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

Episode Date: February 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, round two for Majorcas, the House voting once again on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis. It comes after a failed first attempt, dealing a humiliating blow to the GOP. The return of the House Majority Leader expected to tip the scale in their favor tonight, but could unexpected absences shake everything up once again? We're live on the Hill. Also tonight, the major snowstorm strikes, a fast-moving nor'easter blasting the region, areas like New York, marking the snowiest day in years. Drivers on major roadways met with white-out conditions, more than 1,000 flights canceled at the nation's biggest airports, and the snow, even getting political. New Yorkers trudging through the sloppy conditions as they cast their vote in the high-stakes election to replace disgraced congressman, George Santos. dropping COVID quarantine?

The Washington Post reporting the CDC pushing to eliminate the five-day isolation rules for those who test positive. The move coming nearly four years since the virus emerged in the U.S. shutting down much of the country. So if we had a quarantine then, why don't we have to now? What's changed? Boots stuffed with cash. New details coming to light in the bribery case against Senator Robert Menendez. Prosecutors revealing more than $200,000 found stuffed in boots, jackets, and bags in the senator's home, the New Jersey Democrat pushing back against claims that gold bars in his possession were in exchange for political favors.

Where he says they came from? Is the RNC turning into the TNC? Trump calling for a leadership shakeup after growing frustrated with the chair of the Republican National Committee, who he's now endorsed to lead the group, and why he's also putting forward his daughter-in-law for a top role. Plus, L.A.'s lawless towers, paragliders and graffiti artists taking over vacant skyscrapers, city leaders calling on the building's developer to take action, warning the situation could take a tragic turn. And put the mall cops on standby.

Squishmelo and Bill DeBare are brawling. The two popular plush toys suing each other. The company is squaring off in a fight over intellectual. property rights. Did Bill the Bear steal Squishmelo's concept? The Cuddle Companions heading to Court. Top story starts right now. And good evening tonight. We start on Capitol Hill. House Republicans voting once again on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis. The vote comes exactly a week since the first failed attempt from Republican leaders after a massive public defeat.

The GOP hoping this time it happens as majority leader, Steve Scalise, returns to Washington after undergoing cancer treatment. That extra vote has Republicans' confidence up that the scale will tip in their favor. If they're successful, Mallorcas will be the second Cabinet Secretary in U.S. history to be impeached in the first in 150 years. Democrats maintaining their stance that the whole thing is a political ploy. NBC's Garrett Haig,

just live tonight with the late breaking detail. So, Garrett, where do we think we stand as we're on the verge of the vote? Yeah, Tom, we've got a procedural vote that will happen after the vote they're taking now. It'll take probably another 20 or 30 minutes to get to a conclusion of this impeachment vote tonight. And the big question tonight is actually the other big, non-political story of the day. It's the weather. Does the weather, or members' ability to travel back to Washington, D.C., for what is the first vote series of the week, affect those totals tonight. Now, normally, in a normal Congress with a wider margin, one or two members from either party not being present for personal issues or for weather, travel problems is not a

big deal. But here every vote will count. And so while Republicans are made more confident by the return of Steve Scalise, they're also watching very carefully to make sure that that snowstorm that made its way up the East Coast today isn't causing problems for any members to get back. And I can tell you, I talk to the Democratic whip, the person in charge of vote counting on the Democratic side. Democrats being very careful not to tell, basically, if they've got members who are or are not here. Remember, there was that dramatic moment where Representative Green came out on the floor to vote in scrubs a week ago to make sure that Democrats had the necessary votes to block the first impeachment attempt. It's all about a vote counting and essentially whether your trains, planes, and automobiles made it here on time

that will determine Alejandro Majorcas's fate in the House tonight, Tom. Yeah, and there's really other motions sort of at play here, right? First, you have what is on the table. Republicans saying that Majorcas has not done his job. He needs to be impeached. But this is going to be the second big public test for Speaker Johnson, correct? Well, yeah, I mean, depending on how you want to count it, it's one of several major public tests that we've seen for Speaker Johnson,

who has really struggled in his first 100 days to unite this conference in much the same way Kevin McCarthy did. His numbers are even worse than McCarthy's. Of course, he lost George Santos. He lost Kevin McCarthy. The margins get smaller. challenges are still the same. He's got a right flank who wants to do basically what Donald Trump wants them to do. They want to govern as though they are in the majority party across Washington,

and they're not. They've got a Democratic Senate and a Democratic president to deal with. And Johnson's been kind of halting in his decision-making. He has pressed ahead with this vote, hoping he can get a win. But again, he's working with the narrowest margins possible here. And I think another defeat here would be, if not, you know, damaging to his speakership in the short term, to the perception that he is in control of this conference. And then there's the bigger issue, right? What some fear might be impeachment fever taking over Congress and essentially whatever party is in power

trying to impeach the leaders of that other party? Yeah, I mean, this is part of the reason. It's the stated reason why the Republican no votes, and in the last attempt there were three, have said that they don't want to vote for this impeachment. Mike Gallagher, for example, who was an up-and-coming star in the Republican Party, the chairman of that select committee on China, said he was voting no because he could find no crime here and that he doesn't want to get into a back and forth

where impeachment becomes a standard political tactic used for policy differences, not for high crimes and misdemeanors as it was intended. Republicans argued during the Trump years that the Trump impeachments lowered the standard on presidential impeachments. Now you have even these three Republicans arguing that their own party's effort here lowers the standard for cabinet-level impeachments. You know, Tom, this could be the kind of thing that continues to get lowered and lowered and lowered and lowered over time if these folks are unsuccessful in blocking the impeachment tonight. All right, Garrett Hake, I know you're going to stand by for us until we get a vote. We appreciate that. Now to our other major headline tonight, much of the Northeast cleaning up after the biggest snow storm to blast the region in several years.

More than a foot of snow recorded in parts of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The quick-hitting Northeaster snarling travel along major highways and slamming some of the nation's business. airports. Emily Aketa reports. A swift moving snowstorm bearing down on the northeast today, varying neighborhoods, walkways, and roads. New York deployed plows to parts of the city for the first time in two

years. I really want to thank New Yorkers for taking it seriously. We want to urge New Yorkers to continue to do so. Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey, all clocking in well over a foot of snow, falling up to two inches an hour during the morning commute. Plows at times having trouble keeping up with the pace of the snowfall, making roadways treacherous.

Take a look at this car that slid off the roadway into this embankment, almost down into the ravine below. The storm took a deadly turn in Pennsylvania, where police say a 20-year-old on a snowmobile was killed when he collided with a down's utility line. Across the state, more than 140,000 people lost power. A tree slamming into this car in Harrisburg. It is slippery. We were fortunate to have our race truck here this morning. The winter wall up captured by a satellite, prompting a ground stop at JFK and canceling roughly 1,200 flights. Page Jacobs among the discouraged travelers.

It was a little stressful because we didn't know how many times it was going to get delayed. Across the region, schools closed. An attempt at remote learning in New York City was met by a series of tech issues and frustration from parents. I mean, there's just a lot of glitches. So it was really difficult. New York City Schools Chancellor saying IBM wasn't prepared. We'll be doing a full analysis

of what happened here because we don't expect this to be the last remote day that we have. While the February, North Easter has been a headache for many, others are embracing the winter wonderland after a lackluster season. We can't believe how much snow there is.

Well, this snowy backdrop is certainly in sharp contrast to those near record high temperatures we saw over the weekend. But those warm temperatures playing a role in the cleanup process to this brutal, massive snowstorm. When the ground is warm, it'll last for less snow to accumulate, and it also lasts for snow to melt at a faster clip. Tom. Okay, Emily, thanks for that for more on the forecast. NBC News meteorologist. Bill Cairns joins us tonight. Bill, the snow has stopped, and as Emily mentioned, their temperatures warming up at the end of the day, but they're now dropping

across the region. Walk us through why that can make conditions dangerous. And I'm hearing There's something else we should be worried about coming down the pike? Yeah, small, not like this last one, and then we're going to talk more about the West Coast, and they got trouble coming their way about a week from now. So this was a boom-bust storm. Some areas overachieve, like all storms. I mean, West Hartford, Connecticut was expecting three to six inches, and they got 15. And it's so rare for Hartford to get 15 inches.

In Boston, by the way, got nothing. Zip! There's no snow. Boston, in Washington, D.C., nothing on the ground, Philly, barely anything. New York City, unless you're in a park, That's the only place you're seeing the snow. All the roads and sidewalks was just like, you know, we call it white rain. Snowflakes melting on the ground, but in the parks where it was a little colder,

that's where it accumulated. So the next storm will be coming through the Midwest, and this one is going to drop some plowable snow, South Dakota, Southern Minnesota, tomorrow and tomorrow night. A little bit of light snow as we head through Wednesday night and Thursday morning in the Great Lakes. And this one will blow through the northeast. It looks like about Connecticut northwards, some accumulating snows, nothing from New York City, Philly, and D.C., but anyone traveling up through the north country, you'll have some issues.

And then the West Coast. This is going to be significant. We get one storm, two, three, maybe four storms in about the next 10 days. The first one comes in tomorrow with a lot of heavy rain. We're going to get the mountain snows. And Tom, we're already talking about Sunday, Monday in Los Angeles and Southern California again. Inches of rain likely, another atmospheric river. More mudslides, debris flows, and more problems. That'll be the next big storm to hit the country. All right, Bill, we appreciate that. We'll keep an eye on all of it. Now to a major headline in health. The Washington Post reporting the CDC is considering new guidance on COVID quarantines that Americans who test positive for coronavirus no longer need to routinely stay home for work and school for five days. The CDC is considering recommending people who test positive use clinical symptoms to determine when to end isolation. For more on the possible guideline change in what it could mean for the future of COVID in America, I'm joined tonight by a friend of top story, Dr. Amish Adalja.

He's a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center, for health security. Doctor, thanks for joining us tonight. If the Washington Post reporting is true, right, what does this mean for sort of COVID guidance moving forward in the future? Will people never have to quarantine again? Well, what it means is that we're going to start treating COVID-19 like other endemic respiratory viruses, where the isolation recommendation would be that you stay home until you go 24 hours without a fever, without using any kind of fever-reducing medication. And I think this makes sense based on where we are and the tools that we have for COVID and how we treat other respiratory infections. So it was a novel virus, right? And

all of this was new to so many of us. You didn't run the CDC. You're not Dr. Anthony Fauci. But explain as easy and as simply as you can. Why did we have to quarantine then? And now we may not have to quarantine now. Is it because people just simply aren't following those rules? Well, the biggest thing is that we have a lot of tools at our disposal that we didn't have in 2020. For example, we have antivirals like Paxlovid. We have multiple different brands of vaccines that protect people from severe disease. We have home tests. We do wastewater monitoring for COVID-19.

We actually have more tools for COVID-19 than we do for any other respiratory virus. But, doctor, wasn't the whole reason behind the quarantine was because it is so contagious? And so you were supposed to keep away from the public? Well, that's part of it, that it was contagious, and it was inundating hospitals because hospitals were getting crushed with severe cases. What we do have now is the ability to decouple cases from hospitals in crisis. So it's not the same alarm. And the fact is we want to have guidance that people actually follow.

This is a concept called harm reduction. And we know that people haven't really been following it anyway. So it's better to have them stay home when they're most contagious and then give them an option where they don't have to stay home, knowing that it's going to not reduce their risk to zero. But it's something that people will follow. And it fits with other respiratory viruses. and this isn't anything new. California and Oregon have both done this already.

What would you recommend to people who have COVID now? Because, I mean, the last thing I think the CDC wants is for people to think that if they do have COVID, that this is some type of free pass, that if you're sick with COVID, if you feel terrible, if you can't even get out of bed, not to be amongst other people, correct? Right, and that's what the CDC proposed guidance says. It doesn't say have a COVID test and it's positive and go about as if your life hasn't changed. You need to stay home while. you're highly contagious, while you still have fevers, while you still have severe clinical

symptoms. That's exactly what we do for flu. That's what we do for RSV. This isn't, don't do do anything for COVID. This is really concentrate on that period of time when you're most contagious and actually use common sense that this is still a contagious virus. This can still infect people and you have to use your judgment just like you should be using your judgment with influenza. Yeah, doctor, you study public health, you know about public health. Do you think though that getting rid of the quarantine five-day altogether or recommending that people need to do that is going to confuse a lot of people and it's going to sow more sort of doubt with people that have questioned the CDC and every step they've sort of taken throughout this

pandemic? It shouldn't. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation, but you have to realize that the context has changed. The U.S. population is very different now in 2024 than it was in 2020. Some of those rules do not necessarily apply. COVID-19 has become a much more manager infectious disease than it once was. So I think if you put that, if you integrate that with the guidance, it can't always be static. It can't always in perpetuity be treated different than other respiratory viruses, especially when we have more tools for COVID-19 than we do for any other respiratory virus.

It is a great point, Dr. Amish Adagio, we always love having you hear on Top Story. We thank you for your time. Next tonight, another big story we're following here. New details are emerging in the case against Senator Bob Menendez and his wife. Court documents filed by federal prosecutors reveal more about the search. of their home in New Jersey. Investigators revealing, get this, in the basement of Menendez and Nadine Menendez's residence,

on top of a large rack of clothes, hangers, were two bags, each containing large amounts of cash, potentially approximately $100,000 per bag. Adding, they also found four jackets, containing thousands of dollars of cash in their pockets, and under the jackets were four boots stuffed with cash, including on boots containing an excess of $5,000 in $50,000, in $50 bills.

The response comes after Menendez and the other defendants tried to suppress evidence related to the bribery investigation. Jordan Sinanat is Jonathan Dietz, chief justice contributor for NBC news and a reporter who was covering this and breaking a lot of news on this story. So Jonathan, my first question to you is, why are we learning about this now?

Well, the prosecutors are attempting to keep this case on track for a trial that's supposed to start a couple months from now. And the defense has been throwing everything to try to get charges dismissed, to get the

jurisdiction move, to get evidence suppressed. And so the prosecutors had to file a detailed response to all those defense motions. And in that prosecution filing today, a lot of new details regarding the cash and other gifts

that prosecutors say were bribes to the senator. Well, let's connect the dots here, at least show the connecting of the dots prosecutors hope to prove in court. Senator Menendez says he is Cuban. He comes from a country that seized people's assets and monies back in Cuba. It's not illegal

to have cash inside of your jackets, inside of your boots. A lot of people hold cash there. But what's the problem here? It is a lot of money for a senator. It's a lot of money and the prosecutor states where the money came from. They say on those bills were the fingerprints and DNA

of one of the alleged bribe givers and that there was an agreement between the senator and these three businessmen in this wide ranging bribe scheme for the senator to perform acts to use his office to try to aid these businessmen, businessmen who were seeking business overseas. The senator at the time was chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, to use the senator to try to influence federal prosecutors in New Jersey on a separate case, to influence state prosecutors on a separate

criminal investigation. All this allegedly in exchange for cash, gold, a new car, you name it is an extraordinary list of items. Engagement rings, all types of things. You mentioned gold. The gold bars has sort of been the key piece of evidence we've heard over and over again. And now there's a new defense about where the gold came from? The prosecutor has laid out that they, the senator and his wife have never explained how they got these gold bars. All the senator has said is when it comes to trial, we'll make it clear where they came from.

Prosecutors in that filing today, new information. said they spoke to a Senate staffer who spoke to the senator. And that staffer claims the senator said it was from his wife's mother when she passed away that it was passed down to her. But there's a small problem with that, right? Well, the problem with that is that the prosecutors say that money came from this defendant named Fred Davies and that the serial numbers on those gold bars match gold bars that were in Davies House. How do we know that? Dabies was the victim of a robbery years ago.

The gold bars were stolen. He had to sign and certify, hey, these gold bars belong to me. These are the serial numbers. And then, lo and behold, a few years later, those exact same gold bars apparently wind up in the senator's home. Jonathan, Dean, who has been leading our coverage

on this story here at NBC News. Jonathan, we appreciate you. We want to turn out to other political news. New Yorkers are heading to the polls today to vote in the special election to replace expelled Republican Congressman George Santos. The Democrats hoping to flip the seat and further chip away the House's GOP's majority.

NBC Stephanie Gosk is there with more. Even in the driving snow, New York's third district came out with purpose. Because you can't complain about the way things are if you're not going to do something about it. Why was it important for you to come out even in this crazy weather? Oh, because I want Maisie to win. That's why. Republican Mazee Piliip, an Orthodox Jew born in Ethiopia, served in the Israel defense forces and then immigrated to the U.S. I know there's one option. This is Mazi. Tom Swazi created this mess.

Democrat Tom Swazi is a longtime fixture in Long Island politics, holding this congressional seat for six years before a failed run for governor. She's Santos 2.0. We don't really know anything about her. Whoever wins will replace disgrace Congressman George Santos, one of four New York Republicans to flip congressional seats in the 2022 midterms, helping the party secure a narrow majority. But then scandal hit. New York Times uncovering lies Santos told about his education and employment history, followed by a federal indictment.

Santos pleaded not guilty to charges, including wire fraud and theft of public funds. Congressman, did you take campaign donations and use that money to buy expensive suits? No, I did not. After a blistering House ethics report, Santos was expelled from Congress. Now, one of the top issues in the special election to replace him, immigration. I'll work across the aisle to do it. Our leaders haven't secure our border. Because Tom Swazi repeatedly weakened America's borders.

Part of the 3rd District is in Queens, where Pillop campaigned outside a temporary migrant shelter. New York has become a border state. Who these New Yorkers blame for the mess at the border may decide this election and be a sign of what's to come nationwide in November. House Republicans have a seven-seat advantage, so losing one seat or gaining one seat becomes even more significant. Beyond that, both parties are looking at this really tight election as being a possible template for what's to come in November. Tom? Okay, Stephanie Goss, thanks. We want to get to some breaking news right now from Capitol Hill.

The House has just concluded their vote on impeaching DHS Secretary Mallorcas. I understand it has passed. I want to go to Garrett, who's been monitoring this first. Garrett, Hayk joins us now. Garrett, what can you tell us? Tom, I'm waiting for final confirmation that the gavel has fallen here. But as it stands right now, this will pass. The impeachment of Alejandro Majorcas, the first cabinet secretary to be impeached in more than 100 years,

yes, the gavel has fallen, will be impeached, in fact, by a vote of 214 to 213. So as expected, the same three Republicans who opposed this impeachment joined with all Democrats in voting no, but the return of Steve Scalise, the majority leader, was enough, along with some other absences on both sides, to give Republicans the majority that they needed to impeach the Department of Homeland Security, the Alejandro Majorcas. Now, those articles of impeachment will now, at a point to be determined by the Speaker, go to the Senate, controlled by Democrats, where they will likely be fairly quickly dismissed. Do not anticipate a lengthy trial. Do not anticipate anything that looks like what we saw with the impeachments of Donald Trump. We know that these articles will not result

in the removal of Alejandro Majorcas, but they do, in this moment, result in his impeachment by the House, a major victory for Republicans in the House who desperately needed some victory to show their voters that they are up here doing some kind of work along the issues that they care about. You phrased it in a very interesting way, right, Garrett? Because you set it up by saying it's going to fail in the Senate. Republicans likely knew this was going to fail in the Senate, and yet they chose to impeach the Secretary of the DHS anyway. Is this purely for sort of political points and to essentially embarrass the Biden administration? Yeah, I think that's exactly right. time. This will not change personnel in the Biden administration, nor will it change policy. I think

what this does is gives House Republicans a talking point. Having failed to turn immigration policy into law, they can at least go tell their voters that they are trying to hold the Biden administration accountable for what they believe are the Biden administration's failures to control the border. Now, we can talk about all the causes of that. We can talk about the manner in which House Republicans have tried to seek solutions on that issue. And having failed. to do so, at least again, by creating law, they have passed a robust border security bill that has not received any consideration in the Democratic-controlled Senate. They will take this as a messaging victory, as hollow as it may be, lacking any ability to substantively change

the policies that they believe Alejandro Mayorkas is responsible for contributing to, and they believe we're impeachment-worthy. All right, Garrett Hake for us on that breaking news. Garrett, we appreciate that. We're going to stick with politics now. Nicky Haley going on the attack slamming former President Trump for attacking her husband who is serving overseas in our military. It comes as Trump flexes his muscle in the GOP, endorsing a new potential chairman of the RNC and proposing his daughter-in-law for a top leadership role. I'll leave a battalies in Washington following all of this. Tonight, Nikki Haley dialing up her attacks on Donald Trump. When he's not on a teleprompter, he's completely unhinged. Scambling to catch up

with the GOP frontrunner in her home state, even as a new poll shows Trump with a more than 30-point lead there. He lost in 2018. He lost in 2020. He lost in 2022. And he continues to lose. How many more times do we have to lose until we start to say maybe he's the problem? This says Mr. Trump makes increasingly personal comments about Haley's husband Michael, a National Guard officer deployed in Africa. What happened to her husband? Where is it? He's gone. He knew. He knew.

Trump posting overnight that he should come back home to help save Haley's dying campaign. Haley, firing back in an exclusive interview with NBC's Craig Melvin. You said he's no longer qualified to be president. If you don't know the value of our men and women in uniform, if you don't know the sacrifice that they go through, why should I, as a military spouse, and all our military families, trust you to know you're going to keep them out of harm's way. The back-and-forth coming as Trump tries to look past Haley and the primary, consolidating his hold on the Republican Party

by installing new allies atop the Republican National Committee, overnight endorsing an election-denying loyalist as party chairman, plus his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, for co-chair and pushing the installation of a senior campaign advisor as the party's chief operating officer. That would push out longtime party chair, Ronna McDaniel, a one-time ally of Trump's now on the outs. But the move would require an internal party vote, likely after next week's South Carolina primary.

And Tom, as for the Haley campaign, they're certainly taking on the posture of being happy warriors. At this point, it's Haley against the GOP machine, one that's mostly decided Trump is the nominee, and they're ready to move on. You can see there, though, in that interview, Haley is vehement in saying that in her mind, this primary is anything but over. Of course, we'll see if voters feel that way. Haley herself has been clear. She's saying she's staying in through her home state of South Carolina and beyond that too. She's promised she's staying in the race through Michigan, which is a few days after the Saturday, South Carolina primary. And then a week after that, it's Super Tuesday, Delegate Rich. But then there's also the question of campaign infrastructure. And having

campaign staff fanned out across the country has never really been the Haley campaign thing. Instead, cash fuels their infrastructure on the airwaves, and they're hoping momentum as well as outside groups can do the rest on the ground. We'll see if it's a theory of the case that's successful, though, in the end. Tom. Okay. Allie Vitale, first, Ali, thank you for more on the state of the race for the White House and Trump's proposed changes to the RNC. I want to bring in our panel tonight. Mark Lauder, former Strategic Communications Director on the Trump 2020 campaign and Julia Manchester, national politics reporter at the Hill. I'm so excited we have both of you here tonight. Mark, I'm going to start with you. And these R&C developments, right?

Trump is endorsing Michael Watley, who's currently head of the North Carolina GOP, to take over the National Party. And his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, as co-chair, is the RNC essentially turning into the TNC, the Trump National Committee? Well, there's no doubt that any time you have a presumptive nominee, you get a merging between the National Party and that campaign. They operate seamlessly. A change needed to be made at the RNC. And so having folks come over from the campaign with Chris Lasavita, obviously, long. Trump is a huge draw on stage. She's a prolific fundraiser.

And then Michael Wally has experience of running a party organization. This just means there will be no daylight between the campaign and the RNC. Mark, let's remind our viewers, right, what exactly the RNC does, right? The committee is responsible for coordinating delegates and running the convention, but it also heads up a lot of get out the vote and fundraising efforts that really help out the entire party. These are critical responsibilities that the RNC has. Now, Lara Trump, who was co-chair of women for Trump, she's been active in Republican politics for years, as you mentioned. She was previously a producer on Inside Edition, and she's married to the former president's son, Eric Trump.

You think this qualifies her to be the number two at the R&C? What if in some scenario there's a brokered convention? Does she have the experience, and is she somebody you have faith in to lead the R&C? No, absolutely. And remember, especially as a co-chair, your job is going to be out there on the campaign trail, raising money. operatives like Chris LaSavita and others who will be doing that day-to-day blocking and tackling, doing the get-out-the-vote efforts, helping counties and state parties do their job. Her job is to get the base fired up, raise money, and make sure they dump all of that money

into election integrity and get out the vote efforts, and she'll be great at it. Julie, I want to bring you in now. Could a candidate like Nikki Haley, even when, if it seems like the game, is starting to be what many might call rigged? I mean, I'd like to think that the former president was running in this race and Nikki Haley's daughter-in-law was going to be co-chair of the RNC and she was going to appoint the next head. He'd have some issues with that. Yeah, look, Tom, I think it's important to point out that a lot of this stuff won't really become reality or won't be set in motion until after South Carolina. However, we've seen the Haley campaign and Nikki Haley herself hit back

against, you know, telegraphing from the RNC, including from chairwoman Ron. McDaniel after the New Hampshire primary, essentially saying that Trump was the presumptive nominee. But in terms of Haley's path forward, look, you know, the RNC stuff aside, it's hard to see how she has a path forward, you know, assume if she wins South Carolina. And I think the latest polling I saw today has her down by, what, 35 points in her home state. It's hard to see how a candidate comes back from that. However, the Haley campaign says that there, you know, have an impressive ground game in South Carolina. It's her home state and that they're looking to play in Super Tuesday in states where Democrats and independents can also vote, that it's not as

pro-Trump of an electorate. But I think my question is, where does that momentum come from if she loses badly in South Carolina? Yeah, let's dig into some of the numbers because we do have new numbers. And Mark, I want to get right now to that primary race and talk more about that in South Carolina. And the new polling shows Trump still with a commanding lead right in the Palmetto state. A new CBS News UGov poll shows the former president up 65 to 30 on Nikki Haley. This has been the case for weeks. Are you frustrated Nikki Haley hasn't dropped out yet? Well, I'm not frustrated. I just don't get why she's doing this. I mean, not only are you going to be embarrassed in your home state, but when you look ahead and I did today, all the latest

polls in the last week going out through primaries for two, three weeks show Donald Trump winning by 60-70 percent. I mean, there's no pathway here for her, so I don't understand exactly what she's trying to do, except basically commit political suicide as a Republican. But, I mean, it's her right to do it. If she wants to be embarrassed in her home state, I'm sure the Trump campaign will be more than happy to help her out. Well, I mean, I think she'd also make the argument. Others would, too, that coming in second, if you will, in the RNC and the GOP primary, I should say, isn't necessarily political suicide. A lot of times the person who comes and second ends up being the nominee down the road.

Julie, I want to get back to you. Let's take a closer look at what could be driving some of these numbers. A few of Haley's attack lines that don't seem to be landing in the poll. Likely GOP voters were asked if they think Haley's criticisms of Trump's mental fitness are fair. A majority, 61% said they weren't fair. And then when the South Carolina GOP voters were asked how their vote was affected by Haley being from South Carolina, 75%, three and four voters said it didn't matter at all. If Nikki Haley can't win in South Carolina, Julia, what is her argument to stay in this race?

Look, her argument is that she's a very good general election candidate, and she does do well in other states. I mean, she didn't win New Hampshire, but she did a little bit better than expected in that state. And when you see Haley and Biden in head-to-head matchups, Haley trounce is Biden in those head-to-head matchups. And she keeps saying that, and she talks about how under Trump, Republicans have lost many elections. However, that's not really translating to Republican primary voters. Republican primary voters are extremely loyal to the president. On top of that, in South Carolina, I think since the last time Nikki Haley was governor of that state, we've seen the population shift in the state where it's become more conservative.

We've had migration from other states to that state that, you know, has brought in more Republicans, more Trump Republicans. So that plays in his favor as well. And then, Mark, I was going to ask you, do you think she's, stays in the race into South Carolina? You think she competes there? And do you think she competes through Super Tuesday? I think it's going to be very difficult for her if she does, in fact, lose by 30, 35 points in her home state to stay on. And you have to wonder if her donors are, you know, what are they throwing their money away doing? If she's going to get out, she needs

to get it done here in the next week. I don't see that she's giving any indication that she will. So we'll come, you know, a week from Sunday and see if she continues to want to stay in. I just don't see a pathway forward and how long are those donors going to stay involved. It's a lot of money to throw away for a distant, distant second place. Mark Lodder, Julia Manchester, always love to have you guys on the show. Thank you for being here. Still ahead tonight, times running out for migrants in Chicago. The city telling more than 10,000 migrants, their stays at city shelters are almost up. But where will they go next? What we're hearing from the migrants affected. Plus, an update on that stolen statue of Jackie Robinson, a suspect now in custody.

why police think he did it and the search underway for his accomplices. And Daredevil's parachuting off an abandoned building in L.A., one that had been covered in graffiti, the urgent warning from that mayor tonight, and the calls for the developer of that building to step in and put an end to all of it. Top story, just getting started on this Tuesday night. All right, we're back now with a wild story out of Los Angeles, where an abandoned skyscraper covered in graffiti is drawing vandal. and thrill seekers from around the world after video emerged showing people parachuting off the tower.

City officials warning these stunts could soon turn deadly, calling on the developer to bring an end to it all. NBC's Dana Griffin explains what's happening here. Jaw-dropping video shared on YouTube appears to show four people base jumping from these unfinished towers in downtown Los Angeles.

What? The same buildings drawing global attention after they were tagged with nearly 30 floors worth of graffiti. And tonight, an urgent warning from city officials. We do not want to see a tragedy take place, and I guarantee you, a tragedy will take place there if that place is not bordered up quickly. On Friday, the L.A. City Council issued a deadline for the owner to secure and clean up the site, or else the city will and send them the bill. The owner of the building

should be held accountable, and he should reimburse the city for every dime that is spent. The chief of police says his officers now surround the property around the clock, stretching already thin resources to their limits. At least 18 people have been arrested in connection to the vandalism and trespassing case, but police say only four are locals. Unfortunately, it has become an iconic location to draw people for nefarious acts. Last month, NBC Los Angeles filmed two people with backpacks climbing through a hole in the fence. Their news helicopter later catching vandals making their mark on the skyscraper.

Nothing like this has happened in graffiti for quite some time. Pennsylvania graffiti artist John Grimm calling it a moment for the history books. It definitely is a crime. That's part of the reason why many people do graffiti in the first place. It's for that thrill, that excitement. And there's only the excitement if it's a crime. Construction on the infamous Oceanwide Plaza was halted in 2019 when the Chinese developers say, they ran out of money. NBC News reached out to the property owner, Ocean White Holdings Incorporated

for comment. We had not heard back. A prime piece of real estate in the heart of downtown once hoped to lure luxury tenants, now a haven for thrill seekers. There is a real present danger to people inside that facility falling to their death or otherwise suffering some type of serious injury or death. Okay, Dana joins us now live. Dana, so many questions here, right? Let's start with the mayor. She basically says the owner of the building is going to have to foot the bill for the extra security, the cleanup. But you just reported that owner has no money, right? So what's next for this troubled property? Yeah. And so, Tom, the city says the developer has not responded to their request. So far, they estimate it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars just for the

police presence alone. Now, the city says long term, they hope to find another developer who will take over the project and finish it. But that billion dollar project, will need an additional billion to finish, Tom. So where the money is going to come from? They've got to find someone with some deep pockets. All right, Dana Griffin for us. Great story tonight, Dana. We appreciate it.

Coming up next, the claws are coming out over stuffed animals, the makers of the wildly popular squish mellow plush toys, suing Build a Bear Workshop for stealing their design. Do you think they have a case? Take a close look. We'll bring you all the details next. Okay, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed and an update on a story we've been following out of Kansas. Police say they have arrested a 45-year-old suspect after a life-sized statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen from a youth baseball facility in Wichita last month.

That bronze statue later found charred and dismantled. Authorities believe the man intended to sell the medal for scrap. Police say there's no evidence this was hate-motivated, like many alleged, when the statue of the baseball icon dissoned. appeared. A search for more suspects is still underway. Chilling new video emerging of that deadly plane crashed on a Florida highway last week. Dash cam video capturing the moment the private jet tried to make an emergency landing before crash landing on Interstate 75 outside of Naples. Flames and columns of thick smoke visible after the impact. Police say at least two people were killed. According to federal transportation officials, the pilot reported both engines failed just moments

before that crash. A scary scene for students on their way home from a school in New Jersey. Authorities say more than a dozen students were taking to the hospital for minor injuries after a school bus and a utility truck collided in the town of Medford this afternoon. Aerial video from the scene showing the damage to the side of the bus at front of the truck, the crash does not appear to be weather-related. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, now the toys are even fighting. The maker of squish-mellowed plush toys suing Bill DeBear, The manufacturer Jazz Wares arguing Build the Bear's new scocher's toys are, quote, knockoffs as squish mellows and infringe on intellectual property rights. Build the Bear filed its own lawsuit in response, claiming scooshers are just following the latest trends towards pillow-like toys, which has existed for years.

Okay, we're going to take a turnout to a more serious story, the growing migrant crisis in Chicago, where more than 13,000 migrants are scrambling to find homes and work before the city's rolling in. eviction deadline. The mayor implementing a 60-day limit on stays in order to make room for the growing number of newcomers, but for many who do not know anyone in the country, it could lead to life on the streets. More Barrett has the story. Tonight, thousands of migrants spending what could be their final weeks in shelters across Chicago as the city's eviction deadline looms. Like Lizabeth Velasquez, a Venezuelan migrant who says she fled due to political persecution, months ago and is now nearing the end of her 60-day limit in the city's shelters. The limit put in place to provide temporary housing while migrants find work in homes

before making room for newcomers. Only one property manager that has maybe one or two landlords that wants to deal with this. You know, they want them to have work permits, a job and proof of income. Would you say the trouble getting work permits has been the largest hurdle for people looking for more permanent housing without work permits and jobs it's really impossible for people to find places to stay in our group we have like doctors lawyers teachers they are really talented people but they have no way to be certified here advocates like pastor phelps are helping where they can organizing english classes and clothing drives but say it's unlikely everyone will be able

to successfully transition out of shelters instead needing to reapply for access to another shelter More than 13,000 migrants are currently living in 27 shelters run by the city and the state, according to a census of new arrivals. Most of them have arrived since June 2023, part of the busing campaign by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who says he sent more than 100,000 migrants to sanctuary cities. It's costing Texas taxpayers $124 million, according to a public information request by our affiliate, KXAN, to the state's Division of Emergency Management tasked with the initiative. Chicago's mayor has extended the limit on shelter stays, delaying enforcement due to cold weather,

sending notices like this to migrants in shelters, warning the earliest notices to leave will come in mid-March. The disruption in housing will cause further disruption with migrant's legal journey applying for asylum. What's at stake if these migrants end up homeless again? First of all, just sending people back into crisis. If someone doesn't have an address where they can receive their court notices, they risk failing to come comply with the requirements placed upon them by the government. Another element adding to their stress. All right, Mara joins us now live from Chicago.

So, Moro joins us now live from Chicago. So, Moro, if this holds up in the work permits, how long does that take and how many migrants have been able to obtain them? Well, Tom, reports show that just about 1,000 migrants have been able to get those work permits. And state officials actually estimate that only 30 percent, of those shelter residents will even qualify for the authorization or temporary protected status, which opens up the availability for work eligibility. Now, this is a problem in terms of just the access, but also the timeline used to take months. Now they've reduced that to about 30 days, which is helpful. But at the end of the day, the reality is this leaves open 10,000 migrants with

questions over how they're going to get jobs or secure permanent housing. Tom. Maura Barrett for us tonight. Mora, we thank you for bringing us that story. When we come back, violent clashes erupting in India. It's the farmers versus the police. Look at this. Why these protesters are on a march towards the country's capital and how they're tied to similar demonstrations we've been telling you about that we've seen all across Europe.

That's next. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch, and we begin in Thailand, where the former prime minister set to be freed from prison. The ousted leader, Taksin Shinawatra, has been granted parole after serving six months in prison. Taxin, a billionaire who also owned the English soccer club, Manchester City, returned to Thailand in August after 15 years of self-imposed exile following a military coup. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for abuse of power.

He could be released as early as next week. Add to Sweden now where a powerful fire has broken out at one of the country's biggest amusement parks. Video shows raging flames and plumes of smoke rising from a newly built water park in the western city of Gothenburg. This new park extension was under construction, scheduled to open later this year. At least 16 people suffered minor injuries, and one person remains missing. Authorities are still investigating the cause of that fire. And a massive drug lab has been raided and destroyed along the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexican authorities say they found more than 90,000 pounds of meth in the northern state.

of Sonora, as well as 28,000 pounds of chemical substances used to make that drug. This is the biggest drug rate under the country's current administration. Authorities say the drugs were likely headed to Europe, Asia and the U.S. Okay, we want to stay overseas now. We move to raging protest in India, where police are firing tear gas and water cannons at mobs of angry farmers who are frustrated with crop prices and broken promises from the government. This comes amid a stretch of agricultural protests, also happening in U.S.

Europe right as their election season rolls around. NBC's Ellison Barber takes us through their demands. Tonight, chaos in India, as police clash with thousands of frustrated farmers. Police spraying crowds with tear gas, detaining a number of protesters, and setting up barricades to stop waves of tractors from rolling into the heart of New Delhi. For the farmers, it's simple. It's nothing to be it. But you're still, what do you say, Robert's from, upro from, drone's, drone's say.

For the farmers, it's simple. They want guaranteed crop prices and say Prime Minister Modi's government failed to deliver on promises made in 2021, following months of similar protests. Money is at the heart of their anger, and Indian farmers aren't the only ones setting fire to the system. In recent months, farmers have protested in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Bulgarian. On the surface, the protest in Europe and India are similar. We're living in a moment in which populace, right, some on the far right, but including those maybe on the far left, are seeing fissures in what had become a consensus that globalization was a path to prosperity for lots of people.

And now coming to terms of the fact that maybe the unintended costs of that is that large groups of people are increasingly struggling to make ends meet to have the quality of life that they think that they deserve. The details, however, are a little more complex. In many European countries, the frustration stems from concerns about globalization and climate change. Europe has gotten much more aggressive over the last five years of taking seriously the challenges of climate change. They have chosen to deal with that by putting a lot more regulation on how farmers conduct their work. In India, farmers support a greener path forward, but feel the government is not providing

the necessary financial support to make it possible. They want financial support provided by the state. They don't want to be left to the vagaries of the market. Ellison Barber, NBC News. Happening in so many countries right now. Okay, Ellison, thank you for that. When we come back, we take you to the bottom of Lake Superior. The big find and even bigger mystery behind this shipwreck.

Stay with us. Finally tonight, we end with the discovery of a more than 80-year-old shipwreck. Researchers unearthing a commercial steamboat that mysteriously sank to the bottom of Lake Superior back in 1940. For some reason, the captain went down with the ship. The stories of survival coming from old newspaper headlines as everyone on board, though made it out alive, except again for that captain. Stephen Romo on the fascinating new images we've just seen. These are new images from the depths of Lake Superior that could hold the clues to a decades-old mystery. Okay, I'm coming up on something. The remains of a World War II steamship

that 84 years ago set sail one last time. Its helm or steering wheel still intact. Its iconic smokestack tipped over and its name, the SS Arlington, still visible. When you come down on a wreck that hasn't been seen in 84 years, it's quite a sight. A 10-year passion project for researcher Dan Fountain who got help from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, together searching the depths of the lake with underwater drones. that captured these images. And then that's when we start to get into the story of the wreck itself, who was on it,

why did it sink, what was it carrying? Until now, newspaper clippings were the only insights into what happened back in 1940, when the SS Arlington set sail from Port Arthur, Ontario, carrying wheat. It was expected to arrive a thousand miles away in Owen Sound, Ontario, but on the way, the boat hit some thick fog, despite warnings to stay close to shore, to avoid heavy winds, the captain, Frederick Burke, ordered the boat to remain in open water. That's when a heavy storm hit, causing the boat to go down on May 1st. All 16 crewmen would abandon the ship and survive except for Captain Burke.

He decided he's going down with the ship. Part of the mystery that remains unsolved, why the captain chose to go down with the ship. His secrets will be there at the bottom of the lake's period forever. The ship is said to remain at that same resting place where it's been the last eight decades. Still, the researchers hope this discovery can help bring closure to what has been an enduring Great Lakes mystery. What do you think about this being the final chapter for the Arlington? So there's still people in Midland, Ontario, and that was the ship's home port, that probably have descendants that were on that wreck. 16 people got off of that ship.

What did they go on to do on their lives? Stephen Romo, NBC News. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.