Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, May 2, 2024

Episode Date: May 3, 2024

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

Tonight, unrest over the war in Gaza, turning some college campuses into a battle zone. At UCLA, police in riot gear firing off rubber bullets and tear gas to demolish an encampment. Hundreds take it into custody in the largest standoff since demonstrations began. Students at Rutgers University in New Jersey defined a deadline to disperse. President Biden speaking out for the first time his messages as universities grapple with how to handle the growing crisis. Also tonight, the prosecution in former President Trump's hush money case playing a secret recording. The jury hearing Trump and his former fixer Michael Cohen discussing the payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, what it reveals. Britney's breakdown? New

images of Britney Spears as first responders are called to a famous Los Angeles hotel. A massive inferno shuts down a major highway, a gas tanker exploding into flames right on I-95, the concerns the busy interstate could be closed for days. Plus, one of the world's most popular prize fighters accused of cheating. A new report saying Ryan Garcia took a performance-enhancing drug for one of the biggest fights of his career, a fight he says he made more than $10 million on because he took out a bet on himself. So what happens to his career and those millions if he cheated?

And would you pay $1,000 for a restaurant reservation? that's now a reality for people desperate to dine at the best spots New York City has to offer with restaurants booked for months. A new platform is betting on diners to pay up big. We speak with one of the city's fiercest restaurant critics about forking over the extra fees before you even eat.

Top story starts right now. And good evening as more colleges are rocked by protest. over the Israel Hamas war. Tonight, something we have not seen on campus yet. Those are the sights and sounds of a violent confrontation on campus, a barrage of rubber bullets and plumes of tear gas flooding an encampment during a tense standoff at UCLA. clashes leading to more than 200 arrests. Daylight revealing widespread destruction.

You see it here at the Los Angeles campus. Officials telling NBC News the cost of that damage is in the millions. Protests ignited by Columbia University nearly two weeks ago have spread to nearly 60 campuses across the U.S. resulting in more than 2,000 arrests. President Biden breaking his silence on the matter, condemning the violence and rejecting the demands of protesters saying he won't change his course of action in the war on Gaza. At Portland State University, police and Reich you're storming a library occupied by demonstrators for three days. And at New Jersey's Rutgers

University, protesters to find a deadline there to clear out an encampment or standing by for any developments. Tonight, a public defender representing arrested students speaks to top story. But first, NBC's Liz Croyd starts us off with the latest on the situation at UCLA. with the clashes between college campus demonstrators and police reaching new heights today president Biden condemning violent disruptive protests vandalism trespassing breaking windows shutting down campuses forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations none of this is a peaceful protest threatening people intimidating people instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest it's against the law. Dozens of universities and colleges across the country continuing to grapple with

how to handle the growing movement of pro-Palestinian demonstrators. This morning at UCLA, law enforcement breaching the massive encampment just before dawn. All right, please and say right now, you hear the flashbangs there, but the police, they are breaching the barrier, trying to make their way into the encampment. The students, though, they were pushing back and trying to hold the line. Demonstrators, many of them in hard helmets and gas masks, appearing to use fire extinguishers aimed at police trying to fend them off, police pushing back with overwhelming numbers. California Highway Patrol officers making hundreds of arrests. We're not going to back down. We have to be forced. Students demanding

divestment from Israel, but also taking their protests beyond the war in Gaza, calling for defunding the police as well, and asking supporters to bring them supplies, including material for shields, umbrellas and water. Today, the campus left covered in trash and busted tents. The university's iconic Royce Hall defaced with graffiti. Some of those arrested, now released from a downtown jail speaking out. How do I feel I've never felt more proud of myself or my community? Across the country at Columbia University in New York, the NYPD today releasing portions

of body cam video from Tuesday night's raid to clear Hamilton Hall. Police finding protesters sitting on the ground with arms linked. Nationwide, more than 2,100 arrests have been made connected with campus protests. Today, Portland State University campus closed down as police made 12 arrests and cleared the school's library. Overnight, four arrested at Yale, 90 removed from campus at Dartmouth. And at the University of Wisconsin's Madison campus, defiant students reestablishing their tents just 24 hours after police disbanded the there. We're going to be here indefinitely until they meet our demand. Back at UCLA, cleanup is underway. Professor Graham Blair, who was arrested this morning in the encampment, is defending

the student's right to protest, despite some of the tactics they've used. I think anyone who is worried about graffiti on buildings on a college campus needs to come visit a college campus. It's 18-year-olds who are learning for the first time how to express themselves. All right, with that, Liz joins us now live from Los Angeles. Liz, you were there every step in the way. What is the university saying about what played out there this morning? Yeah, hey Tom. Well, the UCLA Chancellor has put out a lengthy statement where clearly he is trying to straddle all sides here,

trying to be sympathetic to the movement that these protesters have related to what is happening in Gaza, but also drawing a line when it comes to what is legal and what is not here on campus and also trying to be sympathetic to many Jewish students who feel unsafe here. Ultimately, the chancellor is saying that the university gave the protesters here several warnings and chances to leave peacefully, but that that did not happen and that they had to move in, that this is unlawful, that it had become a huge disruption for his words on campus and that it had to be removed in order to restore campus safety, Tom.

Liz, before you go, is there any chance they could regroup and come back to campus? Is there any talk of that? That is a very good question. I've asked some of the protesters or people affiliated with the protesters what the plan is. It seems like there's no plan at this moment. A lot of these protesters have just been released from jail, but they are very organized. It is very likely they are going to regroup in some way. And one of the faculty members here at UCLA who's been there supporting the protesters was arrested this morning.

He said that he's been talking to the protesters and that they, say, look, we have told the university we are not going to stand down until our demands for the university that I bets from Israel are met. And so if that means coming back or some other activity, it seems like they're not done yet, Tom. Liz Croyd, some phenomenal reporting from the team from NBC News that was there all night and in the morning. We appreciate all of that. As we mentioned, more than 200 people were arrested on UCLA's campus last night and processed at the jail downtown. For more of what's next for them, Ricardo Garcia is a public defender in Los Angeles County who is providing legal advice to those people arrested on UCLA's campus.

Ricardo, thanks for joining Top Story. We've seen the videos. We just got the report. Tell me what you're hearing from the students you're advising right now. Well, you know, our immediate concerning what we're doing with the students is to ensure that they're fairly treated under the law and that any individual involved in the recent events at UCLA understands what their rights are now that they've been arrested. Have they been charged?

And if they've been charged, what are of the crimes? We don't know about any charges. That's going to depend on the prosecuting agencies and what they decided doing it. They've been arrested. They've been booked. A lot of them have been released. Lawyers from my office are there to give them advice, counsel them, ensure that they know what their rights are, and to make sure that everybody involved understands about the presumption of innocence. And these young people are presumed innocent until the contrary is proven. What are they telling your lawyers? I mean, because a lot of these college students, it might be the first. time they've been on the wrong side of the law and they had to spend a night in jail or at least a few hours. Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of the things that they're concerned about with regards to the

process is just that what's going to happen next? Are they going to be charged? Are they going to go to jail? What's going to happen to them? And so it's really an individual basis, but our team is there to give them the best advice they can based on what allegations may have been made at the time, especially if they've been booked and released, what happens? They're promising to come back at a future court date.

And truly at that court date, if the prosecuting agencies decide to charge them, that we'll get more intimately involved in their cases, if necessary. Ricardo, is there any question whether they did commit crimes? You look at the videos, you heard the report, they were given multiple warnings. The university said that's it. The police moved in, and then these people were arrested. You know, that's a question that public defenders get our entire careers. And that's really not what we're there to decide. It's not for me or my lawyers or the lawyers that are there helping these young people to decide.

they did or didn't do. It's our responsibility, regardless of that, to ensure that they're protected by the loan. Let me ask you a different way then. Is defending these students going to be easy or is it going to be difficult? It's hard to say, you know, we don't have, there aren't any charges filed. So until those charges are filed, we get police reports, those things can be reviewed. It'd be premature for me to make any kind of speculation as to the complexity of the cases. Do you think, you know, we heard about the threats to expel students in Columbia, do you think the if they are criminally charged in Los Angeles, do you think some of these students could be expelled from the campus

or do you think UCLA won't go that far? I don't know how UCLA handles that kind of thing, so I really am not able to really say anything about that. Ricardo Garcia, we thank you for joining Top Story tonight. We do want to move on. Those campus protests now emerging as a major factor in the upcoming election. President Biden condemning the protests for their escalating violence,

but still facing backlash from both sides of the aisle. Some on the right saying he didn't speak out soon enough, and some on the left saying he hasn't supported Palestinians enough. All the while, Trump firmly praising police for breaking up those demonstrations. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez at the White House with all of it. President Biden's condemnation of violent campus protests are his first on-camera comments about the growing controversy in more than a week. There's the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos. The president says he won't call in the National Guard, and he bluntly rejected the protesters' demands to change his policy in the Middle East. Mr. President, have the protest forced you to reconsider any of the policies with regard to the region?

No. President Biden is facing mounting political pressure. Some Democrats want him to do more to support Palestinians, while many Republicans are blasting him for not speaking out earlier. In moments like this, there are always those who rush into score political points. But this isn't a moment for politics. It's a moment for clarity. Still, the war is playing a larger role in the 2024 campaign. We command a ceasefire.

For months on the trail, the president's face growing pro-Palestinian protests. I used to the ballroom until I realized who he realized. But the tensions are boiling over this week. He's a radical left lunatics. And they've got to be stopped now because it's going to go on and on. Former President Trump is praising the police. response at Columbia University. It was a beautiful thing to watch, New York's finest.

But Mr. Trump is also drawing controversy for an interview where he would not commit to respecting the outcome of the election, saying if everything's honest, I'll gladly accept the results. If it's not, you have to fight for the right of the country. The president firing back late today. Mr. President, are you worried that Trump says he won't accept the election results? Back to the president's remarks on the protest, they were a last-minute add to his schedule. And the White House insists the president was not bowing to political pressure.

Biden campaign officials, meanwhile, previously downplayed the college protests, arguing that young people care more about other issues like the economy and abortion rights. Tom? Gabe Gutierrez, we thank you for that. Now to the war in Gaza, where ceasefire negotiations are ramping up between, Israel and Hamas. Tonight, the U.S. working to strike a deal. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returning from a meeting with Israel's prime minister and what some officials are describing as a final chance to broker peace. For more on this, NBC's Ralph Sanchez,

joins us tonight from Tel Aviv. Ralph, that might be one step too far, right? There's still be time to try to get peace here, but the world has been waiting for several days. For now, for Hamas' response to the latest ceasefire proposal, where do things stand? So, Tom, Israel was bracing today for Hamas to give a definitive answer, yes or no, to this latest ceasefire proposal, which would see Hamas release 33 hostages in exchange for a 40-day ceasefire and the release of potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Instead, Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyah, spoke to the head of Egyptian intelligence, who's been a key mediator throughout this, and indicated that there is more Hamas wants to talk about.

I want to read you just a little bit of this statement. He said, Hamas's negotiating delegation would come to Egypt as soon as possible to complete the ongoing discussions with the aim of maturing an agreement that fulfills the demands of our people. Now, Tom, you could look at that as a potential positive that Hamas has not said no. It feels that there is enough in there that it is worth talking about. But it also signals Hamas is in no rush to give this answer. the State Department earlier today saying that the only thing standing in between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire right now is a decision by Hamas leadership. And then, Raf, earlier this week, Netanyahu said he's still considering a ground invasion of Rafa, right, with or without a deal.

What is the U.S. response, and couldn't that completely derail negotiations? Yeah, it definitely could. Hamas said if Israel goes into Rafa on the ground, that is the end of these talks. Now, we are seeing over the course of the day, Israeli tanks massing on the Gaza border, apparently in preparation, to move into Rafah. It's possible, Tom, that this is a negotiating tactic, that Netanyahu is trying to put pressure on Hamas. He's also under a lot of pressure himself from the far right of his government, which says that this is a terrible deal and that what Israel needs to do instead is to go into Rafah and destroy those remaining Hamas battalions.

But the line from the United States has been pretty consistent for a long time now, which is the U.S. does not believe that Israel can go into Rafa without causing major harm to those million-plus Palestinian civilians sheltering in the city and without disrupting the flow of humanitarian aid into the strip. Tom. Raf, Sanchez, from Tel Av, we thank you. Back here at home to the latest on former President Trump's New York hush money trial. The jury today hearing from Keith Davidson, the lawyer who negotiated payoffs to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, Davidson clashing with Trump's attorneys, as they implied he's extorted celebrities for cash, like Hulk Hogan, and his stunning testimony about Trump's former fixer-turned-star prosecution witness Michael Cohen. Laura Jarrett was in the court today. She has the latest.

Former President Trump arriving at court today, watching his defense team go on offense, casting a key prosecution, as out to extort him for money. The defense hoping to discredit Keith Davidson, the lawyer who negotiated payoffs for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Both threatened to go public with stories of sex with Mr. Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Mr. Trump has denied the allegations of both women and denied any advanced knowledge of the payoffs.

His defense team suggesting today Davidson had a habit of shaking down celebrities like Charlie Sheen for money. Davidson saying he never extorted anyone. testifying at length about his negotiations with Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump's former attorney. But admitting today, he never met nor spoke to the former president. Instead, he dealt exclusively with Cohen, who he painted as desperate and despondent, that then-President-elect Trump would not make him Attorney General or White House Chief of Staff, describing a phone call where Cohen lamented,

I can't believe I'm not going to Washington. Cohen's saying he'd save Trump so many times, you don't even know. Davidson testifying about Cohen, I thought he was going to kill himself. A helpful point for the defense as it tries to cast Cohen as having an axe to grind against Mr. Trump. The former president is accused of illegally doctoring his internal records to disguise his repayments to Cohen, making Cohen's testimony critical for prosecutors who are now seeking additional fines against Mr. Trump, saying he violated a gag order again by calling his former fixer a liar. While the defense argues the former president should be allowed to defend himself against Cohen's frequent criticism.

Now I'm unconstitutionally gagged. He gagged me. So I'm not even supposed to be, I would say, talking to you because he gagged me. Laura Jarrett joins us tonight outside that courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Laura, I want you to take our viewers inside the courtroom if you can. What happened when they started playing those secret Michael Cohen tapes? How did the jury react? Tom, the jury is engaged. They're paying attention. They are awake.

They're taking notes. They're making eye contact with the prosecutor. It's interesting. I don't catch them often looking at the former president, if at all. They do a very good job keeping a poker face, so they're not sort of sewing surprise, even if they are surprised, as they're listening to the former president of the United States on tape, talking to his former fixer about paying women in cash. but it's interesting to sort of watch them try to keep composure.

Let's talk about legal strategies now. A lot of testimony in the cross-examination of Keith Davidson was about how Michael Cohen essentially fell apart when he found out he wouldn't be going to Washington within President-elect Trump. At one point, Davidson, even saying he thought Cohen was going to kill himself. I interviewed Davidson years ago. He told me the exact same thing. What do you think the defense is trying to show here as far as Cohen is concerned?

What they want to show is that Cohen is so unstable and so angry and so out for revenge that he cannot be trusted. They're trying to get that out now before Cohen even comes and is subject to cross-examination himself to put it in the minds of the jury so that when they hear about Cohen from now on, they go, oh yeah, we heard about him. We heard how frazzled and angry he was that he didn't land that job in the White House. Now, Davidson also is sort of, you know, summarizing things that he thought Cohen was feeling and saying, we did not hear a tape of Cohen in his own words saying that way we, I assure, soon will, Tom. That will come up soon. And, of course, Cohen will eventually have to testify himself. And then let's switch over to the prosecution now.

Again, Keith Davidson, he was Stormy Daniel's attorney. What did the prosecution do with him? Did they score any points in their line of questioning? Well, they established exactly how these payments. were made. He's obviously the one who's at the center of it because he's representing Stormy Daniels at the time. And so he describes all the back and forth negotiations. And I think really gave the jury a sense of how desperate Cohen was to make sure that Stormy Daniels' story stayed quiet, both before the election. And even after, in the weeks after he's been elected, Tom, in

2016, leading up through inauguration day. And even after, we saw Cohen desperately trying to make sure that none of it came out. And I think all of that was very effective. Laura Jared at the courthouse for us. Laura, we thank you for that. Still ahead. A front road of the opioid crisis are Priscilla Thompson riding along with first responders in Austin as the city sees get this a 1,000 percent spike in overdose calls. What they believe is leading to this deadly spike. Plus the highway inferno in Connecticut, have you seen this? A truck carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel crashing and exploding the investigation into how much damage was left behind. And concern tonight? For Britney Spears, after this photograph was taken outside of a Hollywood hotel, she's barefoot, wrapped in a blanket, what we know about the 911 call made from that hotel. Stay with us. Back now with the latest troubling incident involving Britney Spears. She was seen early this morning exiting a Los Angeles hotel.

Here she is covered in a blanket, barefoot, and appearing disheveled, following a 911 one call coming from that hotel, the Chateau Marmont, reporting an injury. I want to turn things over to NBC News Entertainment correspondent Chloe Malas, who joins us down in studio. Chloe, I know you've been speaking to people close to Brittany. She's also posted some stuff on social media. Get us caught up, but it's up to speed. Yeah, so we know that the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived to the Chateau Marmont, this landmark hotel that has been known for its celebrity parties. It was one of Britney Spears's haunts in the early 2000s, where she was frequently seen with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.

back in the days when she would be chased by paparazzi after her divorce from Kevin Federline, pre-conservatorship. And these two sources close to Britney Spears telling me this afternoon that there was an incident involving Brittany and her on and off again boyfriend, Paul Siles. This is someone that worked in Britney Spears' home in 2022. They began dating. This was after she and Sam Ashgari, her estranged husband where things were falling apart in their marriage. they say that Brittany injured her foot, that she declined medical attention when the paramedics

came, and that Brittany went home with her security without this on and on again, off again, boyfriend Paul Siles, and that she's home and she's safe. Brittany now, though, taking to social media on Instagram with a lengthy post saying that it's much of due about nothing, that she twisted her ankle, but that paramedics showed up to her door, assuming her hotel room door, unannounced, and she says that she was harassed by them. FD, though, is declining to comment on this. And they also haven't confirmed that it was Britney who was on the scene. So Brittany has so many loyal fans out there, right? And we have seen those incidents where years ago she shaved her head. There's questions about mental illness and if she's

doing okay. Should fans be worried about her? I mean, if you read the comments section on social media, you're going to see both sides of the spectrum. You're going to see fans, especially those from the free Britney movement who say, let her live her life. She's worked hard since she was a little girl, let her walk barefoot. This is America. Let her spend her last dollar that she has every right to. And there are those who say, I'm concerned. I mean, just earlier today, she posted one lengthy Instagram post about what happened, deleted it, and then posted another one. So again, I mean, no one truly knows what's going inside Brittany's home or in her mind other than Britney. Brittany says she's fine. Her team is not commenting on the record right now. And as for whether or not

she would ever be in a conservatorship again? That is like not even on the table. We don't think the state of California would ever do that again. That was an involuntary conservatorship. And obviously her father is out of the picture. I just want to point out, Tom, that this entire incident took place just hours after Britney Spears and her estranged husband, Sam Ashgari, they settled the financial terms of their very kind of messy divorce. All right, Chloe Malas for us. Chloe, we thank you for that. Now to Austin, Texas, a city reeling from the worst outbreak of opioid. overdoses. In more than a decade, call centers flooded with panic 911 calls, which were up by 1,000 percent this week. NBC's Priscilla Thompson embedded with the EMS teams, racing

to respond to all those calls. We have two overdoses running right now. Wow, right now. We go out to every overdose. For Austin EMT, Randy Chabra, it's been a harrowing week. In a typical day, how many overdoses do you all usually get called for? Three, maybe five. What does that number look like this week?

We've had, I think, we're up to 73 across the three days. A more than 1,000 percent spike in overdose calls, likely caused by drugs laced with fentanyl, unbeknownst to users, Austin officials say, confirming at least nine people have died of suspected overdoses since Monday amid a flood of hospitalizations and 911 calls. Hello? I think it might be an overdose. This morning, it's been like eight. It's been like 15 people that's been, I guess they smoked something that was bad. Two children in the car. I can't get into the front. See the mother is packed out. 911 operators talking stunned callers through first aid as paramedics rushed to the scene. We're going to check her breathing together. Make sure it's all right. Just say now every time we see your chest rise.

No. Next one. No. All right. It's not quick enough. We're going to start CPR. Do you need a Narcan kit? Paramedics protectively handing out more than 400 doses of Narcan in just 48 hours, which can reverse an overdose before it's too late.

The DEA says fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for young Americans. My girl, lady, she died. She died of an overdose. Oh, no. Those on the front lines in Austin, Worried outbreaks like this could be the next wave of the crisis. I fear is that it's just the start, that what's next? The fear that it becomes just unmanageable.

Right, the fear that we have no ambulances left and that we still have overdoses occurring. It's happened on Monday where you would go and it's not one person, it's four people, right? But what happens if it's 10 people? And Tom, police say they've detained two persons. detained two persons of interest in connection with this incident. Though first responders tell us that those street-level arrests do little to stop the flow of drugs. Tom? It's a just sad situation there in Austin.

Okay, Priscilla, thank you. When we come back, the flooding emergency in Brazil, helicopter crews, look at this, rescuing people from the roofs of homes, completely submerged in water. Landslides wiping out roadways, the urgent response from the country's president as the death toll rises. Stay with Top Story. We're back with Top Story's News Feed, a Pennsylvania nurse pleading guilty to killing her patients. Heather Presti confessed to later to administering lethal doses of insulin to her nursing home patients. 17 of them died in her care.

The state's attorney general saying she mistreated 22 patients across five different care facilities. She was sentenced to life in prison. A fuel tanker crash causing a high. Highway Inferno in Connecticut. Footage showing black smoke and flames engulfing part of Interstate 95. Authorities say the fire started when a truck carrying 8,500 gallons of fuel collided with the car. No one was hurt. The fire now extinguished, but officials say the highway will be closed for some time as they clear that damage. The 1864 bill that made abortion essentially illegal in Arizona has been officially repealed. Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs

signing the change into law this afternoon after the state Senate voted to repeal the Civil War era ban on Wednesday. The ban allowed abortion only to save a patient's life with no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. A ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy replaces that bill. And Peloton CEO's CEO, CEO, Barry McCarthy, spent just two years in the role after taking over from Peloton's founder. The company cutting down 15% of its workforce saying it needs to refinanced. It's $1 billion in debt, $1 billion in debt, I should say. Peloton has not turned to profit since December of 2020. We want to turn out of the Americas and the deadly flooding emergency exploding across southern Brazil. Flood waters causing mudslides and destroying roads,

leaving at least 10 people dead. Matt Bradley tonight with more on the rescue efforts underway. Tonight, the deadly flooding disaster in Brazil. Days of heavy rains across the southern state of Rio Grande do Seoul, triggering massive floods. Emergency crews using helicopters to airlift stranded residents to safety. Influisement, it will be the major disaster that our state has been affronted. Aerial footage shows mudslides flowing down mountains, smashing into homes, gaping holes left in roads, others completely overrun.

Even this animal caught up in the raging current. The floods are killing at least 10 people, leaving more than 20 months. missing and forcing thousands to flee their homes. We don't know how to be the house of our people of our things of our people, that we can't work, we pass, in the day-a-day to construct, and to continue to buy, and then, now get to have lost everything, right?

Local authorities now calling on the federal government for assistance, the President of Brazil, Luis Sanacio Lula de Silva, touching down in the region, greeting officials on the ground. I want to say to you that not will tell you, that part of the government federal, a region desperate for assistance as it tries to keep its head above water. And Tom, weather experts in the region say these extreme conditions are caused by the El Nino and La Nina weather phenomena, which could cause unprecedented climate situations in the

years ahead and trigger even more of these kinds of disasters. Tom? Matt Bradley, we thank you for that. Coming up, the Starbucks were accused of cheating. A new report saying larger-than-life fighter Ryan Garcia tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug before his shocking win. A fight Garcia allegedly won millions on after betting on himself, how the 25-year-old is responding tonight to those doping allegations. We are back now with a scandal rocking the world of boxing. A new report saying polarizing fighter Ryan Garcia tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance.

before his shocking victory over undefeated champion Devin Haney last month. Garcia responding to the allegations in a series of wild social media posts, our Elwyn Lopez has the details. One of the country's most popular boxers now accused of cheating during one of the biggest fights of his career. Ryan Garcia. Ryan Garcia is known for his larger-than-life persona. He's amassed more than a dozen million followers on social media, and he's landed commercials for major luxury brands.

Boxing has been a part of my life since I was seven years old. And even received an invitation to Marlago, where he was seen shadow boxing for former President Trump. But the 15-time national champion who calls himself the king now finds himself in a different kind of spotlight. Garcia's shocking the boxing world last month, dropping Devin Haney, not once but three times. It was Haney's first professional defeat. King Ryan. Garcia also posting to social media

that he won $12 million on that fight by betting on himself. But now ESPN says they've obtained a voluntary anti-doping association letter showing the day before and the day of the fight. Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance, Osterine, a drug that helps muscles grow. According to ESPN, the results did not come back until after the fight.

NBC News has not obtained that letter or verified details in that report. Big lies, I beat his... In a series of social media posts, Garcia vehemently denies those accusations. Everybody knows that I don't cheat. They found it before. Why would they let me step into the ring? I never taken steroid or my... I don't even know where to get steroids.

And in another post, seeming to suggest Ashwaganda, a supplement he takes, may be to blame, stating, quote, my bad, I shouldn't have took this. Ryan Garcia is a TikTok or a YouTuber. He's an actor. Haney, who was a heavy favorite to win that night, responding to the allegations in a statement, writing in part, it's unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans on the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once but twice, adding that this quote, quote, puts the fight in a completely different light. Garcia's victory could be overturned if that positive drug test is confirmed. But for now, he seems to be shrugging off the accusations, even joking about it to his millions of followers. Thank you for I believe he's Devon Havana, Ruth. Once seen as an underdog, now without gloves, swinging through another round of scrutiny.

With that, Elwyn Lopez joins us tonight from Los Angeles. Elwin, there are a lot of questions here, right? including with Ryan Garcia and how he made that bet on himself. A lot of people who made bets on this fight are going to be asking for their money back. If it turns out he did cheat, so what are the next steps here if he indeed did cheat to win? Yeah, Tom, so ESPN is reporting that he is likely to face suspension, if that is true. He did, though, submit two samples before that fight, so he could request that second sample be tested. He has a little over a week to do that, Tom.

Elwyn Lopez for us tonight, Elwyn, we appreciate that. When we come back, restaurant wars, reservations at New York City's most popular restaurants, impossible to get. But some websites are now selling those spots for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. We're going to explain. Plus, one of the city's top restaurant critics joins Top Story, his take on the new way to dine out in New York City that is leaving many people without a place to go. Stay with us. If there's anything you can do to get us a table, we'd really appreciate it. Oh, what is your name?

No, no, I want to eat now. Yes, whole sleep-ass dinner tonight. Very fresh. Here, take this. I'm starving. Take it. Take it. Uh, Denison, four? Your table is ready. That was, of course, a... From Seinfeld, as Jerry and the gang go to extreme lengths to secure a reservation. A plight many diners are facing right here in New York City, and some say it's gotten really

out of control. The cutthroat competition to snag a spot at the best and most exclusive restaurants, leading some to pay hundreds of dollars, even thousands, just to get the reservation. But how much would you pay for a seat at the table? And is this new trend ripping people off? Stephen Romo has the story. The bustling streets of New York City promised some of the best eats in the world. But for everyday New Yorkers and tourists looking to get a taste, dining at the hottest restaurants in the city has become nearly impossible.

Brunch, I think, is the most difficult time. I usually try going and lining up, like, right before they open. Unless, that is, you're willing to pay up. Not just for the food and drinks, which can easily cost hundreds, but, but simply to snag a seat at the table. If you make things available, people will pay money for it. Enter sites like appointment trader, which can get you into trendy spots like for Charles Carbone

and Polo Bar for hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars. Creator Jonas Frey says the idea was born in line at the DMV. It was a long line. I was wondering, like, how is it possible that I can't pay to get an appointment? There must be demand for this. But the site's main business quickly shifted to restaurants. I'm on the popular reservation site Resi right now, which is free to use, but there are no reservations available coming up here.

I can put in my email, though, and hope there's a cancellation. Or if I want to spend some money, I can go to appointment trader where I can find some reservations available, but it's going to cost me anywhere from $55 up to $300 just to get a table. So here's how it works. Behind the scenes, the platform's 15,000 sellers are scooping up the best reservations. Then users come in and place their bids. The higher the demand, the higher the final price tag. Alex Eisler is a top seller who says he's earned more than a hundred grand since October 2020. But he doesn't live anywhere near New York City.

This semester, I purposely have my Tuesdays with nothing, no classes. So I choose as kind of like my reservation day. Finding time between classes at Brown University using dozens of reservation accounts, emails, programmed bots, and even using different voices when calling. I sat alarms on my phone to remind me sometimes just go on Resi or for calling Polo Bar. And then also it's the same with like when someone cancels a reservation, I either have a bot which can automatically get it for me or I can just do it myself. I had a lot of accounts terminated. But are these reservation sellers stealing all the best spots? I mean, I feel like people are upset, but I feel like it's people who, like, as I said before,

it's not like it was easy to get a reservation before. Appointment trader says $5.7 million worth of reservations have been sold in the last 12 months, with customers spending an average of $20,000 a day in recent weeks. The majority of that money goes to the sellers with the site taking a 20 to 30 percent cut. But what do the restaurants who don't get a cut of the trade think of this growing business? If it were up to me, I wouldn't want to allow reservations to be sold, just so guests can have a fair chance. Siria Alvarez is the restaurant manager at Tatiana, consistently topping the list of best restaurants in the city. Led by chef Kwame On Wachi, a top chef alum and recipient of the James Beard Rising Star Award, Tatiana's menu combines his Afro-Caribian heritage,

with his New York City upbringing, and the popularity is off the charts. It doesn't surprise me that the price would be so high to sell and buy reservations because of the high demand. Having a wait list of 1,200 plus people a day, I can imagine why it would be that rate. But Alvarez says buying and selling reservations seems like it will give fewer people, not more, a seat at the table. what do you think the future holds reservation sites are cracking down on bots so I'm not sure how long that will last I hope that everyone will be able to get a fair chance if you're willing to wait though or even pay it could just be worth it when you hear from these customers do they say yeah it was worth waiting a year for these reservations once they are able to join us the feedback is amazing guests always tell us that the weight was definitely worth it For more on the Restaurant Reservation Wars, I'm joined tonight by legendary restaurant critic Steve Kuzzo, who has been working for the New York Post for 50 years. Early in his career, he became known for his scathing review of one of the world's most celebrated chefs, Alon Du Casa's restaurant. And he has reviewed thousands of restaurants all over New York City since 1998.

Steve, thanks so much for joining us here on set. Thanks for having me. Steve, I want to talk to you because besides reviewing restaurants, you are a critic of the city. You are a part of the city. And I can remember the days of getting the brand new edition of Zagat, opening that up, finding the restaurants, calling them. Maybe sometimes you had to wait a couple days, a couple weeks, but you could get a reservation. Now, what is this? What do you think about this?

There's a couple of reasons for the madness that you see going on now with people scalping restaurant reservations the way they did with Broadway shows. You know, some guy steals a bunch or gets a bunch of reservations. and then at regular prices and then somehow sells them for a thousand bucks. There's a whole bunch of reasons. The biggest problem, the biggest issue in New York is so simple. It's boring, but it's simple. There are too many people eating out. New York, especially Manhattan, the fancy parts of Brooklyn.

There are more people who live alone singles than I think any other city in the country. You think it's more that than the Internet than people just scooping up reservations? That's part of it too. There's a million factors. But the main single reason is that there are too many people chasing too few restaurant seats. Now, that sounds crazy because New York has many more restaurants and many more seats than any other place in the country. The problem is that the demand is greater than the supply. And that means that owners of restaurants and these sort of vultures and leeches who kind of latch on to the business can exploit the situation and drive everybody insane.

We can have a conversation about whether this is a result of capitalism and it was going this way. But isn't what's going to happen that only the rich or the super rich are going to be able to eat at restaurants? And even people who come in from out of town are never going to be able to eat at the great restaurants in New York City has to offer? Well, good. The people from out of town don't come in anymore, maybe because of congestion pricing. It'll make it easier for the rest of it. That's a different segment. But what do you think?

I mean, does it bug you? Yeah, it bugs me to no end. And I'll tell you why. I'm somebody who has access. I'm a restaurant critic. I've been covering restaurants since, I think, 1998 for the New York Post. And so I have access. I know owners.

I know all the publicists. I know the managers. And even for somebody like me, with all these privileges, it's become a nightmare trying to get reservations at new restaurants. And one extent, a couple years ago, two years ago, there was a restaurant down in the village where Noho called Le Troix Chau. I'm not good with French. little restaurant and they opened and you know the famous chef Angie Maher and

everybody wanted to go there and I said I've got to write about this restaurant so you know try to find well they don't have a publicist so that cuts off that avenue they don't have a phone number they don't have a phone they don't have an email address and I'm looking at this thing there's like a portal but you can never get through the portals it's baloney right so I said I want to go to this place so I got on the subway and I got off at West 4th Street or whatever whatever it was, Broadway Lafayette. And there was a restaurant in the middle of the afternoon.

And I looked in the window, and there's a bunch of people having a staff meeting. And I said, tested the door, doors open. And I just walked in. And I interrupted their staff meeting. And I said, hey, guys, I want to eat here. Can somebody help? And so they look at me like I was a germ, you know, coming in. But there was one guy, I think he was the wine guy, who may be recognized.

And he took me aside. And before I knew, when I had a reservation for the following. night. That's insane. This is irrational. It's not good for our mental health. But you see it everywhere. New York is the hardest city in the world for restaurant reservations. I go to London all the time. I agree with him. A hundred percent. I go to Miami all the time. And it's not that difficult, even in the newest and most important restaurants as it is. Eventually, maybe who knows. We're in a weird time. It is post-pandemic. Nobody knows where our economy is going. All I know is that the whole business of trying to penetrate new restaurants or old

ones that have a, you know, following like Carbone or the Polo Bar, it's disgusting. It's demoralizing. I hate having to go through it. Again, and I'm somebody who has more access than most people do. So for ordinary people, someplace opens and they want to go there, you start with the question of, who do I contact? They don't have phone numbers. There's a restaurant on Avenue A, and it's a wonderful restaurant. called Fox Face Natural. They have all kinds of strange dishes from kangaroo and obscure types of goats from South Africa. And when I went there last fall, it took me a week and a half of sort of burrowing my way through

their various contact portals. And I finally got the owner, and he finally accommodated me. And it's not a big restaurant. They probably have not more than 50 seats. And it's a great place, but the effort having to go in there was out of my pay grade. That club, the model of like the nightclubs, obviously the doorman, letting people in. Has that sort of bled into the restaurant industry in a way? I mean, because 20 years ago, anybody could eat anywhere.

And I don't think that's the case anymore. It wasn't that. I don't think that's entirely true, Tom. You mentioned Alain. You could wait. Alain DuCas opened in 2000 at the end. Essex House. He had never been in New York before, the world's most famous chef, million Michelin stars. And the New York Times ran a story saying that, you know, it's like a nine-month

waiting list already. Nine-month waiting list. So I thought that didn't really sound possible. And sure enough, I was able to get a reservation, and they didn't know who I was. In those days, I was an anonymous critic. I didn't deal with them, you know, Steve Kuzzo or publicist or anything. like that, and I got two reservations by walking in when they were not open in the middle of the day, and they weren't serving lunch yet, and I talked to somebody, and I immediately got two reservations, one of which was only three days down the line. Now, even though the idea of nine-month waiting list was made up, and places still do that today, there still was a mystique about getting into Olandoucai. Now it's everywhere. Now, like the guy down the block who opens

a fancy, you know, someplace with a new type of Mexican pizza that nobody ever knew existed before, they have like nine-month waiting. Yeah, there's a line out the door real quick because we have a minute left. One tip for our viewers out there to get that reservation they want without spending a thousand bucks. Without spending a thousand dollars, there is no, there's no magic secret. There's no key, no magic way in, unless you know somebody there. Know somebody there. Hang out. you know, you know, flirt with the waiter or the waitress or do something like that, and you'll probably be able, you'll get a reservation. All right.

I mean, these places are full, full with people, and they got in somehow. You heard it from the master himself, Steve Kuzzo. Steve, thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamas in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.