Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Episode Date: March 6, 2025

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, President Trump putting a major part of his auto tariff plan in reverse. Trump announcing a one-month pause in tariffs on some automobiles. The president also talking directly with Canada's prime minister after Trudeau blasted his tariff moves. This, as grocery stores warn, the tariffs will soon raise prices for shoppers soon. Our Yasmin Vesuvian takes us inside one supermarket chain bracing for the price shocks. Also tonight, the extreme winter weather across the country has turned deadly, damaging winds thrashing the Carolinas, drivers facing white-out conditions on the roads in the Midwest, and the south reeling from devastating flooding, and nearly a dozen tornadoes, where the massive system is headed next. Plus, the new images tonight of the man U.S. officials say planned the bombing that killed 13 American soldiers during the Afghanistan withdrawal, the charges he's now facing. Major shifts in Ukraine, Trump signaling he made resume talks with President Zelensky

less than a week after that Oval Office blow up. And what the White House is now saying about that pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Taylor ticket fraud, New York officials charging two men in an international conspiracy to steal and resell more than $600,000 in tickets to Taylor Swift's Ares Tour. What you need to know before you buy your next concert tickets. Downing the diamonds of Florida jewelry thief, swallowing $700,000 in Tiffany earrings will show you the stunning X-rays.

And surprise at sea, the wild moment, a 900-pound dolphin landed in a fishing boat in New Zealand, how the fishermen on board got it back in the water. And the beef tonight between New York and Texas over the New York strip steak, while the Lone Star State's lieutenant governor says the iconic cut should be renamed the Texas Strip. story. Starts right now.

Hey, good evening. I'm Tom Yamis. Tonight, just one day after that historic address, President Trump reversing a key part of his economic agenda, saying he will put a one-month pause on stiff tariffs for some cars imported into the U.S. The move comes after Trump's call with major auto manufacturers today. Allowing relief for cars brought in under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. However, the vast majority of tariffs are still on. And today, Trump's speaking with Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, but not reaching any type of agreement to end the standoff. And scenes like this now playing out, take a look at this. This is happening across Canada, American whiskey and wine taken off the shelves of Canadian liquor stores as tensions rise

between the longtime allies. And new forecasts showing just how much these tariffs could raise prices. Take a look for Americans. One estimate from Moody saying, average household could end up spending $1,200 to $1,300 more a year. Grocery stores now confronted with a choice between rising prices and absorbing costs. Gasmusovian takes us inside one supermarket chain, hoping to keep costs down for customers, but unsure how they'll now source some of those products. And last night, Trump signaling this round of tariffs is just the start. Previewing blanket reciprocal tariffs on all trade partners starting April 2nd.

The president acknowledging Americans will feel an impact, but insisting the longer-term trade benefits are worth the short-term costs. Our senior business correspondent, Christine Romans, has been following the trade war from the start and leads us off tonight. A new protectionist era in America, and the president acknowledging Americans will feel it in their pocketbook. Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again, and it's happening, and it will happen rather quickly.

There'll be a little disturbance. But we're okay with that. It won't be much. That disturbance, according to one estimate, will cost the average American household $12 to $1,300 more a year for the goods they're buying now. The White House announcing one change to its policy after the president spoke today with the big three U.S. automakers.

A one-month pause on tariffs on auto imports that come in through the U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade agreement. At the request of the companies associated with USMCA, the president is giving them an exemption for one month so they are not at an economic disadvantage. Markets were covering some of their two-day losses on hopes more concessions would follow. But after a phone call with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Trump merely posting that it ended in a somewhat friendly manner. He gave no further indication of changes to come on the tariffs he imposed this week,

20% on China and 25% on both Canada and Mexico. The call ended in a somewhat friendly manner, as the President said, but he's not going to stop standing up for the American people. President Trump says the trade war is just beginning, with the potential for new tariffs on virtually every trading partner starting April 2nd. Whatever they tariff us, other countries, we will tariff them. That's reciprocal back and forth. Whatever they tax us, we will tax us.

We will tax them. Christine Romans joins us tonight from a grocery store there in Clifton, New Jersey. Christine, I think we're going to have to have you on every night to explain what's happening with tariffs. Talk a little more about this pause in auto tariffs. What does it mean and what happens after that month? And then we're also getting news tonight. I know you have new reporting about tariffs and other sectors as well that might be put on pause. Look, it's changing by the hour in some cases in terms of what this trade war is looking like.

So in terms of auto tariffs, there's a one-month pause just for that part of the industry. Because look, the auto industry had already agreed to new trade rules under the first Trump administration. They're saying we're abiding by Mr. Trump's trade rules. We need more time to figure out how to go forward in an environment of 25 percent tariffs with Mexico and Canada. And we're also very closely watching what happens to the agriculture sector of Bloomberg news tonight reporting that the ag secretary is saying everything is on the table. in terms of trying to protect American farmers, both from retaliation and also maybe there could be carved out to try to protect agriculture, you know, food and fuel and really important things for the American economy, Tom.

All right, Christine Romans First. Christine, we thank you for that picking up on that reporting without a real pause and tariffs on agricultural products. Experts say the first place you're likely to see a change in prices is at your supermarket. With many everyday staples coming from Mexico and Canada, prices may go up for everything from tomatoes to tequila. NBC's Yasmin Vesuvian went aisle by owl with one supermarket chain owner to see how it could impact your next grocery bill. At this Connecticut supermarket, they're bracing for price hikes. Everything is more. I mean, everything go up. With those tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, now in effect.

Now, these are Vancouver. Okay. There are lots of people make grow tomatoes all over the world. So probably if these go up 25% again, we'll have to look for another source. Stu Leonard Jr. is the president and CEO of Stu Leonard, a family-owned grocery chain on the East Coast with eight locations. The tariffs making keeping prices low a financial and logistical challenge. So right now your salmon is $999 a pound. Farm raised from Canada.

Yes, ma'am. But if we're looking at a 25% tariff, then we're looking at an increase up to $12, $13. dollars yes he's trying to keep those 25% increases from hitting his customers we are a little concerned about what's going on but we're doing our best we're talking to the suppliers you know we're trying to keep the price down we are anticipating a higher cost in the next couple days those tariffs on almost all goods likely to be felt by americans at the grocery store first these are two dollar two for five dollars right now right and these are coming straight from Mexico.

Yeah. This one is tough because I, now this, I can't source, I can't go to it somewhere else and get avocados, I got to raise the price. You got to raise the price. I got to raise the price. I have to. I can't get them anywhere else. And those price hikes could change buying habits.

So if you're seeing a 25% increase in avocados, for instance, does that mean you're going to be buying less of some of that produce? Definitely, no question. And it's not just food, but booze with prices on beef. from Mexico. This is in the bull's eye as far as raising the price, 25%. And tequila. I can't buy this anywhere else in the world.

I got to go to Mexico. Set to jump, though those prices may go up only once the product already imported to the U.S. runs out. For Leonard and his business, they're bracing for volatility, unsure how much the trade war will affect prices, and for how long. It's like a tariffs as a dartboard. Yasmin joins us now in studio. So, Yasmin, we just heard from Christine before your report. You were in the grocery store. What are shoppers telling you, are they already feeling it?

Besides eggs, are they seen it with other items, too? They're not feeling it yet, but there's two schools of thought. There's the wait and see folks, and there's folks that are worried. The wait and see folks are saying, okay, listen, owners like Stu Leonard are saying we're going to absorb the cost, right? So maybe if there's a 25% hike, they're going to increase at 15%. So we won't absorb all of it, and our prices won't go sky high on things like avocados, tomatoes, salmon, for instance, because to Leonard is saying, hey, we can go to Norway, we can get Norwegian salmon versus Canadian salmon. But then there's the folks that are on the fixed incomes,

right? I talked to a lot of folks that are retired. They're getting social security checks every month, right? A 20% I hike, even 15% hike in prices at grocery stores, that's going to cost a lot for them. That's a major hit for them. And they're going to think twice about buying avocados, tomatoes, tomatoes, salmon, and a lot of goods that are coming from these places, Tom. We're going to have to wait and see what happens here. Yasman, we appreciate reporting. Thank you for showing us that. Now to the deadly winter blasts across the country. That storm spawning blizzards in the Midwest and thunderstorms and tornadoes across the south. In Mississippi an EF2 tornado touching down damaging homes and injuring residents.

NBC's Kathy Park is there for us tonight. Tonight, extreme weather striking all corners of the country. A powerful line of storms unleashing hurricane force winds in the Carolinas. This is insane. And whiteout conditions in the Midwest. grounding flights making a mess on the roads even shutting down parts of the interstate in Nebraska the south recovering from torrential downpours and ferocious flash flooding the storms being blamed for at least three deaths and

several injuries in Mississippi hard hit Wayne County was still recovering from last month EF3 tornado that damaged dozens of homes today they're finding their way forward after another likely tornado just kind of came out of no It was a really scary 15 seconds. Supper turned into survival mode for Lynn Smith and her family. I've never prayed so hard in 15 seconds in my life. We walked from right there to right here and just got on the floor and put some pillows over our heads and prayed for the best. Since Monday, at least 13 tornadoes have been confirmed across five states and peak severe weather season is still weeks away.

This is a preview of what's to come. potentially just looking at the overall picture usually March April is when it really starts the heat up as a late winter storm now races east the mid-Atlantic in the bullseye for damaging winds and downpours kathy park joins us live tonight from jackson mississippi kathy we see the devastation there we had been tracking this storm all week we saw exactly what it did in your report you mentioned that next storm on its way what do we know about that one so tom good evening to you. Well, fortunately, the threat here is over, and that's certainly some good news because residents could use a break. Just take a look at some of the damage behind me. This home completely

destroyed, and the frame barely hang on. And here's something worth pointing out, Tom. Part of this home ended up in the pool. But as far as the storm, now it is pushing off the eastern seaboard. We are tracking some heavy downpours as well as strong wind gusts, especially in the mid-Atlantic area right now, but the severe weather threats are about to expire. Tom? Kathy Park on the scene for us tonight. Kathy, thank you. We do want to turn to some breaking news that says coming in now out of New York City, a standoff between pro-Palestinian protesters and police at Columbia's sister school, Barnard College. Here's the new cell phone video. It shows officers in riot gear clashing with demonstrators as they tried to clear a campus building and a surrounding area. The NYPD was responding to a bomb threat called into that building. Authorities evacuated the area and said, anyone who remains on the premises is subject to arrest. So let's get right to NBC. New York's Chris Jose, who's reporting from the scene. Chris, pick it up from there. So what happened after police said that? And do we know of any arrests at this hour? Well, Tom, as you just mentioned, the NYPD rushed over here to Barnard College this afternoon after a report of a bomb

threat. A short time ago, officers cleared the building and did not find any explosives. Quite the scene, though, just after 5 p.m. today, as cops wearing that riot gear forced a group of pro-Palestinian protesters out of the Milstein Center, which is a library on. campus. It's here where demonstrators took over the building for some five hours today, demanding the college reinstate students who were recently disciplined. Most protesters did comply with police commands, but we also saw a handful of arrests. The NYPD saying moments ago, those now in police custody are facing charges. Tom? And then Chris, what more do we know about these protests? And do we have any reason to believe they may grow like what happened last

year. Well, that's something that the NYPD certainly is monitoring every single day, every single hour. The demonstrations today, just the first, just another of a series of demonstrations we've seen. There was a large one here last night. Hundreds of people were in and around the campus of Columbia University. Demonstrators say they relaunched their sit-in after the administration. In their words, sabotaged negotiations and lockdown campus. This all stems after multiple Barnard students face disciplinary action for breaking into Hamilton Hall on Columbia University's campus last year. Barnard expelled one student and suspended the other. That same group, that pro-Palestinian group claims Barnard expelled two other students for disrupting a history of modern Israel class.

Barnard's president today calling the protesters mass disruptors who interrupted several classes this afternoon. Tom. All right, Chris Jose from our flagship station, WNBC. Chris, we appreciate all your reporting. Some other national news, one of the major revelations in President Trump's address to Congress last night, the news that the U.S. had arrested an ISIS terror suspect who allegedly plotted that deadly suicide bombing at a Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members in 2021. Kendallanian has new tales on the suspect known as Jafar and the reaction from the families of the soldiers who died tonight.

It was one of the darkest days of the two-decade American war in Afghanistan. 13 U.S. service members were among 173 people killed by a suicide bomber, just days before U.S. troops left the country in August 2021. Among them, Kelly Barnett's son, staff sergeant Darren Taylor Hoover. We used to call him our protector. He always was like that, but he was just such a good person. Tonight, an ISIS terror suspect, who the FBI says confessed to helping carry out the bombing, is in U.S. custody, facing federal criminal charges after being handed over, by Pakistan.

We have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity. And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice. Mohamed Sherry Fulah, also known as Jafar, did not enter a plea when he appeared in court Wednesday to face terrorism charges. He faces life in prison. CIA director John Ratcliffe offering details on how it all. went down. I spoke with the head of Pakistani intelligence.

I shared with him intelligence that we had, indicating that Jafar was located in the Afghan-Pakistan border region. I told him if he wanted to work with President Trump and have good relations with our country, that they would make this a high priority. An American official tells NBC News the U.S. did not participate in the arrest. I was there at Dulles Airport last night to receive him along with FBI director, Cash Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. The Biden administration said in 2023 that the ISIS terrorists who masterminded the attack

was killed by the Taliban with no U.S. involvement. Trump administration officials today criticized what they said was a failure by the Biden team to do more. Two former senior Biden administration officials said they set the stage for the capture through years of intelligence sharing with Pakistan to hunt for Sherry Fulah and other ISIS terrorists. Just in three years, the Biden administration couldn't bring this man to justice in a month through our intel sharing relationship, the great work of director Radcliffe, Pam Bondi, Cash Patel. He landed overnight. Barnett echoing that sentiment today.

What was your reaction to this news? It did fill me with a lot of hope. You know, we promise his kept. He's keeping his word to us. and it just feels good to know that we're being remembered. Court records say Sherry Fullough waived his Miranda rights and confessed to FBI agents that he helped plan the Abigate attack, including scouting a route near the airport for the attacker

and relaying that it was clear. According to those records, he also told the FBI he helped train the ISIS terrorists who killed 130 people in a 2024 attack on a concert hall near Moscow and that he helped a suicide bomber killed 10 Canadian Embassy Guards in Kabul in 2016. A top federal prosecutor said tonight, the charges underscore an American commitment to hold accountable all who facilitate and carry out acts of terror against us.

Ken Delanyan joins us tonight from Washington. This is a major, major point right now for intelligence in this country and a major get for the Trump administration. What comes next for this terror suspect? Well, the defendant made an initial appearance today before a magistrate judge, Tom, and a federal public defender was appointed to represent him. The judge remanded him to the custody of the marshals and set a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing for next Monday. Look, the evidence in this case appears to be overwhelming. So there's a strong chance that this man will never again

see the outside of a jail cell, Tom. Ken Delaney with that reporting tonight, Ken, we thank you for that. Staying in Washington, the Trump administration, also announcing it's pausing intelligence sharing with Ukraine. You heard me right. This has news of a breakthrough in peace talks in the Middle police may be happening. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez has it all tonight. Thank you very much. Tonight, a potential thaw in the face-off between President Trump and Ukraine's President Zelensky. The White House revealing a pause in intelligence sharing with a war-torn country. The pressure Ukraine into peace talks, but indicating that pause could be temporary.

I think we're going to see movement in very short order. President Zelensky now saying there's forward momentum. I'm also working tirelessly to end the savage conflict. in Ukraine. In the longest presidential address in modern history, the president touting his administration's accomplishments. America is back. And leaning into the culture wars.

There are only two genders, male and female. Also in the chamber, Elon Musk, but today a legal blow to his efforts to slash spending. The Supreme Court rejecting the administration's attempt to freeze foreign aid funding, at least for now. Elsewhere, this internal memo at the Department of Veterans Affairs saying up to 82,000 jobs added under the Biden administration, could be cut. We'll be making major changes, so get used to it. Near the beginning of the speech, the president heckled repeatedly by Texas Democrat Al Green, who was then removed by the House Speaker.

When he said that he had a mandate, it triggered something. It really did, because he doesn't Other Democrats held up signs of protests or walked out. Donald Trump delivered one of the most divisive speeches made by a president in American history. Last night was a very clarifying moment for our country. The Democrats exposed themselves as the party of insanity and hate. Some of the most poignant moments. I am asking our new Secret Service Director, Sean Curran to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service.

The president celebrating 13-year-old brain cancer survivor DJ Daniel, who today visited the Oval Office, also honored the family of Lake and Riley, the Georgia nursing student, killed by an undocumented immigrant last year. The president highlighting the record low number of illegal border crossings since he took office. The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. We must have legislation to secure the border. But it turned out that all we really needed

was a new president. And there are new developments out of the Middle East. The White House is confirming that it told Israel that the U.S. is directly talking with Hamas, which usually happens through intermediaries, because it's a terrorist organization. Late today, President Trump demanded Hamas release its hostages now, saying this was his last warning.

Tom? That last warning coming from the White House. Okay, Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. When we come back, Taylor Ticket Fraud, the two men accused of stealing $600,000 in Aeros Tour tickets and reselling them, the charges they're now facing. And imagine being outfishing when this lands in your boat, what the fishermen did that saved this dolphin's,

Live. Stay with us. Top story, just getting started. We're back tonight with a fraud scheme targeting Taylor Swift fans. Prosecutors arresting two suspects who allegedly made hundreds of thousands of dollars off tickets for the ERIS Tour by stealing them and reselling them. NBC Savannah Sellers has the details. Tonight, two people arrested and charged for stealing and reselling tickets for Taylor Swift's Ares Tour. In a scheme that span from New York to Jamaica, prosecutors say the accused raked in over $600,000 by stealing around 350 StubHub orders and ultimately 993 tickets, most for Swift's record

shattering tour. Here's how prosecutors say it worked. One of the accused worked for a third party contracted by Stubhub. They stole the tickets by redirecting the URLs of legitimately purchased tickets to accomplices who then downloaded and resold them. Attorneys representing the accused thieves could not be reached. Tickets to the heiress tour hard to come by and expensive. I just really wanted to see Taylor. The initial sale even causing a ticket master meltdown, leaving fans reeling. I didn't get tickets to the Taylor Swift concert. Stubbubb says they've strengthened and security measures to protect fans and sellers from theft in the future. In the rare event of an issue, they'll provide customers with an equivalent or better

replacement ticket or a refund. Savannah Sellers, NBC News. Okay, now to an NBC News investigation. The deadly wildfires that tore through Los Angeles earlier this year took 29 lives and destroyed thousands of homes. But residents who say their homes survive the fires, but are uninhabitable, say their insurance claims are being denied. NBC's Liz Kreutz looks into this.

We built the house. We put every dollar we had into it. Ian Hartcastle seems like one of the lucky ones. I was shocked that it's still here. His Pacific Palisades home survived the devastating L.A. fires. This is the plaque. The tree he and his wife, Veronica, planted in memory of their late baby girl Charlie, remarkably still standing.

We like to think that she was kind of looking over our house in the neighborhood, and that's the reason why it's still here. But their home, far from habitable. Inside, black ash covering nearly every surface. Okay, so these hygienists have been testing for fire emissions in the air, carcinogens gases, because it's not just about this visible ash that we see here around the home. It's also about the toxins that we can't see. Toxic debris expert Don Bolstad Johnson says anything porous is likely tainted.

We're in the nurse rate. What are the concerns then? So the concerns that I have is refining hydrogen cyanide gas in here. here. Do you suggest someone move back into this home as it is right now? No, not with what I'm seen right now, no. But the hard castles who are now in a rental with their one-year-old and another on the way say their insurance, the California Fair Plan, doesn't appear to see it that way. They sent us a document unprovoked that basically pointed to language saying that smoke damage will only be covered if something is ruined and destroyed visible to the eye.

What that could mean hundreds of thousands and out-of-pocket expenses for placing everything from the drywall to furniture, even your clothes. But the insurance company kind of treats you like the forgotten stepchild. They just say it looks okay. Yeah, it's just dirty. Dirty. Clean it. And the hard castles are not alone. Thousands of other fire victims also rely on the fair plan, the state's insurer of last resort, a plan that in 2022 was found by the state's Department of Insurance to have been illegally underpaying or denying smoke damage claims. Findings the fair plan disputes. Attorney Dylan Schaffer has litigated against the fair plan for years. In California Fair Plan takes the position that the family, which includes very, very young children, should move back into this house and clean it themselves.

So his options are essentially except the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars or hire me and file a lawsuit, which nobody wants to do. Or the other option move back into a home that could make you or your family sick. Will make him sick. Ian is hoping the test results from inside his home will sway his insurer. But just this week, he received this initial estimate for remediation. roughly $1,800, money he won't get because it's within his deductible. We don't live in a house that poisons us. The California Fair Plan declined to comment on the Hard Castle's case,

but in a statement said the Fair Plan pays all covered claims, including smoke claims consistent with California law, and that our policy and approach to direct physical loss is consistent with other insurers. Fear plan is an outlier by a very, very big distance. They believe that these homes are not damaged. State Farm and Liberty Mutual and USAA, they will, acknowledge that the homes are damaged, and then the question becomes what they pay. For now, the hard castle is left in limbo, questioning how they'll be able to get back to

the home that means so much. And we want to come back when it's safe to come back. Yeah. We don't know when that will be. Liz Coitz joins us tonight from L.A. Liz, listening to these stories, you're reminded that just dealing with the insurance companies can be a second round of trauma for a lot of these families. I do want to ask, you know, these people, their homes did not burn down, they were lucky.

it's clearly not that simple. What are some of the other misconceptions you're finding and you're reporting? Yeah, I mean, it's just this idea that just because something doesn't look damaged, Tom, doesn't mean that it is. There are people that have told us that almost every single thing in their home should be thrown out unless it's glass or metal, that their home should be taken down to the studs and they should rebuild it. They are also only getting six months of rent, even though their neighborhoods and inhabitable, there's no running water right now. So eventually they're likely going to be paying their mortgage for that home and rent. after that. They can go to court over this, but Tom, that could take years.

All right, Liz Kreutz with that investigation tonight. Liz, we thank you. We're going to be back in a moment with the new fears in classrooms. Immigrant students worried if they attend, they may be taken away by ICE. We hear from students and principals across the country. Plus, this is a strange one. The jewelry thief who tried to smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of earrings inside his stomach. We're going to show you exactly where they landed. You see him right there. How police caught him. That's next.

All right, back now with Top Stories News Feed, the Justice Department, uncovering a Chinese cyber espionage campaign targeting dissidents, U.S. government agencies, and even news organizations. Officials charging 12 Chinese nationals for their involvement in the scheme, they were allegedly paid by the Chinese government to access private texts and phone conversations of U.S. officials and public figures. Treasury Department saying some of its unclassified documents were accessed during those hacks last year. A Florida thief swallowing more than $700,000 worth of luxury jewelry right before police captured him. X-ray scans showing the jewelry in the suspect's abdomen, surveillance footage capturing him stealing two pairs of earrings and a ring from a Tiffany store in Orlando. Police saying the stolen objects will need to be collected after they pass through the suspect's system. All right. And one of the world's most active volcanoes reaching new hides during its latest eruption, a webcam capturing lava fountains at Hawaii's Kilauea, volcano firing 600 feet into the air.

The volcano has been erupting since December of last year. Hawaii's volcano observatory saying no residential areas have been threatened by the eruption. Okay, we want to turn now to the growing fears over ice raids at schools after the Trump administration, changed a policy to now allow immigration arrest inside schools, places of worship, and hospitals, while no one has been arrested on school grounds yet. The fear that it could happen at any moment is keeping some students out of the classroom. NBC's Julia Ainsley spoke with families and educators across the country who are on edge. Gaping holes left in this Denver apartment door after it was broken by ICE agents the morning of a February immigration rate.

Behind it was nine-year-old Nicole. She said we were getting ready in the room to go to school, and then ice knocked down the door, and we were really afraid. We started to cry. She said her mother Maria was taken into the hallway by agents in tactical gear. Maria, along with other adults in their apartment complex, were placed in plastic handcuffs and taken away, leaving behind Nicole and her 11th-month-old sister, Hayday. Did you think that you were going to be deported back to El Salvador? She told us, yes, I mean I was really afraid. My biggest fear was that they would send me to some place and deport me, and they would leave my babies.

After six hours, Maria was released with an ankle monitor so ICE can keep track of her. She has since had the device removed, but Nicole was given a notice to appear before immigration court. Maria said she fled El Salvador after the death of her husband and said she could not support her children there. She crossed the border illegally after being previously deported. Maria says Nicole now has nightmares, and most of all, she is scared to go to school, where she said she once heard ICE agents were patrolling nearby. What do you think about when you're in school? That they can come again to school, and this time they will be able to enter and they will take us, she said.

Four students who attended this Denver public school were arrested by ICE the same day Maria was taken into custody. according to principal Nadia Madden Morrow. So as I was coming into work, my phone starts blowing up, that there is a raid at one of the apartment buildings where our kids live. And so I learned that our school bus that was supposed to be picking up our kids couldn't actually get close because of all of the commotion there. Since then, she says attendance here has dropped by 10%. ICE never came on school property, and there have been no confirmed cases of ICE arresting students at any school.

But students and teachers here say they are still on edge. School counselor Liz Yuri Gallardo said 300 out of the school's 900 students have sought counseling. They're constantly sharing that they're afraid of, you know, because they're also getting raid at home. So then they come to school thinking that maybe they could be safe here, but that's not something that we are able to guarantee anymore. And here's why. The Trump administration did away with a long-standing policy that largely kept ice from making arrest in schools, houses of worship, and hospitals, leaving open the possibility of students being arrested at school. Across the country, including at schools like this one here in Denver, Colorado, school administrators tell us that their students and their staff and parents are already feeling the fear of possible ice raids at schools, even though they haven't happened yet. We spoke to educators in seven states who told us they must balance the need to keep families informed about the possibility of ICE coming to school while not scaring students away from the classroom.

In El Paso, we have had a couple of parents come onto campus, scared. They'll be like, I'm not sending my child to school. E-Course, Michigan. We're making sure that the staff members, they know the student's rights, and they know that we have to protect these students. And outside Washington, D.C. There was a heightened level of news coverage and social media rumors that were out there really caused our community quite a bit of concern. Back in Denver, the district here filed a lawsuit demanding that I stay out of schools.

The Trump administration has argued in court that Denver public schools have not been harmed. In this very library, the day of the raid, which it didn't happen in our schools, but it happened nearby. The emotion, the fear, and the terror in the eyes of our educators was significant. So no one can tell me that we weren't harmed. What do you tell your daughter now when she's going to school or to try to help her be less afraid? I tell her, no, love, you have to go to school. You have to be in school because children have to be in school.

So she goes, but she always goes with that uncertainty of what's going to happen, she says. Tonight, Maria Nicole and Haide are back in their apartment, sleeping behind the door, ice once left broken, uncertain what the future will hold for them. I don't want to be sent back to my country without them, because they only have me. So the experience was very sad. My girl sometimes has nightmares at night. She cries, she wakes up crying, and I tell her, my love, everything is going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen.

I have faith in God that everything is going to be all right, she said. Julia, Angeley, joins us tonight from Washington. So, Julia, the big question is, what is ICE actually going to do? What are you hearing from ICE about whether they're likely to actually go inside schools? Well, in response to this story, Tom, an ICE spokesperson said that ICE makes determinations to go into schools on a case-by-case basis, but that it is not typical that they would need to perform an operation or make arrest inside a school. but certainly not ruling it out with that statement, Tom.

We're also hearing from schools in a lawsuit that was first filed by Denver Public Schools, a group of 78 schools from major cities all say that they are seeing lower parental involvement, increased anxiety among students, and an increased absenteeism among students, and they attribute all of that to the inauguration of Donald Trump and to these new policies that largely don't prohibit ICE from going into schools anymore, Tom. Julia Ainsley, we thank you for that report. Time now for Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start in Cuba, now planning to legalize foreign companies and individual owning parts of its land for the first time in 66 years.

The proposed legislation will allow foreign citizens, permanent residents and companies to buy land. Officials say they hope the move will boost agricultural production amid severe food shortages. Cuba's National Assembly will vote to approve the measures this December. Right now, Cuba's communist government owns all the land in the country. An update on the world's largest iceberg, which has now run a ground on an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. The Megaburg, which spans 1,400 square miles, hit the island of South Georgia, an uninhabited British territory. Look at the time-lapse video showing the burgh called A23A approaching its coast. Scientists say if the iceberg stays grounded, it likely will not affect local wildlife.

And in New Zealand, a 900-pound surprise for three fishermen, a massive dolphin. That's right, 900-pound dolphin, crash landing in their small boat as they fished in the waters off the coast of the North Island. The men unable to lift the dolphin back into the ocean. They sprayed it with water to keep it hydrated before using a crane to lower it back in the ocean. Good for them. All right, next tonight to an update on a case we have been following closely here at Top Story. Lawyers for Brian Coburger, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho, students in 2022, filing multiple motions to try to spare their client from the death penalty,

saying he is autistic. And also asking that the words psychopath and sociopath not be used to describe their client by prosecutors or witnesses. I want to get right to NBC News legal analyst, Danny Savalas, for more on this. And Danny, I want to read a bit of what the defense wrote about Coburger's autism and how they say it will affect the trial. Here's what they wrote. I want to put it up on the screen. They describe it this way. At all stages of the proceedings, the defendant's behavior manner, facial expressions, and emotional responses, or their absence combined to make an overall impression that can have a powerful influence on the outcome of the trial. The defense also added that his diagnosis with obsessive compulsiveness and an eating disorder could impact the jury

and should make him not eligible for his death, for the death penalty. What do you make of this? Let's take a step back. You mentioned multiple motions by the defense. To date, I wouldn't be surprised if that number is hundreds of motions that the defense has filed. In one case. In one case. And most of them are publicly available, although a lot of them have been sealed. The point is, the defense here is leaving nothing on the table. They are putting in every motion I've ever seen. When this case is concluded, and I'm not being glib, it could be a compendium for every imaginable motion that the defense could possibly file. Now, when it comes to this first motion on the autism and the OCD, the Supreme Court has held since the early 2000s that it is unconstitutional to execute somebody with,

intellectual disabilities. However, no cases have really extended that to things like OCD, eating disorders, or autism. That's not to say that this could be that case, but they really don't have anything other than a strong argument connecting it to the Supreme Court's case law from the early 2000s, a general intellectual disability. Speaking of those motions, this one also stood out to our team here. They also followed the motion to have specific language not included. We're going to put this up again for our viewers here. Some of the language. which included the words murder, murder weapon, sociopath, and touch or contact DNA. Is that realistic in this case? How can you have a murder trial without using those words?

Yes and no. Now, if there's a case where it's, say, an assault, I will move to preclude calling the victim the victim instead calling the defense attorney. If I'm the defense attorney, I'll move to have them called the complainant. That's very normal. In a case like this where it's so obviously murder, this was not an accident. Nobody died of an illness here. That is not likely a motion that I think will be granted, but that is something that falls within the discretion of the court. Still, if I'm betting, I say motion denied. This was also interesting. This was something new.

I had not seen this one before. The defense also filed the motion to cast doubt on a potential witness. One of the roommates who will remember that survived in the home at the time of the murders. You will remember she told the police she saw someone that night with bushy eyebrows. But then this happened. We'll put this up on the screen. Coburgers' lawyers are agreeing on the walls in her room. were many pictures of eyes with prominent eyebrows,

many of which she had drawn. Some of the eyebrows are heavy, voluminous, puffy, or perhaps subjectively bushy. This is just different, and that witness expressed uncertainty about what she heard and saw and did not know if it was real or if it was a dream in her mind playing with her.

Is this a win for the defense here? I mean, the bushy eyebrow defense? I'm ruling on this motion right now, Tom, and it's motion denied. A for effort, but, motion denied. I've made motions before to challenge the ability of the witness to perceive. So, for example, if I can show that the witness was 10 miles away or behind a rock and couldn't have seen what they say they saw, then I might have a shot. But this is going to go to credibility.

The judge is going to let her testify and tell the defense, hey, you can cross-examine her about this, whether she was swayed by her own art on the issue of eyebrows. But she's going to testify, and you can cross-examine her about whatever art she put on her wall. Danny Savalos for us tonight here on Top Story. Danny, we always appreciate it. When we come back, we have an incredible story, Ukraine's wounded warriors. We're going to introduce you to the soldiers on the front lines in Ukraine, severely wounded by war, why they're refusing to stay out of the fight, and the photojournalist who's telling their story tonight. Stay with us.

We are back now with a rare look at the front lines in Ukraine. While the diplomatic battle is playing out between world leaders, a very real real, very brutal battle is still being waged on the ground in Ukraine. And there is new reporting tonight that those men fighting are often doing it under the most grueling of circumstances. Many severely wounded in war and choosing to go back to the front lines to defend their homeland. There's one soldier who goes by the name Spider, who was hit by a sniper bullet in the upper thigh in 2014. He lost his leg and left the military, but volunteered again after the full-scale invasion. And Leshvi, who said he never considered leaving service after he never considered leaving service

after he lost an arm. He told the New York Times he's still haunted by what he saw, serving in his home city of Maripole. Photojournalist David Guttenfelder has been following these men for the New York Times, and he joins Top Story tonight from Syria. David, we thank you for talking to us. We know you're busy covering conflicts all over the world.

I opened the New York Times the other day, and this photo essay sort of stopped me in my tracks, right? Because it was a part of the war I had not seen. These were soldiers I had not heard about. Talk to me about how you came across this story and what you wanted to convey with your powerful photos. Well, we're now in the third, we've reached the three-year mark in the war in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion. And, you know, we haven't known over those years exactly how many casualties, both Ukraine and Russia suffered on either side of the front line. Um, Ukrainian president Zelensky recently said that there are as many as 380,000 wounded Ukrainians.

Um, it's kind of hard to wrap your head around, uh, a number, uh, hard to understand the scale of suffering. Um, and I think that, uh, given what I've seen on the front line and in Ukraine over the last three years, it's not surprising to me. The treacherousness of the front line. It's really, I think, going and meeting these men and seeing the scale of the care facilities that have popped up all over the country to help with prosthetics development, to help with this increasing number of wounded, it just really speaks to the scale of the suffering and probably also the tenacity and the resilience of Ukrainian people. To be clear, these are men who are wounded, they've lost limbs, and yet they want to fight again.

Or we should say they have to fight again to protect their country. What did they tell you, are they able to actually enter combat again? What exactly do they do? There's no secret that Ukraine is struggling to replenish their ranks. They need soldiers on the front line to keep this fight up. But none of them told me that they were mandated or forced to go back to war. This was a choice made by each of them. And I kind of ask myself, like, what would I do if I had suffered such a terrible injury?

I think many of us would look in the mirror and feel like, oh, I've done my duty. I can, I should go home now. But these men all chose to go back to the front. And they're not always doing the hard fight that they were doing before their injury. Some of them are, some of them are mechanics, logistics people, their drone pilots now. Some of them are commanders just because they can, with their new experience and it can be a role model. other soldiers. From your time with these soldiers, was there any moment or story that stood out to you?

You mentioned this one soldier who goes by the call sign spider. When I went to the front line with him, he's a front line tank mechanic. And we entered the area and immediately heard Ukrainian soldiers firing on enemy Russian drones that were overhead. And to go to do his job, we had to run across an open area that was exposed to enemy drones. And he doesn't have even a prosthetic leg because of the nature of his injury. And so I watched and followed him as he dashed across this open area, very dangerous, just on crutches.

And it was really a really powerful and moving example of what these guys are going through. It speaks to the realities of this war and the willingness to fight of the those Ukrainian soldiers. David Guttenfeld, we want to thank you for joining TopSory tonight and sharing your incredible work. Thank you very much. And we will be right back. And finally tonight, the beef over beef, the state of Texas looking to rebrand the iconic New York strip because of its cattle industry. NBC, New York took a trip to the restaurant that first coined the popular steak and is firing back at that suggestion. WNBC's Gus Rosendale, as a one.

Del Monaco's restaurant in Lower Manhattan opened in 1837, eight years before Texas joined the union. But could the Lone Star State soon take over the name of a long-time staple on the menu? Steak was very popular back in the day, and the New York Strip, or the Bonous Ribai, or the Bono and Ribai, were all staples on our menu. Dennis Tersinovich is an owner and managing partner of the storied restaurant near William and Beaver Streets in the Financial District. President's dating back to Abraham Lincoln and generations of Hollywood stars have dined here,

and the New York strip was always on the menu because the name was first served up here. The name was coined here. Changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. But we live in an era of proposed name changes, and now Dan Patrick, the lieutenant governor of Texas, citing the large Texas cattle industry as a reason for changing the name of the popular cut to the Texas strip. Patrick riding on social media, just because a New York restaurant named Texas beef a New York strip in the 19th century, doesn't mean we need to keep doing that. It's a very particular type of beef. Melmanico's is widely believed to be the first restaurant in this country, the first to allow single female diners, and the first place to offer popular dishes like Eggs Benedict and baked Alaska.

But be the first to change the name of the New York strip? Well, the answer comes in a New York minute. I think it's ridiculous. It's the New York Strip. It will always be the New York Strip, and good luck trying to change that. New York Strip, Medium. Thank you very much. And we hope Gus got to eat a little bit of steak on this assignment.

We thank him for that story, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.