Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, March 6, 2025

Episode Date: March 7, 2025

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

Tonight, the whiplash over tariffs. President Trump pulling back even more of his tariffs on Canada and Mexico. The stock market plunging once again after another dramatic reversal from the president. Now removing nearly half of all goods from Mexico and Canada from his 25% tariff, but vowing to impose them again in one month. Companies and consumers on edge, as the president vows that even new tariffs are still to come, what it means for your money. money. Also breaking a possible measles death in New Mexico, a person who died there testing positive for the virus just one week after the first death from the outbreak in decades in Texas. The new details just coming in. Plus, one of the most watched criminal cases this decade might finally be over. A judge ruling Adnan Syed profiled on the podcast serial does not have to return

to prison. Our legal team breaks down what happens next. Plus, the Pope speaks out. The new audio message from Pope Francis two weeks into his hospitalization with double pneumonia, what he told his supporters. Stopping a possible shooter, how passengers on board a plane tackled a teenager who snuck through security with a shotgun. The dramatic video just in. Fan death mystery. The charge is now filed against two men after three chiefs fans were discovered dead in a backyard last year. The DNA evidence investigators say was a break in the case.

High-flying rescue. Two hikers injured and stranded on a California mountain. The video of the dramatic rescue. They speak to us from their hospital beds and tell us how they survived for three days. And battle over booze. How the trade standoff between the U.S. and Canada is now pouring into liquor stores. Top story starts right now. in for Tom. Tonight, North America is reeling from the latest twist in President Trump's trade war, sweeping exemptions from his 25 percent tariffs on two of our closest trade partners, Canada and Mexico. The president announcing those tariffs no longer apply to goods imported under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. That's the deal he negotiated between the three

nations during his first term in office. The reversal coming after a call earlier today with Mexico's president, Claudia Scheinbaum, where she assured Trump Mexico is responding to his demands, cracking down on fentanyl flowing into the U.S. A senior administration official tells us the new exemptions apply to about half of Mexican products, as well as about 38% of Canadian goods. The tariff drawdown roiling the stock market yet again. After a midday rally, S&P 500 plunging more than 100 points on the day, finishing down nearly 2%. It's the same story across all the indexes. Look at this. The Dow losing another 530 points and the NASDAQ entering correction territory as investors panic over the constant changes coming from the White House. Some manufacturers in affected industries taking little comfort in the month-long reprieve. Since President Trump has promised this round of tariffs is just the beginning,

the president planning to impose additional tariffs on steel and aluminum next week on March 12th. And on April 2nd, the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico kick back in, along with reciprocal tariffs on every trade partner of the United States. Our senior business correspondent Christine Romans has been reporting out the changes on these tariffs all week, and she leads our coverage again tonight. President Trump tonight with another new stance on his own trade war, a partial reprieve on his 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada. We help them out with a problem.

were having having to do with the tariffs. We had a very good conversation. Following a call with Mexico's President Claudia Scheinbaum, Mr. Trump backing off on tariffs on imports that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that he negotiated during his first term. That's about half of Mexican imports and covers about 38 percent from Canada, according to a White House official, among them, cars, appliances, prescription drugs, produce, and textiles. going to be a very big day for America. But the president also made clear it's a pause for now. Now, these are countries and companies, foreign companies, that have been ripping us off.

Trump's saying the tariffs are on hold only until April 2nd, the same date he vows to match all international taxes from any U.S. trading partner. And for investors, the threats and then retreats meant more uncertainty. And for affected U.S. businesses, the back and forth. is part of the pain. Earlier this week, as the tariffs were set to take hold, we met Chuck Dardis, president of Alpha USA and auto parts manufacturer just outside Detroit. Chuck, tariffs on Canadian goods mean what for you in your business?

It means dramatically increased costs that we might not be able to recover. Now, with today's pause for Mexico and Canada, along with yesterday's announcement of a one-month exemption for auto import tariffs. certain for you right now. There really isn't a certainty for it. I feel that this is just kicking the can down the road. The only thing I guess to be certain is that we got 30 more days to worry about it. Border taxes on steel and aluminum begin March 12th. Relief for the auto industry ends April 2nd. Darta says that leaves companies like his exposed. If we were hit with the whole thing, you know, it could very well wipe out our net income, not just ours, but many others.

Romans joins us now on set. So, Christine, the February jobs report, that comes out tomorrow. I know investors are watching it closely. What are we expecting to see in that? And overall, is the sense from people who know that the market is, or the labor market, is relatively stable? Yeah, the labor market has been stable. But then you have this critical moment here where you've got the government, the federal government, all these layoffs that have been happening. We don't think those numbers are going to show up tomorrow yet. It might be next month or the month after. But also this critical new gauge we heard this week of layoffs that showed the highest number of layoffs in five years since COVID. Remember when COVID people are being laid off right and left? To have that gauge rise is something to really begin to watch. So a critical moment overall for the U.S. economy, all of these tariffs, tariff uncertainty breeds more uncertainty. And that could cause some parts of the economy to maybe slow their hiring a little bit while they're trying to figure out what happens next. All right. Christine Romans, thank you. And we are following some breaking news out of New Mexico tonight, where health officials say a resident who recently died had the measles virus.

The cause of death is still under investigation, but it comes a week after a child in Texas died from the measles, marking the first U.S. death from the disease in a decade. So let's get right to NBC's Emily Aketa. Emily, what else do we know about this death? Well, Alison, officials say the adult who was not vaccinated did test positive for measles. 10 cases have been identified in New Mexico. While just across state lines in West Texas, the number has risen to 159 cases. And officials say that is likely even higher. A child in Texas, as you said, died last week, marking the first measles death in the U.S. in a decade.

And now, Ellison, this could be the second. And, Emily, as this outbreak grows, health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated. What have we heard from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy? So in an op-ed earlier this week, HHS secretary and known vaccine skeptic, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said the decision to get vaccinated is a personal one, but wrote that vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity. Many of those who have gotten measles over the past month, according to health officials, have not been vaccinated, Ellison. Emily Aketa, thank you. Also, breaking tonight, SpaceX has lost control of its starship mega rocket in space. minutes after launch, with some of its engines shutting down. The launch facing a setback after

SpaceX lost altitude control and contact with the spacecraft. You can see the starship here tumbling through space. It is just the latest in a series of setbacks for this spacecraft. So for more on the launch, we are joined now by NBC's senior aviation correspondent Tom Costello, who is in Cape Canaveral. Tom, so glad to have you with us on this breaking news. I mean, walk us through what happened here what was supposed to happen what went wrong what other questions will experts be looking at in the hours and days ahead so this was the eighth test flight for starship and as you mentioned they had one go bad in January in which starship just like today but in January starship lifted off perfectly and then the ship itself started

breaking up once it got into space it broke up over the Caribbean raining to breathe down on the Turks and Caicos. It appears again tonight that Starship has broken up once it got to space, and yet again, there are reports at this hour, but we don't have them confirmed on the ground yet, but there are reports that yet again debris has rained down in the area of the Caribbean.

That's a vast area, I know, but it's hard to get an absolute location of where debris is falling, if it is falling. Separately, we can tell you that SpaceX says says that it has notified air traffic control to try to clear out the airspace in the event that some of this debris might pose a risk to aircraft in the area. Now, you're looking right there at the booster coming back down to Earth. It came down perfectly. Okay, there it is spinning out of control. But the other image was the booster coming back down perfectly, back down to the pad,

and it was grabbed by those two chopsticks, if you will, the maneuver that SpaceX has really trademarked an absolutely astonishing engineering feat to bring that back down perfectly, back down to the launch pad there in Boca, Chica, Texas could not have gone any better. Nobody else in the world has ever accomplished that. But the ship itself, the spaceship on top of that booster rocket is what apparently they lost control of once it did get into space. They also lost control of some of the engines. As you said, there are 33 Raptor engines on board. starship. So now the question is, where is starship? We simply don't know at this hour. We don't know if it broke up over the Caribbean. We don't know if it came down in pieces. If it's in one big

piece, we don't have that answer. And of course, we're very mindful that when you have debris like this raining down, you become concerned about the potential for people being hit, planes being hit, and of course, buildings and homes and the like. So we are right now gathering and looking for any evidence at all where, in fact, Starship might have come down. But because it's now the second time this has happened, this is going to raise a lot of questions about the safety of these launches coming out of Boca, Chica, Texas, and then, of course, the arc of their trajectory into space puts them out over the Caribbean. A little bit of a complication here in that, of course, Elon Musk is charged by President Trump with his Doge efforts to go into various agencies

and cut jobs, cut staffing levels, including the FAA. The FAA is the agency that is the regulator for SpaceX, the regulator for this launch. The FAA is the agency that approved this launch again today after the January mishap. So you can see, yet again, we're dealing with the potential for conflicts of interest on a lot of concern about where exactly Starship is right now. All right, a lot of really important reporting there. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Now to another major headline tonight, Adnan Syed, whose case became famous from the serial podcast, does not have to return to prison.

A judge making that decision late today, saying Syed will instead be subject to five years of supervised release. Syed spent more than 20 years in prison for the 1999 murder of Heyman Lee. He was released in 2022 after his original conviction was vacated. For more on this, let's bring in NBC News. analyst Danny Savalos. Okay, so Danny, the judge today saying she does not believe Adnan Syed is a, quote, danger to the public. The lawyer for the victim in this case, the family of the victim, issuing this statement saying, quote, the state of Maryland just last week acknowledged that it had presented false and misleading information to the court in support of

Mr. Syed's release more than two years ago. We now know there was never any new information that called into question Adnan Syed's guilty verdict. Absolutely. nothing changes the fact that Mr. Syed remains convicted of first-degree premeditated murder due to overwhelming direct and circumstantial evidence. For people who maybe have not been following all of the legal back-in-force on this case, take us through what has happened here, how and why the judge would say, okay, he can leave prison, stay out of prison, he has been out, but let him stay and also still be convicted of this crime.

For many people who have casually followed this case, what happened today will come as a surprise Because here's what today was not. Today had nothing to do with Adnan Syed's conviction, with overturning it, with any of the evidence of his guilt. Instead, Maryland passed a law some years ago that allows a juvenile, someone who committed a crime while a juvenile. And Syed was 17 years old at the time the alleged crime was committed. And then in line with the Supreme Court's decision some years before, that mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional. A juvenile may end up spending his life in prison, but a mandatory sentence is unconstitutional. So Maryland passed a law that said if a juvenile has been in prison for 20 years, he can petition to have the court look at it and maybe he can get out.

He might not get out. In fact, sometimes that request is denied. They have to wait three years before they apply again. So what happened today had absolutely nothing to do with everything else that we've been paying attention to, which is most recently the vacating of his conviction and then the reinstatement of that conviction. because members of the family were not allowed to be heard, that is totally separate. And they're going to continue, Syed's team is going to continue fighting his conviction on those grounds. However, all that happened today was really more a form of mercy. His conviction remains he's just out, essentially, for good behavior.

Okay, so that was going to be my next question, which you touched on it a little bit, but walk us through what could happen next. We spoke to supporters of Adnan Syed just the other week. Rabia Chaldry, who has been a vocal advocate, believes in his influence. in a sense, since really the beginning of all of this, and she took this case to the podcasters that made serial. She says Adnod was disappointed with what happened in court even a week ago or two weeks ago. Do we think we will see his team still try to push on different levels to get the conviction overturned? Oh, definitely. And truth is stranger than fiction. Nowhere is that more

true than in criminal defense. No one, including his own team, probably predicted that the thing that would guarantee he would never go back to prison wouldn't have to do with overturning his conviction. Instead, it's what happened today, which was a kind of statutory clemency, a judge saying you've been in prison long enough, you've behaved very well, you're still convicted, but we're going to let you out and just let you live on probation for a few years. All right. Danny Savalos, thank you so much. Next tonight to Washington, where President Trump is putting the brakes on Elon Musk's approach to cutting federal government, saying he's backing a more careful approach during a meeting

with his cabinet secretaries and the wealthiest man in the world. But this coming also, as he says the Department of Education will soon be cut. NBC's senior White House correspondent, Gabe Gutierrez, is at the White House. Two weeks after Elon must waive the chainsaw, this symbolizes Department of Government Efficiency's plans to shred federal spending. Tonight, President Trump says he wants a more measured approach. I want the cabinet members to keep good people. I don't want to see a big cut where a lot of good people are cut. The president posting, Doge, has been an incredible success, but for future downsizing, cabinet secretaries will be in charge and can be very precise

as to who will remain and who will go. Using a scalpel instead of a hatchet, the new limits on Musk come after some cabinet members had told their employees not to respond to Musk's directives to list their accomplishments. Elon and the group are going to be watching them, and if they can cut, it's better, and if they don't cut, then Elon will do the cutting. The president also saying today he spoke with advisors about eliminating the Department of education. Well, I want to just do it. I mean, we're starting the process. We're trying to get the schools back into the states. Let the states run the schools. Education is already largely

run by state and local governments. Just 8% of funding comes from the feds. But the department distributes billions of federal dollars to schools and manages federal student loans. The president says scrapping it would mean that responsibility might fall to other agencies. I don't think the education should be handling the loans. That's not their business. He argues, abolishing the department could help bring up low test scores by sending federal money back to states in block grants. In Louisiana, state superintendent of education, Cade Brumley supports that idea. We would welcome the opportunity here within the state of Louisiana to have more control and more say over the way in which students are educated. While Heather Stanbaugh, a high school

teacher in rural Ohio, worries any loss of federal funds would harm low-income families. Any number of those teachers, those aides that work with those students every day. If we can't find a way to recoup those funds, they are in absolute jeopardy. The president cannot wipe out an entire federal agency without Congress, but the administration may look for ways to defund specific programs instead. Will Representative Green present himself to the will? On Capitol Hill, tensions over the administration's agenda are boiling over. The House has come to order. The House had come to order.

Today, all Republicans and 10 Democrats voted to century. Texas Democrat Al Green for heckling President Trump during his address on Tuesday. Chaos erupting on the House floor. And Gabe joins us now from the North Lawn of the White House. Gabe, there is also news tonight related to Ukraine. Can you tell us more on the reports of peace talks restarting? Yeah, Alison, U.S. and Ukrainian officials are now set to meet next week in Saudi Arabia to discuss the framework for a ceasefire with Russia.

And in his evening address late tonight, Ukrainian President Zelensky saying that he will go next week to Saudi Arabia, signaling a thaw in relations after that explosive confrontation last week here at the White House Allison. And Gay, back to your reporting about this looming executive order on education. Have we heard anything this evening from lawmakers on Capitol Hill? Well, obviously, we haven't seen the text of any executive order, but this is something many Republicans have wanted for decades. even floated the idea of getting rid of the department. Now, House Speaker Mike Johnson today reiterated that he favors control, giving control over education back to local officials and states. Now, Democrats, of course, are vowing to fight this. They point out that only Congress can abolish the Department of Education, so they'll likely be plenty of legal challenges. But what's also interesting, Allison, is that even a few Republicans, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, for example,

are reluctant to back this idea, arguing that it should be up to Congress, not the executive branch else. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. For more on the future of the Department of Education, we wanted to have a conversation with two guests who have very different viewpoints. Arnie Duncan, former Secretary of Education during the Obama administration, and Erica Donald's American First Policy for Education Chair. Thank you both so much for joining us tonight. We Appreciate your time and insights in advance. Secretary Duncan, I want to start with you on this because you did serve in this department.

Make the case for us, for viewers, why in your view it is instrumental to our children's welfare? Well, I think the Department of Education does a couple of things that are really critical to help most specifically our nation's most vulnerable children. So whether it's three and four-year-olds trying to have a chance to go to pre-K, funding comes from that,

the Department of Agriculture, children who need lunch, who families can't afford lunch. That gets paid for through the Department of Agriculture. Children with special needs, 7.5 million across the country who need additional resources, children who live below the poverty line, rural children. And that's K-12. And you think about higher education, billions of dollars in loans, but also grants, Pell grants, to help first-generation college goers, children who weren't born with a silver spoon in the mouth, have a chance to go to college. And so anything that would take away resources from our nation's most vulnerable children when there are best chance at life is a chance to get a fantastic education. I simply

can't comprehend. Erica, let me ask sort of the same question for you on the other side. You've been an advocate for the abolishment of the Department of Education. Why? And walk us through from your perspective, how you think that would work or how it should work in terms of whether or not you are looking and wanting to see a full dismantlement of the Department of Education with Congressional approval, or if it is supporting some particular programs being defunded? Well, I agree with some of the things that the Secretary Duncan said, that we want this money to benefit those particular sets of students.

However, it has not. As much money as we have passed through the Department of Education, much of it has gone to bureaucracy or it has been wasted. Unfortunately, we have not seen a return on investment. where students in those low-income communities and students with special needs are not performing academically the way that we would expect. Unfortunately, we see only 10% of low-income students in the fourth grade are reading proficiently. It's totally unacceptable. We want to see those funds go directly to the states and allow the states to empower parents with those funds if parents

are going to make the best decisions for their children when it comes to especially students with special needs and low-income who need additional support and eliminate the bureaucracy that we are spending money on that is not helping students ultimately. The new secretary, Erica, Secretary McMahon said during her Senate confirmation, acknowledged that dismantling the agency would require congressional action. As far as I'm aware, that would mean that you would need seven Democrats to vote with all of the Republicans to break that 60-vote filibuster threshold. Do you think that is possible? And is that really what you want to see here? Or would you support the administration sort of taking a go-it-alone approach and targeting specific programs? And if so, what programs are you thinking need to be defunded within the Department of Education if they can't dismantle it entirely?

Sure. Well, I think we start with some of the programs we can agree want to remain, but should be in different departments, such as the Office of Civil Rights going over to justice, the financial aid and student loan portfolio going over to Treasury, for example. the NAEP and some of the data gathering that we do going over to the department that handles the census. We think we can get Congress to agree on that, and even some Democrats. There are also a lot of red tape and strings that Democrats would like to get rid of, as well as Republicans. And I think if we pick out those policies that we can agree on and start dismantling it piece by piece, and understanding that the data supports getting rid of some of these wasteful programs. It's not a one-size-fits-all approach, just like one-size-fits-all does not work in education. We can do this methodically. We can come to agreement on a lot of these issues. But most importantly, President Trump has a mandate. He promised during the campaign that he would dismantle and get rid of the Department of Education. And I believe he intends to make good on that. And Democrats should not stand in the way of allowing a vote on this on the Senate floor.

Secretary Duncan, what do you think? Do you believe there are some things that could change or should go within the Department of Education? If so, what are those areas where you think Democrats would be open to maybe making some change? changes? Or do you think that this is a department that, as it is, largely exist and functions in the best way, and it should be left as it is? I just think so much of this is just dishonest and disingenuous. So if you look at K-12 education, which is nowhere near where it needs to be, 90% of the funding comes at the state and local level. So when Trump says he's going to return things to the states, it's already at the state level. And I'm never one to point fingers to lay blame. But we look at low student performance, that has to come at the state and local level, because they're the 90% investors in that. And again, the federal money just helps to supplement what's

happening. If you move this to this department, this to that department, this to whatever, that'd be a bureaucratic nightmare for people trying to navigate that. At the end of the day, where we should be united, education should be developing bipartisan and nonpartisan issue, we have far too many children who are way too far behind academic need to help them learn how to read. There's not one thing Trump has said, not one word he's uttered that helps a single child learn how to read. That's what's just so fundamentally dishonest about all this to me. All right. Arnie Duncan and Erica Donalds, thank you both so much for your time this evening.

We really appreciate it. Thanks for having me. An update tonight on Pope Francis. The Pope making his first public remark since he was hospitalized for double pneumonia nearly three weeks ago. We don't see him, but we hear him. The Vatican releasing and playing the pontiff's. audio message during a nightly prayer service in St. Peter Square. In the recording, he is addressing supporters in Spanish, his native language. Take a listen.

said the 88-year-old is in stable condition and that he did not have any new setbacks. Still ahead tonight, the death row inmate choosing to die by firing squad tomorrow, why he made the choice. Plus, the mystery as to how these Kansas City Chiefs fans were found dead in the cold finally answered. We'll tell you who's now charged with their deaths. And the FBI putting a new target on their 10 most wanted list, this one, a former Olympic snowboarder. What he's accused of next on top story. We're back now with an execution less than 24 hours away. In South Carolina, inmates on death row can choose lethal injection, electrocution, or the firing squad. The latter is

how 67-year-old Brad Sigmund is choosing to be executed. His lawyer explaining that decision to NBC News tonight ahead of the fourth execution by firing squad in the last 50 years. NBC News Daily anchors in Clay S.I. Has this report. A metal chair, a hood over his head, and a target over his heart. That is how death row inmate Brad Sigmund is set to be executed on Friday, a death by firing squad. Brad is aware of what the firing squad will do to him. He knows it's going to break his bones. He knows it's going to destroy his organs, but the alternative is potentially an excruciating 20-minute death. Sigmund was convicted of first-degree murder for killing his ex-girlfriend's parents with a

baseball bat in 2002. Sigmund's lawyer, Bo King, says he believes the firing squad offers fewer unknowns than lethal injection. The protocol contains none of the information about the drugs that you would want to know before making the choice. It doesn't tell you, what their expiration date is, it doesn't tell you their potency, it doesn't tell you how they're stored. That's the information that Brad has asked for repeatedly, and that's the information that the state refuses to provide. According to South Carolina's Department of Corrections, the state's last three executions by lethal injection lasted more than 20 minutes. But the state says the condemned were unconscious for most of that time. Sigmund's lawyers say a state autopsy revealed excruciating

conditions. Two of the inmates' lungs filling with liquids and experience critics say is akin to waterboarding. The state says it's followed its protocols precisely. What we know from the firing squad is that a death by firing squad happens almost immediately. It doesn't mean it's not going to be painful, but lethal injection is absolutely painful as we're now coming to realize. It just takes longer. Some legal experts say secrecy laws, like South Carolina's and common among death penalty states hide issues with lethal injection. One of the reasons Brad Sigmund says that he's choosing execution by firing squad is that he feels he does not have enough information from the state about their lethal injection protocol. How does that work? I would not assume that the states know

what they're doing. The states are using secrecy to hide what lethal injection is. from A to Z. They can't get the drugs that they need to inject. They can't get the qualified medical personnel that they need. And all too often, they can't access the prisoner's vein. The closer we look, the more we know about these execution protocols, the more problematic they are. South Carolina could not obtain lethal injection drugs for years until it shielded its suppliers with a secrecy law in 2023. Drug manufacturers would not furnish South Carolina with the lethal drugs because we had no shield law. So once they said that, only alternative was the electric chair. Attorney Dickhart Putlian was the state senator who introduced the bill to legalize

the firing squad in 2021. They'd have this choice, which I thought was more humane until we could get a shield law. South Carolina is not the only state turning to alternative methods to kill. Later this month, Louisiana will gas a prisoner with nitrogen, a method first tested by Alabama last year. The firing is legal in four other states, with Arizona now considering the same. All as multiple civil rights groups continue to oppose the death penalty altogether. And on Friday, just three media witnesses are expected to be in the room. Suddenly the curtain opened. And Mr. Gardner was already sitting in the chair. And he's got this white square on his chest, like a target. The firing squad was last used in the United States 15 years ago in Utah to execute Ronnie Lee Gardner.

Jennifer Dobner was there. So we heard like boom, boom, not just one single report. And and like the target on his chest kind of blew up, the fabric kind of blew up. And then it was really, really quiet after that. And the medical examiner came out about two minutes later and pronounced him dead. And that's the fate that awaits Brad Sigmund. Zinclair Samoa, NBC News. Now to an update on the tragic deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans. Do men have now been charged with manslaughter more than a year after the friends were found dead in a backyard. NBC's Marquis Francis has the details. Tonight, criminal charges in the mysterious 2024 deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans.

Three men are dead because of the dangers of street drugs. For instance, high school, Ricky Johnson, David Harrington, and Clayton McGinney were found dead. two days after gathering to watch the chief's play, in the backyard of a home rented by a fourth friend, Jordan Willis. Prosecutors now revealing their causes of death. Mr. McGeeney, Mr. Harrington, and Mr. Johnson all died of fentanyl and cocaine combined toxicity. Tonight, Willis and the man police say confessed to selling him cocaine, Ivory Carson, are each charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of delivery of a controlled substance. Inside Willis's home, police say they found one bag of cocaine with Willis's DNA and one bag of fentanyl with Carson's DNA on it.

According to court documents, witnesses told police they saw the victims consuming alcohol and marijuana, and text messages show the men agreed to be supplied with cocaine. This is a message to those that are bringing fentanyl into our communities, providing it to people, harming our community, that you will be held accountable, you will be arrested, and you will be charged. Willis's attorney says his client plans to plead not guilty. He's told me since day one he didn't have any part in purchasing or distributing drugs to anyone that day. Attorneys for Carson could not immediately be reached for comment. It's a partial closure.

Yeah, someone's being held responsible, which was what my family wanted all along. McGinney's family relieved charges have finally been brought. Now let's hope that the prosecutors can have a super, super, super, super. super solid case, so they spend time in prison. I need to go to jail. And each charge that Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson faces carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. And Willis's attorney told us his client maintains his innocence and anticipates that this will go to a jury trial. Ellison? Markis-Francis, thank you. The FBI adding a new target to their most wanted list. This one in Olympian. Up next, what he did and why he's been so hard to capture.

And the battle over booze. We talked to the leader in Canada who has banned American liquor, why he says he's not backing down. Back now with Top Stories News Feed and new details in that Philadelphia plane crash that left seven people dead in January. A preliminary report from the NTSB revealing there were no distress calls made. They also said the cockpit voice recorder or blackbox never recorded the flight audio and likely did not work for several years. The medical jet crashed in northeast Philadelphia shortly after takeoff.

A New Jersey police officer hailed as a hero after saving a man from a burning car. New body camera footage shows the officer racing onto the scene of that accident in Bridgewater Township. Once he realized a person is still trapped inside of the car, he runs towards the burning wreckage, quickly pulling an unconscious 44-year-old driver out from the flames. Officials say the driver crashed into the back of an empty tanker truck. Luckily, amazingly, everyone is expected to be okay. And dramatic video out of Australia capturing the moment passengers tackled a teenager attempting to board a flight with a gun.

Authorities say a 17-year-old boy attempted to board a jet star flight from Avalon to Sydney disguised as a maintenance worker with a shotgun and ammunition. Video shows daring passengers tackling the boy to the floor, holding him down until police arrived. The boy was arrested and passengers evacuated the plane safely. Police are investigating the incident now with counterterror teams. Next to a major shift from the Trump administration, the White House revealing it has been speaking directly to Hamas about the hostages remaining in Gaza. That is a departure from a longstanding American policy to not engage with designated terrorist organizations. With private negotiations underway, Trump publicly writing on truth social, quote,

To the people of Gaza, a beautiful future awaits, but not if you hold hostages. If you do, you are dead. Make a smart decision. Release the hostages now, or there will be held to pay later. For more on these developments, we're joined by NBC's Matt Bradley from Tel Aviv. Matt, I mean, this is a major shift, and it comes as that tentative truce between Hamas and Israel has reached a very critical issue. impasse, right? What does this mean most likely for those negotiations moving ahead?

Yeah, I mean, that's a big question, right? We're about to see in two days the week anniversary since the expiration date of the first phase of that tenuous truce that you were just describing. And so far, despite these revelations of really what you were saying, a paradigm shift in the diplomacy here in the Middle East, with the U.S. speaking directly to Hamas. It's unclear that either the sides have moved despite this big change. And really, that kind of indicates that maybe this is more symbolic than practical. Because we have to remember here, Ellison, the fact is, is that while it is a big deal that the U.S. is reaching out directly to Hamas for the first time ever, their U.S. has always spoken to Hamas through intermediaries.

So it's unclear whether or not this is going to represent the very much-needed breakthrough. Much needed, especially for the, you know, more than two million Gazans who not. now face an impending return to war if these negotiations don't work out. And Matt, the U.S. has said that Israel knew about these talks prior to it being reported. What are Israeli officials saying about all of it, the fact that it's being reported and also that these meetings have been happening? Yeah, I mean, we haven't heard that much from Israeli officials considering the fact that this had happened under the Biden administration, and we can probably assume that this would

have been landing with outrage here in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The fact is that we did hear from the prime minister's office. They gave a very terse statement when the news came out saying that they knew these negotiations were happening. But the fact is that we haven't heard much in the way of protests. We did hear just one thing from Israel's official envoy to their consul general in New York. He was asked about this, and he told Israeli media that he was okay with it. It sounds as though because this is by the Trump administration, which it seems can do no wrong as far as Jerusalem is concerned at this point, that this is something that the Israeli regime, the Israeli administration of Benjamin Netanyahu is very much open to. This is a situation that is in need of some kind of breakthrough. And the fact that we're seeing an embrace of new diplomatic methods, that could be welcomed by all sides.

Ellison. International correspondent Matt Bradley, thank you. An update tonight on a story we first told you about several months ago. The FBI now offering a $10 million reward on a former Olympic snowboarder who investigators say is behind a massive drug ring and thought to be hiding in South America or Mexico. NBC's Morgan Chesky has the latest. He chased gold on Olympic slopes. Tonight the FBI's chasing Ryan James Wedding, offering a $10 million reward for the Canadian snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin. Wedding went from being an elite athlete to running one of the most sophisticated drug trafficking networks in North America.

The FBI adding wedding to their top 10 most wanted fugitives. The 43-year-old who the FBI says may go by El Hefe and Public Enemy is wanted for allegedly orchestrating multiple murders, running a transnational drug ring that the DOJ says routinely smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. This operation has shipped drugs from Colombia through Mexico and into the U.J. United States and Canada. His manhunt coming amid tariffs, President Trump hopes, will pressure both Mexico and Canada to stop the flow of drugs from crossing borders. Wedding, who is wealthy, is dangerous and has connections in very high places.

Investigators say wedding is likely hiding in Mexico or South America and living under protection of the Sinaloa cartel. An alleged partner of wedding, Andrew Clark, was removed from Mexico last week to make his first U.S. federal court appearance. Investigators say from May to October of last year, the pair conspired to distribute nearly two tons of cocaine. Morgan Chesky, NBC News. Up next, the amazing survival story. Two hikers fall down a snowy cliff stranded for three days.

The new video of their dramatic rescue. We talked to them from their hospital beds. More top story next. Back now with an incredible story of survival out of science. Southern California. Two hikers plunging 800 feet down the side of a cliff, surviving two nights in the frigid wilderness as first responders battled treacherish conditions to try and reach them. They spoke to NBC's Camilla Bernal late today from the hospital where they are now recovering. One wrong step sent California hikers Christopher Ng and Veda Lynn tumbling 800 feet down a cliffside

in the San Jacinto Mountains. The pair incredibly survived. surviving that fall and two nights in the frigid wilderness, now speaking out from their hospital beds. It was just like straight, like panic. My face is all gashed up. I was trying to like kind of belly flat as we were going down to stop momentum. My left shoe fell off and then, you know, my basically my foot was like exposed the elements. The Riverside County Sheriff's Office says its helicopters spotted the hikers after they called 911 on Saturday afternoon. down there. But heavy winds made an airlift impossible. I think since I had that 911 call out, I was just like, Chris, we need to one get together to stay warm and conserve body heat. And then we also found a tree and we're kind of like at the bottom of a tree to kind of shield from

the wind that was really cold. And honestly, the only thing going through my mind was like, we have to survive this so that, you know, hopefully in the next few hours or so, like, people will come. The Sierra Madre search and rescue team braving the blinding snow, ice, and high altitude to reach Christopher and Veda on foot, using a system of ropes and stretchers to move them down the mountain and starting a fire to keep the injured hikers warm. They're just so, just so happy just to see them coming and then like we could really like as they were approached and just felt like you know things were going to be okay their presence was just so comforting and I think at that point chris and I knew we were going to be okay on day three finally the sound of a rescue helicopter

piercing the mountain silence their ride out finally arriving Christopher rescued on a stretcher and hoisted to safety. My pelvis is like fractured and then like mostly like my legs have like big like gashes on them. Veda next lifted in a harness. I have fractures on my spine, hip, my face is fractured as well as my sternum and then this is like frostbite over here as well as like open wound. Both hikers transported to a hospital in Palm Springs where they are now recovering. down, rest your head down. All right. How are you feeling? Honestly, just super grateful for life. Just like so happy to be alive. With recovery in sight, they're now ready to tackle the uphill climb ahead of them. Camila Bernal, NBC News. When Top Story returns, the leader in

Canada who is banning American liquor, American company saying it is far worse than tariffs, why he says he is not backing down. That's next. Finally tonight, the booze battle brewing between the U.S. and Canada. The escalating trade war between the neighboring nations sparked by President Trump's 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Across Canada, scenes like this. Lickers imported from the U.S. pulled off of shelves, including top brands like Jack Daniels whiskey, and it could pose a serious threat to the U.S.'s international alcohol sales. According to Canada's Department of Agriculture, Kentucky alone exported $76 million

worth of whiskey and other spirits to Canada in 2023. In the province of Manitoba, Premier Wab Knoo signing an order to remove American-made alcohol from stores in response to the tariffs. This order is pulling American booze off the liquor-mark shelves. And we are joined now by Premier Wab Canoe. Premier, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us here at Top Story. Talk to us about how you made the decision to sign that executive order, and now with some things changing in the United States with the White House, is your position still what it was then? Yes, it is. And thanks for having me. There is, of course, news today of this pause, if you will, by President Trump until April 2nd. But that's not good enough for us. And I would say Americans shouldn't feel like that's good enough either.

I think we all want to have lower prices, a better, more affordable cost of living. And this Trump tariff tax, it's only going to increase prices. And so we're trying to send that message to the American public using these different tools that we have. Pulling U.S. liquor off the shelves is one of them. We've got a lot of buying power. Our province alone buys about $80 million and a billion dollars, our province next door. So these are the tools that we're using to try and send that message to the American public saying, hey, you want cheaper eggs, you want cheaper beef, pork, electricity, gas.

Guess what Canada gives you. We give you all of those things and more. So the sooner we can get past the tariffs and pass these 30-day exemptions, the sort of whiplash effect that we've been seeing, the sooner that we can start to focus on lowering costs for people in both of our countries. Do you think so far the American public is getting the message that you were hoping, they would get? Or do you think there are other actions that you may be considering taking to try and ensure they understand it? Well, we've been hearing from a lot of Americans. Some of our

neighboring states, you've heard Governor Tim Walls be very outspoken as one example. But I think more and more Americans, I would just encourage you to speak out and let the administration know that you want President Trump to focus on lowering prices instead of trying to raise prices by putting this new tariff tax into place. So in response to your question, we are looking at other ways. One of the things that we do as a province is we export a lot of electricity, baseload power to the Midwestern states. And right now in this age of artificial intelligence,

baseload power is super, super valuable. It's powering all of these data centers that are making these breakthroughs that are transforming our economy. I would personally love to be exporting more power to the United States. I'd be liking to work together to create more innovation and to create more jobs in both of our countries. But so long as there's this Trump tariff tax in place, we're going to have to keep looking at tools like putting these restrictions on U.S. liquor or putting restrictions potentially. We haven't confirmed that yet on electricity that we export. And again, the more we go back and

forth, the more that's going to raise the cost of living for everybody. So we'd like to see President Trump just take the tariff threat off the table. And let's focus on lower. and costs for everybody. So when it comes to the liquor issue in particular, the CEO of Brown Foreman, the parent company of Jack Daniels whiskey and other liquor brands, he has said that taking American alcohol off of Canadian shelves is, in his view, quote, worse than a tariff because it's literally taking your sales away, adding that's a very disproportionate response to a 25% tariff. What is your response to that?

Well, my response is to the American public. Again, I think everybody wants to focus on lower-green costs on both sides of the border. And we have a long-standing friendship. People in my province, we love to do cross-border shopping in the U.S. We love to host Americans to see our polar bears and to visit the other tourist destinations that we have. Let's focus on that. And if you want to send a message of resistance or opposition, for sure, voice your view to the Trump administration. But, hey, maybe instead of buying Jack Daniels for the whiskey, you could bring out.

You could buy Crown Royal, which is distilled in our province. So, again, we're using these tools that we have, where we have leverage, whether it's on buying certain products from the U.S., or whether it's exporting things like electricity to America, to get the attention of the American people to say, hey, these Trump-tariff taxes are just going to increase the cost of living. Let's go in the other direction. Let's try to make life more affordable. That's been my priority as a leader, and I'm reaching out with that warm and hearty handshake

to Americans saying, why don't we work together and try to lower costs for people on both sides of the border? A lot to watch here. Premier Wab Canoe, thank you so much. We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us tonight, and I'm sure we will be speaking with you again in the near future. Thank you. Thank you so much. And thank you at home for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way.