Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, October 17, 2024

Episode Date: October 18, 2024

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

Tonight, Israel confirming they killed the head of Hamas, the mastermind behind the October 7th attack confirmed dead after a firefight in Gaza. The death of Yaya Sinwar, Israel's most wanted man dealing a massive blow to Hamas, hostage families voicing their concerns that his killing could lead to grave consequences for their loved ones, still held captive, what it means for a potential ceasefire, and who could be the next leader of the terrorist organization. Also tonight, the state of the race, Vice President Harris in Battleground, Wisconsin, after her tense interview on Fox News, the combative moments and her answer on how her presidency would differ from President Biden's. Former President Trump grilled over his actions on January 6th during a town hall with undecided Hispanic voters. His response as Battleground North Carolina begins early voting.

NBC's exclusive one-on-one with the director of the Secret Service, the head of the agency, admitting they failed during the assassination attempt on former President Trump, the scathing report finding the agency needs a massive overhaul and the new details about challenges they face to protect our nation's biggest politicians and their loved ones. Liam Payne's final moments, officials revealing what happened just before the One Direction star fell from his hotel balcony, what was discovered in his room and the new details about his cause of death, plus the joint statement just released from the former One Direction band member. The shocking confession from a former American fugitive Nicholas Rossi facing rape charges in Utah,

admitting for the first time to using an alias while he evaded extradition in the UK, the reason he claims he had no choice but to change his identity. And playoff fever excitement soaring as New York's baseball teams are slugging it out in the postseason. We speak with a former Yankee player turned Metstar about the potential for the first subway series in more than two decades. are Sam Brock taking us out to the ball game with the World Series just a week away. Plus, the new perk at Disney, so how much are you willing to pay to skip the line? We'll tell you about the program set to launch. Top story starts right now.

And good evening. We start tonight with that breaking news out of the Middle East. The leader of Hamas and the man behind the October 7th attacks has been killed by Israel. The significant move sending reverberations throughout the region and leading to new questions about what it means for the war in Gaza. We want to warn you, this next image is very disturbing. This is Yaya Sinwar, who topped Israel's most wanted list. He was killed during a firefight with IDF troops.

The military releasing this photo as soldiers discovered his body. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing, quote, today the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more, while this is not the end of the war. war in Gaza. It's the beginning of the end. Israel took to the streets. Israelis took to the streets to celebrate. Residents could be heard cheering and applauding, waving Israeli flags as the military confirmed Sinwar's death. President Biden was on his way to Berlin when the news broke. He released this statement, reading in part, to my Israeli friends, this is no doubt a day of

relief and reminiscence. Similar to the scenes witnessed throughout the United States, after President Obama ordered the raid to kill Osama bin Laden in 2011. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7th. So who is Ya'a Sinwar, one of Hamas's most influential leaders going back decades? Here's what we know. Sinwar was born in a Gaza refugee camp in the 1960s. In 1988, he was sentenced to life in prison in Israel, accused of murdering two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians. In 2011, he was released in a prisoner exchange and became.

involved with Hamas. In August of this year, Sinwar was appointed Hamas political chief following the assassination of Ismail Hunay, which was carried out in Iran. Sinwar is also believed to be responsible for the decision to take hostages back into Gaza. Tonight, the families of those still being held captive are left wondering what this means for their loved ones. Many hoping and opens the opportunity for a hostage deal. NBC News correspondent Aaron McLaughlin starts us off tonight in Tel Aviv with the latest. own video shows the moment just before Israel says the leader of Hamas, the architect of the October 7th terror attack was killed. In the footage released by the Israeli military, the IDF says

Yaya Sinwar can be seen with his hand blown off, his face covered, throwing a stick in defiance. NBC News has not confirmed the video show Sinwar. Today, the images of Sinwar's body lying in rubble surrounded by Israeli troops sent shockwaves through the region. Today, the mastermind of this A day of sheer evil is no more. According to an Israeli official overnight, there was a fierce battle in southern Gaza. Israeli troops initially had no idea Sinwar was at the location. His body discovered today and later identified using DNA tests and dental records. President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Air Force One.

And further, that now is the time to move on. Yaya Sinwar spent 23 years inside an Israeli prison for killing fellow Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel. He was released in 2011. One of more than a thousand Palestinian prisoners Netanyahu exchanged for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier kidnapped and held in Gaza for five years. It was an exchange that would later inform Sinwar's decision to take 250 Israeli hostages to Gaza on October 7th.

Many of them have since died, 101 remain. including 84-year-old Oded Lischitz, kidnapped from Kabuts near Oz. His daughter-in-law says she's terrified Sinwar's death could spell even more misery for the hostages. I believe there is no way to get the hostages back now. I hope that my intuition is a mistake. Aaron McLaughlin joins Top Story tonight from Tel Aviv. So, Aaron, to your last point there in your report, do we know what this means for Hamas and a potential ceasefire deal?

you always think about the families of those hostages and the hostages themselves, because any time there's a major military operation, you've got to think this makes the ceasefire deal move further apart. You know, Tom, it's unclear. I've been speaking to experts here in Israel, and they say that Sinwar's brother is likely next in line and caution that he is just as hard line and brutal a leader as Sinwar. You know, the images of the killing have been shot out through the world. They're playing here in different publications in the United States.

Are they being played out in Israel as well? Yeah, they are, Tom. They're splashed across all the TV screens, all the newspapers. This is nationwide story. And you're getting sort of this mixed reaction from Israeli satisfaction. in their minds. The Sinwar has finally been brought to justice, anguish at the thought of all of the death and destruction he leaves in his wake and the anxiety in terms of what could come next in this war. Okay, Aaron McLaughlin for us. Aaron, we thank you for that for more on the killing

and the response throughout the region. I'm joined tonight live by NBC News Chief International Correspondent, Keir Simmons. Keir, you've been at the forefront of our reporting on some of these hostage negotiations. Where does this put things now with the... killing of not only the killing of Yaya Sinwar, but the images of his death being broadcast all over the world. Well, let's just start with the hostages, Tom. We don't know where they are, quite frankly. Yaya Simwa was, we thought, hiding in tunnels. He was found moving between buildings. He was said to be using the hostages as a kind of protection, but the Israelis say that no hostages were

killed when he was killed. No hostages were there. You remember, Tom, Two weeks ago, we aired an exclusive interview with a Hamas official on Top Story, and I asked that official at the time about the hostages. He said that they were dispersed, that they didn't have had a hold of them, if you'd like, many of them inside of Gaza. Now, whether you, but you asked me the question at the time, can we believe him? Well, maybe we don't, but it just raises more questions, doesn't it? And then you have tonight the Biden administration trying to describe this as a turning point, trying to say, let's get back to negotiations,

let's try and move towards peace and the release of the hostages, while you have Prime Minister Netanyahu talking about wanting the hostages to be released, but at the same time talking about continuing the fighting, continuing the conflict, continuing Israel's push against those that it considers its enemies and its adversaries. And the question is whether that kind of push by Israel makes it more difficult,

or as many Israelis would say, certainly, Mr. Netanyahu, easier to get to the hostages at some stage. And then, Kira, I do want to ask you as well, the reaction, right? Again, because the images, they are so graphic. I mean, Israel wanted to show the world they have killed this man. There is no chance he is still alive. And also maybe send a message, of course, to the Israelis as well, a message of revenge, if you will. How is the region at large taking this?

And how does this shake up the war? Well, Tom, I'm in the Gulf. I'm in the Arab world. It's frankly silence from governments here. I think that actually speaks volumes about how they will be assessing this and trying to assess this from the Arab street, and certainly from Palestinians, we are hearing from those who are saying we plan to continue fighting. On the other hand, even inside Gaza, we're hearing from Palestinians saying they're pleased that Yaya Simwa has been killed because of the pay. that he put Palestinians through after October 7th. So there is a mixed message. Frankly, there are not many in this region who will shed a tear for Yaya Simwa,

but they will be worried about the future. And then Iran, not far from here. Iranian television describing Yaya Simwa as a martyr. Iran, of course, is behind so much of this. How will Iran respond? The simple truth is, Tom, right now, so soon after Yaya Sima was killed, I don't think we know what happens next.

Keir Simmons with us, Keir, we always appreciate your analysis and your reporting. We want to bring it back here to home and the race for the White House with just 19 days to go before the election. Vice President Harris is in a crucial Wisconsin today. Facing new fallout after her combative interview with Fox News. This coming as former President Trump faced tough questions from Latino voters during a town hall there. NBC's Garrett Haake has late details. Tonight, Vice President Harris blitzing the Badger State. It is good to be back in Wisconsin.

With multiple events in Battleground, Wisconsin. This is going to be a tight race until the very end. Taking aim at this comment overnight from former President Trump, who was asked at a Univision Town Hall about his actions surrounding the January 6th attack. Trump glossing over the violence, calling it a, quote, day of love. That was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions. It's like hundreds of thousands. It could have been the largest.

group I've ever spoken before. He called it a quote, a day of love. But it points out something that everyone here knows. The American people are exhausted with his gas lighting. Meanwhile, there's new fallout over Harris's combative interview with Fox News. It's actually a pathway to citizenship for the... Yes, ma'am. May I finish responding, please?

Harris repeatedly casting former President Trump as a danger. He has talked about going to... going after people who are engaged in peaceful protest. He has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him. This is a democracy. The vice president tried to distance herself from President Biden, but did not name any specifics about what she would have done differently in the last four years. Nothing comes to mind that you would do differently.

Let me be very clear. My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden's presidency. And like every new president that comes in to all office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas. And she was pressed about her calls for change despite being the incumbent vice president. Your campaign slogan is a new way forward, and it's time to turn the page. You've been vice president for three and a half years. So what are you turning the page from?

Well, first of all, turning the page from the last decade in which we have been burdened with the kind of rhetoric coming from Donald Trump that has been designed and implemented to divide our country. Trump running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, firing back today. 25 minutes of a person who couldn't answer a direct question. What are we turning the page on? She goes and talks about Donald Trump, who, of course, hasn't been in office for the past three and a half years.

Kamala Harris has been. Both campaigns are supporting their high-profile billionaire backers, and I, Elon Musk, campaigning for Trump, Pennsylvania, Mark Cuban on the road from Kamala Harris here in Wisconsin today. And Tom, in the sign of just how close to the streets might be and how could you place some inside it? Both candidates in here we see. We should be counting tomorrow in a few hours to park. All right, Gary Haig, from a noisy campaign rally there, Garrett, we appreciate it.

For more on the latest in the Sprint of the White House, I want to bring in our panel tonight here on Top Story, Megan Hayes, she's a former White House director of message planning and special assistant to President Biden. and Caroline Levitt, National Press Secretary for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential race. Thank you both for being here tonight. Megan, I'm going to start with you. That Fox interview with Brett Baer, 7 million viewers. The network says it was the most watched interview of the 2024 election season.

Do you think the interview helped the campaign in any way? Look, I think that those types of interviews, you go in, you do it. I think that people give her credit for going in there and having an honest conversation and a conversation back and forth with Brett Baer. I think that those types of interviews are not going to get people who are their core base of Fox viewers to vote for Kamala Harris. But I do think that these independent voters that do watch Fox that see her out there and see her making an effort to reach them where they get their news from, I think that does mean something. Former President Trump made a pitch to Latino voters in a town hall on Univision. He tried to appeal to appeal on the issue of the economy, but also did not back off from the false claims, you know, about the Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield.

And then you had that town hall sort of kind of wild where it was just a dance party. Does it frustrate you that, I mean, we're 19 days out before Election Day and these things are still happening? Absolutely not. And look, I know that many in the media like to talk about President Trump's events in a negative way. When they're not even there, I was at these events. And I can tell you the rally or the town hall in Pennsylvania, where you're referring to where President Trump played music. He did that because unfortunately two people in the crowd passed out due to heat. and he was respectful and mindful of that.

And his supporters loved it. It turned into a really fun night. And then when it comes to the Univision Town Hall, he took questions directly from Latino Americans, focused on inflation that has robbed them of their paychecks every week because of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden's economic policies. He took questions about the border crisis that Kamala Harris has overseen that Latino Americans particularly are concerned with

because they came here the right way legally. President Trump supports that. He does not support illegal immigration. And that's why more than 60% of Latino voters actually support his plan for mass deportations. And to rebut what Megan said previously about the Fox News interview with Kamala Harris, it was a train wreck. She couldn't answer a single question because she doesn't have answers. Her entire campaign is built on lies about Donald Trump. She's not offering solutions to the very real policy challenges that the American people are facing in their lives every single day.

So, Megan, I'll let you jump back and respond to that. Yeah, I mean, I think that she did what she needed to do in those interviews when she's out there every day. I think that if people really felt that way that Donald Trump would be leading in the polls, and they're not, they're a neck and neck. So I do think that there is some, you know, some difference of opinion there, but I do think that they are doing what they need to be doing the last, you know, 18 days or so of this campaign, they're reaching voters where they are. And the vice president is out there talking to voters who will be impacted by these policies that Trump wants to enact with a $4,000 more a month or more a year, sorry, on some of his policies for his economic plan. So, you know, I think that that's just a difference of opinion, but we'll find out in 18 days. Yeah, Megan, Vice President Harris used that Fox in interview that we just saw in Garrett's report to say that she's going to separate herself, that her presidency will be different from President Biden. Do you think that that's going to hold with voters?

I do. I think she's laid out a bunch of policies already. I don't think she needed to take that moment right then and there to continue to lay out the policies. I think she was saying that she is a younger version of leadership. She wants to be a new leadership here. she has laid out policies for different things for health care, for lowering costs, for affordable housing. So I just, you know, the policy is clearly a moment and it was on Fox News, right? And we can't discount that moment because she was crystal clear on that. Whether it's true or not, we don't know until she'll, unless she's elected. But clearly there was a strategy to say that on Fox News and to

say that in such a high profile interview. I mean, I think that that she missed the opportunity on the view. And I think she was taking the opportunity on Fox. And that was the next interview that she have the moment to do that and was asked that question. So I don't necessarily think it was Fox. I think that was the next time she was asked a question. Caroline, you got Vice President Harris going on Fox News, doing town halls, doing all types of interviews. You guys were just attacking everyone on the Democratic side for her not doing interviews, for not doing town halls. She seems to be doing that. Is she now sort of outperforming former President Trump when it comes to those media interviews?

Absolutely not. In fact, I have the numbers, and President Trump has done nearly double the amount of interviews that Kamala Harris has done throughout the entirety of this campaign. I agree with that. No, no, no, Caroline, I totally agree with that. But in this last sprint, these last three weeks, is she turning it up, though, on the former president? Absolutely not. President Trump is running laps around Kamala Harris on the campaign trail. In fact, he sat down for three very exciting interviews this morning in New York. He's speaking at the Al Smith dinner tonight, which is an invitation Kamala Harris declined. He also engaged in an interview with Bloomberg this week at the Chicago.

economic club, which was a huge hit, and Kamala Harris declined that invitation as well. President Trump does not back down even in the face of hostile media. And he's also been doing more alternative media, this election cycle, major podcasts that are reaching different types of voters. And that's why he is cutting into Kamala Harris' polling numbers with Democrat demographics. You look at union workers, black voters, Hispanic voters, young people. Kamala Harris is lagging behind where Joe Biden was in 2020, where Hillary Clinton was in 2020, where Hillary Clinton was in 2016. And today in 2024, Donald Trump is polling better than he ever has. And it's because people don't view Kamala Harris as the change agent in this race because she's the incumbent

vice president. And 70% of the country believes we're moving in the wrong direction with our economy, with our broken border, with the war that has erupted all over this world. None of this was happening under President Trump. That's why he is leading. And he will continue to barnstorm the country over the next 18 days on the road every day. Carolyn, it seems like you have the case completely made, right, for a Donald Trump presidency. Why do you think he couldn't deliver that in another debate against Kamala Harris before Election Day? Why do you think he stopped debating? Well, President Trump initially committed to three debates with Kamala Harris, one on Fox News as well, but she declined that invitation.

So ultimately, they met on the ABC debate stage, which was one of the worst moderated debates in history. May I humbly add, he was fact-checked wrongly. any times. Kamala Harris was not fact-checked once, even though she lied repeatedly on the stage. And President Trump is meeting voters directly where they are in their communities. Tomorrow, he'll be in Michigan. This weekend, he will be in Pennsylvania. And again, he'll be on the campaign trail every single day. And clearly, the strategy is working. Because if you look at the real clear politics average right now, President Trump is ahead on the electoral college map. And again, he is picking up historic margins with demographics that Kamala Harris needs to win. And how do you know

Kamala Harris is on defense, she shifted resources from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is a key battleground state, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. That should be a stronghold for the Democrat Party. Kamala is playing defense there because President Trump is meeting those voters and explaining his policies and offering real solutions to fix the problems Kamala has created in their last year. She is definitely traveling to Wisconsin, though Caroline does bring a good point, Megan. There has been some reporting about Democrats concerned in Philadelphia about the Harris campaign. path and I know I know logically there is a path but how tough is it for the Harris campaign if they don't win Pennsylvania look I think that map becomes

increasingly more difficult and I think that's why you've seen the map expand for her I think she has you know raising over a billion dollars she has the resources they have an amazing organizing operation that's out in the field that's been out in the that's been out in these battleground states for months now doing knocking on doors and meeting voters so I think you know it becomes increasingly more difficult for either side to lose Pennsylvania but I think that there is a path for her and I think it's through North Carolina and Georgia, which she is doing increasingly better in the polling every

single day. I always ask Democrats this, right? Do you think the polling is, the polling is under, are they under-polling Trump voters? And does that mean this race is even closer than it is? And could Trump have the advantage? So I am a person who works for Joe Biden, so it doesn't live or die by the polls, or we would have never made it out of Iowa. So I tend to not listen to the polls of any real, with any real regard there. But I don't know if they're under-polling Trump voter-specific. but I do know that she is closing the gap on a lot of the issues like the economy and immigration and how she's dealing with those different issues on the campaign trail. So I do think that this

is going to become, you know, this is a campaign of inches. So this is going to be every vote matters. And that's why you see her crisscrossing all the battleground states and out doing all these interviews. Megan and Caroline, we thank you both for being here on Top Story tonight. Now to an NBC News exclusive interview today with the acting director of the Secret Service, responding to a highly critical report about the agency after the July assassination attempt on former President Trump. That report finding, quote, deep flaws in the Secret Service. Here's Kelly O'Donnell. The high-risk mission of the Secret Service. Under new scrutiny, fallout over failures that led up to the attack on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Today, the independent review panel of law enforcement experts from both parties issued a 52-page report that finds deep flaws at the Secret Service and calls the agency bureaucratic, complacent, and static. Acting Director Ronald Rowe responding in an exclusive interview. We have not been sitting back waiting for reports like this to come out. Following the horrific events of July 13th, we've already started to make not only operational changes, but policy changes. They are recommending a leadership change. Are you prepared for that? Well, what I'm focused on right now is making sure that I'm advocating for the men and women of the Secret Service that are out there doing the mission. This busy campaign season remains

a high threat environment with demands to secure so many prominent figures out on the trail. Agents and resources are stretched thin. Do you have a morale problem? We are asking them to do extraordinary things right now. I worry that my workforce is certainly demoralized by some of the things that are said about them. The Trump campaign has repeatedly requested more resources. He is receiving the highest level of secret service protection that is commensurate with the protection provided to the President of the United States. Is he satisfied based on your interactions with him? So I've had conversations with the former president.

He's very happy with his detail. He's actually publicly stated that. The agency says it is adding more technology, expanding training on drones, acknowledging they didn't work at Butler. Even robotic dogs that can detect body heat of unseen perpetrators and moving target dummies, simulate attacks. But the director says their training center needs more.

The challenge that we have here is we don't have a realistic training environment for the most famous address in the world. Agents have traveled to Tyler Perry's studio replica of the White House for training. Roe insists they need their own to meet the real world security demands. Kelly O'Donnell joins us tonight from Washington. And Kelly, the Secret Service has told journalists that the number of people asked to be protected by White Houses has grown from the Obama years, the Trump years, even the Biden years. Can they cap that to make sure the principles get the protection they deserve? Well, it's a decision that ultimately is made by the sitting president and based on threats and threat levels. Right now, it's more than 40 individuals who are

protected by the Secret Service, and that is a large number. Sometimes it depends on factors like how many family members there are. For example, if Donald Trump were to win and be protected as a sitting present again, his five children, his many grandchildren would all be protected if he directed that. So it is a big number, and that's one of the reasons why the Secret Service says they need more resources, they need more training, and they need to change a lot of how they do things to be as effective as possible in an environment where there are so many threats. Kelly O'Donnell, with a big exclusive tonight. Kelly, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the mass shooting indictment, the 14-year-old suspect of last month's

deadly shooting at a Georgia high school, slapped with 55 charges, including murder, while his father was also charged. Plus, a former American fugitive who claimed for years he was someone else finally admitting he used multiple false identities, the shocking confession as he faces several rape charges. And we're learning more about the tragic death of One Direction star Liam Payne, what an early autopsy is revealing and what was found inside his hotel room as his bandmates speak out about his death for the first time. Stay with us.

Okay, we're back now with new details emerging about the death of One Direction star Liam Payne. The 31-year-old found dead Wednesday after authorities say he fell off his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Now we're learning about the moments right before his fatal fall, including a 911 call made by the hotel, as his former bandmate speak out for the first time since his death. Koi Malas has some new reporting. The authorities are investigating what led to the death of the music superstar Liam Payne. That's what makes it beautiful. So I'll make some noise.

Payne, one of the members of the boy band's Sensation One Direction, was found dead Wednesday after falling off a third floor balcony at this Buenos Aires Hotel. Local authorities say that the tragic end came minutes after the hotel called 911. In an audio recording obtained by Telemundo from local media, a hotel employee says a guest had overindulge. had overindulged on drugs and alcohol and was tearing up his room, adding, we are a little afraid that he might do something life-threatening. An initial autopsy found that he died on impact as a result of multiple traumatic injuries and internal and external bleeding, and that pain could have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness. Although a toxicology screening has been requested, authorities revealed that a series of substances were seized from

Payne's hotel room. Telemundo obtaining these photos showing a chaotic scene. A shock. I'm in shock. Staying. In the hours after Payne's death, devastated fans held a vigil in front of the hotel.

Tragically, Payne leaves behind his seven-year-old son Bear, whom he shared with his ex, UK pop singer Cheryl Cole. Tonight, his One Direction bandmaid speaking out for the first time, saying they are completely devastated, adding, we will miss him terribly.

We love you, Liam. Chloe Malas, NBC News. Okay, now to an update on the case we've been following closely. Nicholas Rossi, once an international fugitive, who now faces multiple rape charges in Utah, admitting for the first time he used aliases to evade custody for years, repeatedly lying to the media about that, including on NBC's dateline. Our Ellison Barber picks up the story from there. For more than three years, this man swore he was the wildly unlucky victim in a case of mistaken identity.

Nicholas Allen and I do not know how to make this clear. He promised he was Arthur Knight, an Irish orphan whose health was failing. I do not prefer to be called Arthur Knight. I am Arthur Knight. Unfairly thrust into the middle of an international manhunt. Oh, Ika. No. Police in the United States and the United Kingdom said this man was undoubtedly Nicholas Rossi.

The international fugitive wanted on a rape charge in Utah under that name, but also known as Nicholas Oliverdian in Rhode Island. A man who investigators say faked his own death, fled the country, and created a new life in an attempt to avoid prosecution. I don't have any doubt that it's not me. But in a Utah courtroom today, a stunning admission. Mr. Knight, can you also tell us other names that you've gone by previously? Previously, I went by, I was born with the name Nicholas Alverdian in 1996. I would have that surname changed by my stepfather when it became Rossi, and I reverted to using it, Alberdian in 2008.

He still maintains his innocence, but Arthur Knight now says he is Nicholas Rossi and Nicholas Alverdean. I also felt a duty to honor my Armenian heritage. Authorities initially identified him as someone other than Arthur Knight after he was hospitalized for COVID-19 in Scotland. Hospital workers reportedly noticed his distinctive tattoos included in an Interpol arrest warrant and contacted local police. But Arthur or Nicholas claimed those tattoos did not prove anything. Instead, he told a judge someone tattooed him while he was in a coma at that hospital. In an effort, he said, to frame him. He fought his extradition at every turn.

To be accused of me, it could happen to anyone. Doubling and tripling down on his claims of mistaken identity, perhaps most famously, in an interview with Dateline's Andrea Canning. People say that's an act. Let me try to stand up. Let me try to stand up. Exactly. Exactly.

It was an odd moment, one that even surprised the veteran journalist. That was probably the weirdest moment I've ever had in an interview where he just suddenly is showing me, you know, how unstable he is and how sick he is and he's falling. And then his wife is saying, that's a low blow that I'm even questioning it, you know, and he's on supposedly on oxygen. You know, it was just bizarre. In November of 2022, a Scottish court ruled there was always. Overwhelming evidence that the man arrested in the Glasgow Hospital was the fugitive U.S. authorities were searching for. That Mr. Knight is indeed Nicholas Rossi. And that's how we got here.

Previously, I went by. I was born with the name Nicholas Alverdean. Nicholas Alverdian or Nicholas Rossi or Arthur Knight back on U.S. soil answering to rape charges in two Utah counties. After a second woman came forward when the case made international headlines. His identity is confirmed. His British accent is seemingly gone. But the pain of his alleged actions is far from resolved. I think the fact that now he's facing the music is just a big deal for these women. And anyone who says they've been conned by Nicholas Alawverdean.

Alison, Barbara joins us now. Alison, this is such a strange story. The guy was clearly a master of disguise. What else did he say about changing his name? his looks, and all these aliases. So during this hearing, and it's a pre-child hearing that was related to bail. He was denied bail, by the way, in this case. But he told the court that he did it in part because he was receiving threats related to some

advocacy work he'd done in Rhode Island years before. And when he was asked to name the people who were allegedly threatening them, he said he wouldn't identify them, but claimed there were two people who could substantiate those claims. One of the people he mentioned has already told a local Providence, Rhode Island paper, this is not true. We reached out to the other person who was named by him, and they said for now, they're not going to be commenting. All right, Alison Barber, so many chapters to this story. We thank you for that. When we come back, the legal battle brewing over AI in the classroom, the parents suena High School, after their son was punished for using artificial technology

intelligence to create an outline for a school project, how that school is responding tonight. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with an update. A father and son have been indicted on murder charges for the deadly shooting at Appalachie High School in Georgia last month. The 14-year-old suspected shooter faces 55 counts, including four counts of felony murder. His father was accused of giving his son access to the AR-style rifle used in that attack. Both will be arraigned on November 21st. Two students and two teachers were killed in the September shooting. nine others were hurt. The urgent search tonight continues for two Navy pilots in Washington

State following the crash of their fighter jet. Officials say that EA 18 growler jet carrying two crew members went down during a routine training exercise Tuesday. The wreckage of the 67 million dollar aircraft has been found on a mountainside east of Mount Reneer search and rescue efforts underway with both airmen still missing. And a heroin rescue caught on camera in Seattle, Washington last week. Dramatic body cam video shows officers trying to reason with a man on a ledge above railroad tracks when he suddenly slips. He falls nearly 25 feet below. Officers rush across the tracks pulling him to safety just seconds before you saw that a high speed train barrels through. The man was taken to the hospital with multiple injuries and remains in critical

condition. And Disney Parks rolling out a new line skipping program, but it comes with a hefty price tag. The Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be the only one that allows holders to skip the line without pre-booking arrival times. It also promises shorter wait times. The passes launched this month at both domestic parks. According to Park websites, passes will only be available in quote very limited quantities and it's going to cost you. The pass will range from $129 to $449 per day per person. That's expensive. That's in addition, of course, to your regular admission ticket. Okay, turning now to a dispute over AI. Parents of a high school seniors say their son's college search has been turned upside down

after he was punished for using AI to help him do research and an outline for an assignment. NBC Stephen Romo has the details. In the critical months leading up to his college search, he's a really bright student, all honors, all AP classes. One high school student outside of Boston slapped with a major punishment for using AI to help with research on an AP U.S. history project, according to a lawsuit filed by his parents. It's not like he went in and said, here, write my paper. They were getting notes and doing an outline.

His mother is an author herself. His father, a math teacher. The student receiving a D on the overall assignment, getting detention and initially prevented from joining the National Honor Society according to the suit. Imagine a young man with his whole life had of him, a very good student. perfect score in his ACT, and you're sitting there finishing your applications, and you have to decide, you know, whether to click yes or no, when the question is, have you been disciplined? And, you know, right now, to be forthright on that application, he would have to say yes.

That student had set his sights on top-tier schools like Stanford. Was your client told it all before that that he could not use AI? The defendants say that because this particular student received, received a fairly generic slide deck of PowerPoint slides in his English class that that somehow put him on notice that, you know, he'd be, you know, subject to this significant and serious academic consequence. That's not sufficient. That's not a policy. The suit says the school's handbook had no AI policy at the time. His punishment for the situation has been extreme and ongoing. And it is now interfering with his applications to colleges. Hingham Public Schools

telling NBC Boston, quote, to respect the privacy of the student involved and due to ongoing litigation, HPS is unable to provide further details at this time. The stakes of the suit and that senior's future, potentially precedent setting. It's one of the first of its kind to challenge school discipline over the academic use of AI. Clear is kind. And when it comes to AI, it's evolving so rapidly, that the clearer school can be with their expectations, the better. Experts say teachers can help by discussing those expectations early and frequently. And they might be doing that at the beginning of a class or the beginning of assignment. But they're finding that the more that they could set those expectations,

obviously the better it is for everyone, both the school and the student. For now, though, the student's mom just trying to clear her son's name. He's a smart kid. He's got good character. and this was one mistake, and it wasn't even a rule in the handbook that he broke. It was somebody's opinion on what should be used. Stephen Romo joins us now in studio. So, Stephen, I guess the big question is, will this incident hurt him from going to the school of his choice? It sounds like, according to his parents and the suit, he's got a good resume.

He's done a lot, but is this going to hold him back? Yeah, those ACT scores, varsity ballplayer, all those things, really working in his favor. That's the big fear, though. That's why I think this lawsuit was filed to begin with. He really wants to get into Stanford, those deadlines for those applications coming up in just a couple weeks now. It's not clear exactly how that will pan out. But we do know that some of those schools are now looking, including Stanford, at adding AI policy into their own procedure so that they can prevent this from happening in that situation as well, Tom. All right, Stephen Romo, I feel like we're always doing a lot of AI stories.

It's getting more and more, right? Okay, thank you for that. Coming up, deadly detour, a record number of migrant bodies found in a stretch of desert along the U.S. southern border. David Noriega rides along with officials there to try and find out what's causing the deadly uptick and how authorities are trying to stop it. Stay with us. We are back now with an in-depth report from our southern border. A small patch of desert in New Mexico just outside of El Paso, Texas, has become one of the most dangerous stretches of the southern border with the number of migrant deaths more than 10 times what they were just five years ago. This past summer, one of the hottest on record in New Mexico.

more than 150 bodies were recovered, many of them within the site of homes and subdivisions. In a deadly detour, the latest from our NBC News Digital Docs team, correspondent David Noriega spends time with medical investigators in New Mexico to learn why so many are dying so close to safety. And a warning, some of the details in this report are disturbing. Heat speeds up the decomposition process. Often they're so sunburned, they're blackened. Heat is a destroyer. So this is my office. Body bags, these are all extras, infant death supplies in here as well.

After 31 years recovering dead bodies for New Mexico's office of the medical investigator, it's only in the last two summers that Laura Mae Williams has had to visit the borderlands nearly every day. It's not uncommon for me to come down for one body that's been found, and then Border Patrol finds another one or maybe even two additional ones in different locations. So several bodies a day? Yeah. Correct.

In the New Mexico desert just west of El Paso, the number of people who die after crossing the U.S. Mexico border has gone from a handful a year to 116 last year to more than 120 this year so far. The vast majority die from the heat. Many are in their 20s and 30s. One night, in what turned out to be the world's hottest June on record, a passerby found the body of a young woman named Odilia Lopez-Vasquez of Takana San Marcos, Guatemala. Okay, is this person breathing?

No, see. Is this person breathing? No, so are you willing to try CPR? No. The officers, they saw drag marks into the desert. Unfortunately, she wasn't found in time to get help, but she was found. Odilia had crossed the border once before, four months prior. She turned herself into Border Patrol to request asylum, but was denied and deported.

We spoke with her mother in Guatemala. So I decided for not having money in Guatemala, for this or another country. And then he decided to go to there, because we're going to get a hundred of land. So Odilia tried again, this time hiring a smuggler to get into the U.S. undetected. On June 13th, the smuggler guided her and a group into the desert. Temperatures that day reached 109 degrees. Odilia's smuggler later told her family that while they were worried, walking, she asked to stop and rest. He said he left her behind with the intention of going

back for her, but that when he returned, she was gone. He sent her family this picture of Odilia in the place where he'd left her, and a screenshot of his messages to her, unreturned. Odilia was found that night. near a roadway. According to the medical investigators report, she had been dragged, about 700 feet. She did not have her phone. The only belongings she had were cash, a piece of paper with U.S. phone numbers, and a hair tie. Odilia's cause of death was hypothermia due to heat exposure. She was 20 years old. Over text, Odilia's sister questioned the smuggler about his story. How do you see you

now, having it's been destroated? I feel destroated. Right, what I feel, to go with her, where she's right, also part of this Tierra.

So the place where she was found is, according to the coordinates, just just, east of this little dirt road here. Okay, we should be coming right up on it. Oh my god. It's literally within sight of this subdivision, of these houses. It's like a couple of dozen suburban houses.

It would probably take me maybe three minutes to walk from here to there. And she didn't, she couldn't, she couldn't make it. So the question is why? Why all of a sudden from one year to the next to the number of people dying right outside of a major city on the border skyrocket? And there's only one consistent explanation. First responders, elected officials, various officials here in El Paso believe that the thing that contributed to the sudden rise in the number of deaths in is Operation Lone Star. Starting in 2021, Texas placed concertina wire and deployed National Guard troops and state police

to the urban areas where most migrants attempt illegal crossing. In El Paso, this pushed people just west of the city, over the state line into New Mexico. It's a small patch of land close to exurbs and highways. But in summer, it's hot and dry enough to claim lives by the hundreds. In a statement, the Texas governor's office blamed the deaths on the federal government and said Operation Lone Star helps redirect migrants to legal crossing points. There are times that my feet are burning even with my thick sole boot and another layer in there. So if you just have a thin shoe on, your feet are burning.

So right now, I don't know if you can see that, it's 134.8. In the summer especially, it's incredibly hot out here. So you can imagine in those extreme conditions, even if you're well-hydrate, you're well-hydrated, hydrated and well-fed, it's going to wear on the body. Bodies recovered in the desert are moved to Albuquerque, to the Office of the Chief Medical Investigator. We have 16 autopsy tables total. Some days, we have more decedents than we have autopsy tables. Are many of these deaths preventable, in your view? The answer, in my opinion, is yes. They could have called for help for this person. They could have provided nourishment.

Instead, they took their one method of communication where they could have called for help and left them to die. So why is this not a homicide? I don't know the politics, and I don't care that's not my business. This is their journey to make their life better, is what I have to believe. I always hope they didn't suffer, even though this is not an easy death. So I know they did. And we thank David Noriega and the NBC News Digital. team for that story. We'll be right back.

Finally tonight, we want to leave you on a fun note. Baseball's big moment, playoff runs for teams here in New York and L.A. pulling in the biggest numbers on TV in more than a decade. And for Yankees and Mets fans, a growing hope for something that's only happened once, a cross-town matchup in the World Series, a subway series. NBC Sam Brock has this look at the star power behind playoff fever. In New York City, it's a sports bonanza. It's Francisco Indoor, a lead off home run. From a miracle Mets team, only two outs away from elimination, to an Aaron Judge-led juggernaut New York Yankees squad. Aaron Judge finally connects. But the busiest matchup by far is the potential for a Mets Yankees World Series,

known affectionately in the sport as the subway series, the famed transport between the boroughs. Are you on some level rooting for them, even though you're a Yankees fan, to get to the series? It's a New York team. How would you describe the buzz? It's fantastic. It's wild. It's an energy that I've never seen before out here. The last and only time that's happened since the Mets have been in existence was 2000.

Very exciting, very exciting. Everybody is energized, excited. They're talking about Mets versus Yankees. When the Yankees crush their Queen's counterparts four games to one, capturing their third straight championship. Now a possible chance for some revenge with Mets outfielder Harrison Bader. One of many athletes who's played for both teams and who grew up here in New York and the house divided. Exactly half of my family has met fans. The other half are Yankees fans and the rivalry, the energy between us, you know, at small family events and whatnot was always so much fun.

And just to be a part of it now, obviously, on both sides. It's just a dream come true. So does that, let's bring another level of perspective for you personally, having been on both sides of the equation? I just think everything's full circle. It's a salivating prospect for New Yorkers. Coming as baseball has seen a renaissance of sorts. It is gone! Driven by the star power of Shohei Otani and the Dodgers who are currently squaring off against the Mets in the National League Championship Series.

Game 1 pulled in 8.5 million viewers, according to Fox, the most watched Game 1 LCS on any network since 2009. Well, I think it's great. I mean, you know, traditionally we've seen baseball ratings in the postseason kind of lag behind some of the other sports, but I think, you know, I think it's a testament to the star power we have in this postseason. How much of a perfect storm has this been? Yeah, it really has been, and it's been a long time coming.

Improbable, amazing, unbelievable, exciting. Now, Met City Field is pulsating in Yankee Stadium, ready to rock. I'd love to see this happen. It's been the first time in a while. I've been rooting for the Yankees to get to the World Series because I want to play them. Do you want to take them on head on? Oh, yeah. Sam Brock joins us tonight from City Field in Queens.

Sam, you grew up in the New York area, so who are you rooting for in both series, and give me your dream World Series matchup? Actually, that's an easy question to answer. I grew up a Met fan, Tom. When I was five years old, I had Mets wallpaper in my room. So, yeah, definitely going with Mets over Dodgers. On the other side of things, I'm running for the Cleveland Guardians. Half my team is from Cleveland. Half my team, have my family's from Cleveland.

And this is a low payroll team that somehow is in the final four. It is an electric scenario. New York, Los Angeles, and Cleveland, all of them in the championship series. In case you couldn't tell, I'm excited. Let's go Mets. Back to your time. Sam, I liked you so much up until you said you're rooting for Cleveland. I cannot believe that.

The Yama's household is going to have second thoughts about Sam Brock. Sam, enjoy the game, get something good to eat, and watch some great baseball. We thank you for that report. Thank you, brother. Appreciate it. All right, we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. Go Yankees.

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