Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Episode Date: January 15, 2025

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, the grillings begin on Capitol Hill with President-elect Trump's pick for defense secretary in the hot seat. The tense exchanges inside the first confirmation hearing as Democrats confront nominee Pete Heggseth, the former Fox news anchor, questioned over sexual misconduct allegations, his views on women in combat and alleged alcohol abuse. Will Heggseth secure enough votes to take the top spot at the Pentagon with Senator Jody Ernst just said. Also tonight, the extreme fire alert as intense winds return to the fire ravaged Los Angeles area. We're in the air with an inside look at the coordinated firefight from the sky. The massive effort underway to figure out what ignited the massive wildfires.

And we speak with LA's school superintendent about what's next for students whose homes and schools have now burnt to the ground. The House passing a bill banning transgender athletes from playing on female sports teams in schools, where the legislation goes from here and the potential consequences for schools who don't enforce the new rules. Bordering on a deal in Israel, Hamas ceased fire and hostage agreement entering its final stages. What's included in the potential truce after 15 months of deadly fighting? We'll speak with the parents of an Israeli-American hostage holding out hope for their son's return. And Princess Kate in remission, the Princess of Wales saying her battle with cancer is over, 10 months after announcing her diagnosis. those who helped her through this incredibly hard time. Plus, Cuba will be taken off the state

sponsor of terrorism list. The reason behind that decision from President Biden tonight, top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, President-elect Trump's choice for defense secretary, Pete Heggseth, making his case during a contentious Senate confirmation hearing. At this hour, we're getting new details that could indicate he's. has enough votes to secure the position. Heg Seth, a former Fox News host and U.S. Army veteran, faced headwinds, mainly along party lines over allegations of sexual assault,

alcohol abuse, and backlash over comments he made about women in combat. The nominee to lead the Pentagon remained defiant in his opening statement. My only special interest is the warfighter. deterring wars and if called upon winning wars by ensuring our warriors never enter a fair fight. There was a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media against us. But Democrats came out swinging, going into excruciating detail about why they think he's not qualified for the position. Can you so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on the mother of a child that had been born two months before? and you tell us you are completely cleared.

How is that a complete clear? Senator, her child's name is Gwendolyn Hope Hegeseth, and she's a child of God, and she's seven years old. The American people need a sective who's ready to lead on day one. You are not that person. Our adversaries watch closely during times of transition, and any sense that the Department of Defense that keeps us safe is being stared by someone

who's wholly unprepared for the job puts America at risk. We have hundreds, hundreds of women who are currently in the infantry. Lethal members of our military serving in the infantry. But you degrade them. You say, we need moms, but not in the military, especially in combat units. I was also a headquarters company commander,

which would have been a couple of hundred. So nothing remotely near the size of the Defense Department, I would acknowledge that. Actually, not remotely near even a medium-sized company in America, let alone a big company in America, especially a major corporation. and you're basically, we're hiring you to be the CEO of one of the most complex,

largest organizations in the world. Several Republicans, though, on the other hand, coming to Hex's defense. Mr. Hegg said that, it seems to me that you've supervised far more people than the average United States senator supervises to do that. How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night?

Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign for their job? And don't tell me you haven't seen it because I know you have. And then how many senators do you know have got a divorce before cheating on their wives? Thank you, Mr. Hakeset, for your service, for your willingness to endure this. And I'm sorry for what has been happening to you, particularly the very idea that you should have to sit there and answer hypothetical potential in somebody's imagination, crime. It may take place at some point. But it was all eyes on Republican Senator Joni Ernst, also a U.S. veteran, one of the only Republicans

who previously expressed skepticism about Heggseth. Let's make it very clear for everyone here today. As Secretary of Defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles? Senator, first of all, thank you for your service, as we discussed extensively as well. my privilege. And my answer is, yes, exactly the way that you caveated it. Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles. Will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response? Senator, as we have discussed, yes, I will. Ernst did little to challenge, Hegg Seth. And just moments ago, we learned she said she will

support him, likely putting him on the path for confirmation. If he does get the job, he'll be in charge of an $841 billion budget, more than 3 million service members and civilians, all of which includes military personnel stationed in more than 160 countries. And take a look at this new Associated Press poll, finding that roughly two and every 10 Americans approve of Hague Seth as a nominee. Keep in mind a third of people surveyed saying they don't know enough to make a decision. This is just the first of a number of rapid fire confirmation hearings. President-elect Trump is hoping to secure his cabinet as soon as possible. Garrett Hake starts our coverage. What are your sources telling you? Did he do enough here to the scale tip in his favor?

Yeah, look, my sources within the Trump transition are extremely pleased with Hegset's performance. They felt all along that if he could get to this hearing, he would do well. His television background, what a lot of people have described as, his natural charm would come through. He just had to weather all of these negative stories and essentially deflect them and tread water through the month of December. He has done so now, and I think the belief remains that unless there is another shoe to drop, He will probably get confirmed, but with just Republican votes. I didn't see him winning over any of his critics on the Democratic side. And it's a busy week there on Capitol Hill.

Reminder, viewers, which other cabinet nominees are on the schedule this week? Yeah, Tom, we're supposed to have 13 hearings, although it's been a bit of a moving target with some of these hearings being pushed back to later in the week. Tomorrow will be a big day. Pam Bondi, the nominee to be Attorney General, is the key one to watch. Later in the week, we'll see Doug Bergam, who's going to run Trump Energy Policy. And Christy Noem, another rescheduled hearing. supposed to lead the Department of Homeland Security, a pivotal role in the way Donald Trump

imagines reshaping Washington and the immigration system in particular. All right, for more on Heggseth's confirmation prospects and a look ahead to this week's upcoming hearings. I want to bring in our political pros tonight. Retired Army lieutenant colonel Daniel Davis of defense priorities who also host Daniel Davis Deepdive on YouTube, Carl Scribello, former Florida congressman and an NBC News political analyst, and Julia Roginski, a Democratic strategist and author of The Salty Politics News on Substack. She worked with Pete Heggsett at Fox News and co-wrote a letter

with former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson to the Armed Services Committee, sharing their perspectives as survivors of sexual misconduct at Fox News. I want to thank you all for joining us. Julie, let me start with you. Many people were taken back by the Hegset nomination. I know you were obviously one of them.

It looks like he is going to be on the path to getting approved now that Joni Ernst said she's going to vote for him. What are your thoughts about what happened today? Well, I'm deeply disappointed in Joni Earnton. because Joni Ernst, as it turns out, according to the New Yorker, refused to meet with the alleged sexual assault survivor

who wanted to speak to her about what happened to her at Pete Hexat's hands, allegedly, in Monterey, California in 2017. And as a sexual assault survivor herself, Joni Ernst should have taken that meeting. And the fact that she did not take that meeting says to me that the fix was in,

that she had no interest in the truth, she had no interest in doing anything about burying her head in the sand because she's so desperately afraid of a Republican primary by the Attorney General of Iowa. the Attorney General of Iowa, that she threw sexual assault survivors overboard, and really the military to which she's dedicated her life. I think it's just sad and just goes to show how far many people in the Republican Party have sunk since Donald Trump came down that golden escalator.

Danny, I want to read you something from the conservative Wall Street Journal's editorial page. They wrote this week about Heggseth nomination earlier this week. They write, there are larger and more urgent issues at the Pentagon, and the 44-year-old Mr. Hegsef lacks the experience typically required. never run an organization of any size, never mind a bureaucracy with as many snares as the Pentagon. Do you believe Hegeseth is qualified for this role, Danny? If he gets the nomination, will America's Warriors listen to him? Well, listen, I got to tell you, I have a different view than a lot of people, because

a lot of the commentary is that, well, he's not qualified because he hasn't run a big company, he wasn't a forester general, et cetera. But I've got to say, based on the last seven or eight defense secretaries who were in and out of the defense contractor worlds on the boards of lots of these companies, and we're three and four star generals or senators, they have not done a very good job. And the current one right now has had some terrible missteps. You start in Afghanistan, you go to his conduct of the support for Ukraine in this war, and they are terrible. What Heggseth has been charged with, according to President Trump, is to be a change agent. And that is something we really need. And if he does what he says, that he's going to come in and say, hey, I want to change the

I want to improve the standards, have meritocracy, and improve the combat capability of the armed forces, then I think that is a potential breadth of fresh hair. It remains to be seen whether he can do it, but just to have another guy who's had all the so-called good CVs that come in with all the big checks, I don't think we need another one of those. But wouldn't you want somebody who has more military experience as far as leading large numbers of troops? Well, what you really need. Look, there's plenty of people on the staff that can help in those areas who have done large organizations and can handle the bureaucracy. We have those guys right now, and they're not doing a good job on what needs to get fixed. We need to upgrade and modernize our four-arm forces,

and these last guys who met all that haven't done it. So I think we need somebody who maybe come in with the breath and fresh air is not encumbered by defense, you know, until the, I'm sorry, the defense contractor world, et cetera. We need to get somebody that's not. We need to get somebody that's not one of those that can actually focus on what the war fighter it cares about. And it's someone who also was a combat vet, like Hague Seth was, I'm glad we have somebody in there that's got a little bit more frequent combat experience that can bring that to the table and make the changes. Carlos, you know how Capitol Hill works, right?

With Joni Ernst saying tonight that she's going to vote yes on Hague Seth, is he pretty much confirmed? Well, Tom, it certainly clears the path for him, but we still have to hear from those key swing Republican senators, Collins, Murkowski, Cassidy, Curtis, McConnell, the ones who came out and sunk the Matt Gates nomination before it could get off the ground. Those are the members. If any of these nominees go down, those senators are somehow going to be involved, at least some of them, in taking down potential nominees. So once he gets a green light for at least some of those, then we can say Pete Heggseth is certainly going to be confirmed and will be the next

Secretary of Defense. But without a doubt, today was a good day for him. Julie, that hearing got pretty nasty. It got pretty personal. Did Democrats go too far? I mean, could they have made that point without bringing, you know, Heggseth's daughter in the mix who's seven years old? I don't think they brought Heggseth's daughter. And I think they asked about his fitness to run an organization. They asked about the daughter that he had an affair with. They asked about him cheating on his wife. And then he had a daughter through that, yeah. I don't think anybody's attacking her daughter or their daughter. Look, this is somebody who thinks women don't belong in the military,

regardless of what he said today in the caveats you put in today. This is somebody who doesn't believe that gay men and women belong in the military. These are people who have fought and bled and died for this country. And yet he has some sort of belief that because of their gender, because of their sexual orientation, they don't belong in the military. That's incredibly disparating to the men and women who are fighting the military right now. He refused to answer whether being a sexual assailant is disqualifying. And the reason for that, I think, is not just because of his own history, because obviously nobody knows what happened there,

but because his boss, Donald Trump, the commander-in-chief, is an adjudicated sexual assailant, and he can't say that that's disqualifying. He wouldn't say whether he would basically throw out posse comitatus and agree to open fire on Americans in their own streets, the way that Donald Trump wanted Secretary Esper to do in the last administration. All sorts of these things are things that are just absolutely disqualifying to the morale of this country. I cannot imagine being an 18-year-old who's signing up to serve in the armed forces, who has to now wonder whether he's going to have to open fire on his own countrymen and women. You know, that's something that I think is lost in the sauce here.

This is somebody whose beliefs are so out of the mainstream that I don't think these senators went far enough in actually trying to prove to the American people how far out of the mainstream he is. Danny, what do you say to that? Yeah, well, I have a different view on that because what he said anyway, and again, everything has to depend on what he does if he is in confirmed, but what he has said was he wants to bring meritocracy in a single standard that says we're going to raise the capability of the armed forces. And I am a strong believer, I haven't been trained and then also conducting combat operations

that you need to have a high standard so that the force is able to execute its mission to the high standard. If I know that my leaders are going to hold me to a high standard, that's going to attract me. It's not going to push me down because I want everybody, man, woman or anything else, to be able to meet that standard. If they can't, then they don't need to be in that position. Carlos, let's look up to the upcoming nomination hearings this week. If you're President like Trump, who is the nominee you're most worried about? Probably someone like Tulsi Gabbard because it's such a sensitive area, right? National intelligence. She has made so many controversial comments in the past. I know there are still Republican senators who have reservations about her.

Cash Patel's another one because he is going to be in charge of an agency that's so powerful, that has these broad investigatory powers. There are some Republicans who have reservations about him. So I think those two are probably still going to have a tough time, still have to win over some of those swing Republicans I mentioned to you earlier. But I will say one thing, Tom, when the Democratic opposition appears to be too personal, when it appears that it's a character assassination campaign without concrete evidence, that strategy tends to backfire, and it actually unites Republicans behind some of these candidates. So I think Democrats have to ask tough questions, but unless they have concrete evidence against a nominee, attacking someone's character in such an aggressive way, oftentimes backfired.

Hold on. Julie's going to have the last word here tonight. I got to say, what kind of concrete evidence are you looking for when you won't meet with a sexual assailant so she can give you concrete evidence? What kind of concrete evidence could they be looking for when they have an FBI file that is completely and woefully not complete? Because the FBI wouldn't meet with the assailant, the FBI wouldn't meet with the fresh complaint witnesses there. You're not looking for concrete evidence. In fact, you're looking for everything that you can possibly do as a Republican, not you personally. I'm talking about the Republican Senate to bury their heads in the sand so that they don't receive concrete evidence that would prevent them from voting for. Pete Heggseth or Tulsi Gabbard or anybody else that they want passed because that's what Donald

Trump demands. That's the difficulty here. Julie, Danny, Carlis, we thank you for this spirit of conversation. We're going to continue it all week. Also breaking tonight on Capitol Hill, the House passing a bill that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in women's sports. The legislation would impact transgender athletes in federally funded schools, grades elementary through college, and would result in a school losing funding if violated. Transgender students in sports became a top issue on the 2024 campaign trail, now a top priority of House Republicans in the new Congress. I want to bring in NBC's Julie's circuit on Capitol Hill.

So, Julie, now that this has passed in the House, what happens next? Yeah, Tom, and only two Democrats voted for it in the House. That's not good news for its chances in the Senate, because in the Republican-controlled Senate, you still need 60 votes, and that means Democrats are going to have to vote for this bill, at least some of them are, to get it across the finish line. But we do know this is an immense priority for Republicans in Congress. In fact, setting up votes on this bill at some point later this month, perhaps, or early February. was something that Senator Majority Leader John Thune did within the first few days of gaining

that Republican majority officially a couple of weeks ago. And you point out that this was a center point of the 2024 campaign. I think that's so crucial here. This is a major campaign promise that President Trump was making on the trail that his allies were making. This is front and center that they put in campaign ads, up and down the ticket from the White House to local races in state and local governments, and it's an issue that resonated, particularly among young men and men in general.

and that is why Republicans are trying to fulfill this campaign promise on behalf of Trump. Julie, Surrogate for us tonight from Capitol Hill. Julie, we thank you for that. Moving now to the devastating fires out in Southern California, where we just came back from. Tonight, fears of a growing crisis, officials issuing the most severe fire warning as life-threatening winds are once again expected to slam L.A. and the surrounding counties. Liz Croyce tonight reporting on those breaking details. Tonight, fire ravaged Los Angeles yet again on edge, as Southern California braced. for another extreme wind event. City officials urging residents to be prepared to evacuate

as the National Weather Service issues the same rare highest-level threat advisory that fueled the devastating palisade and Eaton fires. We are taking an aggressive lean-forward posture and the LFD has staffed all available resources strategically placing fire patrols and engines in the unimpacted high-fire risk areas in the city. Tonight officials say 37 people were, remain unaccounted for and 24 people confirmed dead and now growing scrutiny about how the

fires started. This video taken by Altadena resident Pedro Rojas shows a large blaze directly beneath electrical towers in the early minutes of the Eaton fire. This coming is at least two new lawsuits have been filed targeting power companies SoCal Edison alleging negligence for in part failing to de-energize that transmission line, which the suit says sparked the deadly fire. That's the proof that you're pointing to that this started at the transmission line? In our complaint, we allege videos, photographs, eyewitness testimony.

And of course, we know that they have tools like PSPS, public safety power shut off, that they could have used and chose not to. Evangeline Iglesias is part of the suit, a long-time FedEx worker who lost her Altadena home in the Eaton fire. I wish they would have shut everybody's power off earlier in the day if they knew that there was going to be 60 to 80 mile gusts of wind. In a statement, the utility saying it understands lawsuits have been filed and will review them and points to the fact that the cause of the fire continues to be under investigation. In the Palisades fire, officials saying they're not ruling out arson as a cause as the ATF now leads the investigation.

Tonight, with new hurricane force winds on its back, Southern California hoping the ferocious flames stay away. Okay, Liz Kroitz joins us tonight. So Liz, we've been anticipating these strong winds. Have you felt them yet, or are people worried about them? Yeah, certainly, as you know, Tom, from being here, everybody's really on edge around L.A. right now. But the good news is we haven't really felt those winds that strongly today, and the National Weather Service has just come out and said that they were weaker than expected. But they also said we're not out of the woods yet, and they're really shifting when we might see them tonight into tomorrow now. And we're also seeing some of the worst impacted areas are likely to not necessarily be where we are in Altadena, but more north and to the west of L.A.

But another issue, Tom, that we're tracking is just the air quality here. It's a huge concern right now. Millions of people across Southern California are under what's called a wind-blown dust and ash advisory, with officials saying that these strong winds will then allow this dust and debris to travel and spread. So folks are being told to stay inside to keep your windows rolled up and wear a mask if you're going to be outside for an extended period of time, Tom. Okay, Liz Kroitz. Liz, thank you for that. The firefight made difficult by those Santa Ana wins. News meteorologist Bill Cairns joins me tonight. We just heard there from Liz. It's not as bad as

it was first forecast, but I know they're not out of the clear just yet. Talk to us about what you're watching. Yeah, we're halfway through this wind event. We knew it would be last night and we know it's going to be tonight. Right now we're in the lull and the winds aren't that high, but we still have what we call that PDS that potentially dangerous situation where if we get new fires, especially in L.A. County, outside of the city in the mountains, we could get explosive fire growth. That's the fear. And that's why all the firefighters are pre-positioned. They're on standby. All the water droppers are sitting there on the runways just in case they get that call, those zoom on out. So the winds right now, not bad at all. I mean, by the Eaton fire,

we're only at 12 miles per hour. It's picked up a little bit by the Palisades Fire, but there's like almost no hotspots anymore. There's no active flames that I've seen during the day today at all. So that's fantastic. That's why we're not worried about these flaring up. We're worried about if any new fire ignitions begin. Here's the forecast 7 p.m. tonight as we go towards tomorrow morning at sunrise. That's when we get these wind gusting to 50 to 60, 65 miles per hour. That'll be the peak, and then it will die off during the day tomorrow. So by the time we get to about noon tomorrow, Pacific time, we're going to end those red flag warnings in that potentially dangerous situation. That's some good news there. Okay, Bill Cairns,

we thank you for that. A critical piece of this firefight is, of course, those choppers in the sky. Our Ellison Barber went up 1,500 feet with members of Cal Fire, who have been working night and day trying to tame these blazes from the air. Tonight, Cal Fire taking us up in one of their helicopters, giving us a first-hand look at the massive, coordinated effort to battle the Los Angeles wildfires. Air efforts are a critical part of this firefight, and you see it here. Teams are attacking these fires and hot spots like this one from the air every chance they get. From the air, the scope of the devastation is staggering. Nearly 40,000 acres burned, entire neighborhoods, leveled. Were these houses? Was this a neighborhood?

Yes, it was. Wow. It looks like a war zone. You can see the scale of the damage from above, and then when you look down, you can also see teams fighting hotspots that have popped up in this area, all of them along that ridge there, moving towards that hot spot to try and get it under control. Choppers like this are key assets in the arsenal of equipment deployed to fight, the palisades and eaten fires. They can scoop and drop water, but can also be used to transport

firefighters and equipment and look for flare-ups. Cal Fire has its own fleet of aircrafts operating from 11 helicopter bases across the state that can reach most fires in about 20 minutes. We have a small window with the wind driving in this direction. Operation Section Chief Christian Litts has been leading the coordinated effort to tame the the blaze working around the clock the father of four has barely seen his family he's been home once since the fires broke out at night and for a couple of hours just to pick up clothes my wife takes care of everything i don't have to worry about any of my house she's a very strong woman and a lot of our significant others have to be very strong the only reason why firefighters can do what they

do is because the family that we have back home he tells us his oldest son is a new firefighter He's part of a hand crew. As Litz fights the fires from the sky, his son is fighting them on the ground. These teams have flown countless missions and hurricane force wins at times. They didn't give up then. They've done this since these fires began. And they say they have no plans to stop now. Forecasters expect red flag conditions to last through Wednesday.

Are your teams ready event new fires do develop from these winds? Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. We're ready. And for LITS, it is personal. This fight for y'all, it is personal. Very personal. I live in L.A. County. I am in L.A. County firefighter, and I take it very personal every fight that we go to because it could be my house. It could be my family that's effective. Ellison, Barbara, safely on the ground tonight for us. She joins us live from Malibu.

Ellison, you were up there for a while with Cal Fire. What really stood out to you after seeing sort of the massive burn scars that are all across those Santa Monica mountains and then also the wildfires that they've sort of been put out but they're not completely under control right i mean it seems like it's a constant battle for tiny little pockets of bits of the fire that can still smolder that may have to run and deal with and even though it's small or just a little hot spot they're really trying to attack it immediately so that nothing bad or bigger happens again i mean look one of the big things that was just so breathtaking being from the air and not breathtaking in a positive way is the scale of this destruction. We show so many images of it. And I know people see it and probably

think we've seen that destruction. But every time we're showing these images, it's new portions of these communities that are flattened. It's hard to overstate the scale of this entire communities completely wiped out. Tom. Ellison, Barbara, with that unique look at the devastation there. Okay, Alison, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, Israel and Hamas. nearing a ceasefire deal. Officials saying they are closer than ever to an agreement that would pause fighting in Gaza and bring home hostages. We speak with the parents of an American Israeli being held by Hamas. That's next. Welcome back. We want to head overseas now to the Middle East, where a ceasefire between Israel and

Hamas could be coming at any moment. Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin saying today the parties are on the brink of a deal. complex agreement would pause fighting and start the release of people being held on both sides. For the latest on the negotiations, I want to bring in NBC's chief foreign correspondent, Richard Engel. Richard, we know there are three phases in this ceasefire proposal, and the sides are trying to come to an agreement just on phase one. Explain to us how that's happening and what's on the table there. So what people should understand is this is not a simple agreement. You described it as complex. It is extremely fragile as well. What the two sides have to agree to is a sequence

of events. First, there would have to be an agreement on a framework, and that's what they're trying to reach right now. And Prime Minister Netanyahu tonight held what was described as an urgent meeting with the top military officials here. Diplomats in the region are telling me that they've never been closer. So they do seem to be very close to agreeing to this framework. But then once they agree on the framework, then they have to carry it out. In the first phase, there'd be a 48-hour pause just to sort of test the waters, allow Hamas to have some breathing room to gather the hostages, because the hostages are held in different areas. It is presumed areas that are under attack. Then Hamas would release 33, quote-unquote, humanitarian cases. These are the

hostages in the worst physical condition, children, elderly, women, the ones who are injured. That could take place over 42 days. So these would be released, these 33 would be released in small batches. If that is successful, then the remainder of the hostages would be released. And Israel believes there are about 98 hostages in Gaza. And then at that stage, so all of this we're talking about weeks, potentially months down the line. you would see Israeli troops pulling back from major population centers and establishing a buffer zone around Gaza and releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

So it is a long process. It could break down at any stage, but officials believe that they're getting very close to this framework. And if you want to be negative, you could say, yes, it could all fall apart, but there is the possibility that when you start releasing hostages, you build momentum, momentum, aid goes in, and you improve the situation gradually. So there's, we are on the brink of

something. It is fragile, but it has the potential to, to at least change the dynamic that's there now. Yeah, the whole world is hoping this works through. I do want to switch gears a little bit and ask you about an interview our colleague, Lester Holt did, with the president of Iran today, the new president. Let's play a clip. Israel and the United States are beginning to talk about whether a strike, a military strike against Iran, might be necessary to stop its nuclear program. If that were to happen, what would Iran's reaction be? You see, naturally enough, we will react to any action.

We do not fear war, but we do not seek it. Well, they have said that they want to wage war. What we have is knowledge and competence. Our knowledge and competence are indestructible. So with the incoming Trump administration, do you foresee escalation with Iran over their nuclear program? I certainly do. And if you look at what Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has been saying, if you look at what President-elect Trump has been saying about Iran and what he has done vis-a-vis Iran in the past.

During his last term, it seems to be. the direction of travel we are heading in. When Israel talks about its war against Hamas, it doesn't just talk about the war in Gaza. It talks about a wider war against an Iranian network that includes Hezbollah, that includes the former Syrian regime, and ultimately leads to Tehran. So I do think that in the coming year, perhaps, there will certainly be that possibility. Richard Engel for us tonight. Richard, we thank you for that. The families of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas are holding out hope that after 15 months and previous rounds of failed negotiations, this time will be different. Joining us tonight is Adi Alexander,

the father of Edan Alexander, who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th and is one of the estimated seven Israeli Americans being held hostage to this day. Adi, we thank you for joining Top Story Tonight. I'm sorry what you and your family have gone through as a parent. I cannot imagine what the last 15 months have been like for you. Are you optimistic and hopeful that this time around, this is the real deal? The optimism, it's not the term that we are using any longer. We want to use the term hopeful. We've been closed before, even back in January, 2024, back in April,

and hopefully this time, the parties will manage to pass it over the finish line. Do you have concerns if this isn't done by January 20th when, of course, a new president will be inaugurated here in this country? I think to use the January 20th as a deadline, it's a good thing, and not to take too much time because we're talking about human lives, we're talking about individuals that being held in the tunnels in unhumane conditions for such a long period of time. So the January 20th, it's a good deadline, and I really hope that the parties will seal this deal this time. Only a few months ago, Hamas released a video of your son, making a plea under duress to President-elect Trump to make a deal to free the hostages.

Have you been able to get any update on the status of your son by either the Israelis or the American government? Not at all. That was the last time we saw our son, and it was a... sign of life for us. We didn't see our son for a year and a half. Other hostages that were released back in November of 2023, they saw it on and also people saw him when he entered those tunnels. But for us, it was our first sign of life, and we are grateful to receive that. You've been incredibly outspoken, and you have met with both Israeli and American officials. Do you think enough has been done to prioritize the return of your son and other hostages? I know the current administration worked tirelessly on that deal, and they invested so deeply in that deal, but at the end of the day, it didn't work.

But diplomacy never works until it works, and we are really hopeful with Trump's help, with another team that actually working with collaboration with Biden's team. It will work this time. Finally, Adi, you never know, but your son maybe possibly watches this broadcast, gets a clip of this broadcast. What message do you have for your son tonight? Let's want to say that he has to remain strong, survive, and we are coming for him, and he's coming out. We love that message. Okay, Adi, we thank you for joining Top Story tonight. We thank you for sharing.

We know it's an incredibly difficult time, and we are pulling for all those hostages to be released. When we return, the announcement shaking up relations between the U.S. and Cuba, President Biden saying he'll remove Cuba from the state-sponsored terrorism list how the decision could be a game changer for the country's struggling economy. Now, at Top Story's Global Watch, we begin in South Africa, where more than 100 minors are feared to have died from starvation and dehydration amid a standoff with police. Rescue efforts are underway just south of Johannesburg to pull up the hundreds of miners still believed to be in one of the country's deepest gold mines. Police cut off water and supplies to the illegal miners in November in an effort to force them out. Videos show the miners in very bad shape, still underground, as police say they have refused to come back up, fearing they will be arrested. A Hindu pilgrimage that is expected to be the world's largest gathering of people has begun in India. Listen to this. An estimated 400 million people, more than the entire population of the U.S., will visit northern India over the next six weeks to celebrate the Maha Kamala Festival, where there will take sacred dips at the convergence of two rivers.

The Hindu faith will believe the holy baths purify their sins. Preparations for the festivities have cost an estimated $800 million. And Catherine Princess of Wales has announced that her cancer is now in remission. Princess Kate visiting the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, where she received preventative chemotherapy after she was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer back in March of 2024. In a post on Instagram, Kate thanking the hospital staff

for their care. The princess has slowly returned to royal duties since finishing her treatment in September. We turned out of the Americas in a new announcement from the White House, the Biden administration, revealing it will lift the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism

and ease some economic restrictions as part of a deal to free political prisoners there. NBC's Ed Augustine joins us tonight from Havana, Cuba. The Biden administration today announced that three of the most potent sanctions on the island will be eliminated. And probably the most important of that is that from now on, Cuba will no longer be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. Why? Well, the State Department said earlier on that there's no credible evidence that the island actually sponsors terrorism. I can tell you that reporting from here, the economic effects of that categorization have been nothing short of catastrophic. Of course, mismanagement, a failed economic model also contribute to Cuba's economic problems. But of the U.S. sanctions, that's been one of the most potent ones.

Because by tarring Cuba with the label of terrorism, so many international banks no longer want to deal with the island. And that leads to economic decline and a humanitarian crisis or at least contributes to it, which so many Cubans are. currently facing. It looks like there was a quid pro quo. The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relations recently announced just a few hours ago that 553 prisoners will be gradually released. All right, at Augustine for us from Havana tonight. And back here at home, this terror designation has been sort of a political football in recent years. Here's why. Take a look at the past three presidents, Barack Obama lifting that designation in 2015. And in Trump's final days in office in 2021, he reinstated it. And here we are today in the last week of Biden's term. He's lifted the

designation once again. For more of this, I want to bring in senior White House correspondent, Gabe Gutierrez. And Gabe, there's so much to talk about here, right? What is the White House saying tonight? And why do they decide to do this now when President Trump is likely to reverse it? Hi there, Tom. Well, the White House is saying that it currently believes that it's found no credible evidence that the Cuban government continues to sponsor international terrorism, but it's not immediately clear why the White House chose to do this just a few days Biden leaves office. But still, it says that it aims to bolster an ongoing dialogue with the Catholic Church, between the Catholic Church and the Cuban government, to potentially release

dozens of political prisoners, which it believes will be released before President Biden leaves office next week, Tom. You know, Gabe, you covered the final years of the Biden administration, And it's sort of interesting, right, because we both have covered Cuba and the way the White House and obviously the United States interacts with that country to itself. You know, the Obama administration, which Joe Biden was a part of, he was vice president, Cuba played a very big role, right? He was very involved in changing Cuba policy, and then it was on the back burner for the Biden administration up until now. Do we know why? Yeah, that's right, Tommy. You said it.

You remember back in 2014, 2015, that thawing of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States. It was seen as a huge milestone, but something that President Trump largely reversed during his administration. Now, President Biden, he's been interesting. His press secretary, Jen Saki, early on in the administration, basically said that Cuba was not top of mind for the administration. However, during those protests back in 2021, the Biden administration did. did issue some limited, targeted sanctions the Treasury Department did against certain individuals in Cuba. But you're right, by and large, this, Cuba has not been top of mind for this administration until now in its final few days in office time.

Yeah, we should mention that those 500 prisoners that were released, those political prisoners that were released, were in large part to do those protests in Cuba in 2021, as you mentioned. Has Trump or his nominee for Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled any policy shift or for Cuba? Look, President-elect Trump, he has not commented on this thus far. Neither has Senator Marco Rubio, who is Trump's pick for Secretary of State. But look, Tom, Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants. He has been an extreme hardliner, as you know, when it comes to policy towards Cuba.

So it is extremely likely that the incoming Trump administration will reverse this once it takes office in just a few days. Tom, and that's something that the White House has acknowledged, but they say that according to them, they have been in communications with the incoming national security team, and they say that the incoming team will deal with the same set of facts. They believe that Cuba is no longer sponsoring international terrorism, but it is very possible. This could be reversed in short order, Tom. Back to the future of TikTok, millions of users waiting anxiously to learn if the Supreme

Court will uphold the law that would ban it, with some already turning to alternative apps. NBC Savannah Sellers reports. We're just going to TikTok's other apps. Tonight, amid fear a TikTok ban could take effect later this week, some Americans flocking to Chinese apps like Red Note. I'm a TikTok refugee. And Lemon 8. Hello, Lemon 8.

This is my first video. Both apps have similarities to TikTok, and Lemon 8 shares a parent company, Bite Dance, the platforms topping Apple's downloads. We are doing this to spite our own government. Some say it's a form of progen. I'm going to an app like Red Note, they're saying, no, no, no, I am in control of where I give my data. Some users even protesting American-owned meta. You will not catch me on Instagram Reels.

The law that could ban TikTok largely focuses on U.S. government concerns that China could manipulate content-Americancy or steal user data. TikTok denies this. TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, is explicitly named in the law. for now, assuming the government isn't prepared to also block other apps like Red Note, but they could eventually be impacted because of their Chinese ownership. Bight Dance could sell TikTok to an American owner. Today, questions swirling if Elon Musk is in the mix to buy it after Bloomberg reported Chinese officials have discussed that, according to people familiar with the matter.

TikTok tells NBC News, that's pure fiction. Billionaires like Frank McCord and Kevin O'Leary have also thrown their hat in the ring to buy TikTok. Now we wait to hear from the Supreme Court. They could rule on an injunction, which would essentially put this whole thing on pause, kick it over to President Trump to deal with once he becomes president next Monday. Or we could get their final ruling based on those arguments they heard last week. Tom? When we come back, the man accused of stalking WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark appearing before a judge. The suspect's outbursts inside the courtroom and the new chilling details of the threats he made against Clark.

Next up, Caitlin Clark's alleged stalker appearing in court today. The Texas man accused of making a series of vulgar and threatening comments online. Here's Stephanie Gosk. Tonight, WNBA star Caitlin Clark's alleged stalker appearing in an Indianapolis courtroom. No. 55-year-old Michael Thomas Lewis from Texas, interrupting the proceedings with multiple outbursts. before the judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. I'm free.

Just you got the wrong guy. The judge setting a $50,000 bond that Lewis says he has no intention of posting. Lewis has been charged with stalking after prosecutors say he sent Clark a series of sexually violent messages. You not only have someone who's maybe in a place of prominence, but also just kind of the nature and the aggressiveness of what was being tweeted. According to court documents charging Lewis, there were at least four. 14 messages between December 16th and January 2nd, many too explicit to quote. In one, authorities say Lewis wrote in part, been driving around your house three times a day, but don't call the law just yet. In another, I'm getting tickets. I'm sitting behind the bench.

The affidavit says the FBI discovered recent messages were sent from a hotel, about a half mile away from the arena where Clark's team, the Indiana fever, play, as well as a library in downtown Indianapolis. When police questioned the Texas native, he claimed he was on vacationed, and this is just an imaginary relationship, according to the documents. But prosecutors say the messages were threatening. Clark told police she changed her appearance and pattern of behavior in public because she was worried for her safety. The individual is starting to take affirmative steps to maybe bring himself in closer to proximity to the victim. That made everybody certainly understand the urgency of the situation.

phenom known for flashy three-pointers, wrapped up her first WNBA season with the rookie of the year award. Clark, step back three, knocks it down. Rpelling her and her sport into the national spotlight. The basketball star has handled all that attention with grace. Now prosecutors in Indiana are commending her courage as well. Stephanie Goss joins us now in studio. So Stephanie, talk to us about what happens next in sort of these criminal proceedings.

And have we heard from Caitlin Clark? So Lewis has a court date for March 31st. He has a $50,000 bond. If you post it, then he gets out of jail. However, he said in court today, he's not going to post it. As for Caitlin Clark, she has not spoken about this since it all occurred, since he was arrested. So you've had a chance to interview Caitlin Clark. You've covered her. She's obviously an incredibly hard worker. She's very focused on basketball. How do you think she's taking this in? You know, she's really interesting. She's had to deal with a ton of publicity. very, very quickly in the public eye. She's handled all of that with such poise, such grace, and then to have this. And the prosecutor in the case said she deserves to be commended for her courage to come forward with these allegations. And because there are probably other people who are experiencing similar threats, and it may give them the courage to do the same. So he

commended her. And it's impressive that she did it. And now they're making progress in this case. Stephanie Gospher. Stephanie, we thank you for that. Coming up, the power of the pen. We'll meet an artist who is offering free sketches of the homes for people who lost them in the L.A. area wildfires, and thousands are taking her up on it. Stay with us. Finally tonight, as thousands of families across Los Angeles are coming to terms with the loss of their homes, one L.A.-based artist is picking up her pen, helping families to preserve memories of their houses through her sketches. Valerie Castro has this story. Stroke by stroke, L.A. based artist Asher Bingham is preserving memories. It's like, what can I bring out of this to make this more magical? From this bay window with a view to a bell hanging in a nearby tree, and this porch, perfect for sipping coffee.

What I'm fascinated with is taking something from a picture and building a story to it. The tragic story that all of these homes share, they're among the 12,000 structures destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires. This started because I did it for a friend who lost her home. And I was like, I can't help you in any other way. And I truly don't even know what to say to someone that's lost their home. So Asher picked up a pen and shared the artwork to Instagram with a simple offer. To anyone that has lost a home in the LA fires, I will draw your home for free.

Then it snowballed. Three million views on that video later. There's now a waiting list of hundreds of. of requests. But amid the submitted names, addresses, and reference photos, life stories emerged. I'm like, I will put every detail I can into perfecting this to give you a good memory. So what keeps her going day and night? Comments like this on Instagram. This makes me cry. How wonderful. We lost our home and I know it would be so touching to have this. Hundreds of Los Angeles families thankful that the lasting image of their home will no longer be one of destruction.

It's so heart-wrenching that I wouldn't be able to stop. I'll find a way to get through every house request that comes in because they're beautiful and so sad. And as Valerie points out, such an important final image, we thank Valerie for that story. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.