Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, March 23, 2023

Episode Date: March 24, 2023

TikTok CEO grilled by Congress for hours, Virginia officer who fatally shot Timothy Johnson is fired as police release bodycam video, protests grow in France over Macron's pension plan, a Boston sports radio host under fire for seeming to describe one of his peers with a racial slur, and why the monarch butterfly population is cratering.

Tonight, TikTok taking center stage on Capitol Hill, the company's CEO grilled by members of Congress for more than five hours over concerns. The app poses a major national security threat. A growing number of lawmakers now supporting a total ban of the app, which is used by nearly half of all Americans. We'll break down all of the heated exchanges and the solutions proposed by both sides. Under investigation, disturbing body camera footage showing the moments police chased a man through a Virginia, a mall before opening fire and killing him. One of those officers fired, but tonight the man's family is calling for criminal charges for everyone involved. A severe weather system moving into the south, the day after spawning a rare tornado in Los Angeles, 17 million under alert heading into the night. Bill Cairns is standing by. Overseas massive protest grinding France to a halt,

hundreds of thousands taking to the streets and going on strike after the president raised the retirement age by two years. Some violently clashing with police. So will the government cave to growing pressures? We'll have a full report from Paris. Plus, chilling search history, a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife, allegedly Googling, is arsenic detectable in autopsy days before her death? What that suspect then texted his wife when she said she felt like she'd been drugged. An outrage in Boston after a radio host used a racial slur to describe one of his peers, why his puzzling attempts to apologize for the remarks by invoking actress Milakunis have only added fuel to this fire. Top story starts right now.

Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Far removed from its early days as an app for fun dances. Tonight, TikTok is at the center of a heated debate in our nation's capital. At stake, the privacy of American data. The security. of American jobs and a regular part of life for more than 150 million American users. TikTok CEO grilled by a House committee for more than five hours today about concerns the app is storing American data in China, leaving it within reach of the Chinese government and potentially posing a huge national security risk. TikTok CEO in response proposing what he calls Project Texas, a plan which would move the app's

data storage onto American soil. But early indications suggest lawmakers were not impressed by what they heard. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy coming out in favor of a total ban of TikTok saying he plans to move quickly on legislation and take that to the floor. All of this coming days after President Biden threatened to ban the app if the company's Chinese owners did not divest their shares. But while lawmakers on Capitol Hill seem united on the issue, the American public remains divided. Just 41% say they support a ban. and 59% say they either oppose the ban or just aren't sure. And though many Democratic lawmakers are publicly in support of restricting TikTok

behind closed doors, there is growing fear that doing so could alienate young voters who tend to lean left. And you can see why 62% of TikTok's 150 million users are under the age of 30. NBC's Savannah Sellers has been following the hearing today from Washington, D.C., and leads us off. We will protect the U.S. user data. TikTok's top executive under fire for over five hours today. TikTok poses as a Mr. Rogers neighborhood, but it acts like Big Brother.

The hugely popular app known for short videos like this, in the spotlight today for this. What's your relationship is with the Communist Party? CEO Shochu answering questions about whether the app owned by BytDance, a Chinese company, is a national security threat, given a Chinese law that could allow the government to access user data. I have seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to that data. They have never asked us. We have not provided. I've asked that question. I find that actually preposterous. I have looked in. I have seen no evidence of this happening.

TikTok has 150 million users in the U.S. and a billion worldwide, many of them teenagers. The White House has given the company an ultimatum, sell the company or face a ban in the U.S. as the Justice Department and FBI investigate whether BightDance illegally surveilled journalists. Has BightDance spied on American citizens? I don't think the spying is the right way to describe it. Another concern from both sides of the aisle, misinformation. The dangerous misinformation that you mentioned is not allowed on our platform. It violates them.

I'm sorry to report it is on your platform, though. Congresswoman, I don't think I can sit here and say that we are perfect in doing this. We do work very hard. Chew says TikTok's top priorities are protecting user safety, especially for teenagers, securing U.S. data and being a place for free expression. Despite the company's reassurances, 43 states have already banned, restricted, or are considering to ban TikTok on government devices. So much of the community I've created is on TikTok.

That's what I've devoted my life to working and creating for. Duncan Joseph makes a living creating TikTok videos for his 4.5 million followers. Do you think that the lawmakers who are asking the questions today understand TikTok? I think there are some people that definitely have never used the app, haven't even seen it working, and you can tell, because one even, one lawmaker even called it TikTok. Tick-Tac. In the no or not, lawmakers believe the data concern is real. I want to say this to all the teenagers out there. You think we're just old and out of touch and don't know what we're talking about, trying to take away your favorite app.

You may not care that your data is being accessed now, but it will be one day when you do care about it. Savannah Sellers joins us now from Capitol Hill. Savannah, people have raised concerns about a lot of different apps, the potential negative impacts they have on teens, particularly as it relates to mental health. You've spent so much time reporting on this. Why are lawmakers so intensely focused on TikTok? Ellison, it is a fantastic question and one that supporters of TikTok keep pointing to. They say, look, how any other social media platforms have had issues with these same things. Why are you focused on these issues with TikTok?

People point to election interference with the Facebook platform. Why are we not talking about banning Facebook? That's what Representative Bowman asked me yesterday. He's come out as a rare supporter of TikTok on the hill here. The real thing, though, is two issues, Ellison. The first one is, of course, what you just heard in this piece. The big question here is the fact that there are these ties to the Chinese government, given that ByteDance is a Chinese-owned company.

The second thing is, if you just think about it, TikTok's algorithm is what makes it TikTok. It makes it more addictive. And a lot of mental health experts say, look, that's why kids are having such a hard time with some of this. They can't break their habit with TikTok, which is a little bit different than some other social media apps. And now that Congress has heard from TikTok CEO, what happens next? That's also a great question, Alison. and the question is probably not that much right now, but let's talk through some of the options. So maybe no big swinging motions after this particular hearing, but we do have a couple of things

that were on the table that President Biden actually laid out his administration coming with basically an ultimatum, which led to partially to this hearing today. One, ban the app outright. That's what a lot of Congress people have been telling me on the hill right now. That would be sort of tricky and take some time. It's not something we'd see overnight, but we'll see how that pans out. There's also political ramifications, potentially for the party or administration, that were to do that. There's a lot of young people, a lot of young voters on TikTok. How will that impact their engagement? The other thing that could potentially happen that was part of that ultimatum, a sale to an American

company, also something that there are not a lot of roadmaps on the table for right now, but we'll see what happens. Ellison. Savannah Sellers on Capitol Hill. Thank you. For more on what this testimony could mean for TikTok and its users here in the U.S., insider intelligence principal analyst, Jasmine Inberg, joins me now. Jasmine, heading into today's hearing, you said there was little TikTok CEO could say to change

U.S. lawmakers' minds when it comes to the app. So what's your evaluation of Chu's testimony? Did he succeed or fall short in terms of eliminating lawmakers' concerns as it relates to the national security risk? I stand by that. I mean, Chu was really faced with a pretty impossible task. think that TikTok may have made some miscalculations in really stressing how important the app has become to U.S. society and to business. But again, there was very, very little that Chu could have done to sway representatives at this point. It was a really grueling questioning. And he was forced to try to prove a negative that TikTok isn't being used or can't be used to influence U.S. public opinion by the Chinese Communist Party either indirectly or directly.

Let's talk some numbers here. The U.S. is responsible for nearly $7 billion in ad revenue for TikTok. That is roughly half of their worldwide ad revenue. It's clear there's a financial incentive for the company to reach an agreement with the U.S. government. But at this point, how likely do you think that is to happen? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the U.S. is an incredibly important market to TikTok, and it really is very, very high stakes for the app right now. I'd say the future of TikTok right now is on shakier ground than it's ever been and choose inability to answer many of the questions that the lawmakers posed either because he couldn't or he didn't have time really will strengthen the result from lawmakers to push a ban forward.

That being said, nothing is going to happen overnight and they also have to weigh the consideration that a ban on TikTok would be really unpopular among a pretty large group of people in the U.S. You know, I feel like everyone I know is on TikTok. If they aren't making videos, they're using it just to watch funny viral videos. But a lot of people are on the app, not just for entertainment. They actually make their livelihoods off of this app. In your mind, what do lawmakers risk if they were to ban it here in the United States? And is there any chance those risks could outweigh any sort of potential benefit in terms of national security? Yeah, absolutely.

There are a lot of creators who have really made their new. names and their businesses on TikTok, and that would certainly have a pretty big impact on them. What I will say is, though, a lot of creators are already prepared for the potential of a ban on TikTok. They're already using multiple platforms to reach their followers and to connect with audiences. So a lot of them already have a game plan in place. I think, again, the bigger concern here for a lot of lawmakers is the impact that it's going to have on users, and particularly on young voters. Gen Z love TikTok. They're spending up to an hour and 20 minutes a day on the app for insider intelligence estimates. And it's going to be a pretty big blow to many of them if they're

not going to be able to access the app. Yeah, a lot of stuff to watch there. Thank you so much, Jasmine Inberg. We appreciate your analysis and insight. Now to the newly released body cam video in the police shooting of an unarmed man in Virginia last month. The black man was accused of stealing a pair of sunglasses. An attorney for his family now calling this a, quote, execution. NBC's Yomish Alcindor reports, and a warning. The video is disturbing. Tonight, newly released body camera footage by police in Fairfax County, Virginia,

showing the moments officers shot and killed an unarmed man outside of a mall. The body camera, warned by Sergeant Wesley Schifflett, shows the moment he, and Plank Coast officer James Sadler began chasing Timothy Johnson, who was black, out of Nordstrom's in February. Police say Johnson had triggered anti-theft alarms and was suspected of stealing a pair of sunglasses. He set off sensors, right? The body camera does not show what officers saw before the chase, but police releasing this surveillance video showing Johnson near the sunglasses section of the store before exiting. The officers then chasing Johnson into a parking garage, down a stairwell, and into a wooded area. It's crossing over. It's crossing over, guys.

The officers heard ordering Johnson down to the ground before three gunshots ring out. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Stop reaching. Stop reaching. Police say the 37-year-old was struck in the chest. I'll have nothing. Shut, man. Only after he was shot, pleading with officers. He later died at the hospital.

More often than not, the police body camera footage speaks for itself. This time, it does not. At a press conference today, police revealing two pairs of sunglasses were found at the scene, but no firearms or weapons of any kind. The only thing they knew was that he was black and male and had allegedly triggered. an alarm from a store for some sunglasses. His family's lawyer calling the shooting an execution. He had nothing that appeared as a gun near where he was.

This was the execution by Fairfax County police officers. Sergeant Shifflett, who is believed to have fired the fatal shot, has been terminated. The other officer remains on the force but is on restricted duty. The department, along with the Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, now launching a criminal investigation into those officers. Because the officers' actions do not meet the expectations of our police department. They do not comport with our general orders, our policies, and our procedures. Johnson's family and their lawyer now calling for those officers to be arrested.

No parent, no parent should not have to view the killing of their child and then be. be asked to give remarks. However, here we are and here I stand. And Yamish Alcindor joins us now from Washington. Yamish, the chief of police, Kevin Davis, and we saw in your piece, actually apologized today to Johnson's family. What can you tell us about that? That's right. In a pretty striking moment, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis was questioned about mentioning Timothy Johnson's criminal history in a prior press conference. Davis took that moment to apologize to Johnson's family and said he should not have mentioned that criminal history and won't be mentioning it in the future, Ellison. This is a story we will continue to follow. Yamish, thank you.

We turn out of the forecast. Dangerous weather set to slam the south as the West recovers from those historic storms. Take a look at this. In northern Arizona, roads turned into rivers, heavy rainfall and snow melt leading to torrential flooding and more rain is expected in the region early next week. but now millions in the south bracing for severe storms, including possible tornadoes. So let's get to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, what are you watching right now? Yeah, good evening, Ellis. And this is going to be a two-day severe weather outbreak with multiple life-threatening hazards, including flash flooding, tornadoes, and of course wind damage from these storms, which easily can knock down trees on vehicles and on houses. So those are the major concerns, you know, for people's safety in their lives. So we've already started to see some very strong thunderstorms in Oklahoma.

We've had some large hail about, you know, we've had numerous quarter size, a couple of reports of ping pong ball size. But I think later tonight, especially with these new storms that are forming out here near Wichita Falls, we could even get baseball size hail. And that's big enough to shatter wind shields, dent your car, and that can cause a lot of damage. Oklahoma City had a thunderstorm earlier. Now the big storms are just to your southeast. They're up towards Shawnee, and they'll be drifting up here towards Interstate 44 in the next couple hours. So overnight, this area in yellow shows you who has the chance for getting the severe weather for hail. many tornadoes tonight. Tomorrow, unfortunately, is the day that it looks like our tornado threat

is going to be in the same areas that we've been dealing with all winter long. From Little Rock to Alexandria, Shreveport, Greenville, Jackson, the Memphis to Nashville, this is the area of greatest concern. And not just the possibility of tornadoes, but conditions are favorable for maybe even strong tornadoes. So those are the ones that can just wipe houses off foundations, go through a town. We'll find that out tomorrow about this time, Ellison. That's what we expect to be in the peak of our tornado outbreak. All right. Bill Carrens, thank you. Now overseas to Israel, the country's protest only growing the parliament, now passing a law that would make it nearly impossible to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office as he faces corruption charges and complaints that he's destroying the nation's democracy. Ralph Sanchez is on the ground in Tel Aviv with the latest.

Tonight, chaos in the streets of Tel Aviv as Israeli demonstrators clash with police and step up their fight against government plans to weaken the Israeli Supreme Court. court. But even as the first part of Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul becomes law, signs that the public pressure may be working. The Prime Minister abruptly delaying an international trip to give a late-night address to the nation, with a more conciliatory tone. But not the reforma ain't them fascisting. But giving no sign, he's backing down. Israel's defense minister increasingly concerned by thousands of military reservists saying they'll refuse to serve if the legislation goes through, raising questions about Israel's defense readiness. We met two of those reservists, members of the same special forces unit Netanyahu

once served him. What would you say to him, one soldier to another? I would say, please return to your core values. Running forward so fast is tearing the people apart and is tearing the army apart. We love the army. We love the country. We love our flag. And we are defending Israel now. But under a dictatorship will not be possible. And marching silently through central Tel Aviv, a flanks of protesters in the unmistakable outfits of the handmade's tail. This costume has become a symbol for women around the world standing up for their rights. And these Israeli women tell us they fear if Netanyahu's plan goes through, his socially conservative government will roll back their rights.

The idea is to show what is going to happen in Israel once our democratic system collapses and we become a religious bureaucracy. But despite the protests, the judicial overhaul, moving forward. Overnight, Parliament voting to bar the Supreme Court from deeming Netanyahu unfit for office because of the criminal corruption charges against him, allegations he denies. Israel's opposition calling the new law obscene and a blow to democracy. And with protesters unmoved by Netanyahu's calls for calm, every sign that Israel's deep divisions will only grow deeper still.

And as things stand, we expect one of the most controversial parts of this overhaul to go through next week, a law that gives the government more control over the appointment of judges. Parliament then has a week's break for Passover, which may just possibly be a chance to calm tensions. Alison. Raf, thanks for that. Israel is not the only country with inner turmoil. Protests in France are intensifying as President Macron holds to his plans for pension reform. Today, France's major unions called for a nationwide strike which would impact the country's transportation, refineries, and schools.

NBC's Megan Fitzgerald is on the ground in Paris where things have turned violent. Tonight, anger and frustration pouring into the streets of France. Some 800,000 people marked. through Paris as the country saw its ninth nationwide strike. It's not fair. It's not, I think it's not the respect for us. Residents outraged that President Emmanuel Macron pushed through legislation, increasing the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Agitators turning violent, smashing shop windows, setting trash to newspaper kiosks on fire. Riot police quickly moving in. driving back protesters, launching tear gas and deploying sun grenades. It's unacceptable. That's not democracy. The Eiffel Tower closed, train service and flights disrupted after workers went on strike. In the western city of Wrenn, clashes broke out and police blasted water cannons to disperse crowds. And in naught, more cries for Macron to withdraw the reform.

reform. The street has a legitimacy in France. If Mr. Macron is not capable of this reality historic, it's not what he did that, I mean. The French president breaking his silence on Wednesday. At the moment where I'm

you talk, is you think that it's a pleasure to make this reform? Dekle no. No. Macron standing his ground in an interview with French journalists, saying he won't budge on raising the retirement age. And the more we'll But his TV appearance only fueling frustration and strikes.

Oil refineries in the South drying up as thousands of tons of trash lined the streets of Paris. We have no other choice that the grave is blocked the economy, just as he cede and he retires his project. The disruptions also impacting schools with a quarter of the nation's teachers walking off the job. This is just the latest act of defiance in a season of protest that's citizens say won't be ending anytime soon. We're seeing fires like this throughout Paris

with demonstrations and protests expected through the night. Ellison? Megan Fitzgerald, thank you and stay safe. Back here at home to the school shooting horror in Colorado, new details emerging tonight about the teenager who shot and wounded two administrators at his high school in Denver. The suspect previously arrested on a weapons charge, which was then dropped. Students and the community now demanding answers. Morgan Chesky is in Denver with more. For us to incurred death of students is not okay. Tonight in Denver, 24 hours after a student opened fire at East High School,

troubling facts emerging. To what extent was the district aware that before this shooting they took place, this student was already facing a firearms charge and had been placed on probation? The district was not aware. Remember, we have over 200 schools, but East was. And yet he was still allowed to come to school. That is correct. Authorities identified the gunman overnight as Austin Lyle,

whose body was found by a SWAT team nearly 50 miles from where investigators say the 17-year-old opened fire on both Gerald Mason and Eric Sinclair. The two administrators wounded while performing a safety search on Lyle outside the school. That safety protocol required Lyle to be patted down daily. But a law enforcement source confirmed Lyle was arrested on a. a weapons charge in 2021. Classmates at Overland High School flagged Lyle's social media to police, who upon visiting his home, found a rifle with a high-capacity magazine and a silencer inside his

room. The charge was a felony, but was dropped by the court who placed Lyle on probation instead. Now, for the second time in weeks, students demanded change at the state capital. Denver's school board voting unanimously to bring back armed school resource officers through the end of this year. The district removed them in 2020, following the death of George Floyd. This is our fourth incident of the year, and it feels like it should be the end, but it's not. Morgan Chesky joins us now from Denver. Morgan, are we learning anything else about the circumstances surrounding the shooting? Yeah, Alison, we are.

The superintendent said in that press conference just a few minutes ago that typically when this 17-year-old arrived at campus, there was one particular staff member who was assigned to pat him down, part of that safety protocol. However, on yesterday when the shooting took place, that staff member was not here. Instead, those two other administrators were tasked with conducting that safety protocol. And the superintendent said that could have contributed to those shots ringing out, not too far away from where I'm standing, but he was clear to say that there is still much more that needs to be learned. In fact, we have yet to learn from authorities how this young man was able to obtain this firearm and if there was any potential motive whatsoever. Alison.

All right, Morgan Chesky, thank you. Turning now to politics, the feud between former president Donald Trump and his main Republican rival, Florida Governor Ronda Santos, appears to be growing. Meanwhile, it seems the grand jury considering criminal charges against Donald Trump won't take any action until possibly next week. Senator Welker has more. Tonight, still no word from the New York grand jury considering a possible indictment of former President Trump over the accounting of a hush money payment. What Mr. Trump has blasted as partisan prosecution today saying the Democratic DA has no case while also turning up the heat on his likely pending political battle against Florida's Republican

Governor Ron DeSantis, writing, Ron DeSanctimonious, is the most overrated politician in America. DeSantis is widely viewed as Mr. Trump's top potential challenger for the GOP nomination. In a new interview, taking his own shots at the former president, slamming him on COVID restrictions. The approach to COVID was different. I mean, you know, I would have fired somebody like Fauci. And his leadership style. The way we run the government, I think, is no daily drama. And tonight in Florida, Desantis doubling down on the Parental Rights and Education Act, what critics call the don't say gay law, which forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity

for children in third grade and younger. Now, his administration proposing extending the ban to grades 4 through 12 unless it's, quote, expressly required by state academic standards or is part of a reproductive health course, which parents could opt out of. A DeSantis spokesperson saying, there is no reason for instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity to be part of K-12 public education, full stop. The White House sharply criticizing the proposal. Yeah, it's wrong. It's completely utterly wrong. And Kristen joins us now from the White House. Kristen, how are Florida voters responding to the governor's latest move as it relates to that

controversial, quote-unquote, don't say gay law? Well, it's a good question. Allison, as is so often the case with controversial proposals. The reaction so far has really been mixed. You have a lot of Republicans who've long argued the measure is reasonable. They say parents, not teachers, should be handling subjects like sexual orientation and gender identity with their children. However, there are a lot of opponents who say the bill is just dangerous, that it makes LGBTQ youth feel isolated. In fact, a top advocacy group in Florida called the move part of a, quote, larger disturbing trend to censor conversations. One thing is clear, the cultural

Wars will play a prominent role in the 2024 campaign. Alison. Kristen Welker at the White House, thank you. Now to a major scare aboard a Southwest flight, the captain suffering a medical emergency mid flight. Luckily, a pilot who was off duty was on that plane and stepped in to help landed. Here's Kristen Dahlgren with the details. Southwest Flight 6013 was on its way from Las Vegas to Columbus, Ohio, when Captain's 47-year-old male in route, he started to feel some stomach pain later, fainted, or became incapacitated. With the captain unable to fly, the first officer took over, while a pilot from another airline who just happened to be on board jumped in to help with radio communications.

He's in the back of the aircraft right now at the flight attendant, but we need to get him on an ambulance immediately. Diane McClinchie was on the flight. He did have an outfit on, so I'm assuming that's how they knew he. was a pilot but it's very thankful that he was there she and fellow passengers didn't learn it was the captain who was ill until the flight landed back in Vegas in a statement Southwest said in part we commend the crew for their professionalism and appreciate our customers patience regarding the situation a situation that was exceedingly rare and ended well but at a time when the aviation industry is under fire for more preventable mishaps today a letter sent to the nation's air traffic controllers outline new steps being taken, including ensuring supervisors are devoting full attention, more dedicated training for unusual circumstances, reducing the training backlog from the pandemic, and identifying underlying factors leading to close calls, new efforts to keep the nation's skies and runways safe. Kristen Dahlgren, NBC News. Still ahead tonight, disturbing poison plot

allegations. A Colorado dentist charged with murdering his wife. The chilling internet searches police say he made before she was fatally poisoned. Plus, a radio host in Boston suspended after using a racial slur on air, why his apology is raising even more eyebrows. And down the drain, a group of children trapped in the New York City sewer system, how they got down there, and how firefighters finally got them out. Stay with us. Now to the Boston sports radio producer underfire tonight on the air. He seemed to direct an ethnic slur for Japanese people and an ESPN analyst. Tonight, that executive producer suspended by his radio station and in his own air apology,

saying he meant to direct the comment at someone else. Emily Aketa has more. Tonight, accusations of racism rocking the world of Boston sports. During a discussion about a proposal in the city of Boston to ban the sale of small alcohol bottles, sometimes called Nips, WEEEI, executive producer Chris Curtis, floated ESPN analyst Mina Kimes name, an Asian American. It begs the question, top five nips. Oh, yes, that's a great one. Because Dr. McGillacuddy's, I think, is number one or two. Screwball also up there.

I'd probably go Mena Kimes. And Fireball. The word is also an ethnic slur pooled from the Japanese word for the country, Nepal. The comments igniting a firestorm of criticism online. Kimes's colleague, ESPN personality Sarah Spain, tweeting, What are we doing here, WEEEI? Mina isn't even Japanese. Kimes is Korean American.

ESPN blasting Curtis's comments in a statement saying, there is no place for these types of hateful comments, which were uncalled for and extremely offensive. Curtis apologizing Thursday and noting he meant to name Milakunis, though it's not clear why. In a pathetic failed attempt at a one-liner, I attempted to bring up Milakunis, which was not really that funny, sophomoric and sexist. I want to apologize to Mina Kimes. I want to apologize for the stupid, lame attempt at a joke. Curtis announcing he suspended until next Wednesday. Neither Curtis nor the station replied to our request for comment.

In response to the incident, Kimes briefly changed her Twitter profile picture to an image of Koonis. Kavitha Davidson is a digital sports and race reporter and friend of times. This is the kind of thing that will roll and has rolled just completely off with Mina's back. It's not the, it's the kind of thing that she has had to deal with unfortunately throughout her career that every woman in this in the sports space, every one of women of color especially is out to deal with. This controversy coming on the heels of another Boston sports talk show host making racially charged comments. Just last month,

radio station 985, the sports hub host Tony Maserati, sparked backlash for saying this about two black men sitting behind his co-host. I would be careful if I were you because the last time you were on a couple of guys like that, they stole your car. Maserati also suspended by his radio station for several days without pay, apologizing for his remarks. They were insensitive. They were hurtful.

And frankly, they hurt the cause for those of us who believe in racial and social equality and all of those things. And I do. The world of Boston sports has faced blowback around radio. issues for years. Former Major League Baseball outfielder Tori Hunter sounding the alarm back in 2020. I've been called the N-word in Boston a hundred times. The Boston Red Sox responded in a statement saying in part, Tori Hunter's experience is real. Last year, there were seven reported incidents at Fenway Park where fans used racial slurs. The Boston sports community

now left to wrestle with painful questions about race, even drawing criticism among one of the biggest names in all of sports. Boston. Because they races as s' it. That's why. Emily Aketa joins us now in studio. Emily, this is so disturbing, so appalling. But I also understand it is not the first time she's dealt with something like this. What can you tell us? Ellison, unfortunately not. She's been the target of social media trolls before. And actually, according to some report, she's even had to call security to handle threats and harassment. This latest comment is really striking a court because it comes at a time when we're seeing increased levels of anti-Asian hate. Boston, city

President telling local reporters for that reason, quote, it is even more critical that we recognize how words can be used for harm and division. Allison. Thank you, Emily. Coming up, the urgent search for a missing sailor, the 21-year-old missing since Saturday, the Navy now joining the search where police say he was spotted last. Stay with us. Back now with Top Stories news feed in the urgent search for a missing sailor in Illinois. Surveillance video shows 21-year-old Seamus Gray leaving a nightclub near Chicago on Saturday. It's the last time he was seen. Gray, who serves in the Navy, is stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Station.

Also, in Chicago, more than 350 counterfeit goods were seized from O'Hare Airport. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials intercepting two parcels from Thailand. The packages reportedly contained items such as fake Rolex watches, Gucci belts, and Fendi sunglasses, along with other fake luxury goods. Officials say the items could have been sold for up to $400,000 and may have been used to fund organized crime. An alarming new report by the Anti-Defamation League found anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. reached the highest level since they began recording them in the 1970s. According to the report, there were more than 3,700 reports. reported cases of assault, vandalism, and harassment against the Jewish community in 2022,

an increase in more than 30% in one year. The research also found the number of reported anti-Semitic incidents is nearly five times higher than they were a decade ago. And a group of New York City children found themselves in a scary and smelly situation. You're stuck where? In the sewer. The five boys, ages 11 to 16, crawled through a storm drain on Staten Island and then became lost inside. Firefighters finding them because their backpacks were outside that drain.

A firefighter used rope and breathing equipment to enter and managed to pull off five to safety. Next tonight in Colorado, a dentist accused of poisoning his wife to death was in court today, charged with murder. Police say Dr. James Craig committed a, quote, calculated murder. The affidavit showing a chilling internet search history by the accused. NBC's Miguel Almaguer has more. Facing a judge and a charge of first-degree murder, Dr. James Craig did not enter a plea today as investigators build a troubling case against the Colorado dentist who's accused of spiking

his wife's protein shake with poison. Dentistry can be expensive. Dentistry can be scary. Calling their case against the doctor heinous and complex, investigators allege the father of six, whose children were in court today, was no loving husband to wife Angela. In this 52-page affidavit, police say he searched top five undetectable poisons that show no signs of foul play and is arsenic detectable in autopsy. According to the same documents, Craig ordered both arsenic and potassium cyanide online. Police say the doctor then laced his wife's

protein shake, which led to her death Saturday. The next day, he was a arrested. The victim's sister told police James had drugged his wife before. Detectives believe the dentist wanted to start a new life with his lover, who flew to Colorado as Angela Craig was dying. Whenever a defendant is accused of killing his or her spouse, evidence of an extramarital affair will always be relevant. Just days before her death, Angela Craig texted her husband, I feel drugged. His response, just for the record, I didn't drug you. But tonight, the dentist is out of his office scrubs and in a jailhouse jumpsuit. Miguel Almaguerre and BC News.

For closer legal analysis of this case, we are joined now by attorney Angela Sinnedadella, also known as that lawyer, Angela, on TikTok, with over one million followers. Angela, this case is drop dropping. We have a 52-page affidavit that has some very big allegations in it, including Google search history, where allegedly this defendant searched how to poison someone, searched whether or not it would show up in an autopsy. There's also text messages between the defendant, James Craig, and his wife, where she literally says, I feel drugged.

What do you make of this case? And seeing him enter no plea at this point, are you surprised by that? Well, Alison, you're absolutely right. There is so much evidence. There's a treasure trove here of digital evidence. And I'm always surprised when people think if they do searches on their phone or behind closed doors, and it's just private. But actually, it's the most public.

It's documentation, and investigators can find it easily as they did here. If you were his defense attorney, how do you advise him to proceed in this case? Because from an outsider, it looks like this guy is guilty, right? Do you say, don't say anything right now, let's do a plea deal? What do you do? Well, it sounds like when he's not saying he's going to plead guilty or not plead guilty, it's because their defense doesn't have a proper strategy yet, and it's unclear what they will do. But what I would advise is to start backwards from the actual death and to try

to cede some doubt that the death happened as a result of this poisoning of the cyanide of the arsenic. I don't think we know with certainty there just because it was a mysterious death. Doesn't necessarily mean it was directly resulting from cyanide or arsenic poisoning. I'd move backwards. I'd question all of the evidence, see what was inadmissible or not. And it almost sounds like he's also trying for some sort of a suicide defense here. He's saying that his wife had suicidal tendencies. He's been texting this to his friends. So it's unclear there if maybe he will say something happened, but he was just assisting.

So we'll see what his defense is. So the victim's sister has said that the defendant was having multiple affairs and seems to be suggesting that could have been a possible motive here. Do you think that could be something that comes into this case? How big of a deal is motive in a case like this? 100% Allison. So when there is a case like this, and it just seems to be so beyond rationality that a man would then murder his wife, the mother of his six children. The jury wants to hear a story. They need to understand how this person started as a loving father and ended up as

someone who could commit the murder. So the story is imperative. Also here, the charge is first-degree homicide after deliberation. So they have to prove premeditation. And for that, the motive will be paramount. All right, Angela, Senadella, thank you so much. We appreciate your analysis. Turning now to troubling issues on Twitter, Elon Musk's takeover promised an end to internet bots, but now a swarm, advertising the sale of guns to users taking aim

at what seems to be a certain segment of the population. NBC news correspondent Gotti Schwartz has more on these alarming tweets and the shocking trigger that seems to set these bots off. Tonight, some Twitter users facing a flood of replies is pushing guns unsolicited. And there are members of the black community who say they are being targeted. The Twitter's bot problem is not new. Inexensive bot armies.

Twitter has now taken down hundreds of bots. Bots went to work. But now there are some profiles, presumably bots, based on the repetitive nature of their posts, replying to users with a sales pitch for cheap guns and a telegram link to purchase the firearms. The story first reported by Rolling Stone. Take a look at these two profiles. both created in February with the display name Straps, slang for Guns, following fewer than 10 accounts. Their feeds filled with replies like these, and it seems like there's a pattern in the tweets they reply to.

The majority include the N-word in the tweet or the username. Both advertise the same telegram link in their bio connecting people to an alleged gun dealer, and there are other similar profiles making the same pitch. NBC News couldn't verify if the bots were in fact selling guns or if any of these are just spam messages, but still, experts like Professor Sanjay Goel of Albany State University say they can be a problem. These spam bots or chatbots, they are blanketing the entire internet with their requests. So it's very easy for them to reach a large section of the population. And Twitter users are getting sick of it.

The apparent targeting of the colloquial use of the N-word raising questions about whether these accounts are zeroing in on the black population. One user is saying Twitter is overrun by, quote, overtly, racist bots trying to sell guns. Are they racially profiling people to do that, or are they just trying to sell guns? I don't know what their motive behind is. Another word that seems to trigger a reply, the F word. Before buying Twitter, Elon Musk saying he'd, quote, defeat the spam bots or die trying. Yeah, there's just no way to know the number of bots.

Now, almost five months into his tenure at the helm of the company, the problem persists. It's just like a whack-a-mole, you know, you kill one and another one pops up somewhere else. So it's kind of hard to stop. You need to go to the root of this. We reached out to Twitter for comment on how they're handling such bots but haven't heard back. The ATF responding, while they may monitor suspicious activities involving firearms, they were unable to comment. For now, simply reporting the bots to Twitter is the best recourse, but it's something users might need to get used to. The technology is there.

It's only going to get better. The bots are going to get more and more and more realistic. And Gotti joins us now from Los Angeles. So, Gotti, the expert in your piece mentioned the whack-a-mole nature of this. Is anything being done to stop these bots? Well, Alison, as we mentioned, Twitter didn't respond to our request for comments, so we don't really know, but it's definitely not an easy task. For example, two of those profiles that we showed you in the story, one of them is up right here. I can't show you exactly what's on screen because a lot of it is inappropriate, but they're still posting.

They were trying to sell guns as early as yesterday, and they have been spitting out dozens of these replies for quite some time. Others we found. Those have been suspended. So clearly all of this is a work in progress. Ellison. All right, Gotti. Thank you. Of your reporting on this topic, all the other phenomenal reporting you and your team do on your show. Stay tuned now. That air is at 8 p.m. Eastern right after this. Thanks, Gotti. Coming up next, footing the bill, one of the most popular soccer clubs in the world accused of making improper payments to a referee. The investigation just launched by the league. Stay with us. Now to top stories, global watch.

Nine Mexican police officers have been arrested in connection to the disappearance of 43 students back in 2014. The students who attended a teacher's college known for its left-wing activism went missing after they were intercepted by police on their way back from a protest, a protest where they were standing up against a discriminatory hiring practices for teachers. The remains of at least three of those students have been found. The case has sparked years-long protest across Mexico. The UEFA has opened an investigation into referee payments made by champion soccer club FC Barcelona. Court documents show Barcelona paid nearly $8 million to the company owned by a referee for 17 years. He was also the former vice president of the Spanish soccer refereeing committee. The club has denied any wrongdoing here, but say they will cooperate with an investigation. And a wild scene on the streets

of South Korea after a zebra escaped from the zoo. Take a look at this. Video shows the zebra walking around an alley near residential buildings in Seoul. See all the people there looking. Rescue workers ultimately tranquilized the zebra with a dart wrapping it in a net and then loading it into a truck. Officials say the zebra was safely returned to its enclosure. When we come back, monarchs, the population of an endangered butterfly species dropping by more than 20% in Mexico. We talked to the experts to find out what's driving this disturbing drop. Stay with us. That's next. To cover the news, you have to be in it. We'll take you to the front lines of the story, bringing

your news feed to live. Streaming live every night. It's your news playlist. Top story with Tom Yamas. 7 on NBC News Now. Finally tonight, we head to the Americas and the concerning report on the iconic monarch butterfly. New research finding that the number of butterflies wintering in Mexico has actually dropped by 22% this year alone. But activists and environmentalists say they are not losing hope just yet. One of the world's most recognized creatures now in grave danger. For decades, the monarch butterfly has found refuge in the heart of Mexico, the state of Michua Khan becoming their home

in the winter, acres upon acres of land, covered by this magnificent insect, becoming an attraction for tourists worldwide. But new research released this week shows the monarch population is dwindling, dropping by 22 percent from last year. The spectacular phenomenon that the people that visit colonies see is not the same. While researchers aren't counting one by one, they do say. the total area those butterflies occupied this winter dropped from seven acres to five. Each year, monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains make the 3,000-mile trek across the continent

to winter in the mountains of central Mexico. But frost and extreme temperatures in the United States have led to a rapid decline in the migrating population. And once the butterflies make it to Mexico, the struggle continues with illegal logging, fires, and storm damage in the fir forest of Michua Khan, drastically reducing the canopy cover of their home. We must consider for Mexico the degradation of the forest as a factor important, because when we change the use of the natural ecosystem, we eliminate the natural habitats for monarchs, too. These fearless flyers, no stranger to adversity, landing on the endangered species list in 2022. multinational effort banding together in recent years, experts at the city of Goleta Butterfly Grove in California are working tirelessly to protect the habitat of these iconic insects.

So by encouraging cities, counties, private landowners to manage four habitats that protect these overwintering butterflies with their wildflowers and open space habitats that will help those butterflies to reproduce inland, those are things we can do across the west to encourage. monarch butterfly recovery. Still holding out hope for the beloved monarch. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.