Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Episode Date: September 13, 2023Tonight'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. ...
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Tonight, a major battle brewing in Washington, President Biden facing an impeachment inquiry.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ordering three committees to investigate the president
over allegations he profited off his son Hunter's international business dealings.
Democrats slamming the move as revenge for the two Trump impeachments.
What all of this could mean for the president's reelection bid and how likely this is to head to a full House vote,
why not all Republicans are exactly on board.
Catastrophic flooding overseas, 10,000 people feared dead after devastating floods ripped through Libya.
Two major dams collapsing, wiping away entire villages.
The urgent search tonight and rescue efforts still underway.
Armed and dangerous and alarming escalation as police hunt for an escape murderer in Pennsylvania,
authorities now saying that fugitive is armed with a 22-caliber rifle that he stole from a garage,
The homeowner firing at the escapee before he fled yet again.
What we're hearing from the terrified residents now urged to stay inside of their homes.
TSA stealing from passengers?
Newly released video showing agents appearing to pluck items from travelers' bags right in front of them at security checkpoints.
The legal trouble they're now facing.
DoorDash disgust video capturing the moment a delivery driver spit on the food he was bringing
to a home. With that customer left as a tip that sent him over the edge. Plus, a man in Florida
bit in the face by a shark. The attack? The seventh incident this year in one county alone.
And Apple rolling out a brand new line of products, including watches, AirPods, and new iPhones.
Why the basic version of the phone, iPhone 15, why it costs nearly $800. Plus, the new Olivia
Rodrigo project shot entirely on the pro model and the major change that will make your old
chargers obsolete. Top story starts right now. Hey, good evening. We want to start top story tonight
with a major development out of Washington. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy seemingly caving
to pressure from within his own party and launching a formal impeachment inquiry into President
Joe Biden. It's a threat that has been looming over the president for months now,
one that has gained steam in recent weeks as McCarthy looks to placate the far-right
members of his party. The probe centered on allegations that Biden may have profited
off his son Hunter's business dealings and then lied about it, claims that Republicans have
not been able to prove just yet. McCarthy calling on the oversight judiciary and ways
and means committee to investigate. The formal order clearing the way for those committees to possibly
issue subpoenas for bank records and other documents. Even with that power, this inquiry
widely viewed as a long shot, but one that no doubt will be a thorn on the president's side
as he seeks re-election. Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Hake, who covers the Biden campaign,
leads us off. Tonight, House Republicans ramping up their investigation into President Biden
and his family. Speaker Kevin McCarthy directing three GOP-controlled committees to open an impeachment
inquiry. These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption. And they warrant
further investigation by the House of Representatives. House Republicans have alleged that the
president has profited off the foreign business dealings of his son Hunter and lied about it,
but have provided no direct evidence to prove those claims, which the White House has denied.
There is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden because President Biden didn't do anything
wrong. But Republicans believe elevating their investigations to an impeachment inquiry is necessary
to overcome what they say is White House stonewalling in their various probes. There's enough smoke.
There may be a fire there. So I think this is the logical next step. That's what leadership looks like
and it's absolutely the right thing to do. Democrats tonight rallying to the president's defense,
accusing Republicans of seeking revenge for the two impeachments of Donald Trump.
This is an illegitimate impeachment inquiry.
Period.
Full stop.
Some openly mocking the GOP effort as unsurious,
without evidence or a full House vote to support it.
Oh, my gosh.
You know, oh, it's devastating.
Ooh, don't do it.
Please, don't do it.
Oh, no, oh no.
Okay, Garrett Hague joins us now live from Capitol Hill.
Garrett, in a Breitbart interview earlier this month,
we know that Speaker McCarthy said there would be a full.
to launch an impeachment inquiry?
Do you have any insight into why he didn't bring it to a vote first?
Yeah, Tom, he's been making that promise for months.
I think the simplest answer is that he knew that he did not have the votes.
I asked him about this earlier today.
He pointed to the fact that the first impeachment of Donald Trump started in a similar way
with an inquiry but no formal vote.
That happened a couple of months later after Democrats had gathered significant evidence.
He suggested to me that that might be the path he chooses to go down if his committees
are able to gather the evidence to support the claims he's made today.
Okay, and then Garrett, can you walk our viewers through what we can expect as far as a timeline
for this inquiry, and what sort of are the next steps?
Well, as for the next steps, James Comer, who's the head of the Oversight Committee,
will be basically the point person for this inquiry, told reporters tonight that his first step
is going to be to go after the bank records for Hunter Biden and for James Biden, the president's
brother. But he put no date on that. I think part of the issue here, Tom, is this could be a very
lengthy process here, months long, perhaps well into next year, in part because if Republicans
find something, they've got a long process to get through an impeachment, as we all learned
during the Trump administration. If they don't find anything, it's likely that they're going
to just keep looking rather than shut down an inquiry and effectively clear the President of
the United States going into a presidential election year where they want politically this to remain
an issue for him. All right, Garrett Hake, our senior Capitol Hill correspondent, we always appreciate
you, Garrett. While Republicans press forward with a possible impeachment, Democrats are bracing for
the political fallout. Joining me now, Republican strategist, Rina Shaw, and Democratic strategist,
Michael Starr Hopkins. He's the president of Northern Star Strategies. I thank you both for
joining us tonight. Ren, I'm going to start with you. Do you think this is a good idea by Speaker
McCarthy? I'm looking this purely as a creature of the house. I spent a lot of time in that
building, and I can tell you with great certainty that this is a move that is not only not
strategic. It is nonsensical on every level. I do not believe this is going anywhere. In fact,
I know the speaker himself knows that because there's just no rhyme or reason to do this right now,
except for the knowledge that it's going to be stuck up in committee. And so, yeah, the Republicans
told you that they would be doing a lot of investigating of the Bidens. And I think that is the
continuation of that promise. This to me spells one thing, weak leadership. It's weak leadership
when you can't control your caucus, and it's weak leadership when you have to make micro moves
like this to a sage a certain few.
Rina, for some of us who aren't creatures of Capitol Hill and over the House, can you explain
why you think it's going to get cut up in committee?
Do you mean that he doesn't have the votes to get this to a full impeachment trial?
He knows he doesn't have the votes to do this on the floor.
He doesn't have GOP colleagues who believe in this, because the reality is this.
There is no smoking gun.
no phone call, there is no transcript, for example. You can drag up Hunter Biden's business
associates. You still won't get anything that leads to something that I believe is an
impeachable offense. And this is not an opinion that is far away from many of those who sit
within the House chamber. There are Republicans who are behind this because they feel this is
something that they have promised their voters. But many, the great many, the majority of
Republican members of the House know that this is something that cannot go anywhere.
And I'll remind our viewers, you are a Republican strategist.
Former, you know, President Biden hasn't been exactly, I'd say, 100% honest when it comes to the Hunter Biden issue.
And Michael, I want to turn to you now.
You know, Rina brings up a lot of good points there, right?
But if they do get his banking records and they subpoena that, that's not going to be good news for Hunter Biden.
It's definitely not going to be good news for Joe Biden as well.
He's going to have to keep dealing with this up and through November.
Yeah, I mean, Republicans' plan is to muddy the water up, especially while.
while Donald Trump is going through his numerous trials because of the indictments.
But I think Rina hit the nail on the head.
This isn't something that Kevin McCarthy wants to do.
This is something he's doing because he promised Matt Gates and the Chaos Caucus that he would do it.
But the result of him deciding he's going to do this is that he's going to put a lot of vulnerable
Republicans on the line when it comes to elections.
They're vulnerable Republicans in swing states who don't want to have to go through an impeachment inquiry.
As they saw with Bill Clinton, an overreach leads to them losing in the next election.
But, Michael, are you worried at all on what these investigations can drum up, what they can find,
and potentially will it lead back to the White House and Joe Biden?
Let me say. Democrats should always be worried about investigations
because what started with Whitewater led to Monica Lewinsky for Bill Clinton.
So we should always be worried about investigations.
But here, you have an investigation that Republicans actually don't want to do.
It's the fringe Republicans on the edge that want to do it.
We know that Republicans in the Senate aren't going to vote to impeach.
We know that Republicans in the House who are in swing districts don't actually want to take this vote because it could lead to them losing their seats and Republican losing the majority in the House.
So this is a disaster in the making, all so that Speaker McCarthy can hold on to his speakership.
You know, Rina, if Michael is right, what happens to Speaker McCarthy if this is sort of a complete failure and it doesn't go to trial?
He reminds me of a firefighter right now, right?
He's got to put out multiple fires.
And look, I don't envy him in any way.
This is a guy who got to where he is after 15 ballots.
So, of course, he's sitting in this moment where every day he's thinking himself,
is this really it?
Is this where I'm at in this very short tenure?
Because he knows he himself, during the Trump era,
was screaming about weaponization of impeachment.
And now, what does this look like?
Weaponization of a tool within the Constitution that is called impeachment.
And it's not a good look for his colleagues.
And Republican senators join me in the sentiment, Tom.
This is not like I have some fringe view here.
Republican senators know that there's no there there.
And you can investigate all you want.
You might not get to that there.
And so I think McConnell right now, he needs to look like he's unified with McCarthy.
And so he's kind of like, okay, let McCarthy do whatever he wants to do, try it.
But just a few months ago, he was saying this shouldn't go to this level.
It's not necessary to impeach him.
Joe Biden, not at this point in time.
Yeah, Michael, before we go, you know, on the campaign trail, the people who are running for
the Republican nomination mention Hunter Biden a lot.
They mention what's happening at the Justice Department, and it gets applause lines.
So maybe Republican voters aren't exactly where the House Republicans are.
I bring this up because if there's pressure from voters, if this is an issue that voters seem
to be hanging on, will that change the sentiment of those House Republicans?
I think this is an issue for voters who are supporting Trump.
But people who are supporting Trump are baked in.
The voters that Republicans should be focusing on are independence.
And I think this type of investigation is going to turn off independence
because it's not actually addressing what voters care about,
which is putting food in their refrigerator, keeping their lights on, and money in their bank account.
And at the end of the day, this is purely a distraction.
It's political theater.
Michael Star Hopkins, Rina Shaw.
We always love having you guys on.
Thank you for that.
Next to our other major headline tonight, the slow-moving thunderstorm sparking,
severe flash flooding across portions of New England, water rushing into homes and sinkhole,
swallowing cars, and now new concerns mounting as more heavy rainfall is expected tomorrow,
threatening to cause more damage to the already waterlogged region.
Kristen Dalgren has the latest.
The town of Lemonsster on edge tonight, after at least 10 inches of rain triggered dangerous flash floods.
The mayor assessing the damage this morning.
We just want to show you, this debris came from, we don't need to.
nowhere it could have been from a half a mile away you can see it's eroded this area
here this is all great news homes became islands roads washed away and cars sucked into massive sinkholes
it was crazy it was absolutely crazy never seen it this extreme ever today some homeowners
urged to evacuate as the town is under a state of emergency and officials monitor a nearby dam to
see if it holds because if it lets go they're not going to have time to get out because it's an
older dam and you can see right there just why the situation here remains so tense the water
still running as we are expecting even more rain as we go through the day tomorrow so a lot of
people here worried tom that this is not over one are staring at his home there okay uh christened
dog and we appreciate it the flooding not only the severe weather threatening the northeast
hurricane lee now taking aim at the east coast dangerous surf and rip current
set to continue when the Category 3 storm likely turns north tomorrow.
Let's get right over to NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns, who joins me now on set.
So, Bill, we're watching Lee.
We've been talking about Lee.
It's the most talked about storm maybe in the history of meteorology.
What's the latest with Lee?
Yeah, I think we're all over it, I mean, but it hasn't even happened yet.
So we've got four days left of this.
Then it's finally going to make its move into the other Canadian maritines or possibly up towards Maine.
So it's still a hurricane.
It's going to brush by Bermuda in the next two days.
and then everyone wants to know, is it going to hit close to Cape Cod or Boston, or is it going to be far enough away just for a glancing blow?
So here's how close it gets to Bermuda. That's roughly about three, 400 miles away. So just some gusty winds for Bermuda, no problems there.
And then the forecast cone, it no longer includes Nantucket, the islands in Boston, but it does include a good section of Maine and all of Nova Scotia here.
The hurricane center has it coming up here somewhere near Yarmouth, but the forecast air could be to the right or it could be all the way over to the left.
And at this point, it would be becoming like a powerful nor'easter, losing its tropical hurricane characteristics.
Regardless, it's going to have a huge wind field and cause a lot of problems.
All of our spaghetti lines are mostly into Nova Scotia, showing all the different models.
But we'll get to this purple line here in a second.
So the American GFS model, this is what it would predict for the highest wind gusts,
with that center coming towards Nova Scotia, still 50 to 60.
That purple line is the European model, which typically is the most reliable and the most accurate,
which is closer to the Cape.
would bring almost 80 mile per hour winds to the Cape. So Tom, that would be serious. So we still
have four days to watch this. We're not out of the woods yet. Okay, maybe we can do a documentary
on Hurricane Lee. We'll talk to you about it. It'll be long before. All right, we're following
on unfortunately another unfolding weather disaster overseas. A powerful storm hitting Libya,
causing dams to burst and unleashing raging floodwaters that have wiped out entire villages.
The images are unbelievable. Libyan officials saying thousands are dead and many more are still missing.
And we do want to warn you some of the footage you're about to see is hard to watch.
Death and destruction in Libya at the hands of Mother Nature.
The Red Cross now says up to 10,000 people are feared dead after a storm slammed into the country's east.
Unleashing a devastating surge of floodwaters that swept away entire neighborhoods, leaving nothing but wreckage in its path.
A spokesperson for the country's armed forces says 5,000 to 6,000 people are missing in a single city after floodwaters broke through dams in Durma.
Now bodies covered in blankets are laid out along a sidewalk outside of a medical complex.
Horrific evidence of the storm's indiscriminate brutality.
This volunteer pleading for God's protection, saying we are still looking for the victims.
We call on all young Libyans anyone who has a degree or any medical experience to please come and help us.
We do not have enough nurses, he says.
We need help.
The exact death toll is difficult to know.
The health minister for Eastern Libya says that's because they believe bodies are still trapped under the rubble.
And when the floodwaters receded into the Mediterranean Sea, some bodies went with it.
Thousands of people have lost their lives, thousands of people have lost their homes,
and thousands of families are stranded or lost.
More help is on the way.
Turkey says they are sending three aircrafts carrying search and rescue teams.
U.S. President Joe Biden following their lead, saying in a statement on Tuesday,
quote, in this difficult hour, the United States is sending emergency funds to relief organizations
and coordinating with the Libyan authorities and the U.N.
to provide additional support.
But the people who live here
have already been waiting in agony for days.
Many forced to take matters into their own hands,
digging graves,
piling into dingy boats,
searching for the bodies of their neighbors,
and praying for an ounce of hope
in an ocean of utter devastation.
Ellison Barber joins us now live in studio.
So Ellis and people may be thinking Libya,
it hasn't really been in the news.
since 2011 with the fall of Qaddafi, and they've had a lot of sort of civil tension,
instability. How is that playing out now with this massive natural disaster?
So it's actually a pretty big factor because you have two primary rival governments who have,
they had a ceasefire that they agreed to in 2020, but they were supposed to have elections in 2021.
That didn't happen. So you're probably thinking, what does all that have to do with flooding?
Well, when you look at something like aid coming in, it makes it incredibly complicated
because the U.S. and most of the international community, the U.N. as well, they support and
the rival government that controls the western part of Libya.
But where the worst destruction is, it's in the eastern part.
So when they're talking about sending aid in, if they have permission from the Western government,
they need permission from the Eastern government to then take that aid in.
And historically, we have seen these two rival governments from the West and the East
not be able to work together on anything at all.
And possibly 10,000 dead.
That's just so hard to wrap your head around.
Okay, Ellison, thank you.
Now to another disaster zone, the death toll rise into more than 2,900 in Morocco.
after that devastating earthquake.
Tonight, anger growing over the official response to the crisis
has displaced residents struggle to find shelter.
Matt Bradley again on the ground for us tonight.
Tonight in Morocco, time is running out.
New video shows rescue crews desperately searching the debris for survivors
four days after the country's most powerful earthquake in more than 100 years.
The quake killing more than 2,900 people
and leaving more than 5,500 injured.
New images tonight showing another wedding celebration erupting into chaos when the tremor struck.
Now emergency workers deploying sniffer dogs to scour the wreckage.
Using helicopters to evacuate victims from the disaster zone, for Al-Maga, who lost several members of her family, agony is turning to anger.
She says the government is just absent.
She says all of the help they're getting is from independent organizations, not from the government.
Moroccan officials facing accusations they're moving too slow to address the crisis.
It's a complaint we've heard time and time again in high Atlas mountain villages just like this one.
The streets are filled with rubble, but the national government is all but absent.
Displace residents now struggling to meet basic needs.
Some forced to sleep in the streets.
We don't know where we're going to go, this resident says.
Winter is coming. The rain, winter conditions. We have young children. We have nothing.
Now search teams from across Europe converging on Morocco, offering whatever help they can.
Rob Norman is a British search and rescue support officer.
Based on recent events such as the Turkey earthquake, what we found was that we have what we call survivable voids, gaps where people can survive until we reach them.
Some of the sites we've visited here, there have been a total collapse.
So unfortunately, we haven't had that opportunity.
Tourists lining up alongside Moroccan citizens to donate blood.
Yet despite the outpouring of support,
the Moroccan people still struggling to rebuild their lives left in ruins.
And Tom, here in this high Atlas mountain town,
you can see there's still quite a lot of destruction,
but no frenzied search like in other earthquake zones that I've been to.
Here, all hope for survivors is all but lost.
Tom?
That's terrible.
Okay, Matt Bradley for us.
Back here at home tonight, major new developments in that manhunt for an escape,
killer in Pennsylvania. Police now saying he is armed and dangerous after he stole a rifle from a
garage. NBC's George Solis has those details and more. Tonight, the search to find in yellow
Cavalcante intensifying with a new threat to police in the community. The escape killer now has a
gun. He is now armed with a 22 caliber rifle with a scope and flashlight mounted on it.
Nearby schools closed. Alerts sent to residents. Residents in the area are asked
to continue to secure their homes and vehicles and remain vigilant.
Police say last night, Cavalcante, who was killed before,
stole a rifle and ammo from inside an open garage,
but he was caught by the homeowner who drew his own gun and fired at the fugitive.
We have no reason to believe that he is injured as a result of that shooting.
Authorities raced to the scene in minutes, but did not find Cavalcante,
who may now be shirtless.
After, officials say they recovered the green sweatshirt he was seen wearing.
Authorities have set up a new perimeter where 500 officers are now scouring the wooded area looking for any clues.
It's scary because he could be anywhere.
Dr. Matt Bauer is visiting his parents who live in the neighborhood where the shots were fired.
The family immediately taking precaution.
What came next was a heavy police presence.
The adrenaline starts going and we just are hardwired and kind of running through the house,
making sure everything's locked, making sure all the windows are secure.
Meanwhile, authorities say they are closing in.
I believe he is beyond assistance, and he is in that perimeter, and we will actively hunt until we find him.
Authorities say Cavalcante may have ditched his prison shoes in these nearby woods,
may have stolen a pair of work boots from a nearby porch.
Tom?
Work boots and a rifle.
Okay, George, thank you.
We have a major update tonight in the fight against COVID-19.
The CDC now signing off on an updated COVID vaccine for every American, older than six months.
The CDC says the shots are expected to be available within the next 48 hours in some areas,
and the agency suggested everyone get them this fall, the updated vaccines rolling out amidst
late summer uptick in cases.
Okay, still ahead tonight.
Hit and run manhunt, an urgent search in California for a suspect accused of hitting three
separate cyclists with their car, one of them deadly.
Plus, TSA agents in Miami look at this, accused of stealing items from passengers with
the security footage shows, and DoorDash disgust, a delivery driver seemed spitting on a customer's
food because of what he was tipped, the moment the people inside realized what had happened and how
the company is responding. Top story, just to getting started on this Tuesday night.
All right, we're back now with the TSA agents charged an alleged scheme to steal from passengers.
prosecutors now releasing new footage that appears to show them caught in the act,
distracting travelers, and then making off with hundreds of dollars at a time.
Here's NBC Sam Brock.
Tonight, TSA agents at Miami International Airport caught on camera,
allegedly stealing hundreds of dollars from passengers.
Video provided by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office appears to reveal Jose Gonzalez
and Liberius Williams going through a black bag at a security checkpoint when Williams walks away.
Gonzalez then appears to take something out of the bin and put it in his pocket.
In another video, prosecutors say he's also seen removing something from a Louis Vuitton bag,
setting it aside and then grabbing it out of the bin before the luggage is screened.
Gonzalez and Williams were arrested in July, along with a third agent who later had charges against her dropped.
According to the arrest affidavit, Gonzalez admitted to distracting passengers in order to steal cash from bags as they were being screened.
In one case, he allegedly took $600 from one wallet.
Now both men are charged with grand theft in the third degree.
A lawyer for Gonzalez telling NBC News he qualified for a state program.
He will have his charges dropped if completed.
Mr. Williams, you're accused of stealing from TSA with any comment?
No.
Prosecutors say Williams did not qualify for that program.
In his case, heads to trial.
His attorney didn't comment to NBC News.
In a statement, TSA confirming that both men have been removed from screening duties
as the investigation continues, adding in part,
the agency, quote, has no tolerance for.
misconduct in the workplace.
For Top Story, Sam Brock, NBC News.
All right, we thank Sam for that one.
Now to a shocking moment caught on home doorbell cam in Miami.
A DoorDash driver seen spitting on his food delivery,
apparently angry over how little he was tipped.
This scene just the latest in a string of incidents involving frustrated delivery drivers.
Valerie Castro has this one.
A food delivery spit and dash.
A DoorDash delivery man.
and angry over the tip, appears to spit on the food delivery he's just left on a doorstep.
Not once, not twice, but three times.
The incident captured by ring camera.
13-year-old Elias Cresanto and his mother ordered the food to their Miami home,
but say they were disgusted to see the video.
They say the $3 tip they included for the half-mile trip was generous.
It was bravo because,
a little bit of a small propina and scooped on the
food. I wanted to vomit because who does that?
A spokesperson for DoorDash saying,
while we empathize with the frustration of not receiving a tip,
this behavior is unacceptable, adding they have since removed
that worker from the platform.
Hi.
Hello.
Give me a mask.
The many frustrated delivery drivers across the country
are reaching a tipping point.
This doorbell video going viral of one driver berating a woman
after she says she left a 25% tip.
I just want to say it's a nice house for a $5 tip.
You're welcome.
Another driver in California appearing to take a sip out of a milkshake
before handing it to a customer, though it's unclear why.
Despite these shocking incidents, DoorDash is only growing in popularity
with more than 32 million consumers each month
and more than 2 million dashers, according to a company's spokesperson.
Food delivery apps can also be used a place to go orders,
so how much should you tip?
And what if you pick up the food yourself?
Do you tip on top of that when you pick it up yourself?
I think I do, but that's just because the option is there.
I definitely think I do more of like a 10% tip for that.
What do you think people should be tipping?
I think it's like in most service industries, people live off of the tips.
So be mindful that that can be a very generous help for that person.
Some delivery app sites spell it out.
RubHub suggests 20% or at least $5, more if bad weather is a factor.
Doordash and Uber Eids both say a tip is never required, but always appreciated, and 100% of it goes to the worker.
At the end of the day, for those making the deliveries, gratuity and generosity, go hand in hand.
I can't tell nobody what to do with their money.
I know what I signed up for.
If you tip, you tip, if you don't, you don't.
At the end of the day, you have to look in the mirror and know what you did.
That's completely up to you.
Okay, Valerie Castro joins us now.
Valerie, I don't know if I'm going to ever look at my delivery the same way again.
So listen, you know, I agree with all the people in your story.
You should definitely tip.
There's also all these added fees that get tacked on to your bill as well.
Do any of those go to the driver as well?
Or those just go to the restaurant and to the services?
They don't.
And DoorDash actually lists all of the possible fees.
There are seven different fees here.
There's a service fee that goes to operating costs for the app.
There's the delivery fee that is separate from what the driver is getting paid in a day.
They don't get that.
They don't get that.
And it varies by restaurant.
It can depend on where the restaurant is located, how pop.
It is a small order fee.
Maybe you only ordered French fries.
They're going to tack on an extra fee because it's such a small order.
But again, all of the app companies say that is not the driver's tips.
That's all going to do that in mind.
Yeah.
Okay.
Maybe the company can give them some more, too.
Okay.
Valerie Castro, we thank you so much for all of this.
Okay.
And when we come back, we're going to be talking a lot more about what happened at a Florida hospital,
part of a parking garage collapsing, sending cars crashing into the level below.
What we're hearing about the injuries at the scene next?
All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed,
and we begin with the urgent search in California for a driver who may be intentionally targeting cyclists.
Police at Huntington Beach say three cyclists were hit or nearly hit within a half-mile radius over the course of 45 minutes on Sunday night.
One of the victims died from their injuries.
Witnesses in all three cases described seeing a black Toyota four-door sedan with major damage to the passenger side fleeing the scene.
An investigation tonight after a parking garage collapsed at a Florida hospital.
Aerial video shows part of a roof pancaked at a garage in Jacksonville.
Cars from the third floor sent crashing down onto the second.
Multiple vehicles were destroyed, but luckily no one was hurt.
All nearby businesses were evacuated.
It's still unclear what caused the collapse, but officials say it appears to be some consequences.
of structural failure. Another man has been injured after getting bitten by a shark at a Florida
beach. Aerial footage from our Orlando area affiliate West showing several sharks in the water
off the coast of New Sermurna Beach. Officials say hours later a 38-year-old was bitten in the face
while surfing there. Luckily, he's expected to be okay. This is the seventh shark bike in that area
just this year. And the FBI is now investigating a mystery cybersecurity attack that
shut down MGM resorts nationwide.
The hack disabling slot machines and digital hotel keys had MGM resorts in Vegas, New Jersey, and Ohio.
It even impacted the company's website.
MGM announcing they shut down their own systems to protect customer data.
The international resort was the target of another hack in 2019 that leaked personal data up more than 100 million people.
Okay, now to an NBC News exclusive while the U.S. nears a deal for a prisoner swap with Iran that would unlock billions and
foreign aid for Iran. Lester Holt sat down with President
Ebrahim Raiisi, the leader, suggesting that his country was getting
more from the agreement than what was reported? The U.S. now looking to set
the record straight. Here's Lester Holt.
We arrived in Tehran at a critical moment, as consequential as it is
controversial. Tonight, the White House moving quickly to frame the
details of a prisoner swap that would unlock $6 billion of frozen
Iranian funds that the U.S. says it would be for Iran's humanitarian use only. After Iran's
President, Abraham Raeisi, telling me in an exclusive interview that Iran will do whatever
it wants with the money. No, that's not true. The system is set up such that this money,
these funds, can only be parceled out for humanitarian purposes. Tonight, the five Americans at the
center of the deal, held for years, are expected to be freed at any time. Recently,
transferred from a prison cell where they had been held on espionage charges. The U.S. says they were unjustly detained. Now they wait to be exchanged where five Iranians held in the U.S. on alleged sanctions violations. For Iran, the deal will free up billions that had been blocked by U.S. sanctions.
Walking the busy streets of this capital, it doesn't immediately strike you how isolated this country is. But in fact, Iran is the second most sanctioned country in the world.
only surpassed it after its invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to President Raeisi, through a government-provided translator, I asked about the
well-being of the soon-to-be-freet Americans.
Are they healthy?
Are they well?
They are very healthy, and according to our latest information, they are in full health.
I want to ask you about the deal, $6 billion that Iran has its own money for human
There are many in the United States, members of Congress, who have raised concerns that this is a ransom, that this is appeasement of Iran, that it will only encourage Iran to take Americans and other circumstances and falsely accuse them. What's your response to that?
Just from the beginning, we have been intending to release the Iran's
Iranian frozen assets, which have been unjustly frozen by the United States to free them.
We believe that this American action was very unjust just from the beginning.
It has imposed fair the pressure on the Iranian people.
You believe this money was wrongfully taken from Iran.
But what is your expectation of its use?
We're told that it's for humanitarian purposes, food and medicine.
Do you believe you have the right to use that money in any way that you see fit?
This money belongs to the Islamic Republic of Iran,
and naturally we will decide, the Islamic Republic of Iran will decide to spend it wherever we need it.
So if I hear you clearly that it will be used for more than humanitarian purposes in your view.
Humanitarian means whatever the Iranian people needs.
So this money will be budgeted for those needs.
And the needs of the Iranian people will be decided and determined by the Iranian government.
Meantime Iran has faced internal troubles, namely a violent crackdown on women's rights protesters
who were demanding an end to a law that requires women here to wear head coverings.
The protest movement led by women here.
We saw many openly defying the law.
Are you at all afraid to walk down the streets without a scarf?
No, I don't afraid because I really tired about this.
I asked the president about that deadly government crackdown on those protesters.
We were sitting here, Mr. President, at nearly the one-year anniversary of the death of Masa Aminig, a young woman,
was arrested by the Morality Police for allegedly improperly wearing her head covering.
The response, the government response to the protesters was swift and it was brutal in the eyes of many.
Humanitarian groups say at least 500 people were killed, perhaps many young people.
Thousands, tens of thousands were arrested, that there were people executed or put on death road,
journalists who were rounded up.
What message did that send to the rest of the world, how Iran handled those protests?
It was an incident.
The same incidents happened every day in the U.S. and in the European cities.
The Islamic Republic of Iran responded swiftly and followed the issue.
But I would like to mention the fact that the West End,
countries and some European countries and the U.S. were making use of this incident as a project
against the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was a hybrid war and a cognitive war. It was a political
war. It was an economic war, a media war, and a psychological war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
If I understand what you're saying, you're blaming what happened on the streets after Masa,
on Western influences and American efforts to undermine this country.
But those were Iranian security forces in the street firing pellets at unarmed people
or live weapons at crowds that included young people.
Do you not see anything in the last year in which you have to take responsibility for?
Those who provoked the people.
and made use of this opportunity, that was the U.S. and European countries.
Those who were trying to ablaze banks or to open fire on the people
or to kill people, certainly our security force on the street
cannot allow terror to happen.
We cannot allow anyone to destroy the public places.
We cannot endanger the safety of people.
If on Saturday the anniversary of Masa Amini's death, if there are protests to commemorate that date, would the security forces crack down in the same way?
So do you know that are there going to be any protests in the country?
I don't know. There are reports. The government has taken actions to quiet activists ahead of that date.
Can you comment to that?
No, you should be assured that the Islamic Union.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been ready to listen to wars of protestists.
On any issue, we are all ears.
And those who intend to abuse Madame Amini's name under this protects
to be an agent of foreigners to create this instability in the country.
We know what will happen to them.
to them and they know that endangering the security of people and security of society
will create a big cost.
Lester Holt for us tonight from Tehran.
Now to Top Stories Global Watch, and we begin with that reported meeting between North Korea's
Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
New video released by Russian state media shows Kim arriving in eastern Russia today on his
private armored train.
He later met with top Kremlin officials.
and is reportedly there on an invitation by Putin.
The U.S. has threatened more sanctions if the leaders agree to an arms deal to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.
In Austria, zookeeper was killed and another seriously hurt in a rhinoceros attack.
Officials say the female zookeeper was crushed by the nearly 4,000-pound animal during morning rounds at a zoo in Salzburg.
Her husband, also a zookeeper, tried to save his wife by chasing the rhino away.
he was also hurt and taken to the hospital
but is expected to survive.
And a stolen Vincent Van Gogh painting
has been recovered.
Surveillance video, you see it here,
captured a thief stealing the 1884 painting
titled Spring Garden from a small museum
near Amsterdam in 2020.
While a private detective, Arthur Brand,
says after an extensive investigation,
the painting worth more than $3 million
was delivered to him inside of an IKEA bag.
The unnamed man who delivered the painting
reportedly did not take part in the theft, the detective,
apparently not having a problem showing the camera
and touching the painting everywhere, but he found it.
All right, coming up, a governor trying to suspend gun rights,
the backlash she's getting with police refusing to enforce her order.
We'll have the battle in New Mexico next.
Back down to the bipartisan outrage in New Mexico
after the governor's decision to suspend gun rights
in and around Albuquerque in an effort to curb gun violence.
Gun owners are protesting the decision and the move even drawing condemnation from some gun control advocates.
NBC News correspondent Liz Croyce has the details.
We will not comply.
Tonight protest and defiance in Albuquerque.
This is the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Dozens of New Mexicans armed with guns rallying against the governor's controversial new public health order,
which bans people from carrying guns openly or concealed in Albuquerque for 30.
days. My jaw dropped for a second amendment to be suspended. It's unconstitutional. Let's put it that way.
The move by Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham comes after a string of fatal shootings that
killed three children, including 11-year-old Froelan Villegas, gunned down outside a minor league
baseball park last week. It prompted Lujan Grisham to declare a public health emergency on gun
violence. The purpose is to try to create a cooling off period while we figure out how we can
better address public safety and gun violence. But backlash has been swift, Albuquerque's
Bernalio County Sheriff John Allen, a Democrat, saying he will not enforce the order. This order
will not do anything to curb gun violence other than punish law-abiding citizens from a constitutional right
to self-defense. Even high-profile gun control supporters also saying the governor overstepped,
including California Democratic Congressman Ted Liu, who posted, I support gun safety laws.
However, this order from the governor of New Mexico violates the U.S. Constitution.
And Parkland School shooting survivor David Hogg, who wrote, I support gun safety, but there is
no such thing as a state public health emergency exception to the U.S. Constitution.
What is your message to the governor right now?
Our message to the governor is simple.
You cannot do this.
This is wildly unconstitutional.
Hannah Hill with the National Association for Gun Rights is among four pro-gun groups now suing Governor Grisham.
We're asking the courts to uphold the Second Amendment and to issue us a temporary restraining order
knocking down this unconstitutional executive order.
There may be more consequences for the governor.
Some state lawmakers are calling for her impeachment.
This as gun owners in New Mexico are blowing.
blatantly ignoring the order, openly carrying their guns to send a message that she's gone too far and needs to be removed from office.
We plan on trying to push that through because she has done an illegal act and violated her oath.
Liz Kreutz joins top story tonight. Liz, clearly the governor has taken it from all sides. What is she saying tonight?
Yeah, Tom, despite this criticism, she is at least for now doubling down. She sent NBC News a statement where she responded to the sheriff's comments there.
She said, I don't need a lecture on constitutionality from Sheriff Allen.
What I need is action.
She then goes on to say, I will not back down from doing what's right.
And I will always put the safety of the people of New Mexico first.
And Tom, the CDC says New Mexico is some of the highest firearm mortality rates in the country.
So it seems the governor is trying to do something to change that.
I guess, Liz, before you go, I do want to ask you, was this purely symbolic or was there actually any type of enforcement on this measure?
There is allegedly a fine for people who violate this.
People who violate it could face a fine as much as $5,000.
But as of now, police are not enforcing it. Tom.
Okay, Liz, Croyd's for us.
Liz, great to have you on the show.
Coming up, the new iPhone, the new AirPods, and the new Apple Watch out now.
We'll tell you.
But more importantly, we're going to show you the biggest changes,
the new features, some of the costs,
and show you the pop star who's using that new iPhone
to shoot an entire music.
video. That's all coming up next.
Welcome back. A big day for Apple and its signature products. Some major announcements from the
tech giant, including a big change coming to how you charge your devices. NBC's technology
correspondent, Jake Ward joins us tonight from San Francisco. So Jake, let's get right into it.
Give us the three top lines when it comes to the new iPhone announced today.
Well, the new iPhone Apple was very clear, Tom, is supposed to be sort of moving things forward.
But the truth is, are the differences that enormous?
It's really not clear.
At this point, we know that there will be a new titanium shell that supposedly makes the whole thing lighter.
There's a much more powerful camera.
And then, as you mentioned, charging is the difference.
The European Union is now mandated that USBC, which is used to charge your Android device and so many other gizmos,
is also going to have to be mandatory for basically everybody.
Apple seems to be going along with that,
and that's why all of its products going forward will be charged by USBC, Tom.
And to be clear, Jake, if you've got an old iPhone, you don't have to worry,
you can still use the same chargers.
Those charges will still be sold in stores.
That's right, and now you can buy a $29 adapter from Apple
that'll take your old lightning cable and put it into USBC if you need that,
but that's correct.
You can still use the old ones, and if you decide to throw them away,
you can just recycle. All right, let's talk about the pricing here. I want to put up the prices for
our viewers here. So the iPhone 15 is pushing $800. iPhone 15 plus is at $899. The iPhone 15 Pro is at
$999, and the iPhone Pro Max is at almost $1,200. So of course, we are aware of inflation. But
from what I was reading, these are similar prices to what happened last year. I'm just, I'm
surprised at how expensive the iPhone has gotten. I know. I know. Whenever I'm doing something
stupid with my phone, holding it over, you know, the ocean or whatever. I think to myself,
if I had $1,000 in my hand, would I really just be casually standing here with it, right? It is
that crazy feeling of just how expensive these phones are, but you have to remember. Apple
makes the vast majority of its money off of this kind of hardware sales, and the profit margins
on some of these phones have historically been as high as 50%. They make a lot of money this way.
They are also forecast to sell fewer and fewer phones as the years go by, so they're trying
to get as much money out of each one.
Now, they are trying to pack a lot of value into every phone that they make.
And so in exchange for that $1,000, you're getting extraordinary cutting-edge technology,
stuff that our grandparents' generation could never have dreamed of.
But in a day and age of incredible inflation, it is pretty eye-watering to pay this amount of money time.
Jake, when people go out with the new iPods that have just been released, will they notice anything different?
Well, the AirPods are, in theory, going to have greater ruggedness.
I've dropped mine into water while shaving.
Why was I shaving with so much money in my ears?
I don't know, but, you know, they're supposedly going to be much more ruggedized for the dumb things that we do with them.
They're supposed to have better noise canceling, and they will, of course, be charged by USBC in the future.
So a few changes made there.
I go everywhere with my AirPods Pro.
They're incredibly important to my life.
Will everybody need them?
I'm not sure about that time.
Yeah, no, I hear you.
And then finally, the new Apple Watch, they promoted this in a big way and some new features.
Tell our viewers what we can expect.
Well, you know, the Apple Watch is more and more becoming a sort of standalone device.
And one thing that's really important to remember here is that a big part of all electronics companies,
a lot of hardware companies, are really interested in getting against your skin.
They want to be able to read all sorts of signals off of your body.
Apple Watch already is touted as saving lives because it has, in fact, detected cardiac events
and all sorts of health troubles in people.
And in the future, it's going to have little conveniences.
This new one, if you wear it on a certain hand, if you just double it.
tap, two fingers of that same hand. That will be a gesture. It will read, and you can start and
stop the music or start and stop a timer. It's part of a play of trying to understand your body
better, get in tune with your body. That's part of what these companies are trying to get into,
and the Apple Watch is part of that move time. And then finally, I know there's some type of deal
with the new iPhone and one of the biggest pop stars out there right now, who's, of course,
a friend of the Today Show. That's right. Olivia Rodriguez has
her new video, music video, using entirely the iPhone.
It's a reminder of just how incredible these cameras actually are.
And in a day and age, you know, when once upon time it took a lot of training to do what
you and I do, right?
It turns out anybody can make a movie quality video just using one of these phones.
Olivia Rodriguez seems to have done that here, Tom.
I have an idea for a product.
Tell me if you think Apple will buy this.
It's the air tag, but it's an earring.
So it kind of hangs low, but it's the air tags.
and you can track, you know, whoever you want
is wearing those earrings.
You think they'll go for that?
I can't tell you how many times.
I want the duct tape,
and then I want to put it right here
so that I can figure out where I am.
Especially on the kids.
All right, Jake Moore, we appreciate you.
Thank you so much.
And we thank you all for watching Top Story tonight.
I'm Tom Yamerson, New York.
Stay right there.
More news on the way.