Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Episode Date: August 14, 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, Tropical Storm Ernesto's strengthening in the Atlantic, taking aim at the Virgin Islands in Puerto Rico. The powerful storm slamming the Caribbean islands with torrential rains and destructive winds. A tree toppling over crushing cars and St. Kitts. Strong gusts hitting Puerto Rico as the island braces for flooding, possible landslots and power outages. Officials urging people to stay at home. The watches and warnings in effect as their nestives expected to intensify into a hurricane. We have the track and the timing. Also tonight, Minnesota Governor Tim Wall is holding his first solo event as Vice President

Harris is running made. His response to GOP attacks on his military service record and has appealed to one of the largest labor unions after being in one himself. Former President Trump back on social media platform X speaking with Elon Musk in a live audio stream that was plagued by major technical issues. Israel on edge, the country bracing for Iran's impending attacks. Iran's impending attack, Iran refusing to back down despite pressure from both the U.S. and its allies, the latest blow to the month-long effort to reach a ceasefire and new disturbing video inside Gaza, the five-month-old in doctors' care after her entire family was killed in an airstrike. Cargo ship explosion, shocking surveillance video capturing the massive blast that relaunched into the air

and the fiery mushroom cloud at a busy Chinese port. Lawsuit, three-time All-Star Derrick Ahambi taking legal action over how she was treated while pregnant. The disturbing allegations accusing the League and the Las Vegas Aces of retaliation and intimidation will break down her startling claims. Toddler highway scare, horrifying moments on a Texas interstate. Two toddlers walking away from being thrown from a car that flipped. The sheriff's deputy revealing the kids weren't strapped in while their father was driving. Plus, the iconic Jackie Robinson statue back in its rightful place. The bronze sculpture rebuilt after being cut off into cleats back in January, the symbol of hope finally revealed, all thanks to the team effort to bring it back to live.

And the surprise shake up at Starbucks, the CEO of Chipotle sliding into head up the massive coffee chain. Other markets are reacting to the abrupt move. Top story starts right now. And good evening. I'm Morgan Chesky in for Tom Yamas tonight. Tropical storm Ernesto rapidly streaking the in as a storm barrels towards the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The National Hurricane Center expecting Ernesto to intensify into a hurricane. Take a look at the latest path of this current system. The storm battering the Caribbean islands and pushing into the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico before reaching Bermuda by the end of this week.

The tropical storm already leaving its mark. In Guadalupe, powerful winds lashing at the island, whipping palm trees. And it's ain't kits? Strong gust toppling this tree. You can see it even smashed several cars. Winds picking up speed in Puerto Rico. The island bracing for torrential rains, flash flooding, and widespread power outages. The governor urging people to stay home as conditions are only expected to worsen.

A center for endangered birds transferring the animals to a hurricane room to ensure their safety. many communities quickly working to prepare for Ernesto. This is now the fifth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season coming right on the heels of Hurricane Debbie, and officials are revising this year's Atlantic Hurricane Outlook, warning it will be an extremely active few months. They're even calling for 17 to 24 named storms, four to seven of those named storms expected to reach major hurricane strength. That means a category three or higher. NBC meteorologist Angie Lasman joins us now. So, Angie, time this one out for us here. What is the latest on Tropical Stormer Nesto's current track?

All right, Morgan, here's the deal. We're going to see this system continue its general motion to the northwest over in the next 12 hours or so. That's when we're going to start to see things deteriorating specifically into the evening hours tonight and overnight for places like the Virgin Islands in Puerto Rico. Right now wins at 60 miles per hour. The system is fairly healthy even though it was battling a little bit of dry air, but it will continue to bring the heavy rain as well as the potential for hurricane force winds to specifically the Virgin Islands up next and then eventually Puerto Rico. The center of it will pass near or over Virgin Islands. And then as we get into later parts of tomorrow, it'll be north, at least the center of the will be north of Puerto Rico. Now, those winds in the rain will extend far out from the center, more than 100 miles. So we'll see the conditions impacted like that. But notice it does become a Category 1 hurricane by the time we get into Wednesday. It'll spend some time over those warm Atlantic waters before taking aim at Bermuda down the line into the weekend as a Category 2 hurricane. Notice along the

Atlantic coast, we will see some dangerous surf, some large rip currents. It'll be kind of a difficult couple of days out at the beach for folks that are planning to make it to the coast. But Puerto Rico specifically, that's where we're most concerned for the heavy, substantial tropical rain. We're talking four to six inches of rain widespread, but up to 10 inches will be possible in isolated spots, especially the northern portion of the island. This is really concerning officials when it comes to mudslides, landslides, and flash flooding, Morgan. Yeah, concerning, no doubt. Angie, last month. Thank you so much.

Next tonight to our other major story, the race for the White House and the Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Wall is doing its first solo campaign appearance today, defending his military service after attacks by Republican opponents. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell with the latest tonight. Going solo for the first time as Kamala Harris's running mate before public service union workers.

Today, Minnesota Governor Tim Walls making his first public response to attacks from the Trump campaign about how Walls talked about his time in the National Guard. I'm going to say it again as clearly as I can. I am damn proud of my service to this country. At issue, this 2018 clip posted by the Harris campaign, where then Congressman Walls, who was talking about gun restrictions, said he carried weapons in war. And we can make sure that those weapons of war that I carried in war is the only place where those weapons were But Walls was never in combat.

Trump running mate and Marine veteran J.D. Vance called that Walls description, scandalous behavior. I'm not criticizing Tim Walts' service. I'm criticizing the fact that he lied about his service for political gain. The Harris campaign said last Friday, Walls misspoke when he said he carried weapons in war. Walls served 24 years in the National Guard. Today, Walls did not address any specifics, but criticized. the criticism. And I firmly believe you should never denigrate another person's service record.

Do anyone brave enough to put on that uniform for our great country, including my opponent, I just have a few simple words. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. And Kelly joins us now from the White House. Kelly, what more are we learning tonight about the ongoing FBI investigations into these separate hacks that targeted both the Trump and the Biden-Harend campaigns. Well, Morgan, we've learned that the FBI is looking into this, and today the Harris campaign said that it has been notified that this is unfolding, but they don't think that there has been a breach. They're not aware of one, but they were told by the FBI last month that they believe this was a foreign operation. Now, separately, the Trump campaign has said publicly that they

believe Iran is behind the attempts at hacking. Morgan? And Kelly, I want to turn out a former President Trump in his conversation on X last night with Elon Musk. There was a lot that he said, including criticizing Vice President Harris's record. Let's listen into some of that. She wants to have open borders, and now she's going like she's tough on the border. It's such a lie. Yeah, this is simply not true. What is the Harris campaign saying in response tonight?

Well, you're right that there was a lot. There were many topics. went on for quite a long time. But the Harris campaign responded by saying that these are two unhinged men, both super rich, who would trade on that at the expense of middle class workers and Americans. And so it's a response to just highlight that Musk, who of course is the world's richest man and owns the platform that he used, is a Trump supporter. So it was a conversation between the candidate and a supporter. And it, of course, went after Harris and the campaign that is a campaign that clearly Donald Trump is still adjusting to, the move from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris.

Morgan? Clearly. Kelly O'Donnell, thank you so much. And for more on the race for the White House and the state of these ongoing political campaigns, I want to bring in Matt Gorman, Republican strategist, Megan Hayes, former director of the messaging in the White House and special assistant to President Biden. Thank you both for joining us. Matt, we know that Walls is now trying to defend his comments and clean up some of the controversies surrounding his military service. How big of an issue can this become if the Trump-Vance campaign continues to attack it the way in which they are? Really, that's a question for the Harris campaign, because candidly, they let it get to this

point. After, you know, a week or so of silence, I can't believe it's only Billy been a week since he's been the VP, but they let it metastasize. And so eventually, if they don't address it, it grows and grows and grows. And whether it's him retiring as a command sergeant major, when he really wasn't, or what that discrepancy was, as you saw the clip earlier, weapons in war. When you don't address an attack or when you don't address a mistake, let it linger, it becomes a bigger problem. No doubt, Megan, to you now.

Walls is also attacking Trump and Vance on their union record and involvement with Project 2025. How effective do you think these arguments are going to be with voters going forward? Look, I think that the Trump campaign gave the Democrats a gift last night, with the Twitter interview or the ex-interview, excuse me, with Elon Musk. But I think that, you know, the Democrats have built their party or their party on the middle class and on unions, and I think that those policies are going to move forward. I do think that it's problematic for the Republicans to have this lawsuit out there, to have

some other of these economic policies out there that affect the middle class. These are voters who are in the Rust Belt, who are very important to the voting block to win the election. So I do think that the Republicans have some — an uphill battle here in — in shoring up the space. Understood. Megan, the DNC announced that they will also be streaming the convention on vertical platforms, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube.

You worked for President Biden. How much of a contrast is this to what you experienced? You know, look, I think that the president was moving much more into social media and doing much more with influencers and doing things out there that were playing to a younger audience. But it is a change. I think that the vice president and the governor are different people. They have a different vibe about them that happens to be really well received on social media platforms.

So it is a change because they are very different people, but it is exciting to see to be able to meet American people where they are and to reach more and more people than traditional news sources. I want to go back to you now, Matt, former President Trump touting to supporters that his interview with Elon Musk, quote, broke the internet, even though there were obvious technical issues, his campaigns claiming that they did raise more than a million dollars. Do you think, despite the glitches here, that this was effective? Yeah, stepping back, look, what you've seen by the Trump campaign now is a more of an earned media blitz.

You have this. You had the news conference last week. J.D. Vance going on three Sundays shows of the weekend. It's trying to contrast this accessibility, this ability-answer questions with the Harris campaign, which hasn't done so. So I think we're going to probably see in the coming days is even more of that. Look, J.D. Vance has been unleashed. I think he was the best communicator during the VP search process. they're going to see more of on the trail.

And again, to contrast with Kamala Harris and Tim Walts, who haven't been out there. Understood. Megan, we know that former President Trump spent a large part of that interview attacking President Biden. Is there any specific reason that he's targeting him and not his actual opponent here? Yeah, because I think that he wishes that President Biden

was still in the race, because I think that he is angry that he cannot run against the person who beat him in 2020. So I don't think that he has really come to. terms with his new opponent. And I also don't think he knows how to hold a campaign against the vice president and Governor Walls. I think that they, you know, he was really prepared to run against President Biden and had the age attacks and some other different things really ready to go against President Biden. And now that it's shifted, he doesn't know which way to go. And he's the tax that he's putting forth aren't landing. So I think that, you know,

he's just going back to what he knows in attacking President Biden as his comfort zone. Yeah, tried and true understood there. Matt, allies of President Trump, like former Former Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, Vivek Ramaswamy, Kaylene Conway. They've all called for former President Trump to stop attacking Harris personally and go after her policy. Do you actually see that happening? I mean, as you saw in your opening, he has started to. It's a question of a couple things. Can he stick with it?

And how effective is it, right? And in terms of really going out the message. Because there's plenty of stuff there. TikTok, excuse me, flip-flops, a plenty. He's just on today. Medicare for all. Yesterday was taxes on tips. So the ability that he can portray her, like J.B. Vance has in the Sunday shows, as a political

chameleon, a flip-flopper, that's the best and most effective line of attack. I think you should do exactly what Kevin McCarthy said. Two experts breaking it down for all of us, and ever so eloquently. Thank you both for joining us tonight. I want to go now to the growing battle over abortion access this November. Seven states now adding ballot measures this election, putting the issue of abortion rights to their voters. As we're learning more about women denied legal abortion care in Texas after dangerous ectopic pregnancies and suffering devastating health consequences as a result. Laura Jarrett spoke with one of them.

A constitutional amendment in Missouri that would wipe out the state's near total ban on abortion, now set to appear on the ballot this November, while abortion rights organizers in the swing state of Arizona shattered records with more than half a million signatures to get their proposed amendment added. This initiative has made the ballot. Tonight, Missouri and Arizona joining a growing list of states, all with similar ballot measures that would create a new right to abortion up to the point a fetus can survive at around 24 weeks, something opponents say goes too far.

This ballot push the byproduct of the Supreme Court overturning the right to an abortion, allowing each state to pass their own restrictions. now under increasing scrutiny as new data emerges about what's been happening in hospitals. A new analysis of federal records by the AP showing more than 100 pregnant women in medical emergencies like ectopic pregnancies denied care in the ER since Roe was overturned. As doctors tell NBC News, they are navigating vague laws that don't account for medical nuances. There's so much fear and confusion because the nectopic can have a heartbeat. Kylie Thurman had an ectopic pregnancy where an embryo in plants in a fallopian tube.

She was initially denied an abortion in Texas, despite the law making an exception for such emergencies. Then it ruptured. I want to have kids, and I wanted to keep my fallopian tube. But now it's gone. A piece of my womanhood was taken. She, along with another patient in Texas, are now calling on the Biden administration to investigate. I had to fight like hell to get my... my care. And I still didn't get it fast enough. And Laura, Jared, joins us now from our Top Story

studios in New York. Laura, I want to talk about these women in Texas who were injured after being refused legal care. I'm curious, what recourse do they have now? Yeah, Morgan, their options are pretty limited. Remember, they do not have a constitutional right to an abortion because of the Supreme Court's decision just two years ago. Now, they have filed a request with the Biden administration to take a look at these hospitals because they were supposed to be provided in an abortion even under Texas state law, but this could take months or years to resolve, Morgan. And Laurel, what is next for the legal fight for abortion and access, speaking more broadly in terms of Texas here? Yeah, so this is really more of a, as you said, a broader fight between federal law,

which says you have to give people emergency care and these state-level bans like the ones we're seeing in Texas and elsewhere. That's a fight that the Supreme Court could resolve if it wanted to. didn't do it last term when it came up in the context of an Idaho law, but we'll see whether the court is now going to be forced to take it up again in the context of this Texas issue, Morgan. All right, we'll be watching. Laura Jarrett, thank you. Overseas now to the Middle East, where Iran is rejecting calls to stand down over threats of retaliation against Israel after the killings of leaders from Hamas and Hezbollah. It comes after a series of deadly strikes by Israel inside Gaza, leaving dozens of people dead.

For more on Iran's possible next moves, let's get right to. Alison Barber, who joins us live tonight from Tel Aviv. Alison, what more is Iran saying tonight about their possible retaliatory attack? And regarding the potential strike, have Iran and its allies acknowledge this tension that appears to be building day by day here? Yeah, you know, Iran for the last couple of days, has consistently told, particularly those releasing statements from the West. He had a conversation with Britain as well as others. The president, the new president of Iran did, saying that, they consider retaliation for the death of Ishmael Hainiyah to be a right, and they also say that they believe it is something that they have to do. They've been consistent in that, really,

since this assassination, but there was a period of time where it sort of seemed like that rhetoric kind of slowed down. Then it came sort of back up, if you will, after there was that strike, the Israeli strike inside of Gaza on a school-turned shelter. And since then, we have heard them again responding more directly to call. from the United States, Great Britain, other Western countries saying, hey, let's try and keep the temperature down, saying, one, we think it's our right and we have an obligation to respond because Hania was killed inside of our territory and also that they believe Israel, not them, is the one elevating tensions in the region. At the same time, we have heard in the last week. We heard from the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and he talked about their possible plans for retribution, namely for the the death of one of their top commanders in the outskirts of Beirut around the same time that Hamea was assassinated inside of Iran. And in a speech, it was about an hour and a half long.

One thing that the Sala said was that they could make the decision to do something on their own with or without Iran. But when people were asking and talking about strikes that were happening over the northern border, whether or not that was the retaliation at the time, he said, one, it wasn't. And then he also said, Israelis, Israel will not know. And they do not know when we will respond and the fact that they don't know this back and forth of will it be tonight, could it be tomorrow? How big will it be? Is it going to start on the northern border first or come from the east? He said all of that is part of the punishment, some sort of psychological warfare, where people have to live in this constant state of unknown, but also fear of what could come.

Morgan? Constant fear, absolutely. And, Alison, I want to talk about the war in Gaza as well. President Biden spoke about the possibility of a ceasefire. He sounded less optimistic than usual. We're going to play what he said. I think you can still get to a ceasefire here. Is it starting to be an existing habit of an existing hospital?

It's getting hard. We'll see what Iran does and we'll see what happens with any attack. But I'm not giving up. Not giving up, but we will see, we will see. And Ellison's is coming as Hamas says they're not participating. in the next round of ceasefire talks. So how can you have these discussions if one of the parties to the war

isn't even there? I mean, that's the big question, right, Morgan? And it's one that reporters actually pose directly to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at a press conference yesterday, and he sort of skirted around answering that directly. They asked, will you still have these negotiations, these talks if Hamas does not attend?

And instead, what we heard Secretary Blinken do was reiterate his position, the United States position that they think all parties should be involved in this. But look, our teams here, we have been talking to officials within Hamas's leadership body, particularly the Political Bureau. And they have consistently said they do not plan to attend these meetings just this morning. Dr. Basam Nayam, Niam, who is a political leader within Hamas, telling in BC News this, quote, the movement's position in the statement is clear, no need for any new rounds.

They have been saying that pretty consistently, or at least, at least hinting at it in some moments, if it's not as clear, that they didn't feel like they were going to be at the table since we saw the assassination of Hania when there was that strike on the school turned shelter inside of Gaza City this weekend. We heard again Hamas officials coming out and saying, we believe Israel is the one trying to turn this into a big regional dispute. And this, in addition to the assassinations, we've seen that that to them says that Israel and Netanyahu are not serious about a ceasefire negotiation. Mm-hmm. Ellison, I know we're getting a harrowing new picture of some of the conditions

on the ground there in Gaza. What more can you tell us about that and any upcoming ceasefire negotiations? One story in particular, I know, stood out to you. Yeah, there was a strike. I mean, there are strikes, to be frank, every day, every evening inside of Gaza, but you often get glimpses of really specific human stories from our team inside of Gaza, who has not left since all of this began. Gaza is their homes, and they continue to document what's happening inside of Gaza. I do want to show you one video. This is a baby.

She's five months old. And what you're going to see is her aunt, some relative, walking her down the street, and then later into the hospital. In the last week or so, her entire family, our team tells us, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. She has no members of her immediate family surviving. any more. And aunt had taken her to the hospital because she's just five months old. Her mother was breastfeeding. She was killed in an Israeli airstrike, they tell us. And since then,

according to one of the doctors who spoke to our team, they've been having a really difficult time getting that baby to switch to formula. They say she spent the last 24 hours or so staying up at night, crying, and she won't eat. And she is now one of the only members of her larger extended family. We're told 13 of her family members and all were killed in an Israeli airstrike, but her immediate family, her mom, her dad, her siblings, all of them gone, and that baby just five months old. Morgan. Ellison Barber, bringing us the very latest from the front lines, as chilling as it is. Ellison, thank you so much. We appreciate you being there.

Back here at home to a horrifying scene on a Texas highway. A Jeep rolling over multiple times after a two-car crash. Two toddlers flew out of that car, and that was left stranded on major roadway, but they're doing okay tonight. We do know their father might be facing charges, and she killed Brewster explains the latest. A race to save two toddlers on a Texas highway. Units a route for that major accident off of East Freeway. Shocking video showing the children wearing nothing but diapers stranded in the middle of the roadway after police say they were ejected from a Jeep. Two unidentified people running to get them out of harm's way. The crash taking place on Interstate 10 in Houston.

The cause of the accident between the two vehicles is still under investigation right now. The investigation has proven that the two children were not in car seats at all when that vehicle, the Jeep Wrangler, began to roll, and both toddlers were rejected out a four-year-old and a one-year-old. According to the sheriff,

the two children and their father who was driving were transported to the hospital in serious condition but are expected to survive. The driver of the other car was not heard that father could face criminal charges. They were toddlers, four and one year old, and it is against state law to not have anyone under that age, not in a car seat of some type. And evidently from what we have, they were just sitting in the back of the vehicle, not strapped into anything. Shaquille Brewster, NBC News. Still ahead tonight, the trial of a woman accused of fatally shooting

her neighbor is now underway. The Florida woman in court, her attorneys claiming she killed the black mother of four in self-defense. You'll hear the startling 911 call played for jurors. And the WNBA star filing a lawsuit against the league. The discrimination and retaliation Derek Hamby says she faced while pregnant. Plus, Utah's famous double art truck comes crashing down. What caused the iconic site to collapse? Stay with us. Now, an update on a case we've been following here on Top Story. A Florida woman accused of shooting and killing her neighbor is now standing trial on manslaughter charges. Jurors will have to decide whether the 60-year-old was acting in self-defense when she shot A.J. Owens, a black mother of four.

NBC's Kathy Park with that story tonight. Tonight, a manslaughter trial now underway for Susan Lorenz, accused of shooting and killing her neighbor, A.J. Owens. Sheriff's deputies say Lorenz opened fire when Owens came to a door to confront her about a dispute over an iPad in Owens' children. The question in this case is whether the defendant was justified in Dunes. It was a breaking point in a longstanding neighborhood feud between the two, according to deputies, who say they were called to the area at least six times in the year and a half before the deadly confrontation. She made an allegation that a woman came to her door and had threatened her.

Okay. And did she also complain about kids as well? Yes, she had complained about children playing in the open field next to her apartment. In opening statements, the defense calling Owens' death a tragedy, but claiming Lorenz acted in self-defense. Susan Lawrence felt she had no choice, no choice at all, but to fire that door. It was either Susan or aging. Prosecutors casting doubt. You're going to hear the defendants say that she feared for her life.

Now she thought, she shot if she tells us either going to be her or was going to be hot. But yet you're also going to hear the defendant say that she never even intended to hit Ojica when she shot. In this 911 call, you can hear Lorenz describing her fear at the time. The woman was screaming and yelling and she was trying to burst out my door. Okay, it was a female? Yes. I didn't know what to do. I grabbed my gun and I shot at the door.

I thought I was going to get me. Lorenz, who has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, later admitting in a two-hour interrogation last June. Was your goal to shoot and kill her? No. What was your goal? To shoot and hopefully, you know, she'd hear the shot and dissipate.

And, but you took aim at the door, is that right? Yes. Among the witnesses today, neighbors who say Lorenz had a history of yelling at children in their neighborhood. One witness saying he heard Owens angry at the door, but not threatening Lorenz's life. You said you heard come outside. You heard the B word. At any time, did you ever hear Isaac and Izzy's mom say, I'm going to kill you? No, sir. Two of Owens' children who witnessed her mother's death expected to take the stand later this week, according to their grandmother. They're children, so how can they be prepared to take the stand to testify after witnessing their mother gunned down in front of them? Imagine if this was your child and your grandchildren.

I mean, this was her daughter who was killed in just the most senseless manner. Kathy Park, NBC News. We turned out to a new legal battle in the WNBA. Star forward and Olympic medalist Deerica Hamby is suing the league and her former team of the L.A. Las Vegas Aces, rather, for discrimination, saying she was traded because she was pregnant. NBC's Maggie Vespa spoke to her lawyer about that lawsuit. Tonight, basketball superstar and Olympian Deerica Hamby looking to take the WNBA and her former team to court, alleging she was traded because she was pregnant. The three-time WNBA All-Star and two-tubea, All-Star and two-tube. winner of the sixth woman of the year award played for the Las Vegas Aces from 2018 to

2022. And this season has come up Aces, helping lead the team to a championship victory in 2022. In June of that year, Hamby signed a two-year contract extension with the Aces and in a new lawsuit says she was offered benefits like private school tuition for her daughter and team provided housing. But according to that suit, all that changed when she found out she was pregnant just three weeks later. She alleges she was removed from those housing accommodations and told the team was still figuring out tuition costs. If this can happen to a world-class athlete, of course it can happen to women in every sector of the economy. The lawsuit also details an alleged phone call Hamby had with ACE's coach and former WNBA star Becky

Hammond. Hamby says Hammond called her a question mark, accused her of lying about when she found out she was pregnant and said she was not taking proper precautions not to get pregnant. The discrimination suit goes on to say that Hamby asked, you're trading me because I'm pregnant, to which Hammond responded, what do you want me to do? NBC News has reached out to the Las Vegas Aces and representatives for Coach Becky Hammond, but so far no response. From purely a legal perspective, a discrimination perspective, regardless of what your job is, if you are treated disparately and differently, based on your pregnancy, that is illegal. Hamby was then traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2020.

The 30-year-old forward posted about the move on social media, saying being traded is part of the business. Being lied to, manipulated and discriminated against is not. Who would think that the WNBA, which exists to empower and elevate women, would align itself with people questioning the reproductive rights of women? The WNBA then said they launched an investigation into her claims and in May of 2023 imposed penalties on the Las Vegas Aces, suspending Coach Hammond for two games without pay for violating league and team respect in the workplace policies related to comments made to Hamby in connection with her pregnancy and rescinded the team's first round draft pick

for 2025. The penalty that the WNBA put in place here for clear cut, blatant pregnancy discrimination was not a slap on the rest. It was a light tap on the finger. The WNBA has also not returned NBC News's request for comment. Stunning allegations there. Maggie Vesbba joins us now from Chicago. Maggie, I'm curious. Do we know what's next for a handby here and this lawsuit? Well, as far as the lawsuit goes, Morgan, it's unclear. Obviously, this one, just like any other lawsuit, could settle before it gets to trial or the league and the team could choose to fight. It is worth noting Hanby is seeking a payday. She wants unspecified dollar amount of losses and damages in response to this suit. In the meantime, on the court,

things are about to get really interesting because Hamby's new team, the Los Angeles sparked, set to face off against the aces on Sunday. And Hanby's attorney tells us that timing, as far as the filing of their suit, compared to the game time, he says, is completely not intentional. Morgan? Grudge match to come. Maggie Vespa, thank you so much. Coming up, a convicted murderer on the loose. The desperate searcher underway to track down to North Carolina inmate who escaped from a hospital, how he was able to make an escape. Stick around. And we are back with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with an urgent search for an escape to murderer in North

Carolina. Authorities say Ramon Alston escaped custody this morning during a transfer to a hospital in Hillsboro. According to police, he freed himself from leg restraints, then ran into nearby woods while still handcuffed. Alston was convicted for the murder of a one-year-old in 2015. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest. Here in L.A. protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza blocked a major highway. Take a look. We have some video just in tonight showing traffic completely stopped as a group of protesters sat along the southbound 405 freeway during the morning commute. The demonstration backed up traffic for miles. California Highway Patrol arrested several people. Utah's popular double arch rock formation has collapsed. The National Park Service releasing before and

after photos. The agency says changing water levels and erosion likely contributed to this. The formation also known as the hole in the roof or toilet bowl consisted of Navajo, and it was believed to be 190 million years old. No unfortunately was hurt in that collapse. And tonight, NASA revealing that Mars might be hiding at this, a secret ocean, believe it or not. A new study using seismic data found a reservoir of liquid, liquid water, 7 or 12 miles below Mars's surface,

which could hold enough water to supply an ocean as big as the planet. Now, according to researchers, the water, which is trapped within rock fragments, might even be able to sustain microbial life. That's right. Alien life might be closer than we think. And staying up in space now, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is keeping a very close eye on the sun after intense solar flares began over the weekend. That geomagnetic storm alert, cautioning electricity providers and satellite operators

that technology on Earth could definitely be impacted. For more on these solar storms, Dr. Paul Sutter joins me now. is a theoretical cosmologist and even an advisor to NASA. Doc Sutter, thanks so much for being with us. First, I do want to start off with these geomagnetic storms. I know they're triggered by recent solar flares, but they're proving to be even more intense than predicted. So as best as you can, for us non-scientists, what's going on here?

Yes, these solar storms happen naturally. It's a natural process on the sun as a byproduct of its enormous magnetic. fields. And the sun goes through a cycle of 11 years of stronger storms and then weaker activity. And we are at the peak of one of these cycles. So we are seeing a lot of activity. We are seeing a lot of sun spots. We are seeing a lot of storms, a lot of flares coming off the solar surface. And that means more storms reaching the Earth and impacting us. Speaking of us down here on Earth, what is the effect that actually happens technology-wise as a result of these storms? Yes, in the most powerful kinds of storms, they can push through our magnetic field, push through the Earth's atmosphere, and have a storm of electricity and magnetism here on the Earth.

And the biggest effect we can see is disruption of electrical power grids, where we have. have long, you know, a thousand mile long electrical wires. And this can disrupt the blow of electricity. It can blow up substations and transformers. This happens only in the most powerful of storms. The storm we are experiencing right now is not that powerful. So it's more an opportunity to enjoy the event because we also get to see the effects of all this electricity and magnetism slamming through our atmosphere and creating some beautiful aurora. Oh, okay, good to know. I do want to circle back to that, but regarding the potential impact here, Doc, I know you're talking about the power grids being potentially hurt as a result. What about satellites? They're above the surface here. To what extent can the storms knock some of those offline and have a trickle-in impact for us here? Absolutely. Satellites in space are much more vulnerable to these kinds of storms than electronics

here on the surface of the earth, which is why we have an entire network of solar weather monitoring and solar weather forecasting to look for activity on the sun, warn in advance of storms so that we can shut down satellites to protect them. So in the case of storms like this, we might see some disruptions, for example, in satellite communication and in GPS signals, because we need to turn off those satellites to protect them. Going back to your Aurora point here, I know that us out here in L.A., a lot of light pollution could be tough to catch the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights. For people who do want to spot those, do the typical rules apply, or does this solar storm

creates some different situations? Oh, yeah. So typically the aurora are only seen in Arctic regions like northern Canada, Alaska, Iceland, Scandinavia. But in a large storm like this, the aurora can push further south. In this particular storm that is washing over us right now, if you go out tonight and you live in more northernly regions of the United States, like any of the states that border Canada, and depending on the strength of the storm, maybe even southern New York, England, maybe New York City, the Midwest. Go outside, get to a clear sky, look north. And if you're lucky, you'll see a faint glow on the horizon. And that is the product of this solar storm slamming into our atmosphere. Any particular time, Doc, or just as soon as it gets dark? As soon as it gets dark, the storm is going to last all night long. It will probably subside sometime during the day

tomorrow. So anytime it gets dark, it's clear. We are dealing with a relatively full moon. We have a moon that's close to full, but that sets around midnight. So if you can just get out, get away from the lights, get to a clear sky. And if you don't see the aurora, at least you can enjoy a beautiful, clear, dark sky. Ever the optimist, Dr. Paul Sutter. Thanks so much for making time to join us on Top Story. Coming up, the startling explosion at one of the world's busiest ports. The cargo ship erupting, sending a fireball into the sky as debris rains down. What we're learning tonight about that blast.

Stick around. And we're back now with Top Story's Global Watch, starting with a drone strike on Rohingya Muslims that are fleeing Civil War violence in Myanmar. Activists say at least two. 200 people were killed, including women and children. Survivors are now saying that they were crossing into Bangladesh when several drone bombers were dropped. The militia and Myanmar's military blamed each other for the attack.

Activists say the country's military has stepped up attacks on Rohingya in recent months. A massive cargo ship exploded at a busy port in China. Take a look at the surveillance video just in tonight. This is the moment the Taiwanese-owned ship erupted into a fireball, sending debris flying into the air and water. Now, miraculously, no deaths or injuries have been reported. Officials say the ship was carrying hazardous chemicals when it caught fire. Chinese state media said shockwaves were felt about a mile away from the port south of Shanghai,

and that port currently remains closed. And Brazilian soccer star, Venetius Jr., was reportedly offered more than $1 billion to play in Saudi Arabia. That's right. ESPN reporting the Saudi leagues are proposing a five-year contract to the Real Madrid forward, worth a cool $218 million per season. Sources are telling ESPN he's considering the deal, which also includes a 10-year contract to be an ambassador for Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup soccer team.

Soccer Cristiano Ronaldo, he signed with Saudis back in 2022. Not a money talks, and the major change brewing at Starbucks, the coffee giant announcing plans to bring in a new CEO with extensive industry bona fide. The chain parting ways with Luxman Nara Seaman, who became chief executive in March 2023 after taking over for Howard Schultz. The comedy's saying they've been mulling this move for months now amid falling sales and outside pressure from investors.

In his place, Starbucks is bringing in Brian Nicol, an accomplished restaurant executive who's been leading Chipotle since 2018 after spending three years as the head of Taco Bell. For more on this move by Starbucks and what it can mean for business? Want to bring in NBC News, Business and Data Correspondent Brian Chung. Brian, good evening. What more can you tell us about the issue Starbucks was having that led to this significant change of action? Yeah, significant change, of course. But I want to point out this doesn't mean that guacamole is going to be put into your Starbucks drinks. Yes, certainly this is a big shakeup. But the big story behind what Starbucks is dealing with is, well, apparently mismanagement that the board felt they needed to handle by bringing in fresh blood. When we kind of zoom out and take a look at what's been happening at Starbucks, their sales have been having issues in the past few. quarters, both stateside and also internationally, stateside where inflation is really biting

wallets and people don't want to fork up $7 for a drink just because it has a substitute milk in it and a few pumps of flavor, if you will. And then in China, where we've seen a slowdown in their economy at large, that massive market for that company has been slowing down as well. That's the big reason why if Starbucks wants to stop the slide here, preserve their brand image, they're going to have to bring in fresh blood to take a new look at exactly. how this company needs to be run, not just domestically but nationwide. They felt Brian Nickel was the man for that job. And speaking of Mr. Nickel, I know the name a lot of people still associate with Starbucks is Howard Schultz. So who is Nickel? And why does

Starbucks think he's the man for this job here? Yeah, well, he has had a lot of experience in consumer-facing restaurant businesses. When we think about, obviously, his pretty celebrated tenure at Chipotle, where the stock has been one of the best performers over his time at that company. compared to many other Wall Street stocks, not just including restaurant businesses, but he also has extensive business experience from other brands as well, like, for example, Taco Bell, where he was prior to Chipotle. Now, I know a lot of people might be thinking, well, how does experience in Mexican train restaurants translate over to a coffee business?

Well, you have to remember that jumping from Taco Bell to Chipotle was already a challenge in trying to basically get out there a premium brand. That's where Chipotle was trying to position themselves over, say, the cassidias that you could get at Taco Bell. And he successfully did that. Again, as underscored by the stock performance over his time at that company, they see, at least on Wall Street, the same view that he can bring that type of premium experience over to Starbucks, where I saw one Wall Street note earlier today, Morgan, saying that the only significant innovation that they've had was the pumpkin spice latte. That was many years ago. Can he bring something fresh to this like he brought with the casso? to the Chipotle menu, that's something Wall Street is holding in their breath for.

Caso, quesdae is at Starbucks. I'm all about that. Brian, I mentioned earlier, outgoing CEO Luxman-Narashimon took over from Schultz at Starbucks. Have we actually heard from Schultz about this move? Yeah, well, I mean, when it comes to Howard Schultz, obviously he has been the kind of integral name behind Starbucks's massive growth. Now, when it comes to what he said about the company, he has criticized this company over the past few quarters. And actually, it was a fairly lengthy LinkedIn post from just a few months ago where he said, quote, at any company that misses badly referring to earnings, there must be contrition and renewed focus and discipline on the core. Here's the interesting wrinkle.

He was the one that on an interim basis took over Starbucks rather and then decided that Loxmanera Simmons was going to be the man for the job. Now, basically, the board is saying he wasn't the person for that job, and Brian Nickel is now being put in. So any sort of further commentary from here from Howard Schultz would be very interesting. as to whether or not he's going to execute on that contrition and renewed focus and discipline that he was talking about. But again, a very important person in figurehead behind Starbucks's story that's going to remain part of this conversation. No doubt. And Brian, real quickly, mark a reaction. Yeah, or nay here. Yeah, well, when it comes to the stock reaction, it has really soared Starbucks stock up almost 25% in one day of trading, while Chipotle shareholders pretty bummed out that they're losing Brian Nichol.

shares down almost 8% Morgan. All right, Brian, thank you so much. And up next, the emotional homecoming for the iconic Jackie Robinson statue. The sculpture chopped at its ankles now rebuilt and ready to go back on display. The community is stepping up to the plate to honor the baseball legend. Next. Finally tonight, it's a story that began with a brazen crime. A beloved statue of baseball icon, Jackie Robinson, destroyed in Wichita, Kansas, earlier this year.

But not long after, donations and support from all over the country, well, they started pouring in, all for a big homecoming that was months in the making. They arrived in their game day best, players welcoming another back home. We know that out of darkness comes light. Which is why Renee Alexander brought twins, A.J. and A.J. and A. nasely back to their League 42 ballpark. I said, hey, you guys want to go see the new statue being revealed? And they said, yeah, went crazy. It was January when the league's beloved Jackie Robinson statue was stolen.

The crime even caught on surveillance video. You see that surveillance video, someone taking them away. I was like, was it because of race? Was it because of hatred? The man who confessed blamed drugs. And when sentenced to prison for theft and other crimes, apologized. I'm sorry.

But the shock of the crime was soon replaced by another. Strangers nationwide pouring in nearly $200,000 worth of donations, more than enough to bring Jackie back home. Over the last six months, an exact replica crafted in Colorado, then carefully packed, to finally return to Wichita for a homecoming fit for a Hall of Famer. One, two, three, go. A monumental moment where Robinson's legacy looms large. When they pulled that off and I saw if Jackie was back, yeah, it all brought me to tears.

Since being founded barely 10 years ago, League 42, named in honor of Jackie, now host nearly 600 little leaguers, offering an affordable option for anyone who wants to play. If it wasn't for League 42, a lot of the kids in this community probably wouldn't even be playing baseball. Nothing. Nothing. Including Jason Dennis' own son, Jackson. I like how they put Jackie Roberts in there because he's my favorite player. Really, of all time. When you walk past that statute next season, what are you thinking?

I'm thinking I'm going to hit a home run. Inspiration from a player and man. Proving barriers were made to be broken. It warms my heart that everything could just come full circle and now the kids can go back to playing ball like they used to. I think it gives this generation hope that they too can do anything if they put their mind to it. Do absolutely anything. Believe it or not, the son of the man who committed this crime to the original statue now expected to play in League 42 next season. League tells me welcoming that young player was the right thing to do. Thanks for watching Top Story. I'm Morgan Chesky. And for Tom Yamis. Stay right here. More news is on the way.