Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, December 7, 2023

Episode Date: December 8, 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 we're following that breaking news. Shots fired outside of a synagogue in New York, just as Hanukkah begins. A man arrested after police say he opened fire with a shotgun outside of a synagogue in the capital city of Albany. While nearly two dozen preschoolers were inside, authorities believed it was a target attack on the Jewish community. The synagogue and a nearby hospital were placed on lockdown. Police across the state stepping up patrols, but already, on high alert after repeated warnings from the FBI over potential lone wolf attacks amid the war between Israel and Hamas. FBI director Christopher Ray saying the terror threat

is the highest it's been in more than a decade. Also, here it comes again. That deadly storm that brought flooding and damaging winds to the Pacific Northwest. So many affected. And now they're preparing to get slammed one more time as a cross-country storm prepares to march east. snow and torrential rain expected from coast to coast, we have the timing and the track. Biden's alias email accounts? A House committee releasing records showing President Biden used private email addresses and multiple aliases to send hundreds of messages to his son Hunter and his son's business associates. Could this information play into Hunter's legal problems and how the president is responding tonight? Venezuela Takeover, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, threatening to annex a national.

oil and mineral-rich portion of neighboring Guyana, the disputed land making up nearly three quarters of the small South American country. Guyana now holding military drills at the border in a show of force. Brazil's President Lula also mobilizing troops to his border, but tonight urging peace saying we don't need a war in South America. Record migrant numbers, 10,000 migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally on Tuesday, shattering a record for a single-day crossing. The crisis at the border are also overwhelming U.S. cities, officials in Denver struggling to find housing for thousands of migrants and taxpayers are footing the potentially $100 million bill. Plus, a series of explosions in Columbia's Amazon jungle, how authorities are taking explosive measures to combat illegal gold mining there. And the toddler slipping past security and onto a baggage belt at the airport, security cams spotting him riding onto down to,

different lanes and into restricted areas. The moment an airline employee jumped into action before he got hurt. Top story. Starts right now. Hey, good evening. Let's get right to that breaking news and the gunfire outside of a New York synagogue and what's now being investigated as a hate crime. Police in Albany say the suspect was making threats before opening fire with a shotgun just outside of the synagogue, just to few hours before Hanukkah began. A preschool operating inside at the time, luckily no one was hurt, but an extremely distressing event for that synagogue that also was the target of a bomb threat just three months ago. Since the October 7th attack of Israel, police across New York State

have stepped up patrols at houses of worship, especially at synagogues. The National Guard also on high alert on Capitol Hill this week. FBI director Christopher Ray once again sounding the alarm over hate-fueled attacks on U.S. soil in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. At one point saying, quote, look at this, I've never seen a time where all the threats or so many of the threats are all elevated, all exactly at the same time. And it's not just the U.S. communities across Europe, lit minoras for Hanukkah tonight, but it was amid a looming warning from the EU over potential terror attacks this holiday season. We'll get to all of that in a moment, But we begin with that breaking news and Emily Aketa in New York.

On the first night of Hanukkah, police across New York ramping up patrols at Jewish sites after gunfire caused a major scare at Temple Israel in Albany this afternoon. Shotgun in his footy, be in the parking lot nearby, a report of one shot heard. Officials say the suspect is a 28-year-old local who was walking around outside the synagogue and acting very suspicious. to witnesses. He fired off around from a shotgun while making threatening statements. Law enforcement now investigating the shooting as a hate crime. We were told by responding officers that he made a comment, free Palestine. On the synagogue's premises, two dozen preschoolers. It was the director of the early childhood center who first heard the shots and called 911, according to officials. The suspect who has a rap sheet was apprehended in a neighboring parking lot.

Thankfully, at this time, no one was injured in this incident. But the fear that it has reeked and the fear of the anxiety that has caused, I know a lot of people are feeling really shaken right now. Security had already been enhanced at synagogues, yeshivas and community centers for the Jewish holiday, amid rising tensions stemming from the Israel-Hamas war. Just in September, the same location of today's gunfire faced a bomb threat. All right, Emily Aketa joins us now live. Emily, you mentioned that suspect. was taken into custody. Does he have a criminal history? What more do we know about him? Yeah, the governor says he does have a rap sheet. Still a lot of unanswered questions, though, at this time. We know the suspect is a 28-year-old man, and they say he was local to the Albany

area. He had fired off two shots, according to police, but they don't know in what direction. They say that he had dropped the gun before officers arrived to the scene and took him into custody. they say that there's a strong possibility he'll also be facing federal charges tom and then emily what are officials saying about any ongoing threats following this incident so new york governor kathy hokel says there are no ongoing threats at this time but we're learning from her office tonight hate crimes across the board in new york and november were up 90 percent compared to last year tom okay emily akeda keda leading us off tonight and those security fears are not just in new york but of course all across the globe you're

European leaders warning of a, quote, huge risk of terrorist attacks. As the FBI director cautions, the warning lights he saw before 9-11 are blinking everywhere he turns. But despite the risks, Jewish communities around the world vowing to find the light, of course, on the first night of Hanukkah. Here's Josh Letterman. For centuries, the Hanukkah candles have been burning reminders about the triumph of religious freedom over fear, of light over darkness. But tonight, as Jews around the world like the first candle, they stand in the shadow of a new set of fears, surging anti-Semitism and an alarming threat of terrorism. All the lights were blinking red before 9-11, apparently, obviously all of us missed

it. Would you say that there's multiple blinking red lights out there? I see blinking lights everywhere I turn. FBI director Chris Ray testifying the terror threat is higher than at any point since the war against ISIS a decade ago. And by far in a way, the biggest chunk of the tips and leads which are coming in fast and constantly to us post-October 7th, the biggest chunk, by far, involve threats to the Jewish community.

Earlier this week, the Homeland Security Department issuing a guide to places of worship to protect themselves, with tips like trimming bushes where attackers could hide, and similar fears across Europe. There is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union, prompting the EU to devote more than $32 million to protecting places of worship. The French government urging extreme vigilance after a fatal terrorist attack over the weekend by a man who told police he was angry about the war. And London's Metropolitan Police telling NBC News they've made 75 arrests linked to the Israel-Hamas war,

stemming from threats to both Jews and Muslims, while Jewish communities in the U.S. and Europe are deploying armed guards outside synagogues and Hanukkah celebrations. These symbols of Hanukkah are supposed to be a beacon of faith and persecution. but they can quickly become targets for people who might act out of hatred or prejudice. But across the world tonight, Jewish communities vowing they will not cower in the dark. German Chancellor Olaf Schultz lighting the first candle at the Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin, vowing to protect Jewish citizens. In Kiev's Maidan Square, the site of the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, families eating

Sufganyev, traditional Hanukh, traditional Hanukha pastries, decorated with the Ukrainian flag. in Washington, thousands watching as second gentleman Doug Emhoff lit the national menorah steps from the White House. Since October 7th, that horrible day, I have been speaking out publicly as much as I can on what I am calling and what we know to be a crisis of anti-Semitism. And in London's Trafalgar Square, the head of the UK's Jewish Leadership Council says communities have no choice but to be vigilant, but not silent. Hanukkah is a symbol of pride of light, one of the most joyous festivals in the Jewish calendar.

And we are asking people to be loud, proud, and Jewish, because we think that is the best antidote to the hate that we're seeing. And with that, Josh Letterman joins us tonight from London. Josh, it is a tricky balance to strike, right? How communities across Europe are deciding whether it's safe to go ahead with Hanukkah celebrations. That's right, Tom. and this has really divided some communities. One of the municipal governments in East London actually cancelled the erection of their menorah

in their part of the community, saying it would divide the community. They cited those tensions from the Gaza Strip and the war that Israel is fighting there. And there was a major blowback from the public. They eventually decided to reverse course. Most communities have decided to simply go forward. They say they do not want to capitulate to terrorism.

And then, Josh, While we have you here, you are in London. I had a chance to stop in London after my time in Israel covering the war on the onset. And I can remember being in Speaker's Corner there in Hyde Park where people sort of share ideas and debate. And there were some very heated debates, but it was peaceful. What is the temperature and sort of the mood like in London now with the war still ongoing? Well, you definitely can tell that there is a heightened sense of tension here in London, Tom. You see anti-Israel protests in various parts of the city almost every day.

There's clearly a heightened police presence around the city as we approach the Christmas holiday and the holiday season more broadly. And the metropolitan police say they are deploying more resources around the city and that people should expect to see more in law enforcement as they try to prevent anything bad from happening during this holiday season time. Okay, Josh, thank you for that. In Israel tonight, it is two months to the day since the war with Hamas began. Tonight, a rare interview with one of those hostages who was held by the terror group in Gaza. Her emotional return to the home she was kidnapped from and her plea to get those remaining hostages back, including her own grandson. Richard Engels and Israel again tonight. Two months after Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, the Israeli military is escalating its campaign to overthrow the group in Gaza.

But for the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza who can't leave, the war. isn't the only danger. Hunger is spreading. Massive crowds gathered today outside a food distribution center. The UN is warning of a humanitarian catastrophe. Just across the border from Gaza, we visited the kibbutz near Oz, where on October 7th, Hamas fighters killed and kidnapped everyone they could find. Driven by her neighbor, Irina Tati, returned this morning. The 73-year-old was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza and freed last week. She was overwhelmed by the damage. Her door is still smashed in.

Hamas dragged her away from here. Irina came back to collect a prayer book for Hanukkah. Her neighbor, Rita Lifshitz, tells her Hamas is still firing rockets, and she should go to the safe room if there's incoming. Arina badly wanted to see if her cat was still alive. She thought about the cat while a hostage, And when she found him, she smiled. What's it like for you to come back here after all that you've been through?

Here I feel better, but not very well. I want the war to stop, she says. She did not want to talk about what happened to her while she was a captive. And Arina's 28-year-old grandson is still being held in Gaza. Hanukkah is a holiday of light. People close to us in Gaza must return home, she says. Hamas went house to house here. for eight agonizing hours before any rescue came.

Residents locked themselves in their safe rooms. So Hamas set houses on fire to smoke them out. Rita says many here are furious at Hamas and the government. How did it take eight hours to have a response? Why? It took eight hours because they didn't care. Six Saturday they came in here. Rita took me to the local post office where the boxes have been marked with stickers. This is one of the most disturbing images that I've seen in a long time,

this post office and on the boxes, red, killed, blue returned, black, dead. Yes. And to be honest, it's not a lot of blue. Next door is the cafeteria where the tables are set for those who can't come, the dead and missing. One out of every four people who lived on this kibbutz was either murdered or taken hostage. Now it's the first holiday of the kibbutz that is not happening, and we need to bring them back now. All right, Richard joins us tonight from Jerusalem.

Richard, I know you have some new reporting about efforts to secure another ceasefire, but before we get there, I want to pick up where your story ends. It is the first night of Hanukkah, and there's just so little to celebrate in that region. Talk to me about what you've experienced over the last 24 hours there, and your report was just so compelling. with what you witnessed you and your team today? Well, on the kibbutz, I think there's one note of optimism in that the people are determined to move back. They say they will rebuild. They will reform the community.

It will never be the same. They want the people who are still held by Hamas to be freed. But either way, whether that happens or not, they're not willing to even consider the possibility that that won't happen. But either way, they want to continue living in that place. They formed such a bond, such a community before, and then after this, they want to go back to their homes. And then talk to us about another potential ceasefire. Is there a reason to be optimistic for that?

Not really. We know that there are still, and I've spoken to a negotiator directly involved in this process, There are still contacts. There are still some efforts to try and resume a ceasefire. But I was told that there are so far nothing serious yet. No serious conversations that could get us out of this crisis yet. Finally, let's talk about Gaza. You mentioned in your piece there at the top, the horror in Gaza right now,

the UN warning of what they're calling a humanitarian catastrophe. What more are you hearing from inside Gaza tonight? And, of course, the confusion with people being told to move to the South and now the war clearly in the South as well. People in Gaza are quite convinced that this is a war to drive them out of the Gaza Strip, that this is a war to punish Gazans, that this is a war to put so much pressure on them, not just against Hamas, but to punish the people of Gaza and ultimately to push them into Egypt. They are depressed. They are starting to be cold. It is now becoming very cold, particularly in the evenings. This is a desert climate.

So even though if it's hot in the day, at cold, at night it can be very cold. And people, in some cases, don't have shoes. They don't have much to eat. They don't have much food. They don't have drinking water. So the conditions are quite appalling. There are some efforts to get more aid in. And there was just some new reporting that U.S. officials are pressuring Israel to open another inspection point into Gaza to get more aid in.

But it is not a sustainable solution where they are totally dependent on outside aid with everyone forced into the south, with much of the north destroyed and being more damaged every day. So aid is trickling in and more might trickle in. But the people there need far more than that. They need to be able to rebuild, to have a local economy, to be able to produce for themselves. So there is a sense of hopelessness and depression and real humanitarian suffering for the people of Gaza. So I wish I had better news, but right now doesn't look like we're getting closer to a ceasefire, no serious negotiations yet. and the people of Gaza, when we speak to them, some people I know, and have known for a long time, are crying when you speak to them over the phone.

Before you go, another question about Gaza, we've seen an image that's been circulating today. It's a group of men, they appear to not be wearing clothes. Obviously, they're wearing underwear, but detainees arrested by Israeli forces in northern Gaza. Israel has said they've arrested hundreds of suspected terrorists across the Gaza Strip. But I think this is the first time we're actually seeing them, like a mass number of arrest happening like that in Gaza. So according to Israeli accounts, these are Hamas suspects who turned themselves in. Palestinians are saying that these are people who are arbitrarily rounded up. They say that there are journalists among the group and that they were seated on the ground,

forced to put their hands over their heads, looked down in the ground with Israeli soldiers, standing over them in a symbol of power and dominance, and that these images were released to humiliate them. So from the Israeli point of view, from what the Israelis describing this is as a success, they say that Hamas members are turning them in, and the way Palestinians are looking at it is that it is a sign that Palestinians in Gaza are being made to suffer even more. Richard Engel from Jerusalem for us. Richard, thank you for that.

We want to move back here now to the fallout from a congressional hearing with the presidents of some of the most prestigious universities in the country on anti-Semitic language on their campuses. Stephanie Gossk reports on how a single but powerful word and the response to it has led to backlash that goes all the way to the White House. The hearing Tuesday lasted five hours, but it was this questioning from New York Congresswoman Elise Stefonic that has ignited a firestorm. I am asking specifically calling for the genocide of Jews. Does that constitute bullying or her? harassment. If it is directed and severe or pervasive, it is harassment. If the speech becomes conduct, it can be harassment. Yes. Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide? The presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and MIT were on Capitol Hill to address

anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on their campuses. Calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard Code of Conduct, correct. Again, it depends on the context. It does not depend on the context. The answer is yes, and this is why you should resign. Harvard and Penn's presidents tried to clarify their answers to that specific question on the issue of calls for genocide. I want to be clear. A call for genocide of Jewish people is threatening.

Deeply so. Harvard's president, writing in part, calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community or any religious or ethnic. group are vile. They have no place at Harvard. At times throughout the hearing, the leaders of the schools condemn the hate on campus while also citing the importance of freedom of speech. But criticism came swiftly, and from both Republicans and Democrats. It should not be hard to condemn genocide. Genocide against Jews, genocide against anyone else. White House spokesman Andrew Bates writing, it's unbelievable that this needs to be said. Calls for genocide are monstrous. McGill needs to go.

Students rallied on campus today outside McGill's office. I'm a Jewish student here, and I think that she needs to step down. Penn is facing possible financial fallout. A wealthy donor is threatening to pull a $100 million donation telling the school he's only willing to discuss it if they replace the current president. The school telling NBC news tonight that there is no plan by the board of trustees to replace the current leadership. Tom?

Okay, Stephanie. We thank you for that. Now to the forecast, we're going to switch gears here and the massive cross-country storm on the way this weekend. Heavy rain and strong winds expected from coast to coast over the next few days. Power outages and flooding even possible along the eastern seaboard on Sunday.

It comes as parts of the Pacific Northwest as we've been reporting here. Recovery from historic flooding. New video out of Washington shows cars and trucks stuck in the flood waters. Look at that. One river in the state rising a record breaking 21 feet. Wow.

Let's get right over to NBC. News meteorologist, Bill Karens, who's been tracking all of this. And Bill, tonight, we're seeing a lot of white on your radar. Yeah, there's a lot of clouds, and this is the storm. So it doesn't have a lot of punch to it yet, but by the time we get to Saturday, the storm that just came into California, we'll get some juice from the Gulf of Mexico. So Friday, just some snow in the Rockies. Four-corner region, northwards, that's actually welcomed snow for many of the high peaks. Then as we go throughout late Friday into Saturday, the storm taps the Gulf of moisture. Then we could see severe weather, starting in areas of Louisiana, pushing up to

Tennessee as we go throughout the day Saturday, snow on the back side of the storm, and if you have any plans on the East Coast on Sunday, it's going to be a wild day, it's going to be windy, it's going to be warm, then thunderstorms are going to come through, then it's going to get cold in some cases like Pennsylvania and western New York. It'll actually turn to snow. So there's going to be a lot of travel issues on Sunday for the East Coast. And as far as severe weather goes, 11 million people at risk from Houston, all the way the Little Rock to Memphis. That's mostly going to be wind damage, isolated tornadoes are going to be possible. And as far as rain goes, D.C. to New York, everyone should have at least two inches of rain. So it's going to pour when it

comes down. And there'll even be some snow time on the back side of this for western and central New York. So it's going to be a wild weekend. Christmas decorations flying all over the place. Quite a December weekend storm. Okay, Bill, we appreciate that. We're getting some breaking news that's just coming in right now. We understand from our investigative team that federal prosecutors have just filed a new criminal case against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden. I want to bring in NBC News Justice and Intelligence Correspondent. Ken Delaney and Ken, I know we are just getting this information. Walk us through what we know and what we don't know and have some questions lined up for other developments that have happened today as well.

Yeah, Tom, here's what we do know. A new criminal case has been filed by Special Counsel David Weiss in Los Angeles against Hunter Biden. One source tells us that these are tax-related charges. That would track with what we've been expecting for a long time. Remember that Hunter Biden had a plea agreement that called for no jail time, where he was going to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges of failure to file a tax return, and that fell apart, and that was in Delaware, but David Weiss, the special counsel, had to bring any tax case in the place where the tax return would have been filed, and one of those places was Los Angeles. So it would make sense that these new charges are tax charges. A big question, obviously, would be, are these just the charges,

the misdemeanor charges that were part of the plea agreement that fell apart, or are there any additional related charges in this new case? We don't know the answer because these charges have not yet been made public. They're not on the computerized court system. But again, sources are telling us that this case has been brought, Tom. So, Ken, you know, when that deal fell apart, it was obviously big news because everyone thought they had reached an agreement. Clearly, they had not. And now we're here. and it's been months since then. It would stand to reason that in that time, the special prosecutor has continued his investigation?

Certainly, although a lot of the investigative aspects and avenues that were followed had been done by the FBI had been finished as long as a year or more ago in this case. But, you know, they always continue to investigate. But in terms of the bringing Hunter Biden's business dealings and tax issues through a fine-toothed from what we know, that had already been done, and they had the case that they wanted to bring. They had a plea agreement. Remember that it fell apart over the question, though, of whether Hunter Biden would be immune from any future charges. And special counsel, David Weiss, wasn't prepared to grant him that and said that, in fact, they were continuing to investigate

the question of whether he violated foreign lobbying registration laws in his representation of foreign business people. And so that's why the plea deal fell apart. And so he's facing a felony gun charge, a charge that he lied on a form, bought a gun when he was addicted to drugs illegally, and now this separate case in Los Angeles that one source tells us is tax-related, Tom. And, Ken, you know, a major thing happened.

It occurred with legal strategy, right? With Hunter Biden's legal team. He had sort of been staying quiet, if you will. Every now and then he would do an interview, but he was sort of staying out of the limelight. Since the deal fell apart, he's written in op-ed, And his legal team has gone on the offensive, right, trying to demand that the special counsel subpoena both President Trump and the former Attorney General Barr, correct?

Yeah, that's the most recent battle. And just yesterday, the special counsel filed a response to that, saying that, in fact, that should not happen. Because Hunter Biden's team argued that the whole case resulted from a malicious prosecution orchestrated by former President Trump and former Attorney General Bill. bar. And it is true that the investigation began during the Trump administration, but special counsel Weiss in a filing said that the bulk of it happened during the Biden administration, in fact, and that it was Attorney General Merrick Garland, appointed by President Biden, who named Weiss's special counsel and made sure the investigation was independent and continued. So they said that those subpoenas shouldn't happen. But you're absolutely right. It's part of a larger sort of get-tuff

strategy by Hunter Biden. He's filing defamation suits against some of the people that have made accusations against him. He's going on offense in all sorts of ways. Abby Lowell, one of his attorneys, is known for that type of strategy. He's known as a pit bull litigator, particularly in tax cases. And so that has been their strategy right now. The stakes are high because, again, that felony gun charge carries significant prison time. Yeah. And then, Ken, I guess my other question is if you can kind of walk us back to the original charges before that deal fell apart and the timeline. I ask because we're entering an election year next year, how is this going to affect the president and how long do we think this process will play out for Hunter Biden?

Well, in terms of the trial calendar, you know, there is no trial date set in that gun charge, but it's widely expected that it would take place next year in the middle of the election campaign. And then it's unclear with these new charges, if they're tax charges, you know, when those could get to trial. But about a year is pretty, is standard. for a federal criminal trial. And so you could see that trial happening, if in fact it goes to trial, right in the heart of the,

potentially in November, in the heart of the presidential contest. Could they strike a plea deal on these new charges as well, or has that ship sailed? You know, most people we talk to about this think that there's always a chance to have a plea deal.

It certainly appears to be in Hunter Biden's interest to get that deal back where he was going to serve no jail time, after all. And we know that there have been negotiations taking place behind the scenes, but they have not yet reached a deal. You know, sometimes both sides want to see all the cards. And so now that if, in fact, these tax charges have been filed, if Hunter Biden's team gets a chance to see them, maybe they'll have more of a chance to negotiate. Can we obviously

appreciate you scrambling? The interesting part is that we were going to have you on this show slated just at the same time, but reporting on another matter involving Hunter Biden, but this time President Biden as well. I know our NBC News investigative team has some new reporting as well about alias email addresses the former president at one time used. Yeah, that's right. And this is not, the fact that he used alias email addresses is not new, but the committee that has been investigating, the House Republican Committee that's been investigating Hunter Biden's business dealings and what they claim is Joe Biden's involvement has released some data, not emails themselves, but the metadata, a log of emails between some of the alias

emails that Joe Biden was using and a business partner of Hunter Biden. And we don't know the content of those emails. So we don't know if there were emails about, for example, Hunter Biden's mental health at that time or whether they had anything to do with the business dealings. But we do know that the dates of them are notable. because some of the emails came right before Hunter Biden made a trip to Ukraine where he arranged that lucrative business relationship with that natural gas company, Burisma, which ended up paying him $11 million to sit on their board and to do other things. And then some of those emails happened after that business trip. So again, Joe Biden emailing a business partner of Hunter Biden. And of course, what the House Republicans are saying is, you know, this is evidence that Joe Biden was, in fact, involved with Hunter Biden's efforts to trade on the president. the family name. Now, in my view, that does not establish that, but it does raise some

questions that need to be answered. Joe Biden was asked about his involvement in his son's business dealings yesterday, and he just responded, it's all lies, it's all lies. So he's not really substantively addressing this. And that's been the president's sort of response over the last three or four years since these allegations first came up. Do you think this new revelation hurts the president more, or does it hurt Hunter Biden more? Or we're just not there yet because we don't have the complete context of all these emails? I think two things. I think we're not there yet because we don't have the complete context.

That's well put. I also think we're in an interesting situation where you have the former President Trump looming over the media landscape and things that may have been seen as a scandal, for example, in the Bill Clinton administration that would have had the entire news media chasing after it like bloodhounds are not, don't make as big of a splash. So, you know, what we have here is a situation where Hunter Biden was clearly trading on his family name. And it's pretty clear that Joe Biden knew about it. And at the very least, you can say, didn't stop it, didn't take action to make it stop that we, that anybody knows about, and hasn't

condemned it. In fact, he said his son did nothing wrong. And, you know, in some, to some people, that's a scandal. To many Democrats, it's not. And we should look. away, but that, you know, we're in a much different place than we were saying in the 1990s when the news media was investigating Bill Clinton's business dealings. Ken Delaney, and for us, Ken, we appreciate you handling all that breaking news and that new reporting, as always. Okay, we're going to turn to another big story we're following here. The escalating border tensions in South America, have you heard about this?

Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and his government threatened to take over oil and mineral-rich lands from neighboring Guyana. Nearby countries now in high alert and Brazil mobilizing troops to its border. And today, the U.S. announcing they will hold military drills in the region in support of the small South American country. Guadvanegas has the details. Tonight, tensions rising between two neighboring South American countries as Venezuela threatens to annex more than half of the country of Guyana. This is a direct threat to Guyana's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence. As a century-old dispute is reignited over an oil-rich territory known as the Esakibo region,

a stretch of land that in the 1840s, an international tribunal of arbitration decided it belonged to Guyana. But Venezuela has always disputed that decision. When Hugo Chavez was alive, he actually put an additional star on the flag of Venezuela, an eighth star which represents the quote-unquote stolen district of the Esakiva to remind the Venezuelan people that it's a constant issue for that. In 2015, following the discovery of oil reserves off the Esaqibo's coast, Venezuela's interest in the territory intensified. Venezuela is Nicolas Maduro holding a referendum vote this week,

with the majority of proving to claim ownership over the Esakibo. Maduro also asking the Venezuelan state oil company to begin drilling. What Maduro is trying to do is open up Guyanese terrorist, for international exploitation by providing licenses from Venezuela. This is a new development and seeking international partners. In an effort to de-escalate tensions, Brazil's president Lula da Silva, calling for a peaceful solution. His call for peace, coming a day after Brazil's army, announced that was mobilizing troops

to its northern border, which it shares, with both Guyana and Venezuela. Those living in the region feeling helpless. Nobody in the indigenous people are not prepared for any takeover. Nobody has informed us, actually. Now it is being put on the table by us here as leaders trying to inform our people of the dangers that is above us. Guyana now betting on support from the international community,

including the United States. We absolutely stand by our unwavering support for Guyana's sovereign. A dispute to control a remote territory, rich and natural resources and symbolic for both countries. And this afternoon, the U.S. Embassy and Guyana, informing that the U.S. Southern Command will begin flight operations inside of Guyana, indicating that these exercises will enhance the security partnership between the U.S. and Guyana as the dispute between Guyana and Venezuela continues. Tom. All right, Guadvanegas for us, Gua, we thank you for that. still ahead tonight. Did he? Breaking his silence. A fourth woman accusing the rapper of sexual assault

recounting an attack, she says, happened when she was just 17 years old. What we're hearing from the Grammy winner tonight about those claims. Plus, an urgent manhunt in Pennsylvania for two escaped inmates where one of them was spotted by surveillance. And a mother and her toddler trapped under a car, the high school students who rushed in to save them. Stay with us. Top story. Just getting started on this Thursday night. We're back now with the latest bombshell accusations against hip-hop tycoon Sean Diddy Combs. The Grammy Award winner breaking his silence after a fourth woman came forward to accuse him of sexual assault. His latest alleged victim saying she was just 17 when she was violated at his recording studio.

NBC's Liz Croyce has this story. We want to warn you, some of the details are disturbing. Tonight, rap mogul, Sean Diddy Combs, breaking his silence after. After a fourth woman has come forward with disturbing allegations of rape and sexual assault, saying, quote, enough is enough. In an explosive new lawsuit, a plaintiff identified only as Jane Doe accuses Combs, his friend and business partner Harve Pierre, and a third person of gang rape and sex trafficking. The alleged victim says she was approached by Pierre at a lounge in Michigan in 2003 when she was just 17 years old and a junior in high school. She says Pierre then convinced her to travel to New York on a private jet to visit Combs' recording studio. A photo included in the lawsuit appears to show the teen sitting on the rapper's lap.

Jane Doe says at the studio she was repeatedly given drugs and alcohol before she was raped by all three men, then left on the bathroom floor in the fetal position. The Sean Combs lawsuit alleges some pretty terrible conduct, but a lot of it happened decades ago. The modern trend in states, including New York, is to either open up a window for stale claims to be filed or to simply extend civil and even criminal statutes of limitations to give survivors and victims longer periods of time in which to sue. According to the lawsuit, Combs' most recent accuser says the other women who came forward gave her the confidence to tell her story, specifically citing Cassie Ventura.

An R&B singer, songwriter, who was once signed to Combs' record label and dated him for nearly a decade. Ventura, who settled her suit the day after it was filed, accused Combs of trapping her in a cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking. 54-year-old Combs responding to the lawsuit, saying in part, let me be absolutely clear, I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family, and for the truth. Pierre did not respond. to NBC's request for comment. This is a civil complaint against Combs. It is not a criminal prosecution.

The only way for Combs to be prosecuted would be if law enforcement saw this complaint, read the allegations, and decided that they could bring a criminal prosecution. The allegations fanning the flames of a 50 years-long rivalry in the rap world. He's running around this popping pills in their mouth, pop pill, pill, pill.

50 cent announcing plans to produce a documentary about Diddy and his alleged run. doing, pledging to donate the proceeds to victims a sexual assault and rape. All right, Liz Kroitz joins us now in studio. So 50 Cent is going to produce the documentary. He's going to donate that money, he says. So he's clearly taking a shot and reacting to all this. Is anybody defending Did he tonight?

Yeah, Tom, no. We haven't seen anybody come to his defense so far. It's been pretty silent in the music industry, except that we are seeing some people now coming and backing the women. There's an advocacy group that is asking the Grammys to rescind Combs' 2020-Grami nomination, rescind his invitation to the ceremony. And there is also a longtime friend of Cassie's singer Tiffany Red, who is now penned an open letter today where she is corroborating the claims from Cassie. She says that Cassie told her that Combs abused her. She says she even

witnessed a really heated confrontation between them when they were a couple where it was very clear that Cassie was afraid and it even made her scared. Combs, though, has not responded to those allegations of that letter. Things appearing to snowball and Combs trying to fight back a little bit at least tonight. All right, Liz, Liz, great to have you here in studio. When we come back, the migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border, the record number of people who crossed illegally into the U.S. on Tuesday and the strain it's having on American cities. Stay with us. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we start with the manhunt for two escaped inmates in Pennsylvania. U.S. Marshals say a man accused of drug and parole violations, escaping from

a western Pennsylvania on Sunday, and taking off in a red for pickup truck. This comes as the search intensifies for another inmate who escaped to Philadelphia jail during work detail just last week, authorities urging anyone who sees either man to call police immediately. A record number of migrants crossing the U.S. southern border this week. Listen to this. CBP says 10,000 people crossed illegally through points of entry on Tuesday. and it comes as the crisis is crippling some U.S. cities. Officials in Denver say there are more than 2,600 migrants in the city's shelter system now and nearly 30,000 who have come through Denver in the last year. So far, they say it's cost taxpayers. Get this $32 million, but could cost

the city up to 100 million this year. And we want to turn to the latest on that deadly shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Police say 67-year-old Anthony Polito opened fire on the building's fourth floor just before noon Wednesday, shooting and killing three. He's not revealing a motive, but say he was a professor who applied to a job at multiple Nevada universities and was denied each time. He also previously worked at other universities across the Southeast, touted a membership, Mensa, the High IQ Society, who was prone to posting conspiracy theories on his personal website. A fourth victim tonight still remains in critical condition. And a group of high school students in Utah racing to save a mother and

trapped under a car. Surveillance video capturing the moment a group of students worked together to watch this, lift the car a few inches off the ground, someone pulling the mother and her two-year-old son out. Police say the mother was with her two children when the car struck them in the school's parking lot. One child was not pinned. Both the mother and child are expected to survive. Okay, time now for power and politics with almost a month until the Iowa caucuses, former President Trump maintains a huge lead over his Republican rivals. And while they debated on stage last night, Trump was in court today. NBC's Garrett Hake has that report for us tonight. Tonight, former President Trump's potential road back to the White House, again winding through

a Manhattan courtroom. They're doing this to hurt a political opponent. This is third world country stuff. With the Republican presidential frontrunner choosing to attend his civil fraud trial in New York, even as his rivals campaign in the early nominating states. I'm sitting in a courthouse instead of being in Iowa where I should be, even though I'm leading by about 40 points. While recent Iowa surveys have shown a closer race there, a new national Wall Street Journal poll has Mr. Trump holding a commanding 44-point lead over Nikki Haley and Rhonda Santis, who in last night's debate largely focused their fire on one another, not the absent frontrunner. She caves any time the left comes after her, any time the media comes after her.

Ron has continued to lie because he's losing. The debate full of ugly personal attacks. You would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America. Do everybody a favor? Just walk yourself off that stage. Enjoy a nice meal and get the hell out of this race. And long-shot candidate Chris Christie calling out fellow candidates for ignoring Mr. Trump's primary dominance. I've got these three guys who are all seemingly to compete with, you know, Voldemort.

He or shall not be named. The fact of the matter is he is unfit to be president. Garrett, fresh off the debate, is back in Washington tonight. So, Garrett, I want to first ask you about the candidate's performance last night, right? After a debate, the obvious question is who won? And Meet the Press put this out on Twitter as part of the coverage post-debate, where they had sort of an informal watch party, and they asked those 30 voters what they thought. This is in Georgia, and who won the debate?

What struck me is that 18 of those 30 said Trump won the debate, even though he wasn't on the stage. Is that your sense as well? Yeah, look, and the other five who said Ramoswami, who's basically running as Trump light, I think it's just a reminder that this is Donald Trump's party still, and the other candidates are still trying to find their place in it. I think these voters kind of put us back in an astute observation here,

which is that the clock is really ticking on every candidate not named Donald Trump. You can quibble about how detailed or how accurate these polls are at a granular level. But when Trump's up by 20, 30, 40 points, all he has to do is run out the clock to become the next nominee. And by not showing up he's able to do that. The other candidates ultimately end up looking small like they're fighting for second place. I think that's what these voters are trying to tell us. The GOP still wants to make sure that voters see all these Republican candidates for president. And I know you have some new reporting about two additional debates before the voting starts.

Yeah, this has been interesting because the Republican National Committee had very tightly controlled the debate process. until now, where they've basically thrown their hands up and are letting media organizations throw their own debates. CNN now says they're going to host two debates, one in Iowa, one in New Hampshire, just before the caucus and primary in those states. It's not clear how many candidates will be attending, but we know one who won't. Donald Trump's campaign says he is no intention of showing up at either of those debates, Tom. Garrett Hake, with the latest from the campaign trail. Garrett, thank you for that. Coming up after this short break, we take you to Columbia. We'll explain why

They're doing this, blowing up gold mines that produced nearly $2 million worth of gold every month. Stay with us. Time now for Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start in Colombia where there's been an explosive crackdown on illegal gold mining. New video shows authorities in Colombia. Watch this, blowing up illegal gold mining sites and equipment in the Amazon rainforest. It was one of 19 sites targeted. by Colombia and Brazil in a joint effort to crack down on gold mining dredges.

Officials there say, get this, the operations produce $1.5 million worth of gold per month, but at the same time, they're also polluting rivers with mercury. A 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocking Mexico City late today. Video showing people evacuating buildings as lights shook. The capital city, when the quake hit, the president of Mexico also had to be rushed out of a building. So far, no reports of any types of injuries or serious damage there. And a shocking scene at an airport in Santiago, Chile. Look at this.

A security cam capturing the moment a toddler ran from his parents, slips past security and onto an airport conveyor belt for bags. Several cameras showing the three-year-old going for a ride through the maze of conveyor belts throughout the facility, including in restricted and potentially dangerous areas. An airport worker finally spotting him, stopping the belt, and safely getting that child down. I'm sure he had a serious talking to by his parents.

All right, coming up, the discovery of an ancient treasure in China. Hidden for more than 2,000 years, the relics, some perfectly preserved and all discovered by luck. We're going to take you there. That's next. Stay with us. Finally tonight from our Indiana Jones Chronicles, a discovery more than 2,000 years in the making. Construction workers in China stumbling upon a tomb from the Han Dynasty,

which dates back to 200 BC. Stephen Rowan now on what archaeologists found inside. Hidden deep in the hills of southwest China, treasures untouched for more than 2,000 years, now uncovered by luck during a construction project. Archaeologists unearthing the earliest tomb ever found from the Western Han Dynasty, dating all the way back to 202 BC.

There were more than 600 relics inside, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Among them, decorative wooden pieces, pottery, and more. Most of the cultural relics are well preserved, this member of the archaeological project says, and that's all thanks to a nearly perfectly sealed tomb. You have oxygen-free environments. That's very, very good to preserve the perishable objects. Archaeologists now carefully excavating the items at the site, known as the Guantu Western Han Dynasty tomb number one, a location accidentally uncovered by construction workers. It's by accident. Researchers astonished by the condition of the objects,

the lacquer finish on some of them gleaming like new. Experts excited not only about the items themselves, but what they can teach us about the period, from art and culture to burial customs. They've never seen about death is the end of the life. Instead, this is a journey to become an ancestor. A site dedicated thousands of years ago to the dead, now giving a glimpse through time at life in the ancient world. Stephen Romo, NBC News. A journey to become an ancestor. We'll leave you with that thought. We thank you so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.