Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Episode Date: April 10, 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, a market reversal for the ages. President Trump putting most of his tariffs on hold as America lets out a sigh of relief for now. A reversal of fortune. Stock setting records, the NASDAQ with its biggest gains in almost 25 years, the S&P having one of its best days since World War II. The Dow also skyrocketing. Will the good news extend to the prices we pay for just about everything. Also tonight, the big exception. The president saying the pause does not apply to China. Tariffs and tensions being raised in both countries,

how it might affect products we're used to getting from one of our biggest trading partners. Desperate search, rescuers still holding out hope that they can find survivors from that nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic as the death toll climbs. The stories of heroism emerging from the disaster. Coberger in court. The man accused of killing four University of Idaho students hearing arguments over what evidence might be used against him, the real-life drama that played out in front of a judge.

Viral video, growing outrage in Nevada after images surfaced that appeared to show a veterinarian kicking a horse he was supposed to be caring for. The late reaction from the rancher who caught that incident on tape. Family feud. One of the biggest names in basketball calls. in a love triangle that allegedly turned violent. The charges the mother of Zion Williamson's child is facing tonight. And Michelle Obama hitting back at rumors that her marriage is on the rocks. What the former First Lady is saying about the state of her union. Top story starts right now. after President Trump pressed pause, the pause button, on most of his reciprocal tariffs, the stunning reversal bringing massive relief just hours after the tariffs went into effect.

But economists remain weary. Here's a look at the markets at close. You can see a lot of green on that screen, Wall Street mounting one of its biggest rallies in history. Let's show you how it all went down with the S&P 500. You can see here the morning starting off relatively low and then right after the president's announcement at 1.18 p.m. Eastern standard time, that massive spike going all the way through closing. Those sweeping reciprocal tariffs, which went into effect at midnight last night, now paused for 90 days. Those 10% levies, however, they will remain in place. And we are not seeing every country

spared. In fact, the trade war with China now reaching new heights. The U.S. raising the tariff on China to 125% after China said it would raise their tariffs on the U.S. to 84%. And if you want to see what a difference a day makes, just take a look at this. The Wall Street investor on your left, those are from yesterday as the markets continued its losing streak. And on the right, that's today, as things took a dramatic change. Very different reactions. We have a lot to get to this evening, including what it all means for your wallet. NBC News, senior White House correspondent Garrett Haik starts off our coverage.

Tonight, an abrupt reversal from President Trump on tariffs, sending stocks soaring. They probably came together early this morning. It was written from the heart. We don't want to hurt countries that don't need to be heard, and they all want to negotiate. At 1.18 p.m., the president posting he would pause virtually all of his new global tariffs for 90 days. Within minutes, Dow stock soared more than 2,000 points, closing up nearly 3,000. The president saying 75 countries that reached out to negotiate lower U.S. tariffs would be rewarded with that three-month pause to work out individual trade deals. Their baseline tariff reduced to 10%. They will be fair deals for everybody,

but they weren't fair to the United States. They were sucking us dry and you can't do that. But the president also announcing imports from China would be slapped with an even higher 125% tariff after China raised tariffs on American products from 34 to 84%. The president blasting China for retaliating instead of negotiating. Currently, American businesses sell just $143 billion worth of goods to China, while China sells $438 billion of products to the U.S., a record $295 billion trade deficit. The White House blames China's high tariffs and trade barriers on American products, saying Trump's new tariffs level that playing field.

China wants to make a deal. They just don't know how quite to go about it. Meanwhile, the president's move came after prominent business leaders, including J.P. Morgan Chase, CEO, Jamie Diamond, warned the tariff turmoil could spark a recession. I am going to defer to my economy to this point, but I think probably that's a likely outcome. Tonight, Republicans praising the focus on China. This is a big win for Trump, and it's a big win for America. While Democrats blasted the president's sudden shifts. This chaos seems to be just a game for Donald Trump, but it is really real, very real for people's

lives, people's livelihoods. And Garrett Haake joins us now from the North Lawn at the White House. So Garrett, arguably, one of the most impactful social media posts from the president today. Do we have any more information on what countries are negotiating with the U.S. to try to bring down these tariffs further? Yeah, Ellison, at the front of the list is Japan. The president has a good relationship with their new prime minister, Ashiba. In fact, the Treasury Secretary of Bassett said he was at the Japanese ambassador's residence just last night. The Japanese also share some of our national security concerns as regards to China. So that makes sense. He's also taking calls from the heads of South Korea, where they have an acting president now,

and the head of the Communist Party in Vietnam, which had faced until today one of the highest tariff rates under these new tariff regime from the president. I think most notably absent from the negotiation part of this, though, is China, though. The president has long coveted a trade deal with China, and he needs them to sign off on a TikTok deal. And for now, it doesn't look like there's any communication happening at any level. Ellison. Thank you. Let's bring in NBC's senior business correspondent, Christine Romans, for more on this historic day on Wall Street. I mean, the numbers are really something.

I was watching this show a couple days ago as Tom was anchoring and listened to one of our colleagues over at CNBC saying, in his view, it was arguably this was a man-made economic disaster, saying because of that rumor the other day you saw the spike and saying this could all change with a post on social media. And it really did. Walk us through what happened today. So nothing like this has ever happened today where you have a president posting on social media. By the way, just a few hours after telling people to actually buy stocks. He told people to buy stocks a few hours later, he posts that he's going to lift these or pause these tariffs. You see this huge rally. 3,000 point rally in the Dow from the bottom to the top.

That's just a dramatic move. Look at those percentage points. 7, 9, 12%. Usually you see something like that happen in a rebound in a financial crisis. is. After COVID, you know, there's got to be a really big reason for a big day like that. So it just shows you just how big a deal the tariff regime from the president and his trade war is for markets and investors. So what happens next? I mean, when you see the fact that a lot of these countries still have that 10% tariff, is this moment in time kind of a sugar high? Or is this rebound actually something that will hold? So this is a rebound, but we are still way down from where we were in the highs earlier this year. And I think it's really. really important to point out that there are 10% tariffs on almost all these countries that

are on today that weren't on here a week ago. Remember, they went into effect on Saturday. We don't even have a full week of what those extra 10% tariffs are going to do for companies and countries. So the president has managed to position it so he's, the stock market is applauding him for pausing the really extreme tariffs, but there are new tariffs that are still in effect and those will need to work through the system. All right, a lot to watch here. Christine Romans, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Hours before Trump announced a 90-day pause for some countries, the European Union levying their own retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. EU officials announcing the new tariffs will take effect starting April 15th and will impact about $23 billion worth of goods.

And while Trump scaled back for most countries, he increased the tariffs imposed on China from 104% to 125 percent, quote, due to the lack of respect China has shown the world's markets. For more on this and how China is responding, I want to bring in NBC's Janice McEy-Frayer. Janice, we are seeing yet another tariff increase from the Trump administration against China tonight. How is the government there reacting? Well, to this point, China has showed no sign of backing down officials here. And now it's more accounting measures earlier. Those 84% tariffs on U.S. imports up from 34% that matched the last round out of the U.S. also adding more than a dozen companies, many of them dealing in drone technology, to an

unreliable entities list, which is going to make it harder for them to do business here. That these latest tariffs on Chinese goods are being raised to 125 percent and China being the only holdout. That came around 1 o'clock in the morning here, so we could have further retaliation today. There's been talk of a ban on Hollywood films, possibly cutting off talks on fentanyl cooperation. A long time China watcher I spoke to earlier put it well in saying that the tactics that have been used by President Trump to roll out these tariffs triggered antibodies here. And Xi Jinping does not take well to being publicly summoned to call the White House. Allison. So as we are watching this from an American export, most people probably know that

the U.S. imports more goods than we export to China. What does that mean in a practical sense, though. Does the U.S. have more to lose in a trade war than China? Well, consumers will be paying more, 125% tariffs on anything made in China. That's basically everything in every American household, from clothes to toys to tech. And it's why experts are saying that it's great that the tariffs have been paused for most countries, but there's still $450 billion in Chinese imports at plague here. U.S. farmers are going to find it to send goods here, like soybeans and poultry, also some energy products being targeted. The China market is still important for U.S. businesses, and they

could get a rougher time here. So the trade war is intensifying, and it's heightening these fears about supply chains and maybe global recession, as well as the implications for U.S.-China relations, because trade has always been the backbone of the relationship. President Trump has said that China wants to make a deal badly. But there has been no indication here that Beijing wants to talk, even as dozens of other countries were lining up at the White House wanting some tariff relief. Alison? Janice Mackey Freyer in Beijing. Thank you. And the new 125% tariff on China is expected to make products from clothing to electronics

and furniture more expensive. NBC's business and data correspondent Brian Chung takes a look at the impact on the prices you pay. As President Trump dialed down the temperature on tariffs around the world, the trade spout with China heated up, with the president announcing that 125% tariff. They told him if you retaliate, we're going to double it. And that's what I did with China, because they did retaliate. The CEO of Basic Fund, which makes Tonka Trucks and Care Bears products, said when the president proposed a 54% tariff rate on China, he knew he would have to raise prices. But now, you might as well just make it a billion percent. because we're not shipping anything out of China.

Nobody's going to be shipping anything out of China until this gets solved. He warns what happens now will have impacts months down the line. If you're stopping production, does this imply that you might not have stuff on the shelves for key holiday season? Well, they're likely, in particular, with toys be a shortage of toys this Christmas. I mean, even a short-term disruption will upset the flow of goods. But we still have time. It's not just toys. Americans are surrounded by Chinese-made products, which could get more.

expensive. A lot of the cheap goods sold at places like Walmart and Amazon are made in China. Walking down the block, you'll see it. So many American brands selling products coming from China, like Nike, where 18% of their footwear and 16% of their apparel are made there. Even this glasses company, which assembles some of its glasses in the United States, uses materials and manufacturers in China. Some auto parts already more expensive. There was one part that was around $280, and then two days later, the cost went up to like $328, and of course, it was an overseas park that was manufactured in China. President Trump also closed the loophole that allowed cheap goods from companies like

Temu and Sheehan to avoid tariffs, so those prices also likely to go up. The concern that even as the world negotiates, China and the U.S., the two largest economies, are drifting apart. The harm that's being caused is really catastrophic, and please make a deal quickly. There's a deal to be done, and let's go back to business as usual. And Brian Chung joins us now on set. So what is next year? How soon could consumers see these prices go up?

Yeah, well, interestingly, the White House did not release any text making that 125% tariff official. But the president did post on Truth Social, as he's been doing through this whole trade war, saying that it is effective immediately, which means that those things that we rely so much on China for, like electronics, clothes, shoes, could get more expensive in the months to come. But I want to point out this is not the end of this conversation because China has yet. to respond to this. All right. Brian Chung, thank you. Tonight, search and rescue crews in the Dominican Republic say they are still working to recover the remaining victims after that deadly roof collapse at a nightclub.

Officials now saying at least 124 people are dead. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin is there at the scene as we're learning more about the victims. Today in Santo Domingo, a race to find survivors. The community gathered as cranes lifted what's left of the club piece by piece. chunk of concrete bringing hope and fear to Wilson Casado and his family. They believe Casado's cousin, nephew, and his nephew's pregnant wife were inside the club. They've been here since

yesterday morning. How long are you going to wait? Until it's necessary, he says. The Casadoes have faith their loved ones could still be alive. That's certainly true for this crowd outside the club's main entrance. I'm keeping my voice very low because they don't want to miss any sound made by a potential survivor. Authorities now say at least 124 people have died. Major General Manuel Mendez is the director of emergency operations. He tells us they believe many died instantly. Among those killed, meringue singer Ruby Perez,

who was on stage at the popular jet set nightclub in the early morning hours on Tuesday when the entire structure pancaked. Also killed a restaurant owner from Massachusetts and two former MLB players, including Tony Blanco, who that night reportedly saved the life of another MLB alum Esteban German. German told a local reporter he was at the club when Blanco pushed him out of the way, saving him from a piece of the falling roof.

Former MLB superstar Pedro Martinez is impacted too. I still have family members that are still in the rubles. Mendez says officials are no closer to understanding why it happened. Jetset says it's cooperating with the investigation. Officials say they've rescued 155 survivors. But so far for today, only bodies. have been recovered as the nation mourns lives lost and praised.

And Aaron joins us now from Santo Domingo. Erin, windew efforts on the ground move from rescue to recovery. Well, sadly, Alison, it seems soon late today, officials here in the Dominican Republic said that they believe they have identified more bodies buried beneath the rubble. And once they recover those bodies, they say the rest of them. rescue mission will be over. But it's not all bad news tonight. Moments ago, just here outside of the nightclub, this crowd erupted in applause. A family actually found out that their loved one wasn't buried beneath the rubble. Their loved one had actually been taken to the hospital and had

survived. That's an outcome that so many families here in the Dominican Republic are hoping for tonight. Ellison. An extraordinary piece of information there. Aaron McLaughlin on the ground in the Dominican Republic. see the search and the efforts to remove the rubble continue just behind you there. Aaron McLaughlin, thank you. Still ahead tonight, Coburger in court. The high-stakes hearing for the man accused of killing Ford University of Idaho students, what evidence will be allowed to go to trial? Plus, the startling close call, the tree crashing down on this SUV narrowly missing the driver.

And Michelle Obama speaking out for the first time after divorce rumors surfaced. Her response tonight. Top story is just getting started. Back now with the battle over what evidence a jury could see in the upcoming trial of Brian Koberger. He's the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students back in 2022. A judge hearing from both the defense and prosecution today on a variety of issues, from DNA evidence to text messages and a description of a suspect with, quote, bushy eyebrows.

House. NBC's Liz Croix breaks it all down for us. Tonight, Brian Coburger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students back in court, his attorneys sparring with prosecutors over what evidence should be allowed at trial. These murders, whoever committed them, were brutal. The judge signaling a decision on many of the requests, but ruling that prosecutors can't label Coburgar a psychopath or sociopath and that they also can't use Coburgers' autism diagnosis to argue for a harsher punishment. Neither things prosecutors say they plan to do. If we get to a penalty phase, we have a lot better aggravating evidence than the fact that he

has level one autism. Coburger's lawyers say he has maintained his innocent since he was arrested in 2022 and charged in the murders of Ethan Chapin, Xanacernodal, Kaylee Gonzalez, and Madison Mogan, who were found fatally stabbed in their off-campus home. Tonight, his attorneys arguing text messages from surviving roommates, their 911 call, and his alleged Amazon purchases, including a mask and a knife and knife sheath should be excluded from trial, as well as this selfie Coburger allegedly took hours after the murders, and the phrase bushy eyebrows, a term used by one of the surviving roommates to describe the man she saw inside the home. The state's interpretation is that Mr. Coburger's photo shows bushy eyebrows.

That is misleading to the jury. The judge granting the defense's request to introduce proof of potential alternative perpetrators, but saying they have to do so before trial and also questioning Coburger's alibi that he was driving to see the moon and stars, highlighting the lack of witnesses to back up his claim unless Coburger takes the stand. And Liz Croyd's joins us now from our West Coast Bureau. Liz, NBC was in that courtroom today. Our team's got a good look at Coburger with his defense team. What were their interactions like? Yeah, our colleague, Shenzhen, Dong, was there in for this hearing that has lasted the entire day. We were able to see from the video stream and in the courtroom he was dressed well in a button down blue shirt with a white t-shirt

underneath. He sat there attentively listening to the trial. He did talk with his attorneys beforehand. They were showing him different ties that he could wear. And he also revealed a little bit about what his life has been like in jail and prison. He said that he didn't sleep well. He only slept two hours last night that he's having a hard time sleeping while in the prison. Alison, Liz, do we know whether or not Koberger and his defense team intend to have him take the stand? It is possible. At this point, though, it is very unlikely. And that is because his attorneys have cited his autism diagnosis for how his demeanor may be, essentially suggesting they're not going to have him take the stand. But we did learn today, Ellison, that prosecutors do want some of his family members to take the stand. The judge, it seemed like,

signaling that he will allow that. So that will be interesting to see they didn't say which family members, but the prosecution did say they hoped to put some of them on the stand. All right. Liz Kreutz reporting from Los Angeles. Thank you. We appreciate it. For more on this trial and what happens next, I want to bring in NBC News legal analyst Danny Savallo, who joins us now on set. All right, Danny, you are a defense attorney. You are not on this defense team, but I know pretrial motions. They're very common, but a thousand pages is a lot. What's the defense's strategy? It is our sworn duty as defense attorneys to try to throw anything against the wall within reason and try to make it stick.

Because here's the thing. We expect to have somewhere around 5 to 10% success rate on these pretrial motions. We lose most of the time on the defense. But the key is this is death by a thousand cuts and excuse the metaphor, but it really means that we chip away and we take our victories where we get them. That being said, I don't think in my entire career I filed as many motions as the defense has in this one case. They're throwing a lot against the wall. I can't see the wall anymore. They've thrown so much against it. They're going to lose virtually all of them. But if they win even a couple, it might make the difference. And that's the way a defense attorney lives their lives. It might make the difference so you try everything.

Could throwing a lot against the wall backfire at all for them? I mean, even listening in Liz's report, there to the suggestion that they made of saying, we don't want the state to be able to mention his autism in a possible sentencing phase to get a higher sentence, and the prosecutors being like, what, we were never going to do that? I mean, could they go too far and have it have an impact on the trial, or not at all? Well, for the most part, it's understood. Judges understand that we defense attorneys, we are the underdogs, and we are going to try things, and sometimes those things might be irritating. So for the most part, general rule is, if you're a lot of someone's getting yelled at in the courtroom, it's not the prosecutor. It's usually

the defense attorney. It's the way the system set up. We're trying to chop away at what they're trying to build. So we're disruptors by nature. It's the way that we operate. We're not building a case at all. We're just pulling bricks out of it like a giant jenga and hoping that we pull out the right one and the case falls apart. But this autism thing now is expanding and I rather think it might end up being a very important issue for a number of reasons. Consider this. The defense wants an instruction to the jury that, hey, just so you know, if you see him in court and he looks a little funny or behaves maybe in a way you wouldn't expect, they want them to be informed that he has autism so they understand it. That's a very smart strategy because the prosecution picked up

on it. If they inform the jury of that, then the jury might see him as sympathetic in a way that they wouldn't with a normal defendant. So in essence, this is not an insanity defense because he's not admitting that he did it, but he's not guilty by reason of insanity. Instead, he's trying to get autism injected into the case for sympathy reasons. Let me ask you to give your take on some of the evidence that the defense is trying to get thrown out here. And we have a graphic we can put up. Coburgers, Amazon purchases. Forget it.

Let's text a 911 call. Forget it. The selfie taken on the day of the murders, allegedly. Denied, denied. Judge Danny denies all of these, put them back up there. We'll talk about them. You've got the ballot clothe and the purchasing stuff. That's going to come in if it's reliable.

Now, the defense's key argument there is that the data just may not be reliable. Then you have text messages and 911 calls. That's the kind of thing that comes in. By the way, 911 calls have come in since lawyers were still wearing wigs. I mean, 911 calls have always come in, and if there's some reason that they don't come in, then I've been malpracticing for 20 years now because they come in. As long as you have someone to authenticate them, generally 911 calls are admissible. If there are hearsay issues, and that's what the defense is arguing, there are hearsay issues as to some of the statements, I don't know.

You might get one or two blips of that call thrown out, but mostly it's coming in. And for the most part, I don't see how the 911 calls really all that devastating to the defendant because nobody observed him doing anything. It's just the natural reaction of someone finding a horrific murder scene. Okay, so looking ahead, is it possible that we see the defense try to bring in once this actually is in trial, the idea of an ultimate? or what do you think their tactic is actually going to be when we get down to it? Well, they definitely are. And by the way, they made this point today that in essence saying I didn't do it, it wasn't me, is basically a third-party argument in and of itself. You're saying, well, it had to be somebody else because it obviously happened. But the rule is generally, if you're

going to put on a third-party culpability defense, if you're going to say someone else did it and name that person, then you need to have at least a threshold level of evidence. You can't just start blasting names out, any name that came through discovery and say, that's probably who did it. But if you have some evidence, then you can put on that third-party culpability case. What do you think happens next in the coming weeks and days? What will you be watching for the most? And if you were advising Brian Coburger, when we get to trial, are you letting him take the stand? You know, we always say as defense attorneys, that is a last-minute decision. And it really is. You really don't know until the day of. And I think a lot of this, and the defense attorney said this today,

A lot of this depends on whether or not they're going to be allowed to tell the jury that he has autism spectrum disorder. Because if the jury isn't advised of that, I would be really concerned about letting a client take the stand. I'm concerned about a client taking the stand if he's a PhD in law. If he's somebody who's an experienced trial lawyer, I would still be concerned about it. I would be very concerned about somebody who, according to his own defense team, might ramble on or hyper-focus on things or may not answer questions in a way that the jury would see as either credible or sympathetic. It's a decent argument.

If the jury doesn't know about his autism spectrum disorder and it makes him come off in a way that is unusual to the jury, then the jury may punish him for that. The defense needs to know that before they make that decision. But if you're betting, he's not going to testify. All right. Danny Savalos, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights and analysis, as always. When Top Story returns, a love triangle apparently turned violent.

The charges the mother of NBA star Zion Williamson's baby is now facing. And how an iPhone feature helped save a woman who injured herself while hiking. We'll be right back. We're back now with Michelle Obama speaking out for the first time about some swirling divorce rumors. The former First Lady addressing the gossip in a new podcast interview. NBC's Hallie Jackson has this one. Former First Lady Michelle Obama tonight blasting rumors her marriage is on the rocks. This year people were, you know, they couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself,

that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing. On a podcast with TV star Sophia Bush, Obama referencing the tabloid speculation fueled by her notable no-shows at this year's inauguration and at Jimmy Carter's funeral. Without mentioning those events, clear she's making her own decisions. We start actually finally like going, what am I, what am I doing? You know, who am I doing this for? And if it doesn't fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then

it gets labeled as something negative and horrible. The Obama's married for 32 years have been open about some of their relationships ups and downs, the former president just last week. I was in a deep deficit with my wife, so I have been trying to dig myself out of that hole by doing occasionally fun things. These days, the Obamas are working on their joint production company, celebrating holidays like Valentine's Day with this selfie, captioned by Barack Obama, you still take my breath away. And Michelle Obama, launching a new podcast with her brother, and after the death of her mother, making what she calls big girl decisions about her life. Now is the time for me to start asking myself these hard questions of who do I, who do I truly want to be every day?

And the former First Lady has long been clear on one thing, despite her popularity among Democrats that she is not interested in a political path back to the White House. Ellison. Hallie Jackson, thank you. In tonight's top story news feed, a hiker in Kentucky, saved by Apple's SOS feature. rescuers in Wolf County about an hour south of Lexington say the woman was in a remote area on Saturday night when she injured her leg and used her iPhone to notify them. The device providing rescuers with coordinates and her medical condition reaching her just before storms hit. Apple's SOS feature allows users to connect with 911 via satellite and places without coverage.

And in Pennsylvania, we're getting a look at the moment a falling tree crushes a car narrowly missing the driver. Surveillance video from Monday showing the tree coming crashing down on the back of a stopped SUV. The driver walking away seemingly uninjured and no word yet on what might have caused that tree to come down. Scientists creating the largest functional map of a brain to date from a mouse. You can see the map of 84,000 neurons in a poppy seed, poppy seed part of the mouse's brain. So how did they map the 500 million connections between neurons by showing the mouse. the movie The Matrix. Researchers hope it is a step towards mapping brains to treat disorders in humans.

And Mattel unveiling its first Ken Basseter doll today, kicking things off with basketball legend LeBron James. The doll sports a custom jacket with the number 23, James's jersey number, as well as Nike sneakers and beats headphones. LeBron's doll stands one inch taller than other dolls and is the first in a series based on male athletes. Mattel says the Ken Basseter's collection will celebrate Ken figures who are creating positive change in creating a better world. The LeBron doll goes on sale Monday for $75.

And a darker headline out of the basketball world, an alleged assault and arrest going down at a home belonging to Zion Williamson. Police say both the suspect and the victim have been romantically involved with the NBA star. NBC's Marquis Francis has the details. Tonight, NBA star Zion Williamson in the middle of a love triangle that turned violent in recent days. A police source tells our New Orleans affiliate WDSU. I don't know what the future hold, but mommy and daddy love you. The alleged aggressor, according to a police affidavit, Akima Love, the woman seen in this celebratory gender reveal video with Williamson in June of 2023, but looking very different in this booking photo from earlier this week.

Love, arrested on allegations of stalking, home invasion, and aggravated battery against another woman who has not been named. According to the police report, the suspect and the victim share a romantic partner. A police source familiar with the case telling our affiliate that shared partner is Zion Williamson. Issues between the two women ramped up in mid-March, when according to a police affidavit, Love allegedly egged the other woman's home, then message that woman on Instagram, stating, Don't worry, it's going to be your head next when I drop this baby. Count your days, followed by a smiley face and laughing emoji. After the birth of that baby, things allegedly escalating further.

According to the affidavit on Sunday, love obtained keys to the woman's residence, grabs her hair and struck her with keys clenched in her fist, leaving the woman with lacerations above both eyes, a raised lump on the side of her head, scratches to her arms and face, and four fingernails, torn from her hands. The police source telling our affiliate the incident happened at Williamson's multi-million home in Kenner. According to the affidavit, Love was arrested nearby at a second multi-million dollar home inside

a gated community, where Williamson is also listed as a resident in public records. Zion Williamson and Akema Love's attorney declined to comment. The Pelicans did not respond to a request for comment. It's all just the latest distraction for Williamson, the number one overall NBA draft pick in 2019, who's been sidelined with several injuries since. Now, Akema Love going from court's side to courtroom. At a hearing yesterday, her bond set at $50,000 and a protection order issued to keep her from making contact with the alleged victim. Marquise Francis, NBC News. As the back and forth with President Trump's sweeping tariffs continues, the travel industry

warning there could be trouble ahead if people cut back on their vacation plans. NBC's Tom Costello reports on the growing unease just ahead of what is usually a busy season. From flight reservations to resorts and restaurants, the travel industry has gone from predicting a record-breaking 2025 to warning of a big slowdown. Before the tariff pause today, the CEO of Delta Airlines said air travel has stalled both leisure and corporate. I think everyone's being prepared for uncertainty. If that continues and we don't get resolution soon, we'll probably end up in a recession. Ed Bastion's warning comes as foreign visitors are canceling trips to the U.S. Down nearly 12% in March compared to a year ago. Air travel from Mexico down 23%.

After President Trump slapped Canada with tariffs and suggested it should become America's 51st state, airline bookings from Canada to the U.S. dropped 40%. You shouldn't be shocked that we don't want to spend money down there. Ian Urquat, a retired Canadian professor, lost $500 when he and his wife canceled a trip to Vegas for a cold play concert. We'll be traveling to Mexico instead of to the southern U.S. with respect to sun holidays. If foreign visitors stay away, economists say it could cost U.S. airlines, hotels, rental car companies, resorts, billions of dollars. Meanwhile, for Americans planning a summer vacation, going.com reports domestic and international travelers

could see deep discounts. But for many foreign travelers, I'll wait until there's a bit more sensibility in the White House before we go back there again. Many international travelers emphasize they don't hate America or Americans, but they also don't feel as welcome here as they once did. Alison. Tom Costello, thank you. We're following the latest on the measles outbreak in the top story health check. The number of cases rising to 667 in the U.S. and three measles-related deaths, two in the state

of Texas and one in New Mexico. As concerns over the outbreak continue to grow, I want to bring an NBC News medical contributor, Dr. Natalie Azar. Dr. Azar, thank you so much for joining us. Let's talk about what we have heard from HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Because he said very recently that in his view, the United States' response to the measles outbreak has been, quote, very successful. Do you agree? Do you think the U.S.'s response to this has been successful? No, I wouldn't characterize it as successful.

A few points in their favor, let's say, is that they do have CVC boots on the ground. They're going there to investigate. I think they're trying to do their best to make available appropriate testing and vaccinations. That is all fine. But it all starts at the top. And we have a secretary of Health and Human Services who for years has stoked the fire of vaccine skepticism and has continued with this inconsistent message. on vaccine safety to pour fuel on this fire.

And what I'm really referring to specifically, Ellison, is most recently when he said that the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent measles. That is a fact, but that is far short from saying everybody, especially in the outbreak zone, needs to get their children vaccinated. Instead, what he has continued to say is to tout unproven therapy,

unproven therapies, speaking to doctors who've treated children with inhaled steroid and antibiotics. None of those treatments is considered appropriate or part of the arsenal to treat measles once you have it. And for people who are still wondering, is this really the most effective way to deal with it? The data is there, right? I mean, you can look at pre-MMR vaccine, the numbers that we had in this country of deaths and infections compared to now, and it's astronomically different. Not only that, Alison, I think one of the saddest data points, is that we have two pediatric deaths. Two pediatric deaths just this year alone, two for the first time in the 21st century.

And we know that out of every 1,000 unvaccinated individuals, one person will die. So we have two out of around 500 or so in Texas. What that says to us is that the number is a gross underestimate of the true prevalence of measles in the community right now. People aren't going to get tested. there could be issues with their immigration status, for example.

So there's a number of reasons why cases might be undercounted. But what I think what we're getting the sense of is that this measles outbreak is probably even more widespread than the numbers are telling us right now. So given that and looking at the news coming out of Canada in Ontario where they're having a measles outbreak there, we've had warnings in New York State. Is this something that the rest of America and New Yorkers, in the case of what's happening in Canada, need to be worried about? So, again, if you are vaccinated or you know that you have been, and we can talk about that in a second, how you have knowledge of what's called presumptive immunity, if you have at least 95% of your community vaccinated, you shouldn't see measles spread. That is what we call herd immunity. So that's why we're seeing this in Gaines County because of their tremendously low vaccination rates. But we also know is that measles is so contagious. We don't to keep telling our viewers over and over again, nine out of 10 people who are unvaccinated will get measles if they are around someone who's contagious. So as we're seeing these cases sporadically

throughout the country in pockets where herd immunity is not there, you are going to see transmission. Let's talk about vaccination in general because there are different things, parents where you're like, was I vaccinated for that? I think I was as a kid. When it comes to the MMR vaccine, there is a way to check if you're unsure of your vaccination status, right? There is. And it's something called an MMR tighter. It is a blood test. I will say that even if you don't have antibodies to measles and you know that you've been vaccinated, you probably still have some protection. There's another arm of the immune system that's not going to be detected on the blood test. But I think it's very important, especially talking about, you know, my generation and a little

bit younger, people who were vaccinated between 1968 and 1989, for example, we only got one shot. And so two shot is the recommendation to be fully vaccinated. If you were vaccinated in the 60s, you got a vaccine that was not considered effective. All of these, this is to say, go and get your MMR titers checked if you'd like to, get a booster. Most individuals can safely get a booster, and then at least you have some peace of mind that you're protected. All right. Dr. Natalie Azar, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Turning now to Top Stories Global Watch, an American political scientists facing jail time in Thailand accused of insulting that country's monarchy. Fifty-year-old Paul Chambers is

a lecturer at a university in Thailand and studies the Thai military. The U.S. State Department saying they are alarmed by the arrest. It reported to police yesterday to formally acknowledge the charges against him. Chambers was released on bail, but had his visa revoked. In Thailand, insulting the monarchy could result in up to 15 years in prison. There is no trial date set just yet. And President Vladimir Zelensky says the Ukrainian military captured two Chinese citizens fighting for Russia. Zelensky releasing this video saying it is one, of the men they found. A statement accompanying that video says Ukraine has information there are many more Chinese citizens in Russian units. China's foreign ministry saying it's

verifying reports of its citizens being captured in Ukraine. The Kremlin and Russia declined in the comment. And a Paddington Bear statue is back in Berkshire, England, after it was broken and stolen. The iconic bear was surrounded by fans during its unveiling today. Video shows the moment the statue was damaged last month, two men kicking it and ripping it and ripping it in half. They were sentenced to a year of community service and ordered to pay for the repairs. We'll be back in a moment with eyewitness video of a police shooting in Idaho. White officers opened fire on a 17-year-old with a disability and what we're learning tonight about his life-changing injuries. We're back now with the firestorm over a veterinarian

called on camera allegedly abusing horses. NBC Steve Patterson reports on the disturbing video. Tonight outrage growing in Nevada over these now viral videos appearing to show veterinarian Sean Frenner kicking a horse in his care. I walked in my mother's home. I saw my horse being choked. I fell to the floor in a severe anxiety attack and my daughter picked up the phone and started recording. That's when you see the kick. The video is also showing Frenner holding a rope around the horse's neck, violently pulling at the animal. Shauna Gonzalez owns the ranch that houses that horse named Red. She says Red is still recovering from his injuries at an equine medical center. I'm just here to protect these animals. That's the whole reason I started this.

I wanted to be their voice. They have no voice. I am their voice. After those videos emerged, another owner in the area telling NBC's Las Vegas affiliate, his horse was also treated by Frenner that same day. Sharing this ring camera video appearing to show Frenner hitting his horse in the head. Gonzalez tells our affiliate she contacted animal services to file a complaint against Frenner. The Nye County Sheriff's Office confirmed it received a complaint on Friday,

but did not comment further due to the ongoing investigation. Efforts to reach Dr. Frenner were unsuccessful, and he hasn't spoken out since at least this weekend. And Steve Patterson joins us now with more. Steve, you mentioned Red is recovering at an equine medical center. Do we know how he's doing tonight? Yeah, Alison Gonzalez, Red's owner, says he's still being monitored at that medical center, that his neck is being checked over for choking, and that he's being treated for an abrasion over his eye from that kick, but that she's hopeful he'll be back home by the end of the week. Alison? Steve Patterson, thank you.

Next tonight, the police shooting caught on camera in Idaho. The video shows the moment officer shoot nine times after yelling at a 17-year-old to drop the knife he was holding. The family of that team says he is physically and mentally disabled and speaks limited English. And tonight, he is fighting for his life. NBC, Stephen Romo reports, A warning, this video is disturbing. Tonight, outrage in Idaho after a 17-year-old with intellectual and physical disabilities was shot nine times by police in his front yard. The family of Victor Perez now saying he is fighting for his life.

Eyewitness video shows Perez lying on the ground, holding a knife in front of his home. His family says he has cerebral palsy, affecting his ability to walk. He also speaks limited English. You can hear in the video a woman saying no and attempting to restrain him. After about two minutes, police get there and four armed officers begin shouting at Perez to drop the knife. He's then seen struggling to stand up before he moves toward the officers who opened fire. His family telling local news. outlets he was experiencing a mental health crisis. We understand the concern and emotion.

At a news conference Monday night, Pocatello police playing the 911 call made before officers were sent to the home. There's a couple of back behind their shop, for anything to ask someone. He's laying on the ground for the, you look like it's on drugs. Police also showing a photo of the knife Perez was holding. Officers positioned just outside the yard, repeated commands for the mail to drop the knife. In situations like this, officers must make decisions in seconds. They assess threats, not just to themselves, but to those nearby. The Pocatello Police Chief adding that officers provided life-saving treatment before Perez was taken to a local medical center. Over the weekend, outraged local residents protested the

shooting outside the Pocatello Police Department. There could have been multiple other different ways to relieve the situation, and that didn't really have to be one of them. And Stephen Romo joins us now on set. Stephen, what else do we know about Victor's current condition? Yeah, his family members telling local media that he's had several surgeries. He remains in the hospital. Local affiliate, KIFI, is saying that family members told them that he's had part of his leg amputated as a result of that shooting.

And with each of these new details, the community becomes more outrage. Some of the protesters pointing out that there was a chain link fence. between Perez and the officers, but police maintain they did what they had to do to protect public safety. But more to come as those investigations keep going. A lot of unanswered questions. Stephen Romo, thank you so much. We appreciate it. When we return, how two college baseball teams turned their field of nightmares into a field of dreams on one glorious day. Finally, tonight, a win for the ages. Two college teams with the longest active losing.

losing streaks in baseball, facing off in a double-header that caught the attention of baseball fans across the country. So after seasons full of losses, who walked away with the W? Our very own Tom Yamis has this one. Two schools on one field, a combined 141 straight losses between them. The Lehman College Lightning on a 42-game losing streak, the Yeshiva University Maccabees, 99 games straight without a victory. But Tuesday, with their classmates in the stands, the two New York schools showed up,

and one had to walk away a winner. It was a battle back and forth. Justin Chamorro was on the pitcher's mound for Lehman. You got to be optimistic because when you're in a hole like that, it's hard. It's hard to find the positives. I kept telling my teammates that. Just keep pushing.

It's going to happen. By the final inning, college came out on top. When you guys won, what was that feeling like? A sense of relief, a sense of joy. When there's a lot of adversity going your way, it's that much sweeter on the other side. The reward is really in the process of what we're doing, right? This is where you develop, you know, integrity and excellence.

With its streak broken, Lehman was riding high. Yeshiva now facing down 100 losses in a row. But they had another chance, a second game against Lincoln. The very same day, in the final at bat, the Yeshiva University of Maccabees were winners. Different folks in sports cresting a mountain can be winning a championship. For us, winning a game was that for us. Success doesn't last forever, neither does failure.

Every day you get a new opportunity to show up. Two teams, two hard-earned victories, reminding us all to never give up. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom. Stay right there. More news is on the way.