Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

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

Tonight, the federal judge now threatening to hold the Trump administration in contempt over their handling of those deportation flights to El Salvador. The judge scolding the administration today over their quote, in his view, willful disregard for his order to stop those flights. How the White House plans to fight back. Plus, the evidence the White House says, proves that Maryland man mistakenly deported was a gang member. As we see new videos of ICE agents smashing in car windows to detain. people. School shooter caught the moment the teen accused of opening fire at a Dallas school turns himself in to police. New details on how he was tracked down in the surveillance video from inside the school as he pulled the trigger. American Pastor Rescue. New details on the violent

shootout that freed this man held in South Africa. Finding autism's cause, RFK Jr.'s controversial announcement today. His mission to determine what's behind the rise in autism rates. Why experts fear he's not, following the science. The party principal, new body camera footage of cops arriving at a wild house party packed with teens, some sick from drugs and alcohol. The person throwing that party, a teacher and school principal trapped in quicksand. The photos of this man sucked into a quicksand like mud, how the fire department was able to get him out. And long-lived dogs, the medical breakthrough that could keep your canine companion around longer than ever. We introduce you to the dogs with a new leash on life. Plus, Spotify down, the outage hitting listeners across the country

outed millions cope during the morning. The music died. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We start tonight with the major escalation in the legal battle testing the balance of power between the courts and the presidency like we have never seen before. Today, a judge said he has probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for defying his order to stop those deportation flights to El Salvador. It comes four weeks after the administration ordered hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members to be deported to a mega prison, invoking a wartime law known as the Alien Enemy's Act. When this judge ordered that plane to turn around, the administration ignored his order. That judge now saying

that showed, quote, willful disregard of his ruling. And one of the men on the way, those flights is Kilmar Abraigo-Garcia, his family fighting for his freedom after the government acknowledged he was wrongly deported. But new tonight, the DOJ releasing an arrest report from 2019, which they say proves their claim that Abrago Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang. In it, officers say he was wearing clothing indicative of gang affiliation and that a source said he was an active member of MS-13, something Abrago-Garcia's lawyers have denied. It also comes on the heels of allegations of domestic abuse surfacing. NBC news also learning that Rico Garcia's wife sought a restraining order back in 2021. We have a lot to get to tonight.

So let's begin with NBC's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, with immigration arrests like these playing out across the country, a federal judge now says the Trump administration is crossing a line with its mass deportations. After those controversial removal flights to El Salvador last month, Judge James Bosberg slamming the government. for failing to comply with his court order to temporarily halt the plains, writing, probable cause exists to find the government in criminal contempt. The idea that one branch of government would ignore the orders of another is something we haven't seen in our nation's history. The judge writing, the Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders.

Adding that disobedience would make a solemn mockery of the Constitution itself. The White House says it will appeal. A separate legal case involves one of those deportees, Kilmar Obrego-Garcia. The man the Justice Department initially acknowledged was mistakenly sent to El Salvador. The Supreme Court ruled that Trump administration should facilitate Abrago-Garcia's return to the U.S. But today, after days of requests, the administration released a document from 2019, stating how an informant allegedly identified Abrago-Garcia as a member of the violent gang MS-13, even giving his rank and nickname. When Kilmar Abrago-Garcia was originally arrested, he was wearing a sweatshirt with rolls of money covering the ears, mouth, and eyes of presidents on various currency denominations. This is a known MS-13 gang symbol.

Abrago-Garcia's family denies he's a gang member, and he's never been criminally convicted. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland went to El Salvador today to push for Abrago Garcia's release but was denied a meeting with him. This is about due process. This is about not letting people be. just whisked off the street, which the Trump administration admits was done in error. Late today, the White House highlighting the story of Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was killed by an undocumented immigrant. These are the kind of criminals.

President Trump wants to remove from our country. The Trump administration is promising deportations will ramp up. Outside Boston, the woman inside this car says ICE officers used a hammer to break a window in order to drag out her husband, an undocumented immigrant, who has no criminal record. This surveillance video shows plain-closed officers tackling a Venezuelan man as he arrives in a New Hampshire courthouse, knocking over another man in the process. Hey, excuse me. Outrage over immigration now spilling into contentious town halls, including one held by Chuck

Grassley, the most powerful senator on the Judiciary Committee. Are you going to bring that guy back from El Salvador? Why not? Well, because that's not a power of Congress. Supreme Court said to bring it back. While in Georgia, police tasered two protesters at an event held by Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green. Bye. Just like that illegal alien.

Bye. And Gabe Gutierrez joins us now from the White House. Gabe, let's go back to that man deported to El Salvador. Abrago Garcia. I understand you have some new reporting tonight about his past. Yes, Allison. In 2021, a protection order was issued against him in a domestic violence case. Now, that case was closed when his wife did not show up for court.

As for the gang allegations, his attorneys have repeatedly questioned the credibility of that confidential informant. Alison. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. These are unprecedented legal issues for most Americans, so let's bring in NBC News senior legal correspondent, Lauren Jarrett to help us work through it. The judge here, in this case, James Bosberg, saying that he found probable calls to hold the government in contempt. Walk us through realistically what that means in theory and legal theory and how it could actually play out when you're dealing with people who aren't just everyday average citizen. So in practice, what this means is that you

are not yet U.S. government in criminal contempt, but I'm just on the cusp of doing it. I do think that there's enough evidence. The judge is saying, I do think that there's enough evidence to think that we might get there. And so instead, now what I'm going to do is I could possibly hold a hearing. I'm going to need declarations from the people who basically went against my order, put people on planes, even though I had an order saying, don't do that. He's going to solicit that testimony possibly. And then, after all that evidence comes in, if he thinks they actually did violate the order, then he could refer the matter for criminal prosecution. But of course, who's going to prosecute that case in the Trump administration?

Trump's DOJ, correct? Exactly. Now, then the judge, second step, the judge could say, okay, I'm going to appoint an outsider to prosecute the case. The issue there is still that outsider is supervised by Trump's Justice Department. And so you get to this point where you realize, okay, we could potentially be a point where the judge says we think that there is a criminal case here and the Justice Department's not going to prosecute it. And you were sort of setting up this remarkable confrontation between two of our branches of government. And I can ask you, how do we think that it would play out? But the truth is, in modern times, there's no comparable.

I mean, we could go back to the 1800s and look at some of the stuff from Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln with the Embargo Act, and maybe there are examples there. But anything recent that gives us a clue as to what could happen? Nothing even remotely close to that. And at the end of the day, the Supreme Court is usually the one who resolves these sort of intra-branch conflicts. But even there, if the Supreme Court says, no, you still have to follow this order, then what does the Trump administration do? I think that's where it gets tricky.

All right. Laura Jarrett, thank you. Yeah. Tonight we're learning new details about that mass shooting. at Dallas High School yesterday. The 17-year-old suspected gunmen now behind bars. Authorities charging him with aggravated assault after he turned himself in in a moment all caught on camera. NBC's Jesse Kirsch is in Texas with the latest. Overnight, 17-year-old Tracy Haynes Jr. surrendered to police.

Hours after he allegedly went on a shooting rampage at a Dallas high school. Shocking new surveillance video showing the moments. Investigators say Haynes opened fire. According to an arrest affidavit, an unidentified student let the suspect into the school through an unsecured door around 1 p.m. Tuesday. The affidavit says Haynes struck multiple students, adding he approached one student and appeared to take a point blank shot. The teenager booked on a felony charge of aggravated assault mass shooting. Under Texas law, he's considered an adult. One thing he said when we was in my office was, I don't want to get killed. Anton Lucky, who leads an anti-violence community organization, says he met with the alleged shooter and helped facilitate the teen surrender. Did you get any sense of remorse or responsibility? Yes, I did. I did get that. It was obvious that he had some sense of fear, whether it was from the people he had the education with or whether it was some law enforcement. Jemaya was in English class when chaos broke out.

She says a wounded student walked into her classroom. and collapsed. I'm on the phone with her while she's screaming. And I'm about to cry because I don't know what to tell her. And Jesse Kirsch joins us now from Dallas. Jesse, do we know exactly how many students were injured and how they're doing tonight? Yes, so, Alison, the latest we have from authorities is a total of five students injured in the alleged shooting rampage here. Not all of them shot, at least three suffering gunshot wounds. And then there were two other students. students, one suffering from what was described as a musculoskeletal injury and the other suffering from some kind of anxiety-related issue. And we are told that of those that were hospitalized

earlier today, according to Dallas Fire Rescue, at least two injured students had remained in the hospital for observation. Ellison. Jesse Kirsch in Dallas, thank you. The American pastor kidnapped at gunpoint in South Africa has now been rescued. Police, they are freeing the man during a deadly shootout. It comes nearly one week after he was abducted while leading a prayer service. Orkir Simmons is following this one. This is your missionary Josh Sullivan here. Tennessee pastor Josh Sullivan is safe tonight after a deadly shootout between his abductors and police. He was kidnapped last Thursday in front of his wife and six children, the youngest two years old. His relieved father-in-law

telling NBC news tonight he got a phone call from a family member following five frightening days. So I answered it immediately and basically just dropped to my knees. His words were we got him and I just thank God. Police today is still searching the house where Pastor Sullivan was rescued. Outside, three abductors were killed as they tried to escape with Sullivan in a vehicle. Three came out dead. Josh came in a lap.

He was in the same vehicle. that was filled with bullets, so there's a hundred percent God. Hope that you can see the sign here of our church. This gang in a township in Eastern Cape had been demanding a ransom after pulling Sullivan from the pulpit of the Baptist Church he had founded and filmed in this YouTube video. I spoke with him last night and very, very extremely brief and his words were that he loved me, my worst him were, that I loved him. And Keir Simmons joins us now from Dubai.

Kier, do we know what happened to Sullivan during those five days and whether or not he sustained any injuries? We don't know very much. We do know that he is healthy, that he is now with his wife and kids, which is an enormous relief for his family and for those who've been praying for him. What I am told by his father-in-law, Ellison, is that he asked him whether he had shared the gospel with his kidnappers. He said that he had, that, of course, just days before they died. He also had no idea about the publicity that his kidnapping was garnering.

Alison. Keir Simmons, thank you. Back in this country, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., announcing today a new mission for his agency to determine the cause of autism. It comes just one day after a CDC report found a dramatic increase in rates in children. But some experts are questioning some of the factors RFK Jr. is suggesting they cause the disorder. NBC's Ann Thompson reports. Today, the nation's top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., doubling down on his claim that

there is an autism epidemic. Year by year, there is a steady, relentless increase. The Health and Human Services Secretary pointed to the CDC. CDC's own data showing autism prevalence increased from one in 158-year-olds in 2000 to one in 31 in 2022. Then he offered his own theory for the rise without proof. This is a preventable disease. We know it's an environmental exposure. It has to be genes do not cause epidemics. Dr. Zach Warren, one of the authors of the CDC report, says there is no one answer. But the best science so far points to genetics. We have data that a certain percentage of some types of autism can be clearly explained

by genetic differences. We have other evidence suggesting that actually it's the complex interplay of environmental factors and all of those things that can influence brain development that will need to understand as well. Is it a preventable disease? I think it's really challenging to answer that question because all Autism isn't actually a single thing, right? Autism is a word that we use as a best attempt to capture a wide variety of wonderfully unique children with strengths,

developmental vulnerabilities. Kennedy painted a bleak picture for those with autism. And these are kids who will never pay taxes. They'll never hold a job. They'll never play baseball. They'll never write a poem. I'll never go out on a date. Sam Branson has a Ph.D. in physics and is an autism researcher.

Both Sam and his seven-year-old son have autism. We have, I think, vibrant features. And, yeah, to hear someone who's a government official, you know, calling us an epidemic and, yeah, essentially labeling us as negative outcomes is quite harmful. And Ann joins us now in studio. It's so nice to hear from Sam talking about his experience and seeing what he's achieved with the PhD. Yeah, he got his Ph.D. At Duke, pretty amazing. Talk to us about what factors, RFK Jr. is suggesting he wants to zero in here. He's got a laundry list. And these are his factors. Let's make this very clear. These are things he thinks could play a role here.

We're talking food additives, toxins, pesticides, mold, the age of a parent, whether a parent is obese or not. He wants to study all of this, and he thinks with AI they'll be able to really speed this up, and he hopes to have some answers this September. We'll see. Ann Thompson, thank you. Another top official escorted from the Pentagon today as part of an investigation into an unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information. Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, placed on administrative leave, according to two defense officials and a source familiar with the matter. This comes one day after two top advisors to defense secretary Pete Hegeseth, Dan Caldwell, and Darren Selnick, were placed on leave as part of the same investigation.

NBC's Pentagon correspondent, Courtney QB, joins us now with the latest. Courtney, what more do we know about these removals and about this investigation? I mean, Ellison, they have people at the Pentagon really scratching their heads right now, is what is the tie here? And what exactly are the leaks that these three are now accused of maybe being apart? Now, we saw them on screen there. Dan Caldwell and Darren Selnick are very close to Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth. I would argue that among his five closest advisors in the Pentagon, they are two of them. So this has been an absolute shockwaves through the Pentagon. And then today to have someone from the Deputy Secretary of Defense office, Stephen Fiberg's office, is just only adding to the

mystery here. The big question is, were these individuals actually providing sensitive information to media and what were the stories involved? Ellison, we are getting zero answers to questions like basic questions like that today. And in fact, all we keep hearing is there may be more people and more names coming in the days ahead as part of this investigation. Courtney, has the White House weighed in at all? No. I mean, we have not heard any real detail.

Now, I will say there has been broad acceptance and even appreciation for going after any individuals who may have been involved in providing sensitive information to the media or to Congress. But again, we have very little information about this when we ask defense officials about these individuals each one by one. We keep getting the same answer, just that they have been escorted out, that they are on some sort of administrative leave, and that they have nothing further to say about the matter, Alison. Courtney QB, thank you. We're back in a moment with the teen accused of stabbing another teen at a track meet, claiming self-defense. His minister speaking out on his behalf, why he says there's more to this case than what's been reported.

Plus, cause of death, what we're learning tonight about why actress Michelle Trachtenberg died so young. And the new body camera video, the wild teen house party allegedly thrown by a school principal. The charges she now faces. We're back now with an update on a story we've been following on this broadcast. deadly altercation between two 17-year-olds at a Texas track competition earlier this month. Police say Carmelo Anthony fatally stabbed Austin Metcalfe in the stands of a Dallas area meet. Metcalf's father saying that he died in his twin brother's arms. This Monday, Judge lowering Anthony's bond from $1 million to $250,000, allowing his release under strict

conditions of house arrest, ankle monitoring, and weekly check-ins with the bailiff. Anthony did admit to police that he stabbed Metcalf, but says he acted. in self-defense. Tonight, we're joined by Minister Dominique Alexander, president of the Next Generation Action Network. He has been spending time with the Anthony family advocating on Carmelo's behalf. Minister, thank you so much for joining us tonight. We appreciate your time. Let's begin with Anthony's claims here that he acted in self-defense. As you understand it, what happened in the stands that day that required Anthony to stab Austin Metcalf? Well, so let me be able to start I think that we respect the full process of the judicial system and being able to say that we will not try this case in the court of public opinion.

But one of the things that we do know is that there were a lot of things that were said at the beginning of this case that was simply not true, right? And we know that in the next coming month and year as the case matures, a lot of people will know that. the facts that went on that particular date. Correct, if you can for us, Minister, since you said there's some facts that came out early that were incorrect, what has been reported on her in the media in the early days of this, or even to now, that has been inaccurate? Well, just say the fact that Austin McClough died in his brother,

arms, we have found out that not to be true. Even from affidavits that have been filed in the court in many things. Let me ask you, though, from a big picture standpoint, Mr. Respectfully, does that really matter? I mean, ultimately, we're talking about a 17-year-old who was stabbed to death. And from our knowledge, Austin Metcalfe was not armed that day. What was it that made Carmelo Anthony think he had to stab him in order to leave that track meet alive himself? He's arguing self-defense here.

What I will say is that as the president of the Next Generation Action Network and Human Civil Rights Organization, we respect that fundamental right of Carmelo Anthony being able to display. And saying that self-defense claim, I think that a black American, America has a general right is saying, how is it absurd that a black child is claiming self-defense? But we always see repetitively white children being able to say self-defense and there's no problem. No one's, I'm not asking you, I'm just asking you to help us understand why he is claiming that. Because Texas is a state that has robust stand-your-ground laws, right? There's no duty to retreat, the castle doctrine as well.

there's a lot of leeway in how they define self-defense. So I'm asking if you could help us understand why he says this was self-defense when based on what we know right now. And tell me if you have other information, Austin Metcalf was not at all armed when this occurred. I think that, okay, so let me make this very clear so I can start off or whatever. There are certain pertinent details that we cannot talk about right now because, of course, They have something to do with a lot of minors and children and names that are actually involved. And that's the reason why we've been telling the public that we cannot release all of the

details as to what happened in that pertinent information, especially since I'm the president's CEO of a nonprofit that can be held liable by the sensitivity of youth in the state of Texas name or identities being released. All we can do is tell people to be paid. with this process because there will be a trial to know exactly what happened on that imminent day, right, in those imminent seconds, you know? And I can say that it has led many organizations such as minds to support Carmelo Anthony's claim. Let me ask you some about the Internet speculation in particular other outlets, not this

one, but they have touched on and written a lot about Carmelo Anthony's family, saying that has raised more than four, that they have raised more than $400,000 since the beginning of this case. There have been some other news outlets seemingly criticizing the family for raising that money for his legal defense. And then also people appearing to go online and look at personal information that we're not showing here, because that would be wholly inappropriate of us to do so, showing their address where they live, saying they live in an expensive home. Why did they need this money? Could you just respond to that general sentiment and discourse we're seeing online from the family's perspective here.

You know what? Thank you for answering that because a lot of people have been affected by this. Let me make this very clear. The family has continued to say, and they said it Monday in the court, they do not have access to those funds. When you raise that kind of money, especially over $100,000, it take days to access those funds because these platforms go fund me and go send me go, whatever the name of it, of the actual platform have verification processes, right? We saw that this family has spent and bought an $800,000 house and all of these absurd

claims that are just not true at all. It was clear that dad testified in the court hearing. There were many media that were in there, and they asked him a question while he was on the stand. Do you own your home? No, I am renting. When is the lease up on your home in June? Are you going to have to relocate?

Yes, this absurdness that the dad has used his money to buy an $800,000 home or deliberate attacks to try to prevent this family for being able to raise the much-needed money for the legal defense of Carmelo-Anthony. They are deliberate attacks that they know are not true. A simple public record search, a simple search would dispel all of those things. Even the platform even said that they do not even have access to it. TMZ called them today. They don't have access to it.

But yet these articles continue to spend, continue to be published. And yet we can only, you know, respond at a time. But I'm so grateful that you answered that question because the family does not have access to this fund. And yet someone criticizing because a dad, a dad has provided for his family and put his family in a nice neighborhood is literally absurd. Before we let you go, though, I do want to ask you quickly, as a man of faith, I'm the daughter of a preacher, the granddaughter of one as well. If you could speak to the family of Austin Metcalf

tonight, what would you say to them? Well, let me make this very clear, and this is the reason why we have not released statements and talked about even with your first question. Because what we do not want to do is seem like we are bashing a family who is now having to lay their son to rest. And because this is a case dealing with youth, our organization has to be very careful on what we talk about because there are people that were under that tent that are 15, 16, 17, 18, and all different ages. And so our heart goes out. Any loss of life is a tragedy. And yet that still at the same time, we still stand by Carmelos Anthony's right to claim self-defense here in the state of Texas. Thank you so much. Minister Dominique, Alexander, thank you. We appreciate your time. Thank you for joining us on Top Story.

Thank you. When Top Story returns new details, the medical examiner releasing a cause of death for actress Michelle Tractonberg. What we're learning nearly two months after the 39-year-old was found unresponsive. Outage, outrage. It was a rough morning for thousands of Spotify users. What could be behind the popular app going silent? Tonight, we're learning about a possible motive from the man accused of setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor's residence. Court documents revealing that suspect called 911 and told dispatchers he was angry over Governor Josh Shapiro's position

on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Governor Shapiro now responding. NBC, Shaquille Brewster has been following it all. Tonight, police say within an hour of allegedly starting that fire at the Pennsylvania governor's mansion, suspect Cody Bomber picked up the phone and called 911 with a message. Reportedly telling the dispatcher that Governor Josh Shapiro needs to know that he, quote, will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people, adding he needs to stop having my friends killed and that our people have been put through too much by that monster. Shapiro, who is Jewish, hosted this Passover Seder in the residence just hours before. Nothing he could do would deter me from proudly and openly practicing

my faith. And I continue to find strength in my faith as we go forward here. Bomber is now behind bars facing charges including terrorism, attempted murder, and arson. He has not entered a plea. I just want to say... The governor today not calling what happened a hate crime, saying that's up to prosecutors. That this kind of violence has no place in our society, regardless of what motivates it. This is not how we resolve our differences. And this is not okay.

The Pennsylvania State Police recovering bomber's smartphones and external hospital. an external hard drive and a laptop using the search warrants along with swabs of his DNA that investigators could use to try and tie him to the scene when you're in a position like this with the kind of profile I have in doing this work you're mindful that there are people out there every day who you know want to do your harm before ending his call with 911 bomber allegedly telling police, you know where to find me, adding, I'm not hiding, and I will confess to everything I had done. And Shaq Brewster joins us now from Chicago. Shaq, we're now hearing from Balmer's public defender for the first time tonight. That's right, Ellison. And the

public defender's office is saying that Bomber will actually have a team of attorneys because of the complexity of this case. The chief public defender writing a statement tonight saying the allegations, if true, demonstrate the devastating consequences of severe mental illness, which is notable because Bomber went in court earlier this week for his arraignment denied having any mental health issues. Meanwhile, the investigation into how this attack was able to happen is well underway. The Pennsylvania State Police saying that they are now launching an outside independent expert to go in review how the attack happened. Ellison? Shaquille Brewster in Chicago. Thank you.

Heading overseas to the U.K., where the Supreme Court today ruled that trans women cannot legally be considered women. The decision met with sharp condemnation from the trans community and their allies who say the ruling sets civil rights back decades. But others, including Harry Potter author, J.K. Rowling, are calling it a victory. NBC's Hologarani has this report. A landmark ruling from the British Supreme Court setting out how women are defined in law. The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex. In other words, sex is assigned at birth, and trans women, including those who've undergone

gender reassignment, are not legally considered women. Activist Jane Fay, director of Transactual UK, is devastated. Because effectively what this decision does is exclude trans people from society. But outside the court cheers from supporters of the decision, including from one of the activists who led the campaign. This is not about prejudice or bigotry, as some people would say. It's just about saying that there are differences, and biology is one of those differences. In its ruling, the UK Supreme Court stressed that this legal definition does not strip

trans rights, as they would still be protected by anti-discrimination laws. But the decision could affect policy decisions related to participation in sports, the military, and female-only spaces, among other areas. It's going to take a generation to bring us back. I will be gone before we see happier times here. Both critics and supporters of the ruling drawing parallels with President Trump's legislation regarding transgender Americans. There are only two genders, male and female.

The Trump administration, which has banned trans students from competing in girls' sports, today suing the state of Maine for failing to comply with that executive order. In the U.K., the legal battle that ended today at the highest court started when the Scottish Parliament passed a 2018 law requiring public boards to be composed of 50 percent men and 50 percent. women, including trans women, in the definition of women, something the campaigners opposed. One of the highest profile supporters of the campaign, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, took to X to celebrate the ruling. They've protected the rights of women and girls across the UK. I'm so proud to know you, continuing to tweet for hours as reactions rolled in.

And Ellison, this ruling is clearly welcomed by some, but it still leaves some tricky questions unanswered. For example, if trans people are excluded from single-sex spaces, does it mean that they'll be asked to use, say, the restroom or the changing room of their former gender? Another question might be, well, if women are now defined as women only by birth, does it mean that trans women are now considered male? So this ruling clearly defines the term, but its implication will have to be worked out over time. Ellison? Aligarani in London. Thank you. In tonight's top story news feed, a cause of death has been determined for actress Michelle Tractenberg.

According to the New York City Medical Examiner's office, Tractonberg died from complications with diabetes. The 39-year-old was found dead in February inside her Manhattan apartment. She was best known for her roles in shows like Gossip Girl and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 15 prison guards in Illinois is exposed to a, quote, unknown substance. It happened today at Thompson Prison near the Iowa border. According to the prison's union president, the guards were in the mailroom at the time. He says this is the eighth drug exposure at that prison since January of last year. No word yet on what police believed that substance was.

In Puerto Rico, a massive power outage rippling across the island after energy plants unexpectedly shut down. Video showing trains evacuated after they grounded to a halt due to the outage. Luma Energy saying the cause of the shutdown is under investigation. The out is just the latest in a series of power failures on the island, including one on New Year's Eve. And finally, a new musical, based on the 90s group TLC looks ahead for Broadway. Crazy, Sexy Cool tells the story of the Grammy-winning trio of Teabaws, Left Eye, and Chile. The show is set to open next June in Washington, D.C. Deadline is reporting that the show is aiming for a Broadway run, but a production timeline has not yet been set.

The music streaming service, Spotify, is back up and running after a major outage that may have derailed your morning. The app experiencing a global blackout at about 9 a.m. Eastern time lasting multiple hours and impacting thousands of users worldwide. Some upset listeners taking to TikTok to voice their frustrations. You're not crazy. It's not your phone. Spotify is down. Spotify. What are you doing to me?

I look forward to listening to my playlist every morning. Like, this is my only time. What's going on? Spotify's down? How am I going to get through my day? I'm freaking out. I'm driving down the road. I'm nothing to listen to.

I don't even know how to turn the radio on in this new car because all I've ever listened to is Spotify. What do you mean I have to subject myself to the sounds of my surroundings? Do you guys know how many sounds are happening all the time everywhere at the same time? It's crazy. For more on the outage and the outrage, I want to bring in Lance Yulanov. He is the editor at large for Tech Radar and joins us now on set. Lance, thank you so much for being here. I mean, in some moments you listen to that and you're like, okay, first world problems.

But this really is how a lot of people start their mornings, whether it's with news podcasts or just to relax on the way to work. How did this happen? How did things go so wrong? Well, first of all, Spotify hasn't said how it happened. They basically said after it was all done, all better. Sorry. But when it's an outage of this scale, sometimes it takes a little time for them to figure out exactly what's going on. And we may hear more tomorrow about this, especially because, you know, there's over 600 million.

regular users, over 243 million premium users on Spotify, they're going to want some answers because they pay for this. It could have been something as simple as a code update. That can cascade and bring everything down, especially if there was a QA lapse, they didn't quite check it out enough or they had an unexpected collision with two pieces of code. That's the kind of thing that can happen. We've seen it happen with other services, but this is such a popular service and it's so much a part of our lives that, of course, everyone was feeling it, everyone was going on And a lot of people are doing that same thing. They're like, is it out for you? Because it's out for me. And then they feel better, at least, because it's out for everyone else. So is there any indication at this point? I mean, there are all these rumors. Is this a security hack? Maybe somebody else was involved or it was nefarious. Is there any indication or evidence at this point that this was some sort of concerning security hack? At this point, we have no evidence of that. You know, we don't think it was a denial of service attack, which is when you sort of flood someone's servers and bring them down. We even heard anything like that. There have been, you know, well, okay, this was the same day that Zoom went down.

We do think that's coincidental. But at this point, we don't know. But we really do have to wait for Spotify to come back and tell us exactly what happened. And in terms of Zoom going down at the same time, you said it seems like that was coincidental. Do we know why that happened? No, of course not. Why should anyone tell us why anything happens? And it was very similar in that it was a complete outage.

You could not sign in. You could not, you know, people do all their work meetings, so many remote workers. None of them could get on. The sites were down. The status indicator was down. We don't know. And they did the exact same thing. They said, it's all better. It's all back. Thank you for your patients. And that was it. All right. So we will wait to see as we get more information and check back with you in the coming days. Lance Yulenov from Tech Radar. Thank you so much. We appreciate it. Not a top story's Global Watch. A German doctor facing charges for allegedly murdering 15 patients. Prosecutors with the Berlin Public Office saying the 40-year-old doctor who worked with a nursing service allegedly administered in anesthetic and muscle relaxant without patient's consent, causing death within minutes. Prosecutors also say the doctor then set the patient's homes on fire to try and cover up the crime.

He's suspected in even more cases, 75 investigations are still ongoing. The doctor has not been identified or made a statement in this case. And two Belgian teens are charged with wildlife piracy after being found without, thousands of ants in Kenya. The 18-year-olds telling the magistrate in Nairobi they were collecting the ants for fun. Officials say they had 5,000 ants in test tubes with conditions that would allow the ants to live for months. Two other men in possession of 400 ants were also arrested. The Kenyan Wildlife Service saying both groups were trafficking ants to Europe and Asia.

It says trafficking lesser-known species has become a trend. And a colossal squid is seen swimming on video for the first time. Watch as the squid swims at a depth of almost 2,000 feet under the ocean surface. It was spotted near the South Sandwich Islands off the coast of Argentina in March. Scientists say this is a juvenile squid that's nearly one foot long, but they can grow to be 23 feet and over 1,000 pounds. The colossal squid was first identified about a century ago. Back in this country, in L.A.'s big reveal, Olympic organizers unveiling the venues for next summer's Olympics, from its famed beaches to its Hollywood sets, Los Angeles is ready to put on a show.

NBC's Liz Croix has this early look. Well, there might be more than 1100 days until the L.A. Olympics, the countdown is on. And tonight, some of the city's most iconic locations just locked in as venues for the 2028 summer games. From Dodger Stadium, which will host baseball to the sprawling California coast, Venice Beach, home to the triathlon, the sands of Long Beach, Beach Volleyball, Farther South in San Clementi, the epic waves at Tressels Beach, the site for surfing. We have such amazing places for these athletes to compete at their best. And guess what, we don't have to build any of them. They're already here. Five new or returning events have

also been announced. Softball, lacrosse, cricket, flag football, and the racket sport of squash, which will be held on the Universal Studios back lot. The exact location? Wait for it. Right here, the famous courthouse square where more than a thousand different movies have been filmed, like Bye Bye Birdie, to kill a mockingbird, and yes, back to the future. Race go up! Like Paris, which held events beneath the Eiffel Tower and at Versailles, Los Angeles also hoping to highlight the best of the city of angels. The Santa Anita racetrack will be home to equestrian events, the LA Coliseum, track and field, and gymnastics at Crypto.com Arena. UCLA will transform into the Olympic village. The Olympic handoff to Los Angeles,

a star-studded affair filled with dramatic stunts like something only out of Hollywood. A sneak peek of what we can expect when all eyes turn to L.A. for the 2028 games. Liz Kreutz, NBC News. Still ahead tonight, the party principal, the new body cam video as police bust a drunken gathering of teens

at the home of a school principal. Her alleged role leaving her, and another teacher in handcuffs. And trapped in quicksand. The urgent rescue to free a man sinking in muck and the whole ordeal landed him a girlfriend. We'll explain. A teacher, a principal, and 100 teenagers,

all allegedly connected to a wild house party in Cocoa Beach, Florida. The host, according to police, was the principal herself, who now faces criminal charges, and the third grade teacher seen a newly released body camera footage has now been suspended for a second time. NBC's Camila Bernal has this one.

Hey, who's party is it? Tonight, a Florida teacher suspended for a second time after the release of this body camera footage. Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm in the skirt chat with a bunch of kids at this party, and they're all sending videos of like everybody drinking and there's like fights going on. Calls from classmates and neighbors, all leading officers to one address, in Cocoa Beach on the night of January 19th. This house belongs to the principal at Roosevelt. Elementary school principal, Elizabeth Hill Brodigan,

seen on the video outside her home, as police say a juvenile vomited in the front lawn. He doesn't have been feeling good. After an officer calls for medical aid, another Roosevelt's elementary school employee appears, third grade teacher, Carly Anderson. Well, you know, I'm a teacher. Who the f***ed you put, who got put in that car?

Well, it's a kid, but they, Just like they can't disclose. No, no, I was here hanging out at this party. I mean, what the fuck? What's wrong with them? Okay. You guys are going to ask better. Do you want the truth?

There was like 200 kids here. I've already known. Drinking, okay? And you're drunk as well. I'm not drunk. Yes, you are. I smell it. Oh, you smell it.

According to the arrest affidavit, students told officers there were over 100 students at the party. Alcohol was readily available in coolers inside the party. the house, students were using marijuana, someone pointed a firearm, and another punched up here with a learning disability. Before the body camera was released, Anderson maintained she and the principal had been out for drinks during the party, according to the police report. The principal has been charged with child neglect, holding an open house party and contributing to the delinquency of a minor and suspended without pay, according to the school. You have the right to remain silent?

Anderson, who was charged with disorderly conduct and disorderly intoxication, was placed on administrative leave, but let back into the classroom on Monday by school administration. We as a school district filed procedures from the Florida statutes and everything else, decided that it was a good idea to allow her to come back for employment. That literally was the first day that she was back. The same exact day, we end up having the body cam footage that comes out, which shows those actions. Anderson has been suspended again.

Her attorney says it's not a crime to curse at a police officer and that he doesn't consider the yard a public place. Adding that when Anderson said she was hanging out at the party, I was here hanging out at this party. She meant that she went to the party to help break it up. The superintendent sending a letter home to family, saying in part, if these allegations are true, it's a complete failure in leadership and violation of our trust. The district is cooperating fully with police. as they investigate this matter. Attorneys for Hill Brodigan declined our request for comment. Camila Bernal, NBC News.

In Michigan, firefighters racing to rescue a man rapidly sinking into quicksand-like conditions on the beach. And if that already sounds stranger than fiction, you won't believe the twist at the end. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has this. It's a popular trope in action movies. Heroes like Indiana Jones bogged down in quicksand, racing against.

time to get out. Keep your arms above the surface. When the kid comes back, grab on. But for one Michigan man, that cliche of cinema almost became a reality. Mitchell O'Brien trapped not quite in quicksand, authorities say, but a mix of sand and muck. He says he was out searching for rocks at a beach on Michigan's northwest coast, when suddenly he hit a soft spot in the sand and got stuck. His friend, Bree Zika, was there with him. I thought we needed help instantly, but he wanted to he was very good at reassuring that he would get out of there and that he was okay after 15 minutes to no avail Mitchell still stuck up to his waist the sand was just getting put back almost faster than I could get it out of the way to me those moments were terrifying honestly just to see somebody care about in a situation the pair eventually decided to call 911 for help is now got his foot stuck in the muck cannot get himself out about five feet out and that's That's when this action movie turned into a romance. I referred to her as my girlfriend that's trying to call as well.

At the exact same time, she got through to another operator and said, my boyfriend is stuck in the sand. Two years of this guy being my best friend and just trying to hide everything, how I felt, and then he tried to die on me. It becomes my boyfriend in the middle of it. Firefighters eventually arrived on the scene and pulled Mitchell out within a few minutes. Patients been removed from the sand. Although situations like this are rare, fire officials and Mitchell warn others to be more mindful of deep blue sand.

Go out there and enjoy it. Look for your pretty blue stones like I did, but just be careful. The couple now appreciating how a soft spot in the sand turned into a soft spot in each other's hearts. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. Still ahead, what if you could add time to your beloved dog's life? the promising trial for a new anti-aging pill for your four-legged friends and what it could cost when it hits the market. That is next. And finally tonight, one company determined to make every dog lover's dreams come true.

A new pill backed by the FDA hoping to extend the lifespan of your furry friend, our Sam Brock reports. For John Young, And his 10-year-old dog Reggie, there's no illusion the Spaniel Collie mix will live forever, but a longer, healthier life with a pill a day would mean everything. He's been my co-pilot. He's been with me every step of the way. He's my best friend. Young is one of more than a thousand dog owners participating in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial

at more than 70 facilities around the country, spearheaded by a Bay Area biotech company loyal. We're going to be following these dogs for over five years. Come here! Founder, Celine Hollywa carries a clear mission. on one of the most fundamental and touching problems that most people have felt in their life, right? Everyone has felt the pain of losing an animal. But I guess the expectation would be,

you don't think you're gonna add more than five years to an animal's life. Like when they hear this, and dog owners think, oh, my dog is gonna live forever. Immortal dogs, no, this is not immortal dogs. I'm sorry to disappoint everyone. We're going for one healthier year of dog life. Hopefully more, maybe less,

but one healthier year is kind of where we've drawn the line. After one year of the trial, the FDA gave it a stamp of reasonable expectation of effectiveness, the first for a longevity drug. That gives hope to longtime vets like Dr. Sam Geller in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, whose clinic is helping with the trial. Do you think that this has the potential to be a game changer? That would be what everyone is hoping, because if you can find something that is going to prolong the life of your loved one,

who would not want to have that happen? who would not want to be involved. Loyal is looking to improve metabolic fitness, which Hollywa says historically has impacted bigger dogs more severely. Will it help larger dogs more? It's hard to know. There's more to achieve with larger dogs because they have such an artificially short lifespan.

But I think it can also really benefit a smaller breed dog too, who perhaps is less naturally metabolically healthy. For now, the trial is only for dogs that are at least 10 years old and a certain size. The minimum weight to participate is 14 pounds, because Dosing is so much harder for really small dogs, so these two are out for now. But that could change over time. In the meantime, owners like John don't know if their dog is on the real drug or a placebo

beef pill, but he's okay with being a part of history either way. If you were telling me, hey, he's getting the placebo, you know, I would be, I would be shocked. Just because it feels like you're seeing changes in his behavior. I am, yeah, I really am. Hope on the horizon for man's best friend. And Sam Brock joins us now on set. Hope, possibly, for man's best friend. I think everybody wants to know when and how soon could this medication be available.

So, Alison, the company is loyal. They are going to be trying to market it to market, bring it to market with the next year at a price point of less than $100 per drug. Now, here's the thing, per month, I should say. It depends on the size of the dog. There's going to be some variance there, but they're trying to make it as accessible as possible to as many families as possible. They have these three different drugs that are going.

Two of them are for larger dogs. Larger dogs actually live about half the length of smaller dogs. So they're trying to address this growth hormone that cuts their lifespaners associated with it. They also have a drug for senior dogs, too, to help them absorb nutrients. Bottom line, they're trying to help everybody, all dogs, all homes across America. We love to see it and excited to see what happens for them next. Sam Brock, thank you so much. And thank you at home for watching Top Story.

I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way. Thank you.