Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

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, whether they like it or not, social media CEOs are going viral on live TV facing parents and lawmakers demanding the executives take action to protect children on their apps. The tense, hours-long hearing forced several CEOs to address grieving parents, some who lost children to suicide, saying their kids were victims of Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. Senator Lindsey Graham telling meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, quote, you have blood on your hands. Will this be a major reality check for the social media giants? Also tonight, ready to impeach Republicans pushing articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Democrats and Mayorkas argue the move is a political stunt.

This is the immigration crisis spirals across major U.S. cities were live in Eagle Pass, caught in the crosshairs of the border battle. On the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, sharpening her attacks, unleashing new ads, taking shots at President Trump and President Biden, calling them grumpy old men, saying they're too old for office. Will her criticism over their fitness win over voters? She desperately needs, and why she won't get any delegates in Nevada will explain. Winter slam, the West Coast getting ready as a powerful storm system brings heavy.

rain and mountain snow towards the region. The threat for flash flooding stretching from northern Oregon all the way down to San Diego. Water rescue teams already on standby. Bill Carrance is timing out back-to-back storms set to impact millions. Spring break danger. If you're headed to paradise soon, be careful. The U.S. issuing travel warnings for Jamaica and the Bahamas because of a rise in crime, the steps the islands are now taking to combat the violence. Plus, statue found and burned. We told you about that Jackie Robinson statue ripped down and stolen from a local baseball park. Now it's been found but demolished and set ablaze. The search to find the suspects and the outpouring of support to ensure the sculpture stands tall once again. The funds raised

that are lifting spirits and hopefully a new statue. Top story starts right now. Good evening. Did you see what happened on Capitol Hill? A moment of reckoning as social media CEOs were grilled over their alleged inaction related to the safety of kids on social media. The tech executives faced a sea of families holding the pictures of their loved ones, victims of the major platforms. In a stunning moment, met a CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to families who say Instagram contributed to the their child suicide or exploitation. I'm sorry for everything that you have all done through. It's terrible.

No one should have to go through the things that your families have suffered. Zuckerberg was one of five tech executives testifying in the contentious hearing about online child safety. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, many of which we should point out right here, slam these apps, but also apparently use them as well. They lashed out at the CEOs accusing them of standing in the way of being able to to protect children from predators on these platforms. Could this hearing be the tipping point for change?

It's where we start tonight with NBC's Kate Snow. The CEOs of Discord, Snap, TikTok, X, and Meta, met by a sea of parents holding photos of children they say were victimized on the social media company's platforms. Your platforms really suck at policing themselves. Mr. Zuckerberg, you and the company's before us, I know you don't mean it to be so. but you have blood on your hands you have a product you have a product that's killing people

the topic today sexual predators targeting young people through social media and the blackmailing of teens tricked into sharing explicit photos mary rowdy says it happened to her son riley who then took his own life riley died on march 30th 2021 when he was a victim of sex exploitation on Facebook's Messenger app. You're on national television. Would you like now to apologize to the victims who have been harmed by your product? Show them the pictures. In a dramatic moment during questioning from Republican Senator Josh Hawley,

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stood to address the parents packing today's hearing. I'm sorry to be able to be able to go through the things that your families have suffered. And this is why we invested so much. that are going to you doing these street being efforts to make sure that no one has to go through the types of things that your families have to set us up when he stood up he said i'm sorry for your pain but i don't really think he's sorry for my pain the tech CEOs today choosing to keep their remarks to their testimony not stopping for any questions about the surge in child sexual abuse material online who did you think he was he said he lived about 10 minutes away. He was my age, like 14, 15. Just a regular boy. Ellen, whose last name we agreed to

withhold, was 14 years old when she says she started communicating on Snapchat with a person she thought was a teen. I'd never have detention from a boy before that, so it was all new area for me. She says she sent innocent photos of herself, and the boy soon began sending her sexually explicit pictures. Naked photos? Yes. More than once? Correct. But his face was never. But his face was never. in it. Her mom, Carrie, had no clue. She's sitting right next to me on our couch, probably talking to him. And you didn't know? I had no idea. What was your first clue that something was wrong? When Homeland Security came to my work, it turns out that a man outside of our state has been talking to my daughter and had a plane ticket with her name, and he's ready to come

get her. To take her away? To take her away. According to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, that man who had been messaging Ellen had been communicating with other minors on social media. He has since pleaded guilty to child pornography charges. Ellen is now thriving and in college, but the ordeal devastated her and led to thoughts of suicide. I didn't see a purpose in life anymore. I just thought my life was over after that. At today's hearing, Snap's CEO was apologetic over how the platform he helped create has been misused. I want to acknowledge the survivors of online harms and the families who are here today who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

Words cannot begin to express the profound sorrow I feel that a service we designed to bring people happiness and joy has been abused to cause harm. Snap says it does not have reports about Ellen's specific case, but called it illegal and against our policies, adding, we work diligently to prevent predators from misusing and abusing Snapchat. At the end of the day, I find it hard to believe that any of you people start at this. business, some of you in your college storm rooms, for the purposes of creating the evil that is being perpetrated on your platforms. But I hope that every single waking hour, you're doing everything you can to reduce it. You're not going to be able to eliminate it. On the Hill today, Senators pushing for a number of bills to address children's safety on social media.

What difference will today really make? This was a unique hearing. I think there's a major change because of those families, real people behind them and because of the fact that the members are focusing a lot of their wrath yes on the companies but on why are you opposing these bills and with that Kate Snow joins us tonight

from Capitol Hill Kate I want to ask you about the legislation that could come out of these hearings what are these senators trying to pass and where does that legislation stand tonight? Yeah so actually Tom there are at least a half a dozen proposed bills that have to do with social media everything from telling the social

media companies they have to do more to create safer spaces for kids to creating a new criminal offense to deal with the trafficking or the sending of sexual imagery of children, all the way to the idea of ensuring that these companies can be sued, which right now they can't be. They're not liable in civil court usually because they say that they are just the platform. They're not the content, but there are efforts here to change that. As far as whether any of those can pass, that is the open question here. There is bipartisan support for some of these measures. And tonight, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tells NBC News that this issue is a top priority for him, Tom. So that leads to my next question,

right? What was the general reaction from the families about this hearing? I'm sure it was impactful to the CEOs that they were pressed like that in real time. But do they have faith that things will get better? In a short word, no, they don't have faith. Everyone I talk to afterwards, many of them are families and parents who have been here before. They've been to other hearings. One woman said to me, I've been here countless times. I can't even count how many times I've been to Capitol Hill and nothing ever changes. So they are disheartened that there are often these shows of, you know, lots of questions and hard questioning. And yet nothing actually passes. And remember, Tom, we're also in an election year right now. This Congress has a lot of

issues that it's dealing with right now. And so for anything to kind of break through on the calendar and get a vote in the Senate is pretty hard. Kate Snow from Capitol Hill tonight for top story. Kate, we appreciate that. For more analysis on this hearing, I'm joined now by Camille Carlton. She's the policy director at the Center for Humane Technology, a non-profit, whose mission is to drive a comprehensive shift towards technology that supports the collective well-being, democracy, and shared information. Camille leads the organization's policy strategy. So Camille, thanks for being here. My first question is simple. What did you think of these hearings? I think if you were a member of the public, you were emotional, you saw,

how raw it was. You felt moved by the overwhelming presence of parents and youths there. But I think if you were looking at what the CEOs were saying, I mean, you could have filled in the blanks without even watching the hearing. It was a lot of the same. There was an exchange that I wanted a role for our viewers. I do want to give our viewers at home a warning that there's some graphic terms used in this clip. But I think it gets to the heart of the problem. That's why I want to play it. Here it is. But what was particularly concerning about the Wall Street Journal expose was the degree to which Instagram's own algorithm was promoting the discoverability of victims for pedophiles seeking child abuse material. In other words,

this material wasn't just living on the dark corners of Instagram. Instagram was helping pedophiles find it by promoting graphic hashtags, including hashtag, and hashtag pre-teen sex to potential buyers. Instagram also displayed the following warning screen to individuals who were searching for child abuse material. These results may contain images of child sexual abuse, and then you gave users two choices. Get resources.

or see results anyway. Mr. Zuckerberg, what the hell were you thinking? All right, Senator. The basic science behind that is that when people are searching for something that is problematic, it's often helpful to, rather than just blocking it, to help direct them towards something that could be helpful for getting them to get help. In what, I understand, get resources. In what sane universe, is there a link for C results anyway?

Well, because we might be wrong. Camille, even if they're wrong, why even worry about that, right? And I think that's at the heart of the problem here. So my question to you is, why? Ted Cruz was, Senator Ted Cruz was right in his questioning. I mean, why does that exist? Yeah, he's absolutely right. It is a design decision by meta to have a button that says,

see results anyways. And I think what it shows is that it's the ethos of the company to prioritize people being online and prioritize the company and, you know, the product operating over safety. They don't care if you see results anyways. They want you online. So why has no meaningful legislation been passed, right? You have citizens who are concerned about this. You clearly have parents who are concerned about this. There are warning labels on cigarettes. There's a movie rating system when you go to the theaters. So why is there nothing like this for social media? I think that there's two big problems. First, we just can't underestimate the lobbying power of these companies. They come to the table. They say they care about this. They say that they

support regulation legislation, but they hide behind huge astro-turf lobbying groups that do all of their dirty work and undermine all efforts to push forward. So you're saying even though there was this sort of tough guy confront the CEOs behind the scenes, there's a lot of lobbying, a lot of massaging that says basically, hey, let's not put up any parameters. So these social media platforms essentially exist without any rules. Oh, absolutely. There's scare tactics. There's misinformation that these lobbying groups use.

And when, you know, legislators specifically at the state level decide to push forward and stand up to them, then they litigate every single bill that gets passed at the state level. I noticed, and I know these were social media platforms, but I also noticed YouTube wasn't there. I also noticed Apple wasn't there. And I understand the products are sometimes different, but they are also carriers of all this social media as well. Is there a reason why other CEOs weren't here? I'm not sure.

I think that they were trying to get some sort of representation from product. But not everybody showed up. Yeah. But not everyone showed up. Do you think this is a tipping point, and do you think legislation will come out of this? I think we have to hope and we have to work for this to be a tipping point. And frankly, I think we need to push for as much action from Congress. as we do for accountability from tech companies.

Because we're at the point where Congress has bills with overwhelming bipartisan support that they can push forward today. Camille Carlton, we thank you so much for being here on Top Story. Now to the other major story we're following tonight, the crisis at the border. House Republicans in D.C.

inching closer to the possible impeachment of U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas. Tonight, we're in Eagle Pass, Texas. The border town at the center of the immigration debate. Last month, inundated with thousands of migrants, Today, the political backdrop for those calling for tighter border measures, intense negotiations. NBC's David Noriega is there and has the latest.

Tonight, the border crisis landing at the doorstep of the White House, as pressure mounts on President Biden. The eyes have it, and the motion is agreed to. Last night, shortly after 1 a.m., House Republicans moving forward articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which, if successful, would make him the first cabinet member to be impeached in nearly 100. 50 years. Serious harm has occurred. Republicans accusing the secretary of willfully ignoring the law, which they say has led to millions of migrant crossings. President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have designed this catastrophe. Majorcas calling the accusations baseless. Meanwhile, a new immigration bill mired an uncertainty. A bipartisan bill would be good for America and help fix

our broken immigration system. Over the weekend, the president saying he was ready to, quote, shut down the border, if Congress allowed him. If that bill were the law today, I'm shut down the border right now and fix it quickly. Two sources familiar with the negotiations saying the proposed bill would force border authorities to turn away all migrants, even if they're seeking asylum, if the daily average of migrant encounters at the border hits 5,000 over a seven-day period, or if it hits 8,500 in a single day. And if a shutdown were to occur, 1,400 migrants would still be allowed to enter with an appointment through a port of entry per day.

This is the only migrant shelter in Eagle Pass. Last month, more than 18,000 people came through the shelter. This room was completely packed. Right now, as you can see, it's almost empty. Some people say that this is an invasion, the number of people coming across the border. What do you think of that? It's not an invasion. These people have a motive to live their countries, and it's very sad to listen their stories.

We spoke to a mother from Colombia, one of the few migrants at the shelter. didn't want to show her face over concerns for their safety. She says there are a lot of people coming, but instead of shutting down the border, they should try to understand what's pushing them to migrate in the first place. This small border town of Eagle Pass has become a stage for political theater. The Texas National Guard has shut down parts of the border in a standoff of the federal government, and locals are now bracing themselves for the possible arrival of a convoy of Trump supporters that's set to arrive in town in just a few days.

Some of those Trump supporters already trickling in, in some cases, driving to the border from hours away. I think there's people that need to come in, but everything's not being done right. They're just letting everybody in, and I don't think it's good for our country. Now some locals in Eagle Pass saying they're tired of being caught in the middle of a political turf war. None of this is stopping immigrants from crossing. It's just a political show. Why? Because they have nothing else to run on. Let's face it. There's the only thing they have.

David, we heard there from a resident, but what are city officials also saying there in Eagle Pass? Yeah, both residents and officials say that they are oftentimes frustrated and tired with the way their town has been put at the center of this political conflict. City officials, for the most part, are not speaking on the record. However, I did have a conversation off camera with one city official who asked not to be named, who said that there's a lot of frustration with the way, for example, Texas National Guard and state troops have been using city parks. They say parking vehicles on public parks and public golf courses has in some cases ruined irrigation systems.

That's just one example of the real material consequences that this small town is suffering. And they say they didn't ask to be in the middle of this. And yet, here they are in the middle of it. David, you described that caravan that's coming to the border where you are as Trump supporters. more do we know about this group? Yeah, this is a group of self-described patriots, you know, right-wing activists. A lot of them

are religious, what people who track these sorts of groups would describe as Christian nationalists. I should say, Tom, we don't know how big this convoy is going to be. Some of the images we're seeing suggest that it's not as big as the organizers claim. However, the conditions are very much here in place for a situation of high tension. I would say that the border right now is a Tinder box. All it needs is a match to light it. Tom. All right, David Noriega on the border for us tonight. For more of the growing crisis on the southern border, Representative Tony Gonzalez joins us now live from Capitol Hill. He represents Texas's 23rd District, which includes Eagle Pass and more than 800 miles of the

U.S.-Mexico border. The largest stretch of border territory of any congressional district. Representative, thanks again for coming on top story. You've been here quite a few times talking about immigration. I first want to ask you about this convoy that's headed. to Eagle Pass and headed to your district. Are you worried at all that something is going to happen? Yeah, Tom, Tom, thank you for having me. You know, you've been there. Eagle Pass is not an easy place to get to.

It's also not Disneyland. You know, I get it. Everyone three years ago had no idea where Eagle Pass is, and now it seems everybody wants to go there and see it for themselves and take selfies and do all these different things. And I want, as well as the people that I represent, we want to get back to normal.

So I do worry that people will come and exploit the situation and escalate it. It's the last thing we want to see. I think we need to have leaders that calm things down, not throw fuel on the fire. All right. I want to get your reaction to President Biden's proposal to Congress that he wants the authority to shut down the border. What do you make of this sort of rhetoric and this proposal? It's complete nonsense. I mean, I don't buy for one second that the President of the United States, the leader of the free world,

can't secure his own border. I mean, it makes no sense. And, you know, just look, the previous president, President Trump, President Obama, President Clinton, President Bush, none of them had an immigration package. So you're telling me all of a sudden you need to have Congress in order to do your job, it's poloni. But I will say this.

Congress does have a role to play in this. We can't just be throwing rocks and expect good solutions to occur. It's why I'm committed to finding real, tangible solutions. Doing nothing is not an option. but doing something just to say that you've done something is also not an option. Well, then that leads me to my next question, Congressman, right? So what's going to happen with this bill that's being worked on in the Senate? I know you probably haven't been able to read the bill, right?

I know you've probably just gotten highlights. I don't even know if you've gotten that much. But what are your thoughts on what you've learned so far? I literally, you know, today I spoke with two of the lead negotiators. I'm working on this thing on a daily basis, Tom. But like everyone else, I'm checking the mailbox every single day for that. that text, right? You know, oh, another day or two, and the border bill text is going to be out. We've heard that for three weeks. So the devil is always in the details. I am encouraged to see

people wanting to have solutions. But once again, I'm not going to just sign on something just to say that we've done something. It has to be meaningful things like deporting people that do not qualify for asylum, like surging immigration judges to the border so people can get their cases heard. And this is something no one's talking about. What about legal? immigration, Tom. What about those that want to come over and work through the legal process? What about those that are waiting to have their claim being heard? This is an opportunity, I think, that all of us can come together, but we need to have sensible solutions. What do you think about some of those limits they want to put on the amount of migrants that are let in,

the thresholds and the thousands per day or per week, and that would essentially prompt them to shut the border down? Is that a good plan? I think it's crazy for anyone to say, to talk about illegal immigration and encourage it at all. The numbers should always be zero. The numbers should always be we don't want any bad actors in our country, folks on the terrorist watch list. The answer should be we need to absolutely know who's coming in our country. And the facts are, our immigration system is broken. So let's fix it. Let's find a way to encourage those to legally come through that we know who they are if they want to come and work and do those things. And let's protect those that

are legally fleeing political and religious persecution. And oh, by the way, those that do not qualify for that. Let's deport them. This is how you tackle the problem in style. Every president has done this. And I look forward to working with President Biden to find a solution. But we can't be waiting. We can't wait. The time is intact as now. Congressman, former President Trump is running to be the nominee of your party. He's already put his thumb on the scale when it comes to this bill. Other Republicans who said they wanted a bill, they want some kind of legislation, now suddenly backing off. Are you intimidated by what the president said, will you now reject this bill just because former President Trump says he doesn't want it?

You know, I think President Trump is looking at it through the lens of saying, hey, when I was in office, I didn't have Congress put together an immigration bill. I secured the border just fine. And I think he's taking that and he's challenging Biden to do the same. Now, now I agree that President Biden doesn't necessarily need legislation to do these things. But it would be helpful, right? If the funds were used in the right way, when you tell me 14, billion dollars, but 12 billion of that is going towards processing more people, and only two billion is going towards border security, then I'm out. But if you tell me, hey, I need more money for ice flights, I need more money for immigration judges, I need more money for technology

to prevent fentanyl and protect our communities, I'm all in. So this is where the devil's in the details. I look forward to, hopefully, you know, the Senate can put together some texts here soon so that way we can start churning through it. Yeah, finally, I want to ask you about Secretary Majorcas, do you think he needs to be impeached? Absolutely needs to be impeached. That's why I spent 16 hours yesterday in the Homeland Security Committee at the impeachment kind of hearings there. I'd say this, whether you agree with it or don't agree with it. In December, over 300,000 people came over illegally. So whatever we are doing right now is not working, and we need a change, whether that's impeachment, resign, a new person, new policies, something has to exist. give because Americans are certainly impacted by this.

You know, the Democrats, including Secretary Mayorkas and the president, called this simply a political stunt. Is this a political stunt by Republicans? I think you're seeing the House Republicans for the first time being united, and this should be a signal to the White House, that this is the first of many things to come. So politics aside, something has to change, right? Something absolutely has to change. It's clear to the American public. You poll and everything. This is an 80-20 poll that comes out. People are tired of what is happening and something has to give.

I look forward to working with anyone, cross the aisle, the administration, on finding real, tangible solutions that can secure our border and encourage legal immigration. It is definitely high on the minds of voters, that is for sure. Congressman Gonzalez, we always appreciate your time. Thank you for that. Now to power in politics in the race for the White House, Nikki Haley ramping up her attacks on former President Trump, unveiling a series of... New attack ads calling him and President Biden, quote, grumpy old men.

But it comes as she's still down double digits to Trump in the next competitive primary contest. Her own state, South Carolina. Ali Vitale is there for us tonight. What a crowd, what a crowd. Tonight, Nikki Haley previewing a new attack ad campaign, blasting both Donald Trump and Joe Biden on the one issue they have in common and can do nothing about, their age. Don't you think we need to have mental competency tests for anyone over the age? 75. The new ad push that doesn't hold back, titled Grumpy Old Men, accusing both Trump

and Biden of hiding in their basements, calling them drama divas, debate dodgers, and stumbling seniors. He really needs to come face to face. Man up, Donald. I know you can do it. Let's get it done. Age is a great issue. And to me, you like two old bulls, button heads. And I would love say, Nikki put them out to pasture. Haley's latest broadsides come as she faces a steep uphill battle in the upcoming GOP primary calendar. Nevada up next, then her home state of South Carolina. Nikki Haley, have you ever heard of her? I didn't know she was still campaigning.

She's still campaigning? This week, Trump's longtime pollster finding the former president leading Haley in the Palmetto state by a whopping 35 points, 66 to 31. But this Sunday on Meet the Press, Haley claiming she doesn't need to win here to stay in the race. I need to show that I'm stronger in South Carolina than New Hampshire. Does that have to be a win? I don't think that necessarily has to be a win. We've got 17 delegates.

He's got 32. I'd say that's pretty good to start. But her delegate argument may not hold up for long. South Carolina is mostly a winner-take-all state, which means that unless Haley wins a district outright, she'll get no delegates. And in Nevada, Haley's not registered in the caucus, so there's no hope for delegates there either. all means Haley could be down nearly a hundred delegates to Trump after only four states. I hope and pray that the people of the United States will start looking in another direction

instead of toward these colossal fossils, as I call them. The Haley campaign, despite long odds against her former boss, Donald Trump, now seeing a new influx of cash from anti-Trump donors. The Wall Street Journal reporting Haley's direct attacks on Trump are working, raising more than $4 million since the New Hampshire primary. I do know how loud South Carolina can get, and I'm telling you, we will be loud all the way to the White House. God bless you.

Ali Vitale joins us tonight from the campaign trail in Charleston, South Carolina. So, Ali, you mentioned in your piece that Haley is not going to participate in the Nevada caucus. Remind our audience why and what the difference is with the Nevada primary. Well, look, she's competing in the Nevada primary. which your right to point out, Tom, is very different than the Nevada caucus. That's because the caucus is where you can earn the delegates. The primary is just a different function of the campaign in Nevada.

And the reason that Haley said she made that choice, which other candidates who had previously been in the race also made, is because she sees it as a reflection of the RNC and the National Republican Party writ large already being in favor of Trump in that particular state. She had previously said when she made this decision that it was a pretty explicit. realization and admittance that the RNC had already created a caucus system that was more favorable to the former president. And so Nikki Haley knew that it was unwinnable if she competed in the caucus. That's why she's competing in the primary. But again, it doesn't solve her delegate problem. If anything, it only makes it worse, especially when you look at South Carolina

and the way that delegates are awarded here, too, Tom. Allie Vitale for us tonight. Allie, always appreciate your reporting. We want to turn out of the forecast because there's a lot going on heavy rain soaking portions of the pacific northwest that western winter wall of fuel but an atmospheric river stretching back to hawaii and the storm now threatening the region with dangerous flooding down trees and power outages let's get right over to nbc news meteorologist bill carins who joins us now live in studio bill this just sounds like an absolute mess on the west coast as we've been waiting for it i mean el nino we're expecting a lot of these storms so we're going to have two in a row this one's kind of the primer event for the bigger

one Sunday, Monday, but this one's no picnic either. You notice a storm off the coast, the atmospheric river right over the top of San Francisco currently. Here's a zoomed-in view of the radar. And as they're going through the evening rush hour, it's just pouring here throughout the bay. So haven't heard of any reports of any significant flooding, a lot of just ponding on the roads is the biggest issue. So flood watches are still up for this storm, 21 million. Wind alerts about 25. So far so good, though. Only about 20,000 people in California without power at this point. That'll go up a little bit tonight as the higher winds do move on shore. Additional rainfall, about one to three inches, and that does include Los Angeles.

Tomorrow morning, the heaviest rain will be during the morning rush hour in L.A. And one to two inches in L.A. is kind of a big deal. Most of the high wind gusts have kind of died off in Oregon. Coastal areas around 30. We've been watching areas around the Bay Area, just north of San Francisco, anywhere 20 to 25. And Oakland, the San Francisco, to a half-moon bay, about 38 to 36-mile-power gusts. That's not enough really to knock out power in most areas. So a lot of people are wondering about the snow.

It's kind of too warm for this storm, only at the highest of elevations that we're getting storm. the Sunday-Munday storm, this one is the one that's going to bring snow levels down lower. So this is going to be Sunday into Monday, and it's always that second storm time that we worry about the most because this one, the ground gets saturated, the water doesn't have anywhere to go when this next storm moves in. We'll talk more about this later this week. Okay, Bill, we appreciate that. Thank you. Still ahead tonight, the spring break danger. The State Department issuing travel warnings for both the Bahamas and Jamaica

and urging Americans to reconsider vacation plans, how those islands are trying to stay. step up security before their crucial spring season. Plus, four current NHL players facing criminal charges for an alleged sexual assault in 2018 while they were playing for Canada's junior hockey team will break down the disturbing allegations. And that missing Jackie Robinson statue in Kansas, it's been found, but it was found burned and destroyed. The search now for those responsible. Stay with us.

warning for Americans looking to hit the warm beaches of the Caribbean this winter or for spring break. The State Department issuing new advisories for both Jamaica and the Bahamas, urging Americans to reconsider travel due to a rise in violent crimes. NBC's Guadvinagus has the details. Tonight, two of the most beautiful destinations in the Caribbean now clouded by a stark warning from the U.S. government amid a rise and violent crime. The State Department bumping up the advisory level from two to three. in Jamaica, urging Americans to reconsider travel there and updating a level two advisory in the

Bahamas, telling tourists to exercise extreme caution, though security alerts are a response to reports of violent crime on the islands. 65 murders in Jamaica and 18 murders in the Bahamas reported since January 1st of 2024. The U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, warning of home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and homicides detailing that sexual assaults occur frequently even at the all-inclusive resorts and that local police do not respond effectively to serious incidents. In light of these startling numbers, the island's police force increasing patrols and adding officers. We exceed 1,200 police officers joining the force per year, which of course now means that we are

we are actually growing the force. Jamaica's national police pointing out the number of homicides have actually dropped by nearly 20% compared to January of last year. And the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas, alerting visitors that murders have occurred at all hours, including in broad daylight in the streets, pointing to retaliatory gang violence as the primary motive. The persistent cycle of violence and crime has been a dark cloud. our nation. But the Bahamas foreign minister still encouraging travelers to visit, saying in part while we acknowledge that states have a right to inform their citizens traveling abroad about potential risks, we do not believe that there is any elevated or increased security risks to tourists traveling to the Bahamas. Is there any practical advice you can give to tourists that are still

planning to go to these locations? The main thing that we always talk about is to maintain situational awareness. Folks are buried in their phone. They're not paying attention to their surroundings. They are posing for their pictures that they post on Instagram and social media and that makes them an easy target. Sheree McAlpine, a San Francisco resident who has been traveling to the Bahamas with her family for years, is heeding the increased warnings. Because I spent so much time in the Bahamas, the moment the alert came out, friends and family start to ping my email and my text messages with notice that the alert had come out and asking me what my plans were with regards to the Bahamas. But still plans to visit the

the Bahamas in the coming weeks. I will absolutely be more vigilant. I will be more precautioned about the places that I'll go. I'll go to well-lit areas. I won't go to places alone. And I will probably limit my time in NASA and spend more time in the outer islands. And it's important to keep in mind when it comes to the Bahamas that a level to advisory is the same that the Department of State has given to places like France, the United Kingdom, and Italy, all destinations frequently visited by Americans who, of course, take the necessary precautions. Tom? All right, Guad Vanegas v. Guad, thank you for all of that. Next to an update and a story we've been following out of Kansas. A life-sized statue of Jackie Robinson stolen from a public park

outraging that community. Tonight, that bronze tribute has been found, but it was completely charred and destroyed. And the suspects still at large. NBC's Morgan Chesky with this update. tonight the search is over for that stolen statue of baseball hall of famer and civil rights icon jackie robinson the tribute found torched in a trash can cut apart and completely unsalvageable i hate to see that the statue was not in one piece five days after the life size statue was reported missing from a wichita park police said the fire department had received a phone call reporting a trash can fire once the blaze was put out the crew saw burned pieces of the statue the life size tribute to Robinson, who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947, unveiled not even three years ago.

Obviously, this is not the result we wanted, but it is a result, and now we can move on. We know what's ahead of us. We know we're going to incorporate a brand new statue. The search for the suspects now intensifies. The culprits caught on security video hauling away the statue, leaving nothing behind but Robinson's bronze baseball cleats. Police say they've since recovered the truck, but have yet to track down, those inside. Those of you who are in any way involved in this, it is only a matter of time. It would be in your best interest to simply turn yourself in. Donations are now pouring in on what would have been Robinson's 105th birthday to replace the $75,000 statue.

We are undeterred in making sure that that statue gets, Rebuilt. The community determined to see Robinson's towering legacy lives on. Morgan Chesky, NBC News. All right, when we come back, danger on the roads, Toyota telling 50,000 car owners to stop driving some corollas and RAV-4s immediately. The car part at the center of this urgent warning. That's next. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed.

we begin with an attack in Times Square on two NYPD officers. Video shows officers trying to apprehend the man in the yellow jacket outside of a migrant facility when a group jumps in, as you can see, and began kicking and grabbing the officers. At least five people have been arrested and several more are wanted. NBC New York learning some of those arrested are migrants. Both officers were cut, but they are recovering. An update tonight involving Alec Baldwin pleading not guilty to the rush shooting charge once again. Baldwin made the plea while waving his right to an arraignment, which was scheduled for tomorrow.

Earlier this month, he was indicted by a grand jury on an involuntary manslaughter charge for the onset shootings of Alina Hutchins in 2021. That indictment came several months after prosecutors dropped similar charges he'll remember against him. Toyota warning that the owners of more than 50,000 vehicles to stop driving their cars and to get immediate repairs. The Japanese automaker says the Do Not Drive Advisory covers corollas from 2003, to 2004 and RAV-4s from 2004 to 2005 with Takata airbag inflators. Theodos said it will replace or repair the airbags free of charge. As we've reported, more than 67 million Takata airbags inflators have been recalled in the last

10 years because they can explode. They've been linked to dozens of deaths. And Universal Music Group plans on removing songs it owns from TikTok if the social media giant cannot agree on a deal. That means major artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Olivia Rodriguez would disappear from the app. UMG says there's a lack of compensation for artists and songwriters and that they're concerned about the use of AI on their platform.

In a statement, TikTok said it's been able to reach artist's first agreements with other labels. Okay, we want to move on now to some disturbing allegations sending shockwaves across the NHL and the sports world. Five professional hockey players now facing charges related to a sexual assault investigation dating back to 2018. The charge is connected to a 3.5. million dollar civil lawsuit filed by an Ontario woman against Canada hockey in 2022. Alleging eight players on Canada's 2018 world junior ice hockey team sexually assaulted her and abused her, according to court records. That civil suit was settled out of court. But when the settlement was made public, Canada hockey and the London, Ontario police both launching internal investigations.

Now, five of those players have been charged, according to their attorneys and their NHL teams. Cal Foot and Michael McLeod from the New Jersey Devils, Carter Hart, the Philadelphia Flyers, Dylan Dubay of the Calgary Flames and former NHL player Alex Foreminton, who currently plays in a Swiss hockey league. NBC News correspondent Stephen Rolmo joins us now with more. So, Stephen, the original lawsuit was settled out of court, but what allegations came to light? Usually when you settle something, it sort of ends there, but it didn't end here. No, it apparently did. Now, I do want to warn some of these allegations are pretty disturbing.

That plaintiff only referred to as E.M in the civil suit says she met a member of the 2018 team at a bar where she became, quote, increasingly intoxicated throughout the night. She said she went to the player's hotel room, but once there, he invited the other seven members without her consent. She says that for hours, they sexually assaulted and abused her, adding that they used golf clubs to scare her and to staying put. The documents also said she was forced to take a shower afterward after the election. alleged assaults, and there was a video recording of her saying that she was sober, just deeply disturbing stuff here, Tom. Yeah, those allegations are pretty horrific. These five players were charged. Are they still playing? No, that's actually a good question. They're not playing. They're all actually on leave. They went on leave from their teams before these charges even came down. It was unclear why exactly that happened at the time. In fact, Dubay's team, the Calgary Flames, saying they did not know about these pending charges when they granted him leave. After the five were charged, they were ordered to turn themselves into authorities in Canada. We know two of them have

done so. Hearts attorneys say he turned himself in on Friday and was released that same day. Alex Foreminton, he also turned himself into authorities in Canada on Sunday. The original civil suit, by the way, lists eight John Doe defendants. So as for now, it's not clear who these other three are. Attorneys for the accused have denied any wrongdoing here. And then these allegations, obviously, they're making a lot of news. They are disturbing as we've talked about. How are the leagues responding to this. Yeah, we actually reached out to the NHL trying to get a comment from them today. They did not return that request. But for the 2018 allegations, Hockey Canada and the NHL did say they were going to conduct these independent investigations back in 2022. They have

not yet released those results yet. There are a lot of questions, though, about the specific allegations here and how they may or may not align with the allegations from 2018 that was in that civil lawsuit. That's an important point. We should point out now. This has not gone to court yet, and there have been, are there criminal charges yet? Yeah, these criminal charges coming from Canada right now that they've turned themselves in, but up until this point, there have not been. There have been these league investigations and then the initial investigation with the civil lawsuit. Now, this criminal investigation, so lots of investigations and very few answers at this point. Okay. Stephen Romo, we thank you

for that. Coming up, wildfire evacuations, a fire exploding in size in South Africa's Western Cape firefighters struggling to contain it all. But we're just hearing about a possible cause. That and more. Global Watch is next. Back now with an update from the war in Gaza and a journey of survival. Children injured by some of the most horrific violence being evacuated in what's called mercy flights. The United Arab Emirates airlifting those in desperate need of treatment, sending them to hospitals in Abu Dhabi. Halagorani with special access inside this mission. A hydraulic lift hoists little Zahra onto a plane.

Mama, the little girl, cries out, but it's not her mother's hand that reaches out for comfort. It's her aunts, traveling with her on an evacuation flight from Egypt to the United Arab Emirates. Inside the plane, Zahra and some 50 other critically ill Palestinians from Gaza. Zahra's legs were crushed in an airstrike. Mama, the girl cries again, but her mother is not there, her aunt says, so Mama is what she calls her now. Zahra too shy or traumatized to speak. On this Emirati Mercy mission, the 11th of its kind, there are children with fractures,

complex head injuries, some with cancer. There was little access to care or medicine in Gaza. Here, children finally get pain relief, dirty bandages are replaced with fresh dressings. Twelve-year-old Nour will receive much-needed surgery on her legs. Acting quickly means preventing amputations. Do you want to go back to Gaza or stay out afterward, I ask her? Stay out, she tells me. The journey to this improvised Emirati Flying Hospital started at the Gaza border, a 45-minute drive away from this military airfield in Egypt.

On our way there, miles of trucks carrying aid unable to deliver their cargo. This is the border into Gaza from Egypt. Patients are driven here on Palestinian Red Cross. crescent vehicles. There's a list. Not every name is approved. So some of the most critically ill might make it all the way to this point and then be denied entry into Egypt. But these children at the military airport have made it out. A boy already used to life in a wheelchair whizzes past our camera. On board, the smiles of children excited for their first ever flight and the empty looks of those perhaps still adjusting to their new reality. When we reach Abu

W, the last few patients are lowered onto the tarmac, while those able to walk aboard a bus to the terminal, out of harm's way, at least for now. Hologarani, NBC News, at the Alarish Air Base in Egypt. Time for a check of what else is happening around the world and top story's global watch. We begin with the farmer protest now spreading across Europe. Farmers in Belgium and Italy joining French and German farmers using tractors to block traffic in major cities. The move comes ahead of Thursday's EU summit in Brussels. Farmers say they are protesting rising environmental taxes and cheap imports. Spanish farmers say

they will join the movement and organize their own protests beginning in February. A massive wildfire prompting evacuations in South Africa's western Cape. Residents there have been placed on high alert, and some towns along the coast have been completely evacuated. So far, no injuries reported, but officials say the fire is not contained. believe the fire was likely sparked by humans. And a long-losted painting by Gustav Klimt is going up for auction. The painting once belonged into a Jewish family in Austria and had not been seen in public since 1925.

Well, now it's set to go up for auction in Vienna in April, where experts say it could fetch the equivalent of, get this, $50 million. The family of the original owners will get part of the earnings due to an international agreement to return Nazi stolen art to descendants of the people they were taken from. Okay, when we come back, the hug months in the making, a father returning from an overseas deployment,

setting up a very special surprise for his two kids. The moment those kids realized a guest at a school assembly was just for them. Stay with us. Finally tonight, to a special soldier surprise, a National Guardsman reuniting with his two children at their Pennsylvania Elementary School after serving overseas. NBC Philadelphia's Chauvin McGurall has this heartwarming moment. Inside Hallowell Elementary School, brother and sister, Jackson and Evelyn Unger stood on stage in front of hundreds of people.

Not knowing one very important person was waiting in the wings. Mr. Unger, come on out! The crowd cheered as they held on tight to their dad, a hug. Months in the making. I was just very happy because I missed him so much. Tech Sergeant Dustin Unger serves with the 177th fighter wing of the Air National Guard. He's been in Saudi Arabia since early fall, his eighth deployment, but his first overseas away from his kids. It's been hard.

Christmas Eve was probably our biggest. They were just sobbing. I just want him here. I just want to hold him. I just want him to see what Santa brought. Tara, Dustin's wife says the family of four is tight. The video chats helped, but... It's definitely not the same as being there with them.

So when they found out that Dustin's deployment was wrapping up earlier than expected, they wanted to make it a moment of celebration. Today is about giving my kids the surprise of their lives. And that's what we're going to be talking about today, are ways in which we can give thanks. The school planned an assembly about honoring the military. Most of the students have learned about Dustin's deployment in class. Come on up here.

Jackson and Evelyn even knew they would be called on stage to talk about their dad. They just didn't know that he was there. Tricked you. Well, I'm just filled with so much joy that I can't even... It's too much.

Worth the wait. Happy in the home? Yeah. Glad dad is back home. We thank the Unger family for sharing that moment and of course for their service and sacrifice. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. That does it for us. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.