Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Episode Date: August 9, 2023

A deadly summer storm batters the Northeast. Former President Trump blasts the special counsel and his 2024 rivals in a NH rally, his first since his latest indictment. The U.S. closes its embassy in Port-Au-Prince as gang violence engulfs Haiti. A New York City doctor is facing charges for allegedly drugging and raping multiple women on camera. Eight colleges leave the PAC-12 for other conferences, raising concerns for some student-athletes. And DJ Casper, the creator of the Cha-Cha Slide, dies at 58.

Tonight, the deadly summer slam on the move, a powerful storm knocking out power to more than a million people, tearing down power lines, leaving drivers trapped on the roads, residents forced to shelter in place as tornadoes touched down. At least two people killed, and a new threat now on the way will have a full forecast straight ahead. Also tonight, Trump on the attack, the former president rallying his face in New Hampshire late today. what he said at his first public comments since he was arrested and indicted for a third time. Plus, a major shakeup in the DeSantis campaign. Tonight, why he's cleaning house and the news on Mike Pence and the highly anticipated Republican debate. Abortion battleground, a critical special election underway in Ohio tonight.

However, a proposed change in the way the state constitution is amended could impact abortion rights come November. We'll explain. Medical predator? Disturbing allegations here in New York City, a GI doctor accused of drugging and raping multiple women, some while they were being treated at the hospital, why prosecutors fear there could be victims in multiple states and even abroad. Kidnapping and chaos, thousands of protesters taking to the streets of Haiti, demanding justice and help as gangs tighten their grip on the nation. Tonight, the story of one aid worker whose orphanage was targeted by those ruthless

gang members, and what we're hearing about the chance troops could be sent in to restore order. Plus, City on Strike, 11,000 workers walking off the job in Los Angeles, grinding critical operations like trash collection to a halt. What those workers are demanding tonight, our reporter right in the middle of the picket line. And remembering a man who made us dance, the creator of the cha-cha slide, dying after his battle with cancer. Tonight we'll bring you the story behind the iconic line dance and how it became a staple of weddings, proms, and parties all across the country. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin Top Story once again tonight with a deadly summer slam, taking one

more swing before it moves off the coast. From South Carolina all the way through Massachusetts, this powerful system leaving a massive trail of destruction. And I want to walk you through some of the images that are coming into the newsroom late today. We're going to start with some torrential rain that was triggering flash floods in Massachusetts. These cars nearly floating away. And then a rare tornado tearing across Plymouth County, downing trees and power lines. You see that here. Luckily, no injuries reported. And the wind, creating treacherous conditions for drivers in Maryland. Take a look at this. Can't do anything about it, babe.

You can hear some of the panic and driver's voices there. This is what happened, 30 power lines crashing down all at once. Here's some of the images, trapping dozens of drivers. Crews today still working to clear the scene, still full of those cars that had to be abandoned. More than a million customers without power at the peak of this storm. And some scary moments in Pennsylvania, as severe storms packed powerful winds there, you can see some of the damage right behind me, forcing residents like Andrew King to hunker in their basements. All of a sudden, I see the darkness, I hear the wind, and you can just see the imminence of what was coming.

Deck was destroyed, everything on the roof, everything was kind of messed up. At least two people killed by this storm, one by lightning, and a second, a teenager in South Carolina, killed when a tree fell in his grandparents' garage. Clearly the danger from this storm is so real. So I want to get right over to Michelle Grossman, who is on the set with us tonight here at Top Story. Michelle, what's the threat at this hour, and where is the storm finally headed? All right, the better news is we're looking at better conditions in New England. We're going to have a tough night there with in terms of rainfall, really heavy rainfall.

But then that's going to move out as we go throughout tomorrow. This is the spin. That's what's left over from the storm system that came through yesterday. It was a tough day, baseball size hail. We watched that radar lit up pretty much all day long with that severe weather outbreak. It will move out tomorrow much, much better by Wednesday afternoon in New England. But we are watching a second system. So we're not storm free as we go throughout the rest of tonight into Wednesday.

Notice all these boxes here. THAT is the orange. We have severe thunderstorm warnings. We had a tornado warning. We run right there in eastern Colorado. Then as we head down towards southeast, lots of gusty thunderstorms as well, where you see that orange box, that's another severe thunderstorms from watch. We have severe thunderstorm warnings. So you get the idea. We're still seeing the storm tonight, but this is a second system. Seven million people at risk, not quite as intense as yesterday, not quite as a large population as yesterday, but still seeing the chance for some hail, two inches. That's large, not five inches we saw yesterday, but still baseball size hail.

Winds gusting is 60 miles per hour. That could bring down some trees, some power lines, and also a few tornadoes are possible. Likeliest spots are portions of the high plains out of the Rockies as well. As we go throughout the southeast, too, here we're watching this orange shading here. So Montgomery and a Jacksonville, Jackson, you could see some strong, severe storms as we go throughout this Tuesday evening into the nighttime hours. Really heavy rain, too. We're looking at those brighter colors, reds, oranges, yellows, indicating where we're going to see the heavy rain. And then as we go throughout tomorrow, we're looking at 18 million people at risk, so that gets a little bit. bit larger. Wind's custody of 60 miles per hour, also the chance of hail. And Tom, also that dangerous heat continues across the south. Yeah, we know you're going to stay busy with the weather

team throughout the week. Michelle, good to see you. Next, we're following breaking news tonight out of New Hampshire where former President Trump just held his first rally since his latest indictment in the election interference case. Trump going on the offensive, blasting the special counsel and his 2024 rivals. This says Governor Ron DeSantis makes a major change to his campaign. Von Hillier is on the ground tonight for us in New Hampshire. tonight former president trump holding his first campaign rally since his latest indictment on election interference today blasting how much he's tied up in legal battles i'm sorry i won't be able to go to iowa today i won't be able to go to new hampshire today because i'm sitting in a courtroom on

trump rallying his supporters in early voting state new hampshire lashing out at special counsel jack smith's request for a protective order, which would bar him from discussing some elements of the case. I will talk about it. I will. They're not taken away my First Amendment. The former president growing even more defiant. Every time you get indicted, I like to check the polls because one more indictment that I think this election's over. Attacking one of his most vocal critics in the GOP field, Chris Christie. No, Christie is eating right now. He can't be barred.

Sir, please do not call him a fat pig. We spoke to voters before Trump took the stage. The Trump faithful slamming the request for a protective order. Do you know what that is? That's Nazi Germany Hitler. You can't silence your political opponents because you don't agree with them. He absolutely should be able to talk about it. And if he wants me to protect them, I'm going to go in there.

I'm going to let him know that I'll do it. Janet Griffin, who attended Trump's New Hampshire rally with a chilling prediction for the case. If Donald Trump were to be found guilty by a jury, where do you see this going? Civil war. Civil war. People have had it. We've had it. Trump's rally coming amid a major shake-up for his chief rival, Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor replacing his campaign manager, Janera Peck, bringing in James Utmire, his longtime chief of staff in the governor's office. DeSantis, rebooting his campaign after weeks of headlines showing a presidential run. in disarray.

Trump's way out in front, DeSantis is sitting there now over 20 percent, but it was tighter at the start of the year. We did some analysis here. He's got a lot, too many maxed out donors. NBC News has confirmed that the DeSantis campaign has fired more than 40 percent of its original staff. Howard Dasha Burns, pressing DeSantis on the strategy shift in an exclusive interview this week. Trump has gained ground, you've lost ground, donors are starting to look elsewhere, challengers

for the Trump alternative mantle are feeling emboldened? What happened? Well, that's a narrative. I don't think that's an accurate narrative. I mean, at the end of the day, we're here on the ground building the type of organization that you need in Iowa. We're doing the same thing in New Hampshire. And today, the major announcement from another Trump ally turned rival, former Vice President Mike Pence, saying he has met the 40,000 donor threshold to participate in this month's Republican primary debate. I think the American people want to see the most experienced and proven conservative on that stage. And the days ahead are really one of the keystone markers in a presidential race. That is the Iowa State Fair.

Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, the rest of the Republican field will be there in the days ahead, right there in Des Moines, Iowa. And notably, though, Donald Trump, we have learned here this afternoon, will also be there this Saturday at the Iowa State Fair. This will be his first visit to the event, dating back to 2015 when he first ran for president. Tom? Okay, Vaughn Hilliard, first of all, we appreciate that. We want to keep going with politics tonight, and we head to Ohio, where voters are heading to the polls for a rare August special election. On the ballot and effort by top Republicans to raise the threshold to amend the state's constitution from a simple majority to 60%. Today's vote is set to have huge implications for Ohio's abortion laws.

NBC's Ali Vitale is there. tonight in Ohio high turnout for a highly charged special election that could determine the fate of abortion rights here voters weighing whether to require a 60% threshold to amend the state's constitution rather than just a majority top republicans backing the change known as issue one on the ballot if you want to change the law change the law you can do that with a simple majority but in the constitution we should have a higher standard but opponents say issue one is only designed to make it harder to enshrine abortion rights protections in the state's Constitution, which Ohioans will vote on in November. The GOP Secretary of State recently saying, Issue 1 is 100% about blocking abortion protections. Recler Rose has got to go, hey, hey! Issue 1 opponents sensing energy on the ground. Folks are energized, folks are angry, and they're seeing this as their opportunity to really have their voice heard. It's all against the national backdrop of Republicans in red states losing referendums on abortion in the past year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v.

some Republicans here second-guessing their parties move what's the lesson for your party if come Tuesday night or Wednesday morning the ballot initiative fails maybe we should spend more time thinking through things before taking the step but a top Republican disagrees any regrets about the approach no it's better to fight and lose than never fight at all I can tell you this I think it will succeed and there'll be national lessons to take from this election regardless both in terms of abortion and its staying power for motivating the election electorate, but also strategy in these states going forward and heading into 2024. Tom.

Okay, Allie, thank you for that. Today's election in Ohio could likely provide a roadmap for Republicans on the abortion issue as presidential candidates seek to gain ground on the frontrunner, former President Trump. I want to bring in Puck senior political correspondent and a friend of top story, Tara Paul Mary. Haven't seen Tara in a while, but it's great to see you back on the show. Tara, I want to start with President Trump, right?

He was as defined as ever today in that speech and said in part that he can't go to those early states to campaign because of what he called the BS legal issues he's facing. Do you think those traditional Republican events, the luncheons, the fares, do they even matter in this election right now when Trump himself is just getting so much media attention, whether he's on the campaign trail or not? I don't think it matters for Trump because he was the president. He was this former celebrity. He has a status with the base that the other candidates don't have. They just don't have the name ID. And so they have to go out there and try to win over the governors of New Hampshire and Iowa.

I mean, you heard Trump today trashing Governor Sununu for not running, saying that he came in, he would have come in seventh in his own state. I mean, who knows if that's actually true. And he's also trashed, the governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds. And so he clearly just doesn't care about playing the game because he doesn't have to. He's on another level. But everybody else, they're all playing against each other to try to convince donors to keep, you know, funding their campaigns.

because at the end of the day, as we know, Tom, campaigns don't end because candidates are like, I'm calling it quits. I didn't do well in the polls. They end because they run out of money because donors stop giving them money, because grassroots stopped giving them money, because they stop having momentum or showing moments of growth. And so that's what they're trying to show right now.

Trump is playing on a totally different game, and everyone else is just trying to come in second, I think. And I think that tease up the next question, which is about Governor DeSantis. He had this big sit-down interview last night with our Dasha Burns. there's news today that he's changed out his campaign manager. And we reported about this campaign reboot. Is there enough time for this campaign shakeup and sort of this new strategy to take hold

to help him in the polls as he heads into this debate and into Iowa? It's a really good question. To me, when I hear reboot, the repurpose, whatever they're using lately, it just means that the campaign's in disarray, means there's a lot of challenging ideas floating around and not a lot of decisiveness. And if there's one thing that DeSantis was trying to sell the electorate and the donor class that has really rallied behind him as the never Trump candidate, it's that he's more operational. But if there's one thing we knew about the Trump campaign, too, he had shakeups like this, too. And for some reason, this time around, he's really figured it out in terms of keeping his team tight.

And he doesn't seem to be having the same shakeup problems that DeSantis has. But I think, you know, I've been reporting on this for a long time, a lot of my colleagues, your colleagues at NBC, see, DeSantis is not a really good manager, and it makes you wonder how operational he'll really be as a president, and that's what he's been selling himself to the electorate and to his donors as. And all you can see now on the campaign is what three stories in the past month about repurposing the campaign layoffs, running through money. I mean, they are burning through cash so quickly. We have six more months to go, and a lot of top donors have maxed out, and they can't replenish. So he's sort of reliant on the super PAC, which is a whole other operation, does not give you the same type of exposure. And I just see a campaign that's really in disarray.

And he was the white night for so many Republicans, more of the Bush-era Republicans, and they just think that maybe they need to stop him out. Or people that wanted an alternative to Trump. To be fair, there has been some improvement in at least one or two Iowa poll so far. Speaking of Iowa and heading into the debate, NBC News estimates that eight-can-year-old. candidates have qualified so far for this debate, meaning they've hit the criteria set out by the RNC with getting those 40,000 unique donors and their polling threshold. But when you look at this stage right here, I mean, Tara, this is a big stage. There's a lot of people on this stage, regardless if Trump gets on there or not. I mean, are we getting to a point now where we may

have to have the varsity stage and the JV stage like we saw during the primaries in 2016? Absolutely. And you know what that's going to mean? It's going to be really wild. It's going to be really entertaining, because this is the moment for these eight, 16, however many people are on stage to have a breakout moment. And so for them to do that, they're really going to have to say ridiculous, over-the-top stuff, be funny, or if Trump is on the stage, I can imagine that they'll be just throwing spitballs at him while he throws grenades back. But the debates are a big deal, because they are the moment to differentiate yourself.

And if there's 16 people, it is way harder to differentiate yourself. And so we'll have to see what happens, and I'm sure there'll be more, and they'll probably be a JV and varsity. Tara, I want to switch over to some of your new reporting, which is on the Democratic side. We touched upon this on the show yesterday, but President Biden, of course, he's running for re-election. He will be the nominee if everything goes as planned. But you looked at who could be in position to run last minute if he drops out, because there is still that whisper campaign. And you have Governor Newsom now challenging Governor DeSantis to a debate or at least agreeing to it. right? So I want to ask you, like, where are your rankings right now? And how do you think this

plays out? Well, part of this is that if Biden were to step out, it would probably be late in the game, right? So it would really confine it to the number of candidates that already have an infrastructure, a national infrastructure, or a big team, or a lot of money, or had the ability to turn on the money, or even just name ID. And that's why I ranked the candidates, and obviously at the top is Kamala Harris, because she would be the vice president, and she would have the infrastructure of the White House, access to Air Force 2. She would have congressional black leaders behind her, essentially the president giving her an endorsement, and she'd have the power in the bully pulpit of the White House. But after that, I put J.B. Pritzker. He's the

governor of Illinois. He comes from the very wealthy Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotels and Royal Caribbean, and he is willing to fund a billion dollars of the campaign, and he has been jockeying along with the people around him. In case, you know, Murphy's law applies to politics, as we know, in case anything happens. None of them would primary Biden. After that, I put Gavin Newsom, who is, as you said, he is positioning himself as the leader of the Democratic Party, as this, you know, red state warrior. He's willing to go in there as a Democrat and pick fights with the biggest stars in the Republican Party. And he also has the ability to raise money quickly, and he's got a lot of ambitious political operatives around him. Then there's

Pete Buttigieg, who's now the Department of Transportation Secretary. But he has a national infrastructure as well from 2020 when he did very well. He won Iowa. He has all the people on the ground that are still very supportive. And then at last, I said Gretchen Whitmer, who's the very popular governor of Michigan, who also has a super PAC, which is active, and she's been trying to elevate her name ID. And she's won to watch, I've been told, as a star in the Democratic Party. Tara, I think you're right about all the names. I think Pritzker's a little bit high in your rankings, but listen, you've been making the calls, not me. We thank you for joining top story tonight as usual next tonight the country's second largest city

Los Angeles was partially shut down today when 11,000 city workers walked off the job everything from trash collection to swimming pools to LAX impacted NBC's Miguel Amalgare is right there in the middle of the strike walking off the job and to the steps of City Hall tonight 11,000 Los Angeles city workers showing strength and numbers a one-day strike the first in more than 40 years aimed at shutting down or disrupting services in the nation's second largest city. People are tired of not being heard, not being seen, and post-supportedly being respected and appreciated. Protesting, stalled contract negotiations, city custodians, and maintenance crews,

just some of those walking the picket line. Impacting shuttle services at LAX, animal shelters, as well as trash pickup across the city. Today, traffic officers and lifeguards were also a no-show. We feel like we've been slapped in the face. We're changing that today. We're sending a message loud and clear. Even though the city's contract with the union doesn't expire until this winter, SEIU Local 721 says the city is negotiating in bad faith.

As the union demands the city fill thousands of vacancies and offer better pay and benefits, tonight the mayor says the city is not shut down and will continue bargaining in good faith for fair contracts. Everybody deserves to make a living. In what has become a summer of strikes, city workers joined writers, actors and hotel workers in Los Angeles who have been on the picket line for weeks. Tomorrow, one strike comes to an end, but thousands of workers remain united over their division with the city. Miguel Almaguerre, NBC News, Los Angeles. We have an update tonight also on the crisis developing in Haiti. We've been following it here on Top Story night after night.

The U.S. closing its embassy and porter prints for the day after gunfire outside the Caribbean nation played with gang violence and kidnapping, leaving its residents, fighting for survival. Haitians are now taking to the streets and protest as organizations there get caught in the middle. Juan Vanegas has the latest. The humanitarian crisis in Haiti reaching a boiling point. Thousands of protesters taking to the streets of the nation's capital, demanding protection from vicious gangs. have overpowered police and pushed Americans out. Government vehicles set on fire as the protesters, many of the mass, clash with police who tried to clear the chaos with tear gas.

But protesters like this man saying they will stay on the streets if they don't get justice. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti closing on Tuesday after gunfire was hurt outside. very concerned about the situation on the ground in Haiti. Christy Rokunakis runs Kingdom Kids Homes, a nonprofit that operates an orphanage in the Port of Prince area. The kids were up, crying, kneeling by their beds, praying, God help us, God, please save us. She says the orphanage, which houses 16 kids, was targeted by a suspected gang in July, who tried to break in, but were fought off by the group security. There was at least six at max eight guys that were shooting at our gate, shooting at our house, to break in. We're very thankful they did not get into the house because there's no telling,

you know, what would have happened if they did. According to a UN report, gangs control almost 80% of the capital. And now UNICEF says there's an alarming spike in kidnappings of children and women in Haiti with nearly 300 cases confirmed in the first six months of the year. Christy says her organization has hired an additional security member in the aftermath and that local police were unable to offer much help. He said, pray. that we get some kind of outside support because right now they're overpowering us and there's really nothing that we can do to stop them.

And they're just kind of getting swelled up by gangs and it's only gotten worse. All right, and tonight Guad Vanegas joins us from our Telemundo News Center in Miami. Guad authorities in Haiti have been asking the international community for the deployment of a specialized armed force to help take back the country from the gangs.

What do we know from the UN or any other countries looking to help out Haiti right now? Tom, we know that now Kenya has stepped up, and they say they could lead that response, sending in 1,000 officers that would help train and also help the Haitian national police. Now, the first step is to send in the task force that's going to evaluate the country. The findings of them are they going to go into a report that will go to the U.N. as early as next week. The U.S. is also expected to join that effort with some contributions on what could be this peacekeeping force going into Haiti. It'll be interesting to see what actually happens there.

Okay, Guad, we thank you for that. When we come back, the medical predator, the New York City doctor charged with drugging and sexually assaulting more than a dozen women, including some who are under his care, why authorities say he may even have more victims around the world. Plus, an update on this doc attack we brought you last night that was caught on camera. The charges just filed against three of the men involved. And the major port blast caught on camera overseas.

Look at this. when investigators believe caused it. Stay with us. Top stories just getting started on this Tuesday night. Now to a bombshell investigation right here in New York City. A doctor in Queens is charged with drugging women, taking videos of them and sexually assaulting them as well. Authority saying some of the victims were his patients.

Valerie Castro has a story, and we want to warn you some of the details you're about to hear are very disturbing. tonight chilling allegations of sexual assault and rape by a New York doctor in Queens accused of drugging and attacking 14 women while some of them were patients in a hospital the Queen's district attorney says the assaults were recorded on video the women unconscious those digital files discovered in the doctor's apartment this evidence paints the picture of a sexual predator as alleged and it's of the absolute worst kind right someone not only willing to his sacred professional oath and the patient's trust, but human decency as well.

Dr. Xi Alan Chang, seen here during his arraignment, pleading not guilty to 50 criminal counts related to six of the seven identified victims. Dr. Chang's attorney telling NBC News, we recognize that the charges are incredibly serious. However, we have not had the opportunity to review the evidence with our client. For that reason, we are unable to discuss the charges. I am scared. I no longer want to go to hospital. This woman, one of several alleged victims, assaulted while they were being treated at New York Presbyterian Hospital, according to the DA. She's speaking out in this exclusive NBC, New York, I team, and Telemundo Envestiga report. I wouldn't want anyone else to go through this.

According to the district attorney, other victims met the doctor through online dating websites or were his acquaintances. The DA says they were assaulted at Dr. Chang's home, but the investigation didn't stop there. Authorities say they found seven other victims captured on video, but they are still unidentified. Now the search is on for them, one incident taking place as far away as Thailand. The areas that we know videos were taking were northern California, Yonkers, San Francisco, Westchester, and Las Vegas, and Queens, by the way. We know that one of them was actually in the hospital as well, that we cannot identify. The indictment also detailing a laundry list of drugs found in the doctors' possession illegally, including ketamine, LSD, fentanyl, and propofal, powerful sedatives.

In a statement, a hospital spokesperson calling the alleged crimes, heinous, despicable, and a fundamental betrayal of our mission and our patient's trust, adding that hospital safety protocols and policies have since been reviewed and additional training implemented for staff. Investigators now hoping to find the other, so far, nameless victims. If you think for some reason you might have been victimized, let us know. And we will look at the videotapes. Valerie Castro joins us now in studio. So Valerie, how did police catch up to

him? So the Queen's District Attorney says an acquaintance or a girlfriend discovered one of these videos inside the doctor's apartment. It contained footage of her alleged assault. She called police. Investigators searched a search warrant, served a search warrant, and that's when they discovered even more videos that the District Attorney

says shows more alleged victims. And then what kind of doctor exactly was he, and how did that play into his alleged attacks? So he was a gastro enterologists, which means he would have had access to a variety of kinds of patients. The district attorney says one of these victims, one of the alleged victims, was just 19 years old. He ordered her to undergo some sort of tests. And the DA says that's when the alleged assault took place. Okay, Valerie Castro, with those disturbing allegations. Valerie, thank you.

We want to turn out of the latest in that violent brawl caught on camera in Alabama. We do have a major update tonight. Multiple people involved in that fight on a Montgomery Riverfront Dock are now facing charges. NBC Sam Brock has the details. Three men in the middle of this Montgomery Brawl tonight are facing assault charges. Thirteen individuals were detained and brought to police headquarters for questioning. This investigation is ongoing and more charges are likely. The trio of men facing misdemeanor charges, Richard Roberts, Alan Todd, and Zachary Shipman. Police say one person has already turned himself in with the others expected to tonight

in an incident that's drawn national outrage. I don't think you judge any community by any one incident. The man seen attacked in the video is Riverboat co-captain Damien Pickett. Police say the captain spent about 45 minutes trying to get the pontoon boat owners to move using a PA system before Pickett untied the boat. The co-captain was doing his job. He was simply trying to move the boat just enough to where the cruise ship can park. This new video shows other men.

coming to picket's aid as the altercation escalates. The unfolding fight largely along racial lines fueling questions about possible hate crime charges, though the chief says there's currently no evidence that would meet the FBI standard for that. There was no stone unturned. We examined this over a period of time not only that night, but since that night. We were unable to present any incite in a riot or racially biased charges at this time. Those who witnessed the melee, like Shea and Rihanna, felt helpless. your takeaway about what you guys witnessed over the weekend it was a big surprise it's a shocker because like you never know how people are going to react nowadays tonight a city marred by the last

72 hours hoping the investigation delivers justice all right sam brock joins us now live from miami sam to be clear again authorities at this point say no racially based charges are going to be filed at this point at this time that is the operative phrase on that you heard from the police chief i will say though having conversations with people who are on that book One woman said that she was there for this 45-minute process of trying to alert these guys to move your pontoon boat. She says they were well aware of what was going on. This was arrogance and entitlement above all else. But police right now are still soliciting videos from the public, so their investigation is not over yet.

Yeah, and that leads me to my next question, because some viewers may not have seen all the video. People out there may be making opinions about this and not seen all the different angles of this. Do we know how they decided to charge one group of members and not the others? It's simply a case of that other group was coming to the aid of the riverboat captain. Right. So certainly, Tom, law enforcement has identified these three and potentially more. We said there are 13 that were detained originally, so likely more charges. They were viewed as the agitators, but it is important to note that police are also looking for Reggie Gray, who is black, to turn himself in.

This is the person, they say, swung a folded chair. So it's not like they're not trying to enforce the law on both sides here, but it does appear they believe the folks that agitated this brawl are the ones that are currently facing. charges. Sam Brock with a lot of new reporting tonight on that story. Sam, thank you. When we come back, a sentence just handed down to Rappertory Lane's. How much time he's been ordered to serve in prison for shooting Megan the Stallion? That's next. All right, we are back now with Top Story and we start with some breaking news. Rappertory Lane sentenced to 10 years in prison. The sentencing coming after the 31-year-old. was found guilty of shooting hip-hop star Megan the Stallion in the foot in L.A. in 2020.

Prosecutors had asked for 13 years, alleging Lanes had retramatized Megan with social media post about the trial that caused his fans to harass her. An update on the man accused of keeping a woman in a cinder block cell in Oregon. You may remember this story that we reported on last week. The FBI saying that 29-year-old Nagasi Zubari may be connected to at least four other sexual assaults in four other states. They also believe he may have targeted sex workers in those prior crimes. Zubari was arrested last month after a woman escaped from a cinder block cell in his garage. The FBI is urging any potential victims to contact them. Three men were rescued by the Coast Guard after their boat sank near Nantucket.

Helicopter footage showing the Coast Guard spotting the men clutching an orange buoy before airlifting them from the waters with the assistance of a rescue swimmer. The men were treated once back on land and are okay. No word yet on what caused that ship to sink. And Zoom is ordering its employees back into the office. The company which rose to prominence during the pandemic-related shift to remote work and seem to solve all the problems will now require employees to work a minimum of two days in the office each week. So why are they doing this?

Zoom said they believe the hybrid approach will be, quote, the most effective to keep their teams connected. The change will roll out this month and in September. All right, now to the latest on the popular weight loss drug Wagovi. A new study revealing that the drug can decrease the risk of strokes and even heart attacks by 20%. For more on this study, I want to bring in NBC's Ann Thompson, who's been digging into it for us. So, Ann, break this down for us. So this comes from a late-stage clinical trial of more than 17,000 people, all 45 years or older, with cardiovascular disease,

all who are considered obese or overweight, but who don't have diabetes. So that's the good news here. There are some caveats. The information has not been peer-reviewed. It's just a press release from the maker Novo Nordisk. And there are no details, Tom. We don't know how much weight people had to lose in order to get that 20% reduction. We don't know how it actually works.

The other thing to remember is that the manufacturer of Wachovie paid for this. That would not be unusual. But all things to take into consideration when you consider this news. And I think there's also no information about the news. side effects, all the stuff that will come up in a peer review study. I do want to ask you, though, you can't use insurance for this, but if these health benefits are for real, would this give some sort of credence to them to maybe allow insurance to be used, the government to look at it? That's certainly what the doctors are hoping for, because they're like, if this drug works,

why can't people get it? Well, they can't get it now because, as you say, few insurance companies pay for it, and it is expensive for most people. It's $1,300 a month. Now, it's consistent. considered, it goes into that category of lifestyle drugs. That's why it's not covered. But if there are health benefits to it, it could be covered. However, the largest group of health insurers in the country, a group called AHIP, says, look, this is potentially exciting news, but we don't make decisions based on a manufacturer's press release. We want details. And once you give us those details, we can do a better job of evaluating this. Okay, Ann Thompson for us, and we thank you for that. We turn now to an NBC.

News investigation into driverless cars. A California State Board is set to vote on the launch of self-driving taxis in San Francisco. It's a major step forward in the industry that could have a far-reaching impact, but are those vehicles ready to hit the roads just yet? Begat Chaband from our NBC Bay Area Station, K&TV, explains. No hands on the wheel. No hands at all. Okay, I just requested our ride, and it's three minutes away. More than 2,000 self-driving cars on the road in California. Most have a test driver inside who can take over when needed. But hundreds of cars have no one in the front seat as they make deliveries and shuttle passengers.

We try to ride with Cruise. Owned by GM, Cruise is one of the largest driverless car companies in America, along with its competitor, Google's Waymo. Both are now asking California regulators for permission to expand their robotaxy services inside the state's largest testing ground. San Francisco, so passengers can request rides 24 hours a day, right from their phones. Once you enter your destination, the car does the rest. You can't tell it what routes to take or streets to avoid.

So if you're used to being a backseat driver, you might want to find a car with a front seat driver. Autonomous vehicles can detect closed streets, drive around double-parked cars, and even pull over for emergency vehicles. But getting chauffured by a robot isn't always a smooth ride. State transportation records obtained by NBC News show self-driving cars have been involved in 280 crashes across California over the past five years, resulting in at least 64 injuries and a dead dog. That includes collisions with other vehicles, bicyclists, and city buses. A self-driving car ran, I mean, no driver. Some accidents were caused by other people on the road.

According to crash reports, how many is unclear from the data. But the cars have been confused by emergency scenes, sometimes plowing into caution tape or blocking fire trucks. Waymo didn't comment, but Cruz tells us automation has safety benefits. Our cars don't drive drunk, they don't get distracted. Prashanti Rahman is one of the leaders at Cruz. Our vehicles are designed to, when they approach a situation that they aren't sure about. They're designed to come to a safe stop. But you would acknowledge that even coming to a full stop can create safety issues too.

So traffic blockages are not something that we want to have happen. Just hours after that interview, it did happen. To us, our first ride with cruise went as planned. But we then invited a long-time driving instructor, Eugenia Borgias, to join us on a second ride. About one minute in, our car was at a green line, but wouldn't budge. It's a very safe situation for the car to turn, and it's just staying here. I'm not sure why. The car eventually inched forward, but kept stopping.

We're kind of now riding in between two lanes. Then all of a sudden, it hit the gas. Okay, I don't know what it's doing now. Our car drove straight towards the median and just stopped, picking up almost two full lanes. This is not good. People are honking at us. Soon came the looks from other drivers. How does this compare to the worst driving student you've ever had?

Oh, this is much worse. Crews declined to sit down with us again, but in a statement said the car encountered an unexpected construction zone that would have required several lane changes. The better course was for the autonomous vehicle to come to a safe stop rather than proceed. While other drivers cruised right past that closed lane, our car sat parked on a busy street for 20 minutes, causing a traffic jam for blocks. What's your reaction to being a driverless car stuck here? I'm not surprised. Self-driving cars are already being tested in at least 25 states. But with no federal regulations, America doesn't have a national roadmap for safety guidelines.

Back inside our car, cruise customer service contacted us to say they've detected a problem. Their solution? They sent us a driver to get behind the wheel. Baguad Chabin, NBC News, San Francisco. All right, coming up, the major shake-up in college sports. Eight teams leaving the Pac-12 conference, including five just in the last week. So what's behind the mass exodus, and what does it mean for the student athletes? We'll explain it all.

Stay with us. We're back now with a rare shark attack in one of New York City's most popular beaches. The victim's swimming off Rockaway Beach in Queens when she was bit, then pulled from the water, and rushed to the hospital in critical condition. NBC Stephanie Goss picks up the story from there. On a sunny August afternoon, Rockaway Beach in New York City is empty. The popular spot for swimmers and surfers was closed after a suspected shark attack. Just before 6 p.m. Monday, a woman was bitten on the left leg.

He heard she was just waiting. You know, when that happens, you need to be extra careful. The 65-year-old was rushed to the hospital where she is now in stable condition. A top police official says dramatic damage was done to her leg. The police were at the beach today with drones, helicopters, and boats, while lifeguards made sure people stayed out of the water. It's the first suspected shark bite here in 70 years. But not far away on Long Island, there had been multiple attacks this summer.

Five people were bitten over the 4th of July, shutting beaches down during the busy holiday. Last July, there was a similar flurry of attacks in the same area. Five people were bitten, including teenage surfer, Max Haynes. I didn't see anything coming and just I felt on my foot like a bear trap, just get me from below and it's like hard. It felt like it broke my foot. Marine biologists believe the small baitfish that sharks eat called bunkers may be partially to blame. If the bunkers stay offshore, the sharks stay offshore. The bunker move in, you know, so is it that they're just following the food?

It's actually a sign, scientists say, that the water and the ecosystem are healthy. There were no shark studies here today, but to the east, two people. beach is closed because of shark activity at one of them. Officials said there was an extraordinary number of bunker fish in the water. Tom? Next tonight to that massive shake-up in college sports. This week, five teams now leaving the fame Pac-12 in a mass exodus for other conferences like the Big Ten and the Big 12.

Our Ellison Barber has the concerns from student athletes over the implication of the move. Since 1915, the PAC-12 conference has inspired athletes and fans alike. But today, it is on the brink of collapse, and thousands of student athletes worry their dreams and years of hard work will be collateral damage. I was honestly surprised in almost kind of a disappointment just because there's so much tradition and kind of pride that goes along with people. being a part of the PACT 12. This week, five teams, including Oregon, Washington, and Arizona announced their plans

to leave the conference. That brings the total of Pact 12 teams jumping ship to eight. The biggest blows, powerhouse programs, USC, and UCLA. Teams started leaving for the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences after the Pact 12 failed to secure a lucrative television deal for football games. In the other conferences, the schools will make millions in football revenue. Over the 10 years of the deal, we anticipate averaging over $50 million just from direct media rights. The Big Ten now spans 15 states from coast to coast. For some fans, the change is welcome news.

This is exciting, and I think that what it's going to do on a national level for exposure for these schools that are transferred from the PAC 12 is going to be a positive. But for others, the collapse of the iconic PAC 12 is worrisome. especially for student athletes who do not play football. Athletes like Maddie Doan say the newly aligned conferences will create a travel nightmare for most student athletes, forcing them to log thousands of miles crisscrossing the country for regular season competitions, making it more challenging to balance schoolwork and the physical toll of sports. I can't imagine having to travel six to eight hours to just go to one meet. It's so grueling on the body, especially if you're competing in the next few days.

Even some big names in college football are worried. Do we know what the number one indicator of symptom or cause of mental health is? It's lack of rest and sleep. Traveling in those baseball, softball games, you know, those people, they travel commercial, they get done playing at four, they got to go to the airport, they come back, it's three or four in the morning, they got to go to class. I mean, did we ask any of them? Questions still remain about the fate of the Pact 12 and the four remaining teams, Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State.

But for the teams that have already left, athletes could be playing in Oregon one weekend and New Jersey the next. All right, with that, Ellison Barber, joins us now in studio. And Ellison, I know this is a huge deal for people who love college sports and for those athletes. But this is sort of a tale of two sports, right? because if you're a football player or a basketball player, you don't necessarily travel the same way as a swimmer or somebody who plays maybe squash or even on the tennis team. Very big different travel lifestyles, if you will,

and that's one of the concerns here when our team was speaking to student athletes who aren't in big programs, like big money football programs or basketball programs. They say, look, those teams, they're flying to games on chartered jets. It's faster, it's more comfortable than the commercial flights we have to take as soccer players as track, and that adds to the difficulties they feel for making these potentially very long commutes to games.

And do we know if the names of the leagues are going to change because there was the Pact 12, the Big Ten? I mean, does this change now? The numbers have made it all chaotic. We're on paper. You're like, surely they're going to. No official word yet on name changes. But when you look at the Big Ten, a lot of fans have thoughts on names that could be and just perusing through social media. Some have said, why don't we just drop 10, call it the big conference? Some have said, why don't we call it the Continental Conference? Some have jokingly said, let's call it the really big conference. And others have said, just call it the bigger 10.

The coast to coast conference. Finally, is there any talk about how this is going to affect the SEC? They're obviously a football powerhouse. But now you're going to have these other conferences with teams from all over the country and their competitive play may get better. Yeah, this is a question that could maybe get me in trouble at home. I grew up in an SEC house. I married an Ohio State fan who has lots of thoughts on the SEC that we don't agree with.

But that's part of the goal here, right? There's certainly the hope that with these moves, the games will become more competitive, more exciting for fans when you have Western powerhouses like Oregon, Washington, playing some of these big-name schools on the East Coast like Penn State. Yeah, okay, Alison, Barber, breaking it all down for us. Allison, we appreciate that. When we come back, it's a song that makes everyone want to get up and dance. Tonight we're remembering the creator of the iconic cha-cha slide and some of the memories made dancing to the early 2000 hit at weddings and parties all across America. All right, now at Top Story's Global Watch and the deadly missile strikes on civilians in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say a missile directly hit a hotel in eastern Donetsk as a popular among journalists, but also the military. A second missile was then fired 40 minutes later as rescuers were responding.

The twin attacks also destroyed multiple apartment buildings. At least seven people were killed, including first responders. An investigation tonight into an explosion at a port in northwest Turkey. New surveillance shows the moment the blast blew apart several containers of grain and sparked a massive fire. Local officials say at least 12 people were hurt. No ships were damaged. The governor of the area says early findings suggest wheat dust compression caused that explosion. And fans saying their final goodbyes to the iconic singer-songwriter, Shnade O'Connor,

hundreds gathering for a funeral procession in her Irish hometown of Bray. Many singing her hit, nothing compares to you as her hearse passed. A private funeral was held, attended by Ireland's prime minister, president, and U-2s Bono. O'Connor died at the age of 56 late last month. And another profound loss in the music world, DJ Casper. You may not know his name, but you definitely know his song. He's the man behind the iconic cha-cha slide. He died at the age of 58 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Maya Eagland tonight takes a look at the legacy he leaves behind. including a song that connects many people to some of their happiest memories. Ooh, a slide. You know all the dance steps. Oh, Chris Chauvin. Cha, real smooth. The Chacha slide, an instant hit from the early 2000s, is now a staple at celebrations around the world.

I remember hearing it at weddings and kinsmiera's school dances. It was a must to play, especially in the black community. The line dance was created by Chicago native Mr. See the Slide Man, also known as DJ Casper in August 2000. The song was originally intended to be a step aerobics routine for his nephew, who was a fitness instructor at a local gym. But it quickly began to be requested at parties, clubs, and even roller rinks to do its easy to follow steps. Well, the beat's really fun.

So it's a really fun beat to dance to. And I think it's all the steps are universal. It stomps, it slides, it's a little crisscross. The song's success took off after it was played on a local Chicago radio station, eventually spending five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And for the last 20 years, a go-to for DJs who want to fill the dance floor. It was a song that brought everybody out. No matter what your dance experience, no matter what your dance confidence, age, background, culture, it was a unifying thing. The song was DJ Casper's only chart-topping hit.

But it cemented him in pop culture history. Even appearing as himself in an episode of Orange's the New Black on Netflix. His family confirming the DJ, who was born Willie Perry Jr., died yesterday after a battle with kidney and neuroendocrine cancer. But his legacy lives on, with a dance that not only changed his life. Slide to the left. Chris Cross. Chah, real smooth. But continues to bring people together on the dance floor during some of life's biggest moments.

Oh, it makes me want to dance of all ages. and all demographics, which is dope. You see, you know, kids as young as two years old, to elders as old as 102 still getting their dance songs. I'm out of here, y'all, peace, please. Okay, we thank Maya for that story. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.