Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Episode Date: June 6, 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.

Breaking tonight, a man dying from the bird flu, and now we're learning it's a strain never before found in humans. The World Health Organization confirming a man in Mexico died after contracting the different strain of the avian flu. In a few moments, we'll speak with a doctor about who might be at risk and what precautions you can take. Also tonight, the U.S. Embassy attacked, a gunman opening fire on the Embassy in Beirut, appearing to wear ISIS markings on his vest, As tensions escalate in the region, Hezbollah airstrikes target northern Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu's urgent warning, Israel preparing for a potential operation in Lebanon, vetting the running mates. New reporting from our political team. Former President Trump narrowing down his VP list. The four potential prospects include Senator J.D. Vance, Senator Marco Rubio, Governor Doug Bergam, and Senator Tim Scott. what they each bring to the ticket

and the Trump campaign's new move signaling they're a step closer to making that decision. The son of Sam survivor, decades after the serial killer terrorized New York City, police revealing his first official victim. Tonight, she joins Top Story,

her miraculous story of survival after being shot several times and the moment she knew her attacker was the son of Sam. Wild encounter, heart-stopping moments of giraffe grabbing a tall out of a truck at a drive-thru safari. The king's royal bills.

Cash may no longer be king, but King Charles is making his debut on the UK's banknotes, how the bills could fetch a pretty penny. Plus, parachuting spiders invade, giant venomous spiders creeping their way up to the northeast, so just how harmful are they? We'll speak with an expert.

At a startling arrest in Paris, officials taking a man into custody accused of making explosives. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are following a lot of breaking news tonight as we come on the air. We want to start with a strain of the bird flu, never detected in humans before. It's now being blamed for the death of a man in Mexico.

Here's what we know right now. A 59-year-old man died back on April 24th. The World Health Organization says he died after contracting the H5N2 strain of the the virus. But they aren't exactly sure because he had no previous exposure to poultry or to other animals. They're not sure how he got it. His death came a week after developing a fever, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and nausea, the organization adding he did suffer from underlying health issues. The announcement comes as an outbreak of a different and more common strain of the bird flu was detected in a number of dairy cows in the U.S. There have also been at least

three human cases tied to the H5N1 strain right here in the U.S. all connected to farm workers. These are the symptoms for the avian flu strain currently circulating around the U.S. It includes fever, sore throat, eye redness, among other symptoms, similar to colds. There are a number of questions tonight, including if this new strain has made its way into the U.S. Ahead we speak with a doctor about the risks, but first we want to start with NBC News correspondent, Sam Brock, who joins us tonight from Miami. So Sam, talk to us about this case that we know out of Mexico that we're covering tonight.

You know, the weird thing is here is that he was not in any contact with any livestock or poultry, so they're not sure how he got it. Do we know if he was in contact with lots of other people? A decent number of people, Tom. And so the World Health Organization says this 59-year-old had about 30 contacts. 17 of them were at the hospital. One of those people reported having a runny nose, but Tom, not one of them tested positive for this strain of the avian flu. Now, here's what's interesting.

There were 12 other contacts near that man's house. They said that seven of those people were symptomatic, five-a-symptomatic. It's not clear exactly what symptomatic means, but again, none of them tested positive either. Now, were the seven symptomatic at one point contracting a strain of this virus, but it just didn't affect them the same way? And they didn't test positive by the time the testing actually proceeded, or did they never get it at all? Not clear. But among almost three dozen contacts, so far, this man is the only one to actually test positive for this strain, H5N1. So what do we know about this new strain, right?

is it different from what's been circulating in the U.S. in our livestock? Sure, and I should say sorry, H5N2 is the version in Mexico, H5N1 is the version in the United States. As for H5N1, it had been running rampant, as you said, through cattle. It had led to positive cases of three people, at least, in the United States, have contracted it. None of them died, but it was also obviously poultry before it was cattle in the U.S. When it comes to Mexico, so far, the only cases have been in poultry. And again, as you mentioned, Tom, this had not been detected in a single huge. anywhere in the world until now. It's the only case, and he has died. But there is a backstory

to this, that 59-year-old man, according to his relatives, Tom, was bedridden for some three weeks with other conditions, right, unrelated to the acute symptoms he experienced from H5N2, but then also had underlying medical conditions and then reports these symptoms. So is this a function of his medical health, or is it a function of the strain itself? That's what scientists right now are trying to determine. And the weird thing is if he's been bedridden for all those weeks, how did this guy get it? I'm sure we'll learn more in the weeks ahead. We hope to learn more. Sam, we thank you for handling that breaking news for more information on the potential risks of this virus. I'm joined tonight by Dr. Nahed Badalia. She's an infectious disease

physician and founding director of Boston University Center on emerging infectious diseases. We thank you so much because you're an expert in this field. I first want to be very transparent with our audience here. We do not want to scare anybody, and I don't want to scare viewers out because we're just getting out of the pandemic, right? So, Doctor, if you can kind of walk us through this, what do we need to be concerned about, if anything at all, tonight? Well, Tom, I want to just start by saying both in the case of H5N1, which is circulating here in the U.S.

or in the case of H5N2, the risk to the general public, as of now, still remains pretty low. For H5N2, the infection that just happened in Mexico, we don't even know if it can be transmitted human to human yet. As you said, this is generally a virus that goes from poultry or birds into humans. Of course, what's strange about this is that this is a person who clearly didn't have that exposure. So I think coming weeks are going to tell us a little bit more. But in terms of how you protect yourself here in the U.S. with what's going on, because it's circulating among cattle and it's circulating among birds,

the biggest thing to do is to stay away from sick animals. And we know that this virus could appear in raw milk. The forced pasteurized and always drink pasteurized milk and avoid raw milk. Those are some of the basic things that you can do to avoid that particular outbreak that's going on. Is it transmitted at all through eating beef or chicken? So there is, yep, there is no evidence currently that there is a risk of transmission because the USDA did a study looking at beef muscle and symptomatic cattle that they looked at. and in 100-something samples that they looked at, only one was positive.

And in most case, in cooking, killed it. And so there's to date, nothing has been documented that shows that that could be a race. So I would not be worried about it at this point. That's good news. Explain how humans and especially farm workers get this. Because from what I've read, that it's transmitted from cows that are sick. Is it respiratory? Is that how it's transferred?

Yeah, I want to differentiate what's going on in Mexico from the H5N1 that's going on here in the U.S. What's going on here in the U.S. is a little bit more concerning because we're seeing this H5N1 outbreak appear in the first time in dairy cattle and is really spreading. As of yesterday, it was nine states and 82 farms. And of course, what the thought is that majority of that exposure is farm workers working very closely, in some cases with that raw milk that has a high amount of virus. But there is a concern that we don't know enough about how it's being transmitted on farms between animals or between animals and humans. That's why additional testing is needed to nail that down. To date, though, there's no evidence that there is sustained human-to-human transmission of H5N1 here in the United States. Yes.

But we want to keep testing to make sure it doesn't change. So, you know, cattle are penned in in farms. Is the theory that a sick cow, sick bull is then sold to another farm and then it's carrying the virus? The rancher didn't know this and then it spreads that way? Yeah, the USDA has introduced actually requirements to say that if there is, you know, if there are sick cows, that they should be tested. Now, this is not, I don't know that it goes far enough because we're not testing every animal and every farm. Yes, so absolutely. The cattle movement is probably impacting how big this outbreak is getting and then creating opportunities where infections may jump from cows into humans. Now, the concerning thing is summer is coming and then you are going to have, you know, farm fairs, right?

agricultural fair. People may be interacting with cattle. So one other thing I want to add to my earlier answer is if you're going to those cattle fairs or other places where you might be interacting with both barnyard animals and of course poultry, just be careful. Stay away from sick animals. Always sanitize your head. State fairs can always be so big in the summer. Real quick, just again, because I want to reiterate this point, if you're at home watching this, do you need to be, I don't want to say, concern? Well, yeah, do you need to be concerned or just to be aware of where you're going this summer, and if you're going to be around anyone who treats livestock? No, I think in general, the risk to general public remains low.

As I said, I think you want to stay away from sick birds. Believe it or not, 96 million birds were detected having H5N1, the virus that's going on here in the U.S. When you say stay away from birds, I'm just like, I mean, I'm not a bird guy, so I don't have interactions with birds. Like, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean, like, seagulls, do you mean pigeons here in New York, or do you mean like pet birds? Truly so many species, but the underlying thing is stay away from sick birds. You know, I can totally see there were detected birds in Central Park with his buyers.

You want to keep your kids and your dogs away from getting into sick birds or getting around sick birds. That's the possible transmission. But other than that, most people don't have contact with birds, as he said. Dr. Badellia, we thank you so much for being on Top Story tonight. And there's more breaking news tonight, this time out of France, where President Biden touched down today for D-Day's 80th anniversary, an explosion just north of Paris raising alarms over a possible blomplot. Authorities arresting a 26-year-old Ukrainian Russian man after a homemade explosive device detonated in his hotel room near Charles de Gaul airport. That suspect surviving and is now

in custody. This coming less than two months before the commencement, of course, of the Paris Olympic Games. For more on this investigation, I want to bring in NBC foreign correspondent Josh Letterman. Josh, first off, authorities found a bunch of products. and materials for manufacturing explosives in that hotel room. There was an explosion. What are they investigating in terms of targets? Well, so far, Tom, there are no indications that this had anything to do with President Biden's visit or to D-Day or, frankly, to the upcoming Olympics.

In fact, U.S. officials who have been briefed on this situation have told our NBC colleagues that authorities are looking into whether this actually had to do with Ukraine and the possibility that this man was a Russia supporter who was plotting to sabotage a French facility that is helping Ukraine with the war. Now, if that were the case, it would be just the latest example of what we know is an ongoing Russian sabotage campaign throughout Europe to try to undermine Western support for Ukraine, which has included warehouses, military bases, railways, things like that that are being used to help funnel weapons to Ukraine. Now, in this incident, at this early stage, authorities have not yet established a definitive motive, but officials have told us that the

substance that this suspect was making was acetone peroxide, which is, a homemade explosive, also known as the Mother of Satan, which the U.S. government has warned is not only extremely dangerous, but also very sensitive to heat or friction and can be made using recipes that have circulated in the past on the Internet time. What are authorities charging him with, and what is his condition right now? Yeah, well, right now, French prosecutors have charged him with being part of a terrorism conspiracy and for possessing an explosive device with the intent of hurting people. As far as his condition, French authorities say he suffered serious burns when that device exploded,

firefighters who responded to that explosion treated him initially on the scene. But beyond that, we don't know his current condition other than the fact that right now he is in law enforcement custody. You know, Josh, you mentioned at the top of your report that this doesn't appear to have any connection to the president's visit or the Paris Olympics, but there are facts that these are still happening, right? So the world is watching Paris. I've got to think the security situation over there is incredibly intense.

How did this play into all of that? It certainly only increases the level of alert. And France had already been on its highest level of security and was on watch for potential terror attempts. In fact, the French military has said it plans to mobilize some 20,000 troops to protect Paris, including for the opening ceremony, which, unlike a typical stadium ceremony, this one's going to take place outdoors on the river Sen, with huge crowds gathering on the riverbank, so very difficult to protect. And already, they have foiled one plot in France.

Last month, authorities there arrested an 18-year-old Chechen man. who they say was planning to attack a soccer stadium during the Olympics on behalf of the Islamic State Group. Tom? Josh Sletterman, with that breaking news out of Paris. Josh, thank you for that. It is a very busy news night tonight on this Wednesday. We're also following breaking news out of Georgia, where a state appeals court has just paused

former President Trump's election interference case as it reviews a lower court ruling, allowing Fulton County DA Fannie Willis to stay on that case. The appeals court setting oral arguments for October 4th, just a month before the presidential election in November. For more on all of this, let's get right to NBC News Senior Washington correspondent Hallie Jackson, who joins us now from D.C. Hallie, basically tell our viewers, what does this mean for Donald Trump and the election?

Timeline. It means it is almost impossible for this case to move forward to trial before November's election. We already thought that that was pretty likely, just based on some of the other elements here, but this essentially puts a nail in it because what this appeals court is doing now is pressing pause on this whole prosecution altogether until a panel of judges decides whether or not Fannie Willis should be allowed to continue prosecuting this. Now, as you know, a lower court has already said, yeah, she can, but Mr. Trump's team appealed.

They argued she should be disqualified because of a conflict of interest, which Willis denies over a romantic relationship with an attorney she hired to handle the case. So that October 4th hearing date you mentioned, that's just when oral arguments are. There then still has to be a decision, and then the rest of the case has to move forward.

Look at jury selection. Our team on the ground tells me tonight that that's expected to take months, possibly six months. There is no way this is happening before the November election based on this new news tonight. So if it is not a legal win yet for Mr. Trump, it is perhaps a political one for him tonight, Tom. All right, Hallie Jackson on that other big breaking story, Hallie. We thank you for that. Next tonight to a new explosive report in the Wall Street Journal about President Biden's acuity. The piece titled, Behind Closed Doors Biden shows signs of slipping. Reports that some government officials and lawmakers who have worked with President Biden have grown concerned over his mental fitness in office, including claims of mumbling, using note cards to make obvious points, and losing command over details. There was more than 45 people interviewed for the peace from both the Republican and Democratic parties over several months.

The representatives from the Biden-Harris campaign have been very, very critical of this report, specifically pointing to people defending the president whose quotes, they say, were not chosen to be in the peace. For more on the rest of that story and they're reporting, I want to bring in the reporters of this article, Annie Linsky and Shabon Hughes. Annie and Shavon, thanks so much for joining us. Your report has gained a lot of steam and garnered its own set of headlines. Annie, I want to start with you. What was the most striking thing you found in your reporting? Thanks so much. It's great to be here. I think in doing this reporting, for me, one of the most striking things is I had, we've had the White House for so long say to us, if only you could see the Joe Biden that we see behind closed doors. And that was what we set out

to do, you know, months ago when we started along the lines of this reporting. And as we talked to people, and we did, we talked to 45 people, we talked to as many people who are willing to talk to us who had spent time with the president behind closed doors. And as we did that reporting, we found that in some instances, his behavior troubled some of the participants of the meetings. He would pause for long periods of time. He would lose his train of thought. And he would close his eyes for extended periods. And these were, these were sort of anecdotes that we heard repeatedly. Yeah, even times when people thought he might have fallen asleep during meetings. Shabon, I found this notable because as a reporter, you can always get pushback,

but this seemed like a new experience. You guys write in the Wall Street Journal, the White House kept close tabs on some of the Wall Street Journal's interviews with Democratic lawmakers after the offices of several Democrats shared with the White House either a recording of an interview or details about what was asked. Some of those lawmakers spoke to the journal a second time and once again emphasize Biden's strengths. So how did this complicate your report? because I found that to be really fascinating. Well, it certainly adds another layer to the reporting. I'm used to talking to lawmakers and then selecting quotes that demonstrate various themes.

I am not used to repeated interviews on the same topic. And I certainly cannot speak to what is in the heads of these lawmakers or the White House. But what is clear is that this topic of age and mental acuity are really at the forefront of the 20-24 elections. I want to talk about some more of the pushback here, just so we can put it all out there. This is from a former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She posted, many of us spent time with the Wall Street Journal to share on the record our firsthand experiences with the president where we see his wisdom, experience, strength, and strategic thinking. Instead, the journal ignored testimony by Democrats, focused on attacks by Republicans, and printed a hit piece.

And this is Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island. He said, I was there and went on the record to the Wall Street Journal with opposite recollection. That's not quoted in the story. Bottom line, anonymous Republican sources didn't raise these issues in real-time day after a week, trying to do no reeks of a political hit job. So you have political hit job here twice. Annie, what led you to pursue the story and choose? I know you just said how to pursue the story, but how did you choose your quotes? Well, yeah, I'm glad that you brought that up. And I think for us, it was so important, and I'm so thankful for all of the people who spent time on the phone with us or in person, many of these interviews we did in person. It was incredibly important in our

reporting process as we were evaluating various tips that we got at various periods of what was a lengthy period of time. Ultimately, we could not include everybody that we talked to, but what we did include and what our reporting did reflect is their perspectives. And that's what I believe is very clear in the reporting, that not everybody came away from these meetings with the same impressions. Yeah, Shavon, I want to get to some of the meetings and the moments and the heart and meat of your piece, right, that you guys wrote about. You briefly point to the very public moments where Biden seemed confused, one specifically in a May event at the Rose Garden. Let's take a listen to that. And here with us today is Hirsch Goldberg-Pol and still he is not here with us.

but he's still being held by Hamas. So talk to me about that and what people told you about that moment. I was actually there for that, if it's easier for me. Yeah, exactly, exactly. Yeah, I was there for that. You know, that was one of those events. It just happened recently.

I was in the Rose Garden. And this is one of the instances where you see, there are sort of two Bidens. There is a Biden that you see at the state of the union address. He's forceful, he's strong. But at other events, at the state of the union address, At other times, when he speaks, he's very hard to understand.

He mixes things up. In this instance, particularly, he's talking at a Jewish-American heritage event in the Rose Garden and saying that a person who's a hostage is there present in the group. You know, we all make flubs. Of course we do. But with this president, it happens quite frequently. Shuan, I want to put up something here that you guys point out in your piece. It's a graphic with research.

a professor you interviewed collected. You see here the number of press conferences, right, that have been held from inauguration through April of the fourth year of the first presidential term. Biden doing almost one-third the amount Trump had completed. And you guys have other instances about meetings and getting lawmakers together here. This is essentially proof you were providing to readers that this is a little different from what the norm has been in the White House, correct? Yeah, a piece of it is that it's different. from what the norm is. It also matches up with a lot of the reporting I've heard that Biden is just kept off limits from the Hill. The Hill frequently isn't really aware of what it's

like to interact with him because that simply doesn't happen. And I think the other thing it does is it demonstrates that the instances, the meetings we've mentioned over the past year are not cherry-picked meetings. We're not attempting to pick out the president's worst moments. We're picking out very meaningful moments, very meaningful meetings, and there just aren't a lot to choose from. And if I could jump in here, I mean, if I could jump in here, you know, covering the White House, when you talk about press conferences, I mean, this is a moment, and these are times when you get to see the president in unscripted moments. And that's something that we see fewer of with this president than we have with previous presidents. And that's what we were trying to

reflect in that part of the story. That it's just the American people. people don't have as many chances to see this president answering questions, fielding questions that might come from left field, might be hard to answer. He might not have been prepared for or might be uncomfortable. And so it just means that it was for us at least so much more important to find as many people who have sat down and who have met with him to talk to. And I will say, we would like to continue to have that conversation. You know, we'd love to continue to hear from people.

who sat down with the president and hear their experiences of that exchange. In the piece, you also acknowledge that former President Trump has been guilty of similar slip-ups. I want to play one from the campaign trail. By the way, they never report the crowd on January 6th. You know, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, you know, they, do you know they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything? Deleted and destroyed all of it. All of it.

Because of lots of things. like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want. So the former president clearly was speaking of Nancy Pelosi there. And neither of you can jump in here. I guess the question for voters and what really matters is is one worse than the other.

I mean, clearly polls show that voters wish they had other choices in this election. They don't anymore. So the question is, is one more fit for office than the other when it comes at least to mental acuity? I mean, it's not really our job to make that determination. That's up to the voters and the public. But what I will say is the aim here is to provide readers and voters the information they need.

So whatever they decide, they can say they have made an informed decision. Annie and Chauvin from the Wall Street Journal. We thank you for your report that has, again, garnered a lot of news today. All right, it is time now for more power in politics. And tonight, the short list of running mates for former president. President Trump has reportedly been whittled down to four. And sources tell NBC News the top candidates have been sent vetting materials. A sign a decision could be coming soon. NBC's Dasha Burns takes a look at what each one of them would bring to the ticket. Tonight, the battle to be former President Trump's running mate heating up and the field narrowing. Sources tell NBC News Trump's shortlist of VP candidates have recently received vetting materials.

and four men have emerged as this year's possible Veeb Stakes' top contenders. Two sources say Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, North Dakota Governor Doug Bergam and Florida Senator Marco Rubio are on the list. And one source says Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina is as well. We need Donald Trump. All four candidates now fierce Trump loyalists, defending him during his New York hush money trial in the courtroom and on the air. This is the quintessential show.

trial. This is what you see in communist countries. This legal proceeding is disgraceful. But what about trying to call their country a fascist state? They're trying to throw him in prison for a paperwork violation, Wolf. Vance has proven to be what of Trump's staunches defenders, an attack dog in the media with strong base bona fides. The other senators on the short list possibly giving Trump access to voting blocks he struggled with in the past.

Scott with black voters and Rubio with Latinos. The Florida senator also ramping up his rhetoric on Twitter. in a decidedly Trumpian style. Who are we going to send back to the White House? Trump! Trump likely has a different interest in billionaire Burgum, a one-man war chest who can help fund his campaign, which has lagged behind President Biden's in fundraising.

He's been a successful businessman. I think Trump could pout that. But while President Biden's running mate Kamala Harris became the first black woman to ever serve as vice president, half of Trump's new narrower list of prospects are white. All of them, And most of them have tussled with Trump in the past. I'm a never-Trump guy.

I never liked him. Would you ever do business with Donald Trump? I don't think so. Why? I would, I just think that it's important that you're judged by the company you keep. Rubio famously sparring with Trump during the 2016 primary, with both men getting personal. He's always calling me little Marco. And I'll admit, the guy he's tall on him, he's like 6-2, which is why.

I don't understand why his hands are the size of someone who's 5.2. Have you seen his hands? They're like this. And you know what they say about men with small hands? He hit my hands. Nobody has ever hit my hands. I've never heard of this one. Look at those hands. Are they small hands? And he referred to my hands. If they're small, something else must be small. I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee. Now, a group of former Trump detractors turned loyalists waiting in limbo on a fluid shortlist as the former president mulls his next move.

All right, fresh off that new reporting, Dasha Burns joins us now in studio. So Dasha, the former president had said he's going to reveal his running mate at the convention. Do we think that's still going to hold? Look, just like his shortlist has been fluid, I think the timing is fluid too. I mean, this is former President Trump. He loves a show, so the convention seems appropriate. Initially, nominees announced their running mates around the convention, but honestly, he could wake up any day and decide, you know what, let's go. And then, Dasha, you know, I know some people might be reading stuff on social media and wondering if two people on the same ticket, right, president, vice president, can be from the same state.

Some people are wondering if Senator Marco Rubio can even be a running mate because that would make them both from Florida. Yes, so there's a little constitutional problem there called the 12th Amendment. that does prohibit delegates from voting for president and a vice president from the same state. But this has happened before Dick Cheney, George W. Bush's running mate. Of course, he moved from Texas to Wyoming before the election so they could be running mates. It's possible Rubio could do the same thing. There are loopholes if former President Trump really wants Rubio, they could make it happen. And is there any reason to believe that Trump could surprise us all and choose somebody not on the short list?

Yep. A dark horse could come around anytime. I mean, people thought Governor Doug Bergum was kind of a surprise, and now he seems to be the hot. Right by his side. Exactly. Exactly. So anything could happen here. All right, Dasha Burns, we thank you for that. Still ahead tonight. You're not going to want to miss this one. Surviving the son of Sam. The NYPD just confirming a woman who is now in her 80s was the serial killer's first victim before his rampage began in 1976. She survived. And tonight she's going to tell us her story. You're going to see it right here. Plus the cyber attack, tar. targeting the TikTok accounts of brands and celebrities, including Paris Hilton, what we know about the breach and the risk to other users. And a major scare at a Texas safari park, video showing a giraffe. Look at this, picking up a toddler from a car before dropping her back down. What we know about the incident and the changes that park is making.

Stay with us. We're back now with an update on one of the most notorious serial killer cases. in the U.S. The son of Sam sending New York City into a panic with a shooting rampage from 1976 to 1977. For decades, we thought we knew the full scope of his crimes, but tonight we're learning about another victim who survived. The 44 caliber killer is still at large. It was a case that terrorized New York City for a year. From July 1976 to July 1977, more than a dozen New Yorkers shot at random with a 44 caliber bulldog revolver. Six people killed, and many of the victims, women.

The girl and her boyfriend were sitting in a car in Brooklyn, where they were attacked. She died yesterday in a hospital. The crime scene spread out across Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. At the scene of the shooting, detectives plotted the area, charting places where witnesses could have seen the killer escape. In April of 77, the NYPD confirming they had a serial killer on their hands. Over night, he hit again. A note was left at the the scene of a double murder addressed to an NYPD captain on the case, the killer, referring to himself as the son of Sam. We still have no idea of his identity or his location.

As the manhunt continued, the so-called son of Sam continued to taunt police. In another handwritten letter, this one sent to New York Daily columnist Jimmy Breslin, which was eventually printed in the paper. When you have someone like this coming in the unknown, you don't know what he looks like, You don't know what he sounds like. You don't know where he lives. You don't know where he's going to be tonight. We're helpless.

The city sent into a panic. Women racing to change their hairstyle after it was revealed many of the victims had long, dark hair. By day, it's common to see young women with kerchiefs over their hair or hair pinned up. But in August of 77, police analyzing parking tickets written near the scene of one of the shootings, leading investigators to 24-year-old David Berkowitz. When police discovered the machine gun. and a letter in the car, 15 detectives staked out. A 44-caliber handgun found alongside him,

and Berkowitz, allegedly telling officers, you've got me. Pleaded guilty to all six of the murders that frightened New York City for about a year. He immediately confessed to the killing spree, originally telling authorities he was instructed to kill by demons possessing his neighbor's dog. Berkowitz was sentenced to 25 years in prison for each of his six murders. Oh, I feel much safer, walking the streets of New York. For decades, it's been believed that his violent shooting spree began on July 29,

1976. But that all changed this month, when the NYPD confirmed Wendy Savino was the first official son of Sam victim. She was shot while sitting in her car in the Bronx in April of 76. She lost her eye in the attack, but lived to tell her story. And tonight, right here on Top Story, we are so lucky to be joined by Wendy, the confirmed first son of Sam Victim who survived. She's Top Story Spotlight interview tonight.

Wendy, thank you so much for joining us. So if you can, and I know it's got to be emotional and it's tough, take us back to that day in April of 1976 and what you remember. You were sitting in your car. And what did you see? I'm sitting in my car. And I go to get my seatbelt, and looking this way, there's a young man, quite nice looking, walking towards me, smiling.

So I made sure my doors are locked. I'm safe, wasn't I? And I'm putting on the seatbelt, but I can see him peripherally. I've seen him full face first when he's walking towards me. He has heart-shaped face, Widow's Peak, sideburns, a little crook in his nose. He's smiling, and he has blue eyes. And it didn't look scary at all. So I continue with what I'm doing.

And as I go to put my seatbelt, I see this. And I think he's going to knock on the window and ask for directions. He's smiling. The next thing, my chest exploded. The first bullet came in here, and my lung just exploded. I looked back at him. I put my arm up.

The second bullet went through this arm, hit the dashboard, and went into my right eye. Third bullet. Third bullet through my shoulder here goes through. I mean, I don't know exactly what's happening at the time. I know my chest blew up. I know I'm blinded where I are.

I don't know. I don't know how the bullets are going. But the third one in the shoulder traveled through, made a hole in my windpipe. And now I'm a balloon. deflating. The force of this bullet, forced my, the strength of it forced me. I was in a bucket seat in a silver-gray jaguar. I'd had it for five days, which is my birthday present for my husband. But at this time, one, two, three, as I say, one, two, three, that forced me into the passenger's bucket seat.

I can't see him that well because I'm blinding this one, and I have eight pieces of glass in my left eye. I know this afterwards. Yeah, afterwards. Afterwards. Obviously, I wasn't seen a girl. And... Does he stay or does he leave?

No. He stood there smiling the whole time, and he started laughing. You could hear him laughing? I could hit. Well, my window has gone with the gun. I have no window on the bathroom, on the driver's side. So I could hear. I can see him. I can see him laughing. And I said, oh, he's going to come and get my jewelry. Yeah, I'm wearing things like this. I was wearing both of these that night. And I thought, well, he's not coming for my jewelry. what earth is going on? I know, I'm sure. But why? What does he want? Didn't come from my jury, so I thought it's obvious. He wants me dead. What else? There's nobody else around. There's no reason. I don't know him. No idea. So I stay where I am, and I said, if he wants

me dead, I'm playing dead. This one didn't matter whether I closed it or not, but I closed this eye, and I'm peeking at him. I can see him, but I looked at it. I'm hardly breathing, which is not on that. Did he eventually run off? After that, I'm like this. He put two more bullets in my back. He shot you more times.

Five times. Three the first time. Then a break. I'm pretending to be dead, and two more come in the back of my left lung. Wow. So I just stay there. There's no point in trying to get out the other side. I've got to climb over the bucket chair.

There's certainly no point in getting out this side. He's standing there. Yeah. I mean, where can I go? So I just stayed there. And the parking lot was made of gravel. And I hear his footsteps receding, going away from me. And I no longer hear his feet.

I get up, open the door, I roll out onto the gravel. I crawl across the parking lot until I find a wall. And I followed the wall until I got to the end of the wall. And I realized at that point, I'm going out of the parking lot. Is he still here? I don't know. But if I look and he is, I will freeze in fear. So don't look, go and don't look.

Try and save yourself. And if no, at least tell people what it looks like. You finally received help, right, at a restaurant? I walked around. I went into the restaurant. It was the kitchen entrance. And as I went in, everybody screamed and threw their pots and pads in the air. I can't believe you're here.

I mean, after taking all those bullets that you're sitting here telling me the story, it's a miracle. I want to jump a couple steps ahead. You talk to the police and you give them a sketch. I'm going to put it up for our viewers, and you're going to see it too. Sorry, you have to relive this. But your sketch is so similar to the man they eventually arrested. The left part of that face is my sketch. Is your sketch?

Yes. The other side is an actual picture of him when he was caught. This happened in 1976 and 1977. Just this month, they confirmed you're the first victim. Why? Why did it take so long? I don't know why it took so long, but immediately after being shot, I was in the intensive care for over two months.

My sons were sent to Florida and were living under different names. And his killings spree takes off. in July a few months after you you're his first victim in the Bronx he waits a couple months maybe there were more victims we don't know and then he he starts really the rampage over the next year in July yeah so you were this first victim a few months later it starts in July the summer of Sam why do you think police didn't work with you why do you think they didn't listen to your story it's not I did tell them the story they did have this story it's the

exact story and I told them and I'm telling now he has But they have a perfect sketch. My drawing of him is his face. Yeah. Just he should have had a little more of a... Why do you think they didn't connect the dots? I don't know, but right after I got out of the intensive care unit, I went to England. My husband arrived and took me out the emergency entrance into a wagon and out to day of K.

When did you realize you were a son of Sam victim? I mean, because it starts to garner headlines. headlines. There's a panic in the city, as we saw in the report. Women are changing their hairstyles. When did you say, wait a minute, this is the guy that shot me? I didn't know who I knew what he looked like, but I didn't know his name until he was arrested. And you said that's the man? That's who shot me. So what did the NYPD tell you after all these years? Because I know they finally said you're the first victim. How did that come about? They came to visit me at my house, we discussed it. They took anything that I knew. They compared it to what they had.

I also have to give credit to Manny Grossman. He got all of Son and Sam's records from the police, and he went through them, and he found my sketch in Donna Lurie file. That was the next girl that was killed. Oh, wow. And he found in her file, Donna, Donna Laurie, was my sketch and my report, what I had told the police. But it was 141 pages. He went through every single one, and he compared them and realized it definitely was on the same. So, you know, he comes up for parole.

Yes, last week. last week and it happens every several years he'll come up if you had a chance to talk to him has he ever reached out to you or no if you had a chance to talk to him what would you say can I say it on television I mean it is streaming but I what would you what would you want to tell him I call him a rotten bastard

I'm so angry at him still oh yes how dare he how dare he I mean he ruined my life I was in the theater before I was a contortionist. I was a trapeze artist. You were a performer, yeah. Yes, I was a performer.

And he robbed all that from you. Yes. He took it from me. He took my children away from me for about four or five months. Because you sent them away. You were afraid? I was terrified. You thought somebody was targeting you.

They were after you. Well, I thought he had friends, perhaps, if they knew where I live. And the newspapers put my home address in the newspaper. Oh. They put my husband off his address. At the time in the 70s, because you said you locked your doors, you know, you look at the story now and it's shocking. And if it even happened now, it would be shocking. But we've had so many serial killers.

We've had so much violence in the media. I don't want to say we're numb to it, but I think we would react maybe a little differently. At the time, did you ever think someone was capable of this in the 70s in New York? This was something just completely grotesque and new. it just wasn't real. Why? Why? There was just no reason. And people are trying to desist them, you know, this, that, and the other. But there was absolutely no reason for him to go walk out and show, and we. You've been able to come on this show. You've shared your story. You've told it before. I'm glad that the NYPD has finally sort of connected the dots with your story.

And you're a survivor. You know, at the end of the day, you are a survivor. What has life taught you? I suppose there's always hope that you have to be strong. You have to be positive. If you become negative when even just through an injury or a surgery, if you're miserable and negative, you're not going to lift up. You've got to be positive and you've got to believe that you can do it. Wendy, we thank you for coming on Top Store. I know it's very tough to relive that, but I know that you now know and have gotten some closure

that you know the person who did this to you, and he is sitting and rotting in a cell right now. Exactly. Wendy, we thank you for being here. You're very welcome. And we're going to be right back. Okay, we're back down with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters

and police at Stanford University. Police say the students and some alumni lock themselves inside the university president's office. At least 13 people were arrested. The university also saying a public safety officer was injured after allegedly being shoved by protesters. Stanford announcing the arrested students will be suspended and seniors will not be allowed to graduate. A frightening wildfire encounter caught on camera at a Texas safari park. Dramatic video capturing the moment of giraffe. Look at this, picks up a toddler by the shirt and lifts her into the air. She's then dropped back down into her mother's arms, thankfully. The child was not hurt. Fossil Rim,

Wildlife Center, which is outside Fort Worth, says it will no longer allow its guests to ride through the park in truck beds to prevent similar incidents from happening. And TikTok saying a cyber attack is targeting brands and celebrity accounts. The social media platform saying only a small number of accounts were actually compromised, including CNN. TikTok says it's working to restore access to the affected account owners. Reality TV star Paris Hilton was also reportedly targeted. All right, coming up, the King's New Bills, notes featuring King's King Charles officially in circulation, so what happens to all that money with Queen Elizabeth? And why are collectors racing to get their hands on the new notes? We'll explain.

Back now, we want to head overseas to the alarming shootout outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. A suspect is under arrest tonight, and authorities say he was wearing ISIS insignia. Here's Raph Sanchez. This is the moment a gunman opens fire outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. You can see him targeting a passing army jean. The shooter, masked, helmeted, and armed with an assault rifle, battling Lebanese troops for half an hour before he was shot and captured. The individual who was arrested was wearing what appeared to be ISIS insignia, but we are conducting a full investigation with the Lebanese authorities.

Lebanese officials say he's a citizen of Syria and that they arrested five other people in widespread raids. A local security guard was seriously wounded. but all embassy staff are safe. The attack reviving painful memories of a suicide bombing at the embassy in 1983, which killed 63 people. And comes as there are new fears the Mideast conflict could spread, with fighting intensifying along the Israel-Lebanon border between Israeli troops and Hezbollah,

a militia that, like Hamas, is backed by Iran. Today, 11 Israelis injured in what Hezbollah says was an explosive drone strike. Netanyahu visiting the border, warning that Israel is prepared for a military offensive into Lebanon to restore security. All right, Ralph Sanchez joins us tonight from Jerusalem. Raf, the last thing the world needs right now is a second front in this war. What is the U.S. doing to stop potentially another conflict erupting in Lebanon? So, Tom, the White House's theory here is that the best way to avoid war in Lebanon is to get

to a ceasefire in Gaza. Remember, the Hezbollah attacks on Northern Israel began on October 8th, and they have continued nonstop, except for that one week brief ceasefire in Gaza we saw back in November. So the White House is all in on trying to make that ceasefire proposal President Biden laid out last week a reality. The CIA director is in Qatar tonight, meeting with his counterparts, trying to push that ceasefire proposal forward. Now, the White House says this proposal came from Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed it. There is fierce opposition to it from the far right of the Israeli government. But the White House says, for all of that, they believe Israel is on board, and at this point,

the only thing standing in the way of a ceasefire is Hamas, Agria. Tom. OK, Ralph Sanchez for us. And we have some other international news, of course, in Top Story's Global Watch. We're going to start with the first British bank notes featuring King Charles, now in circulation. Take a look. This is what they look like. The new notes will slowly be rolling out, replacing those which are damaged. Those with portraits of the late Queen Elizabeth can still be used. He's only the second monarch to actually appear on those notes after his mother, who was first featured in 1960. The first batch is expected to be worth a lot of money to collectors.

And McDonald's has lost its Big Mac trademark in the European Union. An EU court ruling the U.S. fast food giant lost the exclusive right to the term after failing to use it on poultry products for five years. The company had registered the trademark for beef and chicken products. This gave a legal victory to Irish fast food rival Super Mac. They will now be able to use Mac on more of their products throughout the UK. Okay, when we come back, a spider invasion. It may seem like the plot of a horror movie, but it's a reality, a venomous flying spider from Asia, expected to move into the Northeast this year. So do they pose a risk to humans and pets? That's next. For our last story tonight, we're talking about a potential spider takeover. A giant flying

East Asian spider species is making its way up the East Coast. And although the invasive insect might send chills down your spine, experts say there's not too much to worry about. Valerie Castle reports. If you have a fear of spiders, this venomous flying arachnid will send you running. Oh, no, I got to go. Like, no. And experts believe the Goro spider could descend on the East Coast later this year. The brightly hued bug native to East Asia first arrived on U.S. soil years ago. A leading theory suggests the critters were unintentionally transported here via cargo shipments and personal travel for settling in Georgia. The climate here actually mimics their habitat in their native range, so it's really, really similar. So they can, you know,

exist from the southeastern u.s all the way you know north into canada they'll be hard to miss they are quite large with a leg span of up to four inches and the ability to fly by releasing silk threads into the air reminiscent of this scene from charlotte's web but this is not fiction across the eastern u.s they're probably here to stay for the long term they might look scary but experts say they don't pose any real risk to humans and pets, except for maybe some itching and irritation if bitten. They are not notoriously aggressive. They feed mostly on yellow jackets, mosquitoes, stink bugs, and that invasive species, the spotted lanternfly. While the Goro is also considered an invasive species, experts say if you do see one, it's okay to leave it

alone. There are a lot of native spiders that look almost identical to Gero spiders. So we definitely don't want to encourage people to start squashing them because they could be killing native species. Valerie Castro, NBC News. That is a weird-looking spider. All right, we thank Valerie for that one, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.