Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, December 21, 2023

Episode Date: December 22, 2023

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

Tonight, the shooting massacre at a university in Prague. New video shows students running for cover at Charles University in the city's old town after a suspect began opening fire on campus. A group seen crouching on the side of the building in an attempt to escape the bullets. At least 14 people dead and dozens injured in what officials are calling the worst mass shooting in modern Czech Republic history. The attack carried out by a student at the school who authorities believe active. alone. Investigators now looking into other murders he may be connected to. Back here at home, a wet winter storm threatening holiday travel along the west coast. 26 million people under flood alerts on one of the busiest travel days of the season. Nearly three million people

passing through TSA checkpoints today alone. When will the rain let up? Bill Carrance is standing by. Border emergency, more than 12,000 migrants entering the U.S. per day for three straight days. Some processing facilities along the southern border at three times the capacity, forcing hundreds of people to sleep out in fields in freezing temperatures. Texas now flying some of them to Chicago as that city already struggles to house tens of thousands of migrants in their shelter system. Why border officials fear the nonstop flow of people will only get worse over Christmas and New Year's. Serial killer victim identified, a set of remains linked to the infamous Green River killer, now confirmed to be those of a teenage girl who ran away from home in the early 1980s, how authorities finally made the match after four decades.

Plus, Harvard's president, Claudine Gay, facing mounting allegations of plagiarism. Our interview with a professor at Vanderbilt University, who alleges Gay stole two passages of her work, and Variety, releasing its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time. The show, ranking in at number one, surprising us. So can you guess it? Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Another busy night. So let's get right to that breaking news. A deadly mass shooting in the Czech capital city of Prague, leaving at least 14 people dead. A gunman opening fire at Charles University, which is located in the heart of the city's popular old town.

This chilling image emerging from the scene, a group of. students balancing on the thin ledge of a building holding on to each other as they tried to hide from the shooter. And here's what we know about that suspect right now. Police say he was a student at the school. They believe he acted alone. He was later found dead. Authorities say that gunman's father was also found dead today and that the suspect may be responsible

for a double homicide last week. As that shooting unfolded, the area surrounding the university evacuated as the city is packed with tourists traveling for the holidays. Late today, the country's prime minister saying, quote, this year's Christmas will be incredibly sad. Tonight, there is a growing memorial outside of that university, a day of morning declared for Saturday, and our Kyr Simmons is in Prague with the breaking details.

Tonight panic in Prague as a gunman opens fire on a college campus, sending people running for cover. Images of terrified students crouching high up on the ledge of a building, witnesses describing the horror. In the middle of the exam, we started hearing gunshots and screams. Eventually, we were able to lock the door and make a barricade. While we were walking out, all I could see, like, you know, on the floor is just covered in blood. The gunman opening fire at the arts faculty of Charles University in the city's old town, where police say he killed 14 people in the Czech Republic's worst mass shooting.

SWAT teams rushing to the scene. Prague's historic old town, usually packed with holiday tourists, locked down as ambulances and police vehicles pour in. The father of one student says he texted his daughter telling her to get on the floor and stay away from windows. Tonight, police say the suspect is dead, that he likely killed himself after the massacre, but that there was a firefight with responding officers and that they found the body of his father earlier.

The White House weighing in late today. Federal authorities are in touch with check authorities as they investigate this incident. And we stand ready to provide additional support as needed. And Kier joins us now from Prague. Kier, what is the latest on the investigation? Well, Alison, that is the school behind me there. And that balcony at the top of the school, that's where you saw those students in my my report and all evening our team have seen forensic officers up there. But Ellison, so far,

the police say there is no sign that there are accomplices or a terror motive for this terrible attack. Kier, there had to be so many different emotions in that city for the people who call it home, what they expected, their sense of safety, all of it probably shattered. What is the mood like in prom right now. You're so right, Alison. This is, to say the least, incredibly unusual here. They haven't seen something like this in modern Czech Republic history. This place would normally be bustling for Christmas.

It is silence tonight. As I drove in, many roads were closed by the police. People walking by, you can see that many simply trying to take in what has happened here today. Here, Simmons, in Prague. Thank you. Back here at home and a major headline in politics, Rudy Giuliani, the once-respected New York mayor and former attorney for Donald Trump, has filed for bankruptcy. This comes after a jury last week slammed Giuliani with a $148 million verdict against him for defaming two former Georgia election workers. For more on this filing

and what it means for Giuliani, NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos joins me now. So, Danny, Talk to us about what is happening here, because there's always a situation where multiple things can be true at once, right? Very possible he absolutely needs to file for bankruptcy. Also seems very likely that this is a legal strategy. How would this help him in a legal sense? Generally speaking, bankruptcy, Chapter 11, in particular, allows somebody to basically file and remain a trustee in possession of their own assets, but what really happens is you're saying

to the world, hey, I don't have enough assets to pay off my liabilities. My liabilities exceed my assets, and I have debtors lined up who want their money. And what happens is there is a very complex system of deciding who among your creditors gets to be in the front of the line and who gets to be in the back of the line. Generally speaking, your secured creditors are at the front. Your unsecured creditors are at the back. So there are different examples, but plaintiff who has won a large monetary judgment, they may not necessarily get paid. But they have to get in line with everybody else according to the priority of those creditors. So it is a really frustrating thing for those creditors to find that they may be closer to the back of the line

and may not ever get paid with the assets that are available. So looking at just what we learned from this filing about Giuliani's finances, some of it is this. He says that he owes creditors just over a million dollars and $700,000 in federal back taxes, $300,000 in delinquent state taxes. He also says in here that he owes Hunter Biden money. And we're hearing some reports possibly that Hunter Biden is now suing Giuliani for disclosing some of this information. When you are filing for bankruptcy, are you able to just not disclose things here and there?

I mean, how transparent do you have to be? Very transparent. And in addition, you can't raid any of those assets. The simplest example is that if you list a home with all the stuff inside of it as part of the bankruptcy estate, you can't go in there and take out some old valuable or some jewelry or something, something that's considered part of the estate and liquidate it and keep it for yourself. That's something bankruptcy courts are very mindful of, is that somebody may declare bankruptcy, but may still be spending money like a spendthrift, like somebody who isn't in bankruptcy.

After all, those kinds of bad decisions are how people arrived in bankruptcy court to begin with. So Rudy Giuliani is now going to be watched. When you declare bankruptcy, that is the price you pay. There are going to be creditors who are going to be lined up, and they're going to learn all about his assets, and he's got to be honest about it. Okay, so let's talk about former President Donald Trump and what is happening in Colorado right now,

and with that ruling from Colorado Supreme Court, deciding to exclude him from the state's Republican presidential primary ballot. So the court has made that decision. NBC News is now learning that his legal team will, file an appeal to the Supreme Court as early as next week. Not a huge surprise because just looking at the timing of when they print ballots in early January, when the first state, Iowa, will vote in the Democratic primary, that being January 15th. Like the timeline here is really short. But I'm curious, what do you think is going to be the legal argument his team is going

to make when they file to have the Supreme Court pick this up? They have a number of legal arguments. And in fact, the Colorado Supreme Court's opinion almost lists them in bullet point what we may expect, and that's at the front of the opinion, the different legal issues that they may raise. For example, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment says that an insurrectionist can't run for office. But there are a number of issues surrounding that. Number one, the Colorado District Court, the lower court, concluded that Trump did engage in insurrection, but it concluded that he is not an officer within the meaning of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. And amazingly, when you look at the text, it lists a lot of different jobs,

including the vice president. It doesn't list the president. That's an argument to be made that a court could go either way on that determination. And on these legal issues, particularly these really novel legal issues, when you appeal them, the court will look at them what's called de novo with fresh eyes. They may not give any deference to the Colorado Supreme Court's determination on those legal issues. And that's just one example. Another example is, is this even something that is justiciable by the courts. There are certain political questions that are firmly committed to certain branches of the government. For example, if a president is impeached and he decided, well, I don't think I should be impeached, I'm going to file suit in district

court. No, that would be dismissed almost certainly because the Constitution says impeachment is solely the province of Congress. The courts have no role in it. So that's another issue. So if you're just counting up all the issues, there's a decent chance of all those different issues that the Supreme Court of the United States could find an issue to hook on to, and any one of those, if reversed, would result in a reversal of the Colorado Supreme Court's opinion. So where do you stand right now, the Colorado Court, if I'm remembering my dates correctly, they said they were going to issue a stay until January 4th.

Colorado prints ballots, though, on January 5th, Iowa, the Republican primary, they start voting in that on the 15th of January. Can the Supreme Court possibly get through this and get through all those legal arguments in a timely manner? You know, Alison, almost every time I'm on air and every legal analyst I think is sharing this feeling, we get asked, how soon? What's the timeline? And the answer to that, if I'm being candid, is, well, if I base it on my personal experience involving cases you've never heard of, the answer is, who knows? The normal appeal to the Supreme Court takes years upon years. Most lawyers never have an opportunity for an expedited appeal to the United States.

Supreme Court. And yet, we have a January 4th deadline, which is days away over the holidays. Good luck getting folks in the Supreme Court House to be excited about working over the holidays over the next few days. And yet, the Supreme Court may have to deal with just that issue. And it looks like nobody's going to go home before 8, 9 o'clock at the Supreme Court House or among Trump's attorneys or really anyone involved in any of these legal hot-button issues that have clocks ticking. And, I mean, clocks, I mean, in a way, just days away from the first deadline. It is mind-boggling when you look at the upcoming dates a lot for them to get through. Danny Savalos, NBC News, legal analysts. Thank you. We appreciate it.

We turn now to the holiday travel crunch and a massive storm system slamming the West Coast, causing air travel delays and cancellations. This as 115 million people expect to travel this Christmas holiday. That is the most since 2019. NBC News correspondent Tom Costello has latest. On the busiest pre-Christmas air travel day, heavy volume in that California rain have led to 3,000 flight delays nationwide, ground delays in Los Angeles and Dallas. Yes, have smoke coming out of one of your inches. On Wednesday, a mid-air emergency as smoke filled the cockpit of a Southwest flight following a bird strike. The plane made a safe landing back in New Orleans. In all, nearly 2.7 million people are moving through TSA checkpoints today.

This is nuts. And it was before 6 a.m. This time of year, every airport has its own challenges. Chicago ORD, the giant of the Midwest. If weather goes bad here, it can be a national choke point. Dallas, Fort Worth, is American Airlines headquarters and major hub. From here worldwide, 6,000 flights. The busiest single runway in America is right here at Reagan National. in Washington, runway one. Here in Baltimore, if the weather goes bad on the east coast, BWA can feel the east coast squeezed between D.C. and New York.

Here at Denver International Airport, the de-icing trucks are ready. One good Colorado snowstorm could slow air travel to a crawl. Here in Florida, nearly every airport has seen record passenger volume this year. Sarasota up nearly 14%. Meanwhile, most Americans are driving with 20,000. driving with 27 states averaging $3 a gallon or less. Some Christmas relief at the pump. Tom Costello, NBC News.

And as Tom mentioned, their heavy rain continuing to soak Southern California, with 26 million people in the southwest still under floodwatches as we head towards the holidays. So let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens, who joins me now in studio. Bill, what's the latest on the track? As we feared, Ellison, it's Southern California, but it's not why it's. spread. I mean, it has been really over the top of Santa Barbara in the mountains to

the north. I just saw a report of a foot of rain already in one location. Many spots 8 to 10. Santa Barbara itself, even the city, six inches of rain. So there's Santa Barbara where it is pouring as we speak. Not a lot has been falling in Los Angeles, but that's going to change. Look at the rain to the south here. So this slow moving storm

will peak tonight and then early tomorrow and then begin to move into Arizona. So there's that flash flowed warning around Santa Barbara. That's where we've had all the damage so far. Everybody else, you still have a chance for similar, but I don't think anyone's going to be as bad as what we're seeing here. I mean, just look at this. Another batch of very heavy rain is going to move up there into the mountainous areas. At one point today, they had an inch and a half of rain in one hour. That's a pretty

impressive rainfall rate. It's like one every 1,000 years for that location. And the travel forecast for this region, again, Friday, L.A., San Diego, and Allison into Phoenix on Saturday. That's where airport cancellations and delays are possible. All right, Bill. So what if you are someone who decided to travel much closer to the holiday? Say you're going to go, Christmas morning or Christmas Eve. What's the outlook a little closer to big holidays? Yeah, so we're going to track that same storm. So here we are Friday. East Coast, no problems. Light rain, Chicago to St. Louis. Louis. But it's warm, weirdly warm. Upper 40s, the low 50s. The storm on Saturday will move into the four-corner region, some snow and areas of Colorado and traveling the high elevations.

Rainy weather, Dallas, Amberla, Oklahoma City. Not bad in the east. Kind of gloomy with cloudy skies in the Ohio Valley. As we head into Christmas Eve, this is when that storm gets really strong. thunderstorms and heavy rain and warm conditions. Look at St. Louis, 65 degrees, but rainy weather on Kansas City. Best chance for a white Christmas. Areas from Colorado, Wyoming, through western Nebraska, western portions of South Dakota, you are expecting snow on Christmas Eve. And then on Christmas Day, just a soaker. I feel bad. It's not great for the kids or anyone else, but soaking rain throughout much of the middle of the country, Ellis. And East Coast, you look okay. That rain comes our way by the time we get to Wednesday.

All right. Bill Cairns, thank you. Now to the record number of migrants crossing at the southern border. Over 12,000 crossings in a single day with processing centers now at capacity, the state of Texas now flying some migrants to Chicago, sparking pushback from the windy city's mayor as they face a growing humanitarian crisis. NBC News correspondent Guadvanegas has this report from the border. Tonight, Texas Governor Greg Abbott releasing this video of state officials flying roughly 100 migrants from the Texas border to Chicago

after Chicago officials started finding buses that made previous trips. Abbott writing, until Biden steps up to secure the border, we will continue to provide overwhelmed Texas border towns with much needed relief. Abbott blames Biden's border

policies for the record numbers of migrants. Chicago's mayor firing back. They're just dropping all people anywhere. Do you understand how raggedy and how evil that is? Meanwhile, migrants are still arriving in Eagle Pass, Texas, with massive crowds in this field. Over 12,000 migrants per day crossing the border for three straight days now.

The highest daily numbers ever recorded, three DHS officials tell NBC News. A record 27,000 migrants are now being detained in CBP facilities where they will be processed and most will be released in the U.S. With customs and border protection completely overwhelmed, thousands of migrants have to wait in this field, many sleeping overnight in the U.S. cold temperatures, which is creating a humanitarian crisis as large groups continue arriving from Mexico. We spoke with this group of migrants from Venezuela.

So he says a lot of the people are dehydrated because they've walked for hours. He walked 30 hours, so when they arrive at the field here in the U.S., they get sick. First response crews working nonstop to attend to the migrants in medical need, the ER receiving more than double the amount of patients they can handle. They are beyond their capability because that's not what they were set up to. And Guadvanegas joins us now from Eagle Pass, Texas. Guad, are there fears the situation at the border could get significantly worse? Could we see higher numbers in custody over Christmas and also New Year's?

Ellison, there's no way to know for sure. What we know from the conversations that we had with migrants today is that large groups are still in Mexico. of these migrants that crossed in the last few days, if they knew how big were the crowds? And they said, well, I know of friends that are down there in groups of three to 500, so there's still thousands. They tell me that Mexican immigration is working to try to stop the flow in parts of Mexico, but they say there just isn't enough officers. So it seems like there's just no one to stop those large numbers from arriving.

Just minutes ago, we saw another large group come, and they've continued to make their way across the river here in Eagle Pass. So there's just no way to know. What we do know is that more migrants are in Mexico making their way to the U.S.-Mexical border, Ellison. So how is the Biden administration responding to the increase when it is increasing every single day? So we now know that President Biden had a phone call with Mexican President Lopez Obrador, which is very important, again, because these large groups of migrants are traveling through Mexico. So after that conversation, we've been informed that in the next few days, DHS Secretary, Majorcas and Secretary of State Blinken are going to travel to Mexico to talk about the actions that both presidents agree need to be taken to help fix this problem or to do something about this recent surge, Alison.

Guadvanegas in Texas, thank you. Next to the Middle East, where hopes for another ceasefire anytime soon between Israel and Hamas could be fading. New reporting tonight that Hamas has rejected an Israeli offer. NBC News foreign correspondent Molly Hunter has more. Tonight, as Israel intensifies its war against Hamas, a new report, Hamas has rejected an Israeli offer for a week-long ceasefire in exchange for the release of dozens of hostages, including remaining women and children. Egyptian officials tell the Wall Street Journal. Today, Hamas announcing they refused to hold any talks about releasing hostages without a more permanent ceasefire, something Israel and the U.S. have said would be a surrender to Hamas after it killed more than 1,200 people in its October. 7 terror attack. There have been serious talks and negotiations over trying to get back into another pause and a hostage exchange. Inside Gaza, the airstrikes in the southern city of Rafa are relentless.

Why have you left us behind? This little boy says to his father, why, dad, why? Tonight, the U.N. sounding the alarm on acute hunger, reporting half a million people in Gaza are starving. And this week, the WHO delivered critical supplies to the U.S. overwhelmed Al-Ajli hospital in the north. It's a somber shell of a hospital with people just waiting to die. And that is such a dangerous journey that Sean and the WHO team made into northern Gaza.

They visited Al-Ajali, as I mentioned. They also visited Al-Ajifa. He said it was just unbelievable. It was so overwhelmed. People were coming up to them, patients. People badly injured asking him for food and water. The WHO also says tonight, Ellison, there are no fully functioning hospitals in Gaza. Alison.

Molly Hunter, thank you. Turning now to the impact of the war between Israel and Hamas here at home, NBC's Stephanie Gosses has an emotional interview with a Palestinian family talking about their personal losses in Gaza. This is their story. On a suburban street in New Jersey, the pain of a war thousands of miles away is unmistakable. Tell me about Esma. Asma, she's a beautiful young lady. Excuse me. Young mother raising two kids.

She was... Kids were orphans. I'm sorry. Mohamed Shaheber has lived in the U.S. for nearly 30 years, but he was born and raised in Gaza. On Monday, the IDF bombed his hometown Sabra. He says this is video of the African. They hit the neighbor's house next to my father's house and the walls jumped and Asma just collapsed.

Dozens of extended family members, he says, including Asma, were in the building. Is that an area where they thought they would be safe? Yes, because we never been bombed by any war before. Now he believes that many are still buried under the rubble. You can't even get to them. You can. There's no equipment. There's no diesel. no diesel. He says more than 100 of his extended family members and friends have been killed in Gaza this week alone. Like much of what is happening there, it is hard to verify the details

of Muhammad's story. But the grief is undeniable. Even the house that it got destroyed, I grew up in it. All my childhood can't. I have no childhood left. Mohamed and his wife, Mona, struggled to be hopeful about Gaza's future. Does a war like this increase support for Hamas? Yes. Unfortunately, it's yes. They're not solving a problem. Israelis have to stop bombing. If President Biden was sitting in this chair where I am right now, what would you say to him?

I would beg him, please stop. One phone call, stop it. Mr. Biden, you can do it. He's going to create more problems, more hatred. Mohamed says living here, he experienced peace for the first time. He worries his family back home will never get that chance. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. We now move back here to the growing plagiarism accusations against Harvard University President Claudine Gay. This coming after she faced criticism for her testimony in Congress about anti-Semitism on the school's campus.

NBC News correspondent, Maura Barrett, with the latest round of troubles and how the university is responding. Tonight, Harvard President Claudine Gay back in the hot seat over more allegations of plagiarism. First reported by the student newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, the leader will request three corrections to her Ph.D. dissertation from 1997, less than a week after the university announced Gay submitted four corrections to other articles she'd published due to a review by Harvard's governing body. In a statement to multiple news outlets, Harvard says the university reviewed more of Gay's academic work and that the president plans to update her dissertation to correct instances of, quote, inadequate citation, stopping short of calling it plagiarism. It makes my blood boil. I have never heard of a situation where you're supposed to go back and make corrections. Dr. Carol Swain, a former political science professor at Vanderbilt University, the original Crimson investigation found two passages in Gay's writing similar to hers.

She says they were plagiarized by gay. Anyone caught in a situation that she's in should immediately be dismissed or they should resign. And I'm kind of miffed with her because she's been. called red-handed. Given that this is appearing to be a repeated offense on her end, I mean, are you concerned or how does it make you feel that Harvard is calling it inadequate citation? Well, I think it's elitism. They're going to redefine plagiarism to protect one of their own. Something about their elitism that they don't believe that they have to meet the same standards as everyone asks. Gay has not responded to NBC News's request for comment, but she

previously told the Boston Globe, I stand by the integrity of my scholarship. Throughout my career, I have worked to ensure my scholarship adheres to the highest academic standards. This development, prompting a House committee to widen an existing probe of Harvard over anti-Semitism after gay seemed to dodge a question over whether students calling for the genocide of Jews should be punished. I have sought to confront hate while preserving free expression. This is difficult work, and I know that I have not always gotten it right. probe will now include an investigation into allegations of plagiarism. The Education and Workforce Committee chairwoman, Representative Virginia Fox, sent a letter

to Harvard demanding more information about the unequal application of Harvard's Honor Code. Adding, an allegation of plagiarism by a top school official at any university would be reasoned for concern, but Harvard is not just any university. It styles itself as one of the top educational institutions in the country. And Mara joins us now from Chicago. So just last week, Harvard was taking steps to clear gay and move past this. Could these latest allegations and now the expanded House probe change that? Alison, it's likely it will. And it's already been such a tumultuous few months for the Harvard president.

Remember, her appointment was historic just at the beginning of the semester a few months ago. But this House probe really highlights concerns over whether those that are working in higher education are held to a higher standard or a different standard than the students that they're teaching. And so the House has asked for documentation about the allegations around plagiarism and the independent review. And they're asking for all of those before December 29th. Alison. Mara Barrett in Chicago, thank you. Still ahead tonight, new details in the case against the Green River Killer. One of his victims identified as a teenager who ran away from home in the 1980s.

How authorities just made that match 40 years after her disappearance. Plus, an update on the fan who died at Gillette Stadium following a fight. in September. The two fans now criminally charged for his death. And another recall alert why Toyota is pulling one million of its cars off the road. Stay with us. helped track him down now speaking out and the new DNA evidence that helped solve the case. NBC News correspondent Dana Griffin has this story. Tonight, the remains of a murder victim known only as Bone 17 for nearly 40 years now finally has a name.

Lori Ann Respotnik, who was just 15 when she disappeared back in 1982, identified using DNA evidence as a victim of Gary Ridgeway, the notorious Green River killer. I was at that scene. It was January 2nd of 1986. Raspotnik went missing after running away from home. Her body discovered alongside another victim near the scene of a car that fell over an embankment near Tacoma, Washington. Bridgeway would lead investigators to that spot more than 15 years later as the place he hid their bodies. Genealogists tracing a DNA sample from the scene through dozens of distant cousins all the way to Raspotnick's mother.

There was definitely the feeling that this was a very young woman, and so it made sense that she would have potentially parents looking for her. In Seattle, another grim discovery today that could be connected to the string of Green River murders. Those murders captivating the nation, making Ridgeway one of the most prolific serial killers in American history. Years and years of collecting scores and scores of bodies of young women and, and, and, girls. We were looking at a monster. Ridgway pled guilty to 48 murders in 2003 and of 49th and 2011, the family of that victim, Becky Marrero, asking the judge to execute her killer. He's a wasted society and a waste of space. If I had one thing to ask you today, it would be kill him. But Ridgeway escaped the death penalty by way of a plea deal struck in 2003 in exchange for

information about where he hit his victims. Usually when I sentence an individual, even for the most serious of crimes, I reach out with some humanity. In this case, I cannot. I can find no compassion. Ridgeway, now 74, is serving a life sentence in state prison. Dave Reichert, the former sheriff who helped capture him, is still conflicted about that punishment. Monsters should be put to death. If this is anybody who deserved a death penalty, this is the guy. And Ellison, Lori Ann's family spoke to a reporter with our Seattle affiliate King TV after her remains were finally identified. They say they're appreciative for the closure they now have, but are heartbroken to know that while their Lori Ann is gone, her killer is still alive. Ellison. Dana Griffin,

thank you. When we come back, finally free. In Oklahoma, man exonerated after he spent nearly 50 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. At one point, he was sentenced to death, what eventually proved his innocence after all this time. Back now with Top Story's news feed, starting with an update in that deadly September fight at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. Two Rhode Island men have officially been charged with disorderly conduct, assault and battery for allegedly inciting a fight in the stands. A 53-year-old man who had pre-existing heart issues collapsed during that altercation and later died. His cause of death was ruled a homicide. Both men are set to be arraigned in January. An Oklahoma man officially

exonerated today after serving nearly 50 years for a crime he did not commit. 71-year-old Glenn Simmons was released from prison in July after prosecutors agreed key evidence was not turned over during his murder conviction in 1975. He and another man were initially sentenced to death for the 1974 killing of a liquor store clerk, but that was later reduced. A judge officially ruling today, he had nothing to do with that crime. Simmons is the longest serving inmate to be declared innocent of a crime. A consumer alert today from Toyota, they have issued a recall of one million, rather, vehicles

because of an airbag glitch. The Japanese automaker pulling some Toyota and Lexus vehicles over a defect that stops airbags from deploying. The recall includes some Toyota Avalon's, Camry's, Highlanders, and RAV-4s made between 2020 and 2022. A full list of cars can be found on NBCNews.com. And a way to stay in the Christmas spirit all year long for several million dollars. The New York City townhouse from Home Alone 2 now up for sale on Zillow. It's where Kevin McAllister took on the sticky bandits for a second time in the 1992 film. The nearly 5,000 square foot home is listed for $6.7 million.

That does not include any holes in the floor, rigged doors, gasoline-filled toilets, or swinging paint cans. Now to power and politics and the worrying signs for President Biden's re-election campaign. A group of top Democratic strategists warning the Associated Press that a quote, dip in black voter turnout, along with other challenges, could doom President Joe Biden and his party in 2024. Joining me now to bring her perspective on this critical moment for the Biden campaign, Democratic strategist Amisha Cross. Amisha, thank you so much for joining us. Let's just sort of start broadly with this poll. This is described by the AP as something that was conducted by the people who were responsible in part for helping states like Georgia flip blue last time around. Biden has

depended on black voters as a key part of his coalition. We all remember in 2020, black voters in South Carolina helped consolidate the party behind Joe Biden. He probably would not have been the candidate without them. But since the 2020 election, Biden's historically broad support from black voters has waned. A recent NBC news poll indicating Biden's support could be down as much as 18% since that election. What do you make of all of this? Does that worry you? Do you think Biden and his team need to take a look at how they are? are reaching out and communicating with black voters across this country. Absolutely. It's definitely worrying. It's definitely something that the Biden campaign has a keen

eye and focus on. The black vote cannot be taken for granted. It is not only important and vital to Joe Biden in his administration and his campaign, but it has also been important to the Democratic Party broadly. Since the civil rights movement, the black vote has been the sole vote that has carried the Democratic Party at the largest rates. We're talking 95, 97 percent of black voters who vote for Democrats. For Joe Biden, he cannot afford to lose black voters. We know that the black vote was what saved him in the primaries in 2020. It was what saved him and brought him across the line in South Carolina when everyone basically thought that he was out for dead. At this point in our nation's history, where a lot of the black vote has been denied. We're seeing challenges at the polls. We're seeing voting rights be restricted. We're also seeing black people not necessarily feel the breadth of a. strong economy. We're seeing black people ask for more. And we're seeing black people say, hey, what are the policies that are going to make change in my community? We continue to vote for you. What are you going to do for us? I think that those are real questions and those are things that

the Biden administration has to answer in addition to nailing home the policies that he has enacted, the policies he has worked towards that benefit the black community specifically. So one of the co-authors of the report, Michigan Democratic chairwoman Lovora Barnes, said a key message that really resonated with a lot of black voters in 2022 was about abortion. She said this, quote, we made it part of a broader message about rights and freedom. We have not seen Biden lay out his full second term agenda just yet, right? There's still a lot of time for details to come to the forefront. But what do you think ultimately his agenda should include to resonate with key constituencies?

It's got to include women's reproductive rights. Black women's maternal mortality rates are the highest in this country. They are equivalent to that of the developing world. That is frightening. It is a near-deaf sentence to be a black pregnant woman in America. That's something that both parties should care about. But the Biden administration specifically should put a keen eye towards not only women's reproductive rights, but also protecting and sustaining pregnant black mothers.

The other side of that, I think, again, goes back to an economic issue. Black people, because of sitting at the intersection of race and poverty, have a really hard time really biting into what the American dream is supposed to hold. We have less black Americans owning homes today than we did at the height of the civil rights movement. We have the most segregated public schools today. It's frustrating to watch this happen where America is basically in a regression when it comes to civil rights, when it comes to those things that make black Americans fool Americans. We're not necessarily seeing those things.

And I think that the Biden administration has a very tough road ahead if they do not coordinate a policy and strategy of community. communicating to black people about how he's going to work to chip away at the very things that Republicans are trying to take America back to, Reconstructionary Politics. We will keep an eye on all of this and have you back on to keep us updated. As always, Amisha Cross, Democratic strategists. Thank you. We appreciate your time and insights. Coming up, election chaos, a presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo marred by violence, protests, and delays. Why the results could impact economies around the world.

We're back now with a look at a key election in the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of the Congo. The incumbent president facing off against 18 opponents, despite fighting in the east, the country promising fair and free elections. But so far, violence and disorganization have caused serious delays. Tonight, chaos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the country's democracy faces a critical test. The nation deciding between the incumbent president and a whopping 18 opposition challengers in a high-stakes election. But voting now extended because of violence, protests, and massive delays, according to the nation's election commission.

Voters like this man, saying he waited more than six hours to cast a ballot. Another person saying they're hiding something from us after not being able to find his name at his polling site to vote. And last week, live rounds fired during a rally by one of the main opposition candidates, causing him to temporarily suspend his campaign. The DRC is the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa. It's about the size of Western Europe and is home to an estimated 96 million people. It's one of the world's top suppliers of copper and battery-grade cobalt. DRC is the giant at the center of Africa.

The rest of the world can't afford to ignore this country. To make the transition to a green economy, the world needs minerals that are found in great supply in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That means that everybody sort of has a stake in what's going on in Congo, in its governance, its prosperity, its stability. But 62 percent of the Congolese population lives on just over $2 a day, with over 26 million people facing food insecurity. For this election, nearly 44 million people were eligible to cast votes. But rebel violence in the East that has gone on for about three decades has displaced more than a million of them. Local media and the AFP reporting voters in one town who were displaced could not vote back

home. So they expressed their anger by attacking a polling station in a different city, destroying voting machines before police helped restore order. The incumbent Felix Tuscady was voted into power in 2018, marking the country's first peaceful transfer of power since its independence from Belgium in 1960. But his final campaign rally on Monday, raising eyebrows from the international community after he threatened to declare war on neighboring Rwanda. While there are nearly two dozen candidates, his main opponents are Martin Faiulu.

The man who ran against Tuscati in 2018 and has claimed that that election was rigged after the Constitutional Court dismissed a legal challenge. And Mois Katambi, a wealthy businessman and former province governor, a spokesperson for his campaign fatally shot in July in what his opposition party called an assassination. Tonight the move to extend polling is facing pushback from some of the candidates and independent observers who warn such an extension could threaten the already fragile confidence in the election results. Congo has a very recent history of electoral manipulation. I anticipate that there will be probably some incidents of political violence in any post-election scenario. A voter poll published earlier this week by a Congolese political research organization and the NYU-based Congo Research Group showed the incumbent president with nearly 50% support. Full provisional results are expected by December 31st. We will be watching.

When we come back, the 100 greatest TV shows of all time, variety releasing their list. Can you guess who's number one? The reveal is next. It's like all of my life. Everyone has always told me, you're a shoe, you're a shoe, you're a shoe, you're a shoe. And then today I just stopped and I said, what if I don't want to be a shoe? What if I want to be a purse, you know, or a hat? No, I don't want you to buy me a hat.

I'm saying that I am a hat. It's a metaphor, Daddy. And finally tonight, that was a clip from the hit TV show Friends. It ranked number 29 on Variety Magazine's list of 100 greatest TV show. of all time. The list was compiled by variety staff and contributors. The magazine says it took into account the quality of each show and its cultural impact. Joining us now to help break it all down is NBC News Entertainment contributor Chris Witherspoon. So Chris, I mean, looking through this list, we were just discussing it with the team here. There are a lot of opinions on this.

A lot of people very surprised that friends only ranked at number 29. A lot of people really surprised shows like the office weren't even in the top 20, and then shows like full house, family matters, Frazier, Schitts Creek, and Westworld, not on the list at all. What do you make of this? Tell us to start, who got stubbed? Listen, I'm going to be in my feelings right now, number one. I think it's also important to keep in mind that this list is compiled as you said, variety staff, their editors, but it's only eight people. That's the first thing I thought was who's behind this list? Only eight people. As you mentioned, Friends, it is very low on the list, number 29.

That show is a cultural sort of like touchstone for America. It will be felt for generations to come. And also, Matthew Perry's passing this last month, you'd think that that would have moved the show up a little bit higher. Everyone's rewatching and talking about friends right now. Also, the show Homeland, a critical darling, ratings, Juggernaut, won all the awards, number 98 on the list. The list is just not listing for me.

My favorite show, Scandal, Number 80. first primetime Twitter event ever, another political drama, number eight in the list. It should have been a lot higher. Then also, as you mentioned, some shows that just weren't on the list like Family Guy, which is one of the longest running animated TV series. I don't know how they missed that one, as well as Ozark. They didn't make the list at all. And that show has become, I think, one of the most buzzed about shows for Netflix. Also, it's one of the reasons why folks now visit the Ozarks and will do it for generations to come because of that show. Yeah. Okay. So, One of the more recent shows that actually did crack the top 20 was Succession.

It took number 13. Some of the other top shows included Seinfeld at number eight, the Wire at number seven, and Sex and the City at number six. Do you feel like those shows were deserving of those rankings? Should they have been higher? Should they have been lower? They were, I'm glad they're among the top 20, but Succession should have been much higher.

It, again, one of the biggest shows of the year. my opinion, Seinfeld should be higher as well. I think the sign of a show being truly successful is a multi-generational appeal. My son who's 12, he binges Seinfeld over and over and over again on Netflix. So that showed you. I watched it when I was 12. Now my son's watching it. His friends are talking about Seinfeld. Sex and the City, number six, I think it could have been a little bit higher on the list. That show has been spun off into a news series, but also how many TV shows become box office successes at, you know, at the picture show for movies? And that was translated from a show to a film and did it really well. Again, these lists can get you in

trouble. And some folks might be happy with the top five, but I'm kind of giving it a little side eye. All right. Let's go through the top five. We'll save number one for a minute. Let's break down for everybody numbers five through two. So at number five, Breaking Bad, a great show. A lot of people really love that. The Simpsons took the number four spot. The number three spot, The Sopranos, and number two, Mad Men, starring John Hamm as Don Draper. That one has honestly, Chris, really surprised everyone here. Mad Men, so high up. What do you make of that initial grouping?

I mean, those first four, same thing for me. I'm like, Breaking Bad, a great show, but there are so many on that list that I feel should be higher up. The Sopranos, I think that one deserves me in the top five, among the top five, but everything else so far, I'm kind of, again, giving it a bit of side eye and wondering what were the discussions happening among these eight folks? They were over this very critical, critical list. Okay, well, finally, drum roll, please. We have the number one pick for this list. They say this is the greatest TV show of all time. Look. Hello, friends. I'm your body meet a vegaman girl.

Are you tired, rundown, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answer to all your problems is in this bit of lot. A little bottle. Uh, little bottle. Uh, vitamin vitamin measurement contains vitamins, vitamins, meat, vegetables, and minerals.

I love Lucy taking the number one spot. Chris, I'm not mad at it. What do you think? I'm not mad either. My first thought was, did my grandma vote for this list? My grandma vote for this list, because my grandma watches that show. She still watches that show. It's a brilliant show.

I laughed at that clip. It stands the test of time. And again, this list has everyone talking, so Variety did what they were meant to do. We are all buzzing about it. I look forward to next year's list and holler at your boy to give you my input on what to include. Before we let you go, though, Chris, what would be, like, to put you on the spot here, top two, three greatest TV shows of all time? Oh, that's a good one.

Okay, for sure, Game of Thrones has to be up there. That one is just, like, changed the game for TV. And it just revolutionized HBO. And partially, I love, I mean, I'm partial to scandal. I love that show. I rewatch it all the time. Then I probably would have thrown a reality show in there. The Housewives franchise has done so well.

It is just like, I think it's made us rethink what TV even is. I would have probably throw one of those in the top three as well. All right. Game of Thrones only made it to number 21 on this list. So, Chris, we want your list instead. next year, we will run it and love it. Chris Witherspoon, thank you so much. We appreciate it. And thank you at home for watching Top Story. For Tom Yamas, I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.