Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, July 6, 2023

Episode Date: July 7, 2023

24 million Americans are under threat of extreme heat across the country. Police discover that two guns used in the deadly Philadelphia shooting were ghost guns. A super PAC supporting Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s presidential run releases an A.I. bot of the candidate. A mother of three contracts meningitis after flying to Mexico for cosmetic surgery. And Trump associate Walt Nauta pleads not guilty to multiple charges in the classified documents investigation.

Tonight, the deadly heatway from coast to coast, tightening its grip, stifling triple-digit temperatures reported from Arizona to Florida to New York. The last three days, the hottest in recorded history on planet Earth, and dangerously low air quality making it hard for some to breathe. Plus, the new hurricane forecast just in why scientists think this season is going to be even worse than they expected. Ghost gun mass killing, Philadelphia suing the biggest distributors of self-assess assembled firearms after five people were killed by a shooter wielding two ghost guns, the weapons

which can be bought online and built at home, almost impossible to track what the CEO of one of those companies told our reporter when asked if he should be held accountable in cases like this. The AI election, a new chat bot shaking up the Republican primary field and AI imitation of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez taking questions on policy and his opponents. We put that by to the test to see if it can outperform the real candidate, plus the growing concern tonight that other campaigns couldn't use a technology for political hit jobs. Toxic surgery, a Texas woman fighting for her life after plastic surgery procedures in Mexico left her with a rare infection. The clinic she went to tied to at least four American deaths this year alone, the warning from

the CDC tonight about getting work done south of the border. Plus video capturing the moment someone through a firework at a family, the explosion going off right on their porch, burning some of the victims. Police now looking for those suspects. And Brittany Spears slapped at a restaurant in Las Vegas, who she was trying to get a picture with when security stepped in and what we're hearing from the pop icon tonight. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin Top Story tonight with that. brutal and relentless heat wave. Record after record shattered already this summer, and we have not yet even reached the peak. 24 million Americans facing the threat of extreme heat tonight. That suffocating air creeping north,

tempts in the mid-90s up as high as New England. The southwest, another area of concern, Rangers at Death Valley National Park in California, finding a 65-year-old man dead in his car after they believe the extreme heat caused him to veer off the road. The last three days, the hottest ever recorded on this planet. And now scientists warning that with ocean temperatures rising, hurricane season will be even worse than it initially expected this year. Bill Cairns will have much more on that outlook in just a moment. But first, NBC's Emily Aketa leads us off tonight. Tonight, that deadly heat hovering over parts of the south for weeks. Today is going to be our 21st day of back-to-back triple digits.

Now expanding its grip northward. It's really, really hot. Cities approaching record high temperatures thousands of miles apart, 110 degrees in Tucson, 94 in Tampa, and 94 in Syracuse. I have asthma, so the air quality is really hard on my lungs. And then with the heat on top, it's like having a meltdown all in one. And in Connecticut, which activated its extreme hot weather protocol, parents prepared for a scorcher. We get plenty of water and sunscreen, and they go to the pool three times a day. Even officials along America's shorelines urging beachgoers to take precautions.

The temperatures have been getting hotter. The beaches have been hotter. So we need to get that message out that stay hydrated, take care of yourself. The world navigating uncharted territory in recent months, with record low sea ice levels near Antarctica, unprecedented surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean, and the hottest day on Earth reached multiple times this week. And that blazing sun, priming conditions for ground level over.

ozone when pollutants chemically react in the sunlight, prompting air quality alerts for 24 million people today in the northeast. You can tell it right away. That's bad. Absolutely. That's not normal. Look at this. The hazy skies aren't as severe as that apocalyptic orange from wildfire smoke last month. But experts say it all adds up as mounting research links air pollution with poor physical and mental health. We're having a public health issue of air and lung health, but also of confinement and further isolation. All right. With that, Emily Aketa joins us again live tonight just outside in New York City. Emily, we were talking about the clear skies yesterday. We know tonight's air quality is from elevated ozone levels, as you were reporting, but we're also still worried about those Canadian wildfires. What's the latest and what could we see in the coming days and weeks? Hey there, Tom. Well, that's right. Forecasters are still fearful that we could continue to see the impacts of those Canadian wildfires. When you think about it, the wildfire season there is still going to be running for several more months. And already it has had an unprecedented impact on here in the U.S. from New York City, which you're seeing across the border, across the river there to Cincinnati and Chicago.

There is a growing list of cities that have recorded their worst air quality on record this summer, Tom. Okay, Emily, Aketa, leading us off tonight. Emily, we appreciate that for a look at the forecast. I want to get right over a meteorologist, Bill Carleton, Bill. It looks like what we saw last night there, thunderstorms popping up, but we're also talking heat all across the country. Yeah, it's kind of the combination. the two things. One, we've had all the airport issues yesterday with Chicago. Here. Today, it's been in Denver and in Houston dealing with thunderstorms. And if we're going to get any

the bad severe, whether it's going to come out of Colorado and eventually push down into Kansas and portions of Oklahoma, that's this enhanced risk area. We think we could have high winds in this region later on tonight with these thunderstorms that will last right through the overnight. Now, as far as heat goes, here's some good news. All the heat advisories in Florida have just been dropped. So now that number is down to 12 million people. This is the lowest number of people impacted by heat alerts in like the last three to four weeks. Unfortunately, that number is going to be going back up as the heat rebuilds this weekend and into next week, especially through the southern half of the country.

Tomorrow is not exactly going to be an easy day. I mean, even in the shade, it's still going to feel like 105 in New Orleans. Notice everyone feels like 100. And this time of year, you know it's going to be hot. We're heading into the peak of the heat season in July. But what really is uncomfortable, Tom, is the dew points. It's just been so humid in so many areas. It's just no relief.

Seeing that 105 in New Orleans, which leads me to my next question here, hurricane season. We know those ocean temps are also getting warmer. Yeah, Colorado State updated their forecast for the hurricane season. So many different organizations give their forecast. Our main one is our government, Noah. And they're saying we're going to have an above average to average season with 12 to 17 named storms, five to nine hurricanes. They give more of a range.

Colorado state's forecasters actually give specific numbers. And they had said 15 storms a little bit lower because of El Nino, but now they've upped it to 18. seven hurricanes to nine. So it kind of at the high end of our government's forecast. And the reason why? Because in this main development region where our storms develop, we have the warmest Atlantic Ocean temperatures we've ever recorded. And this goes right in those headlines that the Earth is the warmest it's ever been. This is the fuel for the storms. They're thinking that this is going to overwhelm Melinio, which typically dampens our hurricane season. They think this high-octane fuel is going to breed more storms. Bill, because you brought it up, I'm curious,

How on the money, usually, is Colorado State? I'd say they're about on average with NOAA. I think the problem we have with these numbers is that it doesn't tell us where the storms are going to go. They're just telling us how many. But what everyone on the coastal area wants to know is, Ernie, those storms are going to hit me? And the science isn't there yet. Great, great point. Okay, Bill Cairns, we appreciate all of that.

Next to our other big story that we're following tonight, a massive fire on a cargo ship at one of the nation's biggest ports that has left two firefighters dead. and they're still putting that fire out. Now, you can see it right now. These are live pictures tonight here on Top Story. Crews dousing that with water. Officials saying the firefighters who were responded weren't trained to fight that kind of blaze aboard a ship like that. NBC's Ron Allen has the details.

Overnight, Newark firefighters battling a massive inferno, a huge cargo ship loading up more than 1,000 vehicles and containers engulfed in fire. Apparently, ignited officials say, when five or six vehicles caught fire for unknown reasons. Are you going to evacuate yourself immediately? Just an hour into the fight, a Mayday call, and then another. Firefighters Augusto Akbu, 45, a nine-year veteran, and Wayne Brooks, 49, 16 years of service, were both trapped, then rescued, but died later at a hospital. Our hearts go out to them and their family members and the brothers and sisters at a fire service who had to see them in their last moments.

Officials say Newark's firefighters from a dense urban city had not trained to battle fires on such a huge cargo vessel, 12 stories high. Hundreds of reinforcements arrived from across the state, several injured, exhaustion, burns, respiratory distress. This tragedy is a painful reminder of the dangers our firefighters face and their remarkable courage. Throughout today, tributes in the community where the two lived and worked. Jose Alves says he worked overtime shifts with both men killed. What are your thoughts and feelings? My thoughts are. It's very sad. It's very emotional. You couldn't ask for any better individuals and good firemen.

Jason Torres manages a restaurant across from a firehouse. They help us out. We see them all the time. It's a tough loss in the community, especially. All right, Ron Allen joins us now live tonight from Newark, New Jersey. Ron, we still see that fire being fought there behind you. We see those water cannons spraying water all over the boat. Do we know anything about into the investigation? about how this happened? No. A thousand or so vehicles on it, containers. Officials say that the fire seemed to start with a small number of cars, but it's still burning.

And again, think about a thousand vehicles with gasoline, oil, all kinds of things that can burn inside what's essentially a sealed container. It's unclear how much longer this is going to burn. There are fire marshals on the scene. There are the Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board, the prosecutor's office from Essex County, a lot of people, a lot of investigators looking into this to see what caused it. And again, the community mourning, the loss of these two firefighters who, again, apparently had very little training, if any, to deal with this kind of a circumstance here in Newark. Yeah, it's a strange fire in a strange place, and we're thinking about the families of those firefighters tonight. Ron, we thank you for your reporting. Now to the latest on that deadly shooting spree in Philadelphia.

Police announcing two guns used in the shootings were ghost guns, untraceable guns that can be bought without a background check. The city of Philadelphia now announcing lawsuits against two major distributors of those types of guns as they try to crack down on the growing problem. NBC's Rahima Ellis reports. Police now revealing new details just days after a mass shooting in Philadelphia left five people dead. According to authorities, two firearms recovered from the suspect were ghost guns. One was an AR-15, the other was a 9-millimeter. We've confirmed through our lab both of those weapons were privately made firearms. This shooting, just the latest crime in Philadelphia, connected to ghost guns.

In Philadelphia, our police department has seen over a 300% increase in the number of ghost guns in the last four years, which corresponds to the rise in violent crime on our streets. The city is now fighting back. filing a lawsuit against two major ghost gun component distributors, although it's not known if their components were used in this most recent shooting. The lawsuit filed today against these distributors will hold them accountable for the harm they've caused in our city due to their reckless and illegal business practices. Ghost guns are sold as incomplete kits of components that can be assembled in less than an hour.

A ghost gun is built by the manufacturer and mailed. in parts or kits, which are then often assembled by the purchaser and often used on the streets of Philadelphia to commit violent crime. Ghost guns are untraceable and require no background check unlike traditional firearm purchases. Top Story investigated the surging market for ghost guns last March. Arvonne Hilliard used a hidden camera at a gun show outside of Philadelphia, showing just how easy it is to purchase one of these kids. Or you can't leave with it today.

And you don't need anything for me, right? Money? But no idea or anything. We're not doing background check. No. In the story last March, Vaughn spoke to the CEO of JSD Supply, one of the companies named in the lawsuit. Don't you bear some responsibility then when these guns get into the hands of criminals? No, because I'm not a criminal, and I didn't do it.

Just like Ford doesn't bear any responsibility. But you're essentially handing them a piece that they can build in a half an hour and turn it into a gun. And, yeah, you can get keys in a pack of Budweiser and junk drive kill somebody, too. And neither one of those are responsible for. We reached out to JSD supply again today about the lawsuit. They declined to comment. The other company, Polymer 80, did not respond to our request. In 2022, the Philadelphia Police Department says they confiscated 575 ghost guns.

City Hall leaders now putting these companies on notice. Let us be a warning to these manufacturers. We are coming, and we will not stop until these weapons are eliminated from our streets. And Philadelphia is not the only major city to pursue litigation against these ghost gun companies. At the end of May, the city of Los Angeles announced a $5 million settlement against Polymer 80, requiring the company to conduct background checks and add serial numbers to its products before they can be sold in California. Tom? Okay, Rahima Ellis, thank you.

Next, an update on that discovery of cocaine in the White House. Multiple officials telling NBC News that the bag of powder found was discovered in a cubby near the White House's West Executive Entrance, not the West Wing Lobby, like originally reported. NBC News Senior White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell joins us now. And Kelly, you know, there's a clear up here and a little bit more information. Walk us through what we've learned over the last 24 hours about this mysterious bag of cocaine at the White House. Well, Tom, we have a more specific and precise location. still the west wing, but it's a different entrance, one that is on a west executive avenue.

It is a location that is used by officials like the president and vice president, military leaders who will stop by, often guests, who have appointments at the White House, and even some visitors. This also is a very secure area, and it is an entrance that takes you inside the White House on the level of the situation room, one of the most tightly controlled places. And I'm told that a cubby space, where visitors and those entering the building who are not to take their phones or other personal effects to other parts of the secure location store their things. And that is where the cocaine was found Sunday night. Lab work has been done over the last couple of days, more to do. And at this point, we don't have any breakthrough to report. And this new information about the location may help

investigators pinpoint a bit more about who was in that area. Tom? And then Kelly, do we know anything about the timeline? And what's the thinking here? Will we get to the bottom? As even the president has said, into who brought this cocaine into the White House? Well, they want to answer that question. And one of the things that is difficult is without forensic evidence. If they don't get DNA or a fingerprint, it may be impossible to trace it to a specific individual. They're looking at video as well. I'm told the timeline for the investigation has been narrowing, and now it could be wrapped up by Monday. Investigators are saying that this is something. that we should prepare for, not getting an answer, even though they're continuing to do work

tonight and for the next few days. Tom? And Kelly, I know you don't obviously work for the White House. You're reporting what these people are telling you. And I know I'm not the first reporter to ask this, but what if it wasn't cocaine, right? What if it was something more nefarious? Something poisonous, something toxic. I know people have asked about anthrax. It's not, but what if it was? And the question is, if it was, would we ever find out who brought that into the White House? I mean, how could there not be cameras in this area? Well, there are cameras. The question is, would a camera have an angle that goes into effectively a closet-like space and into a cubby to determine if someone put something so small into that storage bin? So they're looking at tape. Now, on things like anthrax or something more chemically, potentially a weapon, they do have different kinds of sensors at the White House, from the noses of dogs to electronic devices that help to detect chemical compounds that can be weaponized.

Cocaine, although illegal, is not in that category, and that may explain part of why it wasn't detected in some other way. Tom? Okay, Kelly O'Donnell for us, Kelly, we appreciate it. And out of power and politics and the new way artificial intelligence is changing the race for the White House. A super PAC supporting Miami Mayor Francis Suarez releasing an AI bot of the candidate that can talk to voters directly. And it's not the only way AI is making its way into the campaign. Our Valerie Castro reports. Hi, I'm A.I. Francis Suarez. This looks and sounds like Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

You've probably heard that my namesake, conservative Miami mayor, Francis Suarez, is running for president. But the AI-generated version is on the digital campaign trail. I'm here to answer questions you may have about Mayor Suarez's proven agenda for economic prosperity, cutting spending, and supporting our police. So how can I help? The AI Republican candidate for president launched by the Super PAC SOS America, not Suarez's campaign is answering questions about his record and stance on political issues. We created AI Francis Suarez to increase his name recognition, but also as a tool to communicate with voters.

So we tried it out. What is your stance on abortion? Conservative Mayor Francis Suarez's parents actually met at a pro-life rally. A family man with two children of his own, Mayor Suarez is proudly pro-life. It even takes a shot at a rival candidate, producing an AI version. of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Is Ron DeSantis a good candidate? I'm AI Ron DeSantis.

I want to talk about the single greatest threat to American families today. Mickey Mouse, yes, Mickey Mouse, run for your lives. The answers are pre-recorded, the technology deciphering which response is the best fit. So we asked about the Uyghurs, an ethnic minority group in China, which Suarez appeared to not recognize during a real interview with Hugh Hewitt last month. What's a Uyghur? Suarez later issuing a statement to NBC News, saying in part, he knows of the Uyghur suffering, but he didn't recognize the pronunciation of the word.

But here is how A.I. Suarez responded. What do you think about the Uyghurs? Conservative Mayor Francis Suarez recognizes China as one of America's greatest threats. Unlike Joe Biden, Mayor Suarez will stand up to China and put America first. We will be expanding the number of questions and the different issues and the different prompts as we are, we're monitoring what questions voters are asking. Suarez is not the only candidate making an artificial appearance. We can now call the 2024 presidential race for Joe Biden.

In April, the Republican National Committee used a computer-generated image and video in an ad attacking President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris. Tom Newhouse, the vice president of marketing firm Convergence Media, telling us he's seeing campaigns pushing boundaries with the technology. You've got to reach more voters and talk to more voters than your opponent. And that's where AI can really come into play here, where it can make tools much more efficient across the board. It can make fundraising programs much more successful. But some tech leaders warning AI will inevitably be used to cut down campaign rivals.

In 2024, we're going to have an election. And every side, every grassroots group and every politician, will use generative AI to do harm to their opponents, and it will involve spreading misinformation. It's not just general misinformation. Deep fake technology making it easier than ever to literally put words in people's mouths, including this fake speech that used the likeness of President Biden. I have received guidance from General Millie, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, that the recommended way forward will be to invoke the Selective Service Act. And with AI technology becoming more widely accessible, lawmakers are grappling with how to control it as the 24

presidential race heats up. There doesn't seem to be any political movement or any bipartisan agreement to solve this problem. So in our country, unless you have bipartisan agreement, nothing happens. Therefore, 2024 will be full, full of false information that anyone can generate. All right, with that Valerie Castro joins top story. live tonight. I think some people, the opponents of Mayor Francis Suarez, may not call him conservative, but his AI is calling him conservative. I know you spent other time, more time, I should say, playing with this technology and seeing how it would affect the campaign trail. What did you learn? So we played around with chat GPT, which is something that most people

have heard of now. It's an AI technology that can help you write sorts of things. It can help you search for things on the internet. We asked it to write a campaign speech as if we were President Joe Biden. And so in about 15 seconds, it gave us this whole speech. And ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans, today I stand before you as president of the United States, Joe Biden. Now, the interesting thing is that the experts that we spoke to say most campaigns are already using AI technology. It might not be as obvious as that AI candidate, but they say they are using it to write targeted fundraising to specific voter groups. All right. Valerie Castle for us, really interesting report. We appreciate it. For more on how AI is changing how politicians campaign, we're joined now by Hogan Gidley, former White House press secretary,

during the Trump administration, and Michael Starr Hopkins, CEO of political communications firm, Northern Star Strategies and a former Clinton and Obama campaign staffer. Thank you both for joining Top Story tonight. Hogan, I'm going to start with you. You've got to give credit to Mayor Suarez. It is definitely innovative. He got on our radar, and he got a story here on Top Story. It's interesting.

It's definitely different. What are your thoughts on it? Look, it's never going to supplant real interaction between human beings on a campaign. but I understand you want to communicate your message as best as possible to as many people as possible. And AI presents an option to do that. However, I think in politics, this is going to make dirty tricks dirtier in a lot of different ways because leave it to humanity to try and use something to design for good for evil instead. And look, when you have someone like Elon Musk and Andrew Yang and Steve Wozniak

all signing a letter with a thousand other tech experts saying that AI poses a third, to society and humanity, you better listen to what they're talking about. I mean, it wasn't too long ago where many people in the press, many people in this country got fooled by a picture of a bomb exploding at the Pentagon. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We have even begun to see how AI can be used in the political sphere and all other aspects as well. And one thing else I'd like to say is I actually went on GPT as well with the chat bot and asked them about my appearance today on NBC.

And first of all, it congratulated me for coming on NBC. But it said, talk about the application. and how it can help work and transportation and all types of manufacturing. And it said, but also let them know there could be some problems. Like people could lose their jobs because of it too. And there are some disastrous effects as well. So at least it's self-aware in that particular instance. To a degree, Michael, let's bring it back to the campaign here.

What do you think the upside here is for Mayor Suarez? You know, I think the upside is that we're talking about him right now in a candidacy that I don't even think hitting 1%. But there's not really much upside. I think when you talk about using AI in terms of politics, Hogan hit the nail on the head. This is a danger. When you have campaigns and foreign governments pushing misinformation, we now have the ability to put words literally in people's mouths. Imagine if Donald Trump, Hogan's former boss, could have said that the Axis Hollywood tape was fake,

that those words didn't come out of his mouth and that it was some sort of artificial intelligence. When voters can't tell what's real and what's fake anymore, that's a real danger to our democracy. think this is really pushing those boundaries. Hogan, you know, but I will say what stood out for me in the AI video that the Super PAC supporting Suarez did is that it made sure to tell whoever's using it that he is conservative. And yet he's somebody who is the mayor of Miami, city of Miami, we should point out, did not vote for former President Trump in 2016 or 2020. So I don't know how those two align, but at least it's trying to put out there that he's a conservative candidate for office. Sure. It's just kind of another voice, another talking point at a campaign that needs

a lot of them. But look, this isn't a commentary necessarily on the ad, but remember the old adage that a lie can get around the world before the truth has an opportunity to put on its pants. You're going to see a lot of that in campaigns, I think, when you can use these types of things to weaponize against your opponent, not just to put words in their mouths, as he said, and is absolutely right about, but also you can use them to defend your record in a way that's helpful. But I would imagine, for the most part, this stuff's going to be used for evil in a lot of ways. You've seen DeSantis already used kind of fake images of Donald Trump and Fauci and other things. So it's already happening on our side. I would imagine sooner or later,

it happens on the Democrat side as well. Yeah, and on that point, Michael, how do you fight back? How do you figure out which battles, you know, sort of to choose on the campaign trail when so much of this misinformation is probably going to be put out there? You know, it's kind of like you're trying to drink water through a fire hose. It's tough. My former boss, John Delaney, started the AI caucus in Congress, and one of his big things was trying to get bipartisan support to putting some sort of regulations around AI. Now, the idea that we're ever going to get AI regulations in a campaign, I think, is foolhearted. But I think it's true. We do need to be careful how it's used. Now, I think in terms of voters, voters want physical contact. They want to meet the candidates.

They want to really get the gist of kind of their air and what they're about. and I don't think that's going to be able to be replicated through AI, but it's certainly a tool that they can use through their website as a gimmick. But anything more than that, I think, is just gimmicky and won't really land with voters. Hogan is going to be a fear tactic. Yeah, real quick, because we don't have a lot of time. Francis Hauer has also released a campaign video a couple of weeks ago. It shows him running, shows him in health, shows him in shorts and a T-shirt.

And now he's doing this AI bot, and I think there might be sort of a strategy here to show that if you have candidates like Donald Trump and Joe Biden, to very old candidates for the rest of America. You have somebody like Francis Suarez who's showing his youth, and at least the Super PAC, understands how at least some of this AI technology works. Yeah, I mean, look, I think some people are going to be focused on youth,

but I think the majority of Americans, regardless of political party, want results. I mean, they want to see lower taxes. They want to see a secure border. They want to see lower crime. They don't want to see wars breaking out all over the world. And so the candidates that can push forth those messages, I think regardless of age,

are going to land and be successful with voters. Someone like Donald Trump can actually say, hey, I was in the chair. I did the job, compare and contrast my record to Joe Biden's or anybody else's in the field who are really going to be forced to say, I'm only promising you the things that Donald Trump already did. I think obviously Donald Trump has a leg up here, and no amount of AI is going to fix any of that. Hogan Gidley, Michael Starr Hopkins. We'll leave the conversation there. We thank you both for joining Top Story tonight.

Still ahead, toxic surgery. A Texas mom hospitalized with a life-threatening infection after getting plastic surgery in Mexico. the warning from the CDC tonight about the particular clinic she went to. Plus, Britney Spears slapped in the face in Las Vegas while trying to take a picture with a professional athlete. The conflicting accounts now coming from both sides. And soaring into the future, the FAA clearing the way, get this, for a new flying car to take to the skies. But you won't believe what that car will cost you. Maybe you will. Stay with us. Top story. Just getting started.

All right, we are back now with a devastating story of a Texas woman fighting for her life. After she traveled to Mexico to get cosmetic surgery, the mother of three contracting meningitis in the same clinic that is tied to an outbreak of this life-threatening infection. Alison Barber has the details. Good morning. For years, Crystal Viejas built a following online for her love of fitness and lifestyle advice. I'm super excited. Tonight, she's fighting.

for her life at a Texas hospital. He was really 4th in July. In March, the Brownsville native traveled across the border to Mademortos, Mexico, for a full-body cosmetic procedure, hoping to save a few thousand dollars. She just told me that it was a better deal. My friends recommending it to me, and so she decided to do that. Feeling concerned, she went to the hospital, but they sent her home, believing she was suffering from a bad case of migraines.

Days later, Johnny came home to find him. his wife on the couch, unable to move and barely speaking. As soon as I got closed, I mean, I can feel the heat. She was burning, she was burning hot, and she can barely talk. And I remember she said, babe, I need to go to the hospital. Crystal had fungal meningitis, a rare life-threatening infection that targets the brain and spinal cord. I never imagined the magnitude of what it could possibly be. They didn't cross our mind, you know, that these things could even happen to us.

And she wasn't the only one. The CDC says fungal meningitis outbreaks tied to clinics in Matamoros specifically have killed at least four Americans so far this year. And nearly 200 people from the United States might have been exposed to the deadly infection at two clinics, Riverside Surgical Center and Clinica K3, during cosmetic procedures involving epidural anesthesia. Both Matamoros clinics have since been closed. Among those who had their lives cut short was one of Crystal's friends. Alma. Her family told Telemundo she went to Matamoros for a cosmetic procedure. She contracted fungal meningitis. She did not survive, leaving a young daughter behind. Mommy, I love you so much and I want you to come here, but not in heaven here, Mimi. Medical tourism is much more common.

The number one most visited country is Thailand, and the second most visited country. is Mexico. And as we've seen the prices for cosmetic procedures come down, we've actually seen more people traveling to other countries for them. When we're talking about price, how big of a factor is that for why people choose abroad? So factor is huge. Initially, when we thought about cosmetic surgeries, mostly people who were from affluent backgrounds. But now it's more accessible to normal everyday people. So people are looking for procedures that they can just save up a few months for and get those procedures that only famous Hollywood folks get in the past. Now, it's for Johnny. Tonight, he says he's praying for his wife's recovery and trying to

stay strong for their three young children. The one that's really, really feeling it is my little three-year-old. Obviously, it was always a mommy son duo, and, you know, he'll ask a lot about her. For people who are watching this, if there's someone who maybe is thinking of doing something, something like this. What do you want them to know right now? It comes down to one thing and you just love yourself, love, love the way you look. You know, I know that we live in a world where things are expected. You're supposed to look a certain way. And man, that's, it's not worth it. You know, seeing her the way she is right now, seeing her away from the kids. It's truly, it's not worth it, guys. Please do your research. Please do.

Ellis and Barbara joins us now live in studio. First, how is Crystal doing tonight? So when we were speaking to her husband, Johnny, she had just gone in for a three-hour surgery. She should be getting out any minute now. When I asked him, what is the prognosis? He said, you know, she's coherent right now. She's talking, but the truth is, we don't know if she will make it. She said right now, he said right now the doctor's biggest concerns are the potential for blood clots that they're closely monitoring her brain because they're concerned that she could have an aneurysm.

And this is quick, Crystal, because people may be watching the story asking this. I know I did. Crystal's friend died. Why did she go to the same clinic? So they had gone actually on the same day. Ultimately, according to Johnny Crystal's husband, Crystal went to the hospital first, found out she had fungal meningitis. He then called Alma and the other families they knew who had been there and said,

hey, you should go to the doctor. Alma went after Crystal was already hospitalized, found out she had an aneurysm and then died. What's the advice? A lot of people want to get these cosmetic procedures. They cost a lot of money so they go south of the border. What do the experts say? Do your research. The CDC has an extensive warning about these clinics in Matamoros, particularly, and going to clinics in this area. Check the CDC first. See if there are any warnings. Talk to the doctor, ask for their accreditation. Look at reviews online and don't be afraid to consider other options before you take a step like this. Tom, there's a bigger conversation about the cost of procedures in America. People are traveling abroad not just for cosmetic procedures, but also for cancer treatment, gallbladder surgeries, dental care. of that plays into this multi-billion dollar industry that's so commonly known as medical tourism.

Okay, Alison Barber, we thank you for bringing us this story, an important one. When we come back, the firework attack, take a look at this video. A person inside a truck tossing a firework at a family sitting on their porch, the moment it exploded and what we're hearing about injuries. Stay with us. Okay, back now with Top Stories Newsfe. We begin with the assault investigation in Las Vegas involving pop star Britney Spears. In a lengthy social media post, Spears says she was trying to take a picture with number one NBA draft pick, Victor Wenbenyama, when his security guard backhanded her in the face.

She claimed she was trying to get the basketball star's attention and tapped him on the shoulder. However, speaking to reporters today, when Benyama says he was grabbed from behind but did not realize it was Spears. Las Vegas PD says so far no arrests have been made. A search is underway in Tampa, Florida for the suspect who threw a firework at a group of people. Thorbell video capturing the moments a lit firework is thrown towards a home from a moving truck exploding in the front yard while the group, including young children, sat on the front porch. Two adults were burned. And the FAA approved limited testing of a flying car.

California-based company Aleph Aeronautics announcing this week their Model A flying car received a special certification that will allow both ground and air testing in some locations. The vehicle is expected to cost, get ready for it, $300,000, and the company hopes to release the car by the end of 2025. All right, next to former President Trump's ongoing legal battle. His body man, Walt Nauta, appearing in a Florida federal court today during his twice postponed arraignment, Nauda pleading not guilty to his part in the concealing of classified documents. This has federal judge unsealed more of the affidavit for the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, revealing House surveillance video captured now to moving boxes before the FBI searched last August.

This evidence used by the FBI to justify their search of the Trump property and seized dozens of classified documents. I want to bring in our panel tonight for Top Story, former federal prosecutor Jessica Roth. She's currently a professor at Cardozo School of Law, and NBC News Legal Analyst and a good friend of Top Story, Danny Savalos. Jessica, I want to start with you. play the prosecution for the purposes of this segment. So you have surveillance video. How damning is that? How big of a piece of evidence is that for the prosecution here?

That's extraordinarily powerful evidence for the prosecution. I mean, according to the sections that were unsealed yesterday that we saw, it appears that the government has on videotape while not a moving the boxes containing what was later found to include national defense, what's alleged to be national defense information, from the storage room to other rooms at the Mar-Lago residents, and then returning with far fewer boxes. And then some of those boxes that were not returned later contained this national defense information. So it's not going to be a question of proof about whether he was personally involved in moving this information that's at the heart of the case. So it's extremely important evidence. So, Danny, if you're defending

Walt Nata here, he's obviously had some issues trying to get local counsel to defend him in the state of Florida. I'm curious. I mean, what do you tell him, right? If the feds do have him on surveillance video, moving boxes. He's a co-defendant, but he's also an employee of the former president. This happens a lot to defense attorneys. You ask, what would I tell him? Well, I'd be telling him something that he already knew that his defense attorney didn't know until the videos came out. That's the way it goes. The client always knows a lot more than the defense attorney. We usually find it out on the fly, especially if the client hasn't told us about it. But in reality, taking a step back, I wouldn't be that surprised that Walt Knott is on tape moving boxes. I think we

already suspected that Walt Noda was moving boxes. So from a defense perspective, if that physical element is established, if it's on video, then I guess that leaves limited outs for the defense, and it's probably going to lean towards some version of, I either didn't know what I was moving, or the boss man made me do it. This is no ordinary boss man. This is the former president of the United States. So if he's telling me, hey, no problem. If I'm telling you to do it, you can move those boxes. I know what's what. I, Walt Nauta, am just a pawn in the game of life. How would I know what is right and what is wrong?

What do you think? How do I do there? On that point, Jessica, if you are the prosecutor, what exactly are you telling Walt Nata? Because I would think you'd want him to turn on the president. I'm not letting her talk to my client, Tom. Go ahead. Yeah. So if I'm the prosecutor, absolutely, I want to speak to Walt Nata.

And the investigators did speak to him. And they've been trying to speak to him, and they've been trying to speak to him. And he lied to them when they did speak to him. But I would continue to want to speak to him in the effort to actually turn him to become a cooperator. Do you think they have enough here? I think they have enough evidence likely to convict him, and that's often enough to persuade somebody to cooperate. This is a very unusual situation. What I'd be saying to Walt Nott as the prosecutor is, look, it's not a legal defense that your boss told you to do it if you knew what was in the boxes.

So although it may have some jury appeal if he actually goes to trial next to Donald Trump for him to persuade the jury that he did it at his bosses. command essentially, it's not a legal defense. And I would be really emphasizing that with him if I were the prosecutor sitting down with him. So if he had a lawyer that had maybe the same legal acumen of somebody as like Danny Savalos here, right, a great legal mind. Danny, what is what is the advice do you give, well, not to turn on the president so he doesn't have to end up in jail, right? Or in prison, I should say. Oh, I explore cooperation immediately. The reality is this. The vast majority of federal cases end in a guilty plea. So if that's the way it's going to be, then you should at least consider a cooperation agreement. And that's if, assuming the government

is even that interested in speaking to Walt Nata. I'm of two minds about this. They may be very interested in it, or they may be taking the position that, look, we've got the video, we've got everything we need. You can come talk to us. Maybe we'll let you plead to the indictment, but we're not all that interested in talking to Walt Nata, or maybe they are. I really don't know. But as defense counsel, I would tell them to strongly consider discussing it, especially if the only reason he's going to trial is out of some misguided sense of loyalty to his co-defendant. And I can tell you this, Tom, whatever loyalty a defendant may have towards his co-defendants at the outset of a case, that is a diminishing resource. As time goes on, their minds may change.

Could you be listening to, if you're representing Walt Nata, would you be taking meetings, conversations with the former president's attorneys, or is that not allowed? Well, it depends. If they are operating under a joint defense agreement, then in a sense, they might even be operating as, you know, co-counsel. I use that term very loosely, but the minute those interests diverge is incumbent upon those attorneys to get out of that joint defense agreement. And the most common reason that happens is that one of the parties decides, I'm out, it's time to plead guilty, I no longer want to play this game.

Jessica, how tough does a talk get now? You were a former federal prosecutor when you're discussing these things about a possible plea agreement, so he flips on the former president. I mean, are you saying you're looking at real prison time? I mean, how heated are those conversations? Well, it depends on the style of the prosecutor, I suppose, how heated they get. But I think it would be very straightforward and stern, which is to say, look, you've seen the evidence laid out in the indictment. The government has actually already made extraordinary efforts to turn over the discovery in this case.

I've never seen discovery provided as promptly as it already has been in this case to the extent it's possible without already providing the classified information. So I would say to him, look, you and your attorneys, look at the material here. You really don't have a viable defense, and so you have to do what's best for you. Now, an additional complication here is that his attorney is apparently being funded by Trump. And so if he is not going to be continued to be loyal to Trump, there is going to be a question of, is he going to be able to afford an attorney? And that's an additional factor here. Does it matter?

The New York Times reported that his local counsel, his Florida attorney, they could not find her in the PACER system, which for our viewers at home, that's the legal system where all legal documents are filed in the federal court system, essentially saying she has no federal court experience. Does that matter or he can bring in a sharp attorney from out of state and just have her sort of do the, I don't know, whatever she needs to do the legal proceedings of the state and follow that code? Many is the time that I represent a client that I did not represent at the arraignment because ordinarily that's something that happened so quickly after the indictment that the client doesn't really have time to hire their final lawyer. So sometimes it's little more than a stand-in

who covers the arraignment. But this arraignment has been put off a lot. Which leads me to my other theory, which is that Walt Nauta is already experiencing disparate treatment. I don't know what the reason is why Trump has an attorney at his arraignment, but Walt Nauta can't find one until several weeks or even a month later. That leads me to believe that this is the first of many instances that Walt Nauta may not feel as together with his boss. But he was with him when Trump appeared in South Florida in the courtroom.

They were together. Oh, yeah. They were together. at the Versailles restaurant. Oh, sure. Sure. My point is they're probably fine right now. But this is the first hint that Walt Naut is not getting counsel as quickly as Trump.

If Trump's paying for his lawyer. Now, as for the lawyer not being in PACER, that is a little odd. I would expect that he hasn't experienced attorney who is in federal court a lot. Could be a very benign explanation for that. Maybe he or she is in federal court in other jurisdictions and other districts. But if she's never been on PACER ever, ever, ever, that's a little unusual. but I really don't know what that reason could be. The other thing, too, is this may not be the attorney

that represents him ultimately at trial because that happens all the time. And in Trump world, it happens almost every time. Okay. Danny Savalas, Jessica Roth. Thanks so much for joining tonight. We really do appreciate it. Coming up, the violent protest in Tel Aviv, cars ramming into crowds of people

protesting the resignation of an Israeli police chief. The allegations that police chief made about Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government. Stay with us. Okay, back now with Top Story and Global Watch. The deadly toxic gas leak in South Africa is where we start. Officials say at least 16 people died, including children,

after nitrate gas leaked at a settlement of illegal miners. The incident taking place just outside of Johannesburg. Officials say the gas leaked from a cylinder used to process gold that was being stored in a shack. To Israel now and the massive anti-government protest in Tel Aviv, we do want to warn you some of the images you're about to say. may be disturbing. New video showing a car driving right through a crowd of protesters who were blocking a highway. A second car also seen driving into the crowd and estimated 20,000 protesters taking to the streets after the city's police chief resigned. He accused Prime Minister Netanyahu

in his hard right cabinet of asking police to use excessive force on demonstrators. And Guatemala's high court intervening in a hotly contested presidential election. The court freezing certification of first-round results and ordering ballots to be reviewed. Ten political parties had challenged the results after an anti-corruption candidate was the surprise runner-up securing his spot in a runoff vote in August. The U.S. says it is deeply concerned about efforts to interfere with the results. All right, next tonight, we are heading to Belarus, leader Alexander Lukashenko, saying in a rare news conference that the Wagner group leader, Yevgeny Przegosian, is not in his

country and is actually in Russia. These comments leading to more questions about the whereabouts of the mercenary chief. NBC News chief international correspondent Kierz Simmons was there today and has his story. Tonight, Yevgeny Progogsian, again facing a perilous future. The mercenary who led a mutiny in Russia so angering President Putin was thought to be in exile in Belarus. But when NBC News was invited today to the presidential palace in the capital, Minsk, its autocratic leader, distanced himself, his deal to bring Begrosjean to Belarus, undone for now. And he may never come, President Lukashenko says.

He is located in St. Petersburg. Where is he this morning? He could have gone to Moscow, or maybe somewhere else. People will be surprised and mystified that a man who you say could have caused a civil war in Russia is still in Russia. I've said everything that I'm allowed to say. On the streets of Minsk, some telling us they never wanted Beogsian or his soldiers here. Yeah, very bad. Pagosin himself, heard but not seen.

Promising in a recent audio message new victories on the front line. President Putin has been busy trying to reassert his power and man of the people image. His view of Progogsion unclear tonight. But Russian state TV, which once lauded Boghijin and his wagner fighters as heroes, now calling him a draw. traitor and a criminal. He had a charmed life, this Russian report says, showing images unverified by NBC News of a police raid on his St. Petersburg home, with millions of dollars in bills, fake passports, and even wigs. Pogoshen discredited, but not in danger, Lukashenko insisted today. If you think that Putin is so evil and vengeful that he'll whack him

tomorrow somewhere, as we say in Russian, then no, this won't happen. This will not happen. This will not happen. Kier joins us now from Belarus. And Kier, I guess a lot of people are going to be surprised with your reporting and a lot of the headlines that we've been reading throughout the day that progosian was not actually in Belarus, at least not right now. Yeah, stunning. I mean, keep in mind that President Lukashenko had said that progojin could come here, that he should come here, that that was the way that the insurrection would be stood down, and yet he's not here. He's in, Russia. And keep in mind, too, Tom, that President Putin in the past few weeks hasn't even

been able to bring himself to say Pugosian's name. Now the two of them are in the same country, we could call it an uncomfortable compromise. It's hard to see how that sustains long term. Yeah, you wonder if Pugoshen is very nervous sitting there in St. Petersburg. Keir, you are one of a few journalists that were invited to that press conference. Can you take us inside what it was like to be in there? The presidential palace here in Minsk, it's marble walled. It is stunning. It is the palace of an autocrat.

And you go into this room. He wants a conversation sitting around the table. He wants the optics of being seen to sit down with international journalists. And then some of the things he says are things that you really recognize, Tom, from an autocrat. For example, just like President Putin, describing himself as kind of doing the job, but it's a burden. that it's a challenge that he just does it for his country and openly talking about the challenge of who would be his successor.

That, of course, is the problem with autocrats. It's a problem for Lukashenko. In many ways, too, it's a problem for President Putin. Keir and his team from Minsk tonight, Kier, we thank you. When we come back, a new hope, the FDA approving a medication that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's, how one patient says the drug helped him in a clinical trial and why the price tag is already creating controversy.

We'll explain it all. That's next. Back now with a medical breakthrough for the millions of American families dealing with an Alzheimer's diagnosis. The FDA granting full approval for a medication aiming to slow down the disease. The news bringing hope, but also controversy because of the drug's steep price. Senior national correspondent Kate Snow has this one tonight for us. It's the first time a drug meant to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, disease has ever been granted full regulatory approval.

In a clinical trial involving about 1,800 patients in the early stages of Alzheimer's, the drug Lekembe slowed cognitive decline by 27 percent over an 18-month period compared to people who took a placebo. I really cannot overstate how important today is. This is really a game changer for our field. The drug targets a type of protein in the brain, thought to be one of the leading causes of Alzheimer's. John Domek was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at 56. He joined a trial at the Cleveland Clinic, receiving infusions every other week. In the beginning, he and his wife Anne

weren't told if it was Lecombe or a placebo, but for the past year, he's been on Lekembi. I've been on it for a while, and I think it's helped me. His cognitive function has declined slightly, they say, but not by much. We get that. It's not a cure, but there was. There was nothing when we got our diagnosis, nothing. Now there's something that we can do. It gives you hope. Mm-hmm. Sure. Yeah, unbelievably. I mean, we had none. Since John is still in a trial, they're not paying for Lekembe, but the list price is $26,500 a year. Medicare plans to provide coverage as long as a doctor agrees to submit patient data. There are side effects. Trials found a greater risk of brain swelling and brain bleeds for patients on Lekembe, leaving some doctors with concerns.

The risk and benefits are quite disproportionate in favor of risk, and therefore, this is not a therapy that patients should really consider taking. For the Domex, though, it was go with a drug that might work or nothing. What would you do? They're traveling to London in August. Alzheimer's threw us for a loop. This drug has thrown us a lifeline. Hates Snow, NBC News, New York. A lifeline is right. We thank Kate Snow for that story, and we thank you for watching.

Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamous in New York. Stay right there. There's more news on the way.