Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, March 21, 2024

Episode Date: March 22, 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.

Breaking tonight, Idaho police capturing a dangerous escaped inmate and his alleged accomplice after a massive manhunt. Their arrest bringing a statewide search to an end just over 24 hours after a coordinated attack and escape on a gunman. Fire to corrections officers trying to transfer that inmate from a Boise Hospital back to a prison. The breaking details just in. Also tonight, escaping the war zone. Families fleeing Haiti, crying tears of relief as they land back. on American soil. The details of their harrowing escape from the gang-occupied country, his violence spreads into outlying suburbs, and the hundreds of Americans still desperate to get out. Apple Monopoly lawsuit, a landmark suit, accusing the tech giant of harming consumers

by limiting competition. Company, no stranger to regulatory scrutiny, vowing to fight back. If successful, could this change how you use your iPhone? Fate heiress swindled, An American woman posing as an Irish heiress facing extradition from the U.S. after she allegedly stole thousands from investors overseas. But it's not her first scheme. We speak with one of her original victims, a TV producer, caught up in her plot as he coughed up nearly $100,000. Pastors murder plot, speaking of plots, a California church pastor accused of hiring two men to kill his daughter's boyfriend. The paper trail leading police to the arrest and the community left in disbelief over their preachers' alleged actions.

Plus, bus hijack scare, a suspect wielding a BB gun, seizing a Los Angeles bus fighting the driver for control of the steering wheel. The bus ultimately crashing into several cars before smashing into a Ritz Carlton Hotel, what we know about the terrifying incident. And mind games, a man left paralyzed, able to move a computer cursor and also play chess with just his thoughts. The new video showing Elon Musk's brain chip might work. Top story starts right now. And a good evening. I'm Sam Brock, in for Tom Yamis this evening, breaking tonight an escaped Idaho inmate and his alleged accomplice in custody now after a statewide manhunt.

Police are looking into whether they also committed two murders while on the run. Now, the armed and dangerous men take it into custody after what authorities are calling a coordinated attack to break the inmate out of prison. He alleged accomplice shot at corrections officers early Wednesday morning as they were transferring that inmate from the hospital back to prison. That inmate, 31-year-old Schuyler Mead, is serving a 20-year prison sentence for firing at officers during a high-speed chase back in 2017. He has a lengthy criminal history and is affiliated with a white supremacist gang. He was suspected accomplice. Nicholas Unfinau was arrested for his role in Wednesday's ambush.

He faces aggravated battery charges in one charge of 80s. and abetting an escape. The men were located in Twin Falls just 130 miles away from where they originally escaped. Police say they are investigating if they had any connection to those two killings during their escape. NBC News is Dana Griffin,

has the late-breaking details. Tonight, escaped inmate Skylar Mead and accomplice Nicholas Umphanauer arrested after a vehicle pursuit with police, nearly 36 hours after their brazen shooting ambush on corrections officers outside of Boise, Idaho hospital. Investigators say the men may now be tied to two homicides during their time on the run. We did find the shackles at the scene of one of the homicides.

The motive and why they did what they did, I don't know. The men taken into custody in Twin Falls, Idaho, nearly 130 miles from the hospital, where three officers were shot during the initial escape. Stationed tuning had a driver who was a shooter. Authorities say both men are members of the white supremacist gang Aryan nights. According to the DOJ, the area nights was formed in the mid-1990s in the Idaho prison system. They often use initials AK to identify themselves similar to the tattoos on Mead's stomach. The gang has also used violence to target inmates of color.

I mean, the fact that they did, you know, basically a movie-type shootout to free him from prison is just really bold. And it means that they've been planning it for a while. Authorities now turning their investigation to how they pulled off. the coordinated attack and escape. With near certainty, this was not an accident. This was a planned event. And we're channeling every resource we have into trying to understand exactly how they went about planning it.

A sophisticated criminal plot coming to an end with these jailhouse friends heading back behind bars. And Dana Griffin, joining us now from Los Angeles. Dana, do we have any more information about how this plot was formed and what happened once they escaped? Yeah, investigators say that will be part of their investment. But one thing they noted was that the suspect intentionally hurt himself, which forced them to take him to the hospital. And that may have been part of this plot so that that other person could come in and ambush those officers, which resulted in this last crazy day and a half of what we've just seen.

Sam? All right. Clearly, many loose ends here to try to tie up. Dana Griffin, thank you so much for more on the end of the manhunt of the escaped Idaho inmate and his accomplice. Let's bring in Jim Kavanaugh, a retired ATF special agent in charge. Jim, I mean, you heard it there in Dana's story. It feels like a Hollywood movie, obviously, with potentially a tragic ending if there's a connection to these murders. First, though, let's start here with breaking down the strategy behind trying to catch a suspect and accomplice. I mean, how much worse could this have been?

Well, yeah, it could have been worse, but it's bad if they killed these two men while they were on the run. That's awful. You know, the oldest trick in the book for inmates in jails and prisons is to get to a hospital, they can, you know, try to make an escape. I mean, those escapes go back hundreds of years. And anybody that's handled inmates knows that. And I'd say the Department of Corrections knew it. They sent three corrections officers with this guy. And he has an exacerbated level of risk because he's a member of an organized gang, Sam. So, you know, he would really be a high risk to take to the hospital. But, I mean, they have to treat him. So they took him there.

Are there no treatment facilities at the prison itself? Why would they ever want to take him off the grounds to begin with. Yeah, no, I agree. Most prisons have enough emergency facilities inside nurses and doctors where you don't have to take inmates outside at risk. They should have it fixed. I mean, there's a job for the legislators in the state of Idaho, put some emergency facility in there. You have a lot of inmates. They're always going to the infirmary. They're always sick. They're always hurt. They always need medication. And it won't be an escape plot. I mean, they can still try to do it in prison, but it's much more difficult.

For sure. As for the plot itself, I know many people, are trying to figure this out. How did he communicate with whoever this accomplice was that was able to come in and then fire and free him from, you know, their custody? How would they have done that? Well, they use a lot of code words. You know, these white supremacists, uh, they use a lot of different code words and their gang. They could be talking about, you know, maybe it's music. They're talking about music, but really what they mean is guns or, you know, I want to get some more of this or some more of that. And it's code word for that's how many officers are going to be there or, you know, this is when it's going to happen. So they just use some code words because

their prison phones are taped. And, you know, it's not always easy to pick up a plot like that. They can write letters as well. And I'm sure that this had been in for eight years. So he's probably been in his hospital before. And he could have sent his accomplice to the hospital to case, which I'm sure, if they go back on the tapes of that hospital, they're going to find out that accomplice has probably walked those halls in the weeks prior to the, you know, the breakout. Jim, Mead's background has obviously grabbed a lot of attention, and I know you spent your career working on fighting against groups like Nazis and the KKK and anti-government militias. What added challenges or complications did his identification as a white supremacist add to the difficulties of finding the suspect in this case, or was it helpful? Well, you know, we've seen the problem it is because they've probably killed these two people.

I mean, the state police superintendent said they found the handcuffs that were on him. when he escaped on a murder victim. And, you know, Sam, we often talk about the motives of violent crime. And you hear me say it once in a while. Greed, power, hate, revenge, and escape are the motives. The state police commander says he doesn't know the motive. The motive is clear here. The motive for the murder of these two people, if they're responsible for it, is escape.

That's the reason. They want to escape. They wanted to take the victim's car. They want to do incapacitate them so they couldn't call the police or break loose of shackle. or anything. So they possibly murdered them. And that's what the superintendent was saying. But the motive is clear. If they did it, we're not sure. They hadn't been charged, but the handcuffs were there. If they did it, then the motives escaped. Were there any obvious, at least from your vantage point, failings or shortcomings here in terms of how law enforcement was taking

me to the hospital in the first place or things that should have caught their eye prior to getting to this point? Well, you know, Sam, The real fix is what you brought up. I mean, it should be done in the penitentiary. So that's the real fix. Second of that, yeah, he's a dangerous guy. You send three corrections officers, but, you know, you might need to call the local police and call the sheriff and say, hey, you know, we got a gang member.

He's a white supremacist gang member. And they're thick of Steve's up in that part of Idaho. We've had a lot of enforcement with them up there, warrants and shootouts and problems. Morris Dees took down the Christian identity compound up there and ripped it away from all those Nazis and Nazi church. I mean, all that stuff has been very strong up there. And they police all know about it, but you might have to take the extra precaution. These guys had two ways to go when they went out.

One, they could leverage all those contacts, laid low, maybe escape to Canada or later Europe, because that's where they find a lot of like-minded Confederates. Or go right to violence. Murder, robbery, try to live a life of violence, try to get cars and money. by killing and shooting, and they took the second route, and, you know, they couldn't even stay out a couple of days, because ultimately they're just morons. They're organized morons, but they're complete morons, and they're sad to be around, and I'm glad they're in custody, but unfortunately, they killed two good citizens, and, you know,

that's heartbreaking for those families. Yeah, you won't get those lives back. Very tragic. Thank you, Jim Cabin. I appreciate this. We turn now to the growing violence. out of Haiti. Tonight, Americans trapped in the Caribbean nation, now being flown to safety. The U.S. is sending chartered flights to evacuate citizens with some describing the scene there as a war zone.

NBC's Guadvinegas is in Miami, the very latest. This is what relief looks like, a plane of 14 U.S. citizens, including children, arriving in central Florida. After a harrowing escape from Haiti. It took a couple of tries, and they didn't give up. They stayed with us until the end of the mission. Philippe Armand was on board this flight, chartered by the state of Florida, with his wife and his two-year-old son. A very difficult part was getting around and making it to the airport to fly out. We were dealing with little kids, not adults, so that made it even more stressful on the parents, and it was just scary.

They were lucky. There were still more than 1,000 Americans in Haiti, but with the airport and Port-au-Prince shuttered, Roads closed, daily gun battles on the streets, and armed gangs overrunning the capital, most Americans have no way out. I would say it's worse than a war zone. Private security contractors now going door to door trying to rescue them. Helicopter got surrounded today at the airport, or the helicopter had to take off in a manner that was just, you know,

I don't want to say unsafe, but again, the tower told him he may not be able to land there again. Another flight arriving in Miami today. I get the United States. Sixty-six more Americans now on U.S. soil. How is the country right now? The country needs help. A country in chaos and people terrified for their lives hoping to get out. Guad vanegas, joining us now from Miami-Guard.

Can't even begin to imagine the breathless moments for these families waiting for their loved ones. Do we know how the plans right now are going to rescue the remaining Americans who are still stuck in Haiti. Sam, we know from Florida state authorities that private contractors are being used on the ground and every day is different. That first flight that Florida chartered yesterday was actually the third attempt. They had attempted to get two flights out the day before, but they were unable to because it's so challenging picking up the people at the homes where they're staying and bringing them

to the airport. As of now, they've been using an airport that's 80 miles north of Porto-Prince and Capitienne. So it's very challenging, picking them up and bringing them to a safe area where they can board those flights. So every day will be different while the Department of State will continue with their mission. They did use a larger plane than the ones that Florida had been chartering. And they also have those helicopters going from Haiti to the Dominican Republic. As of now, we know that the missions will continue to get Americans out with no indication that they will stop until they're able to get all of them, Sam. Danger and desperation there. Guadvanegas, thank you so much. Tonight we are also tracking severe weather right now. It may officially be spring, but winter alerts are stretching, yes, winter from Montana to parts of New England. Snow showers threatening up to six inches in some areas. And just now flood watches were also issued on the East Coast for some 28 million people. For more on these winter conditions that just seemingly will not go away. NBC news meteorologist Bill Karin's joining me now. And we mentioned sort of a patchwork of things that are out there. Bill, what are you watching?

specifically. Yes, this is two storms we're going to deal with in the next five days. And, you know, it's a distant memory, that warm, beautiful march we had. Now we're just like back in the heart of winter, especially in the northern plains. So here's the timing. This is storm one. And this is going to bring some snow tonight to the Minneapolis area, maybe around three to four inches tomorrow during the day. Some snow around Milwaukee, also heading into Detroit. Rain Friday in areas of the south. Saturday is a huge mess. Heavy rainstorm. Washington, D.C. to New York. This is 8 a.m. By the time we go through the afternoon, it's still pouring. Flooding could be an issue, heavy snow in northern New England especially. And the flood watches, this is forecast,

has gotten worse and worse over the last couple days. Now Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philly, and New York, all under flood watches on Saturday. We expect two to three inches of rain, isolated totals up to four inches of rain. So that's going to be a big issue. And then the snow in northern New England could be up to a foot in the higher elevations, especially the Adirondex, Vermont, New Hampshire, in areas of Maine. And now for the second storm. This one comes into the west as we go throughout Saturday, Sunday, significant, possibly a historic snowstorm for areas to Dakotas into Minnesota. And we've been showing you this graphic the last three days,

and these totals haven't changed. It looks like one to two feet in general in this area with possibility of over two feet in a few spots, Sam. So, you know, Minneapolis, you haven't needed your snow shovel much this winter. I hope you didn't put it away because you will the next couple days. Exactly, that full wardrobe as well. Can't go into the winter closet just yet. Thank you so much. Appreciate that bill. Well, we turn now to a landmark lawsuit, the Department of Justice, accusing the tech giant Apple of violating antitrust laws and monopolizing the smartphone industry. Apple denying these allegations. NBC's Laura Jarrett has the very latest. Attorney General Merrick Garland announcing a landmark lawsuit today, accusing tech giant Apple, of leveraging its dominance over the smartphone market to box out competitors in a way that hurts customers.

has consolidated its monopoly power, not by making its own products better, but by making other products worse. Consumers should not have to pay higher prices because companies break the law. The Justice Department joining more than a dozen states in nearly a 90-page complaint, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws through the iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple Pay. DOJ saying the tech behemoth, which has more than a billion active iPhones worldwide, deliberately makes products less compatible with its competitors' devices. As any iPhone user who has ever seen a green text message or received a tiny, grainy video can attest.

Garland specifically calling out Apple CEO Tim Cook, referencing this exchange, Cook had back in 2022 when he was asked if the company would fix the problems associated with texting video between iPhones and Android's. Not to make it personal, but I can't send my mom certain videos or she can't send me certain videos. And so we leave by your mom an iPhone. Apple today calling the lawsuit wrong on the facts and the law, saying it threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple. The lawsuit, the culmination of years of regulatory scrutiny of Apple's wildly popular products, fueling its growth into one of the most valuable

companies in the world. People love buying their iPhones. People enjoy their iPhones. It is the most popular smartphone brand here in the United States. The bottom line here is that the government wants to make sure that Apple tries to make its products more easily accessible to be used for its competitors' technology. Obviously, the company says, though, it has done nothing wrong. And so users are unlikely to see any changes in the short term. But Sam, this is likely to be tied up in court for years to come. Back to you. Laura Jarrett, thank you so much. To Washington now, where lawmakers this morning unveiled the text of a $1.2 trillion

spending bill less than 48 hours before the government is set to shut down. Now, a bipartisan group of lawmakers reaching that agreement alongside the White House, but the bill still has to pass both chambers of Congress and get President Biden's signature before the midnight deadline on Friday night. For more on all of us, I want to bring in Ryan Nobles from Capitol Hill. Ryan, before we get to the timeline aspect of this for potentially passing this bill, walk us through what is in it and what are the major sticking points in the negotiations? Yeah, this is a massive package, Sam, three quarters of the federal budget, $1.2 trillion.

It funds major departments like the Department of Defense, the State Department, and, of course, the Department of Homeland Security. The biggest hold up was that Homeland Security portion because obviously Republicans and Democrats feel very differently as to how to handle the border crisis. They worked out some of those kinks in order to get this bill over the finish line, but there's still a lot of back and forth as it relates to what should be done on the southern border. So we know that's obviously very important right now, but it feels like historically, Ryan, over the last several years, we've seen this endless string of shutdown scares. People feel this at home. We've seen a number of short-term measures.

Now we have a full appropriations bill, but it only goes to September. So is this just how legislating our budget is going to work from now on? It certainly feels that way, Sam. We haven't really gone through what one would describe as a normal appropriations process as the founding fathers envisioned in close to a decade. You know, the president just as a marker here, just released his fiscal year 25 budget. The budget we're passing right now is the 24 budget, which only runs from September to September.

So this package that they're passing tomorrow or hopefully passing tomorrow that only lasts through September, and then they're going to have to start this process all over again. It seems as though they wait until the 11th hour and then just pack everything in. Most of the negotiations don't happen until they have a deadline, and that certainly seems to be what has been the practice here on Capitol Hill. Only one fiscal year behind. And, Ryan, you know, lawmakers have less than 48 hours now to get this bill over the finish line. Let's talk about the mechanics of it.

How likely is Congress is actually going to be able to prevent a shutdown? It seems that they're pretty optimistic. And at the very least, even if they don't make that midnight deadline, that it'll extend into the weekend and it will have a minimal impact on the federal government in general. But you're right. This is a Herculean task to pass a bill that's more than a thousand pages by both the House and Senate in a day, but they believe they're up to the task. Sam. All right. And a familiar place right now for Washington. Ryan Nobles, thank you so much. Overseas now to the war in Gaza and a stunning reversal today, the U.S. formally calling for a ceasefire.

but with important conditions attached. The new U.N. resolution asking for the release of all remaining hostages along with the stop and the fighting. Raph Sanchez has the very latest for us from Tel Aviv. Tonight, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken back in the Middle East, as the U.S., for the first time, puts forward a U.N. Security Council resolution, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. And we hope that all countries will back that resolution. Those against...

It's a marked shift for the U.S., which was left dim. diplomatically isolated after vetoing three previous ceasefire resolutions. But those measures called for an end to the fighting even without a hostage deal. The new American resolution conditions a ceasefire on the release of hostages. The negotiators continue to work. The gaps are narrowing. While at El Shifa Hospital, Israel's military raid stretching into a fourth day. The IDF says it's killed 140 militants since.

and captured senior Hamas operatives. But it's another blow to a health care system already near collapse. It's a fact Manal and Riem know well. Both are mothers from Gaza, suffering from breast cancer. My wish is to see my children and grandchildren and go back home, Manal says. They were allowed out of Gaza for treatment in Jerusalem, but now an Israeli court is deciding whether to send them back to a place where basic medicines are impossible to find.

find. Our fate will be death, she says. And Raff Sanchez, joining us now from Tel Aviv. Raff, let's go back to that major reversal for the Biden administration you were talking about, introducing a UN resolution calling for a sustained ceasefire in Gaza. What is the definition of sustained in this context? And where does the measure go from here? So, Sam, the U.S. says it will bring that resolution up for a vote at the United Nations in New York, Friday morning. Now, the U.N. Security Council has a kind of complicated system. The U.S. will need the support of nine out of the 15 members of the council to get this resolution through, but also it needs to make sure none of the other permanent members of the council use their veto

to block it. So that is the U.K. and France, those are both close U.S. allies. They're not going to block it, but also Russia and China, who potentially could, assuming, though, the resolution goes through. You are not going to see a ceasefire immediately because this links an end to the fighting in Gaza with the release of those hostages. Now, negotiations are underway right now in Qatar. The CIA director, Bill Burns, will be back in Qatar tomorrow, meeting his Israeli counterpart, as well as officials from Egypt and from Qatar, really trying to jumpstart those talks and try to get a deal over the line. Sam. Ralph Sanchez, thank you. Well, as the U.S. right now looks towards a ceasefire in Gaza.

Violence is still taking a devastating toll on families in the occupied West Bank. One of those families grieving the loss of their 12-year-old son. He was shot and killed by Israeli police after activating a firework near a guard post. His family says he was celebrating Ramadan. Officials say he was endangering Israeli forces.

Megan Fitzgerald has this tragic story. Anger and grief filling the streets of Anada in the occupied West Bank. Where a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, Rami al-Hawli, was shot and killed by Israeli police, according to the Jerusalem Palestinian government. It happened last week in a refugee camp. This cell phone video appearing to show the moment the boy lights and launches a firework before he was shot.

Palestinian officials say the bullets coming from the direction of an Israeli police watchtower. His parents horrified and filled with immeasurable grief. Saying their son was celebrating the end of another day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. His father, Ali, mourning this excruciating loss. He says the doctors who treated my son at the hospital came to me and asked if I was the father. He said, the boy is dead. You brought him dead.

I couldn't do anything. In a statement, Israeli police say a single shot was fired by a border police officer towards a suspect who endangered the forces while firing aerial fireworks in their direction. But the Israeli government says it's investigating the incident. On October 7th, at least 435 Palestinians have been killed at the hands of Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. And approximately 100 of those deaths were children under the age of 18. Many advocates argue, in some cases, the shootings weren't justified.

About 60 were killed in circumstances that would not justify using lethal force. For example, cases of stone throwing, of protests, of setting fire to tires, or in some cases even just bystanders. That was our Megan Fitzgerald reporting. Well, still ahead tonight. Hot air balloon crash. The balloon crashing into power lines in Minnesota, causing a basket to fall 30 feet to the ground with passengers inside.

You see it there near the roadway. The investigation now underway. Plus, the church pastor who allegedly launched a murder-for-hire plot, while now that pastor's in custody, but not before the hit men allegedly tried to finish the job. And fake heiress arrested, a woman in Maine awaiting extradition to the UK, was accused of multiple scams that raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars. We have one of her alleged victims joining top story. That's coming up next. Stay with us.

Back now with a shocking story, an American woman posing as an heiress, to the fictional Irish royal family behind bars in Maine tonight and now awaiting extradition to the United Kingdom. Mary Ann Mayor Smith facing new charges stemming from a 2009 scam that authorities say she orchestrated while working for a mortgage company in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Now, that scam involves soliciting more than $170,000 from customers promising them that she would invest in a high interest bearing account, but in reality, she kept all that money for herself. By the time authorities caught wind of her schemes, Smith had already fled to the United States,

where she then conducted a series of other squindles, including defrauding a TV producer, Jonathan Walton, out of close to $100,000. She was arrested in 2019 on charges of grand theft by false pretense and sentenced to five years in prison, but was let out in 2020 during COVID when some of the state's nonviolent offenders received early releases. So authorities still searching for Smith for decades-old crimes,

ultimately then locating her recently in Maine, with the help of that victim, If you got all that straight, Mr. Walton, now joining me. He's not only a TV producer, but also host of the podcast, Queen of the Khan, the Irish heiress. Jonathan, thank you so much for joining me. You know, I want to start with your relationship with Smith. How did you guys meet? And what did she actually tell you about herself originally?

Well, I met Marianne Smith the way a lot of victims meet their con artists in a social situation. And she unpacked her story and her con over the course of four years, scamming me out of close to $100,000, and I feel like an idiot saying it out loud. I was helping an Irish heiress get her inheritance, you know, but she had a lot of props. She had a lot of text and emails. She would show me from barristers and from famous people, like I believed all the characters she created, but they never existed, and I fell for it hard. How did she manage to get you to keep giving money? Because I can't imagine you did this in one installment. So was Is there just a trust there? Was her story so convincing? How did she do this?

And I'm writing a book about this now, and this is, you know, I've identified the 14 red flags. There's a con artist in your life. One of them is something called beak wedding. I loaned her close to $5,000 one time. She paid me back the next day. So that made me confident to loan her more money than more money than more money. You know, con artist is short for confidence artists because these people are experts at gaining your confidence. and using it against you. And that's what she did. Apparently very successfully to many others as well.

I mean, to your knowledge, what other scams has she tried to pull? Oh, well, when I found out what happened, I started the blog. I did a podcast, Queen of the Khan. And that's the reason she's getting exudited because the victims came out of the woodwork. I got a call from victims in Maine, victims in Tennessee, victims in Michigan, victims in New York. One day I got a call from Northern Freaking Ireland. They've been looking for her for 10 years.

Apparently, she lived there for eight years, and I've spoken to a couple of Northern Ireland victims. She actually scammed 26 different people over there out of half a million dollars with a lot of crazy stories. One day she pretends to have cancer. She's a cancer patient. One day she's raising money for the Ukraine for Ukraine rescue missions. One day she, while she was in Maine,

and I got this from some listeners who recorded her for me, she started up, you're not going to believe it, but it's all true. Satan's Eye of the Storm. She started a satanic church, and she's Lucia Belaya, and she's scamming people as this high priestess, self-proclaimed emissary of Satan. She's like

Mystique from X-Men. You know, that movie, she just morphs into different characters that trick people out of money, but you know, I started a blog, I did a podcast, and what I've learned is, you know, publicity is like kryptonite to con artist. It stops them, and that's the reason right now

she's sitting in a jail cell, awaiting an extradition hearing that's happening April 17th. And you bet I'll be there. It's perfect, actually. I'm glad you said that. If you could say something to Mayor, what would you say to her? Bet you wish you never scammed me, huh? You were the most successful person, apparently, in being able to not just bring to light what she was doing, but actually lead authorities directly to where she was in Maine. And do you know the details about that, Mr. Walden, how they actually found her,

where they didn't make? Yeah. So, yeah. So after I got a call back in 2017 from that police detective in Northern Ireland, I just started feeding him info about my case. And after she got out of jail early because of COVID, and I started hearing because of the podcast, Queen of the Khan in its fifth season right now, she was living out of a series of Airbnbs in Maine. And every time she had a new address, a listener would send it to me. So every time I got a new address from a listener, I'd send it to Northern Ireland authorities. And lo and behold, were they arrested her last month in Bingham, Maine, was the address I gave to the Northern Ireland police detective, who gave it to the U.S. Attorney's Office, who gave it to the federal marshals, who showed up, guns drawn, five of them, and arrested her for crimes she committed back in 2009. As upsetting. Is a real thing. Thank God. As upsetting and as long as this path has been, it's got to make you feel at least a little bit good inside, that you are the reason now that she's going to be behind bars. Jonathan Walden, thank you so much for that. We really appreciate the interview. Thank you so much.

We really appreciate it, sir. And we did reach out to an attorney for Smith, but we have not yet heard back. Turning now to a chilling story out of California, where police say that a church pastor launched a murder for higher plot. Now that pastor is in custody, but not before the hit men allegedly tried to carry out the job anyway. NBC's Valerie Castro has the story. This is Pastor Samuel Paseas on a Spanish Christian radio show, known to his listeners for preaching the Word of God. But the Riverside, California pastor was arrested last week for allegedly trying to have his daughter's boyfriend killed. A car pulled up next to him at a stop sign and a gunfire erupted from it, striking him several times and his car.

The wounded young man escaping, driving himself to the hospital for help. The police say they executed more than 100 warrants tracking Pacea's digital footprint, and now alleged the father met with two hitmen, giving them money and tipping them off to the boyfriend's location that night. He paid almost $40,000 to these suspects for this shooting. Police arresting the pastor at his house and one of the alleged hitmen, Juan Manuel Sobreros, both have pleaded not guilty. Now the shooting rattling the community, leaving many wondering why anyone would want the boyfriend dead. There's nothing about this victim that would make anyone want to shoot him or, or, or, you know, have him shot. He's a good church-going young man with nothing in his past, nothing that would be

concerning at all. Riverside police say each of the two men arrested could face around 25 years in prison if they are convicted. They say they are looking for a third suspect. Sam? Really stunning there. Valerie, thank you so much. When we come back, the bus hijacked in downtown Los Angeles. New video showing the chaotic scene. The bus crashing into other cars before before slamming into a luxury hotel, but police found on the suspects when they took him into custody. And we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the hijacking of a metro bus in downtown Los Angeles,

and we have the surveillance footage, which shows the bus colliding with cars at an intersection before finally crashing into a Ritz-Carlton Hotel. We say the armed suspect was on the bus for 30 minutes. There were no passengers on board, but two people were injured during the chaotic scene that included the bus driver. The suspect was arrested near the scene with a BB gun.

A hot air balloon ride takes a terrifying turn in Minnesota, video capturing the moment that hot air balloon is seen crashing into a power line along a highway in Rochester, if you've ever thought about taking a hot air balloon, no doubt that's got to be a nightmare scenario. The basket carrying the pilot and two passengers then breaks away falling nearly 30 feet to the ground. Thankfully, and amazingly, everyone on board is expected to be okay.

The crash also sparking a brush fire who was quickly extinguished. An investigation right now into the cause is underway. Speaking of fires, dozens of brush fires are burning near Washington, D.C. Those fires in Page County, Virginia, including a large wildfire at Shenandoah National Park, prompting a state of emergency and forcing evacuations of nearby homes. Schools in the area were closed today as a result. Dry weather and high winds have been fueling fires in Maryland and parts of D.C. So far, no injuries have been reported.

Now to power and politics, in the latest on former President Trump's search for a running mate, multiple sources close to the presumptive GOP nominee, telling NBC News, Trump is now strongly considering Marco Rubio as a potential VP pick. The Florida senator joining a short list of more than a dozen candidates vying for the chance to be just a heartbeat from the presidency. For more on all of this, we bring in now Dasha Burns from Florida, joining us tonight from the campaign trail in Palm Beach. And Dasha, our colleagues on Capitol Hill, spoke to Rubio today about this. Here is what he had to say.

There's been some speculation that Trump is considering you to be his vice president. What do you make of that? I think anybody who would be offered that should be honored, but I've never spoken to anybody in the Trump world about it. So you've never had any conversations with Trump about it? Nope. Or anybody in his campaign for that moment? So if offered this position, you would accept it. Anybody who would be offered the chance to serve their country,

Vice President, should consider that to be an honor. That's why I'm in public service, but it's just not, if that changes, I'll let you know, but I'll never talk to anybody with you. All right, so kind of a matter-of-fact response there, Dasha. And it's interesting because Trump and Rubio, as we know, were rivals during the 2016 election. Trump, of course, famously nicknaming him Little Marco. Now they might be sharing a ticket this year. What would be the calculus for Trump there?

Well, look, the former president is known to duke it out with someone and then sometimes patch it back up. And for Rubio, look, he is telegenic, he's young. He has had more experience in federal office than the current vice president, Kamala Harris. And he is the Miami-born son of working-class Cuban immigrants. And the former president is feeling pretty bullish with his play to Hispanic voters right now. He thinks he can win them over. and Rubio would be the first Latino on a major party presidential ticket. So that could certainly help with that demographic.

There is one hitch, though, Sam, and that is they're both Florida men. And there's a rule in the Constitution that says electors can't vote for a president and vice president from the same state, which would likely mean that if Rubio were the chosen one, that he would need to resign his Senate seat and move states. Not altogether unprecedented, but just a slight complication there, Sam. So, Dasha, I know you've been reporting on how Trump is screening VP candidates for their views on abortion since the former president sees that issue as a liability for Republicans. Where is Rubio on that issue and could oppose a challenge for Trump in the general election? Well, look like a lot of Republican candidates, he certainly is anti-abortion. But he recently put out a memo outlining how Republicans could reframe the way that they talk about the issue, put the onus on Democrats, try to paint the Democrats.

party as extremists on this issue. And one thing Trump does look for someone who is a good talker, someone who can message on these issues. So that could potentially be an advantage for Rubio there. So big picture then. You know, we know the former president said recently, he's got about 15 different candidates he's considering. Aside from Rubio, who are the other major names right now on that list? Yeah, the long list could really fill out the cast of a season of The Apprentice and other names that we've heard that are sort of toward the top of that list include South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanic, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. But if we know anything about how the former president works, he really does

like to let the reality show play out. So we're hearing that for the next couple of months, he's going to sort of audition, so to speak, these folks on the campaign trail, see how they do at rallies, events. And importantly, see what they're apt to do. is for fundraising, which is critical to his campaign right now. And then we are hearing that from two sources that June might be around the time when we hear an announcement about a month or so before the convention. So I in June, but as we know with former President Trump, anything can happen. Sam.

Expect the unexpected. Dasha Burns, thank you so much. We go now to Top Stories Global Watch and the latest on the war between Russia and Ukraine. security cameras capturing a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Now, falling debris is seen as shattering the windows of a flower shop. Ukraine's Air Force says it was able to shoot down all 31 of the missiles. Look at that, though. It's the first attack targeting the Capitol in about six weeks.

According to city officials, at least 13 people were injured. And a major update now on the ongoing territorial dispute between Venezuela and neighboring Guiana. Lawmakers in Venezuela, voting to approve the creation of a new state in the oil rich SA Kibo region, which is currently controlled by Guyana. A Venezuelans had voted in December to support that legislation. Gianna saying it would defend its sovereignty. The International Court of Justice is currently working on settling that dispute, but the Venezuelan government has said it will not recognize that decision.

Coming up next, Elon Musk's neural link getting put to the test, a man who was paralyzed using a chip implanted in his brain to play chess with his mind. We'll show you that incredible moment, plus why some experts are still skeptical. That story's next. We are back now with a major update from Elon Musk's brain science startup Neurrelink. Now, that company live streaming a video that it says shows a paralyzed man playing computer chess using just his mind. Now, some call this chip implanting in the brain a scientific breakthrough, but others warn of possible dangers. Stephen Romo explains.

tonight the first glimpse of the brain implant developed by Elon Musk's Neurotech startup Neurlink in action it was like using the force on a cursor and I could get it to move wherever I wanted just in a video streamed on Musk's social media platform X Nolan Arbaugh the first human patient implanted with a device called telepathy appearing to play a computer chess game and move a mouse with his brain. And that was also done with your brain? Yep. It's all brain power up there. 29-year-old Arbaugh, who had the device implanted back in January, says he became a quadriplegic following a diving accident about eight years ago. The surgery was super easy. The surgery to get

Neurilink's telepathy device requires removing part of a patient's skull to implant electrodes directly into the brain's tissue. The most invasive brain computer interface that we know of, because it requires cutting a dime-sized hole in the skull and implanting a device with hundreds or potentially even thousands of little threads into the brain. Elon Musk's company isn't the only one exploring brain computer interfacing or BCI. Two competitors, BlackRock NeuroTech and Synchron, releasing their own videos of successful patient implants last year. This next generation of how we're interacting with devices

and interacting with this type of technology, We think there's a lot of implications, and we're very optimistic, especially since there are so many companies that have diverse approaches, unique approaches. But some experts warn more oversight is needed. We believe FDA and other regulatory agencies need to do a much better job of not only regulating this, but sharing this information with the public because all of these clinical trials come with real risks to the patients involved. In a statement to NBC News, when the neurodemeanor. device was first implanted, the FDA says it has a scientifically rigorous process to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medical devices, adding that it will continue to monitor the safety of those enrolled in the study for Neurrelink's implant device through required

regular reports. Even with criticism and the potential for complications, the technology is giving many a sense of hope. I don't want people to think that it is like this is the end of the journey. There's all a lot of work to be done. But it has already changed my life. And Stephen Romo, joining us now from New York with more. Stephen, obviously, this story has been much talked about everywhere. Big advancements here, right? But there's been other criticism of NeurLink as well, specifically regarding animal testing. Has the company responded about that? Yeah, NeurLink did acknowledge some problems with this in a 22 blog post. They said they had to euthanize a monkey following complications.

from a surgery. Also, last year, the Department of Transportation actually started investigating the animal testing from the company. And just last month, the FDA citing the company relating to its animal testing, that according to a Reuters report. Neurlink, though, did not respond to our requests for comment today. In that blog post, though, they said that they do want to continue working with animals in the, quote, most humane and ethical way possible. Sam? All right, a lot of layers here. Stephen Romo. Thank you so much. Now to a new study that could potentially change the treatment for the more than 200,000 women impacted by breast cancer. A drug that's treated the most aggressive form of the disease could be used more widely.

Let's bring in now NBC News medical contributor, Dr. Natalie Azar. Obviously, Dr. Azar, we are talking about a disease that affects so many people, so many families. Can you explain for us a little bit more about the actual treatment? Yeah, absolutely, Sam. So the study was done looking at the effect of this medical. medicine that's called ribocyclyb on earlier stage breast cancer. It is currently already approved to treat metastatic breast cancer. And in this study, they actually looked at the benefit, potential benefit that is, in women

or men who had earlier stage, for example, stage two or stage three breast cancer. And what they found after three years of being treated with this medication, this new medication plus standard of care, which is a hormonal therapy, is that there was a survival. benefit in the people who got drug as well as standard of care. And there was also a decreased risk of recurrence. And this is important because even though we think of breast cancer, you know, the earlier the stage the better, and that's largely true, there's still a significant risk of recurrence, up to 37 percent recurrence in stage two cancers, and up to 57 percent risk of recurrence in stage three cancer, Sam, up to 20 years after diagnosis.

Which is obviously so devastating. So when Dr. Azar, could this potentially start to be used as common practice? So this was what we call an interim analysis of a phase three trial. What does that mean? Well, it was basically an analysis that the FDA said you need to do after you've studied the drug for about three years. But phase three is the last phase of a drug trial. I think that this is going to get FDA approval. You know, all of this takes time.

It could be weeks or months before that happens. and another couple of weeks or months before it comes to market. But importantly, there's a sister drug that was approved about a year ago for a very, very similar patient population. So that's already precedent setting. And again, for these women, more and men, more tools in the toolbox to treat this disease to prevent recurrence and prolong survival, really.

It's an amazing day, and it's great, great news. A springboard for Hope. What more could you ask for at this point? Dr. Azar, thank you so much. All right, when we come back, Dancing on, Grambling State and HBCU from Louisiana, making their first March Madness appearance and getting their first tournament win,

how they came back and pulled off an overtime victory, their story next. And finally tonight, what could be this year's Cinderella story, HBCU Grambling State, appearing in March Madness for the first time ever, rallying to win their first D-1 tournament game in a battle that stretched into overtime.

Their coach saying that that fighting spirit is just what March and this team is made of. As Grambling State prepared to make their first appearance ever in the NCAA tournament known as March Madness, this is competition and it's highest. Coach Dante Johnson's message was clear greatness is just one game away. The whole year we've been on the road

and we've been with him. It's just time to go one and all again, bro. Let's just see what it is. But go Rackie. What a three-point stroke. But halfway through their first four matchup against Montana State, that chance to notch a win started to slip away as the Tigers trailed by 14 points. There was a lot of mixing motion going on.

There was a lot of arguing at first. You know, I got a lot of guys that come from underprivileged situations and things of that nature and adversity is part of life. It's about how you bounce back when you get in a bad situation. But thanks in part to the hot hand of sophomore guard Jamel Koffer. The Tigers rebounded, first erasing that deficit. The corner goes glass and he lays it up and in. Then punching their ticket in overtime.

It is over here in Dayton. The Grambling State Tigers dancing for the first time ever. Grambling State, now the ninth HBCU to win a game in the NCAA tournament. So March is made up, baby. You got to find a way to fight, stay in the game, and had that one last run. The Tigers will now face the number one-seeded Purdue Boilermakers and their towering 7-foot-4 center, Zach Edie. And just worry about how we can throw the whole house, the kitchen, whatever, the backyard, and Zach Edie. We just got to figure it out.

But don't count the Tigers out just yet. In typical March madness fashion, we're seeing upsets just one day into the tournament. That will officially do it. Duquesne University beating B.Y.U. 71 to 67 to win their first tournament game since 1969. And according to the NCAA, nearly 90% of brackets are already broken or imperfect. But for Coach Johnson in Grambling State, they're feeling grateful for a chance to go dancing. Playing the NCAA tournament, get a first round win. Man, this is just amazing. You can just feel their joy on that one.

And someone else also wishing the Tigers well. Vice President Kamala Harris calling the team today to congratulate them for the big win, saying as a fellow HBCU, a proud HBCU grad, I just had to let you all know that you got fans all over the place. And you would have to imagine the Tigers have at least another win in them too. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Sam Brock, in for Tom Yamis. Stay right there because more news is on the way.

Thank you.