Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, February 13, 2025

Episode Date: February 14, 2025

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 new trade deal just announced, and NBC News asking President Trump, what will Russia give up to end the war in Ukraine? The president just wrapping up a meeting with India's prime minister. This coming as the world watches what the U.S. is planning next, as the president doubles down on plans to implement trade tariffs, how it could impact the prices you pay. And late today, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic just sworn in to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Also breaking tonight federal prosecutors in New York and Washington resigning after refusing to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The public battle now playing out between those prosecutors and the Trump administration's

new Justice Department. The danger in the forecast, the evacuation warnings issued as heavy rain brings a mudslide threat to fire ravage Los Angeles. Further north, feet of snow, blasting California's Mammoth Mountain and the massive pile-up in Oregon as white-out conditions blind drivers. The deadly mall explosion in Taiwan, dash cam video showing the moment parts of the building are blown apart. The blasts sending shoppers scrambling inside a store. Wendy Williams' desperate plea, the troubling TMZ clip of the former TV show host, banging on the window of an assisted living facility, her distressing phone call sparking new questions over her guard. guardianship. New video captioning a driver's narrow escape jumping out of an SUV just seconds

before a train crashes right into their car. And something you've never seen before, a humpback whale swallows a kayaker hole off the coast of Chile before he spits him out what that kayaker is saying about this story of biblical proportions. Plus, the alarming new study about the toxic levels of caffeine being consumed by kids. Where they're getting it that may surprise you. Top story. Starts right now. And good evening. We're following several breaking headlines tonight, including what the president just said about negotiations with Vladimir Putin. That answer came during a news conference between President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi. The president announcing the

U.S. India Compact that just happened, a multifaceted trade deal on a range of topics, including energy, military infrastructure, and even AI. The president spending the day with the prime minister, tech billionaire Elon Musk, also spotted with world leaders in the Oval Office. President Trump pressed on what capacity Musk was meeting with Modi about earlier in the day as a businessman and CEO or his role in the administration. I don't know. They met, and I assume he wants to do business in India.

But India is a very hard place to do business in because of, the tariffs. They have the highest tariffs just about in the world, and it's a hard place to do business. No, I would imagine he met possibly because, you know, he's running a company. President Trump also making news overseas after announcing he would spearhead peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy saying he won't accept an agreement unless he's involved. Staying abroad, Hamas caving to President Trump's ultimatum saying they will free three hostages this weekend after threatening to delay their release. And also today, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sworn in as Health and Human Services Secretary, the confirmation vote

mainly along party lines with just one Republican, Senator Mitch McConnell, voting against the prominent vaccine skeptic. He'll now oversee several agencies, including the CDC and the FDA. And this news breaking tonight, a federal judge temporarily blocking President Trump's order restricting transgender health care for those younger than 19. And a big question tonight is, what does the future of global trade look like? We asked because the president directing his administration to look into reciprocal tariffs going country by country to assess their tax rates on imports

and see if the U.S. should match them. The president also signaling a potential tariff on Taiwan's chips, a move that would shake up the tech industry. All of this expected to drive up prices for consumers. and new fallout after the President's Justice Department ordered the corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams be dismissed. Today, the top prosecutor resigning after refusing to drop the case, and we're just learning prosecutors we're planning to bring new charges against Adams.

We want to start with the latest headlines out of the Trump administration, and to help us break it all down. I want to bring in NBC Senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez, who was in the room during that news conference. Gabe, I know you asked a lot of important questions we're going to get to in a second. And get us up to speed, the two leaders announcing that the trade deals happened just moments ago, a new trade deal? Hi there, Tom. Yes, the stakes are incredibly high here. Of course, the U.S. is India's largest trading partner. So Prime Minister Modi here at the White House on the same day that President Trump announced those reciprocal tariffs.

And this visit by Modi was trying to strike a more bitter coalition in the Indo-Pacific to stop the rise of China. So yes, as you said, there was a defense cooperation that was signed by the two administrations. And also, there was a promise to work on a larger trade deal later on. But President Trump did say that he does plan to slap those reciprocal tariffs on India, basically trying to get at that trade deficit, to fight that trade deficit that the president says the U.S. has with India. There was also sort of that stunning moment inside the White House prior to that news conference, right? Robert F. Kennedy Jr., part of a long line of proud and staunch Democrats, a man who's been a vocal anti-vaxxer, becoming the Secretary of Health and Human Services today. Talk to us about this moment. Yeah, it was an incredible moment, Tom. And this came after a 52-48 vote in the Senate. And there had been a lot of skepticism among even some Senate Republicans.

But over the last few weeks, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won them over. And, of course, that skepticism based on the fact that he opposed some vaccines. But in this case, that 5248 vote, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in the end, just lost one Republican vote, Senator Mitch McConnell. Tom. Yeah, and you were able to ask President Trump, I know this at that news conference that just wrapped up. A very important question. I want to play a little bit about that, about Ukraine and Putin. Let's listen.

gotten themselves into something that I think they wish they didn't. If I were president, it would not have happened. Absolutely would not have happened. And it didn't happen for four years. If you look at what has taken place. Under President Bush, they lost a lot. Under President Obama, they lost Crimea. Under Biden, it looks like they could lose the whole thing.

Under Trump, they lost nothing. Ukraine lost nothing. So, Gabe, maybe give us a little more context here. What exactly did you ask the president? Yeah, that's right. I asked him right beforehand, before that clip. I asked him that he had suggested that Ukraine should give up several things, including the idea of NATO membership, as well as part of its territory that Russia sees back in 2014, Crimea.

I asked him, after he suggested that, what should Russia give up? And that was his response. He also seemed to blame Ukraine, in part, for provoking Russia by demanding to be in NATO. But he also went on to say that it was just too early to speak about these negotiations. Again, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy set to meet with top U.S. officials in Germany tomorrow. But the president saying it's too early to tell when it comes to Russia what they should give up. But, again, he and his defense secretary, Pete Heggsath, have suggested that Ukraine should be prepared to give up that. territory that it lost back in 2014, Tom.

Gabe Gutierrez, senior White House reporter leading us off tonight from the White House. Gabe, we thank you. For more on this, I want to bring in NBC News Foreign Corresponding. Who is at NATO headquarters in Brussels. So, Raf, it sounds like President Trump is trying to negotiate an end-to-the-war in Ukraine without NATO. You spoke with the Secretary-General of NATO. What is there a reaction to all of this?

So, Tom, what we've heard very consistently from America's allies at NATO is they feel that the path forward here is to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield before they go into the negotiating room with Russia. But what was very noticeable was we did not hear that from Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth. He didn't say it in his press conference yesterday. He didn't say it in his remarks at the Ukraine contact group yesterday. And I asked Secretary General of NATO, Mark Ruta, about that silence earlier. Take a listen. is united around the goal of putting Ukraine into the strongest possible position going into these negotiations. But did Secretary Hexath explicitly confirm to you that that is the

American position? Because the way President Trump was speaking yesterday, it sounded to many people like he sees the United States as essentially a neutral mediator in these talks. No, but you know that the U.S. is one of the biggest suppliers of military aids into Ukraine, which is still ongoing. And what is very important, of course, here is that going forward, and I've said that before, I expect the U.S. for the European allies to take a bigger share of the financial burden. So, Tom, you heard there. He said NATO is working towards that American demands, that the Europeans spend more on defense. But he didn't really answer my question about what kind of confirmation he got from Pete Heggs. That's what I can tell you. There is a lot of confusion and

some concern about the American approach on Ukraine right now. I also want to transition to what's happening in the Middle East and the ceasefire. Hamas had threatened to pull out of it saying they weren't going to release the three hostages this Saturday. I know there's been a change in what Hamas is doing. What can you update our viewers on what's happening over there? Yeah, Tom. So Hamas says it will now release those three male hostages on Saturday as scheduled. And two things have happened before that change. One, you had President Trump saying that there would be hell to pay if all hostages did not come out by Saturday. That is not happening, but it does seem that Hamas has shifted to releasing at least those three.

But the other thing that has changed, Tom, is that Israel is now allowing more heavy construction equipment, more temporary houses into Gaza. And one of Hamas's original complaints had been that Israel was not upholding its side of the deal. So it does seem now that both sides have stepped back from the brink, and we are expecting those hostages to come out on Saturday and Palestinian prisoners to be released. Ralph Sanchez reporting from NATO tonight. Ralph, we appreciate that. Back here at home now, President Trump announcing a new round of reciprocal tariffs from the White House today in an effort to crack down on unfair trade practices by other countries. It comes as the former

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks out about the growing cost of these tariffs. NBC News Senior Business Correspondent Christine Romans has the latest from Detroit. Tonight, President Trump ordering his administration to investigate imposing tariffs on any country worldwide it deems to be employing unfair trade practices. They charge us a tax or tariff, and we charge them. Mr. Trump's focus on foreign nation's fees like value-added taxes or vats. The EU has been very nasty. It's just been, they haven't treated us properly.

Today's move comes even as there is growing concern within the president's own party over the tariffs he has already announced, including on steel and aluminum imports, all goods from China and 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, which are paused for now. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, writing in an op-ed, the president's aggressive proposals leave big, lingering concerns for American industry and workers.

Industry leaders also concerned Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, blunt in a call with analysts this week. Let's be real honest, long-term, a 25% tariff across the Mexico and Canadian border will blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we have never seen.

That worry, rippling through smaller businesses around Detroit as well. Every single manufacturer will be affected in some way by an increase in tariffs. At Glassman Auto, George Glassman sells foreign-made vehicles and deals every day with foreign auto parts. What do tariffs mean for your customers? Higher prices. No doubt.

No doubt. Christine joins us tonight from Detroit. Christine, Trump has announced this plan on reciprocal tariffs, right? When does this plan actually go into effect? because it's all sort of just been tough tariff talk, if you will, and how much will this actually cost Americans? Do we have any estimates? Yeah, two very good questions. Like, first, if these reciprocal tariffs go into effect when, or if at all, it just remains unclear.

We just don't know yet. And that uncertainty alone is creating a challenge for businesses here in the U.S. and for customers who are trying to plan ahead. You know, there have been estimates that this could add the cost to the cost of a new car, something like $3,000, other tariffs that have already been announced, these reciprocal tariffs, and then dangling today, he talked about auto tariffs as well, all of this just adding to this soup of uncertainty about how much something's going to cost when it crosses a border into the U.S. All right, Christine, Romans for us. Christine, we thank you for that. We also have

several breaking headlines tonight from right here in New York City. The acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York resigning today after refusing a Trump-D-OJ order to drop bribery charges against the city's mayor. Eric Adams. It comes as Adams is reportedly mulling a party switch to the GOP. You heard me correctly as he gears up for a possible re-election bid, while disgraced New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is also considering running to lead New York City as mayor. For more on all of this, I want to bring an NBC News senior legal correspondent, a good friend of top story, Laura Jarrett, and Jeff Colton is a New York City political reporter for Politico and maybe a future good friend of the show

as well. We thank you both for being here. Laura, I want to start with you because this is some serious news, right? As we talk about what happened here, you had this stunning letter from the prosecutor here in Manhattan for the Southern District. I want to put it up on the screen for our viewers so they can see it here. Basically, they're saying tonight about this letter that when they pulled this out, that a member of the Justice Department, essentially the acting attorney general, Mr. Bovet, admonished a member of my team who took notes during the meeting and directed the collection of those notes at the media's conclusion. So, Laura, they're obviously having serious issues with how this was handled. Talk to us what's exactly happening here.

highly unusual for her to be asked to drop the charges against Adams in the first place. But we now know that she was actually, at least according to Danielle Sassoon, this is a career prosecutor, died in the wool conservative, who's saying she sat in a meeting where Adams' lawyers basically said, hey, if you drop these criminal charges against my client, he'll agree to sort of go along with Trump's enforcement priorities. That is a quid pro quo. I was going to say, that is an extraordinary allegation. Now, of course, Adams attorney is pushing back hard on that, says it's a lie, says it never happened. But the fact that she is saying that, the fact that she says she has notes, which we haven't seen yet.

And she's a lawyer. And she's a lawyer to make that kind of an allegation in a letter to the attorney general, Tom. She didn't just like give us this letter. She sent it to the attorney general. We just got it today. And now she quits because she couldn't go along with that plan. So them essentially saying, say her story is true, saying, okay, Mayor Eric Adams is going to help us on immigration reform. So let's drop the case against them.

Is that legal? The problem is, who's going to enforce it if it's not? Okay? So the president is not typical, but it is certainly within his purview because the Justice Department is a member of the executive branch. He can tell the Attorney General to sort of go along with his enforcement priorities. But to tell the Attorney General to bring a case, drop a case, that is not something we have seen since Watergate, and that is sort of the whole point of trying to distance the Justice

Department, having a measure of independence. All of that was done because of past president and a history. And so we are now at a different moment if we're at the point where the president is going to be dictating who gets prosecuted and who doesn't. We should mention, by the way, of course, Mr. Trump saying he did not order the prosecutor to be fired. He did not order Adams' charges to be dropped. We talked to Adams earlier today, WNBC, NBC, New York. Let's hear what Adams had to say about the charges being dropped. Did nothing wrong.

The former president of President Biden stated that our Justice Department has been weaponized. Current President Trump stated it, Eric stated it, three different individuals that have gone through the weaponization of the Justice Department, and those countless number of mothers that were placed on FBI wait lists, individuals who have gone through this. We can't weaponize our justice system, and as I said, I did nothing wrong, and I had an attorney that was going to pursue justice for me. Laura, real quick, is this the end of the case with Eric Adams and the DOJ? We don't know. And part of why we don't know is because DOJ said they could bring future charges against Eric Adams, if, you know, down the line they've decided it's appropriate with the new U.S. attorney. That's in it of itself an issue because what it means is they have this sort of hanging over his head if he goes along with the president's enforcement priorities. Now, of course, they're saying those two are not related. He's saying it's weaponization. Let's be clear. He was investigated before he was even mayor. So to say the investigation hinges on what he was saying against President Biden. the timeline doesn't add up. Okay, Jeff, I'm going to bring you in here now because I want to ask you about some reporting the New York Times broke earlier this week, saying that Adams is potentially exploring the possibility of running as a Republican. He's a Democrat right now. Obviously, New York is a very blue state. Manhattan, maybe one of the bluest points of that state. Is there something to this reporting? Could we see this happen? There's something to it. He's certainly having these conversations with the leaders of the Bronx Republican Party, the Manhattan Republican Party. That said, I don't actually think it's going to happen. He has to look at the numbers. There's been some polling that if he ran against Curtis Slewa, who is the Republican in 21, and expects to run for mayor as the Republican in 2025.

Eric Adams would be crushed. I mean, to put it simply, Eric Adams is unpopular among Democrats. He is even less popular among Republicans. So if he's looking for, you know, to save himself from the Democratic primary, that's not the way to do it. Unless he has Trump's blessing, I want to put a poll up for our viewers to sort of counter your argument. This is the reason why he might be doing this, right? This poll is from Emerson, Pix 11 News as well, locally here. New York City 2025 mayoral ballot.

Andrew Cuomo, 33%? Eric Adams, 10% in this poll. I mean, that's pretty stunning what Cuomo has been able to come back from after being sort of ousted from office. Disgraced. There were lawsuits against him as well, criminal investigations. Some of those have obviously been dropped. What do you think about this, though? I mean, if Adams is looking at those numbers, you may say, this is my only way to become mayor. Yeah, absolutely. And Adams has expressed a lot of confidence that, you know, once the election really picks up, then he'll be able to get that support.

You know, the Democrats will remember, oh, yeah, actually, I like him better. And the Andrew Cuomo number, I mean, the caveat there is that most, we believe the polling is just based on name recognition. Everybody knows Andrew Cuomo. Right now, there's a bunch of other people running for mayor who people don't know yet. But could Cuomo make a comeback? Do you think he could make a political comeback? He could. I mean, he could run on the same argument that Donald Trump did, which was essentially,

They came after me. Wasn't life better in 2019, and they came after me. And now Andrew Cuomo can do the same thing. He said, wasn't it better pre-COVID? You know, don't you remember me? And then also, I was targeted. We saw great success with Donald Trump. He could do the same.

Everyone's using the same playbook. All right, Laura Jarrow, we thank you for being here. Jeff, nice to meet you. Thanks for being here as well. We went to head overseas now to Germany where at least 30 people were hurt after a car plowed into a crowd in Munich. The heroin scene unfolding earlier today

in what authorities are calling a suspected attack. The incident comes just one day before world leaders are set to attend a major security conference there, including Vice President J.D. Vance. NBC's Andrew Mitchell is there. This was the chaotic aftermath moments after a car plowed into a crowd in Munich. Victims lying on the ground, first responders rushing to help. Officials calling it a suspected attack.

This witness says it seemed to me the car accelerated before it drove into the crowd. The suspect was driving that white Mini Cooper that you can see behind me when he plunged into the crowd. You can still see the debris on the street, including a stroller. Officials say at least 30 people were injured, including children. According to police, an officer fired a shot at the Mini Cooper before they moved in and arrested the driver. Police say the suspect is a 24-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan who lives in Munich and may have an extremist background. The Interior Minister says he had a previous criminal record related to drugs and thefts.

There is no indication of a motive, but the suspect drove into a crowd of 1,500 protesters rallying for higher wages. The police say there's no indication so far that the attack is linked to the security conference. Those attending include Vice President J.D. Vance, who arrived with his family just hours after the incident. While security is tight, public spaces are soft targets for car rammings, increasingly common, with 14 people killed in New Orleans on New Year's Day. 5 at a Christmas market elsewhere in Germany in December.

So, now, Germany's chancellor saying the suspect in today's incident must be punished and he must leave the country. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Munich. All right, now to top stories, weather watch back here at home in the dangerous storm. Moving into California, heavy rain set to soak much of the state bringing possible flooding, landslides and damaging wind gusts. More than 30 million people under flood watches and mandatory evacuation orders issued in areas devastated by last month's wildfires.

Morgan Chesky is in Southern California with the very latest. Tonight, a massive winter storm system blamed for this frightening scene outside Portland, Oregon. More than 100 cars and trucks piling up in snowy conditions. Some catching fire. There is a vehicle on fire in the westbound. It is fully in fall. It's nasty.

Rescuers reporting injuries and multiple victims stuck inside vehicles. In a collision that shut down interstate. 84 entirely. In Southern California, that same system unleashing an atmospheric river of rain. Near Los Angeles, charred hillsides from the recent wildfires facing a new threat. Evacuation for the residents. Officers going door to door following mandatory evacuations, stretching from vulnerable neighborhoods in Altadena to Malibu. We expect these heavy rains to last through Friday morning, which puts burn areas at particular risk for landslides, mud flows,

Conditions so bad. The EPA announced their halting crucial cleanup efforts until the rain subsides. Fire crews have spent weeks shoring up vulnerable areas to keep hillsides and dangerous runoff in check, but the real test lies over the next 24 hours. With rock slides already shutting down parts of the PCH, for those who call this area home, a new wave of anxiety setting in. Definitely nervous. My main concerns if there are landslides on the PCH that could possibly jail us in. like jealous in here. Burn zone fears amid a new weather nightmare.

Morgan Chesky and his team joined us tonight from Malibu. Morgan, I'm looking down there at your live shot. I know we lost you there for a moment. We were looking at the radar, heavy thunderstorms coming through, and now you have that flood warning as well. Yeah, Tom, that's exactly right. The rain only getting stronger because this atmospheric river not expected to peak in this area until later tonight.

That is why officials are urging everyone to be incredibly vigilant as to how quickly conditions can change. here. This stretch of the PCH was shut down a couple hours ago, Tom. They reopened it because they cleared debris off. But as you can see right now, as the rain intensify, they have these bulldozers back out here trying to keep those concrete barriers in place because the water only building up on the other side of them, Tom. Traffic now reduced to one lane here on this stretch in Malibu. And you can see they're driving through that muddy water as we speak. This is going to be a major concern going into the night ahead, Tom, because there are so many communities,

particularly along this area, precariously perched along those hillsides. Officials say they have evacuated the ones they're most concerned about, but they're telling anyone who lives near a burn scar to be ready to go if they need to. Tom? Yeah, they're going to have to just too dangerous. All right, Morgan, great seeing you there. You guys stay safe tonight. For more on the dangerous night ahead in California, NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens joins us. Bill, show our viewers what's moving over Morgan at this hour. So Morgan's right here in Malibu, Tom, and they're under a severe thunderstorm warning. This is about as bad as we thought we could get.

They had about an inch or two of rain earlier today, and now the severe thunderstorm is rolling through, and it includes Los Angeles, even the downtown area, very rare for L.A. to be in a severe thunderstorm warning. And because of all the heavy rain and the burn scars, we also have a flash flood warning. So 60 mile per hour winds are possible as this line of storms is now right along the 405 heading towards downtown L.A. and that will make it to Aldadena, too, and head for that burn scar area. This is the flash flood warning. Considerable risks, they're calling this. And this goes all the way till 8 p.m. Pacific time.

So still very heavy rain. You see the pink there by Malibu. This will be sliding. This is all the burn scar area here between Riviera and Malibu Beach area. This is, if anything really horrible is going to happen, it's going to be in the next two, three hours as this torrential rain is heading through. Now, once this is done, once we get to about midnight, a lot of the rain will shut. off. So we think we're going to get maybe an inch or two more. We also have one other heading up into the mountains this area is here. One other flash flood warning. We had a lot of rain around

San Francisco earlier today. Things are beginning to improve as the storm moves on shore. And you can just see all that heavy stuff right over the top of downtown L.A. as we had feared, Tom. And as we go through the weekend, we'll talk more tomorrow. That storm on the West Coast going to cause major problems on Saturday. Severe weather, tornado outbreak, and a lot of flooding in Tennessee and Kentucky. What a week. Bill Cairns has not stopped for you or for the weather team out there. Still ahead tonight, the lawsuit after an African safari takes a deadly turn. The New Jersey man suing a tour operator after his wife was killed by a wild hippopotamus.

We speak tonight with a lawyer about why they think the company failed him, the couple's lawyer. Plus, Wendy Williams' desperate plea, the startling images showing her begging to get out of an assisted living facility, we'll explain. And is there a chance an asteroid could strike Earth? what researchers are revealing and what you don't and why you don't need to panic just yet. Stay with us. We are back now with new images of Wendy Williams, the larger than live, former daytime talk show host, now inside an assisted living facility. In a new documentary, Williams speaking from the facility as the cameras captured her through her window,

saying she no longer needs the guardianship she was put under in 2020. NBC's Chloe Malas tonight with more. Wendy Williams wants the queen of daytime talk. Here's Wendy. Making headlines on Thursday after the release of a new TMZ documentary on Tooby. In the last 30 days, I went out twice. Featuring an interview with Williams herself from inside an assisted living facility in New York City. I want my rights back. I want my freedom back.

The outlet showing haunting images of the 60-year-old. star who has been under a controversial guardianship since 2022, pressed up against the window while talking with TMC's Harvey Levin on a landline. Does this sound like somebody that's suffering from aphasia and dementia? To me, it's the old Wendy Williams. It's the Wendy Williams you saw on TV. Williams, who says in the documentary, she has been denied the right to leave, citing an affidavit Wednesday requesting the judge overseeing her guardianship to set her free, according to a source with direct knowledge of Williams's situation. Williams's court-appointed guardian did not immediately respond to NBC News's request for comment.

Williams was first put under a financial guardianship in 2022. A judge later expanded it after Williams was diagnosed with frontal temporal dementia and aphasia. And two years later, fans got a look at her alleged mental decline in the release of this controversial documentary, where is Wendy Williams that included scenes like this, where Williams appears to not recognize her manager. It's okay. Sorry. What do you think of was?

It's okay. It's all right. Now Williams saying, despite her diagnosis, she's doing much better and should be able to live independently. You look at Wendy Williams on that lifetime documentary last year, and you look at her today, and it's day and night. She is not only better, she's back. Williams telling the breakfast club, she feels like she's in prison. This system is broken, you know, this system that I'm in, you know, This system has falsified, oof, a lot.

Following that interview, an attorney for Williams's guardian writing to the judge, saying in part, in light of the unusual circumstances present here, the guardian believes that it would be prudent for Wendy Williams to undergo a new medical evaluation. Hope for Williams in a health journey that has unfolded publicly for years. In 2017, she shockingly fainted on her live talk show. Later revealing to viewers, she suffered from a lot of. an autoimmune disorder known as Graves disease. Graves disease squeezes the muscles behind your eyeballs, and so that's the reason for...

Two years later, she revealed she was living in a sober house after seeking treatment for addiction. I've had a struggle with cocaine in my past. Since Williams left her hit show in 2022, she has lived primarily out of the spotlight, but is now using her voice this time in her fight for freedom. Tom, I was actually a contributor on Wendy Williams show for most of my 20s. I mean, I think I was on her show over a dozen times. And I got to know her pretty well. And yes, at the end of her show, when we were approaching about 2020, 2021, she definitely did not act like herself. But when I hear her in this TMC documentary, when I hear her calling into the breakfast club, it does sound like the old Wendy Williams. But is a judge? going to allow her to get out of this guardianship and allow her to be living independently like she wants. She has a lot of legal hurdles to get through, but especially in this environment that we're living in

a post-free Britney Spears movement when she was freed from her controversial conservatorship. I think that the public is paying a lot more attention to all of this now, and I think it really does put pressure on the court system. All right, we're going to see how it plays out. Chloe, we thank you for that report. Next, and I, to the African safari gone horribly wrong. A New Jersey woman killed by a wild hippopotamus during a guided wilderness tour in Zambia. Her husband now suing the tour company alleging they should have done more to protect his wife, even warned them. NBC's Marquis Francis has this one. What was supposed to be an adventure of a lifetime for Craig Manders ended in tragedy when his wife Lisa was killed by a hippo while the couple was on a safari in Zambia.

Manders' attorney says the New Jersey grandfather watched the entire ordeal unfold. You can imagine the drama and the trauma of having a loved one be essentially picked up in the mouth of a 4,000-pound animal shaking around and crushed to death. And that's what he saw. And it's just agonizing to comprehend. Manders, now suing the Connecticut-based tour operator, which organized a 10-day safari in the Southern African nation last year, alleging the company failed to warn them of the dangers hippos pose. In a lawsuit filed in Stamford Superior Court, Mander says the couple was led to a riverbank

where a lone hippopotamus was resting in the water. The guides, including at least one armed with a rifle, then left 70-year-old Lisa and others to observe the hippo without any protection. They did exactly what they were supposed to do. Had no idea, had no comprehension of the degree of danger they faced. Hippos are among the most dangerous animals on earth, reaching speeds upward of 20 miles per hour despite their size. From the time the hippo was partially submerged, to the time it had Lisa manners in its mouth was just a matter of several seconds. And it was almost immediately fatal bite.

In a statement, the tour company African portfolio writing, all safety measures had been implemented both before and during the incident. And repeated verbal warnings for the guests to return to the safety of the vehicle were issued during the incident. Animal attacks like this are not unheard of when man comes into close contact with the wild. Just last year, a 79-year-old Minnesota woman was killed by a charging elephant during a safari, also in Zambia. And in the Serengeti, a cheetah getting far too close for comfort in the back of this tourist's land cruiser. He was lucky and made it out unscathed. You want to feed the giraffe? But this toddler at a wildlife center in Texas got way more than she bargained for,

when a giraffe picked her up that she was trying to feed it. Fortunately, she wasn't her either. But now, Mander's attorney hoping to get justice for a death he says was entirely preventable. What is your client seeking? There needs to be awareness. When selecting safari guides, you need to pick people who take these kinds of issues seriously. Marquise Francis joins us now in studio. So, Marquis, just to be clear here, the lawyer is saying the couple never got a warning

that this hippo could be dangerous, could possibly kill them. Right. The couple is saying, the husband is saying that they followed everything that the tour guide was telling them to do. They were allowed to go up and take photos of the hippo. It's just when the tour guides turned around, that's when the hippo charged. So they were following directions, and this tragedy unfolded. And I know you have some more reporting about this trip and how it came together for this couple.

Yeah, so the couple had been saving up for a while. We know, according to the African portfolio website, these safaris can cost anywhere from $7,500 to $20,000. And so even though we're not exactly sure how much this one cost, they've been saving it up for a while, and it was celebrating a special anniversary. Marquise Francis, great to have you on Top Story tonight. We thank you.

When we return the close call on the tracks, video showing a train barreling towards an SUV. The driver escaping with just seconds to spare. We'll show you more of this video. Don't go anywhere. We're back down with Top Stories News Feed. An Indiana team charged after police say they forward a mass shooting at a high school. Police arrested the 18-year-old on Tuesday after receiving a tip that they were planning a shooting at Mooresville High School on Valentine's Day.

That city, about 20 miles south of Indianapolis, the teen suspect is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and threats to commit terrorism. A driver narrowly escaping a train collision in Utah after their car was pushed into a crossing by another vehicle. Surveillance video capturing the moments the train smashes into the SUV, sending pieces of the car and the crossing barrier flying. The driver fleeing the SUV just seconds earlier after another car rear ended into the crossing. Luckily, no one was hurt. The threat of a newly discovered asteroid hitting Earth is slightly higher than it was a few weeks ago. New calculations say there's a 2% chance the asteroid named. 2024 YR4 could hit Earth in 2032.

NASA's Web Space Telescope will be used to monitor it. The European Space Agency saying that if the likelihood of impact remains above 1% after the new observations, they will discuss efforts to divert the asteroid from its path. Okay. And the New York Jets dropping quarterback Aaron Rogers after two tumultuous seasons. The National Football League team acquired Rogers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers in 2023. The four-time MVP tore his Achilles four plays into that season, you'll remember, and missed the rest of the season.

He posted his worst completion percentage since 2019 this past season. The debts wished Rogers well, but did not give a reason for their decision. Okay, next to an NBC news investigation and a new lawsuit concerning hair dye. The suit alleging that ingredients used in those dyes can cause cancer, potentially opposing a major health risk to hairdressers who use them daily. NBC's Kate Snow sat down with one man impacted, and here's the story tonight. Hector Corvara spent his childhood helping his parents work the fields in California's Central Valley. We were out there working in a hot sun, and I remember asking myself that question.

He's what I'm going to do the rest of my life. His answer was to go from cutting crops to cutting hair. Hair would always grow. I wouldn't be out of a job. But he says coloring hair for more than four decades took a different toll. on his body. In 2023, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He remembers this conversation with his doctor. He says, what do you do for a living? And I said, I'm a hairdresser. Hmm. That explains it. He said that explains it. Yeah. And in that moment, did you think, oh, he's seen this before

in hairdressers? Yes. Corvara is the plaintiff in a new lawsuit against 13 companies. Attorney Alan Smith alleges Corvara's repeated exposure to chemicals in their hair dye products caused. caused his cancer. He's seeking damages. These are known chemicals that cause cancer. Smith made millions for clients when Johnson & Johnson settled claims that its baby powder caused cancer. He says he plans to file multiple other hair dye cases soon.

What are you accusing these companies of doing? I'm accusing these hair dye companies of, number one, manufacturing a product that's unsafe. I mean, at a minimum, I would want these manufacturers to provide a warning. Smith points to a substance that's formed when hair color ingredients are mixed together. We spoke with a half dozen researchers and doctors who say, while there is not strong evidence of a link to cancer for clients who get their hair dyed, numerous studies have found a link between repeated work exposure and an increased risk for bladder cancer. The FDA says under the law, cosmetic products and ingredients generally do not need FDA pre-market approval

and notes the industry reformulated products after some hair dyes were found to call. cause cancer in lab animals in the 1980s. But the lawsuit alleges dies are still dangerous. They're definitive studies that have come out decades later showing the manufacturers did in fact not do what they said they were going to do. Are you alleging that the companies that make these products are misleading the FDA and the thousands of salons and workers and people who use these products? 100 percent.

NBC News reached out to every company named in the lawsuit. One company, Cody, says they no longer make or sell hair dye products in the U.S., adding the claims against Cody are unsubstantiated and without merit. Bristol-Myers Squibb says it has no liability for products manufactured by Clareall, which it sold in 2001. Clareol and other companies named in the suit like L'Oreal had no comment, some saying they do not comment on pending litigation. Hector had his bladder removed, a new one created out of his intestine. What is you doing?

He spends a lot of his time now, caring for his grandson. I pray to God that gave me some more time to see him grow. I mean, you know, but I still have that thought of my mind that, you know, this thing can come back, you know. You still worry a little bit? Yeah. He says he'll never work in a salon again. How are you? Kate Snow, NBC News, Exeter, California.

We thank Kate for bringing us that story. We do want to head overseas to a deadly experience. explosion rocking a shopping mall in Taiwan. Shoppers seen on video running for their lives after a gas explosion ripped through several floors. NBC International correspondent Matt Bradley has this one. A gas explosion rocking a city in western Taiwan. Video showing floors of a shopping mall blown out, sending a shower of debris onto a busy street below. The blast in Taichung killing at least four people and injuring 26, according to fire officials.

This woman describes hearing a loud explosion and vibration. She says she thought it was an earthquake. Surveillance footage shows the chaos inside as panicked shoppers tried to flee to safety. The city's mayor telling reporters' search and rescue is a top priority. Firefighters inside going floor by floor looking for survivors and assessing damage. Authorities say the blast occurred in the mall's food court on the 12th floor. The mayor adding that part of the building was under renovation, but it's not clear if that work was connected. The official cause of the explosion, now under investigation.

Matt Bradley, NBC News. We want to stay overseas now, which means it's time for Top Story's Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with the 139 fishermen who were stranded on a sheet of ice and rush. Look at this. Video shows a helicopter crew reaching some of the men off Russia's Pacific Coast. The men were winter fishing when a 33-foot deep ice crack sent them adrift. Some of the men initially refusing the rescue, saying they would not leave without a catch. They eventually all made it safely to shore. Japanese carmakers, Nissan and Honda, failing to reach a deal on a potential merger between the companies.

If it was successful, the merger would have created one of the world's largest auto groups worth an estimated $60 billion. The companies reportedly disagreed on Nissan's rule in the merger. Honda and Nissan say they will still collaborate on software and electric vehicles. And a London Art Institute marking a historic discovery, unearthing a Pablo Picasso portrait hidden behind a painting. Here's what it looked like. Researchers found the hidden painting while preparing an exhibit. Infrared and x-ray images revealing a woman's portrait behind Picasso's 1901 painting of his friend Mateo Fernandez de Soto. This was made during his melancholy blue period. The painted woman resembles other seated women pieces he made earlier that year, photo evidence found another head at the bottom of the work, suggesting

it was a reworked canvas. Pretty cool. Okay, when we come back, overdosing on caffeine. Have you ever heard this? A new study showing an alarming uptick and calls to poison control centers involving young people and caffeine, the sugary, highly caffeinated beverages that are fueling these calls, and the powder you may not even know about. That's next. We are back now with Top Stories Health Check, and an alarming new study finding the number of children exposed to dangerous levels of caffeine is on the rise. According to the study conducted by nationwide children's hospital in the Central Ohio Poison Center, the United States saw a 17% increase in exposures to caffeine energy products in children. But that doesn't

include tea, coffee, or caffeinated soft drinks. So what's the culprit? It's liquids like energy Drinks and increasingly popular pre-workout powders. Exposure calls from those rose by a whopping 633% according to the study. For more on this concerning trend, I'm joined now by Dr. Ayala Wegman. She's a pediatrician at NYU Langone's Global Pediatric Center. We thank you so much for being here. So Dr. Wegman, talk to us about these powders and these energy drinks. I mean, we've done a lot of reporting here on Top Story on like the charged lemonade

and how people were even dying in some cases off those drinks. But what are these powders all about? So the powders can be found very much over the counter. Anyone can really access them. And what's so remarkable is that even though the caffeine may be listed as an ingredient, the actual amount and the milligrams are not always present. So children and teenagers don't exactly know how much they're actually using when they're mixing these beverages into their water or their sodas.

Yeah, I want to put this up for our viewers because this really shocked us when we're talking about this at our meeting today. It says some of the high caffeine pre-workout patterns. have up to 400 milligrams of caffeine in a single serving. So to give you an idea of what that is, that's almost the equivalent to four cups of an 8-ounce coffee. That's wild. And kids are having that.

Are they popular? Are they on social media? I mean, how are they hearing about these things? Well, absolutely on social. These things are pervasive. We're seeing that a lot of kids are being targeted. And they see on their feeds, you know, on Instagram, these reels and videos of people using these to bulk up, gain muscle mass.

The problem is, is that young minds and bodies are very naive to the effects of caffeine. And they're marketed with, I mean, candy flavors and fun flavors. Cookie flavors, candy flavors. It's clear that the marketing is geared towards attracting the youth of the country. How do you know when you have a caffeine overdose or caffeine points? I mean, we've all had those days where we drank too much coffee. We're a little wired. That's like a Tuesday for me.

But when do you know it's poisonous? So it's going to be more potent in the younger population. So we see that children and adolescents are far more susceptible to the same milligrams that we would have as adults, and they feel the side effects much more readily. So, for example, one of the earliest kind of side effects is that they could feel nervous, tremulous. They may have increased in their heart rate and their blood pressure. And for a lot of children that suffer from underlying medical conditions or that have ADHD or on other medications, this can be a big problem.

And what should you do if you feel your child's maybe having one of these episodes? So I think the most important thing to do is to stay calm, to reach out to your pediatrician, to ensure that your child is stable and, you know, always kind of reach out to the nearest health center if it does become an urgent situation. There are drinks like Prime that are incredibly popular, and there are different versions of Prime. What do parents, what should they look out for? Because there's sometimes, I mean, those people have no caffeine, should, are there labels like that they should look for? Absolutely.

So looking at the ingredient list, checking that list, making sure that caffeine is not included. There can be other substances, too, that are additive, that can compound the effects of caffeine, like taurine. So that's something that we should also be mindful of. Last question, if you have kids and you're near Starbucks, kids love Starbucks. And I feel like children have gravitated more towards caffeine than maybe when we were growing up. Are there dangers there with kids drinking those coffee drinks at places like Starbucks? There are because there are side effects, even with the small doses. So the sugary, kind of fruity drinks that most people think are really innocent and benign actually carry real side effects.

Dr. Ayala Wegman, we thank you for being here tonight. When we come back, the astonishing moment caught on camera. A kayaker swallowed by a humpback whale, he's now speaking out about how he survived. That story in the video coming up next. Finally tonight, an incredible moment caught on camera in Chile. New video shows a humpback whale swallowing a kayaker hole. Moments later, that kayakers spit right out and is alive to tell the story. George Solis joins us tonight from the Telemundo Center in Miami.

So, George, walk us through what we're seeing in this video. If you can go kind of moment by moment, and we even heard from the kayaker tonight as well, which is incredible. Yeah, that's right, Tom. Check out. Look, this is the jaw-dropping moment that was caught on video. You can see as the whale briefly submerges the kayaker in the water south of Chile there, his father capturing those heart-pounding moments in the video that has now gone viral. You could actually hear him telling his son, come here, come here and stay calm and grab the boat. Now, this tale of biblical proportions unfolding on February 8th, according to Adrianza Mankas, the man seen there in the video, oblivious to the apparent threat around him as they floated there in the waves. You can see the whale there in the water. Now, without warning, the yellow kayak briefly vanishes and then reappears, the 24-year-out recalling those harrowing moments saying he thought, look, I'd been eaten. He thought he could feel something approaching him, engulfing him, believing he had lost his life, saying in that first second that he was submerged, he's like, I thought I already lost my life. But amazingly,

he was unharmed. His father making his way over to his son, keeping calm and asking him to hold onto his rope, continuing to reassure his son that he is safe. They both keep in cool and calm under pressure now with this whale of a tale to share for all time. Tom? Yeah, modern day Jonah and the whale story. George, we thank you for bringing us that that video is incredible. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.