Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, March 14, 2024

Episode Date: March 15, 2024

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

Tonight, that crushing blow to former President Trump's defense, a judge denying his request to dismiss charges in his classified documents case. The judge rejecting one of two motions filed by Trump's lawyers. And in New York, the Manhattan DA in the former president's hush money case willing to delay the trial to review new records. Also tonight, Haiti descending further into chaos, the crisis spilling into other countries as citizens, attempt to flee the violence. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis deploying troops to stop a potential influx of Haitian refugees. We speak to people in Miami's Little Haiti, who have family trapped in the gang-occupied nation. Winter's wild and a powerful storm bearing the Rockies in fleet of snow. In Denver, highways shut down, leaving drivers stranded and hundreds of flights canceled.

Tonight, 36 million Americans from Texas to Ohio at risk for severe storms. Tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds ripping through the central U.S. Searching for Riley. The hunt for a missing college student in Nashville intensifies. Police ramping up mobilization efforts. His parents seen surveillance video of their son for the first time pleading for the public's help. Plus, parachute crash landing, a plane plunging into a heavily wooded area after its engines lost power. A couple and their two-year-old miraculously surviving, walking away.

with just minor cuts and scratches, the device that likely saved their lives. And $22 for a burrito? Are you local? A Mexican restaurant in San Francisco doubling their prices as food costs skyrocket. But here's the catch. People are still lining up to buy it. Tonight we'll explain the country's inflation problem with a mouth-watering treat. Top story starts right now.

And good evening, top story coming to you live tonight from the Telemundo Center in Miami. And tonight, a major setback for President Trump's defense in his classified documents case here in Florida. A judge here denying one of his two motions to toss the case. Trump is accused of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, you'll remember, and resisting government attempts to retrieve the information. The prosecution led by special counsel, Jack Smith, charged the former president with 40 criminal counts. Trump's lawyers filing two motions. One, arguing the case should be tossed.

The first, because the president's record, the Presidential Records Act, which Trump's defense claims presidential records can be transformed into personal records after being removed from the White House. The second, in which the dismissal was denied, says the section of the Espionage Act he's accused of violating is unconstitutionally vague. The case is just one of four criminal cases against Trump who is navigating the courtroom and the campaign trail up until election date. The trials for these cases remain in flux.

Just today, the Manhattan DA in the hush money case announcing a willingness to delay the trial to review new records. All of this as time is ticking for the judge in the Georgia election interference case to rule whether to disqualify Fulton County DA Fannie Willis. We're going to have more on that. But we want to start right now with NBC's Laura Jarrett, who's leading us off. Tonight, in a new legal blow, a federal judge denying former President Trump's request to toss out criminal charges, alleged. he hoarded classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The presumptive GOP nominee seen arriving this morning, greeting supporters gathered outside the Florida courthouse.

His attorneys arguing, the law on national security secrets is too vague and that Mr. Trump believed he was allowed to keep the documents as his personal records, according to the Presidential Records Act, saying last night, I took him very legally and I wasn't hiding them. But federal judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, tonight, writing a dismissal over vagueness now would be, quote, premature. And earlier at the hearing, appearing skeptical of any argument to toss the charges based on the Presidential Records Act, telling Mr. Trump's team, it's difficult to see how this gets you to the dismissal of an indictment. No decision yet on a trial date. Mr. Trump's team urging her to push it until after the November election.

That ruling coming after a surprising setback for Manhattan's prosecutors just 11 days before Mr. Trump's hush money trial was set to begin. Tonight, the district attorney's office saying they do not oppose waiting 30 days to start the trial in an abundance of caution. The case where prosecutors have accused the former president of bearing a hush money payment to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election, now marred in a fight over a significant number of documents related to Michael Cohen, the man who made the payment. Records Mr. Trump's attorneys say they need to prepare their defense. According to a new court filing, tens of thousands of pages of documents were only recently turned over to Mr. Trump's team. A Trump spokesman responding tonight, this case has no basis in law or fact. And with that, Laura joins us from our Top Story Studios in New York.

So, Laura, do you think that this case would likely be denied as well? the other one that the judge is still looking at related to the Presidential Records Act? I think there's a high likelihood, Tom. Based on our reporting from folks there in the room today with the judge, she really did not seem persuaded that the Presidential Records Act means that the former president can take whatever documents he wants is because they're his personal records. It just didn't seem to be an argument that was gaining much traction with her.

Now, if she does grant that motion, it would obviously be a severe blow to the special counsel, Jack Smith, which is, of course, why he was there in person today. and the former president, of course, sitting through hours-long arguments in that case as well, Tom. Laura, on that case, do you think the judge is going to not decide pretty quickly? I do. She said promptly, which to judges mean something different than it means to reporters. But we saw, obviously, at least one part of her order tonight. She could do something either later tonight or perhaps even tomorrow on the second part, the second grounds that we've been talking about on the Presidential Records Act.

But the bottom line is we still don't have a trial date in this case in Florida, which has really been looming large, and part of what we mentioned in the piece as you played is that the New York case was the only case where we actually have a trial date, at least as of right now. Okay, Laura, we should also talk about the fate of Mr. Trump's legal case in Georgia, right? We're up against the deadline. Is it as early as tomorrow? Yes, we expect to see a decision. The judge was pretty clear that he was going to stick to the timeline, and so I would expect to see a decision in that case tomorrow. Of course, remember this is the issue about whether the lead prosecutor, the district attorney, Fonney Willis should be removed from the case. over alleged ethical conflicts in hiring her boyfriend to be the lead prosecutor against the former president. That's something his defense attorneys have been pressing. We'll see whether the judge

actually agrees with them. Remember, it's a really high bar, Tom. It has to be that she had a financial interest in hiring her boyfriend, not just that it looked bad, Tom. Has the judge tipped his hat either way? And I ask because I know he dismissed six charges earlier this week. He hasn't. But you might think that if he was going to actually kick her off the case completely, then why whittle down the charges as we saw yesterday? But we have to wait and see what the judge actually rules tomorrow, Tom. It's a great point, and it's great to have you live here on Top Story leading us off. Laura Jarrett for us tonight. For more on the latest in Trump's legal battles, I want to bring in famed criminal defense attorney Ed Schohat from here

in Miami. Ed has faced off against the government defending several high-profile defendants, including some who have been called or connected to the quote-unquote cocaine cowboys. He's currently a litigation partner at Jones Walker. Ed, thanks again for joining us. Explain to us the president's argument that is still alive in court right now when it comes to the Presidential Records Act. What is his defense? Let's start with the Presidential Records Act. The Presidential Records Act was put on the books during the Watergate era when President Nixon was caught destroying tapes and other documents. That was Congress's response.

And it essentially provides that all official presidential records belong not to the president or former president, but to the people and are to be stored by the National Archives. His argument is that there's a sentence in the act, which allows him to go through his records and determine what are personal records and to keep personal records, and that nobody can review that decision. In other words, as with his immunity argument, his argument is he's above the law in determining what is personal and not personal. So on that one line, do you think he's going to win this argument with the judge? No. Why? I don't. Well, let me just say this.

Judge Cannon denied the Espionage Act motion to dismiss today that gives me some confidence that she's following the law. I'm not fully confident, given her history, that she will fully follow the law. But if she fully follows the law, as Jack Smith's argument today showed, there is no precedent, there is no history, and there's no logic to Trump's argument. You know, I want to talk about something else because you've dealt with high-profile clients inside federal courtrooms, and the reporting out of the courtroom here in Florida was that the former president was composed. He was quiet. He wasn't making noise. He wasn't talking back to

the judge. If he had something to say to his attorney, he wrote it down. Essentially, he was being courteous and professional. Whereas in the Manhattan courtrooms that we've seen in months past, the former president did what he wanted, right? The lawyers did not have him under control. Why do you think he's acting differently here? Because it's Judge Cannon. He thinks she's a team player. He's not going to do anything to upset that apple. You think that's what it is, or do you think he's more worried about these cases? Look, I can't read his mind. I happen to think he's very worried about these cases, and he's been acting out, but today he was in the home court. He felt like he was in the home court, and he wasn't going to do or say anything to make her angry. How much does the

defendant's behavior in court, you think, ultimately affect a case? Most of the time, defendants fully behave in court. I've tried hundreds of cases. and rarely have I had an incident where a defendant misbehaved in court. It usually is not really an issue. With this defendant, you can never know what's going to happen because he can react very aggressively as to any witness who might testify against him. I would be concerned about it. Yeah, we wrapped our conversation with Laura talking about Georgia.

The judge is going to rule tomorrow. There's a lot in front of him, right? Whether to dismiss this case entirely, this is the Georgia election interference case, whether to dismiss the DA and her special counsel, who it's been found out, obviously, had a relationship. There's been a lot of testimony. There's been, quote-unquote, statements and texts, and some people have said some sides are lying. The judge is ultimately going to decide.

What do you think is going to happen in Georgia? I was going to deny the motion. I would be very surprised if he granted the motion. The defense team, the defense lawyers did the right thing. They have an obligation to their clients to present any ethical. supported argument that might result in a favorable outcome for their clients. That said, they've completely failed to draw a connection between the relationship between the two prosecutors and the substantial rights of their clients. You think essentially they brought the right case,

right? They were able to expose the relationship, and then they dropped the ball in trying to argue that this was essentially a conflict of interest. I wouldn't say they dropped the ball. I don't think they had the evidence. I think that's where it completely fails, and that's what the prosecutors argued. Then again, they have a fairly conservative judge, and we won't know the outcome. He's a new judge, too. And the entire country's, maybe the entire world's watching him right now. Typically, new judges are more reticent than more experienced and seasoned judges to step out in front of an argument like this. Think about what he's got on his plate, throwing out the prosecution, literally by disqualifying the DA. The DA.

Willis, it's probably the end of the case. It would be game over. It's probably game over. They have another case with a gang case where the prosecutor, Fannie Willis, was disqualified over a year ago and no new prosecutor has been appointed yet. Think about it. Ed Schohad, always a pleasure to see you. Always a pleasure to have you on Top Story.

Thank you for having me, Tom. We thank you. We want to turn out to our other major headline tonight, that gang violence intensifying in Haiti, not too far from where we are tonight. Hundreds of Americans now trapped in the country and a crisis growing along Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic. about who gets to go, come across and flee that chaos. Gabe Gutierrez reporting on the ground in the DR tonight.

Tonight, a catastrophe is unfolding in Haiti. Each day, people running for their lives. The gang violence in Porter Prince now trapping Americans caught in the crossfire. Hundreds of stranded U.S. citizens registering with the State Department. We just want to go home. Missionary Jill Dolan and her family are stuck at a makeshift motel near the country's shuttered main airport. She's desperate to get back to Florida in time for her daughter's wedding. Instead, she's ducking for cover.

We did hear gunfire right outside at the gate, and it was very scary. And we all went running, and we turned off the lights and just, like, hit in our room until it went away. Amid concerns of the mass exodus from Haiti, the Dominican Republic is increasing patrols along its border, and the U.S. is considering temporarily housing Haitian migrants at Guantanamo Bay, like it's done before. Today, in the Dominican border town of Dahabong, Haitians were briefly allowed to cross into this closed-off market. But if they went too far illegally, we saw bus after bus, deporting them. This widow, mother of six, told us she was desperate for food. We don't have work. We don't have a president. We have nothing, she says.

The U.N. just announcing that it's launching an air bridge, essentially a humanitarian corridor in the sky, to bring over humanitarian aid. from the Dominican Republic across the border into Haiti. We also met Juan Yu Jambier, who says he's from Miami. But as he recently visited family in Haiti, a gang overtook his bus, leaving him with no passport and no way out. They took all my stuff, my documents, my bags, my phones, my money that I had in my pocket. Tonight, this is the edge of chaos, a humanitarian crisis at yet another border. With that, Gabe Gutierrez joins us now live from Dahawong in the Dominican Republic near the border.

Gabe, even when there's not chaos in Haiti, the relationship with the Dominican Republic has always been conflicted. What is the DR doing to keep the Haitians out? Yeah, definitely a strained relationship, Tom. As you saw in the peace, they've increased patrols at the border. And even today, we saw bus after bus deporting Haitians that had come over and tried to cross over illegally. And if I could just point something out, Tom, right behind me, right there, that is the Haitian border. That gate, we weren't able to take our cameras back there, but we did go over and look just a few moments ago. It is incredible.

There are dozens of people packed over into the other side, just waiting perhaps for food. You recall in the peace, Haitians were able to take some food that they got in this market immediately. When you look through that gate, through the bars, they look at you and ask, do you have any food? Nearly a million people in Haiti, according to the UN, are nearly on the brink of famine. Tom? With these conflicts, you always get that crush at the border, and it is incredibly sad. Gabe, when you're not on the border, you're covering the White House. How is the Biden administration looking at this, right?

If you have a humanitarian and a possible refugee crisis in the coming months there, that's one of the last things the Biden administration needs right now. Yeah, certainly. And as I mentioned in the report, the Biden administration is considering housing some of the Haitian migrants in Guantanamo Bay like it's done before. But there's a lot of unanswered questions here. How much can the U.S. get involved? The White House trying to walk a very fine line saying that picking Haiti's next leader will be up to the Haitian people. But the political transition here has stalled because of conflicts internally between political leaders.

And, of course, those gangs wields so much influence. And so the U.S. trying to carve out its path forward. And right now, the path forward looks bleak for Haiti, Tom. Gabe Gutierrez, you and your team, please stay safe tonight. We want to stay with the crisis in Haiti right now and how it's impacting this country's large and growing Haitian community. Here in Miami, you'll find the highest concentration of Haitians in the U.S. Our Guadvenegas traveled to the Little Haiti neighborhood,

speaking to many fearing for loved ones back on their homeland. The spiraling situation in Haiti hitting close to home for many in the U.S. I was working in Haiti, but the situation is so hard, gangs everywhere, I have children. I have nothing to do. I couldn't stay, even though I wanted, but I couldn't stay. As of 2022, more than 730,000 Haitian immigrants resided in the United States, making them the country's 15th largest foreign-born population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 276,000 now living in Florida, adding to the state's already expansive Haitian-American community.

The majority of them residing in the Miami area where the vibrant neighborhood of Little Haiti serves as a gathering point with lots of Haitian businesses and a resource center for a lot of people who are worried for their friends and family back in Haiti. This situation could have been prevented. Marlene Bastien is the executive director of the Family Action Network Movement and a prominent figure in Miami's Haitian community. Like many here, she's watching the turmoil unfold in Haiti with family still there. Who's the closest person to you that's in Haiti right now? Uncle, aunts and cousins, a lot of nieces and nephews. What did they say to you in the last conversation that you had? They were being chased from their home by the gangs.

Former U.S. Army retired first class John Orioles. was born in Haiti and moved to the U.S. years ago. Now, you said you have family that is still in Haiti. Yes, sir. Have they thought about leaving the country? Well, Haiti is, Haiti will always be home. My mom, she loves the country to death. You know, she comes here and visit, but her heart is Haiti.

She says that no matter how it is here, it'll never be home. That's the reason why they want to stay. She just hopes that the insecurity and the dying stops. Like, she's ready for Haiti to go back. to what she used to know. But many are trying to flee. And officials in Florida fear this will mean an influx of migrants, similar to the one seen last year, when hundreds of Haitian migrants arrived in the Florida Keys and along the coast by boat. I have a friend that lives on the street and he called me when I got home from work and said, I've got people in my backyard. On Wednesday,

Governor Ron DeSantis ordering more than 250 law enforcement officers and soldiers to patrol Florida's water. The governor tweeting in part, no state has done more to supplement the under-resourced the U.S. Coast Guard's interdiction efforts, we cannot have illegal aliens coming to Florida. A move, Marlene says, she finds disappointing. Our governor failed to understand is that people do not choose to leave their homes. They don't just wake up one day. I'd love to come and visit the beautiful beaches of South Florida. People come because they are forced to do so. They are aware of the danger, and yet the desperation is such that they are willing to risk everything they have, even losing their life for a real hope. Back here in Little Haiti, hopes for an end to the chaos because residents here aren't ready to give up on their homeland.

All I can say is that Haiti is a beautiful country. I just hope that one day it can go back to that. to be able to walk the street without any fear. Guad Vanegas joins us live tonight from Little Haiti. Guad, you've been in touch with the Coast Guard. What do they say about the number of Haitians trying to reach Florida? Right now, it's almost impossible to do anything inside of Haiti, including escaping. Are they expecting a refugee crisis?

Well, Tom, we were curious to see what's happened in the last few weeks since that violence escalated after the Prime Minister Al-Jahun-Reed left the country. So we asked about the last four weeks. They did say they have not seen an increase in irregular migration from Haiti. In fact, they said they've repatriated 65 people in these last four weeks. If you compare that to the numbers we saw last year, that's a very small number. But they did say that they expect that increase in personnel from the National Guard at the direction of Governor Ron DeSantis.

They also add that they have six aircraft ready to assist the National Guard and any other resource that's available. They will have it there, just in case. case they do see that increase of vessels in the water, Tom. But for now, we'll have to wait a little longer to see if we do see that increase of individuals trying to come this way on as you said, it's going to be very, very difficult because no one can get in from the information we've received, Tom. Gwad vanegas from Little Haiti tonight, Gwa, we appreciate your reporting. Thank you for that. We want to turn out of the severe weather making its way across the Midwest.

Tonight, more than 36 million people under extreme weather advisories spanning from Texas to Ohio, and in Colorado, a massive snowstorm. Some parts of the state buried under more than three feet of snow. NBC's Dana Griffin has the very latest. That is insane. Tonight, a tornado touching down in Indiana. Several homes destroyed. Another twister in Kansas.

In Missouri, golf ball size hail. Meanwhile, the biggest snowstorm to hit Colorado in three years arrived overnight, dumping two to three inches per hour. leaving drivers stranded and parts of I-70 closed and early and often that's the strategy for some residents trying to shovel their way through this continuous snowfall I think I'm gonna be out here two more times today probably heavy weighed down snow concerning for neighbors like Mary Eisen trying to clear snow from her prized cherry tree it's very stiff and there's a lot of water more than 31,000

customers without power and most schools took a snow day at Denver International more than 800 flights canceled I was supposed to be flying back home to Kansas City and unfortunately they got canceled a bus carrying 60 women on a ski trip from Denver getting stuck for more than 15 hours on I-70 we got on the bus yesterday at 3 30 some women stuck without their medicine we have someone who with diabetes we have someone who got the injured on the hill. By Thursday afternoon, the group finally back on the road and proving their resilience. We kind of know how to handle things when they're tough. And there's hope. This March snow madness comes to an end Friday.

All right, Dana Griffin joins us live tonight from a snowy Boulder, Colorado. Dana, you know, the Rockies are used to snow. What is so different about this storm? You know, I think what makes this one so unique is how much snow is falling and just how wet it is. I want to show you a little sample of one. Usually when you pick up snow, it's light, fluffy, it falls apart, but just look how dense and packed this is. It is filled with such heavy water. And the concern about this, Tom, is that it's going to bring down tree limbs like the one you see here and power lines. That's why it's going to be a busy night for Cruz, hoping that this does not happen. We've actually seen smaller branches and twigs fall off as well. And, you know, There's more snow expected.

We've still got another 12 hours of the storm, so the snow that you see on the ground here will likely double come tomorrow morning. Tom? All right, Dana Griffin, showing us all what's happening over there in the Rockies. Dana, we appreciate it. With more snow expected to continue throughout Colorado tonight, I want to get to the forecast.

NBC meteorologist Bill Karens joins us live. Bill, I know you're tracking all the severe weather. Where does it go from here? Yeah, we're in the middle of a severe weather outbreak, Tom. We've now had three confirms hornadoes. We've had a ton of large hail, including two instances of softball size hail, four inches in diameter. It's smashed through windshields in areas of Oklahoma and another case in Arkansas. So in total, already 120 severe weather reports.

The watches that erupt extend through 10 states from Ohio all the way down through Texas. So this is going to go well after sunset. Some areas will be tracking severe weather until at least midnight. The St. Louis area is a mess. New severe thunderstorm warnings with large hail over the top of view. to the north of view of an areas of Ohio. We just had a reported tornado with this storm. It went through Finlay.

Then the tornado was reported about eight miles to the east of Finley. We still have a tornado warning just south of Tifton, Ohio. Again, this was indicated by a law enforcement officer on the ground. So we know we had a confirmed tornado with that one. As far as the snow goes, round one ended about midday today. We had a little bit of a break, and now round two is starting. And we already have a couple spots that are three to four feet of snow. Yes, Boulder in Denver, on average, somewhere around a half a foot, you're going to get double that by the time we get to tomorrow morning.

So winter storm warnings continue. The snow has moved back in. It's going to be heavy at times. And the problem is the weight of the heavy snow. Trees already have on top of them, Tom. So those number of power outages are going to escalate as we go throughout the night tonight. All right, Bill Carrens, Bill, we appreciate that. We need to get to some breaking news that's just into our newsroom right now.

A verdict in the trial of James Crumbly, the father charged after his sunshine. shot and killed four students in his Michigan school. Just moments ago, a jury finding him guilty on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter. Adrian Brodus joins us now live tonight outside that courthouse in Pontiac, Michigan. Adrian, walk us through what happened here. The same verdict, right, that the mother here, Jennifer got as well just a couple weeks ago. That's right, Tom. James Crumbly hearing his fate inside of the same courtroom where his wife, Jennifer was also found guilty on all four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count for each student who was killed more than two years ago at Oxford High School. It took this jury more than eight and a half hours to reach that verdict.

The jury, six men, six women, split evenly, some of them, gun owners, some of them also parents. As that verdict was read, James Crumbly shook his head. Also in the courtroom, parents of the students who were killed, the mother of Madison Baldwin. Her name is Nicole. She wept as the jury four person read that verdict. I want to take you back over what the prosecution's key argument was, arguing in part that this school shooting was preventable and foreseeable by James Crumbling. The prosecutor arguing over a course of four days, the trial, we heard testimony, five days, But four days, the prosecution brought various witnesses to the stand.

Fourteen of them were the same witnesses we heard from in the Jennifer Crumbly trial. But saying that James Crumbly, who was responsible for storing the gun, could have taken better steps to prevent all of this from happening, Tom. And then, Andrew, can you take us inside the courtroom? What was James' reaction? I mean, obviously, he may have known that his fate was similar to his wives, right? That there wasn't going to be a surprise here. Take us into the moments of once it happened. So he heard that verdict inside of courtroom to see behind me.

And as the jury for a person read the verdict, he shook his head. He pressed his lips together. Behind him were members of or family members of some of the students who were killed. Not much more reaction from James Crumbly beyond that. He was led out of the courtroom and handcuffs. He is scheduled to be sentenced in April. In fact, this same week, his wife, Jennifer Crumbly, will be sentenced, and their son, who has been referred to as the shooter throughout both trials, is already serving a life sentence without parole. So while some may call this a victory for the prosecution, a victory for the families, really no one wins.

The parents who lost their children that day will never see their kids again. They only have memories. And every time the families told me they have to sit in the courtroom and hear the testimony, it doesn't get any easier. A big piece or big piece of evidence was the surveillance video that captured that school shooting on camera, Tom. Adrian Brodo is for us tonight from that courthouse in Pontiac, Michigan. If you're just joining our coverage, again, the breaking news, James Crumbly, the father of that Oxford school shooter, found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. All right, still ahead tonight. desperate search for missing college student Riley Strain. The 22-year-old

lasting on surveillance video stumbling in downtown Nashville after he was kicked out of a popular bar. The question now under investigation was he over-served? Plus an out-of-control car crashing into a fire department parking lot in the middle of a pickleball game? How that driver is doing tonight? And a parachute saving the lives of a couple and their two-year-old. Look at this after the plane engine lost power in mid-air. There was a parachute on the actual plane. The incredible technology will tell you more about it right after this break. Okay, we're back now with the investigation into that missing college student in Nashville. Today, marking nearly a week since 22-year-old Riley Strain disappeared during a trip he took with

his school's fraternity. Surveillance video capturing his last known whereabouts, Riley seen crossing a street after being kicked out of a well-known bar in the city's Broadway district. His stepfather telling top story earlier this week that he never made it back to his hotel. Our Kathy Park spoke with Riley's mother and stepfather on scene that surveillance footage of their son. Here's a portion of that interview. He's everybody's friend. He's the guy that knows everybody, doesn't know a stranger, will talk to anybody. I mean, and if somebody needed his shirt, he would take it off and give it to him.

That's the kind of guy he is. And that's what hurts seeing him in some of these videos alone with no one helping. Those interviews always so hard to do, always so hard to hear, Kathy. The parents sound like they still have hope. Do they have any theories on where he could be? Hey, Tom, good evening. Yeah, that interview was very tough. Obviously, it's an extremely emotional time.

for that entire family. But as you mentioned, they are holding out hope right now because they have still no sign of him. So they're hopeful that he is alive and that he will be back home and he's supposed to graduate in the next couple of weeks. But as far as theories go, there are some rumors potentially that, you know, they're leaning onto. They think that perhaps he might have been drugged or kidnapped, but obviously that hasn't been verified. But the search is intensifying. And They are very hopeful with that because they have seen a huge mobilization here on the ground, also in the air. They are scouring the Cumberland River, which is just right across from me. And this is basically the vicinity where the search is being focused because Luke's bar, Luke Bryan's bar, is right behind me.

He probably got to block away. And his cell phone pinged probably about a mile away from where we are right now. We heard from authorities earlier this afternoon, and we're told that it was at the top golf, which isn't too far from him. here, but they did preface it by saying that this was not necessarily the direction that he traveled. They're still waiting for cell phone data and also data from his iPhone. So a lot of questions still tonight, Tom. Yeah, Kathy, and it's hard also to see that surveillance video, right, because you see the young man sort of stumbling. I want to put up a map of the area you were just talking about to sort of better understand what could have happened to him. We see the bar there, Luke's 32

bridge at the bottom of the screen. We see his last known whereabouts. And then, Kathy, talk to our viewers about how close the river is because it looks like it is so close. And I just asked because you have this young man stumbling around downtown Nashville there and the river is just so close to where he was walking. Right. So that

has really been the center of their search efforts pretty much throughout the past couple of days. And we saw a huge footprint here on the ground. They were along the riverbank. We saw authorities just kind of scouring just kind of through the, the, um, the,

rain there and still no sign of him. Obviously, this is something that they will continue to stay on. But as you mentioned, you showed that map, the proximity of the bar. This is kind of the area where, according to his family, the fraternity brothers were kind of gathered on Friday night. They started pretty early on in the evening and traveled to different bars. And then Luke Brian's bar was the last location. And then he was asked to leave that bar just before 10 o'clock. And we saw several pieces of images, several surveillance footage that has come out now and now is public and it shows him some blank falling at times and parents the family obviously they're extremely upset that no one came to his aid when they clearly saw that he was

under distress um kathy real quick because we're up against a hard break briefly can you can you tell our viewers what why is the tennessee bureau of alcohol now involved in this case as well yeah so tennessee authorities have launches investigation because they want to see if riley strained was serve. So that is a big question right now. They didn't actually specify which establishments are under review. But here in the state of Tennessee, Tom, if you are visibly intoxicated, it is illegal to serve that individual. Tom? Okay, Kathy Park, yep, on the search for us tonight. Kathy, we appreciate it. When we come back, a terrifying robbery caught on camera in California. And our men confronting a postal worker stealing her mailbox keys before fleeing, the $150,000 reward

now being offered for information on that suspect. Back now with Top Story's news feed, starting with the urgent search for the person who robbed a mail carrier in Oakland, California, and the massive reward now being offered. Video shows the suspect approaching the postal worker as she made her rounds before threatening her with a weapon, before taking her mailbox keys and running away. She was not hurt. Officials say thieves are using those keys to open large groups of mailboxes and steal more packages. U.S. postal inspectors are now offering, get this, $150,000 to find that suspect. Four Arizona firefighters jumping into action after an attic control driver crashed outside of their firehouse.

Video shows the group playing pickleball in the parking lot when a car barrels through the lot, hitting two cars. One of the firefighters racing towards the wreckage, pulling that driver to safety, while the others rush over with equipment. and first aid. The driver was taken to the hospital but is expected to be okay. No word yet on what caused that crash. All right, next tonight to some scary moments in the skies over California, the pilot of a small plane forced to deploy a rocket-powered parachute after losing power mid-flight, saving the lives of his partner and two-year-old daughter who were on board. This incident the second in just two weeks involving the built-in recovery system. NBC Stephen Romo explains. We're getting reports of a plane crash.

This is what first responders saw when they arrived at the scene of a small plane crash in Northern California last week. A single-engine Cirrus SR 22 aircraft split in two and partially upside down. Those three occupants are currently code for on the ground. On board, pilot Artim Konanuk, his partner and their two-year-old daughter, who suffered a only minor cuts and scratches, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office. Oh my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Whoa. And in Washington State, is anybody else seeing this? Holy shit. This SR-22 crashing in a busy Bellevue neighborhood. We heard like a loud bang. So we thought it was like gunshots or something. So we got scared.

Neighbors saw two men climb out with no apparent injuries. I'm not surprised at all. to see these stories. Former NCSB investigator Jeff Gazzetti points to the type of aircrafts built in serious airframe parachute system or caps for sure. And rather than just having the airplane crash, they reach up, they pull a T handle,

it activates a solid rocket booster which pulls a parachute out, and in eight seconds, you're safely swinging underneath the parachute. It's really quite revolutionary. And it sounds like once they're used, is this survival rate for a, A crash involving one of these parachutes, is it pretty high?

It's very high. There's just been a handful of fatalities or injuries that occurred even after deploying the parachute. According to the Sirius Owners and Pilots Association, there have been 128 saves and 263 survivors with this cap system. But Gazetti warns a parachute is no replacement for good pilot training. You know, you still need piloting skills to make emergency landings. There's so many other aspects, but on those few select accidents in which a parachute comes in handy, this particular airplane has a very good success story. You know, Stephen, it's both so simple and so fascinating. I have to ask you, we were talking about the pilots there.

I mean, do they need special training to use these parachutes? Yeah, interestingly, no, they really don't. The special training comes in for the investigators who have to go to any of the sides of these planes if they happen to crash without deploying that parachute. because it is rockered rocket propelled. So if that parachute does deploy while it's already on the ground during that investigation, that can cause some problems. By the way, time I asked, why are these parachutes not on all planes? And it has to do with the weight it would actually take to put them on board, like, say, a commercial jet.

But very fascinating technology there. The numbers don't lie, though, 128 saves. Pretty impressive. All right, Stephen Ramos for us. Stephen, thank you. Time now for Top Story's Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with a deadly stabbing in Israel. We also want to warn you, this footage you're about to see is hard to watch.

Surveillance video shows the attacker stab an Israeli soldier at random at a coffee shop in southern Israel. The video freezing right as the suspect gets up and lunges at the soldier again. Suspect identified as a Palestinian originally from Gaza, he was shot and killed. The soldier later died from his injuries. Meanwhile, in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike hitting a residential building in the densely populated city of Rafa. New video from NBC news crew that was in the area showing Gaza and how people were digging through the rubble for any survivors. At least three people were killed and several more hurt.

It comes a day after Israel announced its plans to move displaced Palestinians in so-called humanitarian islands in the middle of the Gaza Strip before it begins a ground offensive in Rafa. And officials in eastern China issuing a rare public apology to journalists. Local officials near Beijing expressing a, quote, deep regret after authorities were caught on live TV pushing reporters and trying to block them from the scene of a deadly restaurant explosion. Media in China is controlled, obviously, and censored by China's government. Okay, coming up, forget the price of extra guac. One California restaurant,

now charging $22 for their famed burrito. It looks delicious. People love it, but it's up from $11 before the pandemic. The restaurant's owner joins Top Story to explain just how much each ingredient is costing him also to pay staff and everything else. It's a good clear picture of why inflation remains a problem here in the U.S. We're also going to have Christine Romans who's going to explain the economics of all of it. Stay with us. We're back now with money talks and a look at how much inflation is impacting what Americans spend to eat. Although inflation overall has been slowing, prices in February were still up 3.2% over last year. And food prices have been one of the biggest drivers keeping that rate high. Take a look at this. The Wall Street Journal reports

non-carbonated juices and drinks are up more than 27% over last year. Produce also impacted with tomatoes up almost 5%. And for the parents out there, baby formula rising nearly 9% over the last year. And it's not just at the grocery store, restaurant prices are also on the rise, where owners say material costs are forcing them to charge more for their meals. One Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, La Vaca Bigia, has doubled the price of their signature burrito, telling our colleagues at NBC News Digital and NBC Bay Area the cost went from $11 to $22 for a burrito. For more on all of this, I'm joined now by the owner of that restaurant, Ricardo Lopez, also with us as NBC News Senior Business Correspondent, Christine Romans, who's going to explain the economics of all this. But, Ricardo, first, it's dinner time, I'm hungry.

I got to see this thing. What does a $22 burrito look like? that's big a lot of extra cheese in there we got a real cheap burrito steep real estate potato rice beans that's a beautiful profile there so ricardo the burrito went from

$11 to $22 that's as you know a hundred percent increase how did this happen you know it's been over time you know so that we did jump from 11 and 22 overnight it's over the past three years since we've opened

11, 12, 13, 1015, 16, the 15, the 15, 20, 2 is everything keeps going up. You know, our first week that we opened was in San Francisco in San Joseo County, and at that time it was $13 an hour. Right now in San Francisco, we're at this incident. And that's $5 a difference with the amount of hours we have here. That's equivalent to $5,000 X a lot. The biggest side is actually a feed. We use a higher quality feed to use a choice feed.

And that's cost us now for the same amount, $6,000. But those two things love at $11,000. Yeah. Christine, this is a reality for a lot of restaurant owners. How does this go back to normal or does it ever go back to normal? You know, quite frankly, you've got food prices up 25% over the past four years. Ricardo's right. It's happened slowly over time here. And so even if inflation doesn't get any worse, you've piled up those price increases over the past four years. You know, one commodity that goes down is gas and oil prices can go down, but really food prices, it feels like you're setting a new floor here.

This is the new normal here. One thing that's interesting is more recently, wages have been growing faster than inflation. So that's good. But for most of the past few years, that hasn't been the case. So people's paychecks weren't growing as fast. is their food bill. That's why people feel so rotten about inflation still. Ricardo, that looks like a delicious burrito. When you raise the price, it's eventually at $22. Are people still buying it? Yeah, I mean, we've actually been busier than ever. We actually had a great article come out. That's the number one burrito in the kitchen by the Chronicle in November. And since then, we've just been thankfully very, very busy since then. And since this,

article came out, which actually was for a chronicle again on the past Tuesday. Our business has doubled, sometimes, I could double on Tuesday, or the doubled yesterday, and then today would have been regular sales. So, people have been supporting my crazy. It's great. Christine, at the end of the day, if people are still buying this delicious burrito, why should restaurant owners like Ricardo ever lower their prices? Well, he clearly has a Marchy tantalizing product there. No question. Other independent restaurant owners have told me they've had to change their menus. They've had to take real high dollar, high cost things off the menu and push other things. Change some of their recipes even so that they can try to minimize raising costs for their customers. So you've also seen, honestly, Tom, fatigue from people. I mean, you've seen it in the fast food world, especially where some of these big chains with multi-billion dollars of profit. are just getting slayed on social media for raising their prices. So there's kind of this universe out there where people are really sick and tired of paying

higher prices, but the overall consumer economy is still strong enough that they are paying for what they want to spend money on. Right, right. Ricardo, you know, I wanted to have Christine on this to kind of give us the big picture. You're on the front lines. Do you see this ever stabilizing with wages and what you're paying for vegetables and ingredients? I mean, in a couple of years, am I going to be talking to you about a 45, dollar burrito?

Who knows? You know, it definitely depends on where you're located. We're in San Francisco, and there is a lot of money that people are willing to spend over here. I think if I move down 30 minutes away from San Francisco, you know, our concept probably wouldn't work there, but it's hard to think that if they will ever go down when, you know, I've owned this business for three years, I had a previous restaurant for another five years, and I don't remember ever seeing anything ever go back down as it goes up.

So, Christine, you heard Ricardo there. He's never seen anything like this. We have an election in November. The Biden administration is trying to explain to people that the economy is getting better, but you can't really shove that down people's throats. How do they sort of do the political arithmetic here, if you will? They're really trying to show the American public that they know people feel nickel and dined, and where they can, they are applying pressure to lower fees, to pressure big multi-billion dollar profit center companies to not, to pass on savings when they get it onto consumers. And they also keep making the point that what's the plan from the other side to lower prices? You know, you only hear really about tax cuts from the other

side, you know, which doesn't do much to lower prices overall. So they really are trying to make that kitchen table argument. I will say, you know, it's not just the ingredients here. It's everything. When I talk to restaurant owners, it's the packaging. I'm sure Ricardo has seen it too. doubled over the past few years. It costs so much to send something out and take out. The labor, many, many states have raised the minimum wage for fast food workers and restaurant workers in general. Those labor costs and hiring and retaining workers and the turnover of these workers, all of that costs money. So it's not just the food on the plate. It's almost every single business angle of running a business that is feeding into these costs.

Ricardo, if me and Christine go visit you there in San Francisco, can we get a friends and family discount? Yeah, we got. This is my one. Things are expensive. Ricardo, we thank you for joining us. Christine Wilma is my good friend. Thank you as well.

When we come back, in sync, reunited, you heard that right. The superstar boy band of the 90s and early odds, surprising fans with a performance at a Justin Timberlake concert, the reaction from those in the crowd as they realized what was actually happening. That's next.

Finally, tonight, in-sync reunion more than a decade in the making. The beloved boy band surprising fans who thought they were only seeing frontman Justin Timberlake. Ellison Barber tonight with a look at the now viral performance allowing millennials to take a trip down memory lane. Last night's Justin Timberlake show at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, California, making in-sync fans' wildest dreams come true. The crowd erupting in screams when the curtains behind J.T. opened to reveal J.C. Chazet, Chris Kerpatrick, Joey Fetone, and Lance Bass. Marking the group's first live performance together since 2013.

Lighting up the stage with fan favorites like bye-bye-bye. And it's going to be meaningful me. Even debuting their brand new song, Paradise, set to be released on Timberlake's upcoming studio album. Superfan Lisey Pinto was there for the big moment. We're singing our hearts out. And then he's like, all right, everyone, instinct. The crowd goes crazy. We're like, what?

Like, this boy band ended 20 years ago. The iconic boy band stepping onto the scene in 19. becoming a global sensation with hits like, I want you back. Taring up my heart. And pop. What's to deal with this pop life? Dominating the pop music world for years until going on hiatus and eventually disbanding in 2002 after Timberlake began to pursue his solo career. Who's ready for a reunion?

The pop legends came out of their 20-year-long break last year. It's left me take you to a better place. With their song for the trolls movie, Better Place. Last night's surprise performance, reigniting their loyal fan base, who apparently never said bye-bye-bye to their favorite boy band. It really just brought me back to being a kid with my big sister in her car with her friends. It was kind of nostalgic, so best night ever.

And we'll let in sync say goodbye for us, just like they do. And we'll let in sync say goodbye for us just like they do. We thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamis in Miami. Stay right there. More news on the way.