Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, June 1, 2023

Episode Date: June 2, 2023

A flooding emergency in Texas, wildfires out of control across the U.S. northern border in Canada, and special counsel has obtained a tape of Trump discussing a classified document he kept after leaving office. Biden falling on stage while delivering a graduation speech at the Air Force Academy, and thousands of workers walking off the job in protest of Florida's crackdown on illegal immigration. Violence erupting in Sudan with civilians caught in the crossfire and terrifying drone footage showing a shark circling an unsuspecting swimmer.

Tonight, breaking news of flooding emergency unfolding at this hour. Dramatic video showing a Texas highway completely inundated with water, cars floating away as water levels climbed. Drivers trapped inside their vehicles. Some led away through waste deep water will have a full report from Texas. Across the northern border, wildfires exploding out of control, tens of thousands of acres burned in Nova Scotia, Canada. Air quality alerts in effect up and down the east coast. The reinforcements now on the way from the U.S. Bombshell Trump recording sources telling NBC news

that the former president was caught on tape admitting to keeping a classified document. That clip played in front of a grand jury, what we're hearing from Trump's team tonight. A concerning moment for the president in Colorado, Biden falling on stage after delivering a graduation speech at the Air Force Academy. What the White House says tripped him up.

In Florida, thousands of workers walking off the job in protest of the state's crackdown on illegal immigration. The new bill signed by Governor Ronda Santos that's sparking this outrage. Overseas, violence erupting once again in Sudan, civilians caught in the crossfire as a rocky ceasefire shatters the death toll climbing. And too close for comfort, terrifying drone footage showing a shark circling an unsuspecting swimmer where this scary sea encounter went down. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We begin top story tonight with the dramatic images coming out of West Texas. A flash flood emergency unfolding in the city of O'Donnell, just south of Lubbock. This street turned into a sea of brown, leaving a row of cars stranded, some nearly floating away.

Drivers trapped inside their cars. You see this man here forced to close. climb out of his window before being led away in waste-deep water. Nearby, a semi-truck flipped on its side and abandoned, leaving a row of cars stuck in the pouring rain. And the storm that triggered this mess, it is not done yet. The forecast coming up in a moment. But first, here's Priscilla Thompson. She leads us off from Texas. Water rushing onto a highway in western Texas, submerging cars and forcing drivers to abandon their vehicles.

I'm trying to get you, man. This man who loses control of his car climbs out a window to escape. You're right, bro. I got you. Emergency crews also unable to move. Many who had to leave their cars forced to navigate waist-high waters. After three to five inches of rain fell in a matter of hours, prompting mudslides, rock falls, and several road closures. It's completely washed two vehicles right up to the side. More than a dozen water rescues have taken place.

across the Lubbock area. This is West Texas. On another highway, hundreds of drivers got stuck in the deluge, unable to pass an abandoned semi-truck that overturned on the highway, blocking traffic. A flood watch is in effect in the area until late tonight, as this system shifts east. At the same time, a tropical depression developed late this afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico. Florida is now bracing for heavy rain, made worse by that tropical system, which is impacting Central and Southern Florida, where a flood watch is already in effect through Friday.

In April, Fort Lauderdale saw historic flooding with more than 25 inches of rainfall over 12 hours. Now, the state is preparing for more rain, as Texas also deals with another risk of severe weather tomorrow. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, Houston, Texas. As Priscilla mentioned there, that tropical depression developing in the Gulf of Mexico, so let's get right to meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, it seems like this caught a lot of those residents off guard, at least the severity of it. What are you seeing right now? What's the latest on the track? Well, we have a tropical depression that's in the Gulf. And it's important to mention that this is separate than what's happening in Texas,

with those dramatic pictures of what looks like an ocean where the cars were driving. That's flash flooding. That's been from days of endless thunderstorm. And by the way, tomorrow, they're in a moderate risk of flash flooding in Texas in those same area. expect us to be tomorrow night at this time showing you additional pictures into what you just saw. So as far as the tropical depression goes, the National Hurricane Center started tracking this. Now, it's very close to Florida. Usually I say there's nothing good that can ever happen when we get a tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico. But this is an unusual weather pattern. It's been a strange couple of weeks.

Everything is kind of moving very slowly. Notice this is drifting at two miles per hour. And because high pressure is going to build to the north, it's actually going to push the storm south. of all things. Very unusual. It doesn't happen very often. Typically, the storms come from Cuba and head to Florida. This time it's coming from almost near Florida down to Western Cuba. And the other thing that's important to note, this does not show any signs of intensifying quickly. Conditions are unfavorable for that. So I don't even think in Western Cuba this isn't be a big deal. But don't be surprised tomorrow if you hear that there's a new tropical storm out there

because it could get up to 40 miles per hour. And that's when we go from a depression to a tropical storm. And the biggest impact will be rainfall, locally three to six inches in Florida, but the core of the system is offshore. So this is indirect, but Florida's gotten soaked lately, so flash flooding is possible. And again, if we do get a named storm tomorrow, it would be the first of the hurricane season. Arlene would be the first a name storm. We'll see if that happens tomorrow. But the best news of all, Florida will not be highly impacted by this storm. All right, we'll take that. Bill Carins, thank you. Now to more dangerous weather. This time in Canada, The wildfire emergency there is only getting worse with firefighters battling the largest wildfire in Nova Scotia's history.

Mass evacuations are underway and a growing number of homes lost. Miguel Almaguer has late details. Described as a rolling freight train, tonight these out-of-control wildfires in Nova Scotia have torched tens of thousands of acres, triggered mass evacuations, and destroyed hundreds of homes. The latest inferno to ignite near the city of Barrington is poised to explode as towering flames leap 300 feet high. I would say the community is still in shock. As plumes of smoke closed in on Alan Fry's home, his family escaped the blaze in their car. It's really hard to watch the impact on everybody in terms of just day-to-day coming to grips with, all right, what do I have left?

Calling this unfolding emergency, dangerous and volatile, at least 16 fires are burning, four of which are out of control. Authorities in Nova Scotia are pleading for help. Firefighters are on the way from the United States. Firefighters are on the way from Costa Rica. Everyone is completely focused on fighting these fires. With the region on edge, Cherise McCracken evacuated as flames tore through her subdivision. There was sheer panic. It was dark. It was everybody, every other. aware, chaos. Tonight, no lives have been lost, but these historic out-of-control wildfires are still raging. Tonight, the air quality here in the U.S. has improved after days of smoke

drifting in from the north, and there's good news on the weatherfront. Rain is expected to soon head into the region. Ellison? Miguel Almaguer, thank you. Tonight, the White House says President Biden is okay after he fell at the U.S. Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony. Video shows the president taking that spill on stage with members of the Secret Service and an Air Force official helping him get back up. The White House says the 80-year-old tripped over a sandbag but was not hurt. Next tonight, a potentially significant development in the classified documents case involving former President Trump, a source telling NBC news,

prosecutors have an audio recording in which Trump discusses one of those documents and reportedly admits it's classified. NBC's Kristen Welker has said. more. Tonight, former President Trump in Iowa, taking new aim at the investigations looming over his campaign. Every time I go high, you know, I get further attacked by the DOJ, the FBI, the better I do. I'm going to keep my poll numbers down. They'll leave us alone. All of it coming as NBC News has learned of a potential major development in one of the legal battles he's facing. A source directly familiar with the matter tells NBC News, the special

Council's office has a recording of former President Trump discussing a classified planning document he had kept related to Iran and acknowledging on the tape it was classified. NBC News has not heard the recording. Tonight, President Trump calling the story fake news and just a continuation of the witch hunt. When he left for Marilago, he was the commander in chief. There is no doubt that he has the constitutional authority as commander in chief to declassified. Both President Biden and Mr. Trump are facing special counsel investigations into their handling of classified documents. In Mr. Trump's case, they were discovered during an FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago home after he refused requests to turn them over for months.

Meanwhile, on the campaign trail today, Mr. Trump, the Republican frontrunner, intensifying his attacks against his top rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who's touted, unlike Trump, he could serve for the next eight years. When I heard DeSanctus go out and say and talk about, about eight years. We need eight years. You don't need eight years. You need six months. We can turn this thing around so quickly. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez in New Hampshire asking DeSantis about that claim today. Mr. President Trump says he'd do it in six months.

There you go, ma'am. All right, sir. We're heading this five. Why didn't he do it his first four years? All right, guys, thanks. Thanks. Kristen Welker joins us now from the White House. Kristen, as you reported former President Trump making appearances in Iowa today ahead of his Fox News Town Hall tonight, has Trump? addressed these reports on the campaign trail? He actually has, Allison, in speaking to the Gazette in Iowa, former President Trump called

the allegations fake news. But what was notable is that for most of today, over the course of three different stops, he avoided the topic. Instead, he found ways to take aim at the FBI and his Republican challenges. We'll have to see what he has to say a little bit later on this evening. Kristen Welker, thanks for that. So as Kristen mentioned, former President Trump has denied any wrongdoing publicly. How could this reported audio recording now impact the investigation?

Let's bring in former federal prosecutor Christy Greenberg to help us break all of this down. So, Christy, NBC News is reporting that Trump acknowledges in this tape that he had a classified document. From an evidence standpoint, how big of a deal with something like this? It's huge. You've got him on a recording, his own words, saying that this is classified. When one of his main defenses has been, These are institutional processes from the White House, and he didn't know what the documents were. Well, apparently it's in his hand, and he's talking about it.

And the documents are very clearly marked, classified. They also contain national defense information. So he knew it, and that dismantles that defense. Then there's the second defense he has about the fact that he apparently had this standing order to declassified documents that was in his head. Nobody can seem to produce a written copy of. This also dismantles that. He's acknowledging after he left the White House that he had a classified documents. So if he had left and everything had been declassified, he wouldn't have said that.

So it's in his own words. It's damning evidence. Let's listen to some of what he said recently about the question of classified documents at CNN during a town hall. And we'll talk right after. Do you still have any classified documents in your possession? Are you ready? Do you? No, no.

I don't have anything. I have no classified documents. And by the way, they become automatically detailed. classified when I took them. So he said that a lot before, right? I remember there was a Fox News interview where I think he said, I could declassified documents just by thinking about it. And NBC News has not heard the contents of this tape, but based on our reporting from sources

and reporting we're seeing from other news outlets, this isn't just a situation where he said classified document and then kept going. In this, he seems to be based on what we are being told from sources, he seems to be acknowledging this is classified. I should have declassified it before I left, but I didn't while he's having conversations with people like Margo Martin, who worked in his communication staff at the time and was helping with an autobiography about his chief of staff, someone who would not have classification to see this, right? If you are a part of that grand jury and you're presented with that tape and then that CNN Town Hall, I mean, what do you make of it? And I guess if you were

Trump's attorney, is there any way you can have both of that and say they still kind of of go-together? Look, I think his defense has an uphill battle ahead. He, there is so much evidence that he's been told about how to properly declassified documents. There are national archives records that he had in writing to Donald Trump explaining what the process is. Apparently, there's public reporting that national security officials have gone into the grand jury and also said that they tested, that they told him how to do this. His own lawyers now have have gone into the grand jury and said, you can't keep the classified documents.

So he knew he couldn't keep them. He knew that there was a process to declassify them. He's shown no evidence that he has done so. He's in a lot of trouble. So the grand jury, part of the challenges, it's always secretive. And sometimes we get bits of information, but we don't know everything. But based on what we do know right now,

the fact that the grand jury has apparently heard this already pretty quickly, do you expect, based on what you know right now, to see charges brought against the former president? I do. You have the federal district court judge in the District of Columbia, who, in order to pierce the attorney-client privilege and allow those communications between Trump and his lawyer to be known, she made findings. And the public reporting, it's a sealed memo, but the public reporting is that she found he committed criminal violations and that he willfully retained national defense information. And that is a crime. So I would expect, given the strength of that ruling from the judge and the strength of evidence that continues to be made public in reporting, I would expect that we would see charges in the near term. Right. Christy Greenberg, thank you so much. We appreciate your insight. Now to the debt ceiling showdown in our nation's capital, all eyes turning to the Senate, which now has to vote on the bill after it passed late last night in the House.

Senators are expressing strong reservations as the deadline ticks down before the government runs out of money. Ryan Nobles has been following all the twist and turns around the clock and joins me now to break it all down. Ryan, the Senate now faces the choice to act or risk a catastrophic default on the nation's debt. What's the latest reporting on where things stand on a vote and the potential for amendments? Well, they're definitely going to act, Alison. And it seems pretty clear that there are the 60 votes necessary to get this over the finish. line, it's really now a matter of timing. And any one senator can slow this process down. So what is going to happen over the next couple of hours and days is that senators are going to

vote on a collection of amendments in exchange for speeding up that timeline. None of those amendments are expected to pass because if even one does, that means the bill has to go back to the House and the process starts all over again. That could potentially risk default. So instead, they'll put these amendments on the floor, basically a messaging technique just to show how some senators are displeased with this bill that was ultimately hatched, but eventually they will get to a point, either late tonight or early tomorrow, where they will vote on this bill. It will then go to the president's desk to be signed into law. For those who are sending a message on things that they don't like in this bill, what are they saying are there sticking points here?

There's a wide range of things, Alison. As you know, there is opposition to this bill on the far progressive left and on the conservative right. So on the conservative right, for instance, Lindsay believes that there isn't enough funding for the military in this piece of legislation. So he wants to offer up an amendment to fix that. On the left, Senator Tim Cain of Virginia is upset that there is a provision in there to allow for a pipeline to be built in West Virginia, something that his fellow Democrat Joe Manchin pushed for as a neighboring senator in the state of Virginia. He's not happy with that. Now, neither of these proposals will get the necessary votes to pass, but these senators wanted to be on the record.

that they do not like that part of the deal. And, Ryan, in some ways, this was a test for Speaker McCarthy with hardline Republicans who were criticizing the agreement. How does he fare if this deal actually does get passed and signed into law? You know, Allison, I think that many people underestimated Kevin McCarthy's ability to get this bill to this stage of this process. There was the thought that he was basically run by the conservative wing of his party, the Freedom Caucus, as it's known.

He really stood toe-to-toe against them during big parts of these negotiations. Many of them very upset with this final product, but he instead chose the negotiating strategy to sit in a room with Joe Biden and come up with a deal. That ended up with a 300-vote margin of yes votes in the House of Representatives. In a time that we're currently living in a very polarized Congress, you never see a margin that large for any type of controversial piece of legislation. So this is a big victory for Kevin McCarthy. He's still going to have to deal with conservative Republicans being upset about the way it was handled, but he ultimately showed that he has the ability to do something big like this.

Ryan Novos, thank you. Now to the latest on the partial building collapse in Davenport, Iowa, and new video of the moments the apartment came crashing down. Officials saying three people remain unaccounted for following Sunday's collapse. There are growing questions about weather warnings of structural damage may have been ignored. Shaq Brewster is on the ground with the latest. Tonight, exclusive new video of the moment this Davenport, Iowa apartment building suddenly collapsed four days ago. Officials say three people are likely still trapped in the rubble.

Brandon Colvin, Ryan Hitchcock, and Daniel Pryan were each living in parts of the building no longer standing. All the information provided to us is that that space is not sustainable for life. The update comes amid new questions about missed warning signs in the days before the partial collapse. I just told him, leave, get away, back way. This was the day before the actual collapse. Yes. Ryan Schaefer runs a masonry business.

He says the owner of the building rejected his bid to make repairs back in February because of the costs to support the structure. I was nervous when I was in the basement, if that tells you. You were nervous even being there. Yes. He says for months he monitored the building with alarm. Every single one is crooked and broken. Concerned the building was going to fall. He posted this Snapchat video Saturday, taking these photos just hours before Sunday's collapse.

That was a definite sign that the center of the building was falling due to the structural damage, which affected the windows, shattering, and the doors, bowing. It's an obvious sign for you. That's something's wrong. Oh, yeah. That terrified me when I saw that. His account comes as city officials released a trove of documents showing at least 145 interactions between the city and property owner Andrew Wald since 2020, including inspection photos of

indoor temperatures as low as 57 degrees. And a letter from an engineer dated four days before the collapse, warning large patches of brick appear ready to fall imminently. And Shaq Brewster joins us now from Davenport, Iowa. Shaq, as you mentioned in your piece, The owner rejected that bid to make repairs earlier this year. Have we heard anything new from the property owner? Well, we haven't heard from the owner since yesterday when he released a pretty generic statement, sending his thoughts and prayers to the tenants and the families of those who were impacted. He also thanked first responders and the American Red Cross for providing assistance to those who are now displaced.

Remember, the entire building is not only empty and inhabitable, but you have surrounding buildings around this area that have also been cleared out. So a lot of assistance, not coming from the owner, but coming from American Red Cross and from state and local authorities. Shaq, there's been so much frustration in the community, people that we have heard through your reporting, saying they don't want this building to be demolished anytime soon. Is there an update on when the city plans to demolish this? Are they planning to do that in the near future? There is. Families of the three men who are currently missing, actually families of two of

the three men who are currently missing just met with city officials in the past hour or so. According to those families, they were told that city officials are going to try to hold off on any demolition for the next couple of days. They are going to make it a priority to retrieve their family members. They said they're going to try to support the two sides of the building that are still standing and allow for rescue teams to go in and go through that rubble. officials have not told members of the media this yet, but we do know there is a press conference at 10 a.m. local time tomorrow, so we'll look to see what officials have to say about what they

told families. All right, Chuck Brewster, we appreciate your reporting. Thank you. Turning now to the growing demonstrations in Florida, thousands taking to the streets to protest what some are calling one of the strictest immigration laws in the country. Businesses shutting their doors in solidarity with migrants who are hoping to make their absence felt and their voices heard. Iraq has more. Tonight, thousands of Floridians are skipping work and taking to the streets. Viva the people, Travada,

in what's being called a day without immigrants in protest over Florida's new immigration law. Scores of restaurants and stores across the state shutting down for the day, in solidarity against Florida Senate Bill 1718, which goes into effect July 1st. At El Mariachi restaurant in West Palm Beach. I'm looking around your restaurant right now. It's empty. Empty. Why?

Because we're trying to support all the immigrants. Most of them are protesting. The empty restaurant costing Victor Prado $3,000 a day. And this could be a looming crisis for him. He's lost the majority of his employees in just the last few weeks. They're afraid. They're moving for another state. They moved to another state.

Yeah. Governor Ron DeSantis touting the new law as the strongest crackdown on illegal immigration in the country. So what you want to do is say there's not benefits for coming illegally. Among the new requirements, local governments are banned from issuing ID cards to the undocumented or recognizing another states. Hospitals are required to ask for patients' immigration status and collect the information. And the law also enhances the penalties for, quote, human smuggling. This law, first of all, would make it a third-degree felony to drive. with an undocumented person, even if they're your family member across state lines. According to Pew Research, there are more than 700,000 mixed status families across Florida,

meaning there's at least one undocumented person in the family. Many of those people choosing to push back against the governor. As for Prado Rendezante, equivocamente, has taken the decision to criminalize to the immigrants, dehumanize, because it's humanized with that law, because it makes to know that As for Prado, he says despite the losses, he's joining the fight, taking a stand in solidarity with all those who, like him, are here to fulfill a dream that is now being threatened. We come to this country for a better life.

It's a dream. That's why you come to this country. And Sam Brock joins us now from Palm Springs, Florida. Sam, this is a complicated law. You laid out some of the specific details in your report there, but there's a lot to unpack here. Do we know which businesses will be most impacted by this? And is there any indication in terms of how or if this will be enforced? Alison, so much attention has been on the E-Verify aspect of this. And the way that the law is

written, those businesses with 25 or more employees for new hires, they have to use E-Verify. But as we've seen, people are scared and leaving their jobs anyway, even when their companies don't meet the threshold because there's just this atmosphere of fear. And in terms of of actually enforcing it, it takes effect in only about three or four weeks. Sam, you were speaking with business owners, employees saying that they have already lost some employees because of the fear that this has already caused, even though it hasn't gone into effect yet. What else are these owners telling you about their plans moving forward? So here's what struck me as so sobering, Ellison, sort of the multi-dimensional aspect of

this. Yes, the business owner, restaurant owner we spoke with. has lost nine of 13 employees in recent weeks. But I was speaking to a woman whose family owns this Western clothing store and several other businesses, including an ice cream shop and a taco truck. And what she told me is what their employees are all still there. It's the customers that have dropped off. They have seen a massive precipitous fall and who's actually coming out. As people are concerned, not just about the E-Verify aspect of things,

but as we covered earlier, the fact that you can't get into a car right now, transportation and shelter for the people that are sheltering or transporting, undocumented migrants, they could be facing a third-degree felony, which would come with up to five years behind bars. So there's just, again, this idea that life as we know it has changed completely here in Florida for folks who would be going to areas they were frequenting only three weeks ago. They're not doing it anymore. Sam Brock in Palm Springs, Florida. Thank you. We now head overseas to Sudan and another round of deadly clashes breaking out in the capital city, shattering a week-long ceasefire between the warring military groups. The violence

killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands more. Matt Bradley has the latest on the growing crisis. Tonight, a marketplace in Sudan's capital rocked by artillery fire, the area teeming with civilians. The blasts killing at least 18 people and injuring hundreds more. It's the latest round of deadly clashes in Sudan, bringing the death toll of this nearly two-month-old conflict to at least 700, with over a million displaced. And those figures are expected to rise. It's the civilians caught on the crossfire who are left to pick up the pieces yet again.

This man saying the clashes have destroyed everything, with the public security deteriorating and tourism stagnating. This outbreak of fighting shatters a week-long ceasefire between two warring military groups. One resident saying, There is no ceasefire. The ceasefire agreement is a dead letter. The daily life of ordinary people was disrupted. The fragile peace talks, brokered by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia,

were supposed to be extended another five days to allow humanitarian access to the region. But Sudan's army suspended their participation this week, blaming their enemies, a rival paramilitary group, for their lack of commitment. Sudan's army chiefs saying, we don't want to destroy the country, but will be forced to do so if the enemy doesn't obey or listen to the voice of reason. And just tonight, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. announced they would hold peace talks. The U.S. slapping new sanctions on Sudan in response to the failed negotiations.

And now we're seeing actions again by both sides in clear violation of the commitments they've made in terms of the ceasefire. The ongoing conflict broke out in April as leaders from the Sudanese Army and the rival military group RSF have been locked in a battle for power for weeks. The brutal fighting has wrought havoc on the country, leaving millions without food, water, or shelter. Before the crisis, it was already a significant humanitarian need. And now we're estimating 25 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, 13 million of whom are children. And the fighting has thwarted humanitarian efforts to provide aid to these vulnerable civilians. We've had looting of our offices in the dark floors and some of our warehouses. So it's really been a battle to save our supplies and make sure they are in the safe hands of the children who need them.

But as aid efforts falter and the death toll climbs, times the best hopes for peace are continuing to fail. Yeah, Alison, we're hearing that the fighting and the effects of that are particularly bad in the Western Sudanese region of Darfur. Now, you remember hearing a lot about that about 15 years ago. So, of course, that's a very, very isolated region, according to aid workers, and it's already been afflicted by war, including concerns years ago, of genocide. Now, that's making it particularly difficult for aid workers to get aid, food, water, and

medicine to a population that so desperately needs it. Alison? Matt Bradley, thank you. Still ahead tonight, caught by DNA. The New Jersey attorney arrested for a series of rape, sexual assaults, and kidnappings from more than a decade ago. The technology that authorities say helped them break this case. Plus, danger in the water, the drone video capturing the moment a shark swam extremely close

to a swimmer where it headed next. and Amazon's $30 million settlement why the FCC says Ring and Alexa Technologies violated privacy rights, including collecting data on children. Stay with us. Mr. Cruz, Mr. Danes, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst. Back now with a break in a series of rape cases from more than a decade ago, Boston police announcing the arrest of a 35-year-old New Jersey lawyer in connection with the four assaults, using the increasingly popular.

technology, forensic genealogy. NBC's Ron Allen explains. Tonight, the suspect in a terrifying series of rapes in Boston some 15 years ago has appeared in court. Matthew Nilo, now 35, an attorney arrested at his apartment in New Jersey, charged with attacking four women in 2007 and 2008, while a student in Boston. The breakthrough evidence, investigators say, Nilo's own DNA. This arrest accumulates the investigation that employed the use of forensic genealogy from recovered evidence. All four cases are DNA connected. Law enforcement analysts say forensic genealogy involves using DNA to identify suspects by finding matches in large databases. A process experts say police have relied on more heavily as the

popularity of ancestry searches and their databases have grown. And the technology not nearly as sophisticated more than a decade ago when Nilo allegedly committed the crimes. So the popularity of these ancestry searches is helping the police. Correct. They're helping them quite a bit. And not only the police and the authorities, but some of these sort of amateur internet sleuths are doing some of the legwork themselves. The frightening series of attacks had Boston on edge. Now, investigators not saying what led them to suspect Nilo.

In court today, he did not fight extradition to Massachusetts, charged with three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping. One count of assault with intent to rape and one count of indecent assault and battery. The actual arrest? Bury Lotech. Police had the building front desk where Nilo lives call him to say he had a delivery and took him into custody when he came downstairs for a package that wasn't there, according to the arrest warrant.

Mr. Nilo is looking forward to being taken back up to Massachusetts. He'll be entering a plea if not guilty, and he's looking forward to fighting these charges and showing that he's innocent. Investigators say the survivors of the attacks have been told about the arrest, they remain unidentified. We certainly realize that identifying this individual does not ease their pain. Nothing can. But hopefully it answers some questions. Boston police say federal money from the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, some $2.5 million, helped renew efforts to review unsolved cases like this one beginning last May, with priority to those that pose the most threat to public safety. Meanwhile, the investigation that led to Nilo's arrest continues. Authorities say he also lived in Wisconsin, New York, and California during the past decade

and urge anyone who thinks they might have any information about an additional crime to call police. Allison? Ron Allen, thank you. For more on this case and the use of forensic genealogy, I want to bring in NBC News legal analyst, Danny Savalos. He joins us now on set. Danny, when I hear forensic genealogy solving a cold case, I think. of that infamous California golden state killer case. But other than that, is this something that is often or more increasingly being used to solve cold cases? And how strong is forensic

genealogy in a courtroom? It's new technology and it's expensive technology. So we're not at the point yet where law enforcement agencies can use it every time they want to use or make a DNA case. The challenge is, is we have an old system using what's called ST. STR-type DNA that gets uploaded to KOTUS, which is a law enforcement database. And some of our older cases have those DNA profiles uploaded to KOTUS. But now we have this new technology. And the thing about the new technology, it's called SNAP as opposed to stir, this kind of DNA profile is much broader, many more points.

And it allows, with the old system, you had to connect up with either the person themselves or an immediate relative, mom, brother, something like that. Now you can go four steps removed in cousin land and get a match. That's the kind of technology we're dealing with now. But the problem is it is still, relatively speaking, in its infancy. And it requires a lot of resources, and it requires, you won't have, the databases that you're looking in, might be very comprehensive, but you don't have all of those old profiles that were uploaded to code.

So right now we're living in kind of an eight-track and an internet world, and we are struggling with dealing with the old technology, not throwing it out, and using the new very expensive technology. So the attorney for this defendant, the lawyer who has been charged, he says this client is going to enter a not-guilty plea. Do you think this forensic genealogy link is the only bit of evidence prosecutors have, or do you think they're going to have more here? I can almost certainly say probably not. I mean, you can safely assume that they already tried to run it through CODS. That may or may not have worked, and maybe that's why they wanted to use FG, forensic genetic genealogy. But the challenge is no prosecutor wants to go to court with a case that rests only on FG. On a case like this, where it's over a decade old, presumably they're going to have some witness identification, something in addition. Because this This technology is still relatively new. It may be subject to attack. It does have its benefits. But at the same time, any kind of new technology is the kind of thing that can be challenged.

And more importantly, jurors struggle with this kind of hard science. We learned that three decades ago with the OJ Simpson trial, DNA evidence, even rudimentary DNA evidence, and that was rudimentary, that was a Tari-style DNA evidence. Now is getting incredibly complex. So prosecutors know, presenting this to a jury and explaining it to them in a digestible way presents its own set of challenges. And very quickly for people who are at home and are saying, wait, what DNA service, which we don't know the answer to that, but thinking, I've submitted to 23 and me, I've submitted to this, are these companies just completely loosening any sort of privacy mechanism?

What's the status of where services like that are in terms of privacy, how protected is? things you send out. The reality is people are choosing to upload their DNA and the benefit of this kind of technology is that it's connected with people who are many levels removed. Like I said, cousins, people you may have never met or even known about have enough of a DNA profile to allow you to match to a suspect or a victim that's never been identified. There's another huge benefit to this technology. So of course it raises privacy concerns. But at the same time, we're talking about people who have voluntarily uploaded their DNA to a system. And when you do that, in a sense, when we all do that,

we know we're giving it to a third party. And, you know, constitutionally speaking, you don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy in something that you spit into, send it in, and ask a third party company, a private company that can be subpoenaed to develop a complete DNA profile. There are benefits to this technology.

We can find out how Irish we are or how Spanish we are. But there are negatives, too, which is anything you give to a third party, traditionally, you don't really have much of an expectation of privacy in it. All right, Danny Savalos, thank you so much. When we come back, Base Bra, the New York adult, facing charges for violently attacking a 15-year-old. That teen victim says the whole thing started over a foul ball. We'll explain. Next.

Shaphim, Cinema, Smith, Scabinow, Thune, Tillis, White House, Wicker. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the New York man facing assault charges after he allegedly attacked a 15-year-old during a disagreement over a foul ball. Video shows an adult man attacking a teen on Long Island trying to throw him to the ground. The teen saying he picked up a foul ball when several adult baseball players approached him and became angry. One of them eventually becoming violent. A dramatic shark

sighting just off of Alabama's Gulf Coast. Dron video shows the shark just yards away from swimmers in shallow waters and then moving toward the shore. The shark later spotted near a family with a young child. Luckily, no one was hurt. No word on what type of shark it was. Local authorities say the Gulf is home to 50 species of sharks with sightings most common in the month of June. Amazon will pay the Federal Trade Commission more than $300 million to settle allegations. It violated privacy rights. The FTC alleging in one lawsuit that Amazon's ring doorbell unit gave third-party contractors access to customers' videos even when it was unnecessary. The other lawsuit alleging Amazon illegally kept thousands of children's information collected through its Alexa voice assistant. The settlements will require Amazon to delete customer ring videos from before 2018, as well as some data from children's Alexa profiles.

And hundreds of Spirit Airlines flights delayed today because of a technical issue. Spirit said in a tweet, the issue was impacting the carrier's website, mobile app, and airport kiosks. A spokesperson later telling NBC the issue has been resolved. and the airline is working to get back to normal operations. At noon today, flight tracking sites reported that 90% of flights were delayed. And now to a dietary supplement that is gaining momentum online. With medications like OZMPIC and Wagovi in short supply, it's being dubbed Nature's OZMPIC. Social media users are praising its weight loss effects, but does it actually work?

And what are the health risks you should be looking out for? Stephen Romo has more. Are you seeing this all over your FYP? Tonight, a dietary supplement taking the internet by storm. Does Burberene actually work? We're going to find out. It's called Burberin, and social media users say it can help reduce appetite as well as improve blood sugar levels, resulting in weight loss for some.

But questions remain about its effectiveness. Google searches for Burberine began to increase at the end of March before they spiked in late May. Some people are even dubbing it nature's ozempic in reference to the diabetes medication craze. Adults lost on average up to 12 pounds leading to shortages and people craving alternatives. Do you see how big these fit? Savannah Crosby has been taking Berberin for seven weeks now. And total, I've lost seven pounds, but not just pounds. I've inches, my clothes is fitting me better.

I feel different. So it's more than the pounds. She says the supplement has been again. game changer for her on her weight loss journey and that her popular posts now have brands reaching out to get her to try their version of the supplement. But she says she's not being paid. I was noticing that no matter what I was doing, the scale was going up and I felt like I was gaining weight. If it were up to me, I would have done Ozmpic, but because of the cost of it, it's just outrageous. One meta-analysis of 49 studies found the supplement may provide cardiovascular benefits

and potentially weight loss for people who are overweight. But unlike Ozempic, which is a class one drug and can cost hundreds of dollars, berberine bottles like this can be purchased at a local store. You don't need to have a doctor's appointment or a prescription. There's a lot of differences, though, how berberine is regulated by the government compared to other drugs like Tylenol. Dr. Peter Cohen leads the supplement research program at Harvard Medical. He warns that while berberine may result in weight loss,

Many of its claims have not been looked at by large peer-reviewed studies, and there are potential side effects. Rare side effects, including neurological symptoms or problems during pregnancy, the FDA or no analysis, checking the bottle to make sure that Berberians accurately labeled in the bottle. So it's a tricky thing to use, even if your doctor says it's safe to do so. He also says if you are losing weight on the supplement, there could be something more dangerous at work. If you're losing weight fast, there might be another drug in that Burbary and supplement that's not listed on the label. Were there any side effects that weren't so great? I've gotten occasional headaches, some constipation, sometimes I have diarrhea, and dry throat. But none of those side effects were bad enough to make you want to stop?

No, they all lasted a couple days. Crosby says her journey has largely been positive, but plans to take a break after 12 weeks. on the supplement and urges other users to do their due diligence. The way it works for me may not work for everybody else. So definitely research and talking to your medical provider is super important. Stephen Romo joins us now in studio. Stephen, so this is a natural supplement. It just took off in popularity.

What do we know about how it was being used before? Yeah, certainly not a new supplement. It has been around since 1917. According to the American Chemical Society, it comes from plant. like golden seal. And for most of its history, it's been used as a dye because it has a very bright yellow color. It also has some anti-inflammatory property. So that's mostly what it's been used for as a supplement. That is until this latest trend, but like with so many weight loss trends we see, they're not necessarily long to live. So we'll have to see how this one ends up.

Stephen Romo, thank you. Coming up, socialite spared jail time. The Canadian woman receiving just the fine and community service for fatally shooting a police officer in Belize. why she claims it was an accident. Now to Top Story's Global Watch, and the Canadian Socialite spared jail time after she drunkenly shot and killed a cop in Belize in 2021. Jasmine Harton was given a $37,000 fine in order to perform 300 hours of community service after pleading guilty to manslaughter by negligence. Police say she accidentally shot the officer in the head after he had given her his weapon to hold during a stroll on the beach. She has 12 months to pay that fine, or she will be sent to prison. In the Netherlands, more than 1,500 people have been arrested following a climate group

protest at the Hague. Video shows officers using water cannons to disperse crowds after activists blocked a major highway demanding an end to Dutch fossil fuel subsidies. At least 40 people were charged with vandalism. Several Dutch celebrities were also in attendance, including Game of Thrones actress Karese Van Houten. And world leaders gathering in Jordan to celebrate a royal wedding. Jordan's crown prince married an architect from a prominent Saudi family and a palace ceremony. The event drew notable people from around the world, including First Lady Jill Biden and the prince and princess of Wales. The day was declared a public holiday so crowds could gather to celebrate.

When we come back blazing the trail on this first day of Pride Month, LGBTQ plus stories you might not have heard from a former mentor, to Martin Luther King to a journalist who fought against anti-Asian hate. Those stories next. And finally, tonight, this Pride Month, we want to spotlight a few activist, performers, journalists, you might not know, but all contributed to advancing equal rights and civil rights for all Americans. Here's a look at some of their stories. Beyond the flags, parades, and pride-themed products, there's a group of activists, performers, and journalists that helped shape the public consciousness. But not everyone has gotten the full, high.

Hollywood treatment. Even stars of the stage. Like Cozinelle, French for Ladybug, a renowned club singer whose gender reassignment surgery made her a media sensation after World War II. Her 1960 marriage was recognized by the French government and the Catholic Church. It opened the door for legal transgender marriages. And Bayard Reston, a civil rights icon who came out in his teens and, according to his partner, always lived openly.

Law and order do not exist in a vacuum. They exist out of social justice. He mentored and helped Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. implement practices of nonviolent civil resistance. Yes, I do. I think nonviolence is still the best approach. He fought against racial discrimination and segregation, and some of Rustin's ideas became the model for the freedom rides of the 1960s.

He even helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For decades, this great leader, often at Dr. King's side, was denied his rightful place in history because he was openly gay. Also at the forefront in the fight for civil rights and marriage equality. This has become a political question also, just the whole question of how Asians are regarded in this country. Journalist Helen Zia, whose advocacy started at a time. of intense anti-Asian sentiment in the United States. In Detroit, two men who beat Vincent Chin to death because they thought he was Japanese were indicted today on federal charges of violating Chin's civil rights.

Zia led the fight to bring federal civil rights charges against two Detroit men for Chin's death, although the sole conviction in the case was later overturned. Part of the justice was to make people aware that this was a racial crime. and what racism toward Asian Americans is, and that it exists. Many people credit Matlovich with advancing the fight for gay rights in this country. He was discharged from the Air Force two years ago after he announced he was a homosexual. After serving in the Vietnam War, Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich came out to his Air Force captain in a letter and began to lay the groundwork for members of the U.S. military to serve openly.

When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men. discharge for loving one. Matlovich was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, but the Air Force discharged him because he was gay. Matlovich fought it in the courts, won a settlement, and his discharge was changed to indicate what he already knew. He served honorably. I never had a choice to choose to be straight or gay. If I had that choice, I love being a gay person. I love being a moral person. I love being a productive person to make society a better place. And our thanks to all of those trailblazers who broke ground and paved the way for the rest of us and those who are still continuing to push that path forward today. We appreciate you being with us at home as well.

Thank you so much for watching Top Story. For Tom Yamis, I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news now on the way.