Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Episode Date: May 1, 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 vicious storms tearing across the south after extreme weather in the northeast turns deadly. Dangerous flooding hitting the southwest. A lightning strike torching this home in Oklahoma City. Hale blasting Texas, a semi-truck there flipping over. The driver narrowly escaping out of the door. At least four are dead in Pennsylvania, including two people electrocuted by downed power lines. Also breaking tonight, the deal between the U.S. and Ukraine just announced giving America access to their minerals. Will the Trump administration fight harder now for Ukraine? Plus, the bad news for the economy today and who President Trump blames for it. Detained students set free.

A judge releasing a Palestinian national who was attending Colombia, what he told supporters when he left the detention center. 911 call played in court. The dramatic testimony in the Karen Reed trial as a key witness relives the moment she called 911 to report the death of Reed's boyfriend. What that recording reveals. It's being called hazing on steroids, the accusations against high school lacrosse that they tied up and threatened a new player with a gun. The DA demanding all 11 players turned themselves in. From driving to diving, the police standoff that ended with this Jeep going off of a car, but Doc? So what happened next? And is this the greatest baseball catch ever? The man who

dropped, rolled and made that epic catch joins Top Story. Plus, Bill Belichick hitting back, defending his girlfriend's actions as some of his former star players come to his defense. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Right now, violent, severe storms. are charging across the south, threatening millions in multiple states. A lightning strike igniting this fire just outside of Oklahoma City. You see the flames engulfing that home. And take a look at this.

Hurricane force winds toppling this tractor trailer in Mobile, Texas. This video capturing the moment the driver climbs out of the passenger side, dangling outside the cab and then falling to the ground. And blinding rainfall in neighboring Seymour, Texas, with ominous dark clouds, pelting hail, and strong winds. ripping apart this barn. At this hour, parts of Pennsylvania are in recovery mode after powerful and deadly storms ripped through the region there, leaving behind a trail of destruction. In Pittsburgh, dramatic video showing power lines sparking and then bursting into flames.

Right now, more than a quarter of a million customers are still without power across that state, and we are not out of the woods just yet. Tomorrow, 43 million Americans from southern Texas all the way up to upstate New York are at dangerous risks for dangerous storms, rather. Bill Cairns is standing by to time it out. But first, NBC News correspondent Priscilla Thompson reporting in the storm zone. Dangerous spring storms striking across the south. Man. A lightning strike set this Oklahoma City home ablaze, igniting a massive inferno that injured three people. Boats are something else, man. And this woman narrowly escaped her home, rescued by first responders as fast-moving floodwaters rushed in.

In neighboring Texas, pounding hail, and cars nearly washed away. The treacherous conditions flipping this semi-truck, the driver forced to climb out of the passenger side door to safety. The thunderstorms prompting a ground stop at all Dallas airports, as parts of the city were drenched in up to five inches of rain. I drive through a carwalk. Up north in Pennsylvania, officials are confirming at least four weather. related deaths after another storm slammed the area this week.

I have never seen wind this bad. Continuing to urge caution. And it impact those city in ways that we never want to see it impact. What I ask everybody today, if you can stay in your house, please do so. Hundreds of thousands there are without electricity after a powerful storm system uprooted trees and knocked out transmission lines. Residents in the Midwest also left cleaning up in the dark. You couldn't see more than 50, 60 yards in front of you.

We stopped in Brookville, and there was a couple of buildings that had like the front roof part lifted up and blown off. Amid a whirlwind of severe weather, with millions more still in the bull's eye. Priscilla Thompson joins us now from Dallas, Texas. Priscilla, the rain, I understand it has stopped there. It looks like it has stopped there, but Texas is not in the clear just yet. That's right, Ellison. As these cloudy skies begin to darken, there is a growing threat for tornadoes across central Texas. Texas and into East Texas and Louisiana and also for almost all of Arkansas.

Alison. Priscilla Thompson in Texas, thank you. For more on the growing severe weather threat, NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns joins us now. Bill Priscilla mentioning the tornado risk, but what else are you concerned about right now? Yeah, strong winds, power outages, and through Arkansas, especially right at this hour. We have numerous tornado watches. We haven't had any widespread tornadoes. maybe we can get an isolated, strong one throughout the rest of this evening.

So I'm not expecting a lot of damage, thankfully, but it only takes one, of course. So areas from St. Louis all the way to central Indiana's one spot, and then from Arkansas, right back down through eastern portions of Texas. I have my eyes on the Little Rock area. Severe thunderstorms are rolling through, 70-mile-per-hour winds with the straight-line winds. So that's what they dealt with in Pennsylvania yesterday, when they lost a quarter of a million people without power still at this hour. That's similar.

But now we'd have a new tornado warning. This is on the northeast side of Little Rock. This is radar indicated. It hasn't been reported, but we are showing rotation here, and that will be heading out towards Jacksonville, Arkansas. So again, downtown Little Rock, not under the tornado warning, but the northeast suburbs you are as that storm system moves through. The only other area where the tornado warning here is in Indiana.

This is Bloomington to the north here on Interstate 69, and this storm's going to try to make its way in between Mitchell here and Shawwick. So we'll watch that over the next hour or two with isolated chances of tornadoes. Flash flooding has been a big issue. today, Dallas Fort Worth. Now, you know, Little Rock, you got the severe thunderstorm warning, tornado warning just near northeast, and you're under a flash flood warnings. That's about as bad as it gets. Texarkana, you're also under a flash flood warning. The additional rainfall will push into Louisiana and Arkansas, another one to two inches on top of what you've already gotten. In Dallas,

you're pretty much done with your rain. Tomorrow, additional strong storms, it's a much larger area, but the storms will be scattered at least. We're not expecting tornadoes to be widespread, just kind of isolated. And the only problem is I just mentioned how many people still don't have power in Pennsylvania. They're trying to get the trees cleaned up. They're trying to get the power back on. More severe thunderstorms possible, eastern PA, tomorrow at this time. So that's not great. And then some of this mess, Allison, will try to make its way to the East Coast on Friday. Not severe weather, but a lot of people will need their umbrellas. Bill Carins, thank you. We are also following breaking news tonight on the war in Ukraine,

the United States signing that contentious minerals deal with the war-torn nation. The deal has been a major sticking point for the Trump administration as Ukraine tries to enlist its support in negotiations with Russia. This agreement, it will create a reconstruction investment fund and give the United States access to valuable minerals inside of Ukraine. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell is live tonight for us in Washington, D.C., to walk us through exactly what this deal says. Kelly, what do we know about this deal so far? And I understand it is very early that we're in terms of when we're getting this information. But walk us through what we know right now. Good to be with you, Ellison.

Yes, the announcement from Treasury came up just a short time ago, so we don't have a point by point of what is in the deal. The fact that the deal happened is certainly worthy of a major news announcement because this is something that could, in fact, change the dynamics in the ongoing efforts for peace in Ukraine. Basically, President Trump has long looked at the situation of U.S. involvement in Ukraine with billions of dollars provided. He often says it's $350 billion that's well above what Congress had actually appropriated for Ukraine.

But in any event, the U.S. has been a significant financial backer to Ukraine in its efforts to fight Russia that illegally invaded their country. So President Trump has looked at one of the natural resource capabilities of Ukraine, which are these minerals that can be used in important electronics and devices that are very much. important for the economy, and to give the U.S. access to some of this as a way of acknowledging the U.S. financial commitment to Ukraine. So this deal, which was signed earlier today, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson announced it with a release and a video, talking about this being an investment partnership. Implicit in that is that if the U.S. is taking part in this, you can therefore imagine that the U.S. has a vested interest in ongoing support for Ukraine. So it doesn't at this point spell out to us how the U.S. would keep going with military and so forth.

But there has been a feeling that if there is U.S. investment in, so contractors, people who would be doing efforts to try to retrieve these minerals and then use them for American industry, that you'd want to protect that investment. So it is a significant pact. Ukraine came to the table and agreed to sign on to this as they are also trying to bring about some kind of. of resolution to end the fighting and to preserve their country in a sovereign way. So this is a major development and one that the president will likely tout. Allison? NBC's Kelly O'Donnell with that breaking news. Thank you. We appreciate it. The White House tonight also facing growing fears of a possible recession after the American

economy shrank in the first three months of this year. The U.S. GDP dropping for the first time since 2022, declining by about a third of a point. Despite projections, it would actually grow. The drop sparking another roller coaster day on Wall Street. The major indexes opening down this morning before the Dow and S&P both rallied late to end up on the day. Tonight amid the economic turbulence, President Trump is defiant, saying the GDP hit as well as Wall Street's volatility that they are not his fault, but former President Biden's. NBC's Garrett Haake is at the White House tonight with the president on the defensive. Tonight, President Trump looking to shift blame to his predecessor for a U.S. economy that shrank during the start of his second term. You probably saw

some numbers today. And I have to start up by saying, that's Biden. That's not Trump, because we came in on January. America's GDP down 0.3% in the first three months of this year. Trump, the president for all but 20 days of it. The decline seen as a reaction to the president's trade war. U.S. production down, analysts say, largely because so many businesses rushed out to buy imports before tariffs kicked in. Meanwhile, the president also blaming Biden for sharp drops in the stock market, posting, quote, this is Biden's stock market, not Trump's. I didn't take over until January 20th.

That's despite posting last year under President Biden that, quote, the Trump's stock market was booming because of his poll numbers. He was pressed today. You're saying that's the Biden stock market, yet you are the president. Can you explain that? I'm not taking credit or discredit for the stock market. I'm just saying that we inherited a mess. We came in on January 20th.

So this is Biden. And you can even say the next quarter is sort of Biden because it doesn't just happen on a daily or narrowly basis. And the president again acknowledging his border tax on Chinese imports could hurt American consumers. Somebody said, oh, the shelves are going to be open. Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of $30, you know. And maybe the two dollars will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally. At a rally in Michigan overnight, arguing his tariffs are critical to boost American business.

After decades of politicians who destroyed Detroit to build up Beijing, you finally have a champion for workers in the White House. And instead of putting China first, I'm putting Michigan first, and I'm putting America first. Businesses divided on the tariffs impact. Master Hatters in Texas makes its hats here and supports Trump's tariffs. It's going to hurt our competition because they're buying product made in Mexico or China or wherever it's made at. But at a beauty supply shop in Memphis, where most of their stock comes from China, the tariffs have created deep uncertainty. As a small business, having a cash flow to try to beat the tariffs is difficult, right? Because we're very lean.

The reality is some of that has to be passed to the consumer. And Garrett joins us now from the White House. Garrett, a lot of businesses have been waiting to see what kind of trade deals emerge from all the negotiations. The Trump administration says they've been having. Did President Trump or his cabinet give an update on those talks today? Alison, I think those business leaders will be waiting a little longer. It's not for lack of updates. The president and his cabinet are constantly providing information about these talks.

But my reporting is that true trade deals could be months away, agreements that could be announced and perhaps settle the markets likely weeks. You're looking at probably India and the United Kingdom as the two most likely countries to strike some kind of deal early. India has very simple tariffs against the United States products. The Treasury Secretary has said that's a relatively straightforward negotiation. And the UK has been in deal-making mode ever since they left the European Union and obviously already a close American ally. I'm watching those two countries, Ellison, but I'm not expecting anything significant to be in. announced anytime particularly soon.

NBC's Garrett Hake at the White House. Thank you. Dramatic moments inside and outside of the courtroom in the Karen Reed murder trial. A star witness for the prosecution who made the 911 call after Reid's boyfriend was found dead, cross-examined by the defense. The inconsistencies in her story that they're zeroing in on and why Reed is calling her a liar. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has the details. Week two of Karen Reid's retrial for the death of her boyfriend, police officer. John O'Keefe ramping up today.

Another witness, another instance of perjury. With tense exchanges between the defense and a key witness for the prosecution, Jennifer McCabe. It's a crime to lie about that to those officers, correct? Incorrect. I didn't lie to them. McCabe, a close friend of O'Keefe, was there with Reed when his body was found on a frigid, stormy January morning in 2022, outside the home of a fellow police officer.

McCabe was the one that called 911. 911. 911. Stoak, I'm on the cop immediately, his 34-80 road can't be now. What's the line? This is I. I'm a response up in the snow. Stoic today as prosecutors played that call to the courtroom.

Yeah, I just pulled up in time. Prosecutors alleged that night, outside of an after party with other police officers and McCabe, Reed backed into O'Keefe with her car, leaving him to die in the snow. Central to today's testimony, an account of Karen Reid's panicked response. She told the first responder, I hit him. I hit him, I hit him. But the defense is pushing back on those words, pointing in part to McCabe's grand jury testimony from April that same year. You said that she said, could I have hit him, did I hit him in the presence of the female E&T?

That's what you testified to under oath at the grand jury, isn't it? Yes, because she also said that. The defense argues Reid is the victim of a far-reaching conspiracy and that O'Keefe was actually killed by another law enforcement officer at the party. pointing to a Google search by McCabe, which the defense claims took place hours before his body was found. Today, the prosecution and McCabe disputed that timing. Was this the first time that morning after the defendant asked you to search that you searched that phrase? Yes, it was. And Aaron McLaughlin joins us now in studio.

Aaron, that Google search, an incredibly critical piece of this case, right? But we haven't actually heard the defense's line of questioning on it just yet. Yeah, that's right, Ellison. It's a critical piece of the defense's case, the defense for Karen Reed. That cross-examination went today from 10 o'clock in the morning all the way until court adjourned at 4 p.m. It's expected to pick up again on Friday, and it's possible she could be asked about that then. Erin McLaughlin, thank you. Let's bring in NBC's legal analyst Danny Savalos for more on this trial. Danny, I want to go back to the piece we heard sort of at the end of Aaron. package where you had the defense trying to point out the discrepancy between McCabe's testimony to the grand jury back in 2022 to what she was saying on the stand today. She had testified to the grand jury previously that Reed spoke to an EMT at the scene and said, quote, could I have hit him, did I hit him? Now she's saying Reid told a first responder, quote, I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,

when the defense pointed out that shift in phrasing, if you will, but a significant shift in phrasing. right? She said, Reed said both of those things. Is that a big deal? It may be to the jury, but candidly, this kind of thing happens all the time. And this, in a case of a retrial, you have not only the grand jury testimony, but you have the first trial's testimony. And each witness, if they say anything, inconsistent, trust me, both sides, prosecution and defense have scoured, memorized these transcripts. So even a minor discrepancy. And frankly, when it comes to the difference between I hit him, and did I hit him, I wouldn't be surprised if some jurors, maybe a couple are thinking,

I don't know that there's that big a difference than the rhetorical question of did I hit him out loud, wondering, and an admission, I hit him. Yes, it is significant in its meaning, but to some of the jurors, they may be thinking after all this cross-examination over, did you say three times, two times, did you phrase it as a question, did you make it as an admission? There may be one or two jurors thinking, I don't know, close enough for my liking, But here's the thing. The I-Hid him statement, the government, the Commonwealth is going to need more than that. The statements alone are not going to convict Karen Reid, and they're not going to exonerate her either way.

So even if a jury did think this is a big deal, you think ultimately that's not going to be at the heart of why they reach a verdict, whatever it may be. They're going to need more. I mean, there is a difference between her saying, geez, did I hit him and wondering that out loud. But remember, they're taking in the whole story, and there was a lot of other things in McCabe's testimony. about Karen Reid's demeanor, her erratic behavior, her screaming, her seeing the body on the road or on the side of the road before anyone else did. There are many other facets of McCabe's testimony. And then just generally, what juries do and what we do is we use our own internal software to just judge whether we think someone's lying or not. And really, we can't discount that ability. Number one, the American justice system is founded on that belief that we're good judges of character, right or wrong. But the other thing, you know, we have survived for millennia trusting our instincts about whether

someone is dangerous, not dangerous, or lying, or telling the truth. So there is something to be said for the ability to testify. And McCabe, I thought, came off mostly credible, especially on direct. And you think she was mostly an asset for the prosecution? That's why they called her. She's one of their better fact witnesses because she was involved almost at all parts of this case. She was at the bar. She's at the party afterward.

She is involved in the search for John. She's observing Karen at all these times. And there are some quiet parts that really are very important. Like she testified, hey, we're all at a party. There was no fighting. And I thought this was very significant. The people at the party were not thick as thieves. There were some people that were just acquaintances.

Now imagine a party of people that you know a little bit that you're friendly with. And someone runs in and says, my hands are bloody. I need your help hiding a body. How many people are going to be able to stay within that conspiracy? If it's two or three cops, maybe you can sell that, but it's becoming a little difficult if the idea is there's a party full of people who don't even know each other all that well, and they're all drunk at two in the morning, and they all came up with a conspiracy that involved getting broken taillights and sprinkling them on crime scenes. Look, it's possible the jury will believe it. They don't need to believe it beyond a reasonable doubt. They just need to have reasonable doubt about the Commonwealth's case. Ten seconds before we go, what should we watch for tomorrow? I mean, the prosecution is going to continue to walk through this.

We still have the cross-examination of McCabe. I do not believe it's over. I think it was stopped mid-cross-examination. All right. NBC's Danny Savalos. Thank you. We're back in a moment with chilling new details about an alleged hazing incident. High school lacrosse players accused of blindfolding new players and aiming a gun at them. How 11 players turned themselves in today.

Into the deep, the wild police standoff ending with the Jeep, driving into the water and breaking his silence. Bill Belichick defending his girlfriend what he is now revealing about their relationship. And we're back with a disturbing hazing incident here in New York involving a high school lacrosse team. 11 teenage suspects turning themselves into authorities. Morgan Chesky has this report. Tonight, multiple members of a high school lacrosse team in New York, surrendering to police after prosecutors gave them 48 hours to turn themselves in, following what the

DA described as a disturbing hazing incident. This is criminal activity, and this is hazing on steroids, okay? This could have resulted in such a tragedy. The DA says at least five victims from Syracuse's West Hill High School were targeted. Younger members of the team who were tricked into thinking the older team members were taking them out after a lacrosse game. driver of the vehicle purportedly was lost. That was a ruse. They were in a remote part of the county, and then the accomplices jumped out of the woods, pretending to be kidnappers. Authorities say others emerged from the woods, dressed in black. One reportedly clutching a knife, another with a handgun. The individual had a pillow case placed over his head. He was tied up

and placed in the trunk of a car. The DA says four students were able to assist him. escaped. The fifth victim eventually returned home by the perpetrators, adding none were physically harmed. I've seen the videotape of what happened to this young man. It is not a right of passage. It is not a trivial matter. And Morgan Chesky joins us now. Morgan, now that these players have turned themselves in, will they face any charges or ramifications for what they allegedly did here? And is this it in terms of suspects or do authorities think more students were potentially involved. Yeah, Alison, we have heard from the DA's office, and they told us that because these teen suspects

did turn themselves in, they won't be facing felony charges here. Instead, they were issued tickets for misdemeanor charges for unlawful imprisonment, promising to appear before court at a specified time, sometime within the next few weeks or so. And yesterday, in that telling press conference from the DA, he did make it clear that if they abided by this ultimatum, this likely will end up in family court, stressing that should they turn themselves in as they did, they likely would not have any criminal record as a result of their actions by taking part in this hazing incident. But time and time again throughout that press conference, Ellison, you could hear just how serious the DA wanted to handle this, giving one brief example

saying that should a sheriff's deputy have happened by this incident as it was playing out, This could have ended far differently, especially because one of those suspects allegedly had a handgun. Allison? NBC's Morgan Chesky. Thank you. When we return with Top Story finally free. The Columbia student released after being detained by ICE, what he's telling supporters. We're back now with Top Story's news feed. with a deadly U-Haul crash killing a University of Delaware grad student and injuring eight other people.

Today, police charging the driver of the U-Haul with murder. The crash happened yesterday in Newark. That's near the campus. Police saved two people in an overdue U-Haul truck were approached by officers and then sped off. That's allegedly when the U-Haul hit two pedestrians and several parked cars, including some with people inside. The passenger of that U-Haul was also arrested. It's unclear if that person is facing any charges. Santa Falcons and their defensive coordinator

fine today over a prank call to recently drafted Cleveland Brown's quarterback, Shador Sanders. On the second day of the NFL draft Sanders, a high-profile prospect and son of Dion Sanders, got a call from someone claiming to be the general manager of the New Orleans Saints and welcoming him

to their team. Then they reveal the whole thing was a prank. Turns out the son of the Falcons defensive coordinator found Sanders number on his dad's iPad and then gave it to a friend who did the prank call. League did not think any of it was funny, and now the dad of that kid is being fined $100,000, and the Falcons, they're being fined $250,000.

Body camera video showing a Maryland police officer being rear-ended by a speeding driver. Turn 50, turn 50. I just got hit. The sheriff's office saying the deputy there was conducting a traffic stop in Stevensville just across the bridge from Annapolis when he was hit. The impact propelled the car about 10 feet forward. The driver of the Sweden car was arrested on charges including DUI and reckless driving. The deputy surprisingly and thankfully only had minor injuries, according to the sheriff's office. And state lawmakers in Hawaii are set to vote on a hotel tax hike. The first of its kind bill will add a 0.75% tax to daily room rates at hotels and vacation rentals. It's expected to begin

January 1st, while makers proposing the tax to fund climate change relief in the state, especially following the deadly Lahaina fires. Officials estimate the tax hike will bring in an additional $100 million annually for the state. We have an update tonight on a Columbia University student detained by the Trump administration, a federal judge ordering motion Mudawai to be freed from ICE detention as he fights deportation. The Trump administration announcing late today they are appealing the judge's order. Here's Stephanie Gossk with this report. Tonight, Palestinian Mosin Madawi is released on bail and sounding victorious. For anybody who's doubting justice, this is a light of hope, a hope and faith in the justice

system in America. The Columbia University student, who is a legal permanent resident in the U.S., was detained during an immigration interview in Vermont earlier this month, handcuffed and removed by federal agents. Last year, Mount MacDauie helped lead pro-Palestinian protests on campus. In a statement, the DHS says a green card is a privilege. When you advocate for violence, glorify and support terrorists that relish the killing of Americans and harassed Jews, it should be revoked. Mcdawe denies he has ever advocated for violence.

They arrested me. What's the reason? Because I raised my voice. The federal judge ordered McDowley released on bail while he challenges his detention. legal team arguing that the government is trying to silence his opposition to the war in Gaza. This is not the first time we've seen the government go after basic First Amendment rights. In his ruling, the judge said McDowie appears not to be either a flight risk or a danger to the community, adding that continuing to detain him would likely have a chilling effect

on protected speech. DHS responding, the Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law to our immigration system. Judge, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that. On the steps of the court, after two weeks in detention, McDowley with a defiant message for the administration. To President Trump and his cabinet, I am not afraid of you. The decision today does not mean that McDally isn't going to be deported. He still has to fight his detention in this same federal court in Vermont.

Meanwhile, the government continues to pursue deportation proceedings in immigration court, Allison. Stephanie Gosk, thank you. Tonight, some of the biggest ports in the nation are sounding the alarm about the possibility of drastic drops in cargo traffic due to President Trump's trade war with China. One port in L.A. projecting they'll see more than a third of their business from Asia disappear. And as Steve Patterson explains, that drop has huge. implications way beyond the ports. The front line of President Trump's trade war with China and the 145% tariffs he put on that country is right here at our nation's busiest twin ports, Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Ports here in Southern California account for 30% of the nations, exports, 40% of the nations imports, and about half of the business runs through China. If these tariffs stay in place, experts say it will definitely have an impact on consumers. The worst case scenario is less choice on store shelves and online buying, prices spike, and families are really becoming tighter with their budgets. Gene Soroka is the Port of L.A. Executive Director. We only have seven ships in port today. Normally on a Wednesday, you'd see 12 to 14 vessels. He says incoming cargo, everything from clothing, electronics to household goods will plummet starting next week. What we're seeing now is that cargo coming in from Asia will be down by about 35% until we get some assemblance or signals that trade deals are on the way. Down here at the DOS, you get a true sense of the scale of the operation.

One of these ships can hold up to 10,000 of those containers with goods that wind up on store shelves all across the country. The National Retail Federation says people will soon feel the effects right in the wallet. How much will this impact the regular consumer? Retailers can't absorb the entirety of 145% tariff. Talk about anywhere price increases between $2,000 to $4,000 or more for the year. And businesses by the docks are feeling the squeeze now. It makes me sad that we have people in power that have no clue on what's going on. Yolanda Regalado runs the popular coffee shop sirens.

Dock workers are her best customers. Their union warning, the trade war could lead to devastating job losses. Our coffee just went up a dollar a pound. That's a lot. Do we add $5 for a cup of coffee? I don't want to do that because the majority of people that come in here just want a decent cup of coffee and we don't want to gouge them. Pain being felt at the ports from a trade war nobody here wanted. Steve Patterson joins us now from the port of Los Angeles. A fascinating look at what is happening there. Steve, you will mention in your report that massive 145% tariff on Chinese goods. goods that's slowing down imports from that country. But China is not the only country represented at that port, correct? Allison, this is the busiest port complex in the Western Hemisphere. So you're right. It's not

just China. It's Taiwan. It's South Korea. It's Japan. It's most of the Asian countries represented here. But it's not just them. It's more than 100 countries represented, putting in stark relief that the impact that happens on the water here has ramifications for the rest of the country. Allison? Excellent reporting. Steve Patterson. Thank you. Now to the public clash in the Virginia Republican Party, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor alleging extortion, saying he felt pressure to drop out of the race from within his own party and from the state's governor after explicit photos surfaced on what he calls a fake account. NBC's Dana Griffin has this one. I want you to send the kids out of the room because I'm mad as hell and I want to tell you why. Tonight, a growing rift

between top Virginia Republicans over allegations of extortion and explicit photos on social media. What's happened today was my worst fear. John Reed, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, alleging in this video posted online that Governor Glenn Yonkin called him and asked him to leave the race. What I didn't expect was the governor I have always supported to call and demand by resignation without even showing me the supposed evidence offering me a chance to respond. All over sexual explicit photos, Reid says, are not his and were posted from a fabricated online account made in his name. As the first openly gay man to run on the Republican statewide ticket, Reid says he is being targeted. I'm a conservative Trump supporter and I'm gay and everybody

knows it. The governor confirming he spoke with Reid on Friday, adding it's Reed's decision to remain in the race. Explicit social media content like this is a distraction. It's a distraction for campaigns and its distraction from people paying attention to the most important issues. At a recent event with voters in Loudoun County, Reid says he is not backing down. I am not going anywhere. No way. Posting in a second video saying when he refused to resign, Yonkin's team contacted him again. My representatives were shown the same explicit photographs of other people that I've got nothing to do with that I was shown last week. And they were told that If I dropped out of the race, they would purchase the opposition research and the lies and threats against me would suddenly stop.

This is extortion, and it is illegal in Virginia. NBC reached out to representatives for Yonkin who have not commented on that allegation. Virginia's lieutenant governor is not elected on the same ticket as the governor. Yonkin is term limited and not seeking re-election. Now you have this situation where the governor is largely, being seen as an individual who is pushing out a gay man. Republicans have brought this on themselves. The governor has brought this on the party,

and they don't have an easy way out of it. The head of the Arlington County Republican Committee telling our NBC station in Washington, most of his members are still standing behind Reed. More than two-thirds of my members who responded said, we don't think John should drop out, and an even higher percentage of respondents said they would still vote for John in November. as the Republican nominee.

And Dana Griffin joins us now. Dana, the primary election for Lieutenant Governor is in June, right? About the 17th. The filing deadline was the beginning of this month, but the general election that is in November. So walk us through the timeline and how this could actually play out in the weeks and months ahead. Yeah, well, Ellison, like you mentioned, primary said for June 17th, Reed is running unopposed. He's actually holding a rally tonight, and we have seen a line out the door. On the other hand, there is a hotly contested race for Democrats.

Some six candidates have declared, including two current state senators and a former secretary of the Commonwealth. Now, it remains to be seen what this means for voters, but some say this latest Republican rift is deepening the party divide. The general election is November 5th, and with a split ticket, there could be winners from both parties. Ellison. NBC's Dana Griffin, thank you. In tonight's top story, Global Watch. with people in western Peru clearing debris after a deadly landslide. It happened Monday when a forming lagoon drained into a nearby river, causing it to overflow.

Two children were killed, people forced to flee their homes. This drone footage showing the scale of the damage, experts warning there could be more landslides to come because of the number of lagoons in the area that could overflow. And wildfires on the outskirts of Jerusalem today prompting evacuations and a main highway to close. According to Israeli media, 120 fire and rescue services have teams there and aircrafts working to control the fire. The military saying their search and rescue forces are also involved. At least 13 people have been injured. No fatalities reported thus far, according to police.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Italy and Croatia are expected to send assistance. And a man and his car took a dip following a standoff with police in Western Australia. Look at this. Watch as the car there reverses with a backwheel. going over the jetty, then plowing for, just missing a police vote and hitting the water. Then you see the man sitting on top of his car speaking with police. He then jumps off and starts swimming for it. It didn't get very far.

He was caught and left the scene in an ambulance. Local media reporting it is unclear what caused the standoff to begin with, but that the man's mother had even shown up and she was there trying to get him to surrender. So far, no charges have been filed. We're back in a moment with Bill Belich. on offense, blasting the media coverage of his girlfriend, how some of his former players are backing him up. Plus, it may be the greatest baseball catch ever. The player who made that amazing grab joins Top Story.

We're now hearing from University of North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick after that controversial interview with CBS Sunday morning. He says he shares a personal and professional relationship with his girlfriend, Jordan Hudson, and that she was stepping into the conversation to try to refocus the discussion. Hudson has been the target of criticism with people saying she was creating awkward moments with her interruptions. Coach Belichick now coming to her defense. NBC's Aaron Gilcrest is following the latest. Tonight, legendary NFL football coach Bill Belichick breaking his silence after his CBS Sunday morning interview that is getting a lot of attention. How did you guys meet? I'm not talking about this. No? No. This interview quickly

going viral, driving speculation about the nature of the 73-year-old's relationship with his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordan Hudson, and her role in his professional life. Belichick, who is currently the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, now saying in a statement that the CBS segment created a, quote, false narrative about his relationship with Hudson, saying in part, she was not deflecting any specific question or topic, but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track, adding, we have been open about the fact that Jordan and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021. In a recent column, Mike Florio, the editor-in-chief of pro-football talk, reported that Hudson has a very active role in Belichick's professional life and is

exerting a very high degree of influence. On Tuesday, Hudson posting what appeared to be a screenshot of an email Belichick sent on April 10th. In the email, Belichick expresses frustration with the media tour, accompanying the release of his memoir, The Art of Winning, Lessons for My Life in Football. Now, former Patriots stars Rob Gruncowski and Julian Edelman speaking out in support of the coach that they won multiple Super Bowls with. Coach Belichick and this whole interview thing with Jordan, people are giving an unfair reality of what's going on.

Because she was jumping into that conversation during the interview, just like any PR person would jump in when there's an unnecessary question. Yeah, she's become. I mean, his representative, on top of being a girlfriend. I've never seen him seemingly stunned in an interview. Barstool sports founder Dave Portnoy also reacting to the viral interview. She's coming in there, like, this is about the book. It's not about, like, the book is about coaching football.

It's not about my relationship. You're not going to talk about it. And they did. She must interrupt it a thousand times. And Eric Gilcrest joins us now. Aaron, what a wild saga. We understand CBS News. is also now responding to this viral interview?

Yeah, CBS put out a pretty direct statement that offers their position on this issue. And I'll read it to you here. It says, when we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview. There were no preconditions or limitations to the conversation. This was confirmed repeatedly with his publisher before the interview took place and after it was completed. And to sort of pull the curtain back a little bit, Alison, for viewers, this is pretty standard journalism 101 stuff. Don't share the questions you're going to ask beforehand, and you don't agree to not ask any particular questions. And so that's what CBS is saying happened here.

They went in with the intention of talking about this book that Bill Belichick was promoting and asking questions about his life. And in this case, part of his life was in the room with him, and that seemed to influence potentially the way some of these questions played out. Ellison? NBC's Aaron Gilcrest. Thank you. Tonight, tennis legend, Andre Agassi, hitting the U.S. open courts for the first time in nearly 20 years, but not in the way you may think. The former champion making his pickleball debut paired with the number one ranked player in the sport. NBC news correspondent Jesse Kirsch has this story. Nearly 20 years after retiring, today, Andre Agassi was back on the baseline, finishing at the net to the roar of the crowd.

We're not talking tennis. Tonight, the eight-time Grand Slam champ is a rookie chasing pickleball glory. What's it like to see him playing here? Oh, it was great. He was so good with all the fans, and he was making jokes along the way, and he was super. He was really fun to watch. Agassiz making his professional pickleball debut at the U.S. Open in Naples, Florida. This is a joy.

This is absolutely joy. His mixed doubles partner, World Number One, and a little. waters. Now they're the new dynamic duo. I think maybe we were both little nervous in the beginning, but I'm just glad we were able to pull it out in the third. From the late 1980s to the mid-2000s, Agassiz wowed the tennis world with lots of flair. Today, Agassiz still energizing the crowd. It was spectacular. The fans, everybody, it was amazing. And for his fans, a chance to see a tennis great tried to pickle his way to the top. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, Naples, Florida.

When we return, not just the catch of the day, it may be the catch of the decade. The player who pulled it off, he joins Top Story. Was he surprised he caught it? High fly ball center field. Varsho's back. He falls down. Oh, my goodness, did he just do that? Are you kidding me?

He made the catch after falling down behind his back. Wow. That was the highlight reel of a catch made last night by the Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Varsho in his season debut against the Red Sox. And it happened just hours after being activated off of the injured list. Let's take a look at that again. The 2024 Golden Glove winner loses his balance

As he reaches the center field warning track, falling and rolling over, he's able to get back up on one knee. And with his back turned to home plate, sticks out his glove to make the remarkable catch. Blue Jay's outfield, Dalton Varshow joins us now from the Rogers Center Field in Toronto. Dalton, my guy, that was insane. What a stunning backhanded grab. There's been so much excitement, so much buzz about it today. ESPN, they have an article out explaining, quote, why Dalton Varsho's catch ranks among all time greatest. One Red Sox player, your opponent last night,

even saying it is one of the best catches he's ever seen in his life. Walk us through that moment. What was going through your head as it played out? Originally, Durant hit the ball really well. So I was like, okay, I have to get to the wall here quick and try to be able to make this catch because I thought I was going to either go off the wall or go over. And it started coming down. So like when I saw that it was going to come down, I needed to flip my hips. And when I did, my foot got stuck in the turf. And so as I did that, I tripped over my own feet. And when I went down, I was like, oh, no, this is not good. And then all of a sudden I just regained, kind of looked to see where the ball was. I kind of knew I was in the area and kind of stuck my glove out

and caught it. So you'd missed the beginning of the season because of an injury and you had surgery on your right shoulder last September. How is it feeling today? And in terms of that moment, what does it feel like to finally be able to come back after getting over the hurdles of being injured and then do this? Yeah, the rehab process, honestly, it sucked. Like, it was a tough process to go through. And I think anybody who's had a shoulder injury knows kind of what I feel because it's just the daily activities that you go through that is the grind. And obviously, when you're able to do something like that, what I did last night and not even really think about it and just kind of have it happen, that's kind of like the mental hurdle of like knowing

that I have full trust in it and knowing that I can get through it. Now that you have seen some of the reaction and had a bit of time to process what happened. What do you make of all the buzz, all the talk about this particular catch? Yeah, for me, I mean, it's kind of embarrassing just because I know that I'm a lot better than that. But, you know, it's just one of those things where, like, you take a bad moment and turn into a pretty good moment. And obviously, it's like one of those things where I think any outfither, if they've gone through that, where you do trip and you fall, you feel very embarrassed and feel very vulnerable at that position. But to be able to kind of not panic and knowing that I was in that area to be able to catch that

ball still. I think it just shows that, all right, I can do some of those things even though I'm not trying to do it. So just taking it with a grain of salt, knowing that it was a good play and being able to move on to today. I mean, you've had an extraordinary career. A lot of people say you're one of the best defensive players in the major league right now. I think back to just my childhood as an eight-year-old who was obsessed with baseball. And I remember being in my backyard, throwing the ball as high as I could, trying to catch it, and then imagining a world in my head where I heard the announcer be like, she got it, barbers got it, and the crowd losing it. And I think when I watched your catch and I watched it back again and again, I remembered

what it felt like to be that kid in the backyard, imagining a world where I could be extraordinary doing something that I love. I'm curious when you think back to your childhood and your life, with your dad being in baseball, if you could speak to eight-year-old you, about what happened and this moment. What do you think that kid would think if he could see this play back? I mean, overall, like growing up in the childhood, it's obviously a different childhood than a lot of people's. I mean, being able to grow up in a big league clubhouse with big league guys, and it was awesome.

I mean, learned a lot from them of just knowing that what it takes to be a big leagueer every day. So being able to do that, I mean, I was a country kid. I was outside taking sticks, whacking them on trees, and not really thinking about it. picking up rocks, sitting it with a stick, and then being able to take a tennis racket, picking up a tennis ball, and hitting as high as I could and being able to make those catches. So knowing, like, doing all those things and just being a kid and how it translates to being out here in the big leagues, I mean, it's no different.

I mean, just go out there and be yourself and just be that eight-year-old kid and go enjoy it. It is very early in the season, but you and the Blue Jays are sitting just below 500. Talk to us about that. What do you think it's going to take to get back to a winning record and make a run at the top of American League East. Yeah, obviously the season's long. There's a reason why it's long is that when you're able to go through these low points, you've got to be able to figure out a way to how to grind it out and be able to get through

them because every team is going to go through it. It's just a matter of when. And for us, it's happening right now. So everybody just got to keep their head up, knowing that it's a grind. It's a long season. Being able to get through it is going to be hard. It's just like what I said to a lot of the media last night. We got punched in the face early on here in this year.

And it's how you're able to respond and kind of get back up from me? All right. Well, Dalton Varsha, we will be rooting for you tonight. Thank you so much for joining Top Story. We appreciate it. Thank you. 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.