Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, May 23, 2024

Episode Date: May 24, 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, stage collapse horror. An election rally in Mexico turns deadly as winds topple a massive structure. Terrifying video of the moments the stage collapses. Politicians running for cover as a scream falls on the stage. Crowds trapped in the mangled metal screaming for help. Scenes of chaos, dozens taken away in ambulances. That same system spawning a tornado tearing through a town in Texas. Severe storms racing east at this hour.

Also tonight, concert giant breakup. The DOJ suing Live Nation accusing Ticketmaster's parent company of unlawfully dominating the live music industry. The move coming after the Taylor Swift pre-sale nightmare that left millions unable to snag tickets, how the legal battle could reshape your concert experience. Hunter Biden's exes expected to take the stand in his gun trial, the witness list, including his ex-wife and his brother, Beau's widow, who he had a relationship with, what they could reveal in their very personal testimony. Cassie breaks her silence, the singer speaking out after

disturbing video surface showing her ex Sean Diddy Combs rudely attacking her, her pointed message to those who didn't believe her before getting a glimpse of the horrifying footage. Plus, trapped in Paradise, five Americans arrested in Turks and Caicos after officials discovered bullets in their bags, a crime that carries a 12-year sentence. American lawmakers ramping up pressure to free them. Tonight, the glimmer of hope why those arrested could be coming home much sooner than expected. And Jennifer Lopez snapping back at a reporter as divorce rumors swirl around her marriage to Ben Affleck. The heated moments during a press tour for J-Lo's new movie. Her co-star coming to her defense and what she said to shut it down. Top story starts right now.

Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, Mexico in shock. A political campaign rally spiraling into a deadly disaster as strong winds knock over the massive stage. Terrifying video shows that stage collapsing on top of a massive crowd in just. a matter of seconds. On that platform, a Mexican presidential hopeful alongside a mayoral candidate rushing off to avoid getting crushed. At least nine people were killed, including a child and more than 100 people injured. Video showing crowds trapped in the mangled debris, some climbing out from under the metal poles. Another vantage point showing just how violent those winds were, people screaming as they tried to get as far away from the scene.

And this dramatic side-by-side showing the magnitude of devastation, the stage intact, and just hours later, horror unfolding as it is completely ripped apart. This all unfolding in San Pedro Garza Garcia, a city in the northeast portion of the country. NBC's Guadvinagus reports on the desperate scramble to save lives. captured on video. A stage collapsing during a campaign rally in Eulon, Mexico, with thousands in attendance. This witness saying she saw the people closest to the stage get buried under its metallic beams. Emergency workers and attendees seemed desperately trying to rescue victims and loved ones from the rubble.

At least nine people are young. dead, including a child. After a strong wind gust appear to cause the collapse as chaos erupted. The governor says at least 121 people were left injured. This man, thanking God, he was able to walk away with just a head and an arm injury. The campaign event organized by the Movimento Ciudano Party had various political figures in attendance, including presidential candidate Jorge Maynese. Maynes was on stage the moment of the collapse. This video shows him looking up at the falling structure and quickly running to the back.

And when you see, when he had shared this video hours before inviting supporters to attend. Yet earlier in the day, Mexico's National Meteorological Service sharing this forecast warning of a probability of the formation of whirlwinds and tornadoes in the region. This morning, Mexican President Lopez Obrador offering sympathies to families who lost loved ones, adding there will be an investigation. The tragedy occurring at the height of the campaign season ahead of the country's June 2nd presidential election. As for the presidential candidate Jorge Mainz, his campaign says they're going to be stopping all events as he focuses on helping the victims of this tragedy. Also, the leading presidential candidate in Mexico, Claudia Seimbaun, has announced that she has canceled a large event that was set to take place today near the same area where this tragedy took place. Again, all of the focus right now being placed on helping the victims and their families.

Alison. Guadvanegas in our Miami border, Bureau rather, thank you. And as we mentioned, another round of severe weather slamming the southern and central United States, a tornado tearing through central Texas in hard hit temple, one house catching fire after it was believed to be struck by lightning. And in Iowa, Tuesday's deadly tornado now rated in EF4, devastated residents picking up what is left of the pieces. NBC's Maggie Vespa joins us now from hard hit Greenfield, I mean, Maggie, just looking at the devastation behind you, I see work already underway, trying to clean it up. Talk to us about what you're seeing there on the ground. And also, if you can, take us to Texas. What do we know about this twister?

Sure, sure. We'll start in Texas because, I mean, all of this can be daunting and tough to keep track of. There's so much severe weather. Texas is kind of the most recent example that hit overnight. Our affiliate reporting preliminary surveys indicated was an EF2 that tore through Temple, Texas that's near Austin and basically we're seeing a lot of the sadly familiar damage you know that we've seen at this point houses ripped apart a hotel was ripped apart that one home that authorities actually confirmed was struck by lightning that one caught fire thankfully in that case we haven't had any reports of any serious injuries or deaths which is a shift from what we're seeing here in i'm going to bring it back here and you point out you're exactly

right there's still so much damage there's also so much work being done you can see the kind of that heavy equipment moving around in here. But when you look at the scope of this, I mean, Ellison, this is massive and this has now been rated in EF4 tornado. That means it was packing wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. And you and I know they figure that out by examining the damage, seeing how bad it is, seeing how different materials were like mangled and bent. They get really minute. And that is a massive rating, a four out of five. And Maggie, I'm just curious, staying on Iowa for one more minute. What have people there in this community told you about what they've lost and how they're trying to rebuild?

I mean, they've lost everything. You know, so many people have a foundation now where a house used to sit, but they also know that four people were killed, five total across the state, four here in Greenfield. We talked to people who knew a couple who was killed, Dean and Pam Wiggins, a couple in their 70s, they loved their family, they went to church, someone who worked with them called them just good people, and then he said they're good country people. So we talked to people about the devastation, about what they've lost, almost every single person talked to says, you know, but even if I don't have a home, it could have been worse because

everyone knows everyone here. It's a small town and they know those who were killed and that's what's hitting them really. And Maggie, before we let you go, I know that you did speak with FEMA's administrator today and she had, as I understand it, some fairly alarming predictions about relief funds. What's going on there? Yeah, she was on the ground. She was here touring the damage with the governor and we got a chance to talk to her and we said, hey, you know, we were covering like hurricanes and tornadoes last year. And leading up to the fall, like late summer, FEMA announced that they were basically running out of money, running after disaster relief fund, saying it's gotten so bad that they are running out early. And I said, could that happen

again? Here was the answer. Well, we are facing another year where we're going to run out of our disaster relief fund. Right now, it's looking like it's going to be in about the August time frame. We are seeing an increase in the number of disasters that we're supporting. She thinks they're going to run out by August. I was shocked that she actually had a month. And she said, we're already talking to Congress about getting more money. But she was very clear. She said, everyone who needs help here and qualifies for FEMA funds will absolutely get it.

Alison. All right, NBC's Maggie Vespa in Greenfield, Iowa. Thank you. And 28 million people, they are still at risk for severe storms across the country. So let's get right to NBC News, meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, this threat, it really is not letting up. Tornado warnings. They're popping up right now, as I understand it. Yeah, Alison, we had one reported tornado in Nebraska. It was a fairly weak one, no damage reported

with that. But we are watching Texas once again. Tornado watches have been issued. We do a severe thunderstorm watches in the Dakotas, Nebraska, and one that's still in Kentucky and portions of Tennessee. But we have this big tornado watch that goes from areas of western Oklahoma all the way down through Abilene, San Angelo, and a new tornado watch just issued to the east of Waco. So we take into, we have a couple clusters of storms. This is not widespread. It's very isolated, but we've been keeping an eye on this storm down here. This is the one that's just to the southeast of Waco. And when we see the little curl on it, this hook we call it, this is a supercell thunderstorm. This is where you potentially can have the tornado right in here.

So the people in Marlin, Texas, you need to be in your storm shelters. Take this one seriously. It's a possibility that this could produce a tornado at any time, and it's about to head right over your town. So they got the hail, a little bit of a break, and this little whip on the back side, which could contain the tornado is heading their way. What do we do tomorrow? Isolated severe storms? Maybe a couple tornadoes, not an outbreak, but this goes from Chicago all the way to Dallas. So anywhere in this vicinity, you have a chance of getting hit, but it will not be widespread. Then by the time we get to Saturday, this is Saturday night. This is late, mostly after sunset. New storm system arrives, and this could be a little

stronger storms, large hail, isolated tornadoes. And then finally, Allison, Sunday still looks like the chance for a severe weather outbreak, maybe even a tornado outbreak. This is 45 million people from Chicago all the way down the Little Rockwood, especially here in St. Louis, the National, the Louisville, everywhere in between, make sure Sunday afternoon evening you are weather aware. All right, Bill Cairns, thank you. Moving now to a major development at the Department of Justice. They are filing a lawsuit against Concert Giant Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster.

The move, the DOJ says, to break up a so-called monopoly, accusing the company of engaging in illegal practices targeting the concert and ticket business. NBC's Christine Romans has more. A legal battle ahead that could change the way millions of music fans see their favorite artists. The government suing concert giant Live Nation a year and a half after this. I'm not getting tickets. Welcome to the Ares Tour.

The disastrous rollout of ticket sales for Taylor Swift's Ares Tour. It didn't get tickets to the Taylor Swift concert. At the time, musician Miranda Hardy shut out from ticket. Master. Ticketmaster is the M-Zero. Finally getting a ticket from a friend. It's incredibly frustrating to not be able to have a choice on how you're buying your tickets.

That lack of choice is why the Justice Department, 29 states and the District of Columbia, are suing to break up Live Nation. We allege that Live Nation controls the live entertainment industry in the United States because it is breaking the law. Nation and Ticketmaster merged in 2010, and today controls 60 percent of concert promotions in the U.S., about 80 percent of primary ticketing at major venues, and a growing share of ticket resales. The government calls it an illegal monopoly, selling the tickets, controlling the venues,

promoting the events, and managing the artists, also highlighting what it calls the Ticketmaster tax. Ticketing fees, service fees, convenience fees, platinum fees, price. Vice master fees, per order fees. Live Nation's president pushing back today on CNBC. We fundamentally disagree with all of these allegations. Live Nation saying the DOJ suit ignores everything that's actually responsible for higher ticket prices, from increasing production costs to artist's popularity, to 24-7 online ticket scalping that reveals the public's willingness to pay far more than primary tickets cost.

But for Miranda, the status quo is unacceptable. I hope they're held accountable. I hope it leads to change. Christine Romans joins us now. Christine, if the DOJ happens to win this lawsuit, what could that mean for consumers? It would mean the company will be broken up, maybe in two. You maybe have one company that would be the venue company, the other that would be the ticket seller. Maybe the venue company would also be the promoter.

What's not clear is how long this would take. And quite frankly, Live Nation says it doesn't go to the root of the problem, which is, is supply and demand. There's a lot of demand for tickets, and that's what's driving so much of the higher pricing. That's according to Live Nation. But consumer advocates, Ellison, they say longer term, they hope this is good for artists who will have access to more venues and good for consumers who will have more choices of where they can buy their tickets. Christine Romans, thank you. Turning now to Hunter Biden's legal battles, we're now learning that it appears the prosecution in Biden's gun case intends to call.

his ex-wife as well as the wife of his late brother, Bo Biden, to the stand. Hunter has pleaded not guilty to charges tied to possession of a gun while using narcotics. The trial is set to begin in two weeks. Let's bring in NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos, because so Danny, this is a lot to kind of get through. On some of it, I think it just seems like speculation and what, why, but that's kind of the role I want to force you to play here, because when we're looking at a brief that's been submitted by the prosecution, they have said they intend to call a total right now. of three witnesses. Our team was able to decipher that two of those are going to be Hunter

Biden's ex-wife and his late brother's wife, which I will remind viewers that's someone that after Bo Biden had passed away. Hunter Biden acknowledged publicly, as did President Biden and everyone that Hunter Biden was dating Bo Biden's wife. So there's all these different layers. And it seems like there's a lot of personal elements just involved in the selection alone. Do you think that's why the prosecution is doing this? If you are the prosecution and calling someone forward? Why do you go for two essentially ex-romantic partners? Yeah, and I've even read some reports that have said, yeah, these are opening up some very personal, deeply hurtful moments in Hunter Biden's life. Yeah, that's what federal prosecutors do.

They win. And in order to win, they scour every detail of your life for something that they can use as a nugget against you. It's what they've done for now centuries, and they're really good at it. They convict over 90% of the people they charge, most of whom, 90% plead guilty because they know they're going to lose. As a criminal defense attorney, I do not like being in federal court. And this is why they're very good at it. So anyone who is surprised that federal prosecutors are doing this, it's not underhanded. It's not something morally bankrupt. It's something they do in every case.

They look at all your text messages, all your banking transactions, and if something in your personal life helps their case, guess what? it's going to be in the brief, and it's coming into evidence. What does their decision to have these witnesses come forward tell you about the direction of the case itself? It seems pretty straightforward. You're going to have really what are called precipient witnesses, people who saw something. They're going to call these people to the stand, and they know from their text messages, their exchanges, for example, that allegedly showed discussions and really women complaining about his use of drugs, and they will probably come to the stand and say, I saw on such and such a date

Hunter Biden using drugs. That's around the time of the allegations and that will prove in the prosecutor's mind their case. So two will passages from his own book. We just saw the exact same thing in the state New York criminal case against Donald Trump. They took

a book, they went through it and they found only the stuff that was bad and used it against Trump. They're going to do the same thing with Hunter Biden. Cherry picked the passages that are good for them and use them against Hunter Biden. It's all fair play. It happens every day in federal court and in state court as well if they have the resources to do that kind of background. But in federal court, they have the resources,

the time, and the smarts to do it. Big picture. Do you think they have a strong case here? Absolutely. First of all, if it's in federal court, federal prosecutors do not charge a case. They don't charge it just because they can get past an indictment with probable cause. They charge it when they think they can get to beyond a reasonable doubt. And normally, I would say, Proving this particular statute that someone was a habitual user of drugs is difficult because it's a hard thing to prove, even though, I mean, it's not brought very often. The felon in possession statute, which is related, it's a part of the same statute, much easier to prove. I pull your record, you're a felon, you had a firearm, I'm done. But a habitual user, does that mean someone who goes to Amsterdam for the weekend and tries a hashish brownie?

It's hard to say. And I've asked folks that exact question, no one's really sure. So normally, difficult kind of case to prove. This one, when you've written books about it, and it's been all over the Internet and you have a laptop full of evidence that can't be good for you, it might be easier than your average habitual user in possession of a firearm case. All right. Danny Savalos, thank you so much. We appreciate it, as always. Now to the latest on the migrant crisis at the southern border. Exclusive new reporting from NBC News showing the Biden administration is considering executive action to temporarily close the site. southern border. U.S. officials now working to get buy-in from Mexican authorities on the plan

before a possible rollout next month. For more on the orders under consideration, let's bring in NBC News congressional reporter Julie Serkin. So Julie, what more can you tell us about this plan big picture? Well, Allison, it will be a series of executive orders that will be rolled out within the next few weeks. The biggest one, according to, advocates and people involved that I spoke to, is going to be the one in which President Biden uses existing authority known as Section 212F that basically allows him to direct customs and border patrol agents at the southern border with Mexico to allow them to turn around, turn away back to Mexico, back to the countries that these people came here for to seek immigration, to seek migration here, but did so illegally when the numbers

of illegal border crossings between the points of entry get much too high. This is an action that the administration, we're told, has been considering for months and months. It was also a pinnacle of the bipartisan border bill that failed now twice in the Senate, but it's certainly something the administration is looking to do on its own. And Julie, this is something that is arguably a very big political liability for the Biden campaign, right? Closing the southern border is something that a lot of people on the right want to see happen, but even doing that temporarily, that is going to upset a lot of people within the Democratic Party and progressive voters. So how is the White House weighing the political considerations here? And what's the reaction

been thus far? Oh, completely. Even today, when you saw that second attempted vote to pass the bipartisan border security package that Republicans blocked back in February, you saw a handful of Democrats, many of them progressive lawmakers who say that this just goes much too far. And again, the key piece of that bill had that shutdown authority as part of it. And so, of course, you're going to reaction from progressives, many of them that I spoke to, who don't think this is the best way, who think this could potentially lead to restrictions on asylum for people that are seeking asylum here in the United States for a better life. But at the same time, many Democrats that I spoke to do believe that this is the moment for the party to go on offense on this issue, to continue

to capitalize on the fact that Republicans are the ones who rejected any kind of compromise when it comes to this issue, especially legislatively, and that the Biden administration, Democrats only are here and they are acting, especially when it's an issue that voters care so much about and something Republicans have capitalized on for frankly decades, Ellison. Julie Serkin on Capitol Hill, thank you. Still ahead tonight, a shred of hope for the Americans trapped in paradise. Five tourists detained in Turks and Caicos for having bullets in their backs. What the leader of that country said today about the possibility they could serve 12 years in prison.

Plus, new video showing the moment the number one golfer in the world was arrested, why the detective who got dragged by his car outside the PGA Championship is now the one being reprimanded. And Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, speaking out days after video emerged showing the rapper brutally assaulting her, her emotional message to survivors of domestic abuse. Stay with us. Back now with the latest in sexual abuse allegations against famed rapper and producer Sean Diddy Combs. His ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura is speaking out for the first time since the release of disturbing security camera footage, which showed Combs kicking and dragging her in a hotel.

And now Combs accused in a new lawsuit of assaulting yet another woman this time in 2003. NBC's Chloe Malas has more. Tonight, Cassie Ventura speaking out for the first time since disturbing security camera footage surfaced, showing ex-boyfriend Sean Diddy Combs violently assaulting her. The singer writing on Instagram, domestic violence is the issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I could become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past. The surveillance footage, which was obtained by CNN and published on Friday, shows Combs chasing Ventura

in the hallway of a Los Angeles. hotel in 2016, grabbing her by the neck and throwing her to the ground. Ventura sued combs in November, alleging the rapper raped and physically assaulted her, including kicking, punching, and beating her over the course of their relationship. The lawsuit was settled the day after, and the terms have not been disclosed. In her post, Ventura also writing, my only ask is that everyone open your heart to believing victims the first time, adding, I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. I'm so sorry.

After the surveillance video surface, Did he issuing this apology? It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you've got to do that. I was f***ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom, but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it.

I'm disgusted now. The rapper facing a string of physical and sexual abuse lawsuits that have been filed over the last several months. The latest filed Tuesday in federal court by model Crystal McKinney, who alleges she was attacked at Diddy's studio in 2003 when she was just 23. According to the lawsuit, the two first met at the upscale restaurant Chipriani in New York, where Diddy told McKinney that she would make it big one day before inviting her back. back to his recording studio. At the studio, according to the claim, McKinney was handed a joint laced with a narcotic or other intoxicating substance and then forced to perform a sex

act on Combs. Representatives for Combs have not responded to NBC News's request for comment. He has previously denied all allegations of abuse and wrongdoing. Diddy is also the subject of a criminal federal investigation with agents raiding his Miami and L.A. Holmes in March, A search his attorneys called a gross overuse of military level force. And Chloe Malas joins us now in studio. Chloe, this is not at all the first lawsuit we have seen filed against Diddy. There's been quite a few so far, at least six, I think. Do you expect more lawsuits to be filed against him?

You know, it's hard to say. Crystal McKinney says in this federal civil suit that she felt in power to come forward after seeing that surveillance footage of Sean Diddy Combs brutally assaulting Cassie back in 2016, his then-girlfriend at a hotel in Los Angeles. I mean, this, if you look at precedent, right? If you look at the Me Too movement, if you wanted to compare the two, there were strength in numbers. And women, there was a chorus of women and even men, like, against people like Kevin Spacey, who said that they felt empowered to speak out when they saw others speak out before them. It's scary to come out and file a lawsuit, especially against people.

someone as powerful as Sean Combs. He was named a billionaire last year. He has been a massive figure in music, both as a singer and a performer, helping jumpstart the careers of so many individuals and this record executive. So, again, we could see other civil suits, but the big question is what is going on with this federal investigation when we saw his homes being raided. Will he be indicted on a federal level? Because I just want to reiterate that he has not.

in charge with anything criminally. NBC's Chloe Malas, thank you. Now to those Americans facing prison in paradise, the leader of Turks and Kekos, saying the legal system may consider, quote, exceptional circumstances when it comes to tourists and not subject them to a 12-year sentence for carrying bullets in their bags. NBC's Priscilla Thompson reports. Tonight, new hope for the five Americans detained in Turks and Kekos. with bringing ammunition into the country, now facing a 12-year prison sentence. We do not target U.S. citizens or any other nationality. Today, the Tropical Islands leader saying that mandatory minimum has never been imposed by the court

and can be overruled in cases with exceptional circumstances. Judges can impose a custodial sentence of less than 12 years, and they find that they consider fair and just. The statement comes amid increasing pressure from elected officials in the U.S. If they're not reasonable with how they treat our citizens, then I think we ought to issue a do-not-travel advisory. A bipartisan group of lawmakers

traveling to the islands on Monday and turning up the heat on Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Capitol Hill this week. Your department is just weak, it's feckless. One is a grandmother from Florida with two, she was caught with two rounds of ammunition in her purse. She was chained to a desk for three days. You don't need to say anything.

Prompting this fiery exchange. And the detention of those Americans and bringing them home. We're done talking. You need to now act. Well, I will apologize to no one for the efforts that our people make every day. All of this as the freedom of five Americans hang in the balance, including the latest to be arrested. Florida grandmother Sherita Shanice Greer.

That day turned my whole life upside down, just that quick. The only trouble she's ever been in before, a speeding ticket, until she was arrested at the Turks and Kako's airport on May 13th, after security found two bullets in her bag. It was an honest mistake. It fell up under the bottom of the flap on, you know, in my carry on. And it was no way possible that I could see it. Now facing the unimaginable, thinking of her family back home and hoping for leniency.

Missing my grandkids, my children. I got a whole life, a loving family back home. And I just want all of us to make it out home back home safely. Let us go home to our families. And Priscilla Thompson joins us now from Houston. Priscilla with all of this pressure mounting. What happens next? Well, listen, tomorrow morning, the first American, Brian Higgurich is set to be sentenced for the 20 rounds of ammunition that he has pled guilty to bringing into the territory.

We expect that the other Americans detained will be in that courtroom to support him. That is what they have said they intend to do. And of course, this will likely set the tone for what will happen to those three other Americans who have already pled guilty to their charges and are awaiting sentencing in the coming weeks. Alison, Priscilla Thompson. Thank you. When we come back, protests erupting again on the UCLA campus, pro-Palestinian demonstrators erecting a new encampment, clashing with police in riot gear and taking over buildings on campus. The images just in coming up. That is all next. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin at UC. where campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war are heating up once again.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashing with police in riot gear at points taking over buildings on campus. The demonstrations kicking back up as the school's president appeared before Congress, where he was grilled over the university's handling of violence between protesters and counter-protests earlier this month. The president at one point testifying that there is no longer an encampment on the school's campus as today's clashes were unfolding. Louisville police releasing dash cam video of golfer Scotty Sheffler's arrest last week.

New video showing the moments police stopped Sheffler's car and later lead the number one ranked golfer in the world away in handcuffs. According to the arrest report, Sheffler tried to drive around, around rather traffic, ultimately dragging a detective to the ground in the process. That detective has been reprimanded for not having his body camera turned on at the time. A major settlement reached in the East Palestine, Ohio, toxic train derailment. Operator Norfolk Southern forced to pay $310 million for the February 2023 derailment. The DOJ says the money will go towards environment monitoring, health services, rail safety, and cleanup.

The agreement does not include an admission of liability. Next tonight, we turn to power and politics. Former President Trump back on the campaign trail not far from Manhattan. from the Manhattan courtroom, where he has spent the last six weeks on trial. Trump is holding a rally in South Bronx, his first rally in the state he was born in since 2016. This latest move is an effort to appeal to black and Latino voters in one of New York City's most diverse neighborhoods.

NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns is at that rally and joins us now. So Dasha, walk us through with, we understand he is speaking behind you, so it's going to be a little bit noisy, but walk us through what you were hearing. tonight and explain to us what this push is by the Trump campaign to court both black and Latino voters. We know in recent polls, the Biden administration has struggled a bit to gain momentum with voters in those key demographics. What are Biden's biggest challenges and how is Trump trying to take advantage of those? Well, look, Alison, it's been so fascinating to work the crowd here today and to talk to these voters because I'm hearing the same things that I've been hearing

from so many folks I've been talking to across the country. Just real dissatisfaction with the state of affairs. Frustration about the economy, the high price at the grocery store, the high price at the gas pump. A lot of frustration here actually with immigration, even immigrants to this country themselves who came here legally are frustrated by what they're seeing at the border right now. And a lot of just interest in what Trump is bringing here. I got to tell you, I talk to voters who are born and raised in the Bronx, black voters, Hispanic voters, Jewish voters, who are all here curious about what Trump has to say.

Several people I talked to, this is the first ever Trump event. Take a listen to some of what I heard. Have you voted for Trump in past elections? No, I voted for Biden, but I regret it. He resembles my personal point of view. He's a Christian, myself. I'm a question too.

So I think he's a close. to my point of view. Biden went on the Charlemagne deGarde show and said, you ain't black if you don't vote for him. Understand something. I don't have to prove my blackness or my Afro-Americanism. Look, Allison, New York is a blue state, right? But if the campaign is trying to point to,

if he can do this here in the Bronx, imagine what that means for voters in Philly, in Detroit, in Atlanta, in those key battleground states. That is a concern for the Biden campaign, Allison. Yeah, big crowd behind you there. Dasha, I know we also have some new reporting on conversations within the GOP regarding the party's stances on pretty big social issues, things like abortion, as well as same-sex marriage. What do we know there? Right, so this is the concern for the Trump campaign and for Republicans in terms of courting some of these new voters, these new demographics, right?

Every four years, the GOP at their convention presents a new party platform. It coincides with the presidential election. It comes out of a platform committee. And the Trump team and the RNC wants to make sure that the people on that committee are not too far right. They're not too extreme, especially on issues like same-sex marriage and like abortion, which Ellison, we've talked about multiple times, particularly the abortion issue, is one that has been a tough spot, a pain point for Republicans and something that Democrats are trying to take advantage of to rally. voters to their side of the aisle. Ellison? NBC's Dasha Burns in the Bronx.

Thank you. Now to a major headline in the sports world and an update in the case that could reshape college athletics. The NCAA Board of Governors voting to approve terms of what is expected to be a multi-billion dollar settlement in the class action antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA. The settlement is expected to include about $2.7 billion in back pay damages to form. former Division I athletes, plus a future revenue sharing model between power conference schools and athletes.

So for more on this case and what it means for the future of collegiate athletics, I'm joined now by Michael McCann, legal analyst and senior sports legal reporter at Sportico. Michael, thank you so much for joining us tonight. I want to start with what this case is all about, essentially this idea that amateurism is somehow illegal. How would this settlement do away with that system and move towards something that's more of a pay-for-play scenario? Yeah, it basically has two big components that move away from amateurism.

One is that players will be paid for the past. So damages in terms of money they could have made in name image and likeness, money they could have made had video games been allowed by the NCAA, money they could have made had they received a share of television revenue when they go on TV, just like pro athletes. to. The other big piece is the going forward part. And the going forward part is that colleges can opt in, conferences can opt in as well, to pay players, to share revenue with them, to have direct pay. And that will be, of course, a radical change from the traditions of college sports. Many would say it's the change that's warranted, given that coaches can make millions

of dollars and all other sorts of ways in which money is made in college sports. Now the athletes, at least at some schools, we'll get a direct stake. Do we expect most schools to opt in for this? And we're talking about that idea of back pay. I mean, we're talking about dating back payments to 2016, possibly. Who could actually see that sort of back pay, and where does the back pay money actually come from? Yeah, and the back pay money will disproportionately go to some athletes more than others.

So certainly football and basketball will get a bigger share. than other sports. The money will come from a variety of sources, but the NCAA itself is a major provider of resources, and then the schools. And a lot of schools that are not defendants in the litigation are going to have to pay part of it, including schools that maybe aren't making a fortune in sports. So they're certainly not happy about this, particularly given that there are all sorts of changes going on in colleges in terms of revenue. There's a cliff in terms of population of college-age students coming up. So these are real challenges for schools, but the schools that I think are certainly big football schools will probably opt in

because they're going to want to compete. They're going to want to get the best players because college football generates a lot of revenue. Michael, you have cautioned previously that there are some red flags with this settlement. In your view, what are the concerns with the settlement terms sheet? Well, what is that what they agree to is not going to be a final deal. I think that's always a key caveat that they're agreeing to certain concepts, big concepts, but there are all sorts of details that have to be worked out, including how it will all comply with Title IX, title nine being a federal law that commands sex equity in terms of pay so that essentially male athletes aren't getting more than women athletes.

That's, of course, an important civil rights law. this settlement's going to have to comply with that. There are other things that are going to have to be figured out, including what directly is paid. So one big hurdle is, will they work out the details before they present the final offer to the judge? Then, of course, the judge, Judge Wilkin, will have to review it. She's going to have to make sure that it's equitable, that it's reasonable, that it doesn't disproportionately benefit some members of the class. So she'll have to review that, and ultimately she'll likely accept it. But the settlement could be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals were the Ninth Circuit. This happened in the NFL concussion settlement, where there was

an appeal to the Third Circuit and then to the United States Supreme Court. So there are those hurdles. Then, of course, there's the possibility of lawsuits that this case, the settlement is a contract. It's not precedent. And it's not negotiated with the players union. That's important because when a management and labor agree to a deal, it's typically exempt from antitrust law. There's no players union in college sports. They're not recognized as employees, at least yet. all of these restraints on pay could be challenged in court, then of course member schools could say, wait a second, we didn't agree to this. You rushed this through NCAA, these top, the power conferences rushed it through, we're

having to foot the bill. We didn't get a fair say. They could seek potentially restraining orders. So there are all sorts of areas of turbulence that could present themselves. Wow. Fascinating stuff. Thank you so much for your analysis and insight here. Michael McCann, legal analyst and senior sports legal reporter at Sportico.

Thank you. Thank you. Now to Top Story's Global Watch, we began with the escalating tensions between China and Taiwan. The small island mobilizing their forces as China begins new military drills. New video showing the Chinese military conducting several drills near Taiwan by land, sea, and air. This coming just days after Taiwan's democratically elected president took office. China saying the drills are punishment for what they call separatist acts, including that election. And Spanish authorities recovering a stolen Francis Bacon painting worth over $5 million after almost nine years. Officials say this is the fourth of five paintings taken from the

artist at a property in Madrid. Police say 16 suspects are in custody as they continue searching for the last stolen painting. The five are worth a total of more than $25 million. Coming up next, the scam happening right in some people's backyard. Scammers posting strangers' homes on a website that lets people rent out your pool without their consent. Our NBC Los Angeles reporters put that site to the test to see just how easy it is to get away with what you can do to protect yourself and your pool. Back now with a wild scam in California involving a backyard pool. One couple discovering fraudsters listed their pool for rent online without their knowledge. And as the I team at NBC's Los Angeles found it is easier than you would think to list a pool that is not yours. Anchor Carolyn

Johnson has this story. Eric Thune and his wife Catalan recently retired to Santa Barbara. Finally decided to pull the rip cord and move out of the Bay Area. They put their Northern California home on the market. Then about a week later, something odd happened. I get a text from my pool guy saying, do you know? there's people at your pool. Eric's home security cameras spotted a family heading to his backyard pool where they soaked up the sun. My mind was spinning.

It was crazy to hear that, you know, it's a violation, right? I mean, this is your property. You don't expect to hear that people that you don't know are there. Eric's pool guy put the family on the phone. They told Eric they'd rented his pool through Swimpley, a site where you can rent private backyards by the hour. He said your pool is listed there. And I said, no, it's not.

your trespass, meaning you need to leave or I'm going to call the police. But sure enough, Eric's pool was listed on Swimply, but he didn't do it. Apparently a crook posted Eric's pool, snatching pictures of it from real estate sites to pocket the $46 an hour rental fee. I'm shocked, right? How could somebody post a listing without verifying that they actually own the property? A good question. We asked Swimply that too. The answer? They don't confirm the person listing the property owns it. But Swimpley did say once a listing is posted, it's not immediately searchable on its site. First, the company uses fraud detection to catch bogus listings, which are removed within 24 to 48 hours.

But that didn't happen for Eric. And Swimpley didn't remove his fake listing until he reached out to NBC. They can talk till the cows come home that they protect you, but I don't believe it. The I team was curious about Swimpley's fraud detection, so we teamed up with our sister station, in the Bay Area. Here's the pool I posted that I don't own. Our I-team producer listed a backyard pool for rent, but the property is owned by an NBC boss in the Bay Area.

In turn, I'm going to try to post a listing. A Bay Area intern posted our producer's L.A. rooftop patio for rent. She grabbed the image from the real estate site Zillow. It's asking me to finish listing. Both properties were listed and immediately searchable on Swimpley's site. The listings were there for weeks. I think that's appalling, to be honest, that they can take listings for pools, that they've never confirmed that somebody owns that property. We asked Swimply what happened.

It said the company's extreme growth resulted in some instances of fraud slipping through its cracks. It insisted fake listings are extremely uncommon, and it's committed to catching fraudsters. To help do that, it said it's added additional safeguards, like adding a button so that. users can easily flag suspicious activity. I don't own this pool. But even after this response from Swimpley, our fake listings were still on the site until we finally took them down. Eric says it's a warning for all homeowners.

I just want people to know that this, you know, especially if you've got your home for sale, you need to watch out for this. A lot of times properties are vacant for a long time. And NBCLA's anchor Carolyn Johnson joins us now from Los Angeles. Carolin, this is one of those stories that even I have been sharing with people I know and talking about it in the halls to say, did you see this thing out of L.A.? How can homeowners with pools protect themselves from this sort of thing, whether they're in California or somewhere else in the United States? Yeah, this really is a talker, Ellison. I mean, people can't believe this can happen,

but there really is an easy way to protect yourself. If your home's not for sale, you might want to think about taking down any photos that are on those popular real estate. estate websites of your house. And it's pretty easy to do. All of those sites have step-by-step instructions to walk you through that process. Ellison. Carolyn, thank you. When we come back, Jay Lowe shutting down questions about her personal life, what the actress and singer said when asked about a possible divorce from Bin Affleck and the co-star who came to her defense. That moment is coming up next. Now to the latest drama surrounding superstar Jennifer Lopez, as Rumor swirl about her marriage with actor Ben Affleck, she's fending off questions about her personal life. So when do these questions go a little too far? NBC's Stephen Romo is taking a look.

Tonight, Jennifer Lopez shutting down questions about rumors of trouble in her marriage with Ben Affleck. The star asked the very personal question while on stage in Mexico City promoting her new movie Atlas, which she stars in and produced. her co-star Simul Liu coming to her defense. Okay, we're not doing that. Thank you so much, guys. I really appreciate it. Thank you. You know better than that.

Come on. Don't come in here with that energy, please. If you don't ask the question, people are going to wonder why you didn't ask the question and it sort of looks bad. If you do ask the question, then maybe the talent is going to give you sort of the J-Lo response, which is this isn't really what this is about. personal questions can come with a territory of celebrity status when do they cross the line what on earth you want about tom hardy slamming an interviewer's line of questioning in 2015

when asked about his sexual orientation i was wondering if you find it difficult for celebrities to talk about their sexuality i don't find it difficult for celebrities to talk about their sexuality um are you asking me about my sexuality um sure why why Thank you. Women in the spotlight sitting for countless junket interviews to promote their films, sometimes the target of highly personal questions about their weight, diet, and appearance. Were you able to wear undergarments, if you were? You're like the fifth person that's asking.

What is going on? Since when did people start asking each other in interviews about their underwear? Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson facing a litany of questions over her career unrelated to her acting achievements. Getting into the shape of Black Widow, did you have anything special to do in terms of the diet? Like, how come you get, like, the really interesting, like, existential question? And I get the, like, rabbit food question. At the biggest moments in their careers grilled about their relationship status. What are you looking for in a man now to wear this coat? I'm not looking for a man. You're going to walk home with more than maybe just a trophy tonight. I think lots of men.

I'm not going to walk home with any men tonight. And asked repeatedly, how they manage to balance it all. How do you balance your career and having a person? Um, you can also fill them in that too. Sometimes people ask things as if they're entitled to an answer, and I don't necessarily think that should be the case. I think it's okay to ask something, but I don't think it's okay

to sort of give someone attitude as if they owe you that answer. Finding the fine line between genuine intrigue and invasive questioning. And Stephen Romo joins us now in studio. So, Stephen, just from watching some of the different examples in your report, there are some, like when Scarlett Johansson was asked about her undergarments, where it's like, that to me is just baffling that anybody thought that was okay. Clearly, that, to me, crossed the line. But in some of these other instances, it is a fine line and kind of a precarious one to walk as a reporter, because when you have a situation like this with J.Lo and Ben Affleck, yes, she's a public figure, but yes, he is, too. You also get to have a private life, but they've also done commercials together. I mean, literally monetizing their relationship.

So when is it too far? Yeah, it's fascinating talking to Darren Karp, who we had in our piece about this, having to make that decision on the fly, what you can ask and what you cannot ask. And really, celebrity journalists and these entertainers, they have a symbiotic relationship. So when these journalists go too far and ask a question that they know is probably going to be off limits, then they could lose access, which everyone knows these celebrities are trying to promote something, and they all understand the game. So the things have changed over the past few years as well.

Darren's saying that social media has made people feel like they are owed answers to these things. Yes, parasycial relationships. Exactly. So there is a fine line, but really when it comes to these celebrity journalists, she says they really should know better or else they could lose access. Interesting stuff. NBC's Stephen Romo, thank you. And thank you at home so very much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.