Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Episode Date: July 4, 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, Hurricane Barrel continuing its record-breaking and deadly trail of destruction across the Caribbean. The Category 4 storm making landfall in Jamaica, threatening the country with dangerously high winds and flash flooding. Jamaican officials urging residents to seek shelter for a storm that's already killed at least seven people. Neighboring Caribbean islands getting their first looks at the damage. homes destroyed, power lines down, debris scattered across the streets, or Sam Brock is speaking with locals in Kingston as they braced for barrels impact. As meteorologist Bill Karens tracks out where the storm is headed next. Also tonight, out of control, the Thompson fire wrecking havoc in northern California, 28,000 residents under evacuation orders, and the blaze

still at zero percent contained. California Governor Gavin Newsom, issuing a state of emergency, firefighters working tirelessly to battle the flames amid record-breaking temperatures. Biden weighing an exit. A bombshell report from the New York Times says the president privately told a key ally he's weighing weather to continue. But then Biden insisting to campaign staff today that, quote, no one is pushing me out. Concerns growing within the Democratic Party as new polls show Biden's support slipping among voters. Chaos in Kansas. Kenya. Shocking new video showing police clashing with protesters in Nairobi. Tear gas fired, demonstrators attacked, and bodies laying on the street.

Why protesters are doubling down on their demands for the country's president to step aside. Angel Baby Doe mystery solved. A newborn found dead on the side of the road more than two decades ago. Finally, solved. The DNA technology used to help identify the suspect. And sea lions scare, the massive mammal charging at beachgo, in Southern California after a group of curious tourists got too close to her pups. Plus, cycling into the history books, the inspiring story of one rider's road from recovery to record breaker at the Tour de France. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, Hurricane Barrel taking aim

on Jamaica as its path of destruction. through the Caribbean shows no signs of slowing down. The new images just coming in of Jamaican streets flooded from heavy rainfall, rising ocean waters crashing onto shore and high power winds bending trees. The storm barreling through Granada overnight, ripping roofs off of homes and tangling trees and power lines. Their prime minister calling it almost Armageddon, an aerial footage showing complete destruction in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, residents there walking through piles of debris that used to be their homes. Barrel also bringing devastating floods to Venezuela, killing at least three people there and submerging homes and cars in thick

mud. Hurricane warnings and evacuation alerts still in place across the region and even in parts of the United States. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott telling emergency crews to stand by for potential hurricane conditions as forecasters project the storm could take aim there in the coming days. Our Bill Cairns will join us shortly to track it all, but first to NBC's Sam Brock, who starts us off tonight from Jamaica. After days of anticipation, Hurricane Barrel blasted its way by Jamaica as a massive Category 4 storm with 140-mile-an-hour winds. The strongest system to threaten the island in almost two decades. Impossible! Spawning dangerous storm search that washed over a narrow road to the mainland. Right now, we're standing in wind that it's got to be,

70 or 80 miles an hour. I can't even see straight right now as it's coming in sideways. Well, this was not as powerful as many expected. It's still strong enough to bend power poles and knock out electricity to many. Just hours before barrel roared ashore, Jamaica's prime minister, announcing an evacuation order for low-lying and flood-prone areas. We urge all Jamaicans to comply with notices to evacuate. Though in Kingston, the mayor, trying to convince people unsuccessfully to go to shelters. right before the storm hit. We got oil, we got cereal, sugar.

We met people stocking up on last-minute supplies. What is your biggest concern going into the storm? The light and the water. Golden Grocery is a family-owned store that's been here for more than 70 years. What are your greatest fears as we await the landfall of the storm? I'm more afraid for my employees. We are like family.

They are family. Beryl already devastated several islands southeast of Jamaica, killing at least seven. In Grenada, the island of Karaku largely flattened. These Maxar images show it before Beryl and after. While in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the destruction is indescribable. Officials say 98% of homes on Union Island are either severely damaged or destroyed. It's a mess. As the Cayman Islands and Mexico are now next in Beryl's crosshairs.

Sam joins us now from Kingston, Jamaica. Sam, in that moment in your piece when you were on camera, we can just see those winds whipping, the rain coming in sideways. You said you couldn't even see straight, but it was not as bad as expected. How much is there to clean up in Jamaica? And do people right now feel like they dodged a bullet, so to speak? Oh, they definitely dodged a bullet. This was a glancing blow for Kingston, Ellison. But to the first part of your question about what it was like in that moment, consider this. These are outer bands that we're experiencing right now, and that's what I had earlier today as I was walking through that sliding rain. And so can you imagine if a barrel in this case was actually 20 miles or 30 miles closer to land because we have about a 40-mile buffer.

That's how far the hurricane force winds extend. But if it were just a little bit closer, it would have been 50%, 75% stronger than what you saw in that stand-up in my piece. So the folks here got very lucky. We are getting some reports of damage to our east, really. Like St. Thomas, there's a church there that has a large hole in the middle of the roof. And we saw some of the roofs being ripped off downtown Kingston. Not a ton of it, but not the extensive damage, certainly, that we saw eastward in the Caribbean. Some of these islands, you know, Union Island, 99% of all the buildings severely damaged or destroyed.

Shocking and very thankful tonight. That's not what we saw in Jamaica. Yeah, Sam, talk to us about the communication and power situation there in Jamaica. And if we know how it's impacting some of the other islands, we've seen this in in the past. It is so hard to get aid in and out of islands to begin with, and oftentimes really hard to keep communications up when storms like this come through. There was a brief period of time, at least I can say personally, Ellison, where we lost our power and both our connection as well in terms of being able to reach people over cell phones.

I am not hearing any widespread issues right now about that, and people are actually online commenting on how stable the infrastructure has been. So good news to report there as well. Yeah, great news to hear that. Sam Brock, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Let's stick with the weather here and turn to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, walk us through what is happening with Beryl, the latest track. Should we expect significant impacts here in the United States? Yeah, the odds aren't zero in the U.S., which means everyone, especially South Texas, has to continue to follow this right through the upcoming holiday and into the weekend.

As far as Jamaica goes, this storm is right along the southern coast. So Sam is located right where my finger is here. He's far away, but the storm never really got that close. close to where Sam was, but it has been raking the southern coast. We're not going to know the extent of the damage there until sunrise tomorrow and through the day tomorrow. So just because the eastern half of the island was just, you know, had a glancing blow. That has not been the case. There's been a category four of major hurricane raking the southern coast with the northern eyewall. There's going to be some extreme damage. There's going to be thousands of people

without homes when this storm is over in Jamaica. It still has 140 mile per hour width. This has been extremely resilient. Last night at this time, I was telling you, it should be like 125 or 130. It doesn't sound like a big difference, but magnitude's greater of damage. And this is that red circle where the hurricane winds are, and this is still where the extreme damage is taking place at this hour. As the hours go by, this will pull off the coast. It'll go south of the Cayman Islands tonight, just a glancing blow for them. And then it looks to make a landfall as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane in the Yucatan. And then we're still thinking, Ellison, somewhere between Brownsville and Tampico, most likely as a tropical storm or hurricane

category one, but there still will be impacts in South Texas, and that's four days from now. So things can obviously change. All right, Bill, we are also coming up on a holiday, of course, July 4th tomorrow. You are watching heat and wildfires. Tell us what you see. These sectors are insane. I mean, Orville, this is where one of the fires in their evacuations are 106 degrees right now. And we have about 120 people from all of the West Coast through Texas. into areas of Georgia that are under some sort of heat alerts, but the stuff in the West is record-breaking.

I'm expecting over 150 record highs over the next five days alone, and there's two locations that have a chance of setting their all-time record highs. That's Redding and also Las Vegas. If it hits 118 on Monday, Allison, that has never happened before in recorded history. All right. Wow. Bill Cairns, thank you. And that major wildfire is still ripping across northern California at this hour. the Thompson fire, it has forced thousands of residents to flee their homes as firefighters battle the blaze from the ground and the air. NBC News correspondent Liz Kreutz has the latest on the efforts to try and contain the flames. Tonight, a massive wildfire in Northern California burning out of control amid triple-digit temperatures. The Thompson fire spreading across more than 3,500 acres with zero containment.

As tens of thousands scrambled a safety ahead of the July 4th holiday, forced to evacuate with the fire bearing down on residential neighborhoods outside the city of Oroville. I'm a little bit worried that, you know, we might not have a place to go back to. Several homes and structures destroyed as firefighters work round the clock to battle the fast-moving blaze. Flames burning on either side of the Oroville Dam Spillway. Crews are using Lake Oroville here to try to fight this fire. You can see multiple helicopters, right now are coming to the lake picking up water to attack this fire from the air. The inferno one of several burning across the west with intense heat and heavy winds creating conditions ripe for fire. What's the biggest challenge right now? I would say the biggest challenge

is obviously the conditions. The high temperatures, those low humidities and without a doubt the wind is going to be the biggest concern. This is 120 million people are facing heat alerts as a dangerous heat wave scorches large swaths of the country. In Phoenix, where temperatures hit 113, the heat wave turning deadly. A 10-year-old boy died after being airlift from a trail where authorities say he was hiking with family. So far this year, 13 people have died from heat-related incidents in Maricopa County, with another 162 still under investigation. Back in California, the relentless conditions just getting started with no relief expected through the holiday weekend, leaving the region on edge.

And Liz joins us now from a burned out neighborhood in California, Oroville, California. Liz, we understand some firefighters have also been injured while trying to fight this blaze. Yeah, Ellison, eight firefighters right now, we're told, have been injured fighting this fire. Some of them from heat-related incidents and illnesses, heat stroke, heat exhaustion. It just speaks to the challenging conditions right now during these triple-level. digit temps across the state right now. And yeah, you can see some of the destruction from this fire. This is a home here completely destroyed. Those two cars there burned to a crisp. Thousands, nearly 30,000 people, Ellison, remain evacuated right now heading into the July 4th

holiday. Ellison. Liz Croyd's in California. Thank you. Now to the other major story we're following tonight, the growing pressure on President Biden over his disastrous debate performance. The New York Times reporting that the president is now telling key allies he's way. whether to continue his re-election bid. This coming as new polling taken since the debate shows troubling numbers for Biden, especially in regards to voters' views on whether he is too old to serve. NBC News, senior White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell has more. Facing doubts from within his party and new polling that shows the president falling further behind former President Trump. Today, candidate Biden telling his team, no one is pushing me out. The

President and vice president held a conference call with campaign staff. Officials say he was direct, saying to AIDS, let me say this as clearly as I possibly can, as simply and straightforward as I can. I am running. Nearly a week after the debate that the White House labels a bad night, the president called key congressional Democrats, officials here acknowledging the strain. That the last few days have been challenging. With more troubling signs in new polling, done after the debate. President Biden now trailing former President Trump by six points. 80 percent of those surveyed said they consider the president too old to run again. Biden allies say the president must counter that perception. President Biden has got to go out there and in a sustained basis

show he has the stamina and can do the job. But a second House Democrat, Arizona's Raul Grijalva, has now called on Mr. Biden to drop out. The president's only public event today, a medal of honor ceremony in the East Room, son Hunter Biden in attendance. The president ignoring reporters questions. The White House says the president is now feeling great after citing a cold on debate night. The president told donors Tuesday evening that he had jet lag too, though the debate was 12 days after his return from Europe. The president said that this is not an excuse but an explanation. Meanwhile, the White House is also trying to blunt any signal the president is even talking about an exit and rejected a report from the New York Times, not confirmed by NBC News,

that the president told an ally he is weighing whether to continue. Is the president telling people he's evaluating the race? Absolutely false. That is absolutely false. And Kelly joins us now from the White House. Kelly, the president has a critical meeting tonight with governors. What can you tell us? Well, we can tell you that the vice president is now joining that meeting. It is a video conference with more than 20 governors, but a number of them have come here to the White House in person, meeting face to face with the president, and now we've learned the vice president as well. This is part of the outreach trying to shore up support and respond to any questions, concerns, and doubts. Ellison. Kelly O'Donnell, thank you. For more on the future of the Biden re-election campaign, let's bring in our political pros, Basil Smichael, and NBC political analyst and professor of practice at the school for professional studies at Columbia University, and Lance Trover, Republican strategist and former Doug Bergam presidential campaign spokesperson. Basil, let's start with you in that point that Kelly ended her piece on.

We heard the White House denying this report from the New York Times, or at least in part, but in this New York Times article, it does say this, and I'm going to quote here, Key allies are apparently saying to the times that Biden, quote, knows the coming days are crucial and understands that he may not be able to salvage his candidacy if he cannot convince voters that he's up to the job after a disastrous debate performance last week. If this reporting is true and these conversations are being had, do you think it is realistic that he could still hold on? I do. Because what the conversation suggests to me is that President Biden has acknowledged all of the. the chatter around him and that he is shoring up his support among his allies. He probably should have done that earlier. But the fact that he's doing it suggests to me that he feels there's still time to act. I think there are a lot of Democrats that are still solidly behind him that want him

to make this outreach. And I do think it's true that, you know, if the polls start to show some slippage, he's going to have to continue to reassess. But what I've always said is that what Democrats should have done right after the debate. They say, yes, he had a bad night. But Joe Biden on his worst day is orders of magnitude better than Donald Trump on his best day. And if we had gotten that out early, I think you would have seen a lot less consternation over the last, you know, several days since that debate. We're going to come back to you and talk about some polls. But first, Lance, let me bring you in here because for Republicans, the move is, seems to be at least, to sort of sit on the sidelines and watch this play out, right?

Has Biden been, in your view, so damaged that the preference is for him to stay in? Or do you think Republicans think Donald Trump could beat any other Democrat if President Biden said, OK, never mind, I am going to actually sit this out? Well, I'm going to leave it up to the Democrats to decide who their nominee is. But I think the problem the White House has and Joe Biden has is not only do they have questions about whether this president is fit for office and whether he can, you know, complete a campaign, they also have an issue of credibility. And that's why they're struggling right now, because they have spent the last three and a half years gaslighting the American public, lying to reporters as people ask questions about his fitness for office and say, no, it wasn't an issue.

The Wall Street Journal had a story just one month ago, very well sourced with dozens and dozens of people saying the president has problems with his mental faculties and things of the like. And the White House struck out and said, no, no, no, you don't know what you're talking about. That is the problem they have right now. It is one of credibility, and that's why they're not getting very far with the American public. And you're seeing the polls that we are seeing here right now from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. We'll get to those polls next. But, Lance, on that initial question I asked, there is reporting saying that Trump's team, and this is in Vanity Fair today, that they would rather keep Biden in this race. They feel like that is an easier person for Trump to beat than other alternatives out there.

Do you think that's true? Well, I think President Trump is very strong. I mean, he was strong and was beating Joe Biden going into the debate last week. So, again, I think President Trump is very strong, and the Democrats are clearly in disarray. And look, when your opponent is tripping over themselves, you don't want to get in the way of that. All right, Basil, let's turn back to you because there is, we keep saying we're going to get to polls. Let's get to them now. There is a new New York Times-Siena poll that was taken after the debate, and it asked this question, if Joe Biden is too old to be an effective president.

And the numbers are pretty surprising and probably not great if you're within the Biden campaign. Overall, 74% of voters said they agreed with that. If you break it up by party, 59% of Democrats agreed that he is too old versus 51% saying that prior to the debate. And when it comes to independent voters, we are looking at 79% saying, as of now, that they agree he's too old. That is up four points from before the debate. What do you make of those numbers? And especially when you look at that 4% turn among independents, does it worry you? It doesn't worry me, but what I said after debate was that he would take a hit, and he's taking a hit.

I think a lot of that is already baked in, and what the president needs to do right now is go out and show the American people that he still has the vigor to run for office and to be president of the United States. But what I think has happened is that there's so much conversation about him and less about what was said on debate night. As my colleague talked about lies, nothing but lies on coming out of Donald Trump. But we weren't talking about that. There was just more conversation about what Joe Biden should do. And I think that's in many ways the choice that's being put in front of the voters, which the Democrats need to turn around. It's not about whether or not you want Joe Biden against Donald Trump. It is what Donald Trump offers versus what the Democrats led by Joe Biden are offering as a full agenda.

Do you think there's an opportunity for them to do that? when you look at just basic numbers, right? There's this interview he's going to sit down with George Stephanopoulos on Friday, but that is not going to be number-wise at all like it wasn't the first debate. I mean, we're talking over 50 million people that watch that first debate. How do you even go out and try and reach that many people again? Is it just wait till the next debate? Well, you're not going to do it in one sitting.

You've obviously got, what, four or so months left in this campaign. There's still an opportunity to talk to a significant number of voters. But I would also just come back to this very quickly. When there's so much conversation around all of that should happen and we should make this change, he's the sitting president of United States. And Kamala Harris is sitting vice president in the United States. So this open casting call where folks think that there are all these folks that could be running and should be running in place of Joe Biden, you don't change the rules in the middle of the game. That's just how it works. And the American people would not forgive Democrats for doing that, I think.

And so I feel that what benefits the party is to go out, get behind Joe Biden, let him make the decision that he needs to make. But also, give him an opportunity to get, as we say, in sports, more reps in front of the American people to make his case. Lance, let's go back to the polling here because in that New York Sienna poll, it also showed Trump gaining a lead on Biden in addition to the Wall Street Journal poll, the numbers that you mentioned, and we also saw in Kelly. piece. We have seen this trend in, if I'm not mistaken, three polls now since the debate where you see Biden dip and Trump up. There was the CNN poll, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the CNN poll now. That's three in all. What kind of strategy do you think the Trump campaign is working on behind the scenes to build on this momentum? Is the strategy just don't talk about it and maybe we don't talk about what happens in court? I think the strategy is to continue to let the

Democrats figure this out and work this out right now. Those numbers are devastating. And I, look, polling is a snapshot in time. We all know that. But there's going to become an inflection point for Democrats at some point prior to this convention. Because if you think about it, Joe Biden won by four and a half points in 2020. Donald Trump is now up six points. That is a flip of 10 points. If they were to go into election day with those types of numbers, You're talking about a blowout of epic proportions for Donald Trump and a range of Senate seats and House, all-going Republicans. So this is why it is so critical for them over the course of the next couple of weeks. If Donald Trump is still leading by six points a week from now, Democrats have some real serious decision-making.

All right. We will see. Basil Smichael, Lance Trover. Thank you both. We appreciate your time and insights. Turning overseas now into tomorrow's U.K. election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with his back against the wall as his presiding conservative. Party makes a final effort to earn votes before polls open on Thursday. Expectations for a historic landslide victory from the opposing Labor Party threatening to end the Conservatives' 14-year run in office. Our international correspondent, Ralph Sanchez, is in London with the latest. The leader of the UK Labor Party, Kirstarmer. Tonight, Britain's political leaders in their final day of campaigning before Thursday's

election. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asking voters to give his conservative party another chance. after 14 years in power. Your vote will make a difference. Lots of people want to say this is a foregone conclusion. Analysis shows that's not true. But with prices high and growth low, polls find the public in an unforgiving mood,

ready to punish the conservatives. They want to see the conservatives maybe get what they deserve after behaving so badly. And hand a potentially historic landslide victory to the center-left Labor Party. Thank you. Labor's Kier-Starm are now poised to become Britain's next Prime Minister and the leader of America's closest ally on the world stage.

We've now had 14 years of chaos, of division and failure, and the choice tomorrow is to bring that to an end, to turn the page and start to rebuild with Labor. A former prosecutor, Stramer, is a political centrist whose policies and politics align with President Biden's. But next year, he may be dealing with a second term Donald Trump, who's threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO and cut support for Ukraine. Does Kier Starrmer have what it takes to stand up to Donald Trump on the world stage? I think Kier Starrmer will stand up for what he believes in. When it comes to foreign policy, our support for NATO is the cornerstone of that.

The UK has voted out. A labor victory would end the chaotic chapter in British politics that began in 2016, with the Brexit referendum when the UK crashed out of the European Union. I think the country requires fresh leadership. Since then, four conservative prime ministers have resigned one after another, including Boris Johnson, who was forced out after a series of scandals. Sunak took office as a history maker, Britain's youngest prime minister in 200 years,

and the first person of color to lead the former imperial power. He promised to restore stability, but he couldn't turn his party's fortunes around. And after a campaign launched in the pouring rain, Sunak may make history again as the first prime minister to lose their own seat. We headed to the West London constituency of Kensington and Bayswater, home to one of the country's closest races. The Conservatives won the last election here by just 150 votes.

Now Labor candidate Joe Powell is hoping to flip the seat. We think this is going to be very close, whatever the national polls show, this is not a traditional Labor seat. Do you think people are excited about voting for labor, or they just want to punish the conservatives at this point? Well, I think a lot of people are very excited about voting for labor because they're desperate for change in the country. And Raff joins us now from Downing Street. Raf, what is the process here? When will we know results?

And if the Labor Party wins, how soon would a new prime minister take office? So, Ellison, polls close here, 10 p.m. local time, 5 p.m. Eastern, we will get exit polls after that, and that should give us a pretty clear sense of where this election is going. What is really interesting is, unlike the U.S., here in the U.K., there's no transition period between the election and a new government taking office. So assuming Kier Starmor and the Labor Party win, Starrmer will give his victory speech Thursday night, He will sleep for a couple of hours. He will head to Buckingham Palace just down the road to see King Charles.

And then he will come here to Downing Street. He'll walk through that famous black door. And he will immediately take up his post as the new prime minister of the United Kingdom. Elsa. Ralph Sanchez, in London. Thank you. Now to the Middle East, where Israel has just greenlit, the biggest land grab in the occupied West Bank in more than 30 years.

Israel now set to take over roughly five square months. miles in the region as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government continue their expansion in the occupied territory. For more on this move and what comes next in the West Bank. Let's get right to NBC News correspondent Danielle Hamamjan. She joins us now from London. Danielle, tensions in the West Bank, expanding Israeli settlements. These are not new issues, but we have seen existing tensions really intensify with the war in Gaza. Talk to us about how significant this latest move is by Israel, and why now? This is as significant as it is infuriating for Palestinians, Ellison.

You said it five square miles. This is land that is supposed to be part of their future country. And for Palestinians, to put it bluntly, this is what makes their blood boil. They have been living under military occupation since 1967, but under Benjamin Netanyahu, these settlements have multiplied. And when we talk about these settlements, it's not one or two roads. In some cases, they look like small towns. And these are no-go areas for Palestinians, not to mention settler violence.

In some cases, sanctioned by the United States. They have stolen livestock belonging to Palestinian farmers, set fires to their olive trees. These are considered illegal under international law, though not much is being done about it. And according to human rights groups, the IDF often standing by, not doing much, and the rate of conviction is extremely low. Danielle, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government, as you said, they have been particularly aggressive about expanding these settlements in the West Bank. And I like the way that you described that it's an important point, I think, to reiterate. You said these settlements are multiplying, and they're not just a few roads. We're talking about entire neighborhoods and what is really a small area of land.

We did see President Biden in recent months when he made his trip to Israel saying that he thought that Netanyahu and his government should stop with the expansions in the West Bank, at least while this war was going on. When Netanyahu and his allies are speaking about what's happening right now, have they alluded to next steps here? Is this just the beginning of even more widespread expansions in the West Bank? I think you have to remember who's in charge of the settlement planning here. that is Bezalel Asmotrich, the far-right finance minister, who himself lives in a settlement, and he has vowed to flood the West Bank with even more settlers, Ellison. Danielle Hamamjan, thank you. Still ahead, Angel Baby Doe mystery solved.

Detectives finally cracking this decade's old cold case, how DNA technology pointed to the mother as the suspect. And a new twist in the case of a missing woman. authorities arresting her husband, what they found that led to that arrest. An in-flight emergency, a Delta flight on its way to Amsterdam, diverted when crews realized some of the meals on the plane were spoiled how the airline is responding. Top story is just getting started. Back now with a decades-long mystery solved. Detectives and genealogists teaming up to crack a 23-year-old.

old cold case. A newborn baby girl's body was found on the side of the road back in 2001. Now authorities say the mother was finally identified and taken into custody. NBC's Valerie Castro has more on how this case was finally solved. Angel Baby Doe was laid to rest more than 20 years ago. Her death and identity, a mystery until now. More than just a baby dough. Retired Johnson County Detective Stephen Shaw originally worked the case when the baby's remains were found dumped on the side of a road near Fort Worth, Texas in 2001. I can look at the pictures, and I could probably write you a photologue of all the pictures. It's vivid. It's vivid.

Investigators say the baby was likely born alive but left abandoned, wrapped in a jacket, her umbilical cord still attached. It's believed she bled to death. The investigative trail eventually going cold. And we interviewed a lot of people. Got a lot of buckle swabs for our testing and no matches whatsoever. But in 2022, the case was brought back to life with the help of advanced DNA testing on Angel Baby Doe's remains. It did take us a little bit of time to build a good profile, considering that the source material was, again, a couple of decades old and not in great condition. David Middleman is the CEO of Othram, a company that says it works exclusively with law enforcement using advanced DNA technology and forensic genetic. genealogy to solve cold cases.

This baby is not going to be in a government database, and there's no leads as to who this baby might be. So it's not uncommon for these agencies to reach out to us for assistance on trying to develop any leads that they could get, in this case, who this baby was, what family did the baby come from? After developing a DNA profile, Authrum used genealogy databases to find more clues. In this particular case, the genetic genealogy. revealed relatives of the baby?

Yes, we were able to narrow it down to a family, and the investigators then did their work to secure a confirmed identity. The Johnson County Sheriff's Office says that identity belongs to 48-year-old Shelby Stotz, who they say is Angel Baby Doe's biological mother. The Texas Attorney General's Office announcing an indictment for second-degree manslaughter,

saying Stotz recklessly caused the death of her newborn daughter by abandoning the child and not seeking medical attention. Stotz was arrested Monday and has not responded to NBC News requests for comment. Do you believe if it weren't for this technology, this baby dough case might never have been solved? I think it would have been very hard to solve this case. Generally speaking, you know, without a confession or just, you know, an anonymous tip, these cases are intractable. For retired Detective Shaw, a name on this gravestone will finally mean, case closed. There's going to be a name put on that marker. That's the most important thing

to me, just get a name put on that little baby's marker. And Valerie Castro joins us now on set. So Valerie, I understand the technology used to solve this case. It was actually funded basically by people on the internet. Yeah, Alison, this is advanced DNA technology that most law enforcement departments just don't have access to in their forensics labs. It costs money that they don't have in their budgets, especially when it comes to solving a decades more cold case, just like this one. But the company behind this technology, Authrum, they created a crowdfunding site called DNA Solves, and they basically raise money to help pay for these cold cases to be solved. That's exactly what happened in this case. We should also note that Shelby Stotz, the woman who

was arrested in this case, she is set to appear in court later this month. Valerie Castro, thank you. When we come back, a frightening scene on a beach in San Diego. A massive sea lion charging at tourists stopping just before it barreled into a crowd. How officials in the area say this scary situation could have been avoided. Back now with Top Stories news feeds, starting with the flight diverted because of squailed food. A Delta flight was heading to Amsterdam from Detroit when crews on that flight realized some of the in-flight. meals, they were rotten. The plane made an emergency landing at New York's JFK airport. Medical teams were on site to treat any affected passengers and crew members. Close to 300 people were on that

flight. No word on how many ate the tainted food, but a spokesperson for the port authority told NBC News, New York, that 24 people, 10 crew members, 14 passengers were evaluated when they landed. Delta has apologized for the incident. The U.S. is expelling more than 100 Chinese migrants in a rare mass deportation. The Department of Homeland Security saying the migrants were flown back to China on a chartered flight over the weekend. As we've reported on top story, the U.S. has seen a dramatic surge in the number of Chinese nationals entering this country illegally through the southern border. DHS says they are now working with China to reduce the illegal crossings and to try and stop human trafficking. And in San Diego, shocking video capturing a sea lion charging at beachgoers.

The new cell phone video shows visitors at La Jolla Cove running for cover as that sea lion barreled towards them. Luckily, no one was hurt. Officials say the sea lion became defensive after tourists got too close to her pups. City officials warning visitors to keep their distance from the sea lions during pupsing season, which is in the summer. And longtime discount clothing chain, Bob's stores, is shuddering its doors. The retailer is permanently closing all 21 locations and liquid. inventory after recently filing for bankruptcy. The company started in 1954 in Connecticut, and all of its stores are located in the Northeast. It's just the

latest retailer to file for bankruptcy this year amid a slowdown in consumer spending and mounting inflation. Now to a twist in a missing person case out of Arizona. Authorities arresting the husband of a missing woman after police say they found some type of evidence in the couple's home. NBC News correspondent David Noriega has the details. Tonight, an Arizona man behind bars, as the search for his missing wife continues. Authorities telling NBC news, Daniel Patakowski, reported his 45-year-old wife, Kelly, missing on Sunday, saying she never returned home from a run and a swim.

But now the investigation has taken a new turn. The evidence that we're gathering and processing and analyzing has led us to believe that this is an investigation of homicide. According to Flagstaff Police, investigators tracked Kelly. phone to a hiking trail at around 10.20 a.m. Sunday. Police say Daniel was observed in the same area a little more than an hour later. At around 12.13 p.m., police say her phone indicated it was home. But at 1.30 p.m., her car, a 2018 white Mazda, was seen at a different trailhead.

Surveillance images show Daniel was also there at that time. Hours later, authorities say, he called police to report her disappearance. But on Tuesday, police announcing Daniel was arrested for aggravated assault. and that investigators believe Kelly was murdered. Detectives saying they found undisclosed evidence at their shared home. In any case like this, prosecutors can amend charges with new evidence that is discovered or brought. So, for example, if a body is located, that might be a time when homicide charges might be brought. But for now, police and volunteers still looking for any sign of Kelly.

Daniel Patakowski's bond is set for $500,000. And it's not clear whether he has legal counsel. The local public defender's office say they haven't received the paperwork required to provide him with an attorney. Ellison? David Noriega, thank you. Still ahead, those violent protests in Kenya

taking over the streets of Nairobi. Police using tear gas and batons to try and control the crowds. Dozens killed in the last three weeks. We'll tell you why demonstrators are now calling for the president to step down. Stay with us. We're back now with the latest on those deadly protests in Kenya.

Chaos on the streets of Nairobi as the demonstrations continue for a third week. Kenyans initially outraged over an unpopular tax bill. The president abandoning that bill, but there are growing cause for him to step down. Chaos continuing on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. Police clashing with demonstrators firing tear gas, hitting people. with batons and tossing others in the backs of police vehicles. One man dressed in civilian clothes firing off a gun on a sidewalk. The protest in Nairobi began because of a specific bill that would have raised taxes.

Kenya's president, William Ruto, abandoned plans for the tax hike a day after the unpopular bill passed, but for many people, that was not enough. Usra al-Baghirir, A reporter with our partners at Sky News is in Kenya. These are now regular scenes in the streets of Nairobi, riot police facing up against unarmed protesters who are challenging the state's power. For Kenyans protesting, the bill was a symptom of more systemic economic concerns. And now they want the president to step down. Their frustrations heightened after days.

of violent and deadly clashes with police. It's no longer the movement that started. It's morphed to something else. What we've seen is really a rogue police. You know, that doesn't ascribe to liberal values of policing in the 21st century. So it's still like a colonial police force that is protecting a regime. The Kenya National Human Rights Commission says at least 39 protesters have been killed, and at least 24 of those were at the hands of police.

According to a joint statement released by Amnesty Kenya, and more than 360 have been injured in what the Human Rights Commission describes as an excessive and disproportionate response. For my children, I'm here, and we're ready to spill our blood. Opposition leaders condemning the violence. We condemn in the strongest terms possible the abuse of police power in the deployment of violence suppression techniques on innocent and armed protesters. President Ruto responding in a TV interview over the weekend. The president cited a lower figure of 19 people killed, and he defended his decision to call

in the security forces to respond to what he says are criminals. Twenty-four people dead. Your Excellency, do you have blood on your hands? I have no blood on my hands. As a democracy, that should not be a part of our conversation. 2.4 billion of property has been destroyed. But protesters are refusing to back down. Stop and stop killing us!

They say this fight is about their most basic rights. There's no job in Kenya. People are trying and stuffing. They are working hard, but there's nothing they can get. Saying in Africa, new reports tonight that the Biden administration plans to cut funding for a program that's been credited with saving some 25 million lives. The president's emergency plan for AIDS relief or PEPFAR has been around for 21 years and has helped millions of people on the continent of Africa access treatment and care for HIV and AIDS. Now it's in the crosshairs of budget cuts. For more on this, I want to bring in Asia Russell.

She is the executive director of the Health Global Access Projects. She joins us now from Washington, D.C. Asia, this is an incredibly big deal, but not something that people seem to know about or be talking a lot about right now, right? So we're so glad that you are here to explain what's going on to us because we do know that at least 6% of PEPFAR's budget is being threatened. This is a program that's been active with bipartisan support for more than two decades. Why are these cuts happening right now? It's true. Biden's math is going in the wrong direction. Frankly, HIV is still a global emergency. 1.3 million people zero convert and become HIV positive every year. And more than a person dies every minute worldwide from HIV. And these deaths are completely preventable. These new transmissions are completely,

these new transmissions are completely preventable. If treatment prevention and human rights interventions were deployed at scale, at scale to the communities most in need. And that's why we're concerned with what the White House is doing. They've put on the table more than $15 million in cuts targeting LGBTQ people, sex workers, and people who use drugs. And in sub-Saharan African countries, where the lion's share of PEPFAR, the U.S. Global AIDS Program's resources, are focused, one in four new infections, are a most of the

those communities. So the math, frankly, is going in the wrong direction. These are programs that are saving lives and should be expanded. Instead, PEPFAR is cutting budgets. These budget cuts are careless. They are deadly, and they should be immediately reversed in time for fiscal year 2025. Yeah, I mean, most of PEPFAR's work has been in after But as you said, it's a global issue still the AIDS epidemic, the HIV crisis, and more than 50 countries across the world have partnered with PEPFAR. You mentioned in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the LGBTQ plus community, sex workers and also drug users being significantly impacted. Where else could we see impacts of this cut? Could it be beyond Africa? And when you're talking to your contacts inside of particularly sub-Saharan Africa and in the LGBT

PQ Plus community, those other groups you mentioned, what are they saying about these possible cuts? How scared are they? They're astonished. They feel a sense of betrayal because the Biden administration made a really solemn promise as a candidate and as president that he would run the administration that would help defeat the AIDS pandemic by 2030. And his administration would prioritize decriminalization of these very communities. Why? Because it's morally the right thing to do. It makes sense from a public health perspective, but also the data show very clearly that in countries that don't criminalize same-sex, adult consenting sexual activity, HIV rates are dramatically lower, and life for people with HIV is dramatically longer. So it benefits all communities. That's why it's so gravely concerning that PEPFAR and the State Department seem to be blithely moving forward with $15.5 million in cuts that are frankly wrongheaded.

They're unnecessary, and they will affect those communities hardest, but it spills over to everyone. PEPFAR also works, as I said, primarily in East and Southern Africa, but not only there. These budget cuts are targeting Ukraine's programs for these criminalized communities. For example, you also see countries in Latin America in the Caribbean being affected and countries in Western Central Africa beyond East and Southern Africa. The good news, though, is the administration can reverse these cuts. And beyond that, there's a larger problem, frankly, which is the administration doesn't seem to have a robust strategy for scaling up programs to reach these communities, which is exactly

what we need. So first, the cuts should be reversed yesterday. Second, the administration should make up for lost time and slam on the gas with treatment prevention and human rights interventions and an overall prioritized strategy that addresses the needs of these greatly at-risk communities and their families, their loved ones, so that we can actually see this administration champion the end of global AIDS. All right. Asia Russell, thank you so much for being with us. Executive Director of the Health Global Access Project.

We will continue to follow this issue. Thank you, again, for your time and insights. And coming up, we have an inspiring comeback story and a record-breaking performance at the Tour de France. Stay with us. That story is next. Finally, tonight, the Tour de France now in its first week. The iconic image is usually the overall winner in their yellow jersey. But for many pro cyclists, winning just one stage in the iconic race is the achievement of a lifetime.

But star sprinter, Mark Cavendish, she has now won more stages than anyone ever. He did it today after making a remarkable comeback. NBC, Stephanie Gosk has the amazing performance. Cavendish is gone. Mark Cavendish is he going to have. The only thing separating Mark Cavendish from history last year at the Tour de France was mere seconds. Giving it his best shot.

A heartbreaking second-place finish in the race's seventh stage. It would have been his 35th career stage win, an all-time record. With this narrow defeat, he remained one spot from history. But for Cavendish, the worst was yet to come. Just one day later, this tour ending was yet to come. crash, shattering his collarbone. Cavendish unsure if he could ever return to cycling's biggest stage. When he crashed in Bordeaux last year, he was scheduled to retire. That was his last tour. But for the man known as the Manx Missile, a constant hunger for victory put those retirement

plans on pause. It's not easy, like I'd always say, like, you've got my body tight now, don't start cycling. The 39-year-old getting back on the saddle for one last tour. Cavendish is there. Mark Cavendish diving through the line. Earlier today, taking his shot at glory. Or Cavendish has taken the lead. Cavendish is coming to the line. It is win number 35. NBC sports commentator Phil Liggett,

who called all 35 of Cavendish's wins, holding back tears. If I speak too long, I'm going to cry. I didn't think he could do that. He was brilliant. The new stage win record holder, surrounded by his family, still letting it all sink in.

Well, let me a little bit of disbelief. There we do. Recognizing what it takes to push through. I don't like to have bad days. I don't like to suffer, but I know it's just in the head and you push, you get through it. And a programming note, you can watch every stage of the 24 Tour de France right here on NBC's Streaming Service Peacock. Thank you so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis in New York.

Stay right there. More news is on the way.