Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, September 7, 2023

Episode Date: September 8, 2023

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 fears the migrant crisis could bring New York City to a breaking point. The mayor with his harshest words yet, saying this will destroy the city, blasting the White House for failing to help, then bashing governors for busing thousands of migrants to other states. The issue spilling over into classrooms across the city as thousands of children seeking asylum joined the largest school system in America. Tonight will explain how Mayor Adams evolved from touting New York City as a sanctuary city to now declaring in SOS. New spotting of the escaped murderer in Pennsylvania seen again while authorities ramp up the search. The reward increasing to $20,000 for tips leading to his capture as the manhunt by Aaron Ground stretches into its second week. Disgraced actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life for raping two women in his Hollywood Hills home. His accusers part of the Church of

Scientology where he still belongs. The race to rescue a sick American stuck thousands of of feet below ground. We'll hear from the explorer himself inside one of Turkey's deepest caves, how emergency crews are preparing for the harrowing half-mile journey back to the surface. New shocking surveillance video showing an uprising at a juvenile detention facility. At least a dozen youth inmates barricading themselves in a classroom destroying hundreds of thousands of dollars of tech equipment, what we know about the makeshift weapons they had. Plus deadly rainstorms battering Greece, parts of the country getting a year. worth of rain in just 24 hours. Flooding, taking over entire towns right after deadly wildfires

raged for weeks. A widespread rescue effort underway saving people from rising waters. And electric vehicles on the road to taking over American roads. But which ones are worth the money and which are supercharged hype? We will talk to the reporter who put them to the test and which one she took home. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We start tonight with New York City at a potential breaking point. We've been following this story for months. Tens of thousands of migrants arriving from Central and South America and West Africa and straining city resources. We got here tonight because of what the mayor said over the last 24 hours, and we want to walk you through all of this.

So the mayor, Mayor Adams, saying the crisis has begun and that it will destroy New York unleashing his frustrations with a fury. we haven't seen before, targeting the White House and governors busing migrants to sanctuary cities, even calling the Texas Governor Greg Abbott a madman. The White House responding tonight, defending their record helping cities across the country. The crisis spilling into the largest school system in America, over a million children returning to class today with 20,000 new students from family seeking asylum. The school system getting another 10 million to the budget, but there are worries that those resources will still be stretched to the limit. The city's shelter system stretched past its capacity this summer. At one point, more migrants in city

shelters than homeless Americans. Some asylum seekers were able to get beds inside hotels while others slept on the streets outside. Still, some parents are optimistic the city can handle the crisis. But now more than ever, this issue spanning the border to city's thousands of miles away and hitting close to home, NBC News correspondent Valerie Castro has a story. Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. The migrant crisis taking on a new tone. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don't see an ending to this. I don't see an ending to this.

This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City. Mayor Eric Adams escalating his frustration during a town hall meeting, revealing new fears as tens of thousands of asylum seekers continue to arrive in New York City. 110,000 migrants. We have to feed, clothes, house, educate the children, watch their laundry sheets, give them everything they need. Health care. Month after month, I stood up and I said, this is going to come to a neighborhood near you. Well, we're here. We're here. A drastic shift from the message Adams first had for incoming migrants. Lady Liberty sits in. our harbor. New York City is the welcoming mat for the entire globe. For months, he's been pleading with the federal government for help, going so far as to blame them for the city's deteriorating supply of resources. The national government has turned

its back on New York City. What he once dubbed as a political stunt by Texas Governor Greg Abbott became a new reality for the city. We're getting 10,000 migrants a month. One time we were just getting Venezuela, now we're in Ecuador, now we're in Russia speaking coming through Mexico, now we're in Western Africa, now we're getting people from all over the globe have made their minds up that they're going to come through the southern part of the border and come into New York City. This bus terminal became the first welcome sign for migrants after hours-long journeys from Texas, but the mayor says to his frustration they are still arriving by the

bus slope power malu was there when the first buses of migrants arrived we are on the ground we have outlasted every city agency that has come in to the port authority which is a disgrace a year later he says the city's resources have been mismanaged and the responsibility now falling onto organizers like him several months ago we saw the city here with representatives welcoming the migrants with open arms providing resources at what point did you see that change? So unfortunately, the migrants have been used as political pawns since day one, which is why you had so many city agencies and politicians popping their head in, because it was really popular. It was a way for them to show that they actually cared, but there was no real follow-through.

Hotels like the historic Roosevelt became intake shelters for migrants. The city says they quickly filled up, and the issue became a blame game between the mayor and local aid groups. They're not looking at the migrants as human beings. They're looking at them as numbers. They're looking at them as a way to get more money from the federal government. And they're also using them for their own tactic, which is to deter more people from coming here to New York City. Out of the more than 110,000 who have arrived, many of them are families. First day jitters for the nearly 20,000 newly arrived children and entering classrooms all across the city.

Nervios, well, I'm going to be a bit of nervous, but I feel very motivated. It is the story of New York City. We don't treat people as outsiders. We welcome them with open arms. And that's what we have been doing here. Okay, Valerie joins me now in studio. I guess people may be watching this. And when you think about the fact that the mayor is a Democrat, the governor of New York's a Democrat,

and the president is a Democrat, and they're not on the same page. I know you have some new reporting tonight. What has happened since Mayor Adams made those explosive comments last night? So the White House, a White House spokesperson, tells NBC News that the administration has been in talks with Governor Kathy Hochel as recently as today about this issue. They made no mention of any conversation with Mayor Eric Adams, though. They point out that $140 million in federal funding has already gone to the city and state from the Department of Homeland Security. But they say it'll ultimately be up to Congress to decide if more resources should be provided. Yeah, but the other problem is.

It seems like the mayor and the governor also aren't on the same page, and they're not talking to each other. Okay, Valerie, we appreciate all that reporting. Great report. We now head to another major headline tonight, that manhunt for convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante, stretching into the eighth day. Pennsylvania authorities now expanding their search efforts to a larger area amid additional sightings of the fugitive. NBC News correspondent towards Elise once again on this story. Tonight, from the air to the ground and even across rail yards, the search for Danielo Cavalcante is now. now in its eighth day.

He's already murdered two people, one in Brazil, and one here in a very brutal manner. He's a very dangerous individual. The manhunt began when Cavalcante escaped the Chester County Prison, 30 miles from Philadelphia, last Thursday morning, crab walking up walls in a corridor off the prison's exercise yard. Multiple sightings of the fugitive inside a two-mile radius from the prison helped establish an initial perimeter where police tried to contain him, but failed. An image of Cavalcante released by police was. was next captured on a trail camera several miles from the prison at Longwood Gardens.

Authorities say he was seen Tuesday night, approximately four miles away from there by a homeowner who saw the escaped inmate in a creek bed, and possibly again today, back near the gardens, where the search is now focused. He's a master. When he is due with my sister, it's terrible. No human, no, it's crazy. Sarah Brando is the sister of Cavalcante's ex-girlfriend. Deborah Brandau, the woman he was convicted of killing, stabbing her 38 times.

Is your family afraid knowing he's out on the loose? Yes, my family is all scary. I don't sleep, no more. Police say Cavalcante is now within an approximately 8 to 10 square mile radius. I have every reason to believe he is still within that perimeter. George Elise joins us tonight from Westchester, Pennsylvania, right outside of the prison. So, George, incredible interview there, that the search efforts have continued to grow. What is the strategy right now?

And I do have to ask you, since Cabalcante seems to be, you know, sort of quite the acrobat, are they actually searching up in trees as well? Yeah, good question, Tom. They are. They're using pretty much every tool at their disposal to see if they can spot this 5 foot 120-pound fugitive. As for the search, well, experts tell us that they're really focused on making sure that they've enclosed that perimeter. to see if they can get him into an area where they can spot him much easier than this densely wooded area that you see around us to try and take him back into custody. But they admit it has been hard. They said they were using things like infrared cameras and drones.

And we know they were using those helicopters both day and night to try and capture this fugitive. Tom. Okay, George Salis, for us once again on the Manhunt tonight. We also have breaking news late today out of L.A. Danny Masterson, one of the former stars of that 70 show, sentenced to 30 years to life. prison for raping to women more than two decades ago at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson hit with a staggering sentence four months after he was convicted on two of the three rape counts he faced at his retrial. For more on this, Dana Griffin joins us now from outside

that courthouse live in Los Angeles. Dana, what more do we know about why this sentencing was handed down? Yeah, Tom, it was likely handed down because of the decades of pain that these victims say were inflicted on them because of these crimes. You know, we heard the judge actually admonished Masterson today. She said, quote, Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. We also heard some very impactful witness statements from two of the women. Remember, Masterson was facing three counts at one point. He was convicted on two. One woman said in her statement that when you raped me, you stole for me. That is what rape is, a theft of the spirit. Another victim said that you are pathetic, disturbed, and completely violent. The world is better

off with you in prison. Now, according to Masterson, who has denied these rape allegations for years now, he did not say anything. When that sentence was read, he didn't show any emotion. He's facing 30 years to life in prison. He is eligible for parole. We actually asked the prosecutor here outside of court when we spoke with him momentarily, how soon could he get out? And he mentioned that there's some sort of elder clause because, again, 30 years from now, Masterson is 47, 46-47 right now. He could be in his 60s, 70s by the time he's even eligible for parole. And that could likely be the thing that sets him free sooner than the 30 years, Tom.

And then, Dana, is he already starting to serve this sentence, or does that come later in the calendar? It's unclear if that comes later in the calendar. I can tell you that his attorney says the jury got this wrong. planning to appeal. She says they've had lawyers going through the transcripts and they found so many inconsistencies according to this attorney and she thinks that he was wrongly convicted. She says that he did not rape these women and they are looking forward to his conviction being overturned. How soon they'll be back in court that remains to be seen. But we'll be watching for sure. Tom. Dana Griffin for us outside that courthouse in Los Angeles, Dana, thank you.

We want to turn out of the forecast and Hurricane Lee, rapidly intensifying. Now strengthening to a Cat 4 hurricane set to bring life-threatening rip currents and dangerous swells to the Caribbean this weekend before moving northwards towards the mainland. So let's get right to Al Roker, who joins me in studio. Al, we've been watching this all week. Talk to us about some of the possible tracks. All right, Tom. And I tell you, this thing is turning into a monster.

As you mentioned, a Category 4 storm, 780 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands. 130-mile-per-hour winds. It's moving northwest at 15 miles per hour. Look at how well-defined the eye of this storm is. And here's what we're really, really we've been talking about in the climate unit all afternoon. The rapid, I mean rapid intensification. Normally rapid intensification is 35-mile-per-hour intensification in 24 hours. This at 5 a.m. with 80 miles per hour, it is now 130 miles per hour.

That's a huge rapid intensification in just 12 hours. Now, the National Hurricane Center track keeps it a category five, then does four by Saturday afternoon, still a four by Tuesday afternoon, north of Puerto Rico. But as big as this storm is, it will have an impact on the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, possibly the Bahamas. Now, we put the models, the spaghetti models into play. This is the American model. You can see the Bahamas in play. This only goes out about five, six days. European model goes out about 10 days.

And Tom, we showed you this yesterday. Well, look at some of these outliers now. New York is a possible strike. Again, possible. This is not anything etched in stone because we still have seven to ten days to go with this, but it gives you an idea of just what we're going to be looking at and how we're going to have to really watch this as the days go on. And Al, I know you recommended everybody watch this storm throughout the week into the weekend.

Talk to me about 24 hours ago. What's changed in the last day since we had you last night here on Top Store? Well, we're talking really warm waters, Tom, so that this storm feeds on warm waters. And so as we have been seeing, rapid intensive, this is probably going to get to a five. And now we've had a five last year. We'll have another five this year because of the warming atmosphere and the warming ocean waters, that feeds into these storms. And that's where we get that rapid intensification. We've got to be watching this.

Okay, speaking of heat, I know you're tracking the dangerous heat all across the U.S. Yeah, that's right. We're going to see a little bit of a change for some of us. But from the southwest, down into Texas, into the northeast to New England, 68 million people under heat advisories or heat warnings. So ahead of this front for this weekend, you can see temperatures in the northeast start off in the mid to upper 80s to the low 90s. But by the weekend, that front moves through, temperatures in the low 80s.

Cleveland, you're going to be in the 70s. Chicago in the 70s, nice and comfortable, Cincinnati. Unfortunately, that cold air doesn't get down south, that cooler air. So Montgomery is going to be in the 90s all weekend long. Mid-90s in Baton Rouge. It's 107. Sunday. It's only 95 degrees. San Angelo, triple digits right through the whole period, Tom. Texas literally on fire. Al, before you go, I know you're also watching some troubling thunderstorms in our area. Yeah, we've already got a big line of showers and thunderstorms. This is ahead of that cold front that's going to bring relief to the northeast, but not before we get some pain.

We have a risk of severe weather for 18 million people tonight from Burlington all the way down to Washington, D.C. Luckily, a low tornado risk, but damaging winds, hail, that's going to be a possibility. And then tomorrow, it's a slow moving front as it pushes through 40 million people at risk from Portland down to Roanoke, Washington, D.C., and also we got a risk of some severe weather from Dallas-Freveport down on into Houston. So we've got a real active day on the weather map. We are going to be very busy in the NBC News Climate Unit, Tom. All right, we know it. Al Roker for us tonight. Al, thank you for that.

Now, of politics in Washington and the growing firestorm over the possible indictment of Hunter Biden. on gun charges. Key members of Congress saying that doesn't go far enough. The party now battling over the president's son with some now calling for impeachment. Let me see's Ryan Nobles has the latest. Tonight, as President Biden heads overseas, his son's legal problems are growing. Though many Republicans say they're not satisfied that Special Counsel David Weiss announced he'll seek to indict Hunter Biden by the end of the month. Well, yeah, I mean, that's, you know, it's on the gun charge in Delaware, it looks like so, you know, big, big deal. The GOPS slay, for negotiating what they call a sweetheart plea deal that would have allowed the president's son

to avoid prison time. That deal fell apart under a judge's scrutiny. The Biden administration wants to give Hunter Biden a slap on the wrist and have him be the scapegoat and the objective of the Biden Department of Justice is to protect Joe Biden. But Hunter Biden's attorney firing back at the possibility of an indictment. What changed? Not the facts. Not the law. but we have seen over the last six weeks the politics have certainly influenced the outcome. Meanwhile, Republicans on Capitol Hill today deposing an FBI agent involved in the original investigation. Many House Republicans arguing Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings are tied to his father, pointing to testimony from Hunter's business partner that the president joined 20 calls with their foreign business associates over a 10-year period.

We're going to follow the facts, the evidence, and if it warrants going to an impeachment inquiry, we're going to do that. But some Republicans argue the evidence against the president is not there. But to be clear, sir, at this point, you don't think that evidence has been presented. You're so waiting to see that evidence. I do not think that evidence has been presented, and I don't think there's a need to have an impeachment inquiry. Ryan Noble joins us now from Capitol Hill. Ryan, I want to go back to that FBI agent you mentioned in your report now.

Do we know anything more about what he told those House investigators? I actually caught up with the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, who was in this testimony for its entirety right after it wrapped up. And he told me that he was pretty frustrated by the lack of questions that this FBI investigator would answer for the committee. He did say the one thing that stood out to him was that the FBI investigator did say that he was frustrated by the slow pace of the investigation. But by and large, it seems as though Jordan didn't get much of the information he was looking for by calling this member of the FBI in to testify. And then Republicans are still leaving the door open for the special counsel

to testify in this case? They are. In fact, Jordan also told me that it is his expectation that David Weiss will come and testify. That's not a widely held opinion here on Capitol Hill. Keep in mind that Weiss volunteered to testify when it looked like the Hunter Biden legal issue was going to be going away. This was right before the plea arrangement was scheduled to be settled. Of course, the plea arrangement fell apart. He became a special counsel. This is now an ongoing investigation and potentially a trial in the offing. That makes that a lot harder for him to testify in front of a congressional committee while all these things are happening. But Jim Jordan insists they still plan to call him here to Washington in the near future. Okay, Ryan Nobles for us. Ryan, thank you.

While Republicans turn their attention to Hunter Biden, former President Trump is facing a new type of legal challenge. Six voters in Colorado filing a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to remove him from the state's election ballots. The suit says in part, quote, four years after taking an oath to, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution as President of the United States. Trump tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 election by instigating this unprecedented assault on the American constitutional order. Trump violated his oath and disqualified himself under the 14th Amendment from holding public office, including the office of the president.

Vaughan Hilliard joins us now live from Rapid City, South Dakota, where the former president will be tomorrow. Ron, this is referring to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which is from the post-Civil War era. It says in part, I'm going to read it here for our viewers. No person shall hold any office, civil or military, who, having previously taken an oath as an officer of the U.S., to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same or given aid or comfort to the enemies they're off. Okay, so, Vaughn, a lot of history there, a lot of legalese for our viewers. Break it down for us. Is there a solid argument in this lawsuit?

Right. This is legitimate federal statute that ultimately the courts will have to decide on, and this would obviously be expedited. One secretary of state suggested to me this could go to the U.S. Supreme Court. In this case, this was a lawsuit that was filed in federal circuit court in Colorado, so there could be a potential ruling from a judge. It could go to an appeal. It could reach the U.S. Supreme Court potentially. Of course, what the disqualification clause says is that it prevents somebody who engaged in rebellion or insurrection from holding or seeking public. office. But it also prevents somebody who provided aid and comfort to those who partook in

insurrection or rebellion from also seeking office. Of course, Donald Trump has only been charged with crimes related to the January 6 attack in an attempt to interfere in the 2020 election, but he has not been found guilty in the court of law. And so that is where ultimately a judge would have to determine the extent to which Donald Trump may or may not qualify for a ballot in these states. So they essentially have to wait to see how these cases both at the federal level and in Georgia play out? That's the question that ultimately the judge will have to determine. The voters in this particular lawsuit in Colorado contend that it is imperative that the Secretary

of State in Colorado remove his name from the ballot. There is nothing in statute that says one has to be found guilty of a crime of insurrection, but that is where because this really, there's such little precedent to this, that it's really open to interpretation, potentially from a federal judge, Tom. How is the former president responding to this? His words today in an interview this afternoon were nonsense, suggesting that those who engage in an insurrection

were actually those who rigged, in his words, the 2020 election. And so for Donald Trump, he said this is a continuation of election interference of the 2024 election, one that he has suggested the only way that he can beat is by taking him off the ballot and by keeping him from ultimately seeking the White House again. And the goal here is not just Colorado, right? There are similar efforts in other states? Right. And some key swing states, including Arizona, who the Secretary of State in Arizona, I talked to Justice last week, and he said he is awaiting potentially lawsuits to come because they have to go and print out the ballots. And in the role of Secretary of State, it's their job

to simply go through the process of putting names of those who qualify. It's not for them to determine who was qualified for the ballot or not. And that is really where we have not seen large precedent. In New Mexico last year, Tom, there was a county commissioner that a state judge ruled had to be removed from the ballot. But then in Arizona last year, there was another state judge who determined that three members of Congress in Arizona could not be removed under this statute. So it's open for interpretation from judges here. And I think this is this lawsuit out of Colorado is just the beginning. You know, Vaugh, I know you're not a lawyer. I'm not a lawyer, so I don't want to make a call about the, you know,

sort of the weight or the value of this lawsuit. But who essentially defends this lawsuit or who defends himself? Does the Trump campaign have to fight this? This is ultimately going to, it's a very good question. And real time here, Tom, I think that that is, if you're talking about Trump world here, they have a number of indictments that they're currently trying to work through. So I think it would be a question here in the case of Colorado.

You have a Democratic Secretary of State. This lawsuit was filed on behalf of two unaffiliated voters, Republican voters. I think there are question marks here about whether Trump needs to seek his own counsel to defend himself or not. All right, Vaughn Hilliard, I threw you a legal curveball there. You did a great job with it. Von Hilliard, on the campaign trail, in the courts, everywhere when it comes to campaign 2024. We appreciate all your reporting, Vaughn. Okay, we want to go down to the latest on that American scientist stuck in one of Turkey's deepest caves.

This new video shows the cave diver for the first time since his life-threatening medical emergency trapped him thousands of feet underground, leading to an international rescued effort to save his life. Matt Bradley with the new video and the details. The dramatic first video of American scientist Mark Dickey, days after a life-threatening medical emergency, trapped him 3,400 feet underground in Turkey. I'm doing well. Thank you. Visibly tired but in good spirits, surrounded by the international rescue team that gave him life-saving medical care.

As you can see, I'm up. I'm alert. I'm talking, but I'm not healed on the inside yet, so I need a lot of help to get out of here. The 40-year-old veteran cave diver experienced severe gastrointestinal bleeding on Saturday while working on a caving expedition in southern Turkey. The medical emergency leaving him unable to eat and partially unconscious for three days until two doctors delivered units of blood and administered transfusions, according to the Italian cave and Alpine service. Reaching depths of over 4,000 feet, the Morca Cave is Turkey's third deepest, a labyrinth of tight passages and water-filled caverns, which Carl Hetmeier, a fellow cave diver and friend of Dickies, says, makes the cave one of the world's toughest to traverse. It's at the top of the game of difficult cave systems. I don't expect Mark on the surface for four to eight days. His rescuer is now facing a monumental journey back to the surface. We take care of our own, and it's really steep.

special, be taken care of. So, Tom, how long this will take will depend a lot on whether or not Dickie is able to walk himself out of the cave. If he needs to be carried out on a stretcher, that could make the whole operation a lot more difficult and take a lot longer. Tom? Bradley for us. Okay, still ahead tonight.

Peloton sued in connection to the death of a New York man. A new lawsuit claims the bike fell on top of him during a workout by the company is saying they're not at fault. Plus, new video from inside a juvenile detention. Center showing the moment teens you see it here overtook the facility of the 12-hour standoff between inmates and the staff came to an end. And video capturing the moment a city bus barreled into a school bus knocking it over. You see it right there. Why that accident could have been much worse. Stay with us. Top story. Just getting started on this Thursday night.

We're back with the family of a New York man claiming in a new lawsuit that he was a was killed when his Peloton bike fell on him during a workout. The exercise company, which found booming success during the pandemic, already facing a series of recalls, including one that was issued after the death of a child. NBC News correspondent Marissa Parra reports, and we want to warn you some of the details and images may be disturbing. Tonight, Peloton's popular exercise bike at the center of a disturbing lawsuit. In a March filing by the family of Ryan Furtado, they claimed the 32-year-old was

doing a floor workout using the bike in his Brooklyn home last January. But when he grabbed the bike to help him get up, the suit claims it spun around and hit him head on, severing his carotid artery in his neck and killing him instantly. In an April court filing, Peloton said it was not liable and that negligence was to blame for Furtado's death. In a statement to NBC News, the company writing in part, quote, we offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Furtado family for this unfortunate accident. Stay with me, Peloton. You got it. In 2021, Peloton faced scrutiny over Tread Plus treadmill after a six-year-old died from getting sucked underneath it. And a month later, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released this troubling footage,

showing another child getting pulled under another Treadplus treadmill. Thankfully, that child survived, walking away less than a minute later. But the CSPC says Peloton received over 150 reports of similar incidents, involving humans, pets, and objects getting pulled under from the rear. Peloton had to pay a $19 million fine, and the treadmill ultimately recalled. Okay, Peloton, let's go. But then in May, another sweeping recall. This time, two million Peloton exercise bikes pulled back because of a seat post issues, too easily and unexpectedly breaking off.

The way that I hit the ground kind of landed on my wrist and pushed into my shoulder. One minute you're sitting on the bike, next minute you're sitting on the floor. It was just a few years ago when sales for everything Peloton skyrocketed during the COVID lockdowns. As people were looking to stay fit from home, their 24. 2020 shares surged more than 400%. Sing a long ride! But in recent years, Peloton stocks have plummeted. The company has laid off over 5,000 workers.

And at the end of June this year, Peloton said the recall of its bike seat post cost more than it expected and was a potential factor in reported subscriber decline. All right, Marissa Paro joins us tonight from the Telemundo Center in Miami. This is a truly tragic story. I want to go back to the death of that New York, ma'am. What is Ryan's family hoping to get out of this? lawsuit. So his mother has claimed that the bike that he had, which she bought just six months

before this accident, Tom. She's claiming that that bike was defective, that it lacked a safety warning. So she is seeking an unspecified damage amount to cover the cost of his death, which does remain the first reported fatality allegedly linked to the Peloton bike. But as we've reported, Peloton says they have no fault in this. They're denying any fault in this, saying negligence was to blame. Tom. Okay. Morris Haparro for us tonight. That is shocking new video. from a juvenile detention center in Ohio. Surveillance video, some of it sped up, showing the moment a dozen youth inmates took over a facility,

destroying security cameras and even threatening staff members with makeshift weapons. This uprising, just the latest in a string of violent incidents at that facility. Jesse Kirsch with the video and the new details. Tonight, our first look at dramatic video from inside an Ohio correctional facility showing the chaotic moments

teenage inmates overtook the facility. running the place. Our hands are tied. Officials say last October 12 youth inmates stole keys from a staff member and broke out of their rooms at the Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility. The newly released surveillance footage capturing the chaos on camera, teens smashing computers, trashing rooms, and even destroying security cameras before barricading themselves in a classroom threatening staff with makeshift weapons. A special response team moves in with pepper spray, bringing the standoff to an end after an agonizing 12 hours, resulting in what officials say was nearly $300,000 in damage.

One staff member who spoke anonymously to NBC's Cleveland affiliate, not shot by the violent outburst. Surprising to me, no. I mean, I see the stuff every day. The public doesn't realize it, but if anybody works there does. This uprising coming just days after officials say a corrections officer was brutally attacked by a young inmate at this same facility. I felt tugging and punching and hitting, but I couldn't see where it was there because he had hit me on this side of my face. According to our affiliate, the attack was sending David Upshaw into kidney and heart failure as he spent three weeks in the hospital. Just by the grace of God, you know, I didn't die or get injured worse. This wave of violence leading to calls for change.

Last year, the Ohio Department of Youth Services implemented news. safety protocols, including body cameras and pepper spray for some staff members. They're afraid to use the pepper spray because then they're under investigation and numerous ones have been put out or quit or left or had spray taken away from because they've used it. Some employees say staffing shortages are leading to arise in these violent incidents. According to the Department of Youth Services, the number of assaults increased over the same time period from 2020 to 2021 and again from

2021 to 2022. They can't keep the new staff in. The new staff come in and see what things are happening and haven't dealt with this kind of situation or work this kind of work for or scared and they couldn't leave. And according to our affiliates, some of the teens

told investigators they planned this uprising because they felt they'd been spending too much time in their private rooms and not enough time in common areas. That's a consequence of staffing problems but this is hardly just an issue in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Louisiana are also among the states that have seen issues with the conditions in juvenile facilities recently because of staffing problems. Tom?

Okay, Jesse, good to see you. When we come back and update on that viral chip challenge we told you about earlier this week, the company behind the one-chip challenge pulling their extremely spicy chip from store shelves, why they say they're doing it next. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we have an update. Pocky, now pulling its one-chip challenge from shelves. The chip company announcing it's working with stores to stop sales of the product out of an abundance of caution. It comes just days after a Massachusetts family alleged the single chip flavored with two of the spiciest peppers in the world contributed to the death of a 14-year-old.

Pocky saying, though the challenge meets food safety standards, it has seen an increase in teens and other. ignoring warnings on the label. A two-bus crashed just outside of Milwaukee caught on camera. Look at this doorbell video showing the moment a school bus and a city bus somehow flew into each other at an intersection. That school bus flipped over onto its side.

Authorities say the school bus had just dropped off its last student before the collision, but nearly a dozen people were hurt while one person was airlifted to the hospital. Police are still investigating. How this happened? All right, now to the EV Revolution. seem to change how we all buy and drive cars. Joining me now to talk about her recent journey

to find the best affordable EV, senior personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal and NBC News Tech analyst and overlord. Joanna Stern. Joanna, thanks so much for joining Top Story. Always fun to have you. We'd love to have you on after your adventures. We have a short clip, I think, of what you just recently did with these EVs. Let's take a look. This is not your typical car race. This is a race to make cars more like computers and smartphones, and the best one to buy. No, it doesn't stretch. I don't want cameras anymore.

I want math. Please slow down. Please don't hit the Tesla that we rented. Why do you like this car? You're going to farps. Let's go. That is a feature that I'm sure little boys would love. Joanna, let's start from the beginning, because I want this to be kind of like the cliff notes.

I do invite all our viewers, of course, to read those articles. and to watch all the videos. It's about a 10-minute video, but it's really entertaining. So, Joanna, first, talking about the five EVs you looked at. I looked at five EVs. That's right. I said, I'm going to get some of the top EVs under $60,000. And I wanted to have a 300-mile range. So I did the Kia EV6, the Hyundai Ionic 5, the Volkswagen ID4, the Ford Mustang Mock-E, and the, obviously, Tesla Model Y. I want our director, Ken, to keep this up here. Now, you quickly eliminated, Two of them. You went down to the three. Talk to me why. Tell me why. It wasn't that quick. I did drive them for like a week each. Okay. I know there are some people who are upset about my eliminations here. I eliminated the Volkswagen ID4. Didn't have as long of a range as I wanted and it didn't love the interior infotainment system. Okay. And I also eliminated the Kia EV6 because it's made by the same company as Hyundai. And they have a very similar set of features. And I preferred the look of the external look of the Hyundai. Now talk to me about range here because you make that a big point throughout.

your piece. Why is range so important? Is it because the charging is not as easy as people think it is? It is all about that experience of you've had your gas. You're going to go. You know, when you pay attention to how much you get to your miles, to how many much you get on that tank of gas. But then you can just fill up your tank wherever you go, right? You run out of gas or you're getting low on that tank. You fill up. That's not the case with EVs or it depends on the type of EV. And so you're looking for chargers. You want that range to last as long as you can. you get to needing that charge, having a good charging network to be able to go to. And we're talking about 300 miles. That's kind of what you were looking at?

That's what I was looking at. You think that's important. And with these finalists, the three finalists, what I found is, and I took them on this road trip, I took them up to a racetrack up in Connecticut near the Berkshires, and it was 150-mile drive. And all of them made it there, obviously, with plenty to go. But it was very interesting to see what they were saying the range would have left. And we did obviously have to charge as we went, or when we were returning. And we had some issues there. So let me ask you this. As far as charging goes, Tesla obviously has been around.

They were first to market. So they have the charging stations everywhere. How hard is it to charge a non-Tesla EV around the country? It's not great. Okay. I'd be honest. It's not great. Yes, there are more of these charging networks going up that are non-Tesla.

But when you pull into the Tesla station, you've got your Tesla, and you just plug it in, it just works. It's the Tesla owns the charging network. They have the car, the ecosystem. They all talk to each other works. When you take the Ford, for instance, which is the one I ended up getting, you have to pay with your credit card if it takes credit card. You have to figure out, okay, is it on the right side of the charging network? Where am I going to put this charger in? There's a lot of sort of stumbling blocks.

And then you sort of have to really pray that it's actually going to charge. You can always charge at your house, too. What did you find with comparing the price of filling up a car that takes gas versus your electricity bill if you're filling up an EV? Yeah, charging it out. So I haven't yet figured it out at home. That's the next part of this project, because I just got the Mustang. That was the finalist, and that was the one I chose at the end.

At the end, it was really down to that Tesla and the Ford. There were some things I liked about the Ford better. And so now I'm setting up the home charging network, and I want to give it a few months to see what am I going to pay in electricity versus what I was paying, you know, around two tanks of gas, or maybe about one tank of gas a month, because this is really a car for local driving. Another big tech feature, of course, in these cars is the semi-autonomous driving, right?

And I know we have a clip of that. Let's take a look. Okay, it's preparing for another lane change. Woo-hoo. All right, it did it, it did it. Slow down, slow down. And it slowed down. When you enable Tesla's enhanced autopilot, it does tell you to keep your hands on the wheel at first.

But in my tests, it behaved just like the Ford. All right, let's see if it will change lanes. Up, it's changing lanes. Oh, boy. Okay, that is not as smooth as the Ford. So that clip, the clip starts with the Ford. You don't have your hands on the wheel. You're driving on the highway. Was that nerve-wracking?

It is, it's so nerve-wracking at first. And then it's eerily weird how quickly you get used to it. I have to say, I've been driving the Ford now for a few weeks, and I just went down the shore this weekend. And, okay, I'm going to enable it. I'm sitting in traffic. It's stopping and starting for me. Yeah.

The lane changing is still a little nerve-wracking. But you're using the feature a lot? I'm using the, I mean, and this is semi-autonomous. So it's really like cruise control, but a little bit more on, it's cruise control on steroids in the sense that it is, you don't have to have your hands on the wheel. Okay. Right? But it's doing a lot of that same work.

Finally, tell us why did you pick the Ford? Honestly, the Tesla feels so much like a computer. I talk about this in the piece that we are really moving towards computers on wheels, right? The fact that you're charging this on a battery, you've got screens, you've got advanced intelligence inside. It feels so much like a computer. I wanted something that felt in between the driving experience. I grew up knowing, right? I've got buttons that I can press. I've got toggles. I've got the things I know in the car, right? Buttons and the ability to sort of feel around. Things that feel familiar, yeah. And not the extreme of the Tesla, though I have to

obviously say, and everyone that's written to me since I published, there is no doubt that the Tesla charging network is far superior. But next year, you're going to be able to start charging Ford's and GM cars at these Tesla stations. So that factored in a lot. Joanna Stern, always a pleasure to have you on Top Story. Thank you. Now to Top Stories Global Watch, and we start with the deadly flooding in central Greece. Take a look. New video shows the moment a resident is airlifted from the roof of his submerged home in Thessaly. Days of torrential downpours have triggered landslides and flash flooding. More than 800 people have been evacuated across the country.

At least six people have died with many still missing and trapped. Mexico, likely to elect its first female president next year. The country's governing Morena Party has announced former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Shinebaum as its candidate for the 2024 general election. She will run against the opposition candidate, female Senator Sochil Galvez. Either candidate could succeed President Andres Obrador. voters head to those polls in June. And a piano belonging to Freddie Mercury

has sold for a record-breaking $2.2 million. The Baby Grand piano is where Mercury composed Queen's mega-hit Bohemian Rhapsody and many other classics. It was part of an auction of Mercury's personal possessions, which also included an early draft of Bohemian Rhapsody that sold for $1.7 million. Okay, coming up, another headline from the music world, a song that sounds like Drake and The Weekend,

admitted for a Grammy. But get this, neither artist was part of making that track, the entire song, made by AI. So what could this mean for the future of the industry? And is there actually a chance it could win an award? Stay with us. My bike, I'm male with my ex, like Celine, or the flex. Pumping just a beer, but I fear, but ain't left. She know what she need, or I need, or she blessed, hey, give it me my best. I got my heart, I'm a slave with a knife, and my black, what's with that? Okay, that is the song Heart on My Slee, featuring what sounds like the voices of Drake and the weekend, but the two mega music stars actually had nothing to do with it.

The song produced by the anonymous artist known as Ghost Rider. It was created using artificial intelligence, AI, earlier this year, and it's now being submitted for a Grammy. To be completely clear here, this was created by someone who did all of this on a computer, and now he's trying to get a Grammy for it, or they are. The song and artist igniting debate on what's AI's role in the music industry

and what it could look like moving forward. I want to bring it now Amanda Hoover, staff writer, for Wired. So Amanda, I guess my first question is, could this potentially win a Grammy, or is this all a publicity stunt? It potentially could. The New York Times reported this week that it creatively can pass the test.

You know, it was written by a human. There's some questions about distribution and its commercial availability that I think it would still have to pass because this was kicked off of streaming platforms. There were concerns from music managers and the music labels, you know, about things like this. So it's kind of in between those two places

and it'll be a test. How widespread is it? I mean, the clip we heard, I was being told by my producer that a lot of the song was being pulled off the internet, put back on the internet because of, I guess, copyright and Drake in the weekend, obviously, probably weren't very happy with this. Is it accessible? Was it popular? It was incredibly popular. Like, it was nearly at charting records when it came out. Just the way it's been distributed is now on social media. You know, it was taken off of streaming platforms because Universal Music Group, you know, pushed back against that. But it was very popular, you know, really resonated with people, which I think says something about this.

Are the Grammys really considering this? Could this potentially be a nominee? They told the New York Times that it, you know, potentially could. What would that mean, though? That would change the industry forever, correct? It would be huge, you know. It would really change how I think we think about the music we listen to, how we think about artificial intelligence in the music that we listen to and what it means for things to have, you know, components of AI and still be written by huge. to a sense, like, this track is, but there are some that are maybe completely written by AI, like ask CHAPT to come up with lyrics and then have a generator put it out.

Did a human do that? They came up with the idea. They didn't really do some of the writing. It's becoming a very big gray area with a lot of lines becoming good. I know artists and musicians hate this idea, and it could and probably will eliminate a lot of jobs. But I'm also a huge music fan. And I know the history of music, every song was influenced by a song prior to that. Hip-hop takes beats, takes music that was made years ago, remixes it and puts that out as a new beat,

or they just use the same beat and wrap over it. So it's not the first time that music sort of has been copied and then evolved in a way that people like it. Why is this different, though? This is different because it's just advancing so rapidly. It's happening faster than the courts can keep up with it, faster than artists are really prepared for it. You say artists, you know, hate this. Not all of them do. Some are working with AI, you know, cloning their voices to sing in new styles or new languages.

Some, there's an artist incubator between Universal Music Group and YouTube that kind of has artists that are really interested in this space. Right, but if you're Drake or The Weekend, and now this machine is, and I've listened to songs that are weekend songs sung by Michael Jackson AI. Right. Right. That's becoming very popular, too. If I was the weekend, I wouldn't like that, you know? my voice or what sounds nearly like my voice and then making money off it. Yeah, I think most probably don't like that.

It seems like a big threat to their place in this industry and what it means in their publicity, which raises other, you know, ethical and legal questions about how they can be reproduced. Do you know how easy it is to make these songs? Like, is it easy? It can be very easy. There's tons of startups. It depends what you're trying to make.

You know, there's one for cover songs, and that's how a lot of these people are just having an artist's voice that we know and love sing a song by a different artist that we know and love and that's you know makes you stop in your tracks when you hear it I think we love a good cover song so now you can make nearly anything you can make songs with people that are

no longer alive you know hear things that we've never been able to hear before there are others that you know focus more on different instruments that you can add in and they require a bit more human insight and human production and that's really boosting like amateur music makers so

it's such a wide way that AI is touching the music industry. It's going to change music forever. Amanda Hoover from Wired, Amanda, thanks for coming in. We really appreciate it. When we come back, high school football games officially kicking off across the country, but the return extra special for one Texas teen who lost her leg

to a blood clot last year, a new prosthetic leg, putting her back on the sidelines in time for the first game of this season. How her community helped her get there and what that moment meant her. Stay with us. Finally tonight, determined to cheer again. One Texas teen who lost her leg after a blood clot, now back on the sidelines for her senior year with the help of a prosthetic. Candice Sweat from NBC Dallas has been following her story.

And pop off one, two. High school senior Brooke Walker dreamed of this for months. Six, seven, jump in one. Rejoining the Rockwall Heath High School cheer squad doing what she loves. It feels so great to be able to like get up and walk around to be a part of like, The sport that I watched for so many months go on without me, and now I'm, like, out there on the mat doing it with my teammates. It's been a process, one that began in March when Brooke lost part of her leg after a blood clot. When we met back in April just after the amputation, she was performing some stunts from a chair, waiting and believing she'd get the perfect prosthetic fit.

I love it. I can't wait to do it again. I can't wait to be out in front of a crowd. I love performing. Over the school break, she got her wish. This one's definitely like more pieces than my like everyday one, but once I put it on, it's not coming off. And it was just in time for senior year. Here, Brooke is seen on the football field at the first game of the season. Today, she has the same positive outlook she's been known for all this time. I'm getting better every day as I keep practicing.

The possibilities virtually unlimited. No one can't control what happens to the. them, but they can control how they deal with it and how they come back and how they show themselves to the world and how they trust in God's plan through it all. In Rockwall, Candace Sweat, NBC Fun. Brooke, you now have a lot of people across the country cheering you on. We also want to mention that special prosthetic paid for in part by the community who raised almost $30,000 to get Brooke back out there for her senior year. A big thank you to Candace Sweat for that report.

at NBC Dallas for sharing the story. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.