Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, May 29, 2025

Episode Date: May 30, 2025

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

Tonight, the wild back and forth in the court battle over President Trump's tariffs. The U.S. economy may be hanging in the balance. Tariff whiplash. One court wipes away the president's most sweeping tariffs while another brings them back for now. The White House vowing to fight to keep them. So what happens next? We break down what it means for your wallet. Twister touching down in Georgia, tearing across the highway and the 17,000 people evacuated from their homes in Canada.

as fast-moving wildfires close in. Now, the giant mass of smoke heading to the U.S. were tracking it all. Facing her abuser, the alleged victim, taking the stand in the Sean Diddy Combs trial, the sexual assault she says she endured, and the violence she says she witnessed. Desperation in Gaza, striking images

of thousands of Palestinians, crushing in on aid stations, trying to get food. Four people killed in the melee, and the young girl emerging from her burning home after an Israeli airstrike, our team on the ground speaking with her. Back to reality, new video of the Chrissley family reunited after both parents were pardoned by President Trump and new information on the reality show deal they just signed. Over the line, the NFL star filmed on a vote with rapper Cardi B, the video of him passing a pink substance around going viral,

what his coach is now saying. And the man who left the earth accidentally, the amazing video of a person. paraglider caught in an updraft, launched five miles into the Earth's atmosphere. His face, frozen, how he lived to tell about it. Plus, the new twist in the crypto kidnapping in Manhattan, off-duty NYPD officers may have been guarding the House? Top story. Starts right now.

And good evening. Tonight, tariff turbulence sending the trade war further into chaos. President Trump's tariffs are in play. For now, after an appeals court granted the administration's request to pause a ruling that virtually wiped the sweeping tariffs out. Check this out. These are the stock futures sharply rising after that trade court ruled last night that the president didn't have the authority to impose those tariffs, and then dropping during trading today. Ultimately, as you see right here, all the major indices ending in the green. This is new tonight, popular retailer gap, seeing shares plummet as the company says, tariffs could cost them more than $100 million.

Right now, ports are in limbo as cargo ships filled with shipping containers continue to come in. And the big question this hour, what does it all mean for your wallet? The tariff whiplash impacting everything from iPhones to groceries. Our Brian Chung is going to break it down for us. But we want to start tonight with NBC's Gabe Gutierrez, who's at the White House. Tonight, tariff whiplash, a federal appeals court ruling President Trump's tariffs can stay in place for now. temporarily pausing last night's ruling by the U.S. Court of International Trade that had blocked most of the President's sweeping tariffs and given the White House just ten days to unwind them. Three judges of the U.S. Court of International Trade disagreed and brazenly abused their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump to stop him from carrying out the mandate that the American people gave him.

President Trump relied on emergency powers outlined in a 1977 law to enact many of his tariffs, but the court said that use is impermissible, not because it is unwise or ineffective, but because that law does not allow it. Small businesses and a dozen states had filed the lawsuits. It's just been surreal. Victor Schwartz is the lead plaintiff and the founder of VOS selections, a small New York-based wine company. The tariffs are a cash flow killer, particularly impactful for a small, business, this kind of uncertainty is terrible for business. It's impossible. You're just guessing. The president still has other means of imposing terrorists on imported goods, and the White House

says it will keep negotiating with other countries to produce trade barriers on American products, despite the uncertainty. Why would other countries continue these trade deal negotiations? Because other countries around the world have faith in the negotiator-in-chief, President Donald J. Trump. And they also probably see how ridiculous. this ruling is, and they understand that the administration is going to win. The tear of turmoil comes as one of the most visible members of the administration officially confirms he's leaving after his 130-day appointment as a special government employee. Elon must thank the president for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending while heading up

the Department of Government Efficiency. We thank him for his service. We thank him for getting Doge off of the ground, and the efforts to cut waste fraud and abuse will continue. But tonight, the top Trump ally is also distancing himself from the White House. It's not like I agree with everything the administration does. So it's like there's, I mean, I agree with much of what the administration does, but we have differences of opinion. All right, Gabe Gutierrez joins us live from the White House.

Gabe, let's pick it up right there. What is the future of Doge now with Elon Musk appearing to abandon ship? Well, Tom, the White House press secretary gave a bit of a vague answer to that, saying, that the entire cabinet will be involved in running it. And they'll continue to work with Doge employees who've already been onboarded. Now, she says the mission of Doge will continue, but when she was pressed about exactly who would replace Musk as the leader of Doge, again, she would only say the president and his entire cabinet would be involved.

So the future of Doge is a bit uncertain here, Tom. All right. And then I know you have some new reporting about a meeting between Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and the president today. Yeah, that's right. There's obviously been quite a bit of tension. between these two. But Powell came here to the White House today at the president's invitation. Now, the Federal Reserve's readout said that Powell sought to defend the central bank's

independence and that he also told the president that monetary policy decisions will be based on non-political analysis. Now, the White House looked over that statement very carefully, I'm told, and agrees with it. But the press secretary did point out that Trump did say that he does believe the Fed chair is making a mistake by not lowering. interest rates, Tom. Gabe Gutier is leading us off tonight. Gabe, we thank you. NBC business correspondent, Brian Chung, joins us now. So, Brian, what happens next as it sort of winds its way through the courts?

Yeah, Tom, so the plaintiffs in this case have said that they have until June 5th to respond to this, which means that it could be a few days before we get any further developments on this. Now, of course, the question is, would this get escalated up to the Supreme Court at some point? That is really the big tell on whether or not these 10% baseline tariffs that are being imposed on essentially every country around the world will be here to stay. But again, for consumers, for businesses that are trying to figure out what happens here, it just adds to the confusion. So the markets have sort of been monitoring the tariffs, obviously, it's been why they've been up and down. But what are they thinking out with this new court case?

Yeah, well, markets ended the day up three-tenths of a percent, which isn't necessarily a remarkable or particularly unusual movement for the stock market. So they weren't particularly moved or weighed down by this particular announcement. Now, when it comes to the overall picture here, again, for consumers, for investors, for businesses, for Wall Street, There are a number of businesses that are saying we're already being impacted by these tariffs here. And I think that the assumption probably among a lot of C-suite executives that are trying to navigate through all of this, especially with the appeals court decision today, is let's just assume that the tariffs are still in place, prepare for the worst-case scenario. And if it ends up being taken off the table by some sort of more absolute ruling, like from the Supreme Court,

then they can adjust the court. So that leads to my next question, right, because let's think about our viewers here. What should they expect? We hear that Best Buy and Macy's are already warning. They're going to have to raise prices. We've seen other companies say the same. what should consumers expect? Yeah, it is earning season. And companies have said that they're experiencing the impact of these tariffs, best by guiding on lower profits, as well as GAP, just this afternoon, saying that they're going to take $100 to $150 million hit as a result of these higher costs. So these businesses are likely already being pinched and in a position to want to raise prices on their consumers, which means that those price increases are still likely on the way, Tom. All right, Brian, I know we'll be talking a lot in the days ahead. All right, Brian, we're also tracking some severe weather tonight.

An unexpected tornado hitting Georgia today, video capturing the moments the twister passes right in front of a car on a highway. You see it right here. Look at that. And an out-of-control wildfires ravaging our neighbors to the north. Officials in Manitoba, Canada, declaring a state of emergency there forcing more than 17,000 residents to evacuate. Satellite imagery capturing the fast-moving smoke and the flames. You see it right here. As leaders call it, their largest evacuation in living memory. NBC's Bill Cairns joins us now for the the latest in all the severe weather threats. We're going to get to that weather out of Canada first, but I want to start with that tornado in Georgia. Are there still threats at this hour? It was amazing. We didn't have a big tornado threat day, Tanami. This was just one isolated tornado. You saw that video at the highway. That was Interstate 75 in between Atlanta and Macon. Our little icon here shows you where that tornado was. It did destroy a home, unfortunately. It just goes to show you. You don't need like a tornado outbreak to have tragedy happen. You know, this is just one lone tornado all by itself out here. And we're not looking at any other

threats in this area of the country. Tom, out in West Texas, we may have isolated severe storms throughout the night. All right, Bill, and then let's get back to Canada and what's happening with those wildfires. Remind our viewers, I think it was two years ago, right around this time where we were having those orange skies and the air quality in the Northeast was bad from those wildfires. What's going on this time? Unbelievable amount of acreage is burning in Canada for this early in the season. Last year, by the way, Canada broke its record. So here's a map showing where all the large fires are in the lower 48 and in Canada. We have a 11. They have 83 uncontained wildfires, and it's the one right here in Manitoba,

and there's a bunch of Saskatchewan, too. This is the smoke that for the last couple of days has been more towards the Hudson Bay. But in the days ahead, this is all shifting southwards. They've already burned 1.5 million acres. Typically in a year, they burn a million. So we're there, we're like double where they should be for this time of year. And here's the all-important smoke forecast. And this is important for people with respiratory problems. Your air quality is going to be horrendous in much of Minnesota as we go throughout the day tomorrow. So, this This is 2 p.m. All of Wisconsin, the smoke heads southwards. We've got a pretty big storm heading for the east coast.

That's going to suck this smoke southwards. We may even get hazy skies all the way as far south as Atlanta, St. Louis, Nashville, and then definitely here in the Midwest. If there's any one spot that I'm most concerned with, it'd be right on Minneapolis, Tom. And the thing with smoke is you never know if it's going to be right down at the ground or barely above the ground. We'll figure that out tomorrow. Let's hope it's not as bad as we think it could be. Yeah, and happening just as kids are getting out of school.

All right, Bill, we appreciate that. We do want to turn to new developments in the Sean Diddy Combs trial. A key witness taking the stand today. She's a former personal assistant of Combs testifying that he would have violent outburst, deprive her of sleep, and sexually assaulted her once while she was sleeping in her room. On the stand, at times, you can imagine she got nervous, she got emotional when detailing what happened. NBC's Chloe Malas with the latest, again from the courthouse. Tonight, gripping an emotional testimony from a former personal assistant to Sean Diddy Combs.

who wept as she told jurors that her boss repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped her. Testifying under the pseudonym Mia to protect her anonymity, she recounted an incident at his Beverly Hills home when he entered a bedroom where she was sleeping and began having sex with her. Through tears saying, quote, He told me to be quiet. He put himself inside of me. I just froze. Another time, she said Combs forced her to perform oral sex. When asked why she never reported the sexual assaults, she testified, I was going to die with this.

I didn't want anyone to know ever, calling the assaults the most traumatizing experiences of her life. Combs has pled not guilty to all charges. Mia also testifying about grueling conditions. During the eight years, she worked for Combs. She said that she once worked five days without sleep, leading to a physical breakdown. She said, he has thrown things at me.

He has thrown me against the wall. He has thrown me into a pool. Mia also recounted seeing Combs repeatedly assault his on and off girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, saying, I've seen him attack her. I've seen him throw her on the ground. I've seen him crack her head open. Testifying that in 2012, Combs became enraged that she and Ventura went to a party at the home of the late musician Prince. She said Combs chased them and then attacked Ventura. Mia also saying that she witnessed the incident that led to this gash on Ventura's forehead. She said Combs threw Ventura into a bed frame,

adding, it was the first time I realized like the severe danger that we were actually in. Tom, we've also learned that prosecutors are actually running ahead of schedule and they only have about two more weeks left after this one. And then they're going to turn things over to Sean Combs' criminal defense team who said, though, that they need to pivot their strategy because the prosecution has changed their strategy. So we don't really know too much about what that means, but they said that they could take more than a week. But the judge still said that he believes that this trial will still wrap up around the 4th of July. Tom?

Chloe Malas, Chloe, we thank you. Let's bring in NBC News legal analyst, Danny Savallo. Danny, great to see you in studio. Well, let's start with this testimony from the woman who's going by the pseudonym Mia. A graphic testimony, unbelievable allegations. It's so horrific and sick. How does this advance, though, the prosecution's case? Well, primarily, she spoke a lot about issues of forced labor.

She was made to work around the clock without sleep. She witnessed violence and was even. Even the victim of violence, according to her testimony, she said that Diddy threw things at her and was generally violent. So one of the allegations for racketeering is that the enterprise that Combs was a part of engaged in what's called forced labor. So that may go to the elements of that racketeering charge. And then, of course, generally the violence is helpful not only to racketeering, but as a whole, the general sort of theory that the prosecution has that Did he used force, fraud, or coercion, or was general. violent. From our reporting, Mia, this former assistant to Diddy, was crying on the stand, hyperventilating. We saw something similar with Capricorn Clark, the other assistant who was also

very nervous and sobbing. What is this, or how does this impact the jury? Well, here's the thing. Emotion can go both ways. And I think Capricorn Clark and Mia are good examples of the differences. I watched both of their testimony. I was there at court. And I have to say that sometimes emotion for one person doesn't come across. credible to the jury's emotion with someone else. With Capricorn Clark, she cried frequently about things like being fired or something like that, which it can be an emotional experience, but I think excessive emotion comes off possibly as not as credible to the jury. Whereas meanwhile, I thought Mia's moments of emotion came off as quite credible. Yeah, let's talk about the defense's

cross-examination strategy with some of these witnesses for the prosecution. They're revealing text and email saying, I love you, don't be mad at me. Essentially, the victims in this case, the alleged victims, wanting to be lied by Diddy, wanting to maintain that relationship. How is that going to hurt the prosecution's case? Well, it goes to all of those witnesses' credibility. So take Capricorn Clark, for example. She testified, I worked for him. He was violent. He kidnapped me. He wanted to kill Kid Cuddy. We chased Kid Cuddy. All of these allegations she makes in her testimony. And yet, after she's fired, she apparently went back to Diddy and asked for her job back. That's the kind of thing that might make her appear less credible with the jury.

Or they might go the other way and say, look, Diddy had this vengali hold over all kinds of people, not just girlfriends, but his employees too. We're throwing a lot at the viewers tonight and every night on this case. I can't imagine what the jurors are going through. I want to put back up on the screen the charges that he's facing. Racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force or fraud, coercion, transportation to engage in prostitution. You've been in court, you are a lawyer, a trained professional, give it to a straight. How is this case going for the prosecution? Yeah, we'll start with the last one first, trafficking and prostitution, also called the Man Act.

Actually, originally when it was enacted, called the White Slave Act, believe it or not. And all you need for that is prostitution plus an interstate transportation element. Have they already gotten that evidence in? I believe they have. But is it credible? That's another question. Racketeering, here's the thing. Did he's not charged with racketeering.

He's charged with racketeering conspiracy. Here's why that's so important. That law criminalizes an agreement and nothing more. So in other words, when we talk about these predicate crimes of arson or drug trafficking, you don't need to prove that Did he actually did those things, only that he was part of an agreement to allow those things to happen. And then, of course, with sex trafficking, force fraud or crime. coercion plus commercial sex acts. They're going to need to tie that violence to the commercial

sex acts. It's not enough just to have violence in the ether, but the government's done a pretty good job so far. The jurors aren't lawyers like you. You think they're getting there? It's always hard to say. Reading jurors, if any of us lawyers knew how to do it with any certainty, we'd be a lot more successful than all of us are. Danny Savalas, we thank you. We do want to move overseas now to Gaza, where video shows desperate crowds rushing into aid distribution centers. so great, it actually turned deadly. And those aid stations, part of a new program backed by the U.S. and Israel, which is off to a rocky star. NBC News International correspondent, Ralph Sanchez, has this report.

The desperate search for food in Gaza is turning increasingly deadly. A hungry crowd storming this U.N. warehouse. Some climbing through holes ripped in the metal walls, hoping for a single bag of flour. Two people were crushed to death, according to hospital authorities. And two two more, killed by gunfire. It isn't clear who fired the fatal shots. But with hunger stalking Gaza's children, families will do almost anything to get something to eat. We haven't seen any food in five days, this father says. Under intense international criticism, Israel has now lifted its nearly three-month blockade, which stopped all food and medicine getting into Gaza. But the new aid system, run by an American NGO, approved.

by Israel is off to a chaotic start. Thousands entered these fenced off pens on Tuesday, hoping for food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But their numbers quickly swelled beyond control, overwhelming the system. Overhead Israeli helicopters firing flares, while the IDF says its ground troops fired warning shots into the air.

Local authorities say more than 40 people were injured in the stampede. The foundation denies losing control. losing control, saying, for a brief moment, the GHF team intentionally relaxed its security protocols to safeguard against crowd reactions to finally receiving food. The UN says the new system is only delivering a fraction of the food needed. This is comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk. At the UN Security Council, this is how the Palestinian ambassador described the situation

in Gaza. It's unbearable. How could anyone do this sorrow? While Israel's representative defending the new aid system. The UN must stop. The UN must stop spreading panic and start moving aid. All the while, relentless Israeli air strikes pounding the strip. One targeting this school in Gaza City, where displaced families were sheltering.

Israel says Hamas was using it as a command center, but did not provide evidence. 36 people were killed in the attack, according to hospital authorities. This little girl seen emerging from the flames, one uncertain step after a another. Her name is Ward, Arabic for flowered. She's five years old, and our team in Gaza found her in her uncle's arms the next day. The fire was all over. It burned my hand, she says. Her mother and five of her siblings were killed in the strike. Far too much for any child to bear. Raf joins us now. Raf, you see all those images coming out of Gaza and all that chaos,

and yet there are still ceasefire negotiations going on? That's right, Tom. The White House confirming today that Steve Wickoff, President Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, has submitted a new ceasefire proposal to both Israel and Hamas. They say the Israelis have accepted it. A Hamas spokesman confirms to us the group is studying the proposal. The White House not saying what specifically is in this plan, but it appears to be similar to the previous two ceasefires. So a temporary pause in the fighting in exchange for the release of some, but not all of the House. hostages. Tom. Okay, we'll see where those negotiations go. Raf, thank you. We're back in a moment with the reality stars reunited. Todd and Julie Crisley from Chrisley knows best, released from prison after President Trump's pardon, now together at home, what we know about their reality show future. And the chilling video of an attack on a TSA agent, did you see this? Why he was kicked off a plane the day before. Plus the medical debt nightmare for one Colorado couple, they were hit with tens of thousands of dollars and bills, the hospital couldn't explain. So what should

you do if this happens to you? Stay with us. We are back now with a new look at the first moments of freedom for reality stars Todd and Julie Christie, pardoned for their federal fraud crimes by President Trump. Their daughter are now previewing their family's upcoming return to television. NBC News White House correspondent Yamish Alcindar has this report. I've got tired of here being dramatic. Tonight, we're getting the first glimpses of the Crisleys, freed by President Trump from federal prison, and the antics that made them darlings of reality TV for nearly a decade

on Chrissley knows best. I want young and hip, not suburban mom. I am a hot suburban mom. Already back on full display. You just sprayed perfume everywhere. I didn't have to deal with this in prison. Savannah Chrisley, daughter of Todd and Julie Chrisley, posting these videos riding in a car

alongside her father after his release. Feel that muscle? Oh, yeah, fail the muscle. Y'all, I'm not going to lie. It's hard. Todd's jacked. Jacked. Savannah also posting this image on Instagram,

still not showing the faces of her parents, but telling her followers reunited and it feels so good. They call them the Trumps of Georgia. This morning, President Trump's pardon czar, Alice Marie Johnson, telling Fox News she believes the Crisleys were politically targeted. They don't pose a risk to society. In fact, I know that they're going to use their voices and their platform to uplift the president's agenda.

Lifetime confirming they will provide the Crisleys with a platform, greenlighting a new docu series that will premiere later this year. Writing in a press release, the Crisleys don't know best anymore, but they're doing their best to be there for each other. It will document all of these things. And we're excited. I know that I look 30, but I feel 20. Todd, Julie, and their family became household names with their original hit show on the USA Network.

But in 2022, a dramatic fall from grace. The couple convicted of tax evasion into frauding banks out of more than $30 million, sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison. You don't understand it until it happens to you. Savannah becoming her parents' chief advocate, even appearing at the Republican National Convention last July in support of another man who has claimed to be a victim of political persecution, President Trump. My family was persecuted by rogue prosecutors in Fulton County due to our public profile

and conservative beliefs. The Crisleys joined a growing list of Trump's political allies, pardoned for their crimes. Ex-Virginia Sheriff, Scott Jenkins, a prominent supporter of the president who was convicted by a jury of bribery and corruption and sentenced to 10 years in prison, also had his convictions washed away Monday. And tonight, scrutiny is mounting over who President Trump says he may pardon next. The men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job. This morning, the governor responding to the possibility that her would-be captors may go free. You know, very disappointed that they're even considering it. Okay, with that, Yamish, joins us now live from Washington. So, Yamish, we know that Chrisley's accountant was all convicted in this scheme. He's now asking for a pardon as well. And there's word that the

Crisleys themselves will have a news conference tomorrow? That's right, Tom. The Crisley's accountant, a man named Peter Tarantino. He was also convicted of tax charges and sentenced to three years in prison. Now, he's since been released from custody, but he's saying he's going to seek a pardon from President Trump because he wants to have his voting rights restored. And he also wants to get his license back so he can be a public accountant. And just a few minutes ago, I was talking to a White House official about that pardon request. He said that it was too early to speculate about whether or not President Trump would grant that request and that President Trump would essentially be looking at this on a case-by-case basis. And as you said, the Crisleys are expected to hold a press conference tomorrow

in Nashville, Tennessee. Right in bright and early in the morning, their statement says that they're going to be talking about their release and receiving a pardon for President Trump. So we're definitely going to be watching that very closely, Tom. And we will bring that to you. I'm sure tomorrow right here on Top Story. All right, Yamish, we thank you for joining us. When Top Story returns tonight, at the new twist in the crypto kidnapping case where off-duty NYPD officers guarding the home while a tourist was being tortured inside, that's the allegation tonight.

Plus the NFL star facing scrutiny over this viral video, the pink substance he was passing around and the coach's reaction right after the break. All right, welcome back. We begin Top Stories News Feed tonight in Miami, A new video shows a man attacking two people, including a TSA agent at the airport in December. A day before this, he was kicked off a plane, also for allegedly assaulting someone.

He faces charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer, assaulting a senior citizen, and disrupting air travel security, I should say. He's pleaded guilty, and his sentencing is scheduled for tomorrow. Victoria's Secret taking down its website because of an apparent cyber attack. Visitors to the site being met with this message saying the company is addressing a security incident, that physical stores are operating normally. It appears the site has been down since Wednesday. This comes two weeks after Google issued a warning about cybercriminal groups

that had disrupted British retailers and was now targeting American brands. Major League Baseball, partnering with a professional women's sports league for the first time. The organization announcing it will be investing in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. A release by the Softball League saying the MLB's involvement will help raise the Softball League and its Athletes Visibility, Major League Baseball's Commissioner, the AP that women's sports had escalated significantly in recent years, and the league is looking more for ways to get involved. Boston's Fenway Park abruptly canceling some of its concerts tonight just hours before Shakira was set to take the stage. Another show scheduled for tomorrow

featuring Jason Aldeen and Brooks and Dunn has also been called off. A statement from Live Nation blaming it on quote unforeseen circumstances. We have been calling Fenway and trying to get a better answer. It says fans will be given a refund at their point of purchase so far. far, no other details have been given. Okay, we turn out to President Trump's battle with Harvard. The university is scoring a court victory today against the administration, even as the State Department takes new actions against foreign students coming to the U.S. Today, Harvard held its graduation, and the school's president defying the administration

with his speech. Stephanie Gosk reports from Cambridge tonight. At graduation today, Harvard President Alan Garber getting a standing ovation when he praised graduates from around the world. around the world just as it should be. While just across town, a federal judge extended her order blocking the Trump administration from revoking all foreign student visas at the university. But it is only a small win for Harvard.

Its international students still face legal limbo that could last months. I'm not sure if I am able to return to Harvard for my fall semester, which begins in August. Pakistani student Abdullah Shahid Seyal was just a last last. student body president. He spoke to us from Australia. We really want to come back. The Trump administration accuses Harvard of fostering anti-Semitism on campus and implementing what it calls racist DEI policies. A Harvard University Task Force recently found a demonization of Israel and bullying of Jewish students on campus. But Harvard rejects the government's demands, which includes sweeping oversight of its curriculum, hiring, and admissions. In retaliation,

federal agencies froze billions of dollars in grants, including for cancer research. Harvard has been a disaster. I'd rather see that money go to trade schools. And by the way, they're totally anti-Semitic at Harvard. The move to revoke international student visas impacts more than a quarter of a student body. Tonight, the Trump administration with a new escalation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing the State Department will aggressively revoke

visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party, or studying in critical fields and will revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China. 270,000 Chinese students are studying at U.S. colleges. Back here at Harvard, Maria Kuznetsova graduated today. She's a human rights activist from Russia. But what happens to you if your visa gets revoked? I don't have any like other visa.

If I get deported back to Russia directly, like it's a very bad situation. situation for me. All right, Stephanie Goss joins us now from Cambridge and sort of building upon that student we just heard from there. I'm curious, do we know anything about enrollment at Harvard? This has to be affecting students abroad and their parents when they think about sending their kids to the U.S. Yeah, for sure. And you know, the head of the Immigration Services Office says they're already having people reach out because they're concerned about their visa status. They also say that there are students here, dozens of them, that have reached out for help in transferring to other schools. There have been foreign embassies that have reached out to Harvard, concerned about

their people. And you also have some students here who, it's the end of the school year, Tom. They had plans to leave. International students here were going to go home or travel who have decided not to leave because they're concerned that if they do, they're not going to be allowed back into the country, Tom. Stephanie, Goss, doing a great job of reporting behind that trumpet solo of when the Saints go marching in. Stephanie, we appreciate all your reporting tonight. We have New details tonight in the case of the crypto trader kidnapping two NYPD, excuse me, two NYPD detectives placed on modified duty, giving up their badges and guns after the department learned of a possible connection to the case. NBC Sam Brock has the latest.

Tonight, two members of the New York Police Department have been placed on modified duty, guns and badges temporarily taken according to the NYPD, as they're investigated for any link to two crypto businessmen, John Waltz and William DePlessy, accused of kidnapped. an Italian investor before his escape 17 days later and torturing him inside of his Soho townhouse, trying to pry away his Bitcoin password. Law enforcement sources familiar with the case say that includes a detective in Mayor Adam's security detail, who was working off duty at the time and provided security at that townhouse. The NYPD telling NBC News, members of the service were modified yesterday.

The matter is under internal review. How did this possible connection come to light? Ever since this incident took place, detectives are scouring everything that happened. At some point, the detectives identified a couple of members of the NYPD that may have had interactions with the Italian tourists. And at that point, the investigation widens. Terry Monaghan is a former NYPD chief of department. Sources say that detective picked up the Italian tourist at the airport. But where they traveled next and whether either member had any knowledge of what was allegedly happening in a townhouse is under review.

Did they know anything that was going on? Were they involved in the criminality? This is all going to come out over the next couple of weeks as the investigation continues. Monaghan says any sort of off-duty security job has to be pre-approved, whether this one was, is also part of the investigation. Mayor Adams not addressing the matter during a public appearance today, but a spokesperson told NBC News, every city employee is expected to follow the law, including our officers, both on and off-duty. We are disturbed by these allegations. Attorneys for both men accused of kidnapping and torture have declined to comment. All right, Sam, Brock joins us now in studio. Sam, this story gets stranger and stranger by the day.

I know you have some new reporting also about that weapon found in the house, and Mayor Eric Adams making some comments. So first, new developments tonight, Tom. We have learned that there was a firearm that was recovered on the premises at 38 Prince Street. That's where those crypto founders were staying over this time period. Multiple sources connected to the situation say that. Now, they're saying it's not a service firearm that was provided by NYPD. They were investigating to find that whether or not that gun could have been associated with one of those detectives, their personal weapon.

But if they're sharing their personal weapon or the weapons locate them inside the house, both of those developments would be significant in this case. There's not more information at this point. But certainly tons of people are asking, how could they have gotten permission necessarily for this type of assignment? Mayor Adams did speak earlier tonight. He says, that's not my job. It's my intel supervisor's job to make those determinations. I will say this, and I think it's really important context. In light of what happened to Brian Thompson in Midtown, Manhattan, six or seven months ago, murdered there.

So many more executives are hiring private security, and oftentimes that's coming from police officers who are making money off of their regular job off duty. So that part tracks. What does not necessarily track is why a security, his private security detective would not have been more thoroughly vetted potentially and been allowed to do that. There's just so many questions around that specific aspect. Questions are right. Okay. Sam, we thank you for that. Next tonight to the viral video involving the New England's Patriots' newest wide receiver. It appears to show Stefan Diggs parting on a boat at one point handing a woman a baggie containing an unknown pink substance. His head coach addressing the video as fans wonder what this means for the upcoming season.

NBC's George Release has this one. Tonight, newly signed New England Patriots wide receiver, Stefan Diggs in the spotlight, for activity off the field. This video appearing to show Diggs on a boat, surrounded by which. holding a baggie of an unknown pink substance. One of the women eventually appears to take the baggie from Diggs. It's not clear what the pink substance is, or exactly when and where the video was taken.

Photos appear to show Diggs on the same boat with Cardi B in Miami on Memorial Day. Patriots head coach Mike Vrable, addressing the video on Wednesday, saying the team will address the matter internally. It's something that we're aware of, and obviously we want to make great decisions on and off the field. on and off the field. The message will be the same for all our players that we're trying to make

great decisions and any conversations that I've had with Stefan will remain between him and I and the club. Diggs, who signed a three-year $63.5 million contract with the Patriots this offseason was not at the team's optional practice on Wednesday, though he did attend voluntary practices the week before. The fact that he wasn't there after this video, definitely raised some eyebrows. The NFL, the Patriots, and Diggs have not responded to request for comment. The Patriots signed Stefan Diggs to be that number one wide receiver. Is it off to the best start optically? Probably not.

But if he goes out there and plays incredibly, I think this will seem like a distant memory come week 12 of the football season. So far, fan reaction has been mixed. Some waiting to reserve judgment to see if Digg shows up to mandatory practice next month. Many wondering if we'll ever address the video publicly at all. Tom? And an update to a story, George, thank you. an update to a story we brought you last night. Haley Bieber's beauty and skin care brand has been acquired in a deal worth $1 billion. The move highlighting the booming business and its female

founders. Kathy Park has this report. I really, really, really love this one. This week, Haley Bieber's beauty brand Road got a major glow-up with a billion-dollar deal with Elf Beauty, a cosmetics giant widely available at your nearest drugstore. How significant is a deal like this? This is a very big deal It's one of the bigger beauty deals we've seen in some time. She's not the only celebrity capitalizing on the booming beauty industry, a global market estimated to be worth over $700 billion in the next three years. Brianna, Lady Gaga, and Selena Gomez all launched successful beauty lines using their star power to propel their brands.

How did the beauty market get so big? A lot of it is social media. I've gone through two bottles of this. Full face of road. We've had an explosion of content around beauty from cross. product reviews to get ready with me videos. These just share beauty knowledge with a much wider audience. Road launch in 2022, growing a massive following on TikTok with viral product trends. Glazed and glowing just how we like it. The 28-year-old model and founder will stay on as chief

creative officer, saying in a statement, I found a like-minded disruptor with a vision to be a different kind of company that believes in big ideas and innovation in the same way that I do. A breakout beauty brand, and now the face behind a billion dollar deal. Kathy Park, NBC News. Okay, we are back in a moment with medical debt dangers, how the bills can pile out without patients even knowing it. This plumber originally hit with a $100,000 bill what he had to do about it, and taken for a ride, this video that's almost impossible to believe a paraglider accidentally swept

five miles up. How he survived after his face was being frozen in real time. We'll explain. We are back now with a situation all too familiar for millions of Americans. The challenge of navigating medical debt after an unexpected health crisis. One patient was originally hit with a bill that totaled $100,000, and they say no one at the hospital could explain any of those charges. So what should you do if it happens to you? Here's Liz Kreutz.

Three years ago, Blake Pfeiffer went for emergency stomach surgery in Colorado Springs. He's a self-employed plumber and says at the time he could. couldn't afford insurance. He knew he'd have to pay out of pocket, but says the bills that came from the University of Colorado health system made no sense. To this day, though, you still don't understand. I still don't understand. I don't, no. The initial charges for his seven-day stay $104,000, which quickly became $58,000 because of discounts for being a self-pay patient. But Blake and his wife, Don, say bills just kept coming and without explanation. We literally had bills scattered all over the floor and it covered the entire office.

I get a bill for 20-some dollars and then I get a bill for 145. And then I get a bill for 75. They say they stopped paying when no one at the hospital would explain the charges. Then they heard from a collection agency. I did not like Owen anybody any money. But I also don't like paying for something that I don't know whether I'm paying for it. The couple went to a patient advocacy group for help and were told that at the time the hospital wasn't publicly displaying many of the children.

charges a new law required. But that wasn't the biggest issue. For some of the tests he received, Blake was being charged far more than insured patients were charged for the same thing. That's despite UC Health's own financial statement saying self-pay patients should typically pay a similar amount. Here's one example. UC Health's public price data showed the hospital was charging insured patients anywhere from $6 to $53 for a common metabolic panel blood test, depending on who the insurer was. But Blake's records show even after his cash discount, he was being charged roughly 103. He didn't get a deal. He was actually charged over two times more than what would be an appropriate price. Patient Rights Advocate co-founder Cynthia Fisher says the issue is rampant

across the country. UC Health is one example. And hospitals are using and hiding also not only their prices, but they're hiding behind aggressive collection agencies that are going after these patients. In a statement to NBC News, UC Health declined to talk about Blake's situation, citing a notice of a potential lawsuit from his lawyer. But it did dispute the lawyer's allegations and noted that the state of Colorado has found their hospitals to be in compliance with transparency rules. The patient advocacy group also says the house system is now compliant with those rules. Do you feel like there was any transparency in this process? No. No. Nobody, was interested in talking to us. The Pfeiffers say their frustrations primarily stem from

that confusion and lack of communication to help understand what the bills were for, and they now have this request to hospitals. Be more transparent, treat people like you would want your family being treated. Liz Kreutz joins us now. Liz, I talk to so many Americans who tell me navigating these bills, feels like a job into itself. So what should you do if you find yourself in a similar situation where quite literally the hospital can't explain the charges? Yeah, I mean, experts tell us when the bills start coming, Tom, just to take a beat, look at them and try if you can to look up the hospital's list of pricing. According to a 2021 federal transparency rule, they are supposed to list their pricing, although according to a study

from the Department of Health and Human Services of 100 hospital studies nationwide, 40% are not complying right now. But try to compare. If not, you can try to ask the hospital for help. We know that can be tough. So you can reach out to these patient advocacy groups. This was patient advocacy.org. The good news is the federal government just a few months ago did pass a rule trying to tell hospitals they need to update their transparency pricing regulations. So that could lead to some change, Tom. Okay, Liz Krois. We thank you for that. Now for Top Story's Global Watch and a check of what is happening around the world. We start with a mistrial declared in the death of Argentinian soccer player Dioga Diego Maradona.

Maradona, a World Cup champion, died in 2020 from cardiac arrest while recovering from surgery. Seven members of his medical team were charged with negligent homicide. Today's mistrial comes after one of the judges overseen proceedings stepped down because of her involvement in a documentary about the case. A date for a new trial has not yet been set. The driver who injured dozens of people when his car ran into a crowd of people over the week and charged today. It happened Monday when Liverpool soccer fans were celebrating their team's Premier League Championship. At least 80 people injured, 53-year-old Paul Doyle was charged with dangerous driving and five counts of grievous bodily harm. He is due in court tomorrow. Police believe he acted alone and so far no motive has been given.

Police in Australia are looking for a suspected arsonist that they say accidentally set himself on fire, then fled this scene. Look at this video. The man is seen entering a Melbourne restaurant and pouring liquid on the bar and the floor, not noticing it's also splatching on him. He then lights it and panics when he goes up in flames. Look at this. Dropping and rolling on the ground, he at least followed that rule. This happened a year ago, but police just releasing the footage hoping to identify the suspect. Okay, to China now. An incredible videos that authorities say show a paraglider dangling 28,000 feet above the ground. That's more than five miles up in the sky. man who says it all happened by accident remarkably somehow surviving. Steve Patterson tonight with the videos and the story.

The video is almost too incredible to believe. A paraglider, alone above the clouds, the earth completely out of view, his face in gear, coated in ice. Chinese state media releasing these blurred videos of the man, 55-year-old Ping Yu Jong. NBC News cannot independently verily the footage. According to local authorities, he soared to more than 28,000 feet over northwest China by accident. He says while testing a second-hand paraglider harness, a powerful updraft of Wynn lifted him off the ground, another surge of Wynn, pulling him into a rapidly forming cloud system. To put Ping's terrifying 28,000 foot ascent into perspective, he soared far above the height of the tallest buildings in the world, nearly reaching the same height as the summit

of Mount Everest and the airspace typically reserved for commercial flights all without any supplemental oxygen. It's amazing that he survived. Nick Greece, a member of the U.S. paragliding team, says at that height, there is little to be done to correct course. He's kind of like a balloon. Once you're up there, his ability to get out is nothing. His control basically is zero. Ping, describing the terror he felt as he tried to navigate to safety five miles in the air with just a compass. And the relief he felt once he finally descended past the clouds and realized he would live. For the pilot has placed himself in a one in a million situation, the side effects of that bad decision could be frostbite, hypoxia. There's also the physical realms of being in a cloud,

which would be hail, lightning. Paying, nearly breaking the world record for paragliding altitude, also set accidentally by a German paraglider in 2007 when she was sucked into a tornado like thunderstorm in Australia and carried to 32,000 feet. Chinese air sports authorities said Ping was handed a six-month flight suspension because the flight site in airspace had not been approved in advance. However, Ping, who says his body is still recovering from the injuries related to the flight, saying his fear hasn't completely faded and that he doesn't plan on flying anytime soon. And Tom, we should say there are those who questioned the validity of that video. Nick, the paraglatter we spoke to for this story,

says that he is a little bit dubious, not of the harrowing story itself. He believes that. He's just dubious about the fact that a camera could survive those conditions. Truly, tough to fathom. Tom? A wild story in those videos are unbelievable. All right, Steve, thank you. When Top Story returns, the teen having it his way after rushing from his graduation

to his job at Burger King, this photo went viral, and then the community stepped up to help his college dreams come true. That's next. Stay with us. Finally, tonight, a high school grad in Georgia going viral for what he chose to do after receiving his diploma. Instead of a big night celebrating, he picked up an extra shift at Burger King to help out his coworkers. And when local mom noticed him at the drive-thru window, she made sure he got the recognition he deserves. NBC's Priscilla Thompson picks up the story from there.

Just hours after this monumental. achievement. Mikele McKenna, Choiric Baker. High school grad Mikel Baker wasn't out celebrating with his classmates, but here. Behind the counter at this Georgia Burger King where he works, medals and all, jumping in to help his swamped co-workers. He caught my attention. Spotted from the drive-thru by Maria Mendoza, whose own daughter had graduated from the same school that day. Maria posting this video on TikTok. Now, with more than 3.7 million views, and it didn't end there. Days later, Maria returned with a special surprise.

Community wanted to help you out without knowing anyone to go to college and not. More than $60,000 raised for college by strangers online, moved by his work ethic. Moving Mikel and his mom to tears. I was thinking about taking a gap because I didn't have to have money for school. But now, from Burger King to a college dream. I feel like amazing because, like, I have watched videos of this happen, and I never think what happened to me. And, like, I am so thankful it happens to.

Yes. Thanks to a whopper of a gift for a job. Well done. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News. What a great story. We thank Priscilla for that. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.