Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, May 4, 2023

Episode Date: May 5, 2023

Both sides of the civil rape trial of former President Donald Trump resting their cases. A tornado touching down in LA county with debris swirling in the skies over Compton. An explosive new report about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and outrage growing after the death of a homeless man who was choked on the New York City subway. And to catch a clone - a tech columnist for the Wall Street Journal letting an AI lookalike live her life for the day.

Tonight, breaking news in the civil rape trial of former President Donald Trump, both sides resting their cases. Trump oversees attacking the judge presiding over the case, calling him hostile and saying the woman accusing of him of raping her in the 90s is lying. That judge giving Trump until 5 p.m. on Sunday to decide if he wants to change his mind and testify. So will the former president show up what we're hearing at this hour? Also breaking tonight a rare tornado touching down in L.A. County. Debris swirling in the skies over Compton. Bill Carrant standing by for us. Supreme Tuition, explosive new report about Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a billionaire Republican donor paying for one of his family members' education.

So what consequences, if any, could he face? Outrage growing tonight after the death of a homeless man who was choked on a New York City suburb? was ruled a homicide. Did the man who step in take things way too far? A former commissioner of the NYPD and an advocate for passengers join us live to square off on this heated debate. Survivors speak out our interview tonight with one mother whose life was forever changed by the Highland Park Parade shooting,

how their entire family is rallying around her eight-year-old son who was paralyzed in that attack and their calls for justice tonight. Plus, Stroller Savior, the heart-stopping moment, stopping moment, a baby almost went rolling into a busy street and the Good Samaritan who came to the rescue. And to catch a clone, a tech columnist for the Wall Street Journal, letting an AI look-alike live out her life for a whole day. Would it have fooled you? We'll talk to that reporter about how it all went down and what to look out for. Top story starts right now. And good evening.

We begin top story tonight with that developing news we mentioned at the top of the broadcast from right here in New York City. Lawyers for E. Jean Carroll, the woman accusing former president Donald Trump, of raping her in the 90s, resting their case late today. Trump's lawyers then resting their case moments later without calling a single witness. Trump, who has not appeared in court during the seven-day trial, speaking to the media from a golf court. in Ireland today, attacking the judge and calling the accusations against him false. Carol earlier this week taking the stand, tearfully recounting the moments she says Trump assaulted her in a New York City department store. No cameras, of course, allowed in the federal courtroom. The judge giving Trump until 5 p.m. on Sunday to decide to change his mind

and testify, even though his lawyers have already rested their case. But in his absence, portions of a previously recorded deposition have been shown to the jury. In a bizarre clip from that deposition, which has not yet been made public, Trump was shown a photo of Carol from around the time of the alleged assault, but Trump mistakenly identifying the woman he saw in that photo as his ex-wife, Marla Maples, a mistake that could undercut his previous claims that Carol was, quote, not his type. Ron Allen has been following this case from the start. He leads us off tonight.

Late today, E. Jean Carroll left federal court in Manhattan after arresting her battery and defamation civil case. that claims former President Donald Trump raped her in a luxury department store fitting room in the spring of 1996. While overseas in Ireland, Trump spent part of his day out on one of his golf courses, teeing up criticism of his accuser E. Jean Carroll and the judge, and suggesting he plans an 11th hour appearance to testify. And I have to go back for a woman that made a false accusation about me, and I have a judge is extremely hostile. And I'm going to go back and I'm going to confront this one. This woman is a disgrace and it shouldn't be allowed to happen in our country.

His attorneys have already told the judge their client would not be appearing to testify in person. And the judge had warned Trump's lawyers that some similar disparaging remarks about Carol on social media are extremely inappropriate and could be creating more legal trouble for the former president. The jury has heard Trump testify in a pretrial video deposition, which includes an exchange. where Trump calls Carol a whack job and mentally sick. Also in the deposition, Trump, who has mocked Carol saying she's not his type, appears to mistake a picture of her for his ex-wife, Marla Maples, until his attorney corrects him. Whoa!

In the deposition, the former president also responded to the infamous Access Hollywood video, played for the second time during the trial. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Whatever you want? Grab them by the . Trump, as he has in the past. calling it locker room talk, while also saying his comments were largely true.

Over several days, in addition to Carol's at times emotional and tearful testimony, claiming Trump raped her, two other women have alleged he sexually assaulted them. I would like to express my support for E. Jean Carroll with her suit against Trump. One in 1979, the other in 2005. To support E. Jean Carroll, I believe E. Jean Carroll. He does not face any charges in connection to those allegations and has denied any wrongdoing. And two close friends of Carols have backed up her story, testifying she told them about the alleged attack minutes and the next day after it happened. Carol Martin, a retired local TV anchorwoman, former colleague and friend of Carols, telling the court,

I am here to reiterate and remember what E. Jean Carroll told her about the alleged attack by Trump, adding, I believed it then, and I believe it now. All right, Ron Allen joins us tonight from outside that Manhattan courthouse. Ron, I understand that at the end of the day, the judge responded to those comments by Trump about whether he's coming to testify. What did he say? Well, he said in the interest of justice that he has until, Mr. Trump has until 5 p.m. Sunday to file a motion if, in fact, he does want to change his mind and come here and testify.

The judge also said that he has made proclamation. precautions are begun to make precautions. The judge apparently alluding to the fact that he's very concerned about security considerations if Mr. Trump does come. You'll remember a couple of weeks ago when he was here for his criminal proceeding, there were protesters on both sides supporting and against Mr. Trump. There was gridlock in this part of town. They had to close down the courthouse for some time because of security considerations. And that's always been the judge's concern. So we'll see what happens over the weekend. In the meantime, court is dark tomorrow. has no proceedings planned. Monday would be closing arguments. Tuesday, the jury would get the case. And that, of course, unless Mr. Trump decides to change his mind and come here and try and clear his name. So, Ron, I know you can never predict how a jury is going to react or how they're going to decide. But you have covered a lot of court cases throughout your reporting career.

You've been following this case very closely for us. You know, I think people are going to be watching this saying the former president's defense team didn't provide a defense for this. Did they feel the case was going their way? But we watch your reports and we read other reports, and it's unclear if it was. From your sense, from watching this court case, do you have any sense of how it's going to go? Well, what's unique about this case or what's different about this case is that there are these two other accusers who are allowed to testify because of a federal law, a federal rule that allows that in this kind of sexual assault case, a case involving an allegation of sexual assault. not just E. Jean Carroll making her allegation, but you have two other women making similar allegations, not rape, but sexual assault. And then you have the Access Hollywood tape, where

Mr. Trump essentially says he can do and get away with what he is accused of doing if you interpret it that way. And then you have two other women who are friends of carols who say that she told them back in the mid-1990s that this happened then, even though she didn't reveal the story publicly for many, many years later. So you have what are pretty close to two eyewitnesses. That's what makes all this somewhat different. But of course, Mr. Trump has been adamant. He has been forceful in saying that this is all a hoax, it's all political, and you've heard the rest of it. So who does the jury believe? We'll see. Yeah, we're going to have to wait and see, Ron. Excellent reporting. As always, we appreciate it.

We're also following some breaking weather news in Southern California. Get this. New video shows an EF-Zero tornado touching down in all places of Compton. The third confirmed tornado in the L.A. area since March, no one was hurt, but we are seen damage to the roofs of homes and some industrial buildings. And in the southern plains, millions of Americans are at risk of large hail, damaging wind gusts and possible tornado. So I want to get right over to Bill Cairns. Bill, you're going to start there, but also tell us about this sort of strange tornado in Compton.

Yeah, it's the third one in the Los Angeles greater area so far this year. Now, it's happened before, but it's pretty rare to have this many. Thankfully, most of them have been weak, no injuries, no fatalities. But it all has to do with these unsettled weather conditions we've had in the west coast and in the northeast. This is the first time we're actually returning severe weather to the middle of the country. Tornado watches up for the Oklahoma, Texas border, including Wichita Falls. So far, no tornadoes yet today. And large hail threat just developing now in central Texas.

This will head towards the Dallas-Fort Worth area late this evening and also Waco and Austin. Let's get a closer look at these storms near where. Wichita Falls, you're now under severe thunderstorm warning. The weather service is saying, expect vehicle damage from hail from these storms, about an inch to about a quarter-sized hail, and those were these storms right here. And so far, these storms have been producing, you know, dime to quarter-sized hail. We haven't had baseball-sized hail with any of these storms, but it is possible throughout the night. Tomorrow, severe weather is in the same exact areas of central Texas. And in case you're wondering about the threats, it's not so much tornadoes. We're mostly talking about

large hail. And for the rest of the country tomorrow, better in the northeast, not great. And in the west, still kind of cool and damp, but at least Southern California, we clear out. So we'll continue to keep an eye on the severe weather, the rest of tonight. Yeah, if anything breaks, Bill, we will check back with you. Thank you. Next tonight to the growing emergency at the southern border. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was there today as officials prepare for more migrants trying to come across as Title 42 is set to expire next week. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez is on the Mexican side of the border tonight for us.

Tonight in Juarez, Mexico, local officials estimate at least 10,000 migrants are waiting to cross the U.S. border. What's been the hardest part? What has been the hardest part? The hardest part is never having work, food, or water, this man from Guatemala says, telling us he may cross with his two-year-old son today. Others may wait until the U.S. lifts the COVID border restriction known as Title 42 next week. It's a heartbreaking thing, seeing all these people. This camp has sprung up right next to that migrant detention center where 40 people died in a fire in late March. It's a haunting reminder of just how dangerous this humanitarian crisis can be.

Today, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited South Texas under mounting pressure over a record number of illegal border crossings. The Biden administration touting its decision to deploy 15. 100 active duty troops to handle administrative tasks. The president has used the tools that he has in front of him to prepare ahead of Title 42 lifting. But now critics are firing back. As long as the Biden administration keeps in place catch and release, he could send 1,500 troops, he could send 10,000 troops. It would do nothing to secure the border. Gabe joins top story tonight from Juarez, Mexico. Gabe, I know you have some breaking news out of El

for our viewers. So what's happened there? Yeah, Tom. Officials in El Paso believe that at least 10,000 migrants are waiting here in Juarez, possibly coming over to the U.S. border as soon as next week when Title 42 lives. And officials in El Paso have been overwhelmed who declare a state of emergency earlier this week are now saying that they're going to be using vacant middle schools to house migrant families beginning next week, Tom. Yeah, it just talks to you about sort of the awareness. and the concern they have on what's going to happen next week. Speaking of next week, you've spent so many time with the migrants

who have made those journeys throughout Latin America to the border. Are you hearing about Title 42? Do they talk to you about this at all? Well, surprisingly, some of the migrants I spoke to today were vaguely aware of Title 42, but they didn't really want to talk specifics. They've just been fed so much misinformation, Tom, even from social media, from friends in their home countries, or even from human smugglers that tell them certain things

about what they will find once they get to the U.S. border. Really quickly, I want to show you kind of what we're seeing here. Look, this is a migrant tent camp that has sprung up here in Juarez. It is just feet from the international border. And this over here is City Hall. The line of tents stretches all the way down there. And Tom, just across the street, you'll remember the migrant detention center that we have been reporting on, the one that caught fire in March, it killed 40 people.

That is right there. And this tent camp has sprung up right across the street. a reminder of just to, you know, how devastating this is and how much of a humanitarian crisis and dangerous this is here on this side of the border. But the migrants we've been speaking with, they say they're not familiar so much with the exact policies. All they know is that they've been told from someone that they expect to get to the United States and they're heartbroken, and you've been here at the border too, then when they realize

that it's not as easy getting to the United States as they may have been led to believe. Some of them are aware of Title 42. They've heard it. It's just a question of what will happen next week when that is lifted. They may make the decision to cross over right then and there, Tom. Okay, Gabe Gutier is on the border for us. Back here at home to Washington and the Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is in the spotlight once again.

A new report is out that he did not disclose that a billionaire friend paid tuition for one of his relatives. Democrats now demanding a formal ethics code for justices, but Republicans pushing back. Laura Jarrett explains. Tonight, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas facing more ethics questions after a ProPublica report that top Republican donor Harlan Crow picked up the private school tuition tab for Thomas's grandnephew, who he raised as his son. Federal law requires justices to report gifts, but Thomas did not disclose Crow's tuition payments. Yet he did report one made by somebody else in 2002. NBC News has not confirmed the ProPublica report that tuition money now adding to a great.

growing list of unreported perks. ProPublica says Crow paid for, including luxury vacations for Thomas, a portion of his wife's salary, and Thomas' family home, allowing his mother to live rent-free. Tonight, no comment from Thomas, who previously said he was advised he did not need to report those other gifts from Crow, a longtime friend who he says had no business before the court. Crow's office saying he has long been passionate about the importance of quality education, but Democrats are demanding a formal ethics code for justices. The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here. While Republicans argue Democrats are bitter about decisions from the court's conservative majority.

He's obviously been targeted because he's a conservative black man. All right, Laura Jarrett joins the top story tonight in studio. So Laura, you know, I have to ask you, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been in the public eye since the 1990s. There's been a lot that's come out about him. Why is all of this coming out right now? It's a good question. He's been under scrutiny since the 90s. Certainly a lot of reporting has been done about his relationship with Harlan Crow in a number of different outlets over the years. I think this most recent set of stories from Pope Publica is sort of building on each other. And so you see one and then you see another one a couple days later. digging into finances and finding out what's been paid for. Exactly. And the most recent one about the tuition payments, again, these are payments that date back years ago.

But I think it's one of those where you get a tip after, you know, you get some reporting out there. Exactly. You start digging. What more do we know about Harlan Crow? He is a very wealthy real estate magnet in Texas. He has contributed to a number of Republican causes. And he's sort of known as a connector. One of the things that he does is when he has, Justice Thomas, come on these trips, is he sort of has a group of other like-minded individuals, including CEOs and other Republican leaders, thought leaders, all gather together. And so I think one of the issues is this idea that even if he doesn't have a direct case

in front of Justice Thomas or the court, who else is being surrounded by the justice? And this sort of amazing amount of access that is being provided on these vacations. So people watching this story tonight and then listening to what the Republicans are saying may say, is there some type of effort, right, to get Clarence Thomas off the Supreme Court? We know that the conservatives right now have the majority. What would it take for the Supreme Court to change its makeup? A lot. I don't think it's a realistic probability, especially given where we are just in the political makeup of Congress.

The Democrats do not have the votes to impeach him. They don't have the votes even to get a new ethics reform bill passed through Congress, let alone get Clarence Thomas taken off the court. So I think this is largely going to come down to a pressure campaign from the public, for the justices to decide for themselves that they want to actually adopt a formal ethics code, which they don't have. Or the other case, which is probably not going to happen,

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Sama, stepping down himself. I do not ever see that happening. Okay. Okay, Laura Jared, first. Laura, we appreciate that. Next night, outrage is growing after the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway

was ruled a homicide by a medical examiner. Investigators saying they were waiting on the report to determine whether or not it was the chokehold that killed Neely, but no charges have been filed yet against the 24-year-old passenger who put nearly in that headlock. For more on this homicide ruling, I'm joined now by Dermache, former commissioner for the NYPD, and an NBC News law enforcement analyst. And Charlton DeSuzza, he's the founding president of Passengers United,

a New York City volunteer organization advocating for equity and safety in the city's public transportation. We should say, the 24-year-old who put that, I don't even know what to call him, the person who was sort of threatening other passengers, if you will, at least according to a witness, in the chokehold, was trying to restrain him, and he eventually died. I guess the question to you is, from what you've seen, and if we can roll the video for our viewers, they can watch it again in case they haven't seen this story, when you see the chokehold being placed here, and I believe this is the beginning part of the video, it was a chokehold for 15 minutes. Commissioner, when you see this, do you see a crime being committed here? What I want to see is what happened before, and I think that is really what the district attorney and the detectives will be dealing with as they interview every single person on that car, what was said before. How did people feel? What people threatened? Was there a weapon displayed? We certainly haven't heard anything of a weapon involved, but all of those factors are going to be thwarted over. If some of the witness testimony holds up that this man came into the subway car, he was threatening other riders.

Is that enough to justify what you just saw there? So then they're going to get into, and every single incident will be treated differently. In this particular one with what I see on that video, they'll get into, what was the intent of the ex-marine? What is reasonable under the circumstances? What would a reasonable person have felt when that other individual came into the car? And is this a reasonable, depending on what he says? Remember, he has not made statements from what we've heard. And there have been no criminal charges.

That's right. We don't really even know if there's a criminal investigation currently ongoing. What we know is that there's this videos out there, it's been declared a homicide, and it's being politicized in a major way. I would say that an incident like this where there's a loss of life. Detectives will respond in every case. They'll confer with the district attorney, and then they'll make it. And you think those conversations are happening now?

Oh, they happened instantaneously. And then there'll be a determination should criminal charges proceed. I think the prudent thing is what is happening in this case. Charlie, what bothers you about the video? Obviously, it would have been nice if there were cameras in that subway car. I know the M.T. is getting the cameras now. It's going to take a few years for them to be installed. Obviously, like the police commissioner said,

we don't know what happened in the moments before that video started recording. But I will say this, if, according to what they're saying, 15 minutes, if he was choked for 15 minutes. That seemed excessive to you. That's excessive. And I just feel like I noticed when he was dead. When we were looking at the pictures, the guy had his leg right in between him, and he was already dead. So, you know, that is concerning.

But I feel like the whole sense in our city, you know, this shouldn't have happened. I was going to say your whole job is advocating for passengers, right? And I think it's fair to say that New Yorkers can sometimes feel very afraid on those subway cars, right? I've been assaulted three times in the subway. Three times you've been assaulted recently? About the last three or four years. You've been assaulted three different times. So when you saw that video, what was your initial reaction?

That could have been me putting that guy like that. But, I mean, I'm not strong enough. You know, there was a time when I saw a guy harassing women on the train, and I remember I chased him down. I called 911. The cops came. Turns out he had two outstanding warrants. And the police warned me, never do that again.

Because you're putting yourself in a very dangerous situation. You don't know if that guy could have had a knife. You don't know if he could have had a gun. So that's why now when I see things. happening on the train. The first thing I do is switch calls, press the emergency intercom, let the crew know, then go on Twitter and let the RCC rail control center know. I guess what people are outraged about is that it was 15 minutes, right, a chokehold for 15 minutes. That's way longer than any sort of MMA fight would take, right? And I guess the question is,

did the person doing that know he had already passed the line, that the person was dead, or was he worried about the other passengers and his own safety? And this will be exactly what the district attorney will be struggling with, in my opinion. And if you play it out, if charges are preferred, and it winds up going to a trial, what are the other passengers in the car going to say? Are they going to say something similar to Charlton, that I was the victim in the past of an assault, and I'm glad somebody stepped in, certainly not good for the case. So I think that they're proceeding slowly. They have a ruling by the M.E.'s office that it's a homicide, that essentially means somebody else's actions contributed to the death. I think

we see that here. There'll be additional toxicology that comes in, and it's really going to come down to the witnesses on that car in life. You know, we're not at the point of Charles Bronson's death wish, vigilanteism, if you will, but when you watch this, you're sort of reminded of that, right? And does it upset you as a former commissioner that subway riders feel that they're so threatened now that they have to take manners into their own hands? Because something else you look at this video is, where were the police? Why weren't the police there? Why didn't they respond? Why did it have to get to the situation? And I think, I'll take a half a step back there. If you are a passenger in that car, what went through your head? This is what the DA is going to be

struggling with as this individual came in and whatever he did, whether he threatened or whether he's mentally unstable. Right. Do you wait to be attacked or do you step in and do something? And again, That's really at the heart of this. Then once he decided to take action, is he doing it to protect others? And then it becomes minute by minute, second by second, frankly, Tom. How long was inappropriate length of time? And Charlton, before we go, I mean, and the commissioner brought this up, and thank you for bringing that up. We can't not talk about mental illness.

And the people that get on the subway cars, and they clearly need help. And either there's not help for them or for some reason they're not being treated at that moment. because a lot of New Yorkers deal with this day in, day out. This man, there's been reports that he probably was suffering from some mental illness. And it becomes very dangerous, right? It becomes dangerous for passengers and it becomes dangerous for everyone. How do you handle these situations? Do you defend yourself or do you take potentially a possible beating?

Not in this case, I'm saying, but in another case. So what I will say about what we've done, every MTA board meeting, I've spoken to the mayor, I've spoken to the MTA chairman. We've pleaded for the last 30 years, even before. before the pandemic, when Commissioner Shea was commissioner, we were begging the city, you know, to add 400 social workers in the subway because right now- To add social workers, not police, social workers. Social workers. Because the police officers who work the night tours and the detours, they're coming to me and saying, we have someone in distress, but it's taking two hours or one

hour for the SOS teams or for the Bowery Residents Committee to come. There is a problem in the City. Our elected officials are not holding the shelter providers accountable. They're not holding the nonprofits accountable that are getting millions and millions of dollars. Commissioner, is that a solution? More social workers on the subway? I think it's a complicated problem for sure, Tom. Anyone that is out and about in New York City realizes that there's more we can do for people that are under distress. I think the real answer here is, though, how do you get them to help they need? Right. And you can't bring them to a place and then walk away. And there are, there There are, unfortunately, people that need to be compelled to get help.

And how does that look like? Okay. Commissioner Shea, Charlton DeSuzza, we thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. We want to head overseas now to an Israeli police raid that killed the Palestinian militants behind a deadly attack last month. Hamas fighters honoring the dead in a funeral procession today and vowing revenge. NBC's Raf Sanchez was in the occupied West Bank today and has the very latest. Tonight, the ancient city of Nablus echoing with gunfire.

Israeli special forces cornering and killing three Hamas militants after a month-long pursuit across the occupied West Bank. The gunman responsible for killing a British Israeli mother and her two daughters, according to both Hamas and Israel. At a nearby refugee camp, a hasty funeral for the slain militants, hailed by many as martyrs for their cause. These Hamas fighters were killed just a couple of hours ago, but their bodies are already being paraded through the streets,

and their armed comrades are calling for revenge. Hundreds of Palestinians from different factions turning out to honor them, including this 19-year-old. If the Israelis won't allow us into the occupied land, we won't allow them to come here to the West Bank, he says. Last month, another funeral, but a very different scene. Lucy D. and her daughter's Maya and Rina killed by the Hamas gunman in an ambush.

The family originally from London moved to a West Bank settlement. their father delivering the eulogy for his own children. But tonight, feeling some measure of justice. We were tremendously comforted by the thought that they were apprehended and eliminated and that everybody in the Western world can effectively sleep safer in their beds tonight. Violence in the Holy Land intensifying since an Israeli police raid on Jerusalem's Alaksa Mosque, Islam's third holiest sight. Police say they were clearing out extremists. Palestinians calling it unprovoked violence. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting members of Congress today,

saying his forces worked night and day to track the gunmen. Palestinians say these are Israeli undercover agents entering Nablus in disguise. NBC News has not been able to independently verify who these people are. And Israeli police told us they could not disclose specific operational details. The gunmen tracked to this abandoned house and killed in a shootout. This whole area is covered in shell casings like this left behind from the firefight. Hours after the raid in Nablus, Israel's military says a Palestinian woman stabbed a soldier in a nearby town. She was killed at the scene. One more death in a year with too many of them.

Raf Sanchez joins us tonight from Berzait in the occupied West Bank. Raf, you mentioned there at the end, a Palestinian woman who was killed allegedly. attacking Israeli troops. This is very rare. I mean, I know we have heard of women being involved in this type of violence before, but anytime you hear it, it does sort of speak to the level of violence that is happening. Yeah, Tom, it's rare, but it happens. The Palestinian Health Ministry says this is the second woman killed by Israeli fire so far this year out of more than 100 Palestinians killed in total. At least 17 Israelis and foreigners have been killed in Palestinian attacks. And so this is shaping up, sadly, to be one of the bloodiest years here

since the early 2000s. Tom. Raff Sanchez, with those ongoing developments out of the Middle East, Raff, thank you. And now to stories of survival back here at home, a family speaking out for the first time since their lives were changed forever last summer. After a gunman opened fire at a Fourth of July parade outside of Chicago, what they want everyone to remember and their hopes for the future. That remains in my leg today. You still have shrapnel on your leg. Do you feel that every day? I do. Mom, Keeley Roberts, has scars she's not afraid to show.

But it's the ones you can't see that hurt the most. I think about the family that went to the parade that day, and that family's gone. Last July 4th, the Roberts family set out for their hometown parade in Highland Park, just outside of Chicago. But as families lined the street that morning... The gun, using an AR-15-style rifle, started firing, killing severing and injuring dozens, including Keeley, and also her son Cooper, just eight years old. It was very clear in my mind at that time that Cooper was very likely not going to survive. A bullet hit Cooper in the back, severing his spine. I remember my husband saying to me that he thought,

there was a firecracker, thought someone had thrown a firework. And almost simultaneously, I remember turning to him, and I knew that I was hit. I knew I was shot. A bullet striking her in the leg, but as she struggled to walk, she saw one of her twin boys, eight-year-old Cooper, much more injured, his brother Luke, looking on in terror. I have this picture in my head of Luke standing on the sidewalk, and he is just transfixed. He is just in complete shock. And I know what he is seeing with Cooper.

I know what he thinks. His mother says with the help of incredible doctors, Cooper, somehow, pulled through, paralyzed, but alive. Everything changes from, as a family with little kids, from something as simple as where juice boxes have to go in the refrigerator, right? So that Cooper can get to them, right? How'd you get them up the stairs? Right, how'd we come up the stairs?

We don't have an accessible home that way right now. So how do you handle things like that? But Keeley says, though her son's body changed, He did not. This evil that did this, Cooper is kind and loving and empathetic and caring. What about football? Who's your football team? Packers. And that is exactly who we met on a sunny day near Lake Michigan.

What you guys think? I loved it. It was like part of my favorite. I'm not going to say any spoilers. Cooper talking to me about the Super Mario Brothers movie. Think of all the other games. And right next to him. Oh, ho.

his twin brother Luke, the two, rolling side by side. Luke has started to ride his scooter all the time. When I say all the time, I mean all the time. And I think there is this maybe kind of subconscious solidarity thing, right? You know, as goes one goes the other. It's something that Keeley says has inspired her. I watch out the window of our van every day when we take the boys to school. And I watch that one minute he has over Cooper in age.

And I watch how desperately he loves his brother. And I watch how he pushes him out the van every day. And I watch him push that wheelchair down the ramp. And Luke will always be a bit of a guard dog for Cooper. And then there are the milestones. He was such a little fish before the shooting. He was such a little fish. He loved to be in the pool and be in the water.

Cooper's family watching him do this. That little boy who had been through so much swimming again on his own. I thought Cooper was facing his fear. That's that moment when you see it. That's what it looks like to be a, and to fight for your life. That's what it looks like. And Cooper's family is fighting back as well. They've joined a legal effort to hold accountable

those they say are responsible for the bloodshed, including the gun manufacturer. Their attorney believes the company and others are liable. Can you promise him justice? Well, what we have promised them is accountability. And what we have promised them is that we will do everything in our power to ensure that there is some form of justice. It's just a part of the Roberts family fight, seeking justice, but also a miracle, hoping science finds a way for Cooper to walk again. Cooper will ask me how he will be able to walk again.

Cooper's very forward thinking in terms of what will it take to walk again, how what can I do to walk again? Mommy tell me what I need to do to walk again. Those are the kind of questions he asked. Those are hurt ones. And what do you tell them?

I tell them the truth. Always, that's kind of the deal we have. There is no known cure or surgery for the type of spinal injury Cooper suffered, but Keeley believes there will be one day. She is living proof of how life can surprise you. I believe in Cooper Roberts. I push my chips all in on that little boy.

I believe in him. But I also believe in this country. I'm incredibly hopeful. And the Roberts family sat down with me because they hope people don't forget what happened to them and what's happening across this country nearly every week when it comes to shootings. They want to remind people this is not normal. This is not okay in America. And we collectively have to work together to stop it.

We thank them for sharing. tonight the stroller savior incredible video a woman losing control of her grand niece but a good samaritan coming to savor in the nick of time you'll hear from him stay with us top story just getting started all right we're back now with a frightening story out of california surveillance video capturing a very close call on a camera as a baby stroller rolls downhill towards rushing traffic good samaritan saving the day at the very last moment. Maya Eagland has his story. A hard-stopping moment caught on camera in California. Strong winds pushing a baby stroller down a driveway of a car wash headed straight into

oncoming traffic. The child's great-aunt desperately trying to chase after him, but repeatedly falling to her knees, unable to stand up. I heard screaming to the right. Witness Donna Gunderson was sitting at a nearby patio when she saw the crisis unfold. And I looked back and I see a stroller going down the driveway and I have my heart dropped. Seconds before tragedy struck, Gunderson's brother Ron, seen here rushing to the rescue, stopped the stroller and save the baby from rolling onto the busy road. I knew I can get it and I got it and I'm thankful for that because I really wouldn't want to see the end result if I wasn't there.

The great aunt overcome with emotion as Ron returns her baby and another bystander consoles her. She tried everything she possibly could to get up. Her knees were bleeding when I got up to and she was still shocked. She was crying. The frightening incident also serving as a reminder to anyone using strollers to always lock the wheels. Just simple as hitting the break. Maya Eklund, NBC News. All right, we thank Maya for that story. When we come back, the factory explosion, a ring cam capturing the moment of the blast in Massachusetts.

Look at that. What we're learning about the workers who were inside at the time. Stay with us. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with five members of the far-right group, the proud boys, convicted in connection to the January 6th Capitol riot. Four of the defendants, including the group's former leader, Enrique Tarrio, convicted of seditious conspiracy,

a civil war-era law making it a crime to violently resist the U.S. government. Their conviction coming after a four-month trial, they're now facing decades behind bars. An update on those deadly stabbings near U.C. Davis, we told you about earlier this week. Authorities announced they have arrested a 21-year-old former student after he was identified by more than a dozen tipsters. As we reported earlier this week, at least two people were killed and another seriously injured near the campus in less than a week. The suspect now facing homicide charges. A deadly explosion at a pharmaceutical

plant in Massachusetts was caught on camera. A home security cam capturing the massive fireball erupting in Newbury Port about 35 miles northeast of Boston. Four workers managing to get out alive. but the body of one person was found in the rubble. No word yet on what caused this blast. Okay, next tonight to shocking new allegations against the founder of one of the biggest Latin boy bands ever. The LAPD is now investigating the founder of Minuto for alleged sexual assault.

It comes after a former band member who was just a teen when he was in the group made the claims in a new docu series. We want to warn you, some of the accounts you're about to hear are very disturbing. Wadvanegas has this one. They're called. of the most iconic Latin boy band of the 1980s and 90s.

Menudo, a pack of rotating teen heartthrobs that turned out hits. Let me hold you and I'll give you. And launched the careers of superstars like Ricky Martin. Oh my God, they're so sexy. They're a good boy. But now, the Puerto Rican boy band's legacy is decaying amid shocking allegations and a police. and a police investigation. The LAPD confirming to NBC News,

it is investigating the founder of Menudo, Edgaro Diaz, for allegedly sexually assaulting one of Menudo's members in the 1980s. According to the L.A. Times, police officials say the investigation stems from allegations made by former member Roy Rozello. Rosello accusing Diaz in a new docu series

on Peacock, which is owned by NBC News's parents, company NBC Universal. He intented to penetrate me and me violo that night. Diaz did not respond to NBC's request for comment but has repeatedly denied the allegations of sexual abuse

against him. In the docu-series called Menendez plus Menudo boys betrayed, Rossello also claims that Jose Menendez's director of RCA records, the band's record label at the time, had sexually abused him when he was a teenager. That's the man here.

That's ramee. This guy. That's the pedophile. The accusation against Menendez, reigniting attention on his infamous 1989 murder at the hands of his own sons, Lyle and Eric. The bodies of Jose and Kitty Menendez were found in their Beverly Hills mansion. The brothers initially testified in the high-profile trial

that their motives were fueled by being sexually abused by Menendez. He would guide me all my movements, and I would... have oral sexual. But after a mistrial, their account was ultimately deemed inadmissible in a second trial where they were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Now, we're still a long way from any potential charges.

This is still in the investigator phase. And when it comes to child molestation cases, there is a statute of limitations in California, but that would not apply to a potential civil case. Tom? Okay, Guadvanegas for a squad. We appreciate it. Catching, excuse me, coming up to catch a clone, the Wall Street Journalist columnist using AI to clone herself online, and she even managed to fool her own family. She joins Top Story next with more on how she did it and what she thinks it means for the future of tech. You're going to love this conversation. Stay with us.

We are back now with a new report from the Wall Street Journal that caught our attention on the future of artificial intelligence, with new AI visual and voice. tools. It is possible to create videos that look and sound just like you. But our next guest asked the question, can it replace you? We're joined now by Wall Street Journal's senior personal tech columnist Joanna Stern. Joanna, welcome the top story. Hi, Tom. Thanks so much for having me on your show. Well, Joanna, why are you so stiff? Well, the reason is that's actually an AI clone. The real Joanna joins us now in studio so much better in real life. Am I real? Actually, I don't know if you're real. I know. No, but you seem to have more personality. A tiny bit. I'm not, like my posture is not as good. The clone sounded, you know, it sounded a little stiff,

but talk to me about this project because it is so cool. You spent basically 24 hours with your clone. First of all, how was it developing this, this clone personality? Did you call her, Joanna? Would you call her? I'd like to call her my better self, but this was a project I started a few months ago because I had to make this version of me. And so I worked with a company called Synthasia. They make video AI avatars of people. And they clone both your visuals, but they also work on a voice clone. And so I went to a studio. I shot in a studio with them, a green screen studio. Then I went into an audio studio. I recorded two hours of audio for them. And then they took all that. They put it through their systems, and out came AI Joanna.

So you had AI Joanna, then you decided to have some fun, right? You sort of test this in the real world. What did you find? So how this works is you just type into this box. type what everyone a. Joanna to say, click generate, and it creates it. So I created a lot of these clips, and many of them I actually created with chat GPT because I wanted to say, all right, this is AI, Joanna. Everything she says should be AI. I went full AI. So AI wrote the script, it did the voice, it did everything. Exactly, exactly. And one of the tests we did was making a TikTok, actually. I just put into chat GPT, write a TikTok about an iOS 16 trick, an iPhone trick in the voice of Joanna Stern,

something I've done many times. Out comes the. script, plugged it into AI Joanna, made the video, posted it to TikTok, a little bit of editing there. A human did that. Yeah. And it was pretty believable. Yeah. And then I understand you actually tricked a couple of people, or at least you tricked them for a few seconds. One was, I guess, a co-worker, the CEO of SNAP, a billionaire, I should mention, even your sister? My sister, and I will say the best trick of them all was the bank. Instead of asking security questions, some banks use your voice to confirm it's you before transferring you to a customer service rep. This call will be monitored and recorded, and your voice may be used for verification.

Please speak your first and last name, followed by your mailing address. Joanna Stern. This is Nikki with Chase Credit Card Services. It worked. So the software worked, and it fooled the bank. It fooled the bank. The bank's voice biometric software, heard my AI voice phone, put me, right through. Now, the bank, Chase Bank,

to be clear here, they say, and it's true, when I had to do more on my account, if I wanted to do more transactions or something like that, I would have had to give further proof of who I was, but it does show that that voice clone is able to get past that. What about with humans? What about with the CEO of SNAP

with your sister? Do they realize something was wrong? I think my sister's the most compelling because I speak to her on the phone all the time. And when I first called her, she definitely thought it was me. Now, there were a few signs that it wasn't me. found it a little bit like a recording because I was holding the phone up to the computer. On top of that, the voice clone doesn't really breathe.

I kind of breathe here as I'm talking. I pause a little bit. The AI, Joanna, she doesn't like to pause. She's got a train to make or something like that, right? She's double parked. So my sister was like, yeah, something's up. Pretty soon into the call, but she said it sounded exactly like me. What was your takeaway after doing all this, that we are so close to deceiving the mass public?

Like, we're already there? The biggest takeaway, everyone knows right now these AI tools are getting extremely good. The biggest takeaway is the accessibility. That 11 labs tool, anyone can go and use. That ability for normal people to start using this, to misuse this technology, it's here. It's already here. And do you think it has the level of sophistication that widespread crimes can be committed already now the way we have it? Yes.

Yeah. So it scared you? I'm scared. But also, I had a lot of fun with this. I think we are all, my biggest lesson is that we all, and part of the awareness of doing this piece is we need to have a more discerning eye when we are looking at things. Is this real or is this AI?

And you think that's just sort of self-awareness, or do you think that needs to come from government monitors, is that need to come from tech companies saying, like, look at everything a million times before you believe something, listen to things over and over again? One of the interesting things I learned in the piece was that there, are a lot of initiatives going on to make this stuff more transparent. Adobe's working with many tech companies, many media companies, to make it clear that the image

you see, what's the background of that image? If I click on that, can I find out, was it made by AI? Was it taken by a photographer? Was it taken by you? Yeah. We need more of those tools. We need more buy-in for those tools. We need tech companies to make those tools. Right. We need the government and others to say we need to the rules. The technology is moving so fast, but we sort of do need those rules to catch up to all the technology. Before we say goodbye to you, Joanna, I want to say goodbye to my other friend tonight. Joanna number two, thanks so much for joining Top Story. I hope you'll have me back soon, Tom.

Oh, I will. Looscent up a little bit, but yeah, we'll have you back on. Joanna, thank you so much. For a posture. Well, you know what? I think she's getting a little bit of an attitude, too. You're going to have a talk with it. Yeah, I'm scared of it.

Joanna, maybe she needs an agent. Anyways, you're amazing. Thank you so much. Thanks for bringing that story to us. And we thank you coming up. Final Act, a beloved Times Square deli, closing after nearly 40 years in business, how the Broadway community came out to surprise the owners and the major gift helping them segue into retirement. All right, finally tonight, I hope you're hungry, because there was an emotional send-off that has gone viral. One New York City community pulling off a major surprise for two long-time deli owners. Meet Jung Min and Jahi Kim, right there behind the sign. You can see both of them.

The couple moved from Seoul, South Korea to New York in the early 1980s, and then opened the Starlight Deli in June of 1984. It's located right in the center of Manhattan's Theater District, right off Times Square. It's become a staple in the Broadway community, serving actors, including some major A-listers, stage crew members, tourists, and everyday New Yorkers. But after a successful 39 years in business surviving multiple recessions, a global pandemic, the couple, now in their 70s, decided it was time. to retire. And as they prepared to close their doors, the community they served for so long met them with this. That video posted on TikTok by Broadway actor Preston Moui now viewed more than 2 million times. But the song was in all.

The couple was also gifted a poster signed by so many of the people who visited them day after day. And then? We're our Broadway community and over 300 donations. We have a retirement gift for you. 17,800. So beautiful. After receiving that nearly $18,000 retirement fund,

Zheng Min taking a bow with a final message of gratitude. I never think about this kind of moment in my life. So I will never forget this moment. I really appreciate everybody. Thank you very much. As for what they plan to do now, the couple told NBC News they hope to travel and visit their sons out of state.

We wish them luck and happy trails, of course. And in honor of the Starlight Deli, get yourself a pastrami on rye, please. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yomis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.