Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Episode Date: June 14, 2023

Former President Trump speaks at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club after pleading guilty to federal charges in the classified documents case, Trump's fellow Republicans are split in response to his latest indictment, a transgender woman is banned from the White House after appearing topless at an event with President Biden, Russia bombs Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's hometown, killing at least seven people, and Pat Sajak announces his retirement from Wheel of Fortune after 41 seasons on the show.

Tonight, breaking news, Donald Trump arrested, arraigned, and defiant. The former president surrendering to U.S. Marshals at the federal courthouse in Miami, where he was booked and fingerprinted, before pleading not guilty to 37 counts of mishandling classified government documents. Chaotic moments as Trump left the courthouse. One person detained after lunging at the motorcade, Trump then making a surprise stop at a Miami landmark mingling with supporters will have full coverage from Florida and analysis of where the case goes from here. The indictment already looming large over Trump's 2024 campaign.

The GOP frontrunner now juggling being a candidate and a defendant in two separate criminal cases. What we're hearing from his political opponents tonight and who is saying they would issue a pardon if he's found guilty. I-95 Fireball, new video showing the moment an oil tanker crash. igniting an explosion that ultimately caused the busy highway to collapse. The new timeline for how soon that road could reopen. Banned from the White House, the Biden administration, saying a transgender influencer will not be welcomed back after taking her shirt off at an event on the south lawn. Tensions reaching an all-time high this pride month.

Target stores in multiple states receiving bomb threats over their LGBTQ merchandise. and why some fans are now boycotting Garth Brooks for comments he made about serving Bud Light. And final spin, Pat Sajak, announcing he's stepping down as host of Wheel of Fortune. Tonight we'll take a look back at the most iconic moments from his 40-year run, from his on-screen relationship with Vanna White, to the biggest contestant blunders that still have us laughing. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, former president Donald Trump, once again at the center of an unprecedented moment in our nation's history.

In a Miami courtroom this afternoon, Trump becoming the first sitting or former president to be arraigned on federal charges. And in typical Trump fashion, it was a spectacle. Trump first spotted leaving his golf club in Doral, accompanied by his son Eric as he made his way to the courthouse. A motorcade making its way through the streets of Miami. as a reminder, this case being heard in South Florida, where Trump allegedly clapped classified documents illegally at Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House. Trump's seen waving through the window of his SUV at supporters lining the route.

Some of those Trump loyalists camping out for hours for a chance to catch a glimpse of the former president and current GOP frontrunner. But Trump entering that courtroom through a tunnel. Once inside, where no cameras were permitted, Trump was fingerprinted that brought before the judge, sitting silently with his arms crossed as his lawyers entered a not guilty plea to all 37 counts on his behalf. Chaos then erupting as his motorcade left the courthouse. One man, look at him here, dressed in a striped prison jumpsuit, lunging toward Trump's car.

Miami police detaining that person, saying tonight he is still in their custody. Then in a surprise move, Trump's switching into campaign mode, making a stop at Bersaius, the Miami bakery and restaurant that is a staple in the Cuban community. shaking hands and taking selfies with supporters before the crowd saying him, happy birthday, a day before he turned 77. Right there with him just over his right shoulder is Walt Nauta, Trump's valet, who was also charged by the special counsel for his role in moving those documents. The judge today, after much argument, allowing Trump to have contact with Nauta if the two

do not discuss specifics of this case. Trump returning to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he addressed those charges for the first time at length on camera, taking aim at the special counsel and previewing his legal defense. We have full-team coverage to break down everything that happened today from the strength of the prosecution's case

to how this will affect Trump's latest bid for the White House. Leading us off tonight, NBC's Garrett Hake, who was inside that courtroom with the former president. Hello, everybody. Tonight, a defiant Donald Trump making a surprise stop inside a Cuban restaurant in Miami, greeting supporters after his historic arraignment. We have a country that's got nothing but problems where a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff.

And you see where the people are. We love the people. Later boarding his plane and leaving Miami, now the first former president facing federal criminal charges. A 37-count indictment alleging he mishandled classified information, then obstructed investigators when they tried to get it back. This morning, the Republican frontrunner seen with his son at his Doral resort before getting into his motorcade, which then drove through South Florida to the courthouse. Along the way, Mr. Trump posting one of the saddest days in the history of our country. With crowds of Trump supporters gathered outside. Freedom for Trump! Freedom for Trump!

The former president arriving underground, escorted by Secret Service, away from crowds and cameras. With no cameras allowed inside federal courtrooms, the former president processed like other federal defendants, including having a digital fingerprint scan, though no mugshot was left. taken. His aide, Walt Nauta, who was also charged by the special counsel in court today, too. Inside the courtroom, Mr. Trump's sitting with arms tightly crossed for much of the hearing that lasted less than an hour, never speaking to the court, his attorney pleading not guilty on his behalf. Prosecutors telling the judge he is not a flight risk. The case centers around requests by the National Archives for the former president to return classified documents after he left office.

The FBI eventually searching his Mar-a-Lago home, where agents say more. than a hundred classified documents were discovered. The special counsel alleging they found boxes, some of which contained classified information in Maralago's storage rooms, a ballroom, and a bathroom, and that on an audio recording from 2021, Mr. Trump acknowledged that at least one document was still classified, saying, quote, as president, I could have declassified it. And now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret. Overnight, Mr. Trump insisting he declassified material using his power as commander-in-chief, though he has provided no evidence that he did so. This president, I have the right to declassify.

Mr. Trump accusing the Biden Justice Department of targeting him with charges only because he's the top Republican challenger to President Biden in 2024. There's no criminality here. It's ridiculous. And these people, look, they're using it as election interference. They're using it to get elected. They think that if they can damage somebody's reputation, they can do it. Mr. Trump firing back at the special counsel. late tonight. One of the most outrageous and vicious legal theories ever put forward in an American court of law. What these thugs have done to my family is a disgrace. All right, Garrett Higg joins us now live from Miami outside that federal courthouse. Garrett, you were in court. Tell me

what you saw. And how would you describe the former president's demeanor? Well, Tom, the mood in the courthouse was weighty and tense for this hearing, which lasted a little less than an hour. The former president looked frustrated. It looked irritated to be there. He sat with his arms crossed for most of the hearing, just talking quietly with his attorneys on either side. I was sitting on the prosecution side of the room, and I found it notable that Jack Smith, the special prosecutor in this case, would periodically look over to check on Donald Trump. Trump never looked in the direction of Smith, despite all the times he's attacked him on social media and in speeches. An interesting moment there in observation. And Garrett, we know the president is set to take the stage for a speech later to the tonight. What are he and his team saying about this arraignment and what can we expect tonight? Well, he's called the arraignment a sad day for America on social media and in previous speeches.

And he's given kind of an outline over the past four or five days and his general thoughts on this, Tom. I think we can expect the former president to continue to attack the investigation, attack Smith, possibly in personal terms, and try to turn his legal troubles into political and particularly fundraising opportunity. Remember, the Trump campaign says they raised $12 million after his first indictment in arraignment. They've released no such numbers this time. I'll be watching out to see if perhaps they do that by tomorrow. Garrett Hake, leading us off tonight in a reminder, once the former president speaks, we will bring you portions of that speech tonight right here on NBC News Now.

For more on the legal jeopardy facing the former president, we have two special guests tonight. One, you know very well. Our NBC News legal analyst, Danny Savalos. Our other is famed criminal defense attorney, Ed Schia. show hat from Miami, Florida. Ed has faced off against the government defending several high-profile defendants, including some who have been called or connected to the quote-unquote cocaine cowboys. It has been in the legal game for decades and has cut his teeth in federal court. For the purposes of this segment, tonight Ed will focus on what the defense could look like

for former President Trump, while Danny will play the handsome prosecutor who, according to legal filings, has a lot of evidence. Thank you to you both for being here tonight. Ed, I'm going to start with you. I know our top story team has sent you that indictment. What should Donald Trump's defense look like? A full frontal attack. If history is prologged with Donald Trump, he's going to go after this case, hammer and tongue. It's going to be very, very difficult. That indictment is very powerful.

I expect a phalanx of motions to be filed almost immediately after discovery comes out. One, based on public-facing reporting, will be an attack on the grand jury proceedings for prosecutorial misconduct. others are going to be in effort to suppress the Cochran notes, the attorney notes, which were pierced on the crime fraud exception, they will attempt to get Judge Cannon to suppress those so they can't be used at trial. That will throw a real wrench into the prosecution's case. Danny, you're the prosecutor in this case. Ed Schoe had clearly an experienced hand in federal court. What do you say? The evidence in this indictment we have right here, and even Ed said it himself, I mean, this is a tough case. Some have said it's not a smoking gun, but it's a gun with

Donald Trump's fingerprints on it. Yeah, you're asking me to play prosecution, but that is necessarily biased as I am a defense attorney, so I'll say it this way. This looks to be government prosecution 101, overkill. They are going to have numbers and numbers of witnesses, documents, recordings, evidence. I often say that the one error the government commits sometimes is they put on too much evidence. They make it too complicated for a jury. But then again, they have that burden of beyond a reasonable doubt, so they have every incentive to cram as much evidence as they can.

And ironically, we're looking at boxes. I imagine that their trial boxes will be twice as many boxes full of evidence that they will bring to bear against Donald Trump. The indictment itself is just a prelude of the evidence that they are going to dump into this case, the evidence that they're going to dump on the defense in discovery. To be clear, you're telling our viewers there's going to be even more evidence. we're going to find throughout this trial. Yeah, the indictment is really designed to be a bare-bones document that gets you to probable cause. It's only in the modern era and in highly political cases like this that you see these speaking indictments that work as narratives and charging instruments because they tell a tale.

For who? Not the defendant. The defendant isn't necessarily even entitled to that much detail. Instead, it's for us. For the public, for the media, the government is sending a message. And that message is, we have the goods, we promise. Ed, this is what we have so far, so we'll work off them. We have a lot of photos. You saw on that indictment there. Trump has defended himself, right, publicly by saying he was allowed to take the documents and that he could declassify them at any time. The indictment makes clear he knew he couldn't have had the documents after leaving office or declassify them, but that he had taken them from the White House and moved around to evade authorities. How do you think the defense squares that up? It's going to be very difficult. I'm not sure he has a defense to the document retention counts under the espion.

But if he has one, it's this. Look, I was very, very busy at the time I left the White House. I packed some of those boxes. I didn't see classified documents in him. I had the right to take the documents, and you made me give him back before I had a chance to go through them. I was just going through all the boxes with the intention of giving back all those documents that I didn't even know were really there until the grand jury subpoena came down. I would have given him back if you'd given me enough time.

time. Danny, I don't know that he has much else. Yeah. Ed and Danny, I want to remind our viewer some of the agencies that Trump allegedly mishandled documents from. I want to put it up on the screen now. There's two pages of these graphics because there are so many agencies. The first being, of course, the CIA, the Department of Defense, National

Security Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. A lot of people probably didn't even know that existed. The National Reconnaissance Office, Department of Energy. It goes on and on. Danny, what do you say to what Ed was saying about the mishandling of the documents, saying, oh, we were just too busy. We were moving. We didn't know about this.

I agree with Ed completely. I think that is the really the only viable defense Trump has. Don't anticipate or don't predict Trump's defenses from the words that come out of Trump's mouth at a podium or at a rally. Trump is not a lawyer. Trump doesn't know anything about his own legal defense. Instead,

we've already gotten hints from his defense counsel, who are actually some of his ex-defense counsel. But in letters to Congress or even on TV during interviews, they've given us a preview. And the preview is exactly what Ed said. It's going to be, look, if you'd given me more time, I would have worked with the National Archives, but they, instead of working with me, referred it to DOJ. And then once it

went to DOJ, DOJ was inflexible on subpoena dates. They didn't let me do rolling production. They didn't let me do it at my own pace because, look, I'm a former president, I'm busy, and guess what else? The National Archives has set up an infrastructure for every recent ex-president except me. In other words, they helped the other presidents with these documents. They didn't help me. Now, is that a defense that's going to work? I don't know. I'm not saying it's a great defense. As defense attorneys, we don't pick our facts. The government curates, picks, grooms, landscapes its facts until they have the case they want to bring to the grand jury. We have to deal with the facts we're given. So I'm saying that that is probably the most viable defense. Is it great?

No. Ed, you've dealt a lot with the federal government. You know there's strategies, what prosecutors do to maybe, quote-unquote, intimidate clients that they're trying to prosecute. You've defended a lot of people, I would say, are tough guys, people that aren't scared easily. I would say former President Trump probably does not scare easily. And yet they released a lot of these photos, right? And the media has these photos, the public has the photos. It shows the sloppiness of allegedly where these documents were put. They were put in bathrooms in Mar-a-Lago. They were put on stages. There was one spilled out here. Apparently, in this one, in the indictment, They say there's actually portions that are redacted from some classified documents.

Ed, do you think that prosecutors are sending a message to the former president that we're not playing around? We have the evidence here? 100%. That's why this is such a speaking indictment. They have laid out a case that's going to intimidate him. Look, he's a very difficult client. I don't know how you could represent this client because you have to tell him the truth. And I believe that a lawyer telling him the truth right now would say you've got to work out a deal. Let's go to the government, pull all three prosecutors together, the Atlanta prosecutor, the New York prosecutor, and Smith, and offer to drop out of the race in exchange for a no jail time resolution of this case.

Let's resolve this case globally. That has been done, by the way, in political cases in the past. But Trump's not going to listen to that, and the lawyers are afraid to tell him that. That's the truth. Danny, the other person indicted is Walt Nauta. We saw him side by side with the former president in the courthouse, side by side. at Versailles. And just for people out there who are watching, it's Versailles, but in Miami we call it Versailles so you know. What does that tell you? Do you think Walt could flip on the former

president? The thing that stood out to me is that he still has no local counsel, this valet of the former president. It's so entertaining to me how buddy-buddy Donald Trump is being with Nauta because I think, frankly, Nauta could ask Trump for a Ferrari and he would get it. Trump needs Nauta to be his best friend going forward because everybody knows that even if, as has been reported, Nauta is currently not interested in cooperating, is currently Trump's friend. What Ed will tell you, what criminal defense attorneys will tell you is that as time goes on, as the pressure builds, as trial looms, someone who is a staunch non-cooperator today will change their mind in a month, maybe even in a few weeks, and become a cooperating. witness with the government against another co-defendant. And this is a classic case of the government is interested in Walt Nauta. They never heard of him before they started this investigation. They're interested in Donald Trump. They would be receptive to offering Walt Nauta a deal,

probably one that is straight probation, probably a really favorable deal for him to cooperate. And that's something that he may not be considering today, but he'll reassess in the future. And I know you've had cases where you had very powerful men. who had a lot of loyalty around them and people turn on them when it comes down to federal indictments. What type of pressure do you think, Walt Naute is under right now? Incredible pressure. I took a quick look at the federal sentencing guidelines. He probably is looking at somewhere between three and eight years under the federal sentencing guidelines, and this is a quick examination, nothing final like you'd really do in the

case. But he's looking at that kind of time in jail. You do 85% of the time. The prosecutors have a big-time hammer hanging over his head. Ed, finally, if Donald Trump was your client, what would you tell him about the attacking of the judge, the attacking of this case, the going on truth social, what he's going to say tonight at Bedminster? I mean, is he opening himself to any further legal repercussions? For sure. In most federal courts, he would have already been told to cool it, to stop with the attacks. He's already above the law. Most defendants are charged as he's charged with his. his history wouldn't have gotten bail today. There was not even a consideration of that for Trump. He's a threat to the national security. The government could easily have made an

argument for pretrial detention. And with most federal judges, if he steps out of line and continues stirring up trouble for federal prosecutors that could end up in violence, he could lose his bail. Ed Shohat, fame criminal defense attorney out of Miami, Danny Savalos, fame mediocre. Mediocre. Mediocre. I was going to say, fair to me. As well in New York, guys, thank you. This was an incredibly smart legal conversation. Thank you to be you both. With President Trump facing an uphill legal battle, most of his Republican rivals now blasting the indictment as a partisan attack, though, some now calling the former president's handling of classified documents reckless. NBC News Chief White House correspondent Kristen Welkowitz. Tonight, the historic shake-up in the race for the White House. The Republican frontrunner, former President Trump,

now charged by the government he used to lead and wants to lead again. And now his Republican rivals calibrating how to respond. Mr. Trump's former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, pressed today about a possible pardon if he was convicted. I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a document's case. So I would be inclined in favor of a pardon. After this sharp criticism last night. If what it says is actually the case, President Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security. But most of Mr. Trump's Republican rivals rallying around him, from his top opponent to his former vice president.

And tonight on Capitol Hill, many Republicans blasting the charges as part of a double standard favoring Democrats. You got a classified document concern with Clinton, Biden, and Trump. So three people involved in the same thing, but only one gets prosecuted? How is that justice? I'm not saying these documents should have been there, just like they shouldn't have been in Biden's garage either. But they do not meet the standard of bringing a prosecution. Hillary Clinton was investigated for keeping classified documents on an unsecured private email server. Investigators say she cooperated and was not charged. A special counsel is investigating President Biden's handling of classified information, which was found in multiple locations, including his Delaware home and garage. Mr. Biden and his attorneys have cooperated with investigators.

Tonight, no comment from President Biden about Mr. Trump's arraignment. First Lady Jill Biden speaking to Democrats in Manhattan. saying of Republican voters, they don't care about the indictment. So that's a little shocking, I think. A new poll showing 76% of GOP primary voters view the indictment as politically motivated. Though fierce Trump critics like GOP candidate Chris Christie arguing the charges are another sign, Republicans should move on from Mr. Trump. And the former president should have turned over classified documents when they were subpoenaed.

He is now going to put this country through this when we didn't have to go through it. Everyone's blaming the prosecutors. He did it. And this reaction from a Republican congressman in a swing district. We can't just deny what President Trump did was wrong. I mean, it's clear as day, wrong. Chief White House correspondent, Kristen Walker joins Top Story, now live in studio. Kristen, great to have you here.

So so far, the indictment, we haven't seen that affect the former president's frontrunner status in the GOP primary. Great to be here, Tom, and great to see you. We haven't seen it impact us front. runner status. In fact, in the wake of the indictment in New York, his polls only went up. We'll have to see what happens this time. Here's the difference this time. You are starting to see these challengers pull away from him. Chris Christie, not a surprise because he came out of the gate taking aim at former President Trump. But the fact that Nikki Haley has sharpened her tone is quite significant. Remember, she was getting some buzz as a potential VP nominee if Trump

were to win the nomination. But here's the question, I think. Do we start? start to see the other candidates chime in as well. Ron DeSantis, who is Mr. Trump's nearest rival, for example. He has really held his fire as it relates to this indictment. Tim Scott has said, these are serious charges, so he's kind of dipped a toe at this point, but he hasn't gone full throttle. If you start to see a real chorus of voices, though, that could potentially, and I stress the word, potentially start to chip away at some of his support around the edges. But, Tom, you know, Trump's base is incredibly strong. Right. And we're going to talk about this more in our next panel. do want to ask you to circle back to your report. The White House is staying away from this.

They're not commenting on this at all. That's right. It was notable that the first lady made those comments, one source close to her saying that they were off the cuff remarks. But President Biden hasn't commented at all. And that's in part a political strategy telling obviously he's running for re-election. He wants to make the case that he is a president who keeps the Justice Department as an independent branch. But he's also trying to make the case. It's business as usual here. I'm busy fulfilling the office of the presidency and the duties that go along with it. And that is

his goal to have that split screen every day. We'll have to see if it works because he's going to keep getting asked about it. And his classified documents case is still ongoing. Has enclosed yet. Still ongoing. Absolutely. Many Republicans, as we just heard, they're standing behind the former party leader throughout his federal indictment.

But do other candidates stand a chance if they don't emerge from Trump's shadow? I want to bring in our panel. We have a lot of special guests again. former White House Deputy Press Secretary for the Trump administration, Hogan Gidley, Sarah Fagan, former White House Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush, and political contributor Julia Manchester. She's a national politics reporter for The Hill. Guys, everybody, thank you for joining us so much.

Hogan, I'm going to start with you because you know the president best here. You work with him. I want to put a graphic on the screen. I'm not sure if you can see it. This is the maximum prison time the president could face if he's charged in this case. and it goes from anywhere from 20 years to 10 years. What do you think is going through the president's head right now? Well, look, I think it's pretty clear that he's walking tall.

I mean, you saw him in that campaign stop he made this afternoon. He's got another campaign stop in Bedminster. So basically today was a day on the campaign trail for Donald Trump with a stopoff for a little indictment in Miami. That's pretty much what it shaped out to be. But the fact is, these are obviously serious charges. And when you're talking about the federal government, they have unlimited money, unlimited resources to continue to try and go after this president. Obviously, being a federal charge with so many counts, all they have to do is get one of those counts to stick.

But at the same time in Trump's defense, all he has to do is get one juror to stand tall as well. So it's a very interesting political dynamic we have shaping up on the side of the race as well. But do you think he's worried? Do you think he's worried about this? I don't think he's worried right now, the conversations I've had with his inner circle. I've not spoken to him in a couple of weeks, but nonetheless, I don't see it on his face right now. Sarah, I do want to talk about some of the things Hogan mentioned today, right? Go to the images of the day that were orchestrated by Trump and his campaign.

It was probably politically smart, right? Talk about the calculation to go to Versailles right after he's been arraigned, right after this historical sort of arraignment, right? A former sitting president to be arraigned on federal criminal charges. And there he is glad-handing, giving kisses, taking selfies, really at an important landmark in Miami there. And, of course, it was covered by every single news agency organization that had a live feed here. Talk to me about this moment politically. Well, look, he's trying to project strength. He needs his supporters to think he's not worried if he is, in fact, not worried.

And he's running for election, which, of course, re-election, I guess you could say election. Because that's probably his best defense. The biggest argument he has is that the opposing parties' Justice Department is the one doing the prosecuting. And, you know, politically, that's a very powerful argument. So I think this was a very prudent move on his part, if you just think of it politically. And I think you'll see a lot more of these kinds of campaign stops when he is in front of courts. Julia, we saw in Kristen's piece there that 76 percent of Republican voters think that this indictment. is politically motivated, right?

So talk to me how you get that number. And then if you're somebody who's running against former President Trump, how you make your own inner calculation of how you address this, because a lot of the next few months, this is going to be the question that's asked to every candidate. Yeah, look, Tom, I think a lot of the Republican primary base simply thinks this is a witch hunt to use President Trump's words against him, and they're not willing to essentially accept it,

even though the allegations are serious. I think a lot of the primary base also likes what President Trump, you know, in terms of what he does in terms of his policies and those American, America First policies. You know, for the other candidates, though, it's difficult for them. I think they're in a very difficult situation, especially if you're someone like Governor Ron DeSantis, because you want to differentiate yourself from Trump. But at the same time, all of these candidates are most of them. I shouldn't say all. a lot of them are kind of running on these America First principles and, you know, running on, you know, much of Trump's platform, if you will, especially on issues like the economy, for example. So if you're Ron DeSantis and you're trying to differentiate yourself, you don't want to necessarily attack him on the indictment because then you're alienating a huge part of the GOP primary base. But at the same time, I think, you know, looking at what Ron DeSantis is doing, today he was rather quiet, but there was reporting out that he, you know, released that essentially talked about how he would

reimagine the Justice Department under him, talking about how he believes the FBI and Justice Department are biased against Republicans and conservatives. So they're in a difficult situation. And for President Trump, I mean, today we're all talking about him. He has multiple campaign stops. And, you know, most polling, if not all polling, shows him leading by double digits. Yeah. Hogan, do you think some of these candidates, it's interesting, they want to be the leader of the free world, these GOP candidates. They want to go face to face with China, with Russia, and yet they're afraid to attack former President Trump or call him out for allegedly mishandling these classified documents, which when you look at the indictment, the evidence is

incredibly strong. Do you think simply that some of these candidates are just afraid of former President Trump? Well, there are political realities that exist. First of all, of course, they're afraid of him in the political sphere. He's ahead by 40 points to the nearest challenger, Ron DeSantis, of course, just crushing him in these early primary states as well. What they want are his voters, and they're afraid to attack him head on because, of course, by mortally wounding, fatally wounding Donald Trump's campaign, you're going to really anger a lot of that MAGA base. That's why I said on your show weeks ago that what I think the strategy is for a lot of these folks is to let the judicial system try and hurt Donald Trump with death by a thousand cuts at this point.

And so this today was a really interesting pivotal moment. Nikki Haley, I think, who's always waffled back and forth on Trump. So that's nothing new. I have to disagree with Kristen a little bit there. But the fact is, she's not really going to be a player in this. But someone like DeSantis, obviously, talking about remaking the Department of Justice or reworking the FBI, agencies now that have been proven to be weaponized against people on the right for liking the wrong tweet or attending the wrong speech or downloading the wrong podcast or having the wrong political view, is a smart move on his part.

But right now, Donald Trump still controls so much of the narrative. He's been in the news all day long, not necessarily for the best things. But the fact is, he can play this two ways, as the victim of a weaponized government that's now been proven to be that. And the victor, that I'll come out on the backside of this stronger and better off, knowing more that if I get reelected, I can fix all of this for the American people. It's a strong message. We'll just have to wait and see how it plays out before voting starts in Iowa. South Carolina and New Hampshire. Hogan, you know, the Justice Department will, of course, point to that indictment to the audio recordings, to the photos, to a lot of the evidence as the reasons why they

brought this case. I do want to move over to Sarah now. Sarah, how does somebody like Governor DeSantis, though, make the argument that he should be the leader of the GOP? He should take on Biden come 2024. If he's not tackling this issue head on, and at what point with both the Manhattan case, with this federal case, with potentially other cases down the road in Georgia, in D.C., at what point does DeSantis sort of take this head on and say, if you want to turn the page, I'm your guy. Well, I think that's what has to happen. I think you have to handle it, you know, very deftly, as Hogan pointed out, because there are political realities within the base of the Republican Party. But I thought Governor Christie's comments that you played earlier was the right

approach, which is to say, look, we don't have to get into whether he's guilty or not. What he has is noise, and he has distraction, and the country's problems are so large and so great. And he's talking about, you know, what happened before he left office or as he was leaving office. And I need to talk about what's going forward. And he's got to convince that enough of that Trump base that Donald Trump did a good job as president, was a good leader for the party, but can't effectively move the country forward because of all of this. noise. And it's a careful line one has to thread, but I think that's what she'll see DeSantis do. It's already what Chris Christie's starting to do, and I think that's the right strategy.

Julia, how do people like Senator Tim Scott, former vice president Mike Pence? I mean, how do they get into this conversation by trying to either ignore this or letting it play out if so much of the country is talking about this? And again, I mean, even if you're a Republican, you still have your former president who's being indicted, and this has never happened before in this country. Yeah, well, for Tim Scott, he's walking a very fine line. I mean, he acknowledged that these are very serious allegations while at the same time talking about what he said was a double standard in how Republicans and Democrats are treated in terms of these investigations.

If your former Vice President Mike Pence, though, I think that's even more complicated because Mike Pence, and I mentioned the America First principles that a lot of these candidates are running on before, you know, Mike Pence was president. Trump's number two, literally, during his administration, they have a very similar platform or they did have a similar platform. But what we've seen him do, Pence, since he launched his presidential campaign, is to become more critical of Trump, more vocally critical of Trump than he ever has before, particularly on January 6th. Now, I personally don't think that's going to play well with a majority of the Republican primary base who seems to be wanting to move on.

But look, in terms of how he approaches the indictment, though, I mean, that's going to be a very fine line for him to walk because he doesn't want to alienate that same base. Sarah and Hogan, last two questions for you guys. It's the same question. Sarah, I'll start with you. If you were advising former President Trump, would you tell him to take the debate stage in August or to sit it out? Yeah, he has to take the debate stage because he has to look strong. He has to look unafraid of these charges. and it's the best opportunity to get in front of the most people

to continue to further his arguments, which are this should be a civil case, this is democratic prosecution, this is unfair, they didn't give me time, all the things the attorney said earlier. So I don't think he has a choice that would be really foolish to skip that debate. Hogan Gidley, Sarah Fagan, Julia Manchester, a great conversation on the politics of all this.

We appreciate it. There is still more news to get to tonight and Silla had banned from the White House, a transgender activist taking off her shirt during an event on the South lawn. What we're hearing from the Biden administration about that moment, plus new video showing the tractor trailer crash that triggered an explosion under I-95 when that critical highway could reopen. And Lennon and McCartney reunited? The brand new record from the Beatles dropping soon and how they pulled it off. Stay with us. Top story.

Just getting started on this Tuesday night. We're back now with the backlash surrounding Pride Month, a transgender activist now banned from future White House events after appearing topless at the Pride celebration hosted by President Biden over the weekend on the White House lawn. And NBC News is also now confirming bomb threats called into target stores across multiple states over their pride merchandise. NBC Stephen Romo has more of the ongoing controversies. Tonight, the White House at the center of the latest, Pride Month controversy. Welcome to the White House. Thank you. Saying transgender activist Rose Montoya

is now barred from future events. It all happened at what was the largest pride celebration in White House history. Happy Pride Month. Montoya posting a reel on Instagram, showing her at the event, shaking hands and posing for selfies with the president. Hi, Mr. President. It is an honor. Then after Biden moved on, Montoya standing next to two transgender men who had surgically removed their breasts, all posing topless on the White House lawn. Critics taking to the internet in outrage. The White House then responding, saying the behavior was inappropriate and disrespectful. It was unfair to the hundreds of attendees who were there to celebrate their families. It really does not reflect the event that we hosted. Adding that those in the video will not be invited to future events.

taking to TikTok to defend her actions. I would just like to say that first of all, going topless in Washington, D.C. is legal? Why is my chest now deemed inappropriate or illegal when I show it off? However, before coming out as trans, it was not. I had zero intention of trying to be vulgar or be profane in any way. It's just the latest flashpoint surrounding Pride Month. Target has been in the spotlight with conservatives complaining about its pride merchandise. And then after pulling some of it off the shelves, citing the safety of its employees, the store found itself under fire from LGBTQ advocates. The controversy now going beyond debate as NBC News has confirmed bomb threats related to LGBTQ issues

to multiple target stores and at least five states, according to the local police departments involved in these incidents. There's something going on, but they're not telling us. Customers confused, as some were evacuated over the weekend from this location in Oklahoma City after a threat was sent. Some of the workers don't even know what's going on. Police said no explosive devices were found, but a message sent to local news outlets, including NBC affiliate K4, had the date of the Oklahoma City bombing included. In Louisiana, police saying the threat stated it was, quote, due to target betraying the LGBT. PLUS community. It's not clear what the motive was behind the other threats. Target telling NBC News, quote, the safety of our team members and guests is our top priority. Law enforcement investigated these claims and determined our stores are safe. Our stores are currently open and operating regular hours. And Target, not the only company in the middle of a pride firestorm. Bud Light's sales struggles are well known now after a promotional post from a trans. influencer. I got some Bud Lights for us. Now, country music Hall of Famer Garth Brooks

addressing critics after he said his bar will serve Bud Light. We're going to serve every brand of beer. We are. Some upset with Brooks's remarks vented online, but the music star not backing down, defending his decision on a Facebook live stream. So here's the deal, man. If you want to come to friends and no places come in. Come in with love. Come in with tolerance. And with that, Stephen Romo joins Top Story Live. And Stephen, some people who may not know Garth Brooks may be a little confused, but this is actually very on brand for him. Yeah, it sure is. Some people were surprised that Garth Brooks took this stance. But if you paid much attention to him at all, all the way back in 2000, he performed at a concert called Equality Rocks with George Michael, advocating for equal rights

for LGBTQ people well before many politicians who championed right now. now we're on board with it. He also had a late sister, Betsy, who was a part of the LGBTQ plus community, may give some insight into his point of view on these issues. Okay, Stephen Romo for us, Stephen, we appreciate it. When we come back, victory celebrations ending in gunfire, shooting erupting in Denver as fans celebrated the Nuggets championship win. At least 10 people heard here what we're learning about the investigation next.

All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a mass shooting in Denver, following the Nuggets win in the NBA finals. Authorities say gunfire erupted as a large crowd celebrated the victory in Denver's downtown. At least 10 people were hurt, including three in critical condition. So far, two people are in custody. Police believe several people were fighting when the shooting happened. New video captured the deadly tanker explosion that caused Interstate 95 to collapse. Take a look at this. surveillance footage from a warehouse nearby showing the moments the truck crashed.

You see it there into the bridge and burst into flames. Massive plumes of thick smoke billowing from the wreckage. The truck had been carrying more than 8,000 gallons of gasoline at the time of the explosion. Officials say reconstruction will likely take several months. And this is a truly bizarre one. A couple in Atlanta coming home to a surprise visitor. A doorbell cam capturing the moments the pair spotted a vulture. That's right, a vulture inside their living room.

The bird perched on an armchair after the homeowners say it got inside through a doggie door. It eventually flew out a back door. Good to know. Okay, turning out to some more serious news, the war in Ukraine, where Russian missiles rang down on President Zelensky's hometown, killing at least seven and injuring dozens more. This attack as Ukraine's counteroffensive is intensifying. NBC's Ralph Sanchez has this report. Tonight, a Russian missile strike bringing devastation and chaos to President Zelens. Olensky's home city of Kreevy Ri. At least 11 people killed when cruise missiles slammed into this apartment block and other civilian targets, Ukrainian officials say. Their bodies laid out by the

playground. Just hours earlier, President Putin's champagne glass in hand accused Ukraine of targeting residential areas. The attack comes as Ukraine's counteroffensive gains momentum, liberating a string of small villages from Russian control. Near Bakhmut, close quarters combat in trenches and bunkers. One week after this dam exploded, water levels alarmingly low around the Zaporica Nuclear Power Plant, raising fears its reactors could overheat. Dmitri Orlov is the exiled mayor of the neighboring city. How worried are you about a disaster at the nuclear plant? There are such worries and fears, he says, but we're ready for the worst scenarios. The UN's top

nuclear official hoping to shield the plant from fighting nearby. There is active combat, so we are worrying that there could be, I mean, obviously, mathematically, the possibilities of a hit. A risk growing worse as the fighting intensifies. And President Putin today saying the only way this war will end is if the West cuts off weapons to Ukraine, the White House going in the opposite direction, announcing a new $300 million dollar military aid package. Tom. Ralph Sanchez from Ukraine tonight.

Coming up next, a living nightmare, a family gathering to mourn the loss of a 76-year-old woman when they heard noises coming from her coughing, what they found when they went to check her pulse. Stay with us. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch, and we begin with the deadly street attack in the UK. Police say a 31-year-old man driving this white van. you see here, ran over several people in the city of Nottingham. At least three people have been killed.

The suspect was taken into custody. It's unclear if the attack was random or terror-related. Local police say they are working with counterterrorism officials to investigate this. A real-life nightmare in Ecuador, where the family of a woman realized she was alive inside of her casket. The 76-year-old woman was pronounced dead after suffering a suspected stroke and cardiac arrest. She was taken to the funeral home the same day. But when the family gathered at the wake, they heard noises coming from inside the coffin. She had a pulse and was rushed to the hospital immediately.

No word yet on her condition or how this even happened. Okay. The Beatles will release a new track with the voice of John Lennon. So how will they do that? All because of AI. In a radio interview with the BBC, Paul McCartney said that artificial intelligence was used to take Lenin's vocals from an old demo tape that was recorded before his death. McCartney says the recording will be released this year. year adding it will be the quote last Beatles record. Okay, coming up next, final spin, Pat

Sajak announcing he's retiring as the host of Wheel of Fortune. When we come back, we'll show you some of the most iconic moments, some of the funniest moments, some of the moments you just can't believe from his 40-year run. Stay with us. Finally tonight, Wheel of Fortune host, Pat Sajak announced he's going to be leaving the show next year. Valerie Castro now with a look back at the more than 40-year reign of the game show legend. Wheel of Fortune! Pat Sayjack, the iconic game show host, announcing he's stepping away after more than 40 years of Wheel of Fortune.

Want some money? Yes. She does. The news spelled out in a tweet saying, quote, Well, the time has come. I've decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last. It's been a wonderful ride.

Okay. Before his game show gig, Seijack took a spin as a TV weatherman for the NBC station in Los Angeles. Civic Center, 68 degrees, the overnight low tonight, up to 95 again tomorrow. Later, taking over hosting duties on Wheel of Fortune for Chuck Woolery in 1981. My name is Pat Seajack, and I've been fortunate enough to wander onto the set of a very successful program. Over the years, Seajak interviewed thousands of contestants quizzing them about their lives. What else we should know about you in your life?

While Vanna White graced the Puzzle Board as his longtime co-host. White. Celebrities played the game, too, like actor Jack Black. Deluxe full-time leg lamp. And NBC's own Al Roker, alongside his mom more than 20 years ago. I want to say hi to Al Roker, Weatherman Supreme on the Today Show. Say Jack's sitting down with Roker years later telling him the show was all about the contestants. People are not tuning in necessarily to see how.

how, let's see how clever Pat is tonight. They like the game, and the game's the star, the players are the star. The show and Sayjack were staples in pop culture. This guy's so stupid. It's Count Rushmore. Hey, hello, everyone. I'm Pat Playjacks. Happy to welcome you to School of Fortune.

Sometimes patient with the contestants. You know, when that happens and you're sitting at home, you're saying, how in the world can... But, you know, sometimes it's a word that just doesn't want to come into focus. But his interactions with them weren't without controversy. criticized from time to time for dismissing guests. That may have been the most pointless story ever told. Great. And you told it, Scott.

His relationship with Vanna closely scrutinized over the seasons. It's heat activated, if you will. And if anyone could heat up a board, you can. Are you an opera buff at all? Yes, I'm not a buff, but I like opera. Have you ever watched opera in the buff? I'm just curious. No.

Fans more recently calling the off-color comments into question as possible Me Too movement moments. Vana tweeting today, I couldn't be happier to have shared the stage with you for all these years with one more to come. Cheers to you. Sejack went on to win three daytime Emmy Awards and a lifetime achievement prize. Sony, which owns the show, saying it draws in more than 26 million viewers each week. We'll see you next time.

A wheel of fortune. Now a replacement for the 76-year-old, the final puzzle to solve. Perhaps Tom Hanks, who took a spin at the job on SNL. Nice, tight, friendly group hug, because I'm going to be leaving soon. All right, with that, Valerie Castro joins us now. So the big question is, who's next? Who's going to be the next host? So the first name that comes to mind is, of course, Vanna White.

As she has filled in for him in the past, including in 2019. He was out for a medical issue. And his daughter, Maggie, was actually her co-host at the Puzzle Board. So she may also be a contender. There are lots of other names being floated out there. Wayne Brady, Tom Bergeron, Ryan Seacrest, but nothing official yet. so we'll just have to be. I got one more for you. Valerie Castro. How about that? Are you bored doing this? Wait, Tom Yamas? Okay. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Tom Yamas in New York.

Stay with NBC News now for the latest on the historic arraignment of former President Trump.