Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Episode Date: January 16, 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 breaking news out of the Middle East, Israel and Hamas reaching a ceasefire deal after months of negotiations. More than two dozen hostages being held captive, expected to be released in the coming days, including two Americans. The celebrations on the streets of Israel and in Gaza were breaking down the terms of the multi-phase agreement. Could this be the beginning of the end of the war? Also tonight, the clash on Capitol Hill as President-elect Trump's nominee to be top prosecutor faces tough questions. Pam Bondi asked if she will go after Trump's enemies if she leads his Department of Justice. Her response and the heated exchange in a blitz of hearings to fast track Trump's cabinet. New signs of progress in the fight against

the massive Los Angeles wildfires. The search and rescue teams working around the clock to locate those still missing. We speak with a family getting their kids back to school after losing it all. A Philadelphia Eagles fan fired from his job after a viral video caught him hurling vulgar slurs at a Green Bay Packers fan. The shocking tirade all caught on camera, even prompting the Eagles to ban him from their home stadium. That fan's apology tonight and what he reveals about the moments leading up to the altercation. TikTok refugees, the looming ban on the popular social media app forcing users to flock to other platforms. We'll show you some of the alternatives, including a popular app in China,

promoting socialist values now seen in influx of American users. And Pizza Wars, the competition heating up in New York, two iconic pizza shops defending their turf as a third legendary spot wants a slice of that action. So whose pie is the best? We're putting it to the ultimate taste test. Plus rapper Drake suing his own record label,

the song he says they promoted, claiming it put his own life at risk. Top story starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, after months of negotiations, we finally have a deal. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that will allow dozens of hostages held since the October 7th attack to return home. The announcement raising hopes that the war could finally come to an end. That news, look at this, sent people pouring into the streets in Tel Aviv,

cheering and hugging, and in Deer al-Bala inside of Gaza the same, a rare moment as celebrations broke out, people crying, tears of joy. The agreement coming after 15 months of war, leaving more than 46,000 dead images just like these, communities completely destroyed, and families in anguish, mourning the lives lost. Here's what we know right now about phase one of the agreement. There will be a six-week pause in the fighting. 33 hostages will be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The IDF will also have to retreat to Gaza's borders. The second phase of that deal would release the rest of the hostages.

For more than a year, look at this, we have heard from families filled with pain, begging for their loved ones to come home. And right now we're learning that two Israeli Americans are part of that initial phase. Sigi Deccl-Ceckle-Chin and Keith Siegel both expected to be released. The deal marking a rare collaboration between President Biden and President-elect Trump's team. I'd also note this deal was developed and negotiated under my administration, but its terms will be implemented for the most part by the next administration. In these past few days, we've been speaking as one team. It is not a done deal yet. We are still waiting for Israel's cabinet to sign off on the deal, which could take effect as early as Sunday.

NBC's Richard Engel is in Jerusalem tonight with the very latest. In Gaza, the reaction was immediate and joyful, relief that the war is coming to an end. Crowds gathered in Israel, too, but with mixed emotions. The hostages are due to come home, but in some cases only there remains. It's more than 400 days of struggle. The day success has arrived. The deal was negotiated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. United States. President Biden saying it was built on a framework he proposed last May, and conditions

finally made it possible. After more than 15 months of war, Amos's senior leaders are dead. With nowhere to turn, Moss finally agreed to releasing hostages. The State Department said the involvement of President-elect Trump's envoy in the talks was also critical. Today, Trump posting the epic ceasefire agreement only happened because of his election victory. President Biden was asked who deserved credit. Who does the history books credit for this, Mr. President? You or Trump? Is that a joke?

The deal is fragile and complex to be implemented in three phases. Phase one will last six weeks. Hamas will release some hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. And Israel will withdraw troops from populated areas in Gaza. But a permanent end to the war and the release, of all the hostages still needs to be negotiated. In Israel, little celebration in Tel Aviv Square where families of hostages usually gather.

NBC's Danielle Hammamjan is there. There are only a few people gathered here tonight at Hostage Square. One family member telling me they want to see all the hostages back before they can celebrate. Jimmy Miller's cousin and her children, a 10-month-old baby and a four-year-old boy, were kidnapped. I will believe to everything when I will see it in my eyes that it's happening. I will believe it only in the second that I will see.

This latest conflict began on October 7th when Hamas massacred 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 250 hostages. Among them, 12 Americans. Only three are thought to be still alive. Two are on the list for phase one release. Lester recently spoke to the families of the Americans, including the sister of 20-year-old Edan Alexander, who's not on the list. So it's been like a year that, like, my best friend that I was growing up with

has just been, like, gone from my life, I'm sorry. Oh, that's okay. It's been very difficult. In Gaza tonight, people were hanging on every word as news trickled in that a deal was coming. And when it was confirmed, the streets were jammed. Palestinians overjoyed that the bombings will stop, and more food and medicine will come in. According to local officials, nearly 47,000 Palestinians were killed during the war. As for her reaction, Narmine al-Subo said, how can I celebrate tonight when my father, brother, and uncles were killed?

Richard Engel joins us tonight from Jerusalem, and as the world waits, Richard, and we're going to stay optimistic here because we've seen the celebrations in Gaza and is, But this has been so, so delicate. Do you see anything that could possibly harm this from getting through? Oh, a tremendous amount. There are many possible obstacles that could come. We'll stay optimistic for a second, as you say. This is a moment that could build trust. It could build momentum.

The hostages starting on Sunday, the first group that 33 are supposed to be coming out in batches, that could build some good will. some goodwill. It could allow humanitarian agencies to get in. More aid is supposed to go in. So let's say that this works out because the goodwill, the trust starts to increase and it goes all the way to the end and all the way to phase two and phase three, which is ultimately what will need it to be, the complete reconstruction of Gaza. But you have to get there first. The deal has to be first signed off on by the Israeli government that's expected to happen tomorrow.

But there are still ongoing airstrikes. There were just airstrikes recently, just a few moments ago in Gaza, and according to medical officials, dozens of people have been killed. So even as we approach the deal, the war is supposed to continue. And then there are many, many different caveats. The Palestinians and the Israelis happen to greed, as far as we know, on the list of prisoners who are supposed to come out. There are maps that have been exchanged about where Israeli troops are supposed to be deployed, where they are not supposed to be deployed. The phase two,

phase three, still need to be negotiated. So there are many hurdles that need to be overcome. All right, Richard Engel for us on that breaking news tonight. Richard, we thank you. And as we learn more about the details in the breakthrough ceasefire deal, I do want to bring in Alana Zaycheck, her cousins and their families were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th. They've all since been released except for her cousin's husband, David Cuneo, who's still being held hostage right now. To remind our viewers, Alana joined our show in 2023 right after the terror attack happened. Alana, I want to thank you so much for joining Top Story again. I want to show that video because it's the video that you and your family saw of your own relatives being taken hostage and David in this video as well.

What was your reaction tonight when you heard about this deal in the last couple of days? I think we're really emotional, you know. I think that there is, I don't even know if bittersweet is the right word, but there's a version of right of being hopeful for the deal, the deal that we've been crying out for for a very long time now, for some of the hostages to come home. But David is a man in his 30s, so it's unlikely that he was. would be part of the first phase, and that makes this very precarious moment for those of us who are waiting for, you know, we all want to see every single hostage released, but for my family, David would likely not be in this first phase, which makes this a bit of a stressful moment

for us as well. So, Alana, I want to ask you about that. Do you say that because your family has been told that, or you just sense that he's not going to be released? It's based on the framework. So the framework includes women, children. children, so the Bibus children, and includes elderly and the injured. We have no indication that David is injured.

So any man that is of quote-unquote fighting age is not included in that first framework of what has been negotiated so far. So we have seen, you know, there are two hostages who have been there for 10 years, who are hopefully going to be, we've heard, in this first round. So this is kind of the way Israeli society understands things, that they could leave people there for 10 years. That is what lives. That fear lives inside of all of us. You know, we have, we are, of course, worried. I was going to tell you, you have the button of David on your shoulder there. We have a set here in New York, a 30 Rock, with the pictures

of all those who were kidnapped, many of those who were kidnapped, when this happened, when this terror attack happened. It has been, you know, 15 months. What has that been like for you and your family, because I can't imagine. And I don't want to say the world has moved on because, you know, the world in a lot of ways it's been focused on what's happened on the Middle East. But I know for people like you, you guys have not moved on. No, no, we haven't. We live in purgatory, you know.

Us, I mean, the people of Gaza and the hostages and the families, we've been two sides of the same coin, fighting for the lives of the people that we love. And it's been hell. You know, my cousin had to return from two. months of torturous, horrific captivity, only to now spend over a year fighting to get her husband back to her. Who do you give credit to for at least getting this far in the negotiations? Do you think this was the Biden administration?

Do you think this was helped from President-elect Trump? Or do you think it was international partners? In terms of the politics, I think that it was a dual effort. I think that this is Biden's deal. This is the same deal that was on the table of May of last year. you know, could have happened in August and thereafter. There are many times this deal could have happened. But I do think that Trump coming in and co-signing onto the deal and helping us get it to this place was a tremendous help. And so I do think that it was actually, for once, a non-partisan

or bipartisan effort. This shouldn't have, it should have never been a political or a politicized issue. And it was. And I do think that both of them work together to get this where it is. But now it is Trump's responsibility to get it fully through to the end of the war and to every single hostage coming home. And we hope that happens. Alana Zaycheck, we thank you so much for joining Top Story once again. We will constantly be thinking of your family, okay? For more on the ceasefire deal and what's next, I want to bring in Chief International

Correspondent, Keir Simmons. Keir, I wanted to have you on the show, right, because you are a chief international correspondent. You can put these things into perspective. You've also covered a lot of these negotiations. What was the straw that broke the camels back and essentially had this deal pushed through? Well, to extend the metaphor, Tom, a little bit, I mean, there were multiple straws. And as you heard Alana and Richard kind of very elegantly described there in the last few minutes, there will be multiple straws looking ahead.

In the end, it was a political moment that allowed this to happen. Extraordinarily today, you know, you had the Biden administration and Hamas both pointing out that this is effectively the same deal as was possible in May, but it wasn't possible in May. And that, again, is partly to do with the kind of pressure that you've been describing that have been, that was put on the different sides in recent weeks. I mean, we should, of course, point out, though, that none of this would have happened if Hamas had not launched that terror attack that killed more than 1,200 people and took 250 people hostage.

If you're just sort of looking at this and you're not an expert, right, in these negotiations, but you've kind of been following it. And you ask yourself, what has changed, right? And the one thing that has changed was there was an election here in the United States and there's going to be a new administration that's coming in. How much of that either moved the ball or didn't move the ball?

And did President-elect Trump's threats against Hamas do anything for this? They did. There's no doubt. I mean, just from the fact, I've been talked to diplomats in the region and to people in the government here and in other governments. No doubt about it, that the election made a difference.

When you say threats against Hamas, honestly, that threat, I think, was against both, in a sense, the Israeli government and Hamas. And here's why I say that, because, and it's very cynical, Tom, but frankly, both sides will not have wanted to be seen to bring down the deal. And so, and particularly because the impact of that with a new president arriving, if you get on the wrong side of him, if you like, they would have been worried about that. So I think there's no question, again, so much of this is politics, there's no question that the political moment that we were in now added that pressure and President Trump added that pressure on a deal that President Biden had been working on for a long time. Before you go, Kira, we can never get into the mind of a terrorist, right? But, you know, you cover the globe for NBC News and you wonder what Hamas was thinking, right? no good came out of this, nothing positive even for them came out of this. Gaza was, much of Gaza was obliterated, Hamas was obliterated. So many people died, 45,000.

Is there any sense from the Arab world at all, from leaders in that foreign region, that this was such a mistake, or are people just thinking Hamas did what they felt they had to do? Well, your question is well, Tom. You do get into dangerous territory when you try to explain or describe what Hamas is thinking was, remember, you know, Yaya Sinwa, who was the leader of this, who made the decision, is dead now. And, you know, Hezbollah has been defanged. Iran is on the back foot. Hamas, as you can see, just by looking at the pictures of Gaza, along with so many civilians, has been almost destroyed, frankly, although it is still there, we should know.

But that being said, just before that attack, we were very close to a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and we are now a long way away from that because of the bloodshed in Gaza, because of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who've been killed, the Arab world is in a very different place. So there will be those who will argue that Iran is weaker than ever at this stage, and that that's a good thing. There will also be those who will argue, though, that some kind of a peace deal, and that is the very difficult prospect that still has to be overcome, that some kind of a peace deal in the Middle East that hasn't been able to to be achieved for decades, that that is now further away.

Keir Simmons, always great to have you on nights like this. We appreciate all your analysis back here at home to the other major headline tonight. Day two of confirmation hearings for some of President-elect Donald Trump's top administration nominees. Attorney General Pam Bondi pressed on whether she would prosecute Trump's political opponents and what his choice for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said about ending the war in Ukraine. Ryan Nobles on Capitol Hill with the latest. Tonight, a split-screen moment on Capitol Hill with half a dozen high-stakes confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump's cabinet picks, including his choice to lead the Justice Department, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who vowed to keep politics out of the prosecutorial process.

There will never be an enemy's list within the Department of Justice. Bondi replaced Trump's original choice for the job, former Congressman Matt Gates, who withdrew when it was clear he could not win enough Republican votes. Bondi is expected to be confirmed by the Republican Senate. I'm glad he picked you. He knows you, he trusts you, and you're highly qualified. But today, Senate Democrats grilling her over potential Trump pardons for some January 6 participants. Do you believe that those who have been convicted of the January 6 riot violent assaults on our police officers should be pardoned? That's a simple question. So, Senator, I have not seen any of those files, but let me be very clear in speaking to you.

I condemn any violence on a law enforcement officer in this country. And this heated moment over Trump's comments about Liz Cheney. I'm asking you sitting here today whether you are aware of a factual predicate to investigate Liz Cheney. Senator, no one has asked me to investigate Liz Cheney. That is a hypothetical. The president has called for it publicly. You are aware of that, aren't you? No one has asked me to investigate.

But the president has called. We're also worried about Liz Cheney, Senator. You know what we should be worried about? Ms. Bondi, please answer my questions. Also expected to be confirmed Florida Senator Marco Rubio up for the post of Secretary of State. Today, saying he disagreed with the Biden administration's decision yesterday to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Do you believe Cuba is a state sponsor of terrorist? Without a question. We know that Cuba has been friendly towards Hamas and Hezbollah openly.

And Rubio forecasting the future Trump administration's approach to ending the war in Ukraine. It is important for everyone to be realistic. There will have to be concessions made by the Russian Federation, but also by the Ukrainians and the United States lend itself there. Ryan joins us live from Capitol Hill. Ryan, I want to pick it up right where you left off there. Explain to our viewers what is Senator Rubio saying about Ukraine. Is he talking about land concessions, basically giving up that land to Russia? Tom, he didn't get into specifics in his question and answer period today,

but if you look at the situation in Ukraine right now, Ukraine right now. There aren't very many things to negotiate over when it comes to the end of this war that are higher on the list than the acquisition of land. And so you'd have to think that would at least be part of the conversation. And judging by what Rubio said today, that would be a shift in American administration policy once Donald Trump takes office. And then, Ryan, before you go, walk our viewers through the other confirmation hearings that are slated for this week. Well, we're going to hear from Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary tomorrow, Scott Bessnet and also Doug Bergam, who is his pick to run the Department of Interior.

And then later this week we'll hear from Christy Noem, who is his pick to run the Department of Homeland Security. The one name that we're still waiting to hear from is Tulsi Gabbard. Of course, she is going to be the pick to run the director to become the Director of National Intelligence. Her hearing date has not been set. And also, of course, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services. is Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., perhaps, the two most controversial picks who have yet to have their hearings. Tom. Okay, Ryan Nobles, Ryan, we appreciate that. For more on today's confirmation hearings, and the Trump nominees still slated to testify. I want to bring in Mark Caputo, a White House reporter for Axios.

Mark, thanks so much for joining us tonight. We wanted to talk to you because you've covered both Pam Bondi and Senator Rubio for a very long time down there in Florida. Bondi has billed herself as an ardent defender of Trump, but today she tried to make the case that she'd be independent without really contradicting Trump. From what you're hearing in Trump world, that she managed to walk that tightrope? Oh, they loved what they saw to Pam Bondi. Pam Bondi has been a friend and then an advisor to Donald Trump for a decade now. And the two are, I wouldn't say inseparable, but they get along incredibly well. And everything that Bondi said there is kind of comports with what the Trump team wants her to say. She also instinctively understands that audience of won in Donald Trump. So the time she avoided, evaded, didn't answer her question. She understood

that it was the committee trying to box her into something that would just cause trouble or consternation or just displeasure with Donald Trump. So she just didn't answer it. I want to play you some of the sound from Bondi and to our viewers as well. She was asked a lot about prosecuting President-elect Trump's opponents during the campaign, and then what she said today. She said some things that sounded a little different. Here's what she said. The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted, the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated. You find the facts of the case. You apply the law in good faith, and you treat everyone fairly. So what a difference a few weeks makes, right? Or maybe a few months. You're on Fox News.

you're speaking to one audience and then you're in front of the Senate and you're speaking to a much different audience. How much of this, I ask you, is Susie Wiles, right? Because it sounds like, and it feels like these nominees have been very well prepared, and they've been sort of, they've learned to sort of control both their emotions and what they're going to say. I could see Susie Wiles having an involvement there. This is more of the Pam Bondi I've known since, what, 2009, 2010. It's just sort of consistent with their personality. That having been said, yeah, you're right. There's a disconnect in tone and in some cases in substance between what she said before and what she's saying now. I'm not privy to conversations

between Trump and Pam Bondy or Trump and Susie Wiles. They don't talk about that sort of thing. But generally speaking, my understanding of the way in which Trump receives advice from advisors is that they can sort of talk him out of positions, but they have to know how to do it properly. Trump is sort of a difficult ship to man, and you have to just have a very gentle hand on the tiller and understand how to nudge it. And that's where his most successful advisors find their most success. So I could see Pam Bondi being very expert at doing that, but there is an open question. If Donald Trump tells her, hey, I want X and Y prosecutor investigated, what's she going to do? We don't know. Yeah, well, I want to ask you sort of a similar question, but about Senator Marco Rubio. He's a hawk on

China, he's been a hawk on Russia. What happens now, right? Does he get molded by MAGA, or does he stick to what he's been saying as a senator for more than a decade? If you look at Marco Rubio's record in the Trump years, when Trump was president, those four years, Marker Rubio was essentially the de facto Western Hemisphere Deputy Secretary of State. Donald Trump's Western Hemisphere policy was largely run by or run through or advised by Marco Rubio. We mentioned, or you mentioned just a second ago, those Cuba issues. Marco Rubio helped write the sanctions against Cuba that Donald Trump passed in 2017. Marco Rubio, in another case, sort of talked Donald Trump out of or persuaded Donald Trump not to listen to people who wanted him to use military force in Venezuela.

That's how much influence he has. The differences between Donald Trump and Marco Rubio on foreign policy are very small. And if you heard Rubio today, it's pretty clear that those guys are certainly on the same page. It's Rubio's hawkishness on China that Trump has come more toward, not the other way around. Rubio's always been a China hawk. Rubio was a China hawk while Donald Trump was still making ties in China that said, like, the Trump organization. There's a difference there, and if anyone moved any direction, it would be more President Trump or Donald Trump moving more toward the Rubio position.

Finally, let's talk about Trump's pick for Director of National Intelligence, Talsy Gabbard. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that some Senate Republicans have reservations about her qualifications, right? They report in Gabbard's meetings with Senator James Langford of Oklahoma. Gabbard couldn't clearly articulate what the role of Director of National Intelligence entails. Two Senate Republican aides and a Trump transition official said, okay, when she met with Senators Mike Rounds of South Dakota, and Gabbard seemed confused about a key U.S. national security surveillance power, legislative priority for nearly every member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, conflating it with other issues.

What are your sources on the Trump campaign telling you anything at all if you're hearing anything about Gabbard? One of the things that when you talk to Donald Trump's team is they always express confidence. However, they do acknowledge that if anyone is going to experience any troubles, it's going to be Tulsi Gabbard. You're seeing that now. What they're pointing out is this. It's a majority Republican Senate. Donald Trump is the first Republican since George W.B. Bush in 2004 to not only win the Electoral College, but to win the popular vote.

And they expect that the Republicans are going to vote for the Republicans pick. And so far, you have not heard any of the Senate Republicans saying, hey, I'm not going to vote for Tulsi Gabbard. They got 53 Republican senators. They can only lose four. So far, technically, they haven't lost any. Mark Caputo always plugged in. We appreciate all your reporting and for being on Top Story tonight.

Next to the wildfire emergency in Southern California, the fight against the two biggest fires, far from over, as firefighters battle high winds. Search and rescue teams now can have seen burn zones for the 26 people still missing as schools reopened their doors to display students, but there are positive signs out there in the fighting of the fires. NBC's Morgan Chesky has more. Tonight, signs of progress amid disaster. In the past 24 hours, there's been little to no fire growth on both incidents. Red flag warnings finally expiring over the more than 60 square miles left blackened and charred. The 14,000-acre Eaton fire now 45% contained. The larger Palisades fire at 19% containment and counting. Search and rescue teams canvassing burn zones with 26 people still missing.

For the families who lost everything, today a turning point. We have school today. The Dale family getting their girls ready. for their first day back at a brand new campus after losing their beloved home and school. I think our commute, we had it about three minutes in Palisades, and so we're about probably over an hour today. What? An extra early morning made easier when the girls met our crew's microphone. With donated backpacks ready to go.

Good morning. Welcome. They arrived at a Britwood Elementary School. now absorbing hundreds of displaced students. You can play with their friends and have a normal day. We're just so happy to give them normalcy because they were so, so happy this morning. Yeah.

It's really nice. It's a lot. Yeah. And it comes in waves. We wanted kids to be with our trusted teachers and their trusted principals and support staff during this time of anxiety, stress, and crisis. Back on the fire line, crews working around the clock.

12-hour shifts. How are you guys holding up? Spirit, everything's good. They're asking a lot of us and they're putting 100%. Their mission scour charred earth to keep hotspots from starting yet another blaze. It's tough for the public to understand, you know, why is a fire not contained. I'm not seeing anything, but this is really the important stuff. All right, Morgan Chesky joins us tonight from the Pacific Palisades there. Morgan, schools reopened today, but any warn on when residents will be able to return to the name. neighborhoods like where you are tonight? Yeah, Tom, that is a question. So many asking.

Officials stress that they do want to get families back home as quickly as possible, but they're running into both safety and infrastructure issues, among those, still broken gas lines down to power lines in addition to plenty of hazardous materials. Tom. Okay, Morgan Chesky first. Morgan, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the airline pilot arrested just before takeoff. Police boring the plane bound for.

Chicago to remove that pilot, now charged with DUI, how that situation unfolded. Plus, the Eagles fan losing his job after verbally attacking a Green Bay Packers fan at a game. What he told that Packers fan, his employer speaking with NBC News about the reason he was terminated, and the food ingredient being banned after it was linked to cancer in animals, what we're learning about the health hazard. Stay with us. We are back now with a wild story out of Georgia, a Southwest Airlines pilot taken off his plane and arrested for DUI. That pilot relieved of duty tonight as the airline investigates. For more on this, we're joined tonight by NBC News Aviation Correspondent. Tom Costello.

Tom, what do we know about this pilot? Yeah, Tom, this happened at Savannah Hilton Head Airport this morning on a flight that was supposed to go to Chicago Midway. Airport police removed pilot David Alsop from the plane this morning and arrested him for driving under the influence. He was booked into the Chatham County Jail on a $3,500 bond. We're still awaiting details on why exactly airport police arrested him. Southwest says the employee has been removed from duty. Customers were accommodated on other flights, and we, Southwest, apologize for the disruption to their travel plans. Tom, under the FAA's so-called bottle-to-throttle rule,

pilots are supposed to wait at least eight hours after their last drink before flying or if they have a blood alcohol content greater than 0.04, they should not be flying. The circumstances that led to this individual being pulled off the plane and arrested, we don't have those details right now. Okay. And then in a separate story, I understand the FAA is also suing Southwest for chronically delayed flights. What can you tell us about that? Yeah, that's right. Yeah, the Biden DOT accuses Southwest of operating 180 flights back in 20. that were chronically delayed with unrealistic schedules. Southwest says it's disappointed in the suits, saying last year it completed 99% of its flights without cancellations. The DOT has also fined jet blue and frontier for chronically delayed flights. But Tom, as you know, this DOT is only on the job for another week or 10 days. The question is, what will the new DOT under President Trump look like?

And will it be enforcing these types of so-called passenger rights rules as, vigilantly as has the Biden DOT. OK, Tom Costell for us, Tom. We thank you for that. We want to turn out of the growing fallout from a fan's vulgar tirade at an NFL wildcard game in Philadelphia. A viral video capturing the moment

in Eagles fan berated a couple of Packers fans. The man behind the outbursts now out of a job and banned from the stadium for life. NBC Sam Brock with the video and this report. After reviewing the play, the runner was short of the goal line. This viral video from Philadelphia, Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field Sunday captures the moment trash talk took a turn.

The Eagles now banning that fan from the team stadium for life after he unleashed this vulgar tirade. It wasn't about the game either. Like he was making personal jobs at me. Green Bay Packers fans Ali Keller and Alex Bacera posted this video on X, which now has some 30 million views. The couple speaking out to NBC Philadelphia. Alex said he started recording on a camera he brought to the stadium once tensions began escalating. He just kept saying some of the same things. So I turned around. We ignored them.

And it just continued throughout the entire game and got worse and worse. They say personal insults followed. Actually, you're not even good looking enough to be talking to me. And then I said, you know, what does that mean? And he said, you know what that means. And so I said, have you looked in the mirror yourself? and he said, yeah, but I'm a man. I'm allowed to be ugly. You're a woman. There's all Eagles fans allowing this to happen, so I didn't want to turn around and yell at this guy

and then have my fiancé get jumped in the crowd. Becerra is a content creator who runs a Packers-focused YouTube channel. I've been to 20-plus stadiums, and it's normally like that. You know, Eagles is a little bit more harsh sometimes, but it's all unplayful fun. Consulting firm BCT partners that specializes in equity and DEI services, identifying the fan of the video as employee Ryan Caldwell and says that he's been let go from the firm. Caldwell now apologizing in a statement to NBC News, writing, I said things that were unacceptable in the heat of the moment.

I chose unforgiving words to address one of the fans, Ms. Allie Keller. I want to sincerely apologize to Ms. Keller for those words, adding, the video clip circulating online does not reflect the full context of what transpired, and my actions were not without provocation. As for Packers fans, Alex and Alley, who lived just an hour from the stadium, this trip to the Eagle's home turf appears to be their last. I don't think we'll go to Philly again. All right, Sam Brock joins us tonight in studio. So Sam, we're hearing more tonight from the founder of that company that fired Ryan Caldwell.

What is he saying? Sure. So obviously, the situation is so regrettable, Tom, in so many different respects. The response from the company itself is really interesting because it's kind of by, On one hand, David Cayley, our reporter, spoke with Randall Pinkett. He's the founder of the company. He said, what happened was vile? It's disgusting. It's unacceptable. But then he went on to say this. What troubles me is his behavior, but also troubles me, is the cancel culture that we live in right now, that doesn't afford people grace, that we don't have the opportunity to be better people and to learn from our mistakes. Now, yes, obviously he's saying, look, you can't judge someone by the worst thing that they've ever done.

But if you're a father, if you have daughters and you heard those words used, direct. directed at your daughters, I don't know many fathers that would look at that and say, this is acceptable or even explainable in any way. And maybe this is sort of a commentary on where we are right now. But that was sort of how we tried to cover both sides of this. All right, Sam Brock, covering it all for us, Sam. We appreciate that. Thank you. When we come back from rap battle to legal battle, rapper Drake filing a lawsuit against his own record label for promoting Kendrick Lamar's hit song, Not Like Us, Why He Says Their Conduct, Put Him in Harm's Way. We'll explain.

We're back now with Top Stories News Feed. The FDA banning red dye number three, a food dye linked to cancer and animals. The dye used in foods from candy to cereals to strawberry milkshakes. Red dye number three was approved in 1907, even though it was made from petroleum. Dozens of other countries, Australia, Japan, and the entire European Union have already banned the die. Companies have until 2027 to remove that substance from a substance from the same. recipes. Okay, in Savannah, disturbing video showing the moments before a man was nearly beaten to death inside of his home. In the video, you can see two men dressed as Amazon delivery

workers. Watch this. They approached 66-year-old Dirk Hardison's home, forcing themselves inside, hitting him with a sledgehammer and demanding money. The thieves running away shortly after with only 80 bucks. Artisan is in the hospital. He's expected to be okay. That's the good news. police are still looking for those two suspects, but say the victim was likely targeted. Hip-hop superstar Drake suing Universal Music Group over rival Kendrick Lamar's disc track, not like us. Drake alleging the song included false pedophilia allegations and suggested violence against him. The lawsuit alleges the song caused the shooting of a security guard at his Toronto home

last year and online harassment. The suit just the latest about that song, another alleging that the UMG and others falsely boosted the popularity of the disc track. And a frightening rescue in Massachusetts after a man and his dog fell through the ice on a frozen lake Sunday. Dron footage shows the dog trapped in a hole. Look at this in the ice,

barking for help after falling overboard. Rescuers crawling out onto the ice, pulling the man to safety after he jumped in the ice to rescue his dog. Thankfully, police saying both the man and the dog are doing okay. And tonight in Washington, President Joe Biden delivered his final farewell speech

on the heels of a ceasefire. deal between Israel and Hamas, capping off a five-decade political career. NBC's Peter Alexander has this report. After more than 50 years in public life, President Biden speaking directly to the American people one last time, an Oval Office address punctuating days of final events. After eight months of nonstop negotiation,

by administration, by my administration, a ceasefire and a hostage deal has been reached by Israel and Hamas. The president insisting Americans are, better off than they were four years ago. In the past four years, our democracy is held strong. And every day I've kept my commitment to be president for all Americans. They're one of the toughest periods in our nation's history. We need to amend the Constitution to make clear that no president, no president is immune

from crimes that he or she commits while in office. His focus tonight defining his legacy ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration next week, with Trump already vowing to roll back many of Biden's signature initiatives. I've been disappointed to see the Biden administration's attempt to block the reforms of the American people and that they voted for. They just, we had a landslide election. Still, President Biden is not leaving the way he wanted, his last prime time address six months ago, announcing amid pressure from his party, he was dropping out of the race.

I revere this office, but I love my country more. A half century after arriving is one of the youngest census. Senators in modern history, tonight, a final farewell. My eternal thanks to you, the American people. After 50 years of public service, I give you my word. I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands. Nation where the strengths of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure. And with four full days left, President Biden's advisors say that his work isn't done.

on his to-do list, telling NBC News who expect the president will announce more pardons and commutations. What is not clear is whether President Biden will preemptively pardon any of the political figures who aides here believe could be targeted by President Trump. Tom. Coming up next, where the self-proclaimed TikTok refugees are headed. With the ban on the hugely popular app looming, some users are already downloading alternatives. But will they take off in the same way? We're going to show you how they work, what they're called, and and the review that's next. All right, welcome back.

Time is running out to save TikTok. A parent company ByteDance, which is based in China, has just four days to either sell off its operations in the U.S. or face a nationwide ban. And new reporting tonight that the company would completely shut down the app on Sunday if the ban goes into effect. Users here in the U.S. waiting to see if the Supreme Court will uphold the law that bans the app. But in the meantime, get this, some are already full.

calling themselves TikTok refugees, flocking to apps called Red Note, Lemon 8, and Clapper. Now at the top of the Apple Eye Store, as you can see here. But will any of those apps really catch on for good if TikTok disappears? I'm joined now by our good friend, Joanna Stern. She's senior personal tech columnist for the Wall Street Journal and an NBC News contributor. Joanna, always great to see you. So I want you to walk us through this like we've come from a different planet because some of these apps, they're not even in English, and Americans seem to love them.

That's right. This is the refugees of TikTok are going to other Chinese apps. And this is the irony, but also kind of the hilarity of this, is that they're picking them because they're kind of saying, hey, look, you thought you could ban

that Chinese app, but now I'm going over here. And so, as you see, as you just showed, they're all at the top of the app store. That number one in that spot right now is called Red Note. And when you open up Red Note,

everything is in Chinese. Yeah, it's in Mandarin, even the title of the app. Everything's in Mandarin. you have to, you get a bunch of options. I mean, you can kind of tell because there's little icons. And this is what it looks like right here. Yeah, this is.

It looks like TikTok. It looks like TikTok. This is my feed. Okay. And the funny thing is right now, so much of the feed are, it's about Americans moving over to Red Note. It's a bunch of memes. What I really like are things like this, where you have people welcoming Americans to Red Note

and saying, here's how you use it. Here's how our community works. And it's like, it's actually very welcoming, nice community. Right. The thing that struck me about. Red Note was that there's so many sort of communications between American audiences and Chinese audiences and everything, like you said, it's in English but also Mandarin. I think that's kind of the beauty of the video platform, right? Like everything else might be in a different language

and the interface is in a different language and you click through, but the videos themselves are being made by both Americans and people in China. And there's a common language. And that common language is short-form video. And they love it because the algorithm is similar to TikTok, and it's addictive, and it's what they're looking for. It's the content they're looking for. That's right. I mean, like, I see here, I think this one guy's just kind of giving some instructions on how to, you know, bring some things over from TikTok to Red Note. I mean, this seems to be like people looking for that alternative from TikTok, but just like looking to recreate TikTok.

Talk about the other ones, Lemonate, what's that like? I'm going to do this one. I want to pull up. So this is it here. This is it here. And I've heard, like, one of our producers was explaining to me, it's kind of like a Pinterest slash TikTok kind of. Yeah, I mean, and here I did, I was able to customize with some different interests. So I said I was interested in beauty.

I was interested in tech. And so when you open these up, it's pretty much just nails, okay. Nails and images. No judging here. Just interesting. Yeah, images. And then there's information below. There has been some of these in my feed that have been about. Again, this is from China.

This is from China. This is not only from China, this is owned by ByteDance. This is owned by the same company. So there's a chance this would get banned, too. And what do you think? Do you think this is going to take off if TikTok goes down? I think everyone right now is looking for the TikTok clone, right? And the issue is that it's very hard to clone TikTok for two reasons.

One, the algorithm, two, the people that are there. TikTok has 170 million users in the U.S., give or take. The only other platform that's going to rival that right now is Instagram, or something. owned by meta. And so those are the places where you're likely to have that full range of content. This doesn't mean one of these couldn't start out and in a few years blow up. But I'm still thinking TikTok's going to survive. The fears about TikTok and being owned by a Chinese company, you mentioned that Lemonate, it's owned by bite dance, right? And that they actually have, I think, in their guidelines, something about promoting core socialist values. So the things

that American leaders were concerned about, they're actually still out there. And this is going to be the continuing issue. It's going to be whack-a-mole, right? And so this is what the big press has been in government to get rid of that ownership, get rid of that Chinese integration into these apps, even though ByteDance in the U.S. has assured people over and over again. They've assured the Supreme Court justices. There's no influence from China, but that's the family. Finally, there's so many people on TikTok out there. What do you think is going to happen on Sunday? Oh, this is the question. Look, I personally think TikTok will survive. at some point.

You think the Supreme Court is going to... No, I think the Supreme Court seems to be leaning towards upholding this law. I just think there's going to have to be another way. And they've been, Biden's been paying a game of chicken here. They've just been saying, hey, we're not, we're going to keep the, you know, we think we should go, this company should survive without really looking at those other options. They've likely been looking at them behind the scenes. Right.

So you think an American owner will come in, there'll be some kind of partnership? I think so. Or some hosting deal or something that at least then appeases the Trump administration to say, look, we feel this app is more safe. If not, we'll look for that nail content viny on Lemonade. That could help us. All right, Joanna Stern, we thank you for that. When we come back, a pizza battles cooking up in New York City.

One of the most popular pizzerias opening up right across the street from two of its competitors. When we come back, we'll take you to the new pizza row to get a taste of that turf war. Stay with us. Finally tonight, a battle for pizza supremacy unfolding right here in New York City. For decades, Grimaldi is. and Juliana's have dominated the market in a waterfront, Brooklyn neighborhood. But now a third legendary pizzeria has opened up a new location. So does this mean the start of a pizza war? NBC's Valerie Castro went down there to find out.

A visit to New York City is not complete without a slice of pizza. For New York style pizza is just magic. And for years, tourists and New Yorkers alike have been lining up for two of the city's famed pizza spots near the base of the legendary. Brooklyn Bridge. We're about hour, hour and a half in New York, so we decided to come get some pizza for the week. But the competition on this block just got hotter than a pizza oven. We're really considering this era like a new pizza mecca of New York, you know, a pizza row. The iconic L&B Spamoni Gardens, operating since 1939, and famous for their square upside-down pie recently opening up a second outpost. But the choice of this location could be seen by some,

throwing down a gauntlet. Is there a pizza war going on here? Oh, absolutely not. It's a friendly one, if anything. L&B Spamoni Gardens picked prime real estate for this location. It's in the heart of the Dumbo neighborhood in Brooklyn, which is a big draw for tourists. But right across the street are two other famous pizza restaurants that have been here for years. Romaldi's pizzeria and Juliana's are the strongholds on this side of the street, but their newest competitor is armed with enough ovens to feed an army. We have an arsenal of ovens to give us anything from again, 500 and above pies a day. Gremaldi's pizzeria here since the early 90s, not intimidated by the newcomer. Our oven is the most important thing that makes it different than everyone else. So our

pizza is still ours, their pizza is theirs, and people can choose. And even embracing the potential for more business. Maybe I'll draw more people over here into the area. And maybe people will want to go and taste all three of the place, of the pizzerias, and do a taste test. Juliana's also welcoming the Challenger. It's absolutely a friendly competition. It is not a pizza war. There could bring more people into the neighborhood, and now this is even more of a pizza mecca than it was just a week ago.

That's what we're hoping. That's what we expect. Customers at all three just hungry for a taste of New York. If someone loves pizza, I mean, I think you just got to try them all, see what you like the most. Ramaldi's is delicious, so love a little friendly rivalry. I think it's a competition, but it's fun. It's just about, like, who can innovate and make the best pizza, and you can just play off of each other. And if one place is too busy, you can go somewhere else.

And I don't know, it just adds to the magic of the city. Just don't try to take a knife and fork into this battle. Hands or knife and fork? In New York, we use hands. Okay. Valerie Castro, NBC News. That is so true. No fork and knife. That story actually made me hungry. All right, we thank you for watching. Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.