Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Episode Date: May 29, 2024

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, closing arguments in Trump's hush money case stretching into the evening as both sides make their final pitches to a jury. The prosecution arguing they proved the former president was responsible for falsifying business records in an effort to influence the 2016 election. The defense striking at the heart of the case, saying key witness Michael Cohen is, quote, the MVP of liars. The heated exchange as the judge scolds Trump's lawyer over comments about prison time. We're breaking down the historic day in the landmark trial. Also tonight, Texas in the bullseye, relentless storms pounding the Lone Star State, heavy rains and strong winds flipping trucks and leaving drivers stranded as floodwaters rise. A lightning strike setting a home on fire.

Right now, nearly a million customers in Texas without power. One woman's harrowing story after her home was demolished by a tornado for a second time. Rafa assault escalates Israeli tanks pushing into the heart of the city amid mounting criticism after a deadly strike on a camp for displaced Palestinians. Tonight, new questions on if the catastrophic assault crossed President Biden's red line. New details after the shocking murder of a soap opera star. The manhunt now underway after the actor was fatally shot by a left. alleged car thieves. What police are now revealing about the moments leading up to his murder.

A massive building explosion blows apart a building in Ohio. Firefighters pulling injured people from the mangled structure will tell you what caused the blast. Plus, a hiker plunges 400 feet off a dangerous canyon. The teen miraculously walking away after that startling freefall. And a deep sea discovery announced on top story, bringing enclosure to a Minnesota family. After nearly 80 years, researchers located the wreck of a famed World War II submarine, that discovery leaving the niece of one of the soldiers aboard the sunken ship in utter disbelief. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Former President Trump's criminal

hush money trial entering the final phase. Holding arguments extending into the evening hours as the defense and the prosecution make their final pleas to the jury. The moment, a culmination of the first ever criminal trial of an American president. The day coming after 80 hours of testimony from 22 witnesses, including Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen. Cohen spent four days on the stand, the prosecution hinging their case on his testimony. These are the key players in the trial. The defense, led by lawyer Todd Blanche, spent hours painting the prosecution's key witnesses as liars who were out for financial gain.

Blanche adding that the prosecution did not meet their burden to prove Trump committed a crime. The prosecution claiming Trump was responsible for not just falsifying business records, but that he did so to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. And this pivotal moment as the judge scolded Trump's lawyer for telling the jury, quote, You cannot send someone to prison based on the words of Michael Cohen. The judge telling the jury to disregard that comment, but there was also drama unfolding outside the courtroom, with a famous actor adding to the circus-like atmosphere attacking Trump on behalf of President Biden.

You're not going to intimidate. That's what Trump does to try to intimidate. We are going to fight back. They bring in Robert De Niro, who was shot down, but apparently he needs attention because it's been a while since he's cranked out a good movie. We'll get into the heated exchanges outside the courthouse in just a moment. The fate of former President Trump hours away from being in the hands of 12 men and women all from New York. NBC's Laura Jarrett starts us off on the consequential day.

Tonight, the first trial of an American president soon in the hands of seven men and five women. Prosecutors closing their case arguing former President Trump orchestrated a criminal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. To pull the wool over voters' eyes, they say, by ordering the payoff of Stormy Daniels and then covering it all up. Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass trying to establish a pattern of Mr. Trump bearing damaging stories that could derail his 2016 campaign, pointing to a key conversation secretly recorded by Mr. Trump's then-attorney Michael Cohen, the star prosecution witness, where Mr. Trump discussed an alleged payoff of a different woman, Steinglass calling it jaw-dropping. So what are we going to think? Funding. Yes. And it's all the stuff.

But much of closings today focused on the credibility of Cohen. Quote, we didn't pick him up at the witness store. The defendant chose Michael Cohen, Stein Glass said, acknowledging Cohen's criminal history and admitted lies under oath. But telling jurors, you don't need Michael Cohen to connect these dots, but as the ultimate insider, he can do just that. The defense has also tried to discredit Cohen as most. motivated to lie, desperate to put Mr. Trump behind bars, pointing to Cohen's own podcasts.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. And you better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family. But Steinglass took that head on, arguing today. Cohen is understandably angry because Mr. Trump dropped him like a hot potato after the feds came calling in 2018, urging jurors to see this case not about Michael Cohen. It's about Donald Trump. In his closing arguments, Trump attorney Todd Blanche tore into the prosecution's case and its reliance on Cohen's testimony, blasting Cohen as the human embodiment of reasonable doubt, branding him, the gloat, the greatest liar of all time, and the MVP of liars, saying he lied to Congress, judges, prosecutors, bankers, his family, adding, he came in here, raised his right hand and lied to each of you repeatedly, pointing to one of the trial's most dramatic moments. when Cohen was confronted with phone records, suggesting he never spoke to Mr. Trump about Daniels in an October 2016 phone call lasting just 96 seconds, but instead had called Mr.

Trump's bodyguard to complain about a teenage prank caller. Blanche arguing today, he told you he spoke to President Trump. That was a lie, and he got caught red-handed. That is perjury. Blanche striking at the heart of the 34 low-level felony counts Mr. Trump faces for allegedly falsifying his business records, arguing none of the invoices, vouchers, or checks were false, saying the legal retainer language on the records wasn't criminal or sinister, but merely generated by accounting software at the Trump Organization, and there was nothing wrong with it. President Trump is innocent, Blanche said. There is no crime, period. happened. It's a very sad day. This is a dark day in America. And Laura joins us now from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Lara, you were in the courtroom all day today. What did you notice in terms of the jury? Did they seem engaged or was there one moment where they seemed to react to something more than other moments? Ellison, I think this has been a tough and challenging marathon session of a day. I have not seen a

arguments stretch on this long in a case that isn't some sort of complex financial transaction or anything like that. It's relatively straightforward when it comes to the facts. And we're now approaching our four of closing statements for the prosecution, and they still haven't wrapped yet. We'll see how fast they can do it tonight. The judge making clear he really wants this to finish tonight so that they can start bright and early with jury instructions tomorrow morning, Alison. And once that does happen, and this is in the hands of the jury, they have a lot to consider here. testimony from 22 witnesses. The prosecution alone entered more than 200 pieces of evidence. In your experience, how laborious is this for a jury to consider?

It's definitely laborious, sir, Lee, if they choose to accept that assignment. And the 34 counts, as we should mention, are really just checks, invoices, general ledger entries. They're all really the same falsification of business records charged. They're all separate pieces of paper. as the defense lawyer has sort of batted it away as this is a document's case, but there could certainly be a scenario in which we see a mixed verdict. They don't have to find him guilty on all of them. The case doesn't sort of rest and fall in that way. They can really structure it any way they want. But obviously, the defense hoping they get just one juror, Ellison, that's a holdout here so that there could be a mistrial. And this will all go

away. NBC's senior legal correspondent, Laura Jarrett, outside of the courthouse in lower Manhattan. Thank you. For more on the day in court. And what is next in former President Trump's New York hush money trial. Let's bring in our expert legal panel. Jeremy Saland, criminal defense attorney and former assistant district attorney in the trial division of the Manhattan DA's office. Danny Savalos, criminal defense attorney and NBC News legal analyst, and Bernarda Villalona, criminal defense attorney and a former prosecutor. She was in the courtroom today and is outside of the courthouse there in lower Manhattan. Jeremy, let's start with you here and the prosecution's closing arguments, which are still

going on, as Laura just noted. But at one point, we did hear prosecutor John Steinglass telling the jury that the absence of Trump's fingerprints on the NDA and other documents related to this case, that that is not proof of his innocence. He said this, it's true that Mr. Trump didn't sign these documents himself, but that's kind of the whole point to keep him out of it. Is it fair to say in that moment he's sort of trying to address a possible shortcoming from their case?

And when you look at where we are right now, do you think the prosecution has proved their case in a way that can result to all or most of these counts coming back as guilty? You have to lead with your strongest point, but at the same time you can't ignore the weakest points. But from the outset of the case, Pecker came out and said there weren't the emails, there weren't the agreements, there was much more informal. And you heard from multiple witnesses that that's kind of how things went. There wasn't the handwriting. And this is not necessarily just Donald Trump. He's acting in concert with other people, meaning Michael Cohen, Weisselberg, you know, David Pecker to commit these crimes. So I think they had not, I think. They absolutely had to address it.

Now, in terms of getting in their evidence, they've done a good job of putting the evidence. But now we're on, what, our four or five of the summation. It's very tedious and monotonous. I think Josh Steinglass did a really good job at a few things, saying, for example, in addressing Blanche's to arguments, If there was no records, there'd never be a falsifying business record charge. You need to have those records. It's not as if you would hide them. And when he did that 49 seconds to show how much 90-second really means and how much can happen,

he did a great job of trying to address the weak points, trying to address the Blanche's points, and then bringing out his strongest points. And I think they've done a good job. Danny, help us understand the defense's closing arguments today and how well or not great they did from your perspective. Trump's defense team, they did only call two witnesses throughout this trial. Donald Trump was not one of them. Todd Blanche, he did seem to focus most of his closing arguments today on Michael Cohen,

calling him a liar, trying to discredit him, and then specifically going after his testimony about that phone call in October of 2016. How do you think the defense did? Did they craft a possibility of reasonable doubt? It's so hard for me to criticize the defense, and really any party's closing arguments. But I would say they may have overfocused on the Michael Cohen as liar theme. They made the point you want to try to move on. There were points that I thought they did very well.

And really for the defense, since you're basically pot-shotting, you're not building a case. Sometimes it's those little moments. For example, the argument, and Laura Jarrett pointed this out, the idea that the entry for legal services was nothing more than a drop-down menu choice. I thought that was really interesting stuff. So little moments like that may have helped the defense. To some degree, you could say the defense was a little disorganized. But again, they go first, and yet they have to react in a sense to what the prosecution is

going to say before the prosecution says it. So I mean, all in all, it's very easy for us to say both the defense and the prosecutor's argument should be shorter. But at the same time, if you're them, this is the most important case of your career. It's not likely you'll ever get another case that is as important as this case. And the terror, I know I've had this terror myself, of leaving something out, always incentivizes a longer rather than shorter closing argument. Yes, you could edit.

Yes, you could shorten it. Yes, there are probably things in there you don't need. But there is one rule that I always go back to, which is you never know, and you're always surprised at what jurors find really interesting. It's often something you think is just totally inconsequential. And so for that reason, there's every incentive to put in every thought that you have and not be that cautionary tale that, hey, I left something out for brevity's sake, but it was something that the jury would have really, really reacted to.

And that's how you get four and a half, five-hour closing arguments for that exact reason, which is why a lot of judges will shorten them, compel them to be a lot shorter. That didn't happen in this case, understandable. It's such a critically important case. You want to give everybody a chance to breathe. All right, Bernardo, let's bring you in here on this idea of the jury's engagement. as discussed. These are really, really long closing arguments. And if you're not someone who has studied law, it's very easy to just be like, I'm back in college and I am tired and I have tuned out, been sitting here a long time,

no windows usually in courtrooms. What did you notice when you were inside today? Did the jury seem to be more or less engaged during the prosecution's closing arguments or the defense? Well, it definitely seems that the jury is definitely engaged in the sense that they are eager to get to the end of this case. They are eager to start jury deliberations because even Judge Mershan put on the record, I'm looking at the jury, they look engaged, they look like they're paying attention, they're not dozing off, so we're going to continue with these closing arguments. To the point even that the judge has been stopping probably every 90 minutes or so to try to engage with the jury to see if they can continue on. Even the prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, at one point, was like, even addressed the jury was like, you're with me. I see you with me so we can continue on.

I'm almost done. So that's a good sign, actually, for the prosecution to have a jury that is eager to continue listening to closing arguments despite being there since 9.30 this morning and pretty much not with much of a break. And they're listening and they're attentive. So much information is being thrown out at them. I'm hoping that they're able to absorb the major. points because what the prosecution is doing is that they're hitting every major point,

but also every minor point as well. And sometimes you can lose the jury when you decide to put every minor point in. But just like Danny says, you don't want to be the prosecutor that at the end of the night, you're like, oh, I wish I would have said this. Or if the verdict doesn't go in your favor, it was like, if I would have said this, then it would have been a game changer. But I think that because the prosecution's closed an argument is in so much detail that they may help speed up the deliberation process because literally ADA Steinglass is going point by point. Instead of summarizing the evidence, he's pretty much restating all of the evidence and the strongest points as well as the minor weak points of the evidence that's been presented.

So I find it highly unlikely that this jury is going to be out for a long time, given what the closing arguments look like from both sides. The defense, they did what they could with the evidence that was presented to them. They swung. I'm not sure they really hit, made any hits, but the prosecution is definitely throwing everything in there and every point is valid. Guys, let me bring you back in here with Josh Steinglass sort of taking that line by line. Let's re-go through all of it. Do you think as well that the jury could actually deliberate pretty quickly here? I think they can, but, you know, listen, it is a complicated case, but what Josh Steinglass is doing is he's bringing it back to what the case is about. The defense

I thought Mr. Mark at times, and they were a little meandering, and they try to make it solely about you can't believe Michael Cohen. He's a bad guy, he's a bad actor, and he's got this ugly, terrible, vindictive agenda. And when you heard from Josh Steinglass, he kind of turned that around. And I've used this sort of discussion or example before. If you like Henry Hill and Goodfellas and you thought that John Gotti was guilty and you could convict with Sammy the Bull, certainly Michael Cohen ain't either one of those two guys. And it's not just Michael Cohen, though. And that's what they did on their summation, which I thought was very good. They brought out all that foundational evidence that takes it off of his shoulders, meaning Michael Cohen,

and saying you can look at some of these documents. You can look at the handwritten notes, which really were a home run, even if he didn't have Weisselberg, you can look at McCona's testimony and saying, in all his time, he's never had, you know, payment doubled to cover for taxes. And you use your common sense and you use that physical evidence and use that testimonial evidence. You get to where you need to go. So ultimately, yes, it can be. But as Danny said before, we'd be sort of taking a guess here. We're not in the mind of the jury. We don't know exactly what they're going to say and think, but this is going in the right direction. Danny, I've got to ask you about that moment when Todd Blanche talked to the jury about the idea of prison time and Judge Mershan was like, nope, that is not happening here.

Only I decide prison sentence. Explain to viewers why that was a big deal in that moment. Because to some people in some states, you might think, well, that is kind of what's on the line, but that's not allowed here, correct? It's almost a universal rule that you cannot comment in closing argument on punishment or potential punishment. You cannot say, I mean, that rule is so clear that I would not even come close to saying something like, this man's on trial for his life. That would be an objection. I mean, I stay so clear of it. I limit myself to, this is the most important day of my client's life. And that's it. And even that makes me a little nervous because I don't know if I'll get an objection on that point. I'm exactly. exaggerating a little bit, but I'm just trying to stress how much this is forbidden ground such that making that statement simply couldn't have been accidental. I like to give the benefit of the doubt. It was not an accidental statement. It really couldn't have been. Bernardo, what did you make of that moment and tell us, if you can, what the jury was like during that moment? I mean, again, a lot of people watch crime shows on TV and you probably think that is a really normal thing to say. Clearly, all of the attorneys are like, no, that is the big no-no.

Do you think Todd Blanche did that on purpose? And if so, what would be the benefit of bringing that up? Oh, absolutely. I literally cringed when I heard it because I was like, oh, that's a no-no. And definitely a no-no when you're in front of Judge Mershahn, because Judge Mershan is a rule follower. Judge Mershaw keeps order in the courtroom. And you know that Judge Mershan doesn't play any games. So I think the attorney definitely knew what he was doing.

But, of course, he had to put and plot that idea out there for this jury because in the end, you can't unring that bell. They heard what they heard. So what didn't work in his favor, though, is that after the judge came back from the break, the judge gave a curative instruction to that jury, that they are not to consider that statement that was made by the attorney. And I think by the judge doing that, that the defense attorney did lose some credibility in the sense of, look, hey, the judge is giving you a little smack that you did the wrong thing. doesn't help that the prosecution, every shot that they can, they are taking hits and blows on the credibility of Todd Blanche. And it's crucial because if you lose credibility as an attorney in front of a jury, they're not going to rely on what you're trying to sell them. So that's not going to play well in their favor. And the prosecution is well taken advantage of that.

All right, Bernardo Villalona, Jeremy Saland, Danny Savalos. Thank you also. much for your time and insights. We really appreciate it. We're going to turn now to that chaotic scene outside of the courthouse. We mentioned it at the top of the show. News conferences from both the Biden and Trump campaigns getting pretty heated and featuring one notable celebrity appearance. This comes as the Biden campaign looks to get more aggressive in their strategy. NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez has the latest. House, the drama took another tumultuous twist. That's actor Robert De Niro in a different role,

surrogate for the Biden campaign, clashing with pro-Trump protesters. We're trying to be gentlemen in this world, the Democrats. You are gangsters. You are gangsters. You're gayston. Also on hand, first responders who were at the Capitol on January 6th. Donald Trump is the greatest threat to our democracy. This event, a sharp change for the Biden campaign, which had largely avoided.

the trial since it began six weeks ago. If Trump returns to the White House, you can kiss these freedoms goodbye, that we all take for granted. With many Democrats nervous about the state of the race, less than a month before the first presidential debate, NBC News was first to report the Biden campaign is deploying a more aggressive strategy to define Mr. Trump to voters as a threat to democracy and the architect of a repealing Roe v. Wade. The former president's family firing back, blasting the Biden team for, holding an event near the courthouse. Right across the street tells us exactly what we all knew all along, that it is a political

persecution. It is a witch hunt. And Gabe Gutierrez joins us now from the White House. Gabe, the Biden campaign has two strategies sort of in place, one if Trump is convicted and one if he is not, right? Could you explain to us how those differ? Well, Alison, the Biden campaign is looking at a lot of different options. But among them, if Trump is found guilty, they're debating whether to brand him as a convicted felon. If he's acquitted, they're still going to try to make this case to voters that they need to head to the ballot box, that Trump will be the nominee no matter what. And that his legal issues aside, he is still a threat to democracy in the eyes of the Biden campaign.

Now, something else that the White House officials here at the White House are discussing is whether the president will actually speak out possibly from the White House. White House after the trial ends. Sources close to the discussions tell NBC News that that has yet to be decided else. You know, it was surprising to some people to see that rally of sorts outside of the courthouse today inside of the Biden campaign. And when you speak to your sources, is anyone second-guessing the decision for the campaign to not be more aggressive talking about Trump's legal troubles in this criminal trial in particular sooner?

And what made them think, okay, now, now is the time to do it? Well, Elson, the Biden campaign will point out that it was more of a news conference than a big rally, but still it did get a lot of attention because of Robert De Niro being there. It turned to quite a chaotic scene. But the thinking behind the Biden campaign is that they really wanted to break through, given that the Trump trial has gotten so much media coverage. Tomorrow, the president will be traveling as well. And they're just looking to try and break through as this campaign heats up. As for why they didn't get involved sooner, both the White House and the campaign have been very careful to not present whatever the president says as, you know, that might be misconstrued as a political persecution. Certainly, we saw today Trump's family trying to make that case that because the Biden team held an event right outside the courthouse, they see it as political. The Biden campaign says that they were just there outside the courthouse because that's where all the reporters were else. Gabe Gutierrez. Thank you. Next to the weather and Texas in the bullseye of yet another destructive storm. This after a deadly weekend of tornadoes in 15 states, an astounding number of twisters, more than 1,000 reported so far just this year. Now residents in so many decimated communities left to pick up the remaining pieces. NBC's Maggie Vespa has the late details.

Tonight, Texas in the bullseye again, with flash flood stunning drivers in Dallas and lightning, potentially setting a suburban church and multiple homes on fire, say authorities. Heavy rain and winds flipping semis, mangling metal buildings, and authorities say killing one person. Hail piercing the roof of this Walmart. And at DFW, incredible video of nearly 80 mile per hour gusts appearing to push a plane from its gate. airline saying there were no injuries and its maintenance team is conducting thorough inspections. Hundreds of flights canceled. Today, more than one million Texas customers without power. All of it capping a harrowing holiday weekend with more than 60 tornadoes reported across 14 states, including Kentucky, where Clara Rice's worst nightmare repeated itself. This is not the first

tornado that you've been through. No, ma'am. The mother and grandmother became famous back in In 2021, when a tornado destroyed her home and sent her bathtub flying, her two baby grandsons inside, clutching her Bible. I had no clue at all where these babies was. Here, we need help. We got some of this debris. Miraculously, the boys were found alive and Rice rebuilt. My mama made that.

Sunday, her home was obliterated again. Authorities say Memorial Day weekend storms killed five people in Kentucky. close to two dozen nationwide. With more than 1,000 tornadoes reported, 2024 is now the second busiest start to a year ever recorded. Rice's family, this time, taking cover in a neighbor's storm shelter. Will you rebuild here again? Yes, ma'am. You will.

Yes, ma'am. If you can afford a tornado shelter any way at all, get you one. Get in it and use it. Just use it. God's put it there. And Maggie Vespah joins us now live in Dawson Springs, Kentucky. I mean, Maggie, that's an area that it wasn't that long ago where they had other massive tornadoes destruction. President Biden made a visit there at one point.

So many people probably were just beginning to rebuild from the last round. What else are we learning about the power of the tornadoes that tore through that area this time? Yeah, so surveyors have been out even during the holiday weekend, and we can now confirm four tornadoes swept across the state. And they say the National Weather Service says the one that hit here and just, I mean, look at this. obliterated this home. They say it was an EF3. That means it packs wind up to 165 miles per hour. And they say, Ellison, it was on the ground for 37 miles. Let me back to you. NBC News correspondent, Maggie Vespa, thank you. And that severe weather. It is not letting up as we head into the evening. So let's turn now to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens, who joins us in studio. Bill.

Let's talk about Texas. We keep mentioning it. What's the latest there? Is there still a significant threat into tomorrow? There is a threat, but it's not tornadoes. It's really mostly going to be wind damage. And we woke up this morning to severe winds that started on the Texas, Oklahoma border and went all the way down to Houston. In Dallas, at one point, we had over 500,000 people without power. Then that line of storms went through Houston with 77 mile per hour winds. And we still at this hour have over 800,000 people in Texas without power because of those early morning storms. Now our threats turning to West Texas. We have two severe thunderstorms from watches that are up to 9 and 10 o'clock and a little tornado watch here. Conditions aren't favorable for a lot of

tornadoes, maybe an isolated one. Lubbock is right in the center of this watch. So here's Lubbock here. We've got a couple strong swell we call Supercell thunderstorms. They've already produced very large hail, but so far, no reports of any tornadoes. And Lubbock right here looks like you should be maybe another half hour or so until this storm gets near you. This one will possibly have tennis to baseball size hail with it as it arrives. And then tomorrow, a narrow band of severe Storms coming out of the Rockies from Denver all the way northwards. It looks like our severe weather threat, Allison, doesn't return back to Texas until we get to Thursday. But again, nothing like what we've been dealing with.

We're going to start getting a little bit of a break. All right, we will take that. Bill Carins, thank you. Still ahead tonight, the urgent manhunt for two escaped inmates. Police in Louisiana searching for two men who are facing charges for violent crimes, where authorities think they could be right now. Plus, new details in the stunning murder of a beloved general hospital star. The plea from his family tonight as police try to track down his killer.

And surveillance video capturing a powerful blast in Ohio. The news late today on injuries at the scene and what officials believe caused that explosion. Stay with us. We're back now with new details in the murder of TV actor. Johnny Wachter, the 37-year-old shot and killed in the middle of an attempted car theft over the weekend. Tonight, Los Angeles police in a manhunt for the three suspects allegedly involved as his family pleads for answers. NBC's Morgan Chesky has the very latest. We should find these killers, you guys. Tonight, emotional pleas from loved ones of Johnny Wachter.

The so proper star gunned down in Los Angeles after police say he walked up on a group of car thieves. Wachter's ex-fiance speaking directly to the suspect now wanted for murder. You don't have to steal, you know, especially take a life over it. Investigators tell NBC News they are trying to pull prints from Wachter's vehicle and scouring the area for videos. LAPD sharing Wactor arrived at his car after work to find it raised up with a floor jack by three suspects. who were in the process of stealing the catalytic converter, adding one suspect then shot Wachter without provocation. Those three suspects were last seen here on Hope Street,

but details are still few. Police only sang the group wore dark clothing and was last seen heading north in a dark sedan. Wactor's mother said he was with a coworker at the time of the attack. Thankful that that person is okay, and that when he died, he wasn't alone. She says her son drove a Toyota Prius, one of the most targeted models nationwide for this kind of theft due to the high levels of valuable metals inside the hybrids converter i think they are cowards i think they are very sad excuse of humans especially the one that pulled the trigger for no reason a split second decision robbing a family of a beloved brother and son now in addition to checking wactor's vehicle for fingerprints and looking for area surveillance video in hopes of seeing more of the suspects

Investigators also say they're trying to see if this is tied to any area catalytic converter thefts, noting specifically that when these thieves are confronted during the act, or at least caught, that there is an uptick in violence. Ellison. Morgan Chesky in Los Angeles. Thank you. When we come back, sentencing day for an American detained in Turks and Caicos, the Virginia father facing the possibility of 12 years in prison for bringing bullets in his bag. What a judge there ruled. 19-year-old hiker falling 400 feet into a canyon, the images of his incredible rescue, and how he's doing tonight. That is next.

Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we began with the powerful explosion that rocked a high-rise in Ohio. Surveillance video capturing the moment the blast blew out the first floor. of the Chase Bank building in downtown Youngstown. Seven people rushed to the hospital, one of them, in critical condition. Residents in nearby apartment buildings told to evacuate. Authorities say the cause of the explosion was likely a natural gas leak. No fatalities have been reported. In southeast Louisiana, police asking the public for help finding two escaped inmates,

one of them, a suspect in a homicide case. Initially, four suspects escaped after sliding under a gap in the prison wall, and scaling two wired fences undetected, according to authorities. Two of the escapees were found in a dumpster. The others remain at large and have likely left the area. Anyone with information is encouraged to call police. A second American has been released from custody in Turks and Caicos after being arrested for having bullets in his bag.

Tyler Winrich was given a $9,000 fine and sentenced to three weeks time served for carrying ammunition onto the islands. 31-year-old father from Virginia was initially facing a 12-year prison sentence in accordance with the island's gun laws. Three other Americans are still awaiting trial in similar cases. And a 19-year-old narrowly escaping death after falling down a 400-foot canyon in Washington State. Pictures show Mason County rescue officials using harnesses to pull that 19-year-olds a safety. Officials say he fell after walking along an area beneath the high steel bridge. Dozens are killed along that path every year, according to authorities.

Luckily, that man made it out with only minor injuries. We want to head overseas now to the latest on the war in Gaza. Israeli tanks pressing into the southern city of Rafa as outrage grows over recent strikes on campsites for displaced Palestinians. NBC News international correspondent Raf Sanchez has the latest tonight from Tel Aviv. Tonight, Palestinian families fleeing Rafa any way they can. as an NBC news crew saw Israeli forces pushing into the heart of the city for the first time. But the White House says it hasn't seen evidence of Israel crossing President Biden's red lines.

We still don't want to see the Israelis, as we say, smash into Rafah with large units. And we still believe that. And we haven't seen that at this point. While just outside the city, at least 21 people killed in an Israeli strike on tents along the coast, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The IDF denying they attacked a safe zone. It comes just two days after an Israeli airstrike ignited this firestorm at a different camp, killing dozens of civilians. Facing international criticism, the IDF tonight revealing results of a preliminary investigation,

saying it used small bombs to target two Hamas commanders, but that a secondary explosion started the enormous fire. Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size. The IDF says hidden Hamas weapons might have fired. caused the blast, but offered no firm evidence. An Israeli official earlier said a gas tank could have sparked the flames. Meanwhile, NBC News has learned the U.S. military has been forced to halt aid deliveries into Gaza by sea after three officials said bad weather damaged its temporary pier. This video showing part of the causeway floating away from the beach. It's the latest

setback for the American aid effort after military boats washed up on the coasts of Israel and Gaza over the weekend, while the U.S. service member remains in critical condition after an accident on the pier last week. Raf Sanchez joins us now from Tel Aviv. Raf, do we have any sense at this point in terms of how long it will take the U.S. and everybody else involved to fix that pier, or could this be out of action for weeks on end? So, Alison, the Pentagon is saying tonight it's going to take at least a week to fix that pier, And that is a major blow to the humanitarian effort in Gaza, the effort to fend off famine,

especially at a time when the Rafah crossing, that main lifeline for food and aid from Egypt, remains closed. And you could argue this is also a blow to President Biden. He announced this pier in his State of the Union address. Humanitarian group said at the time it was not very practical. It took two months to set up. It was operational for just two weeks. And now it has suffered this pretty catastrophic damage. Alison. Ralph Sanchez, thank you. For more on this situation on the ground in Gaza, we're joined now by Dr. Hale

Sheikola Salame. She is a family physician from the Bay Area of California who is in Gaza earlier this month treating patients and had trouble getting back to the United States after weeks on the ground there. Dr. Hale, thank you so much for being here tonight and to share some of what you have witnessed during your time on the ground inside of Gaza. But let's start there for people who have never been to Gaza or who maybe don't have friends who are there. Talk to us about what it is like to be inside of Gaza right now.

A contact I have constantly tells me that every day he feels like he makes a choice. Do I die inside of my house with bombardments or do I die on the streets waiting to try and get food? How would you describe it? Thank you for having me. Yes. I think in the time that I was there, certainly things changed, evolved. The Gazans in Rafa were having a new norm of living their lives, and then the borders closed, and that led to changes of what they were.

Obviously, normal is not normal, but what they were trying to live their lives. And it is a situation where it's critical, and unfortunately, every Gaza probably knows someone who has died there. You know, throughout this war, we have seen and heard about the injuries that many civilians are experiencing, oftentimes children, just from initial explosions of aerial bombardment, shrapnel injuries, things like that. But then as this has progressed, we've also heard from the UN and other agencies that, that more and more bacterial infections are spreading among the population as well. What were some of the illnesses you were treating while you were there? And what challenges were you facing as you tried to treat people who needed care?

Yes, as a family physician, I was doing our patient work in Tel Al-Sotone Clinic and dealing with a lot of infectious diseases. That's acute diarrhea, hepatitis A, upper respiratory. illnesses, things that you would see normally in any population, just more acute, more intense. And then on top of that, I tried to deal with the elderly with their chronic illnesses and the medications they had to, you know, try to get to treat their hypertension and diabetes. Let's talk a little bit about your way in and how you were ultimately able to get out. to leave on May 15th, but I understand you ended up staying more than a week after that date

because you weren't able to leave. Talk to us about that process and how are you able to eventually get out? About a week after I entered Gaza was when the borders were closed to everyone, not just Gaza's who were, you know, on the waiting list to evacuate from you know, necessary medical or surgical reasons, but also for all of us, all the foreign nationals who were trying to leave. So it became a dire situation. And we waited patiently. We had to work with the United Nations, WHO, as we were under their protection while we were in Gaza. and also the Israeli authorities to ensure our safety out. You know, I spent the first month of the war reporting on the border with Gaza.

I've been in other conflict zones, and for me, that moment of finally leaving, even when I know I'm tired and need to go home, is difficult because I always think about how many people I've met and know who aren't able to leave. Did you have that same experience? How difficult was it for you, particularly as a medical professional, to leave and know that there were people there who still don't have the resources or care or basic things they need to survive? That's really important. It was a very bit of retreat. I mean, I was privileged that I could go. There were a majority of people, you know, the Gaza specifically, are not able to leave. And so

when I left, I left a lot of people. I got to know at the clinic in our organization. and the other NGOs I left everybody behind in hopes that they will be all safe and know that not everybody has a privilege to leave when they can. And very quickly, before we let you go, that facility you mentioned that you were working at, is it still operating? What is it like now? Just last night, I saw the videos of... the ballings and the fire that took place near there, and I saw a clip of bodies that were laid out on a white cover with white cloth right in front of the room that I worked at. It was very shocking

to see this is the area. I was just there a few days ago, and now they had to use it more as a morgue. So where they were treating patients, they are now trying to identify bodies. Dr. Hale, Sheikola Salami, thank you so much for being with us tonight. Thank you for your work and what you do. We really appreciate it. Thank you. Coming up next, catastrophic scenes after a deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea.

Some people digging through the rubble by hand, searching for those trapped underneath, a critical bridge collapsing, delaying aid and reinforcement, and why officials fear tonight a second landslide could hit the devastated region. Back now with an update on that deadly landslide in Papua New Guinea, as recovery efforts slowly continue. Tonight we're getting a better sense of the scope of the disaster. Now fears of a second landslide in the possibility of a disease outbreak, slowing what is likely to be a long road to recovery.

Five days after a deadly landslide in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, Villagers, some digging with their bare hands, still searching an area the UN says is equivalent to three or four football fields, desperately looking for any signs of their loved ones. The area itself, it's still very unstable. Local leaders believe the current death toll is 162. But earlier estimates from the island's government put that number at 2000. So far, nine bodies have been recovered. As rain continues to fall, concerns not only of another collapse, but of contaminated drinking water.

Because there's so many unrecovered bodies under the rubble, there's still water flowing underneath because it's coming down from the mountain. That water obviously will be contaminated. The UN estimates the number of people impacted by the landslide is nearly 8,000, and 42% of them are children under the age of 16. And what is needed now, obviously, is access to clean water. So providing that, along with food, of course, clothing, shelter items. As funeral processions began for those lost. One local leader vowing to continue the search, telling the country's state broadcaster, we will continue to dig.

We don't know. know where the bodies are buried, but we will not give up, he says, we will keep going. And heavy equipment from Papua New Guinea's military is expected to arrive on site in the coming days. NGOs say that earth-moving equipment will likely help to speed up recovery efforts. Next to Top Story's Global Watch and a major announcement by the Biden administration involving the decades-long embargo to Cuba. The Treasury Department is, issuing a statement saying Cuban nationals will be able to open accounts with U.S. banks remotely from the island. The measure had been held up by opposition in Congress before new modifications

by the Treasury Department. The Vatican issuing an apology after Pope Francis was quoted using an offensive slur for gay men in a discussion with Italian bishops last week. In the meeting, the Pope was discussing the Catholic Church's ban on gay priest, Pope Francis reportedly using a vulgar term in reaffirming the church's position opposing their admittance. In a statement, the Vatican apologizing to, quote, those who were offended. When we come back, a story we shined a spotlight on here on top story, giving the ultimate closure to one family. Deep Sea explorer Tim Taylor sharing his incredible discovery right here with Tom,

detailing the moment he found a World War II submarine at the bottom of the ocean. We'll introduce you to the Minnesota woman finding her own peace in that lost piece of history. Finally, tonight, last week, we brought you the recent discovery of a sunken World War II submarine, the USS Harder. For one family who saw our segment, it meant a final closing chapter for their family member who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Ken Erdall from our Minnesota affiliate, CARE 11, has that report. Okay. Sharon Abbott's memories of her Uncle Bob are as faint as his photos. Robert Baber was his name from Minnesota is where he came.

She was just five years old when she and her grandmother last saw him. When World War II needed men, this 19-year-old signed up then. She wrote this poem some 20 years ago, in part, to help her family remember his sacrifice aboard the USS Harder submarine during World War II. His life was over before it really began. But she also wanted to process her own feelings. about his death. It was a horrible loss for everybody. And I wanted Bob to be alive to them. There's not too many things you remember when you're young, but I remember the knock,

you know, and then the two sisters go over and open the door. And there's the two military men there. And then they just screamed. It was awful. Faber was still just 19 when he died aboard the Harder on August 24th, 1944. But he and the 78 others on board were all. already heroes, sinking the most Japanese warships in World War II, receiving the presidential unit citation for their extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy. We specifically went out this year looking for the harder. Renowned ocean explorer Tim Taylor told NBC News now, the Harder is so iconic that it was among the first missing subs that he sought to find as part of the Lost 52 project.

And after a year of searching, you found the USS Hardware. That discovery finally came last week. Just found out yesterday. Nearly 4,000 feet below the surface of the South China Sea. What was that like when they first told you? Oh, it was wonderful. We were laughing. We started laughing.

That's what we do when we get really happy and excited. We'd have no words. We just laugh and just, wow. It seems cliche, but it's closure. These men went missing in the war. Well, I'm so glad they found it. You know, I'm so happy. It does bring closure.

It's put to rest now. That's the period at the end of the sentence. It's cathartic. But it's not quite the end of the story. We're writing the last chapter of these heroic guys, and hopefully retelling a story of these men and these submarines that will resonate with the next generation. Sharon. Although his spirit is here.

Couldn't agree. I know. More. I have to do something. Maybe a new poem? Maybe a new poem. That would be good. A victorious poem.

This valiant, courageous, selfless sailor. This time, the end is already written. His life was spent to keep us free. I must never forget what he did for me. Thank you for watching. Top Story for Tom Yamis. I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there.

More news now is on the way.