Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Episode Date: July 19, 2023

Former President Trump announces he received a target letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith in the probe into his conduct surrounding the January 6 insurrection. The 2024 GOP field reacts to Trump’s latest legal peril. Israel is roiled again by nationwide protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul his country’s judiciary. A Texas state trooper who worked on the U.S.-Mexico border alleges inhumane treatment of migrants by U.S. authorities. Authorities in Oregon announce a person of interest in four Portland deaths they say are linked. And Valerie Castro has an inside look into Mattel’s partnerships with dozens of brands as they create experiences for fans around the upcoming “Barbie” movie.

tonight breaking news former president trump is he about to be indicted yet again trump announcing he received a target letter from the special counsel stating he is the focus of a probe until election interference related to january sixth this step historically a sign that an indictment could be coming trump given four days to show up and tell his side of the story and more breaking news tonight out of michigan the a g there announcing felony charges for 16 fall Trump electors, what all of this means for the former president and his current push to return to the White House. Overseas an American soldier detained in North Korea after bolting across the border the disciplinary action he was facing in South Korea that may have caused him to flee and what we're hearing from the military tonight. Brutal border allegations, a Texas state trooper sounding the alarm, claiming he was ordered to withhold water from migrants, including young children. And the concerning accusations tonight that a line of buoys stretched across the Rio Grande is causing gruesome injuries.

New serial killer, police investigating a string of killings in Portland that they believe could be linked, what they're revealing tonight about a person of interest possibly connected to all of them. Plus, a major development in the unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur, a search warrant executed at a home near Las Vegas, the late details just coming in. And Barbie is back, the doll that has enthralled fans for decades, getting the Hollywood treatment in one of the biggest movies of the summer ahead of Friday's release, our team looking and taking an in-depth look at the marketing blitz from clothing lines to Airbnb's to video games, why Mattel is betting big on their most iconic product. Top story starts right now.

And good evening. We begin Top Story tonight with that major news first broken by former President Trump himself on Truth Social, Trump revealing that he is a target of the federal investigation into the January 6th Capitol Riot you see right here on your screen and broader efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. So we want to bring you up to speed on what we know about this investigation. First launched in November, Special Counsel Jack Smith appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. His task to find out if any laws were broken in connection to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The House Committee, you may remember, separately investigating the January 6th riot, led by vice-chairwoman Liz Cheney, recommending the DOJ charged Trump on four criminal counts, including obstruction and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

And then in April, perhaps the most high-profile witness called before the grand jury. The former vice president himself, Mike Pence, testifying for more than five hours. And Pence, of course, in the Capitol on that day, overseeing the certification of election results until he was whisked away. as Trump supporters breached the Senate floor. Over the last several weeks, the special counsel closing in on Trump's inner circle. You see them right here, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, his former aide, Hope Hicks,

personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and Trump's deputy director in charge of Election Day operations, Gary Michael Brown, all speaking to investigators. And then in June, two so-called fake electors, accused of signing phony certificates in an effort to hand Donald Trump the state of Nevada, also interviewed by investigators and a sign of just how broad the scope of this investigation is.

In all dozens of Trump allies, acquaintances, and adversaries speaking with investigators, which brings us to this week. On Sunday, Trump and his legal team informed that he is a target in Jackson's probe, given four days to appear before the grand jury. An invitation, he's likely to reject. This case just one of four ongoing criminal investigations into Donald Trump. You see them all here, who's already been indicted in the hush money payments, investigation in New York and in the classified documents case in Florida, also overseen by

Jack Smith. And a separate grand jury in Georgia still investigating election interference there. A lot to track here on NBC's Garrett Haig, who follows the Trump campaign for us, cover it all for us. Donald Trump tonight is the target of another federal criminal investigation, this time into his efforts to hold on to power after losing the 2020 presidential election. The former president revealing the target letter on social media. media calling the special counsel leading the probe, quote, deranged Jack Smith, adding his attorneys received a letter Sunday night, giving him four days to come to Washington and tell grand jurors his sign of the story. Communication which Mr. Trump writes, quote, almost always means

an arrest and indictment. The special counsel's investigation covers any unlawful interference into the transfer of power in 2020, including the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, for which Mr. Trump has already been impeached, but not convicted, as well as efforts to send fake Trump electors to Washington. Michigan's Attorney General today announcing charges against 16 such electors from that state on election law and forgery felonies. This plan to reject the will of the voters and undermine democracy was fraudulent and legally baseless. Allies of the GOP presidential frontrunner springing to his defense as news of the target letter broke today. So what they do now, weaponize government, to go after their number one opponent, it's time and time

again. What specific charges Mr. Trump may face next are unknown and would come on top of criminal charges he already faces in Manhattan related to alleged hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and federal charges in Florida over his handling of classified documents. All while a grand jury in Georgia prepares to hear evidence of 2020 election interference there, which could lead to additional charges. All right. Garrett Hake joins us now live from Washington. Garrett, there was also a hearing earlier today in the classified documents case. I know for our viewers, it's a lot to keep track of.

With President Trump's legal team laying out its case to judge Eileen Cannon to push back the trial, what more can you tell us? It is a lot to keep track of, Tom. The defense lawyers here in this case argued that the government's desire to start this trial in December is just too early. They say there's too much material to go over. They still need to get their own clearances to even look at the classified evidence against their client. And they argued that the possibility of additional charges from the special counsel on an election-related case makes their job even tougher.

They want to essentially delay the trial start date on an open-ended basis. The judge didn't seem on board with that, but said she would issue her decision soon. And then Garrett, you know, we know in the other case, in the documents case, Squalton Nouda, the body guy, he also got that target letter before they were both indicted. Did anyone else in Trump's inner circle receive a target letter yet that we know of? Tom, it's been interesting. I've been making calls on this all day long. I can't find any other individuals who receive target letters.

But many of the other people who we think could potentially be involved in this or could potentially face criminal charges are folks who have already testified in front of the grand jury. There's no rule that says you have to get a target letter if you're going to get charged. It's just a formality. And there's even less of a desire to send it to someone who's already had a chance to come before the grand jury. and tell their side of the story. So I think just because other people haven't gotten target letters

or haven't gotten them yet, doesn't mean that the universe of people who could potentially face criminal charges here isn't much broader than just Donald Trump. All right, Garrett Hake, for us leading us off tonight here on Top Story, Garrett, we appreciate it. With President Trump, staring down a deadline to testify to the grand jury,

could we see him hit with more charges and possibly even taken into custody? I want to bring in now a former federal prosecutor and former criminal division chief for the Southern District of New York, Christy Greenberg. I also want to let our viewers know, a programming note here. We are waiting for the former president to actually address this at a stop somewhere in Iowa. When that happens, I'll interrupt you, and we'll take those comments as they come in.

But I want to start with you, Christine, a little fact check here. The president said a target letter almost always means an arrest and indictment. Is that true? Not always. It means that the prosecutors have sufficient evidence to be able to bring an indictment. However, a lot of times you send those target letters, and it means you want to negotiate a plea. You want to negotiate to see if that person will perhaps flip on another individual. In this particular circumstance where a target letter is being sent to a former president of the United States, he's right.

It means he is very likely to be charged. The special counsel gave President Trump, I think, until Thursday, to testify to the grand jury. You think that's going to happen? There is no way Donald Trump is going to testify because that means actually going under oath. And so anything he says under oath to a grand jury, he could then be charged with perjury if he lied. And we know, based on his public statements in the CNN Town Hall and all throughout the campaign trail, that he's had shifting stories about the classified documents about other areas of his narrative. So there is no way he's going to testify.

I believe his advisor actually said. earlier today, he was not planning to testify that you're injured. And then, Christy, I've got to ask you, what do you think about this issue that no one else in his inner circle has received a target letter just yet? Should we still kind of sort of be patient about that? Because there were so many conversations had

so many sort of different discussions with this. He had Rudy Giuliani, who was right by his side throughout this. Do you think there'll be more target letters, or could they be just honing and solely on the former president? So the charges that are contemplated here are conspiracy charges, right? The conspiracy to obstruct a proceeding with the count of the electoral votes.

Conspiracy to defraud an agency by putting in fake elector slates. And so when you have a conspiracy charge, it is natural to think that there would be other co-conspirators. It is surprising that lawyers for John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani have said that they have not received a target letter. But not everybody who is a target who would get charged necessarily gets one of those, especially if they have been in touch with the government. This is, I think, taking place in D.C. Will that timeline change? Does that change anything from what we saw in sort of the Manhattan case in New York City, the federal case down in Florida? As far as, you know, he's running for president.

There are debates. There's a campaign season. He's in Iowa right now. How will that affect all of that? Or do you think this will get pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed after the election? So certainly Trump's strategy is to delay. We've seen that in the case in the Southern District of Florida in his filing there. That is what he is going to try to.

to do. I think a number of the judges in D.C. have already seen those tactics with a number of his different motions and legal issues that have already come before that court, and I think they're going to have a lot less patience for it. So I don't think he's going to be able to delay endlessly. I do think there is a real public interest in having any trial occur before the election, and hopefully the judges recognize that and set any trial date before them. Former federal prosecutor Christy Greenberg, Christy, we really appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we want to turned out of Trump's possible indictment in the January 6th probe now looming over the race for the White House as well. His challengers for the GOP nomination now scrambling to respond

to these latest developments. Gabe Gutierrez is on the campaign trail for us tonight in South Carolina traveling with Trump's biggest rival in the race, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Tonight, Donald Trump's latest legal hurdle is shaking up the 2024 presidential race. Ron DeSantis, his closest rival, leveling some of his toughest criticism yet at the man who helped make him a GOP star. Do you think that former President Trump's actions were wrong on January 6th? I think it was shown how he was in the White House and didn't do anything while things were going on. He should have come out more forcefully. Of course that. But the Florida governor stopping short of accusing the former president of a crime. We look at institutions, unfortunately,

like our own FBI and Department of Justice, and we've seen the politicization of those institutions. We want to be in a situation where, you know, you don't have one side just constantly trying to put the other side in jail. And that, unfortunately, is what we're seeing now. Still, Mr. Trump's campaign calling to Santis' even lukewarm criticism a disqualifying take from an unserious candidate. As for Nikki Haley, Trump's former U.N. ambassador, she sounded off today, frustrated that the former president's legal troubles are sucking the oxygen out of the race. I mean, the rest of this primary election is going to be, in reference to Trump, is going to be about lawsuits, it's going to be about legal fees, it's going to be about judges, and it's just going to continue to be a further and further distraction.

We need a new generational leader. We can't keep dealing with this drama. Former New Jersey governor and prosecutor Chris Christie declining to comment on Mr. Trump's legal case without seeing the indictment, but writing his conduct on January 6th proves he doesn't care about our country and our Constitution. Businessman Vivek Ravaswamy, who has billed himself as a younger, more capable version of Donald Trump,

telling NBC News through a campaign spokesperson, I would have made very different judgments than President Trump did. But a bad judgment is not a crime. It's a mistake to say he was responsible for January 6th. If we go down this road of weaponizing our justice system against disfavored political opponents, then January 6, 2021 will just be a preview

of far worse to come. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, a longtime Trump critic, saying in a statement, Donald Trump's actions on January 6th should disqualify him from ever being president again. Another 2024 contender,

former Vice President Mike Pence, and the rioter's crosshairs on January 6th. Rush to safety by his Secret Service detail in the Capitol complex as the rioters stalked the halls of Congress. President Trump's words that day were reckless.

I had no right to overturn the election. President Trump was wrong then. He's wrong now. I'm not convinced that the president acting on the bad advice of a group of crank lawyers that came into the White House in the days before January 6th is actually criminal. But for most of the GOP field,

with a third indictment looming over former President Trump, muted criticism of the frontrunner again. Gabe Gutierrez joins us. tonight from Columbia, South Carolina, and Gabe, we saw there in your report. You really had the newsmaking exchange with the governor today. And it's interesting how the Trump campaign responded, right? You point that out. They retweet the video, the exchange, essentially criticizing Governor DeSantis for what he said. Yeah, that's right. Former President Trump's team essentially saying that this is a disqualifying take on the part of Ron DeSantis. And when you

look at the exchange, Tom, Governor DeSantis only went slightly. further than he had before, attacking former President Trump for what he did or did not do during January 6th. But the question many people are asking right now, including some of Ron DeSantis' own donors, is how much longer he can go in this direction with attacking Donald Trump only slightly, but still not wanting to alienate his core GOP primary voters and refusing to attack him on these mounting legal issues. Governor DeSantis, again, saying that he is against the criminal.

of politics, but not saying that former President Trump should be charged criminally. But a big question is how long he can continue with that line, considering he's still down more than 30 points in the polls, Tom. Gabe Gutierrez from the campaign trip for us, Gabe, we appreciate it. President Trump's opponents still reluctant to criticize him, despite his escalating legal trouble. But could additional federal charges chip away at that MAGA base, or would it only boost his political profile?

For more on the potential political fallout, I want to bring in our panel tonight, former Trump White House Deputy Press Secretary, Sarah Matthews. She resigned in the wake of the January 6th insurrection and testified to the January 6th Congressional Committee that Trump's actions that day were indefensible. And, of course, our good friend of Top Story, former Republican congressman and NBC News political analyst Carlos Scribello, thank you to you both for being here. I really do appreciate it. Carlos, I'm going to start with you. Do you think, guys, we actually have to take a quick break. I'm going to move from this. We do have the president speaking right now,

a former president speaking in Iowa. Let's listen in. I'm sorry to have a lot of people. I wish we could get them in. But it's great to be with you. We just did. on Hannity. It'll be on tonight. Your time, 8 o'clock. So I hope you're going to watch it. And we had thousands of people. We had a lot of people. Were you there? Did I do a good job?

We've had such an incredible relationship to your great state. I always say, and I shouldn't say it because it doesn't sound nice. But I did get the farmers of the good old farm states, $28 billion. How the hell could they vote against it? How can they vote against me? And we just had a poll. We're up 40 points, so that's good. And we're beating Biden by a lot. We're beating him here, and we're beating them nationwide by a lot. We're really doing a job.

And we have to change his government because it's become – our country is embarrassed by the people that are representing us. And our country has in itself become an embarrassment because of who's representative. I watched over the weekend as he announced to the world that we have no ammunition. You know, you always want to be truthful, but you don't have to say things. That was not a good thing. But I want to thank, where's Rod Blum? Is he here?

And the senator is here. Senator, come on up here. You're here. Thank you, Senator. Come on up. Great friends. And Bernie Hayes is here. Bernie.

Come on up. Bernie popular. Thanks, Bernie. The fantastic job. Yeah, that's about it. Oh, but how about Barrett? How about who is Barrett? Where's Barrett?

Come on, get up here, Barrett. So our country's never been in danger like it is right now because of the weaponry. You look at the power of nuclear, and we have a man that can't put two sentences together. We have a man, the only way he can get elected is to weaponize the weaponize. Justice Department, which he's gone around doing. I didn't know practically what a subpoena was and grand juries and all of this. Now, I'm like becoming an expert. I have no choice because we have to, it's a disgrace. If you say something about an election, they want to put you in jail for the rest of your life. It's a disgrace. So they can cheat on an election, but if somebody

wants to question the cheating, they want to call you a conspiracy theorist and all these other things. These people are sick. And, you know, I used to say that we're becoming a socialist nation. We skipped socialism. We're at the level of communism, fascist. You can call it what Marxist. You can call it what you want. But they're destroying our nation. They're destroying and rapidly destroying our country. We have prosecutors that are evil people. These are evil people. Deranged. I call him deranged. Just one particular man. I think he's a sick person. The level of hatred, the level of what they do and what they're doing to people, what they're doing to the Catholic Church, what they're doing to so many people, parents with the school board

situation, it's a very sad thing, and we have to take our country back, because these people are going to ruin, they're going to destroy our country. Millions of people are pouring in, unchecked drugs are pouring in, but millions and millions of people are coming into our country from prisons, jails, from mental institutions, from the worst places, and They're not up to good. They're not up to good. It's a very sad thing, terrorists. Okay, we've just been listening to former President Trump there in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,

taking these comments live because we did address the new indictment, which just happened, attacking President Biden saying he's weaponizing the Justice Department. Sarah, I actually want to start with you. You worked for former President Trump, right? You testified before the January 6th committee. You resigned because of what happened on January 6th. The president is now claiming he was just. asking questions about the election. Is that what you witnessed when you worked for him?

No, that's not what I witnessed. What I know is that his campaign officials told him over and over that he lost the 2020 election, that there was no substantial evidence of fraud, and the White House counsel's office told him that Mike Pence could not overturn the election. So for him to, again, double down and say that this was a stolen election, and he's just asking questions, is ridiculous. You know, you've been able to observe the former president for a long period of time. You probably know him better than a lot of our viewers do, because you work with him so closely. Where do you think his mind's at? Do you think he's getting nervous about all these indictments? And I would argue this indictment, if it happens at some point, again, it's just a target letter.

But if it becomes an indictment, it is more serious than what we're talking about with the classified documents. I think that he is worried. I think that because he's running for president, he thinks, thought that it would be a shield from the legal troubles that he was facing. That's honestly why I believe he jumped in the race, because he knew that these potential kind of cases were looming and indictments, and, you know, we've seen him be indicted twice, now potentially three, maybe even four times when the Fulton County, Georgia case is finalized. And so I think that he's going to put on a false sense of bravado and say that this is only going to boost him in the polls and all of that, but he has to be worrying.

When you were working there, you know, the former president has a way of doing things, he has a way of communicating, but when you were working there, did you feel, as it was getting closer and closer and even right after January 6th, that it had become criminal? I definitely did not agree with his lies about the election. I think I felt a commitment to the American people because I wanted to stay on board and see through the end of his tenure. but obviously when it resulted in what we witnessed on January 6th, that crossed a line for me, and it was indefensible.

But it was definitely a slow burn for me where I felt uncomfortable with the statements he was making in regards to the election. I believe that he had lost the election to Joe Biden, and people in the White House were telling him this, too, some of my colleagues, but instead of listening to them, he started tuning them out and listening to the advice of the likes of Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, telling him what he wanted to hear. And so, yes, I grew increasingly concerned, which obviously resulted in me resigning. And then Carlos, you know, he, you may have heard this. When Gabe Gutier has wrapped up his report, he says that, that Governor Ron DeSantis is still down by 30 points

in some polls for the Republican primary. Do you think former President Trump is still going to be the nominee? Well, Tom, it certainly looks that way now. But what's also obvious is that Ron DeSantis and others are starting to realize that if they actually want to challenge Donald Trump, they're going to have to confront him. They're going to have to criticize him. I know DeSantis didn't go all the way and condemn Trump, but certainly you see him inching towards criticizing Trump directly and losing some of that fear of the Trump base or upsetting the Trump base. DeSantis is in the midst of a campaign reset, and his language today indicates that he is going to be willing to start going after Donald Trump.

And quite frankly, Tom, that's the only way any of these candidates are going to have a chance at defeating Donald Trump in the primary. Right. But I want to put up, we have a graphic from an article on Politico that's up on their site, which is about Senator Tim Scott, right? And basically asking, can Senator Tim Scott throw a punch? Because he's being the happy warrior. But to your point, Carlos, a lot of people are running in this Republican primary.

And as they go after President Trump, it's sort of not in a very forceful manner, right? They're sort of being very careful because they don't want to offend the MAGA movement. My question to both of you, actually, and I'll pose this to Sarah. I mean, how do you win the Republican primary if right after Governor Ron DeSantis said that, the Trump campaign retweeted those comments, right, basically questioning his patriotism and basically saying that look at how Governor Ron DeSantis was attacking the January 6 rioters and demonstrators. I mean, with that kind of sort of, I don't know, rapid response. and the way they're sort of spinning this,

can anyone survive if they don't come directly after Trump in a forceful manner? I really do think that you have to take Trump head on because if you're not making the case for your own candidacy, then why would folks move their support from Trump to you? You need to be selling yourself and you need to be showing that you're not afraid to attack him, especially over something like January 6th where he deserves to be criticized. You know, Carlos, the one who's taking Trump head on is Chris. Christi, the former governor of New Jersey, and his polling numbers are terrible. His fundraising

is, it's been very, very tough for him to raise money when you look at people like Senator Sim Scott and Governor Ron DeSantis. So it's like, does that strategy even work? Well, it hasn't worked for now. Even though Chris Christie did announce, Tom, that he has qualified for the debate stage on August 23rd. That means he's received as many as 40,000 unique contributions from throughout the country. But that could be, I mean, it's not, but it could mean also $40,000. So, I mean, it's not impossible. I know the unique donors can be difficult, but I'm saying, like, it's not a ton of money. Well, the point is that Chris Christie is getting some attention for being the anti-Trump candidate. But I do agree with what you kind of suggest in

your question, Tom, that being anti-Trump is not a pathway to victory in the GOP primary. But that doesn't mean you can't confront Donald Trump. That doesn't mean you can't criticize Donald Trump, maybe while signaling that you support some of his policies, that is probably a more likely path to victory. Certainly, the path that will never lead to victory is those who are trying to follow Donald Trump, those who are trying to, you know, not upset Trump supporters. That's just not going to work because, as Sarah said, those individuals are never going to leave Donald Trump if no one makes a compelling case to them.

Sarah, real quick, before we go, you know, the former president loves loyalty, the people around him, some of them have been around him for a very long time. Do you think some of those people eventually will flip or have flipped in their conversations with some of these investigators and prosecutors? Obviously, we're going to need to see if this potential indictment drops and then what evidence they have. But I do think that in order for them to make a compelling case, there probably were some people who flipped on him and were telling the full story.

You know, I'll be curious to see who went and testified before the grand jury. We obviously know some of the names that have leaked out, but I will think that there will be some who hopefully will flip on Donald Trump, who see that what he did was wrong in his efforts to overturn the election and his failure to act on January 6th, but only time will tell. Sarah Matthews, Carl Scrobello, we thank you both for joining Top Story tonight. We do want to turn to another major headline. Overseas an American soldier is being detained in North Korea after running across the demilitarized zone and into the country. the U.S. Army confirming his identity tonight. NBC's Keir Simmons has the latest. Tonight, the Army confirming American soldier, Travis King, is detained in North Korea

after bolting across the border and effectively handing himself over to the regime run by Kim Jong-un. Washington, racing to signal he was acting alone. One of our service members who was on a tour willfully and without authorization crossed the military demarcation line. Two U.S. officials telling NBC News, he'd faced disciplinary action in South Korea and was supposed to be leaving the country. Another official said military police escorted him

as far as they could go, an airport checkpoint. He then tagged along a commercial tour to the demilitarized zone and made the dangerous crossing. He'll certainly be detained in that area initially and then probably take into an interrogation facility. We were in North Korea at the DMZ in 2017, seeing for ourselves the tense militarised border. And we're not allowed to stay here for very long. A US official tells NBC news, escorts from the tour tried to chase the soldier but didn't catch him.

In 2017, a North Korean soldier was shot multiple times as he dashed across the line to defect to the south. He had to be dragged in darkness to safety. That same year, U.S. hostage Ottawombia was released after 18 months detention. He was in a vegetative state and died soon afterwards, escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. The two countries have been growing further apart, with Kim Jong-un testing ballistic missiles. One fired just tonight. Today's events, risking adding to the diplomatic challenges at a difficult time. Okay, Kier joins us now on set.

here, a lot of strange things happening with this case. You've been to North Korea, reported from there. What do you think is happening with this one? Yeah, and it's a strange place, honestly, which makes it difficult to read, right? What we can say is that relations between North Korea and the U.S. have been in the deep freeze, frankly, for the past few years. Interesting, Tom, around 20 U.S. citizens have actually been detained by North Korea since the mid-90s. So it's, perhaps you could say, not unusual. But the question now, I think, is how do you get those talks started? How do you overcome that deep distrust? What we've seen, Washington try and do today is just signal to Pyongyang. This guy was acting on his own initiative.

He wasn't being directed from Washington. I think one of the questions tonight is do the North Koreans actually believe that? And do we know anything about the soldier at all? We're getting any more information? According to a U.S. official just tonight, 23 years old, was supposed to go back to Fort Bliss in Texas, served for two and a half years in the Army. I mean, those kind of, you know, resume details, if you like, are interesting, but what we don't know is why he did this. And what would compel someone to run into North Korea. It's so dangerous. You saw, I've been there.

I'm actually, honestly, tonight, amazed, stunned that he was able to do that. They didn't get shot. Correct. Yeah. Okay, Keir's Simmons for us tonight. Kierre, always great to have you. Good back.

Now to the nationwide protest in Israel, the demonstrations taking on a sense of urgency as a plan to weaken the courts could soon become law. This day of action, casting a shadow over the Israeli president's visit to the White House. Our Ralph Sanchez has this report from Tel Aviv tonight. Tonight, mass protests paralyzing much of Israel, as the country's rolling political crisis

appears to be coming to a head. Demonstrators swarming onto platforms at major train stations, while these military veterans chain themselves together in front of the defense ministry. At least 45 people arrested, police using water cannon to clear crowds from a major highway. All of it, in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to weaken. Israel's Supreme Court. And after six months of stops and starts, Netanyahu now looks ready to ram the first part of his legislation through Parliament as early as this weekend. For 29 weeks in a row, protesters have flooded this square in Tel Aviv, but while they've managed

to slow down Netanyahu's legislation, they haven't yet stopped up. These protesters outside the U.S. Embassy, hoping that a last-minute American intervention might force their government to back down. But while President Biden has repeated, express concern about Netanyahu's plan, he said nothing publicly today during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. And some protesters frustrated that Biden this week extended an invitation to Netanyahu to visit the U.S. This is bad for the Israeli protest movement.

What message is to send you? A tyrant who seeks to dismantle democracy. And you're inviting into the office. This is unacceptable. Netanyahu says the legislation will curb activist judges. starting with this week's bill which strips the Supreme Court of the power to rule government actions unreasonable. The court used that clause to stop Netanyahu appointing a man convicted of tax fraud to

a senior cabinet post. Tonight, growing numbers of reservist Air Force pilots say they'll refuse to show up for duty if the government pushes ahead, and protesters vowing to fight on even if the bill goes through, leaving Israel a nation deeply divided against itself. And even as protests continue here, Israel's president is expected to address a joint session of Congress in Washington tomorrow. He's likely to get a bipartisan welcome, but some progressive Democrats, including representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar, have said they will not attend in protest at Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Okay, Raf Sanchez for us from Tel Aviv tonight, Raf, thank you. We turn out of the Americas and the brutal allegations at the U.S.

Mexico border. A state trooper in Texas calling the treatment of migrants inhumane after he says he was asked to push families back into the Rio Grande and deny water even in extreme temperatures. This coming amid the state's installations of buoys line with barbed wire. We told you about this last week all along the river. Ellison Barber has more. Tonight shocking allegations at the border after a Texas state trooper, who is also a medic, called the state's response to migrants inhumane. In an email to a Texas DPS sergeant that was obtained by NBC News and first reported by the Houston Chronicle, the state trooper claims he was ordered to withhold water from asylum seekers despite extreme heat and told to push small children and nursing babies back into the Rio Grande. Allegations that Texas DPS is calling outrageous, adding that troopers have to treat migrants who need medical attention, but those claims now reaching the White House. If they are true, it is abhorrent, it is despicable, it is dangerous, and we're talking about the bedrock values of who we are as a country.

Among his concerns are the newly installed buoys that now line the middle of the Rio Grande, barrels wrapped in sharp wire that the trooper says has caused severe injuries. That makeshift wall is the latest effort by Governor Abbott's Operation Lone Star, which he says is an attempt to deter illegal immigration. But the trooper behind the email sent at the beginning of the month says that makeshift wall has caused deaths. In it, he includes photographs of some of the injuries, along with a list of gruesome incidents. He says he witnessed along the Eagle Pass border during the last week of June. Among them, a four-year-old passed out from exhaustion after being held back by wire and pushed by guards. A 19-year-old woman stuck in a wire while having a miscarriage. A five-year-old. A with a laceration to his leg after rescuing his son who was stuck on a barrel in the water,

a barrel that was covered in wire. Migrants denied water. And the moment they encountered a group of 120 exhausted and hungry migrants with babies and children, the trooper says at one point he and other troopers were given orders to push the people back into the water to go to Mexico, something he says they refused to do. Texas DPS insisting there is not a directive or policy that instructs troopers to withhold water from migrants or push them back into the river. Alison, Barbara, joins us tonight in studio.

So, Alison, you know, these allegations, they're so hard to believe and they're truly, truly awful. Do we know if this has to do with those new buoys they set up that we reported on last week? Or are these, like, existing structures that have existed and migrants trying to come through that sort of barbed wire? So based on this email, it seems like specifically the issue. here is this new structure. It's something that's different. And on top of this email we have from the trooper describing what he says he has witnessed in relation to how people are getting hurt as they're crossing these areas, a senior official with customs border and protection,

which remember that would be separate than the state group that set up these booies and these devices. They say that they have had issues and it is true that migrants are being injured in this concertina wire in this buoy area as they're trying to cross on it. And on top of of that. CBP is telling NBC News that it's creating more work for border patrol agents because then they're having to try to help migrants who are getting stuck as they are trying to cross. And then, Ellison, do we know, and I know it's early, but the new line of buoys they've done in the middle of the Rio Grande, is that deterring migrants? Have we seen any drop in the numbers or do we know? You know, right now there's no way to know for sure, but I can tell you two things.

One, when we look at the numbers of border crossings and encounters that Customs Border Patrol are reporting along this part of the border. When you look back to June, which was the first full month after Title 42 expired, there were about 100,000 encounters reported between ports of entry along that southwest portion. That is 42% less than what it was the month before in May of 2023. At the same time, right now, we are watching in Mexico a caravan of migrants, about 1,000 Venezuelan migrants who have left from Venezuela. They have crossed into Mexico now and are hoping to make their way north.

That's happening as we speak. Okay. Okay, Ellison Barber for us. Ellison, thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the investigation into a string of mysterious deaths in port. Four women killed over the course of four months, the person of interest who may be linked to all of them. Plus, truck versus train the moment in Amtrak train slammed into a semi of the passengers that were on board are doing tonight. And a new policy at the popular fast food chain in and out making headlines, why they're telling employees in five states they are not allowed to wear masks on the job. We'll explain. Okay, we're back down with a disturbing update in a series of deaths in Portland. Police revealing four recent cases are linked and have a person of interest. Stephen Romo with the latest on this developing story. After months of mystery shrouding a string of deaths in Portland, Oregon, the district attorney saying these four women's cases are linked.

The Multnomah County DA's office says it's investigating the same person of interest in the cases of 22-year-old Kristen Smith, 24-year-old Charity Perry, 31-year-old Bridget Webster, and 22-year-old Ashley Real. Authorities haven't released the identity of that person of interest or filed charges, but say they don't believe there's any active danger to the community right now. The causes of death for the four women are yet to be made public by the Oregon State. medical examiner. There are a variety of ways that they could connect these cases. We still don't know the type of weapon that was used, but there may be more evidence, such as seeing similar descriptions at multiple scenes or similar cars driven to and from scenes. The four leaked cases part of six deaths in the area, although authorities have not connected the other two yet. The women's bodies discovered between February and May, and all within the same 100-mile radius

around Portland, sparking fears about a serial killer. A term law enforcement has not used. I think police are operating always in a position of caution unless they have evidence that links all six. They are still saying we reserve the right to investigate these other two as being unrelated. Coincidences do happen. Joanna speaks is one of the victims not yet linked to that person of interest. Her family like the other. Others are desperate for answers. Why did this happen? How? It just doesn't make sense.

We're trying to cover all the bases, but we don't know. So Tom, we know right now there are four law enforcement agencies that are looking into these cases. All of them, though, are local agencies. The FBI has reportedly offered to help in these investigations, but as of right now, it's all local law enforcement looking into them. Tom. Okay, Romo, thank you for that. Coming up next to major development. the unsolved murder of Tupac Shakur.

Las Vegas PD exhuming his search warrant nearly three decades after the rapper was fatally shot. Could this finally lead them to his killer? What we're hearing from authorities. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed and an investigation is underway

into a train collision just east of Tampa, Florida. Dash cam video capturing the moment in Amtrak passenger train slammed into a semi that was stopped on the tracks. Authorities say the crash derailed part of the train's lead engine and caused a fuel leak. Seven people were hurt, but they're expected to be okay. The driver of the truck has since been issued a citation. A new development tonight in the nearly three decades search for the person who killed rap legend,

Tupac Shakur. Las Vegas PD confirming in a statement they have served a search warrant in connection with the unsolved case. This week at a home in the nearby city of Henderson. Authorities did not provide further details in that. release. Shakur was killed in the drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September of 1996. A man in Tulsa credited for helping catch a suspect fleeing police, new body cam footage. Check it out. It shows an officer questioning the suspect. When he takes off running, leading that officer on a foot chase, then an eyewitness stopped his truck, jumped out, tackles the man. You see it

right there, takes him to the ground. The suspect was taken into custody. He's charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest. And an in-and-out burger banning employees from wearing masks in five states, the fast food chain will require workers in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah to provide a doctor's note if they want to wear a mask while serving customers. According to an employee memo posted online, the new rules are designed to, quote, show our associates, smiles, and other facial features. The memo also saying employees who do not comply can be fired in-and-out did not respond to NBC's request for comment. Okay, coming up, Malaysia sued over watches. Why, the country sees more than $14,000 worth of swatch products and the new lawsuit filed by the popular brand,

claiming the move was completely illegal. Stay with us. All right, time now for Top Story's Global Watch and Russian forces launching air strikes on the Ukrainian city of Odessa. New body cam footage showing the destruction in the key Black Sea port city. Rescueers saving a man trapped under the rubble of a home.

Ukraine says Russia fired more than two dozen exploding drones and six cruise missiles. At least one person hospitalized, Russia calling it retaliation for yesterday's Ukrainian attack on a bridge in Crimea. A powerful typhoon slamming into southern China as extreme weather continues to hits parts of Asia. Video shows roads turned into rushing waterfalls after the storm made landfall with nearly 90-mile-per-hour winds. Firefighters carrying out rescues after fallen trees, trapped drivers inside of their cars. Nearly 230,000 people were evacuated as the storm now moves into northern Vietnam. And Swiss watchmaker Swatch is suing Malaysia for a seizure of pride watches.

In a new lawsuit, the popular brand alleges Malaysian authorities illegally seized 172 rainbow-colored watches. Officials of Malaysia were where homosexuality is a crime says the watches were pulled from stores for having letters LGBTQ on them. However, Swatch claims most of the seized items, which have a combined retail value, of more than $14,000 did not contain that lettering. Okay, now to an incredible story of survival at sea. Crews rest between an Australian man and his dog off the western coast of Mexico after they'd spent months drifting when their boat became disabled. NBC News national correspondent Miguel Almaguer explains what went wrong in the miraculous discovery.

Disembarking with a bounce from the ship that saved him, tonight Tim Shattuck's weary sea legs are firmly planted back on solid ground. After being lost at sea for nearly three months, the rescue sailor thanked the fisherman who threw him a lifeline and plucked him out of the ocean. Look, to the captain and this fishing company that saved my life, I mean, what do you say? I just so grateful. I'm alive and I really didn't think I'd make it. Spotted bobbing some 1,300 miles off Mexico's west coast, Shattuck, who was stranded at sea with his dog Bella, was frail, worn by the weather but determined to live, when fishermen working on a tuna trawler suddenly found him. Been through a very difficult ordeal at sea. The Sydney sailor apparently ate raw fish and drank rainwater to survive.

I'm still very skinny. By the time I came here to the fishing boat, I was a little. just eating so much food. Shattuck and Bella were just weeks into their three-month voyage from La Paz, Mexico, to French Polynesia, when he says a storm wiped out all the electronics aboard their catamaran, left with only each other. I'm just grateful she's alive. She's a lot braver than I am, that's for sure. The two drifted for months, fearing the end, could be near. You know, the health was pretty bad for a while. I was pretty hungry, and, um,

And I didn't think I'd make it through the storm, but now I'm really doing good. When you get saved, you feel like you want to live. So I'm very grateful. Tonight, a grateful castaway finally headed home. Miguel Almaguerre, NBC News. When we come back, Barbie Mania from coast to coast, the release of the movie Barbie just days away and nearly 100 companies have partnered with Mattel to cash in on the excitement. Just how much the movie is projected to make opening weekend.

That's next. Finally tonight, from luggage to video games, you may have noticed the world has turned a little more pink these days. It's all ahead of the big summer movie, the Barbie movie. Mattel working with dozens of brands and launching real-life experiences to help build excitement for that film. It appears to be working. Our Valerie Castro spoke to the woman behind the marketing,

Blitz and some very excited fans. Barbie, you're beautiful. Barbie, a global sensation since her creation in 1959. You can award Barbie the gold medal. The doll marketed to children for decades, with more than a billion sold during her existence. Teacher Barbie says, try it again. Now, Barbie's presence taking on a new life ahead of the highly anticipated and star-studded movie. Hi, Barbie!

Hi, Ken. Mattel seizing on the opportunity, creating a marketing frenzy ahead of the film's release. When we started working at earnest on the actual product strategy for this film, was to ensure that we were painting the world pink. We wanted Barbie to be everywhere. And paint the world pink they did with more than 100 global brand partnerships, including clothing lines, fast food products, entire Xbox game consoles with controller covers, hot wheels, and even insurance.

She bundled her dream house and her dream car. Beyond products, experiences are also popping up. Here's Barbie slide going down to the pool. You can actually stay at Barbie's Malibu Dream House in California because it's an Airbnb rental or party with Barbie on a cruise ship in the Boston Harbor. Even here in New York City fans can be California dreaming at Malibu Barbie Cafe. The Barbie fantasy now playing out in real life. For seven-year-old Ruby, it's a chance to take Barbie out to lunch.

He brought her laptop. Oh, her laptop, perfect, so she can work while she's at lunch. The parents even joining in on the fun. For me, we live in my childhood. I didn't get to, I had everything Barbie, but I didn't have all of this. So I'm living through my kids, and she gets to experience everything. Through the decades, Barbie hasn't seemed to go out of style, but the toy maker has faced scrutiny for the doll's unrealistic body type,

And for decades, she was only available in a white skin tone. We got feedback over 10 years ago that parents in particular stopped seeing Barbie as a positive role model. We needed to make sure that she was representative of different types of ethnicities and bodies and better reflection of, again, what beauty looks like today. A change, a new generation of Barbie fans seems to be noticing. What do you think it is about her that people still love so much? She's been around forever. More diversity and inclusion with the Barbies now that a lot of other people,

little girls can basically relate to. So it's going to make Barbie stay around way much longer now at this point. She can wear anything, and I feel like everybody, no matter what you look like, your body type, where you come from, you can fit into a Barbie style. Barbie is also now online, growing her social media fan base with more than 19 million followers across multiple platforms, and there are even Barbie influencers like Azusa Sakamoto. When I met Barbie, she, I knew she was a doll for kids, but. For us, I mean, for Japanese girls, like my generation, for us, she was more like American pop culture icon.

And as Barbie prepares to hit the silver screen, all the excitement seems to be working. According to Box Office Pro, the film is expected to rake in between $115 million to $155 million opening weekend. I just thought the promo for the movie is insane. Like, everything they're doing, all the campaigns, all the brand partnerships, And this popped up, too. Just really excessive, and I'm really excited for the movie. The Barbie movie is not just for Barbie people, but it's for everyone. All right, and with that, Valerie Castro joins us now from our own makeshift Barbie land here at 30 Rock.

So Valerie, great story. We know that the summer box office has been a little sleepy, so they are predicting a surge with this Barbie movie. But it's also doing something to the stock price of Mattel, right? Right. So since the day the trailer was released back in April, Mattel has seen a jump in their stock prices of about 16%. That is expected to continue and also expected to grow as the excitement at the theaters. They are planning special events. Some are planning costumed watch parties, a special merchandise.

Some theaters are even going to have specialty cocktails like at Alamo Draft House where you can buy alcohol to watch a movie. Okay. And then, you know, the other big release is Oppenheimer, of course, which is an NBC Universal release. And there's some kind of connection with Barbie for some moviegoers? So they're being released on the exact same day. Some people are calling the event Barbenheimer. And AMC says that more than 40,000 people have already bought tickets to see both films the same day, a double-header, if you will.

That's five hours of runtime at the theater. And very different, two very different films as well. Finally, I know that just because there's been so much reporting and writings on Barbie that we're learning where the name Ken and Barbie came from. The creator of Barbie was a woman named Ruth Handler. Her daughter was named Barbara, hence Barbie. She also had a son named Kenneth, and that's where we had a kid. They were the kids. Very interesting. Okay, Valerie Castro, thank you so much to learn so much about Barbie Corp. We appreciate it. And we thank you for watching Top Story Tonight. I'm Tom Yammis in New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.