music, the multi-million dollar copyright battle between major record labels and a nonprofit working to digitize old records. The hundreds of artists now rallying behind that organization, stay with us. We're back now with the growing allegations against Sean Diddy Combs. Three men now claiming they were sexually assaulted by the music mogul in a recent slew of lawsuits that were filed today. Tonight, one of those men is speaking out to NBC's Chloe Malas.

Tonight, three men accusing Sean Diddy Combs of rape and sexual assault, according to separate civil lawsuits filed Thursday. The suits alleged Diddy plied them with doctor drinks, then attacked them while they were unconscious. They were all very consistent, frighteningly consistent. New York-based attorney Thomas Jifra represents the three anonymous accusers. He would lure people. He would hit them with the drinks, knock them out, and the next thing, all three of these guys, same thing. They'd wake up and he'd be raping them. Kind of difficult for me.

Tonight, one of the new accusers speaking exclusively to NBC News. Can you explain to everyone why you don't want to reveal your identity? Well, at the top of the list, it's definitely shame. and embarrassing, and also, too, you know, he is connected to very nefarish people. In early 2020, he says he met with Combs at a hotel in Times Square, seeking payment for Aaron-type work he had completed for Diddy. He says the discussion was cordial, and he had a drink. Within two minutes, I start to feel like just very tired, very sleepy.

You know, mind you, I'm not under the impression that I'm being drugging anything like that. He says he was so groggy that he laid down on the couch. When I finally kind of came to, I can feel myself being humped, and I could feel I was penetrated. And, you know, I'm still kind of like groggy, but I'm kind of coming out of it. He's behind me, penetrating me. I'm like, hey, like, what's... And the thing that sticks in my head today,

the phrase that just rattles in my brain all the time is, is I'm almost done. Just stop, just stop moving. I'm almost finished. In a statement to NBC news, Combs' lawyers said, these complaints are full of lies. We will prove them false and seek sanctions against every unethical lawyer

who filed fictional claims against him. Combs has denied all of the allegations against him. He says that this is all a money grab. People just want to come after him for a payday. What do you say to that? Well, I mean, you know, as someone who tries to be fair, look at some of these high-publicized cases, you know, I do think that there are some people

who just pop up out of the sky would also. So fake-tissor stories, what I can tell you is that's not me. It's not my situation. There are now more than a dozen civil cases that have been filed against Combs, and he remains in jail awaiting trial on federal charges, including sex trafficking. He's pleaded not guilty. Ellison? Chloe Malas, thank you.

Now to a music copyright controversy, major label suing a San Francisco-based nonprofit for collecting and posting thousands of old records from classic artists online. The organization saying their project preserves music history for the public's benefit. But record companies, they allege the practice amounts to theft with a multi-million dollar price tag. Hello, ground grandpa. This is sunny playing Christmas carols, especially for Yule. For years, the Internet Archive has been working to digitize and post online early sound recordings like this. For founder Brewster, Kale, those imperfections are welcome, even celebrated.

This is where the roots come from. This is what America sounded like scratchiness and all. Those scratches and pops telltale signs of early 78 RPM records. You know, with the crank, the horn, the dog, those, the things that have been obsolete since 1950s. And we wanted to preserve these and bring them to a new. generation. Their collection, the Great 78 project, is made up of more than 400,000 historic recordings. Like this, Frank Sinatra V-Disc recorded specifically for American troops serving overseas in World War II. But now some of that vintage music technology is at the

center of a modern copyright battle, a $621 million lawsuit, from major record labels, alleging the, quote, wholesale theft of generations of music under the guise of preservation and research. It's very unlikely that any judge would award the full amount in a case like this, especially because there is no use for profit. It doesn't appear that they are commercially benefiting off of this copyright. So in that situation, the nobility of the cause could play a role in that the fees and the fines and the violations, the damages applied, likely wouldn't be that absolute.

The lawsuit targeting just 4,000 of the songs from acts like Billy Holiday, Elvis Presley, and Ella Fitzgerald. Already, the Internet Archive has taken down all the recordings that they've asked for, even more than that. Things that they've mentioned, whole record labels we've taken down. This is not the first time the Internet Archive has faced copyright litigation. Just last week, the San Francisco-based nonprofit said its ending, a lengthy legal battle with publishers over a now shuttered program to digitally lend out books. In a statement to NBC News, the Recording Industry Association of America drawing a parallel to that case, writing, quote, just as the Internet Archive's supposed emergency library of copyrighted

books was recently ruled unlawful by a federal judge, its Great 78 project is yet another mass infringement scheme that has no basis in law. I think the argument that the plaintiff have in both of those lawsuits are very similar. And the defenses are also very similar. Whether or not you aim to act as a library or again, aim for noble cause to distribute this music freely with that profit for yourself, you still need to respect the copyright of the owners. But supporters of the archive worry about what it means for tens of thousands of older songs that have a digital home. I wonder what's going to happen to all of this music 40, 50, 100 years from now. More than 500 independent artist, including Amanda Palmer, the lead singer of the punk band, The Dresden Dolls,

are now calling on the record labels to drop the lawsuit in an open letter. Also, signing on, pop duo Tegan and Sarah, and rock group Eve Six. And we love the idea of an organization that's created to protect the longevity of the music that we make, the songs we write. And the major labels are never going to have to think that far ahead. I'm glad to see the musicians coming together and saying, don't do this in our name. In organization documenting the past, now grappling with its future. When we returned, the scare on the slopes, a startling video of the moment a bear races across a ski trail slamming right into a snowboarder.

We'll tell you what happened right after that collision. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and Vanderpump Rules reality star James Kennedy arrested over an alleged domestic violence incident. Police in California confirming to NBC news that the 32-year-old DJ was arrested on misdemeanor charges Tuesday night after officers responded to a call about a quote argument between a man and a woman. The star was released after posting a $20,000 bond. for Kennedy have not yet commented. And in Massachusetts, a Santa Claus style escape from police ended with that man trapped on Tuesday night. Body camera footage shows a man stuck in a narrow

chimney after attempting to use it as a hiding spot from officers. Authorities say they were serving a search warrant when two men ran from the house and climbed onto the roof. First responders eventually pulled that man to safety. He was taken to the hospital and later booked on multiple charges, including drug possession. And a consumer alert, Stanley recalling more than two million of its mugs due to faulty lids. The recall includes the switchback and trigger actions, stainless steel travel mugs sold in the United States between June of 2016 up until now. The company saying it has received reports of lids detaching during use, resulting in almost

40 burn injuries worldwide. The recall covers the 12, 16, and 20 ounces. cups. More information is available on NBCNews.com. And over the weekend, a scary collision between a snowboarder and a bear caught on camera at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe, California. Look at this video showing two snowboarders rapidly going downhill when a black bear suddenly appears from behind crashing into one of the skiers before taking off running. Thankfully, no one was injured and both snowboarders kept going. That bear also seemed to be okay as it continued running away. Turning overseas now to South Korea,

where protests continue to escalate as many call for the president to step down after his failed attempt to declare martial law. But the resident tonight saying that he will, quote, fight to the end. NBC News international correspondent Danielle Hamamjan has more. In South Korea tonight,

protesters clashing yet again with police as the nation's embattled leader remains defiant. demonstrators in the capital soul pushing towards President Yun-Suk-Yul's home, demanding his impeachment after he shocked the world by putting the country under martial law earlier this month. Once saying, police are setting up barricades and stopping us from moving forward. I'm here as a citizen. This latest round of protests sparked by President Yun's address on Thursday,

in which he declared, I will fight to the end, doubling down after surviving one impeachment attempt and now facing a second. Police raiding Yun's offices earlier this week as the president now faces a criminal investigation over the martial law order that send troops to the streets of Seoul and would have banned political activity and censored the media. The declaration was rescinded just six hours later. The first person to be arrested was the former defense minister who attempted suicide in a sole detention center earlier this week. Yun, who's deeply unpopular here, justified his martial law order by in part accusing opposition parties of being North Korean sympathizers, but not many

are buying it. His own party leader calling for Yun to be suspended immediately. South Koreans are still outraged by the president's announcement made late in the evening on December 3rd. Citizens

holding troops off outside parliament as lawmakers tried to find a way in some climbing through windows in order to vote down the declaration. This has been the most severe political crisis South Korea has faced in decades. The country's been a linchpin of regional stability and a critical ally to the United States. You know, the Biden administration has had

a very good relationship with the UN team. There's been a natural chemistry between the two and a lot has been accomplished during this administration. And what to expect under the new administration is unclear, especially given the growing calls for President Yun to be impeached. Danielle Hamamjan, NBC News. Staying overseas with Top Story's Global Watch, we're starting with the deadly protest in Mozambique. Human rights groups say security forces have killed more than 110 people amid post-election protests.

Mass demonstrations broke out across the country after two opposition leaders were assassinated nine days after the October election. More than 3,500 protesters have been arrested so far. And officials in Ecuador say organized crime groups stole more than $215 million in fuel over the last two years. Thieves allegedly stealing from the country state-run oil company by tapping pipelines, which authorities say they use to make and transport drugs. Criminals also accused of violently attacking oil fields stealing copper and injuring workers. And a teenager from India has become the world's youngest chess champion. Video showing the moment that 18-year-old won the final match of the world.

chess championship in Singapore. He is four years younger than the previous record holder and also holds the title of the world's second youngest grandmaster. He earned that at just 12 years old. When we come back, Hollywood icon Dick Van Dyke detailing his escape from the Malibu Wildfire. The beloved actor saying he tried to crawl to his car to get away but couldn't get up. How his neighbors saved him as the flames closed in. We're back now with Top Stories health check. Tonight, the CDC reporting flu shots among kids hitting a record low in recent years. Just 37% of kids here in the U.S. received a flu vaccination as of November 30th.

That number down from 43% last year. And it all comes following last year's deadly flu season. For more on this, we want to bring an NBC News medical contributor, Dr. Natalie Azar. Dr. Azar, when you look at this data and the flu vaccine specifically among children, It has been kind of trending down for at least the last five years. How concerning is this downward trend? Well, it concerns all of us for a number of different reasons. And I should point out that, you know, we're also following what's happening in the UK.

I know we're going to talk about that in a moment. The majority of the hospitalizations and deaths that are occurring in the UK right now are kids between the ages of 5 and 14. Last year, we had a record high number of pediatric deaths, about 205. Over 80% of those children were not fully vaccinated. And the CDC thinks that's actually an underestimate of how many kids actually probably succumb to the flu last year because not all children are tested for flu when they do die.

And this is my big PSA out there. I get it if people are tired, if you're a parent or a middle-aged, healthy adult, and you're going to forego your flu shot, that's your decision. But for your children and for the children that you might be taking care of, this is incredibly important. even an imperfect flu shot is better than none to protect these kids from hospitalization and from death. And remind people why doctors say that. They call it like herd immunity, right? Explain to me why it's important even if you think you're healthy to get vaccinated to protect maybe a kid in your life.

Right. So I wish that we could talk about herd immunity like we do with measles, right? Like if everyone just got their measles shot, we wouldn't have to get it every year and we would, you know, we would protect, you know, if 98% of us got it, it would be gone, it would be eradicated. It's not quite like that with flu. But suffice it to see. if more people get vaccinated, there is less flu circulating in the environment and less vulnerable people will get sick. And the groups that we talk about are pregnant women, immunocompromise folks, kids under the age of five, and individuals 65 and older. Those are the people that we are vaccinating our healthy selves for to protect those vulnerable populations. I can't emphasize that enough. You mentioned the UK. They're calling what's happening over there a

quodemic, and they mean flu, RSV, and neurovirus, right? What's happening over there? So, so they are seeing right now what the UK is seeing is a pretty significant rise in flu hospitalizations and deaths over what they saw a year ago at this time. What happens in Europe is very likely going to be mirrored here in North America. You know, a lot of times we follow or we make predictions about the flu season based on what happened in the southern hemisphere. This past year, the Southern Hemisphere, had a pretty predictably bad season.

So we're not anticipating a season that's worse for us here, Ellison, than in previous years. But this is the time. This is the time that we start to see that uptick. Vaccination rates in the UK aren't that great. For people under the age of 65, only 22% are getting vaccinated. It's not good enough. Usually this year we're targeting at about 50% of adults getting vaccinated. As we mentioned for kids, 39% of kids are getting vaccinated this year.

significantly lower than last year and much, much too low, but we have time to make it up. Flu season is early. We are not nearly out of the woods yet. If you get vaccinated now, you'll be protected for the holidays. So when you look at the quademic in the United Kingdom and the impact of RVS, RSV, norovirus, flu, and COVID, should Americans look at that and say, okay, it's time now, even if we missed what we thought was the window to get vaccinated for the flu or COVID, we should all still go? A hundred percent. A hundred percent. So for flu and COVID, it is definitely not too late. RSV is a one and done. So if you're older and you got the RSV vaccine last year, great. You're protected. You don't need to get that repeated. Norovirus, the most common

culprit of foodborne illness in this country, hand washing, hand washing, handwashing, and staying home if you're sick. You certainly don't want to get more than one of these bugs at the same time. You're going to feel pretty crummy. Dr. Natalie Azar, thank you. Next to another story emerging from those devastating wildfires in Malibu, California. The erratic wind men-driven Franklin fire, forcing thousands to flee. We're hearing the harrowing tales of neighbors helping neighbors, and in this case, a national treasure. NBC news is Dana Griffin sat down with the one and only Dick Van Dyke, who credits his neighbors with saving him from those flames. Yeah. Wow. You want to sit down or? On the eve of his 99th birthday, beloved actor Dick Van Dyke

invited us inside his Malibu home. What a ham. Oh my gosh, she's so sweet. The screen legend, known for America's most classic film and television roles, now sharing the harrowing moment. He narrowly evacuated this week's wildfire in Malibu. I forgot how old I am, and I realized I was crawling to get out. What are you like, 20-something? Up here. As the wind-driven Franklin fire came down the canyon behind his home,

I have a fire hose that hooks up to my pool. Then Dyke tried to douse, but it proved. proved too much. I thought, my God, I'm not going to make it out of here because I was trying to crawl to the car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn't get up. Three neighbors came and carried me out and came back and put out a little fire in the

guest house and saved me. Thank God for them. This ring camera capturing Van Dyke and his wife scrambling to flee with their pets. I don't think it would have made it. He credits his fast-acting neighbors for saving his life and home. The living museum. which holds seven decades of showbiz memorabilia. God bless them, and thank you for saving my life.

A community coming together when they needed each other most. Dana Griffin, NBC News, Malibu, California. When we return, the Taylor Swift Effect, a new documentary exploring how the pop star's global impact goes far beyond her music, how her record-setting eras tour boosted economies all around the world. Finally, tonight, 2024 has truly been the year of Taylor Swift. Her sold-out era's tour just wrapped up after nearly two years, stopping in 19 countries with more than 10 million fans in attendance and grossing more than $2 billion.

The global superstars' cultural and economic impact has been record-shattering. And a new docu-series from NBC Universal Local called The Swift Effect looks to explore this impact both on and off the stage. Here's a snippet. No other artist in the history of music has been able to have this kind of effect on the world. The local economies are benefiting, NFL headquarters. Advertisers are loving this. How has she been able to change the game with her fan base, with her music?

That's a Taylor Swift effect. Joining us now is the producer of that series, Cody Broadway. Cody, thanks so much for being here. I mean, just to start, talk to me about this series. We saw that, a trailer, the snippet of it there. What can and what should viewers expect from this series? Yeah, first of all, thank you so much for having me. This documentary series has just been really a project that has come together over the last few months.

Originally, it was going to be one single documentary, and as we started digging further into this, we realized that there's so much to tell when it comes to the swift effect. So in this series, we look at Taylor Swift, breaking the mold in episode one. Episode two, we dig into her impact on the NFL and the rise and viewership there, as well as the jersey cells of Travis Kelsey. And then we look at what she's doing on the educational side and how classrooms across America and actually around the world are starting to have a Taylor Swift course. And then we wrap this whole series up with what is next for Taylor Swift.

You know, a lot of people are probably looking at this and no shade on Taylor Swift, but thinking, don't we know everything? There was a dedicated Taylor Swift reporter at, I think, USA Today. There was the Taylor Swift Era's tour documentary. There's tons of news reports about this everywhere. What makes this different? Yeah, so whenever we were looking into this as a potential story to tell, we were trying to figure out what hasn't been told. And one thing that we started to realize, especially on the documentary side, is that there hasn't been an area where we show everything that she has impacted and touched beyond music. There's been lots of reports, as you mentioned, that have come out about, you know, what she does to local markets.

But as far as beyond that, the classroom setting, you know, what are our students learning in these classrooms? What are they taken away from this that they can take into the real world? And also, we dig further into the NFL. And, you know, there's a lot of people that love having Taylor shown, and there's a lot of people that don't like Taylor being shown on screen. So we look into, you know, what is the mindset and the thought behind that when it comes to the producing side of these NFL games? Do you think this is a unique to Taylor cultural and economic impact? Are there any similarities where we've seen, you know, say, Beyonce, other big icons, Michael Jackson, that have had such a big impact? or is Taylor really leaps and bounds above what we've seen in the past, and do you think it will be replicated in the future?

You know, I think that she's laying a good blueprint for the future, for other artists, to be able to take that ownership moving forward. You know, Beatlemania was a big thing that happened, and also Michael Jackson, those are some of the names that people in the documentary kind of compare her to, but we're starting to see that she is breaking records, you know, with Eric. Tour, for example, seeing the numbers that are coming out of that, that are still being calculated, are just unbelievable. And the impact that she has on all the cities that she stops at are similar to what we're seeing with Super Bowl numbers when a Super Bowl stops at a city. And this is all, you know, from a single tour stop that we're seeing. Really fascinating stuff.

Cody, Broadway, thank you so much for joining us. And you at home, you can watch the first two episodes of the Swift Effect on Peacock right now. Thank you so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way.