Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Episode Date: May 2, 2024

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

Tonight, breaking news, the NYPD called into another New York City University as campuses cracked down on student protesters. This video just in. Officers in riot gear outside Fordham University next to Manhattan's Lincoln Center. Students have barricaded themselves inside a building there, less than 24 hours before a massive police presence at Columbia University about three miles away. Armed officers in tactical gear climbing through windows to take back a camp. building occupied by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. In Manhattan alone, hundreds of protesters arrested across multiple schools. A student journalist who was at Columbia and documented the chaos as it unfolded joins Top Story Live. Some protests taking a violent turn at UCLA, masked counter-protesters attacking an encampment, setting off fireworks, throwing barricades, and using pepper spray.

In southern Florida, police firing tear gas to break up an encampment. there. And at the University of Wisconsin, several officers injured after clashing with protesters late today. So is everyone involved students or are outside actors infiltrating demonstrations? Deadly storms tear across the plains, a monster twister carving a path of destruction, leaving a Kansas town nearly unrecognizable. More than 200 tornadoes reported as a severe weather street continues. The area in the threat zone tonight. Harvey Weinstein, Back in a New York courtroom, a disgraced movie mobile, leaving a hospital to make his first public appearance since a New York appeals court overturned his rape conviction when prosecutors hoped to begin a new trial. Plus, undocumented and now homeless. In Seattle, migrants in limbo after a program that housed them ran out of funding.

Now some are camping out. The state of uncertainty as major U.S. cities struggle to keep up with the surge of people seeking asylum. Top story starts right now. And good evening. As we come on the air tonight, protest over the Israel-Hamas war erupting at even more college campuses. Right now, Fordham University near New York City's iconic Lincoln Center, requesting the NYP's help to break up an encampment inside a campus building. Police and riot here arresting protesters there.

And this all comes less than a day after Columbia University says it was left with no choice. but to call in police to take back the historic Hamilton Hall which was occupied by protesters. And violence breaking out overnight at UCLA, a group of counter protesters storming an encampment, attacking pro-Palestinian demonstrators, throwing barricades, setting off fireworks and spraying pepper spray. The school canceling classes for the day and now the Los Angeles mayor calling for a full investigation. At the University of Southern Florida, police firing off tear gas there against protesters. and dramatic images out of Gaza. People there expressing gratitude

for the demonstrations back in the U.S. Though the college semester is coming to an end, these protests seem to be picking up steam. But have they lost the message along the way? We'll speak to one Columbia student who has been covering the situation on his own campus. But first, NBC's Aaron McLaughlin starts off our coverage tonight.

Tonight, police crackdowns continue on college campuses across the country. At the University of Wisconsin, Madison, clashes. Four officers injured and dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested. We plan to be here until our demands are met, no matter what. While Jewish students say they also want their voices heard. We just wanted to show that we're here and that we're not scared. At the University of Texas, Dallas tense taken down.

Meanwhile, Columbia University says it had no choice but to call the police. The police are making their way onto the campus. Dozens of officers. Overnight, more than 100 were arrested on campus. Police releasing this video with no audio, showing officers in riot gear taking back control of the historic Hamilton Hall and the encampment. I was terrified. Student Mohameda says he was on campus during the raid to stand in solidarity with the protesters occupying the hall. Whatever happened to our peers who were inside Hamilton, many of whom we know and are friends with, we wanted to make sure that we record what happened. Hameda says police moved him and others into a dorm where he stayed for.

for nearly three hours. What I personally saw mainly was the NYPD officers in our face, and I saw students being dragged out of their handcuffs, the blockade, the human chain that was outside of it being cleared. The encampment once full of protesters' tents now cleared. Today, University President Manu Shafik explained why she called the police, saying the occupation of Hamilton Hall was destruction, not political speech, pointing to students who felt uncomfortable and unwelcome because of the disruption and anti-Semitic comments. Mayor Eric Adams says outside agitators co-opted the student protest.

We saw individuals holding doors. We saw individuals doing training. They were not students. They did not belong on the property and they have a long history of participating in this type of discourse. How many of those individuals were students and how many of those individuals were so-called outside agitators? That's an analysis that's taking place right now.

Today off campus, faculty protested the police intervention, pointing to the police crackdown on the same hall in 1968. It's clear that shared governance, meaning the capacity of faculty, students and staff to interact with senior administration, to come to resolutions of difficult problems is the lesson learned from 1968. That lesson was lost yesterday. Aaron McLaughlin joins us tonight live outside of Columbia. But Aaron, I want to talk about what's happening at Fordham University, a little closer

to us in Manhattan. and we've just received some video from the NYPD. This is when officers were first entering a building there that had been taken over by an encampment, as we can see. This is the first time I'm seeing this video right now. Aaron, I'm not sure if you're familiar with it, but this is when the NYPD essentially moves into Fordham. What do we know about the situation right now?

Yeah, well, we have just heard on Twitter from the NYPD a statement from the deputy police commissioner saying that, quote, without incident, we have placed the individuals who refuse, to disperse from the unlawful encampment inside a Fordham building under arrest. This tweet noting that the university did formally request for police assistance, as did Columbia last night, Tom. Yeah, and as we look at the video there, we can see students, maybe some faculty locked arm in

arm. It's unclear to see who they are right now. And it doesn't look like things got violent, at least at that moment, in Fordham. Give us an update tonight on Columbia. We saw all the video from overnight. What is the situation there right now? Well, right now, the campus is closed. Finals are happening online. The situation is comparatively calm. The university says that they will maintain that police presence. They have invited the NYPD to remain on campus until May 17th, which of course is two days after the graduation.

The president of Columbia is saying that that was meant to prevent any further encampments from being formed on the campus itself. We're also getting some more details tonight from the university. saying that Hamilton Hall, the building that was occupied by the protesters, is a, quote, active crime scene, also noting that when the hall was taken, that they now believe that there are individuals that managed to get inside the building when it closed and allowed other protesters to enter. You know, Aaron, before you go, I know you press the mayor on this, but have we gotten any more clarification on the people that were arrested?

Does it look like they were all students and faculty, or does it look like there were outside agitators in that mix? You know, I repeatedly asked the mayor, Eric Adams, that very question, Tom. At the moment, police, the mayor are saying that this is an active investigation. They're still working to determine who was an outside agitator and who was an actual student on campus last night. Speaking to students, though, they tell me that the majority of the individuals were, in fact, students, although I did speak to one individual who said it was a student. She said she was arrested. She said she did see some outside individuals on the campus that night.

Okay. Aaron McLaughlin, I'm still developing story tonight. Aaron, we thank you for that. For more on what happened at Columbia in the situation as we move forward, we're joined tonight by Chris Mendel. He's a student and a staff writer for the student newspaper at Columbia University. Chris, thank you so much for being here. You were out there last night in the thick of this. You told me you've only gotten about four hours asleep.

Talk to you about what you saw last night. So last night, I was positioned around campus on 1, 144. 14th Street. I've been bouncing around trying to get on campus, but I wasn't able to get on campus. So I settled that on 114th Street because that was where the police entered during the last encampment when they made the arrest. So I wanted to be right there to see people get let out and police enter. So I see police setting up barricades and I'm standing around and suddenly a police officer

says everyone get off the sidewalk, get into a dorm. So we start moving seconds after making that announcement, the police start pushing and shoving students who were bystanders and not involved in the protest into these dorms. Police had chased people into their dorms and sort of banging on doors, yelling at them. I myself ran to a nearby dorm, and I ended up taking refuge in there. And for the next three hours, I was barricaded in that dorm. And then you witnessed some of the police moving in. Could you see it outside the windows, or was it tough to see?

It was tough to see the police moving in, but I did see protesters getting dragged out. Have you heard from any students who were arrested? I've heard from one student who was arrested. She was telling me that while in jail, students were having their hijabs removed and things of that nature. so she was very frustrated about that, I guess, what she was calling a violation of rights. And what did she say about outside agitators or the moments inside Hamilton Hall?

How did police treat them? So she didn't speak on outside agitators. She wasn't inside Hamilton Hall. I believe she was at the gates of Columbia University. What I've heard about agitators from the outside is it does seem likely that there were outside agitators, but it was overwhelmingly students. Yeah, by and large, these were Columbia students

because there was a point there where it sounded like the faculty the president was trying to say these were outside actors, even the mayor, really, not really Columbia students, but we've heard from other student reporters that, listen, that's not the case, these were students. Exactly. And I was listening to WKCR. It was tough to see, and we were sitting in this lobby of the dorm, and that was our only updates for a time. And they started saying, live on air, we don't know how many people are not students, but we see our peers being let out of the building.

And that was a poignant moment because that's the first moment we realized, wow, these are. fellow students in there. Yeah, so they're fellow students in there. Do you think they accomplished anything? I'm not sure. I can't really speak to that. It's a controversial topic right now. Right. And I know you're a reporter. I guess my bigger question is, what do you think happens to Columbia? Do you think this changes anything with Colombia, with its financial commitments with Israel? Does it change anything going into next year? I'm not sure if it changes anything necessarily, but it's important to point out that the arrest happened on the 56th anniversary of the 1968 protest arrests, which were a ginormous moment in Columbia history.

That's why we have the University Senate, and that's why we have these processes in place to prevent police from coming on campus. So significant changes happened back then, and I would expect there to be some sort of significant changes to follow something like this, but I'm not sure if that looks like divestment from Israel or something like that, or maybe more university statues to prevent something like this. Do you think there's a graduation? Yeah, I think there's going to be a graduation.

I think that that was a big motivation behind kicking the students. Okay. And then do you think Jewish students can feel safe on Columbia's campus? There were Jewish students in the encampment, so there's students from both sides who are experiencing different feelings and emotions, and it all comes down to their perspective. Me personally, I feel safe on campus and comfortable. I'm not a Jewish student, so it's difficult for me to say what other Jewish students feel. But I do know they had things like Shabbat dinners while they were in the encampment together, and there were a bunch of Jewish students there. And I do know that during the first encampment, there were a significant amount of Jewish students that were arrested as part of that as well. Do you think somehow the message got lost in all this,

that this was about the people suffering in Gaza, and then it somehow became about Ivy League students camping out in a building, and that message was, I don't want to say ignore but forgotten? So right now what I'm seeing, talking to, like, student body people who are not involved in the protests, they care more about the actions of the administrators right now, and Gaza's become an afterthought at that point. But I'm not sure if that's the fault of the protesters

or the fault of the administration. Okay. Chris Mendel, we thank you so much for, being here. Keep reporting that, and we appreciate all your honesty and your reporting. Staying on those college campus protests, tensions at UCLA boiling over, counter-protesters destroying those encampments, some getting into fights, even getting pepper-sprayed, the violence sparking new debates about free speech and student safety. NBC's Liz Kreutz has that story. At UCLA, tensions between protesters boiling over as counter-protesters summon mass

stormed the pro-Palestinian encampment overnight. Violence erupting, Videos show protesters fighting, some being pepper sprayed, and fireworks thrown into the encampment. Eventually, police and riot gear arrived but made no arrests. Things have now calmed down here. Police were able to come and break up the fights between protesters, but there's a heavy police presence still here and a lot of tension on campus. As protesters spend their seventh day camped out, some students saying their rights to move freely around campus have been infringed.

I have my ID right here. I'm being blocked off. Outspoken pro-Israel student Eli Civis posted this video of what he says were protesters not allowing him to access a pathway near the encampment. They created their own checkpoint at this entrance and I saw this and I said, no, no, no, absolutely not. This is public land. I pay tuition here. I deserve to walk this path to class if I so choose to. The incident condemned by the university, but sparking a debate about the balance between free speech, access at a public university and safety on campus. Yama is a pro-Palestinian protester who says she was pepper sprayed overnight. They're saying that what we're doing is unlawful, but what I've seen in the encampment is that we are trying to be as peaceful, and we are trying to ensure that everyone is safe and that our community members are protected in their right to protest.

By an NBC News count, nearly 50 U.S. colleges and universities nationwide have encampments with students demanding their schools divest from Israel over the country's war in Gaza. places like Yale, Indiana University, and Arizona State. Two schools, Brown and Northwestern, have reached preliminary agreements to de-escalate tensions. The unrest playing out in different ways on some campuses. This American flag at UNC put back in place and protected, in part by a group of fraternity brothers, after protesters had replaced it with a Palestinian flag. It's all part of a decades-long history of protests on college campuses, helping to spark change over issues like the Vietnam War and South Africa's

apartheid. But the right to protest has limitations. There's robust protection for First Amendment activities when it comes to speech, when it comes to expressive conduct. But there are limits. And one of those limits obviously is violent. All right, Liz Kreutz joins us tonight from the campus of UCLA. Liz, I want to take some live pictures that are just coming into the newsroom. This is from KNBC. They show large crowds of people at UCLA. It shows the encampment. And earlier aerials we were looking at also showed a police presence there. It was lines of cars. We're showing this now to our viewers here. Liz, walk us through what our viewers are seeing right now. What's happening over there?

Yeah, Tom. So right now, I am on the other side of the encampment from where those aerial images are of the police that are beginning to stage. And even here, it feels like students are getting a sense, the student protesters, that something could be happening. Because for the past hour, we have seen these students get their plywood here, get their drills, and they have been fortifying their encampment here. Now, there is no official word that police are going to try and enter the encampment and dismantle it. But after everything that has unfolded over the past 24 hours, it does feel like something might be happening tonight. We're seeing those pictures of dozens of police officers begin to stage at the base of the steps that lead up to the other side of the encampment. There are potentially 200 to 500 students that are here at any given time inside of this encampment.

So this is not going to be an easy situation. And also just about an hour or so ago, the students, protesters, they held a press conference where they reiterated. We are not going to leave until their demands are met. So one of the students today said basically, yeah. Yeah, I was going to say, looking at those aerials you were just talking about, something that we noticed right away is that there are a lot of people in that encampment versus the amount of police cars we saw. Do you have any idea about the size of the police presence right now? Because it looks small in comparison to that encampment. Yeah, I know that that is something that is being addressed, because you do need a very large police presence to take this down right now.

And so I would not be surprised if we continue to see more police throughout the day joined throughout the coming hours. There's been CHP here on campus, California, Highway Patrol, the L.A. Sheriff's Department and LAPD officers all here. Right now, the police presence does seem to be smaller than the number of student protesters, but Tom, we'd expect it to grow. And then, Liz, I have to ask you. And we should say also, Tom, they have rioting. on. Yeah, right. You know, we saw... Boy a gear, zip ties, yeah. Yeah, as opposed to what we saw on this coast, on the East Coast,

things got violent last night, right? And I wonder, do they think that's going to happen tonight, or was that because of those counter-protesters that showed up to campus as well? Yeah, that's a good question. And I think that's a big reason why there's a question of, is the university going to step in and break up the encampment or allow them to camp out for another night? If they do, could that lead to another night of violence?

And I asked a Jewish student, do you expect more counter-protesters to come overnight if they do camp out? And he said, I don't know anything specific, but I've heard rumblings that it could happen again. Because these students at the camp, last night was sort of a boiling point. Things really got out of hand. But they've been telling me that for the past several nights, many of these counter-protesters have been showing up. They say harassing them. They say that some were releasing mice into the encampment. They were blaring music all night to not let them sleep.

So this has been tension that's been brewing now for several days. All right, Liz Kreutz, I know you're going to be standing by for us tonight on that scene. We do want to take you inside that encampment right now at UCLA. I want to bring in Benjamin Kirsten. He's a student at UCLA and a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace at UCLA, a coalition of Jewish students who support Palestinian liberation. He's coming to us again from inside the encampment on UCLA's campus. So Benjamin, do you think police are about to move in?

Talk to me about the tension and the atmosphere right now where you are. Hi, thanks so much for having me. I can't, again, confirm whether that is the case, as there haven't been official reports, but certainly folks here are seeing the police presence amass, and are taking precautions to ensure that this encampment can continue to uplift the demands of divestment toward free Palestine. Benjamin, I don't know if you can walk around or if you can show us a little more of what it's like inside the encampment.

Are the people you're demonstrating with, are they preparing for police to come in? And if the police do come in, what are you going to do? Yeah, you know, I'm unable to walk around right now. I will say that a member of the University of California of the UCLA administration is here, meeting with students in a town hall. So it's sort of through some volume.

You know, but one thing I would want to show you about the inside of this encampment is The incredible organizational effort, the library, the prayer space, the medic tents, the kitchen tents, really just showing how dedicated these students are to each other and to their demands. Yeah, as far as, you know, what happens tonight, I think we have a lot of, you know, everyone's got a personal decision to make about where they stand. But, you know, all of us here, regardless of the decision that we make later tonight, our hearts are with the Palestinian people and the people in Gaza. were also facing an imminent invasion. And I want to ask you about that in a moment, Benjamin. I do want to ask you, the counter-protesters yesterday, were you there when things got violent?

So I was actually at home at that point, but following from afar and doing my best to support, coordinating drops of medical and medical supplies and protective gear. You know, one thing that's clear to me is that the encampment would be a peaceful endeavor, if not for the aggression. of the counter protesters were wielding Israeli flags and started shooting fireworks. It was incredibly distressing. I got here as soon as I could this morning, and there's been a lot of regrouping and a lot of, you know, tending for for those who are still here who sustained injuries. But it was very upsetting moment last night, and I think the university's real lack of action, both in terms of the encampment's demands, but also their commitments to,

to student safety really brought us to this point. So you're Jewish, but you're supporting the Palestinian people in Gaza. Talk to me about why you are choosing to stay in that encampment. Yeah, that's correct. You know, as I am a Jewish person, I also believe in the values of justice, equality, and dignity for all without exception. To me, I understand Zionism is a failed answer to very real questions of Jewish safety and well-being. and one that has resulted in massive amounts of material harm to Palestinians, from the

Nakba to the current population that's led to over 34,000 dead, 1.5 million facing starvation, 1.9 million displaced. So for me, you know, I don't think you have to be a Jewish person to have very valid critiques of state violence and militarism, but for me, I do feel rooted in the knowledge that I think that which liberation is entwined with the liberation of other people's as well. How do you weigh that against the slaughter of the innocent Israelis that were killed, kidnapped, and taken hostage on October 7th? Yeah, thank you for that question. I mean, it's incredibly painful, you know, and my heart absolutely goes out to all who have been affected by this violence. There's no question about that.

And I would say that war crimes do not justify more war crimes. We need an immediate permanent in order for violence to end. Benjamin Kirsten from the UCLA campus inside the encampment. We appreciate you talking to us tonight. And I would say please stay safe because you do not know what's going to happen. We again, we appreciate your time. Thank you for talking to us. We want to take a big turn now to another story we're following tonight here.

And I do want to mention we're going to stay monitoring all those demonstrations across the country. But we also want to talk about the weather and another round of deadly storms that are wreaking havoc in states like Kansas and Missouri. It's the sixth straight day of tornadoes in the region with even more twisters possibly on the way. NBC's Maggie Vespus on the ground in Kansas for us tonight. Tonight marking seven straight days of reported tornadoes decimating America's heartland, with one late today appearing to touchdown in Texas. Oh my God, it's blowing people's houses away. Meanwhile, new images of storms overnight with twisters tearing across Kansas and hail hammering Missouri, leaving a patchwork trail of destruction that continues to grow. Robin Noblock's

home survived, but her niece's house was heavily damaged. Famous saying of the freight train, you could hear it in the wind. It was very loud. I fully expected our house to be gone the way it sounded. 13 tornadoes were reported overnight across Oklahoma and Kansas. Authorities in Westmoreland confirming one person was killed, nearly two dozen homes destroyed. I was born here. Yep. I was raised here. My kids were raised here. It's the latest community caught in a broad sweep of violent weather,

with more than 180 tornadoes reported since Thursday. At least six people killed, including a four-month-old girl. She was with her family inside their Oklahoma home Saturday when a tornado threw it 200 yards. The infant's mom telling NBC News, We are heartbroken. And tonight, the threat continues with 23 million Americans once again under severe weather threats, battering a swath of America already exhausted and weary of what's next. Is that looming in your mind?

That's why we've been working hard all day to try together what's salvageable. And you can see crews are out here with heavy machinery removing large debris as fast as they can, knowing that next round of severe storms is headed this way. Tom. Maggie Vespah, where there's destruction everywhere you look. For more of the severe storm, I want to turn over to Bill Cairns. Bill, do these tornadoes pose a threat to even more states in the coming days? We've already had about three in the last couple hours, and we could have a couple more tonight.

We're talking west Texas, western Oklahoma, and into areas of western Kansas. This is where our tornado watches have been issued. We do have a couple active areas with potential tornadoes. They've been very rural, thankfully. Haven't hit any homes, any businesses. They've been out over the farmer's fields. And so we have one tornado that was reported. You can see that here.

We had two that were located right here. One of the North of Interstate 40. We do have an active tornado warning up here. If you remember about, I think it was six weeks ago, Canadian, Texas, we had a tornado move through this town. So it's not too far away from here, but it's going to miss them. When you see this little hook in here, this is where you potentially have the tornado on the ground.

But again, this is out over very rural farmland, and so we're not worried about hitting any towns. The other issue, with all these storms that we've had in the middle of the country, the flooding problem is getting very serious late tonight and tomorrow. This area from Dallas southwards to Austin, this is where we could see excessive rainfall. We have a big risk of river flooding and flash flooding locally up to five inches tonight into tomorrow, Tom. So we have the threat of tornadoes, but also that sneaky threat of a flash flood. All right, Bill Cairns for us, Bill. We appreciate that.

Still ahead tonight, the school shooting thwarted. Authority say police, authorities say a gunman was trying to enter a Wisconsin middle school, but would stop the late details just coming in. Plus, Harvey Weinstein back in court brought in a week. wheelchair. Just days after his 2020 rape conviction was overturned, how soon that case could be retried here in New York. And bird flu vaccine, what health officials are saying about shots to prevent the disease in humans as it rapidly spreads in cows. Stay with us. Okay, we're back now with the latest on the Harvey Weinstein case here in New York. Last

week in appeals court overturned his 2020 rape conviction. conviction. Weinstein was back in court today, looking frail and in a wheelchair. The judge now saying a new trial could begin as early as this fall. NBC's Chloe Malas at the courthouse with the latest. Harvey Weinstein appearing in court Wednesday the first time since his 2020 rape conviction was overturned by the New York Court of Appeals last week. The disgraced movie mogul who has been serving a 23-year prison sentence since the landmark Me Too trial appeared frail and entered the courtroom in a wheelchair. While one of his accusers, Jessica Mann, sat just a few feet away, as well as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Judge Curtis Farber said during the hearing that they would move forward with a retrial for Weinstein, telling the court that it would likely take place after Labor Day. Following the hearing, Weinstein's attorney Arthur Adelia spoke outside of the courthouse. We're very confident that if it goes to trial, the only words we'll hear at the end of the trial are not guilty.

Every witness who the prosecution believes is integral to this case, including the alleged victims, will have to retestify, and that will likely bring up all of the trauma and the emotions again. As for what happens now, Weinstein will be transferred to Bellevue Hospital, where he underwent a series of tests over the weekend. His spokesperson telling NBC news that Weinstein's health has taken a turn during his time in prison. He has blood pressure issues. He has diabetes issues which are not managed properly. He has eyesight problems, he has tooth problems, he has back problems. Now he has a hard time on a walker, so he's in the wheelchair most of the time. Last week, New York's Court of Appeals stated its reason to overturn Weinstein's conviction in a four to three decision came down to improper rulings during his trial and that women who were not part of the case should never have been allowed to testify.

Prosecution will only retry this case if they have total confidence in the evidence at their disposal. The fact that they introduced this risky evidence the first time around shows that they don't necessarily have a lot of other evidence at their disposal. So I am doubtful this case will actually make it to a retrial. New York isn't Weinstein's only legal troubles. He also faces a 16-year prison sentence in California after he was convicted of rape and sexual assault in a separate trial in 2022. His team is currently appealing. Tom, Harvey Weinstein is now going to be going to Bellevue Hospital here in New York City, where he's going to undergo further testing. Like I said, he was there over the weekend.

He has a lot of health issues. Then he's going to go to Rikers when a doctor releases him, and he will stay at Rikers until this retrial begins sometime after Labor Day. No official trial date has yet been set. But there is a discovery hearing that has been set for the end of May. Tom? Okay, Chloe Malas, a lot of new reporting there. When we come back, undocumented and now homeless. So migrants in Seattle forced to camp out on the streets after funding for their housing ran out.

How that city and others across the country are scrambling to keep up with the surge of people seeking asylum. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed. We start with the scary situation outside of a middle school in Wisconsin. Police say a student from the school district was armed and trying to get into the school. school. Luckily, he was not able to get inside and was killed by police. Authorities say no one else was hurt. Schools in the area on lockdown throughout the day, but those have since been lifted. Federal health officials saying the U.S. has two bird flu vaccines as the disease continues to spread through the nation's capital, cattle, I should say. While no humans have been infected yet,

officials taking precautions just in case the H5N1 virus jumps from cattle to people, at least 36 herds across nine states infected, raising concerns about the virus. Officials say they could have 100 million doses shipped in just three to four months if it's needed. Okay, Tesla firing its entire supercharger team amid a rocky year for the tech giant. Multiple outlets reporting about 500 people were fired from the department responsible for the world's largest fast charging network for electric vehicles. The cuts coming just weeks after CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla would layoff about 10% of its staff. And some relief for survivors of last year's catastrophic wildfires in Maui. Governor Josh Green announcing a new $115 million interim housing project. For those survivors,

the 54-acre project will help families who don't qualify for FEMA housing. Roughly 13,000 people were displaced by the deadly fire, many of whom remain in temporary housing. Applications open in June. The first homes will be ready by August, which marks one year since that tragedy. Okay, now to the ongoing crisis straining U.S. cities. In Seattle, more than 100 asylum seekers had to sleep in tents in a public park overnight after government funding for their temporary shelter ran dry. And Seattle isn't the only city saying money is getting tight. Places like Denver, Boston, and right here in New York City, all facing a financial crisis.

Stephen Romo has more. Tonight, major U.S. cities running out of ways to house a constant flow of migrants. I want to ask people, where do we go? Where do the families go? In Seattle, asylum seekers now sleeping in tents in this encampment after King County ran out of money to house them at a local motel. Adriana Mendina and her young children among more than 100 people who were forced to pack their things.

She says the encampment will just be the latest temporary housing her family will move into since they arrived from Venezuela. My children and all the children of the community are paying much of this situation. Because, lastimusamante, no can't go to school. Washington State has up the budget to help migrants to $32 million. But that money won't be available until July. So right now, cities like Seattle are left to cover the costs.

I want folks to know that there's a crisis here. And that's a problem seen coast to coast. coast. Many states and cities placing limits on how long migrants can stay in emergency shelters. This week, Massachusetts Governor Morahili, signing into law a nine-month cap on migrant shelter stays while also freeing up $426 million to aid in the ongoing crisis in the state. We will change the structure of our current shelter system. Denver, where officials say the migrant crisis has cost the city up to $70 million, will limit any new arrivals to a 72-hour stay at city shelters. For the roughly 1,000 individuals already in the shelter system, they'll get

placed in an apartment for six months and receive additional assistance. No, we have a home, we don't have the help, we don't have the capacity to sustain because we don't have a work. In New York City, after months of back and forth between city officials and advocates, there's now a 30-day limit on shelter stays for most migrants. one, we said that we did not want people on the street. But with policies repeatedly changing, many migrants could face a new reality of life under a nylon roof as summer temperatures roll in. All right, Stephen, Stephen, Rehmo joins us now in studio. And Stephen, the deadlines to move some of these migrants out of the shelters, they're coming up, and some of them are within 72 hours.

Yeah, and it's really hard to keep track of this, quite frankly. Tom, we've been trying today just to put all this together, but they just keep changing. Now, some places do have. more exceptions, like Massachusetts, for example, if students are in public schools, if there are health conditions, people can reapply to get longer time. Some places allow you to reapply after eviction, but just trying to imagine a migrant trying to navigate all these things. It was difficult for our team to do that today. All right, Stephen Romo for us tonight, Stephen, we thank you for that report. Next to Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with a deadly highway collapse in southern China. New video shows the

60-foot-long section of the roadway that gave way in the Guangdong province, 18 cars plummeting down that slope. China's state-run news agency reporting at least 24 people have been killed. The region has received record rainfall in flooding the last two weeks. More evacuations in Indonesia after the Rulang volcano erupted again. Volcanic ash and smoke, you see it right here, spewing in the sky for the second time in just two weeks. Alert levels raised again over fears volcanic material collapsing in the ocean could trigger a tsunami. More than 12,000 residents have been evacuated, and a nearby airport is now closed.

Okay, many May Day protests focused on the war in Gaza this year. Protesters in Paris waving Palestinian flags. They were also seen setting fire to makeshift Olympic rings. The city's unions are threatening to strike during the Olympics if they do not get extra pay to work during summer holidays. Riot police firing tear gas to dispense the crowds. Police also clashing with demonstrated. in the Philippines and Turkey, and in Athens, Greece, hundreds taking to the streets in support

of Palestinians during a 24-hour transit strike there. Okay, coming up, back here at home, a major update in Arizona's abortion battle. The state Senate voting to repeal a law that essentially banned all abortions, and now heads to the state's Democratic governor. What she told are Dana Griffin, right after the vote was announced, that new reporting. Coming up. All right, we are back. now with Arizona's legislative scramble, state lawmakers working around the clock to repeal a

civil war-era abortion ban recently upheld by the state Supreme Court. The bill just passed by the Arizona Senate and could soon head to the governor's desk. Following all the developments on the ground is NBC's Dana Griffin, who joins us tonight from Phoenix. So Dana, get us cut up to speed here. A lot of eyes were on the vote today. Describe the moments earlier in the Senate chamber. Yeah, it was packed. The entire game. gallery, standing room only, filled with supporters and opponents to abortion access here in Arizona. As the senators were on the floor discussing and voting, you had some people shouting at them. They were quickly removed. You had others who were sort of silently protesting, some

doing hand flapping to show support, others standing up, turning their backs to senators as they were discussing. So it was pretty interesting to watch, Tom. And then I understand that after the vote passed, you spoke with the state's governor. She has indicated she will sign the bill when it gets to her desk. What did she tell you? Yeah, she says right now they don't have a plan on when that signature will happen, but she says she expects to get the bill by tomorrow. Listen to moments ago when I spoke to her. Listen. What does today this moment mean for the future of reproductive health care in the state? Well, I think that since this Supreme Court decision,

Arizonans have sent a clear message that they don't want the government and politicians in our health care decisions. And right now, Tom, the focus is now on November where there's an expected ballot initiative to codify reproductive rights in the state, which could allow women to get abortions up to 24 weeks. So that's something the governor is pushing everyone to pay attention to coming up. Tom. All right, Dana Griffin, for us from Arizona tonight. Dana, we thank you for that. When we come back, the new book about a TV news legend. It's called Rule Breaker, The Life and Times of Barbara Walters. The author, famed journalist herself, Susan Page, joins Top Story Tonight. She'll tell us what made Barbara

tick, why she was so fierce, her infamous battles with co-worker Diane Sawyer, and what made her one of the best right after the break. The government is shut down. The interns take on greater responsibility at the White House. And on that day, you found yourself alone with Bill Clinton in the chief of staff's office, and you lifted the back of your jacket, and you showed the president of the United States your thong underwear. Where did you get the nerve?

I mean, who does that? What a question. That was, of course, a portion from legendary journalist. Barbara Walters' 99 conversation with Monica Lewinsky, one of her first interviews since the Clinton scandal and one of the highest rated TV interview specials in history. It's just one of the hundreds of high-profile interviews she would do over her illustrious career spanning four decades. Walters passed away in December of 2022, but her impact and legacy remains. Here with me now is Susan Page, a distinguished journalist herself, and the author of The Rule Breaker,

The Life and Times of Barbara Walters. Susan, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. Such a pleasure to be with you, thank you. You know, when I watched that interview having read your book, there's just so many layers just to that question, right? The dynamic of her being able to ask the question, the relationship between Barbara and other women, and just how she always got the interview.

Yeah, and the way she worked on host her questions, that question in particular suggested by one of her bookers who said that was what occurred to her. In that interview, the highest-rated interview on a single network in the history of television. A lot of people may not know this, but people who've studied Barbara Walters do. She was a tough cookie.

And it started out from a very young age. And there was one part of your book that really stood out to me was she's 14 years old. Her dad has left the house. He was in the nightclub business. And the mom begs her at 14 to go over to the dad's nightclub

and beg him to come home. Talk to me more about that story. And how do you think that shaped her early life? Well, at that point, her father had been having an affair with one of the showgirls at his nightclub. Not a surprise to her mother, but he had denounced to her, to the mother, that he was going to leave. And she deployed Barbara, this little girl, to go make her case. Can you imagine the burden on her? So Barbara went and talked to her father at the nightclub, begged him not to leave the family,

and then was afraid to go home, took her sister, her disabled sister, to a movie house, to watch movies for a while. in the hopes that this would all go away. And in the end, at that time, her father decided to stay. But what a scar on the daughter. And what a point to start having difficult conversations? 14 years old, and you're trying to save your parents' marriage. Childhood was not easy, right? There were big highs and low lows.

There were times they were living in Pennhouses in New York City, and there were other times they were living in one-bedroom apartments. Talk to us about how that sort of shaped the way she made decisions about her career. So her father would make a million dollars and blow it on Jim Remy Games, and he would make a million dollars and then blow it in an unwise business investment in some dream project he had. And it taught her the lesson she learned was that nothing was safe, that you could be the most successful person in the world, and it could disappear in a flash. And that was a lesson she'd never unlearned. When she was rich and famous and an icon, she still never felt secure. Do you think that was part of the reason why she worked so hard?

I do. I think it was her drive. One network executive said it was her rocket fuel, this feeling that she just couldn't. She could never be content because she would never be secure that it wouldn't all disappear. And she was the first, right, in the business to make a million dollars back then, and she was a woman which was so unheard of. Yeah, the first to make a million bucks. She became the million dollar baby. She was the first woman almost every step of the way. The first woman to co-anchor a network morning show, the first woman to co-anchor a network evening show. the person who defined this genre of the big interview. You know, there was a character that you talk about a little bit in the book as she's coming up. This is when she's younger. She's already a young woman. And she is, it's in between her marriages.

She had a very close relationship with a famous lawyer here in New York City, Roy Cohn, infamous, I should say. He was a dealmaker. He was an aggressive lawyer. He was somebody who was constantly in the tabloids, very close to Donald Trump at one point. what was interesting to me was he was also a gay man and yet she had a relationship with him like almost they were married

and at one point you said they were engaged how do you sort of peel back that curtain and look into that part of her life and explain why she would do something like that a closeted gay man and I think early on when she met him she was 25 that was not something

she fully understood but he proposed to her repeatedly and at one point she did very seriously consider it. He was a, she was drawn to men with kind of a dark side as maybe that's a legacy of her father as well. So she thought Richard Nixon was sexy and she thought Roy Cohn was the best, was one of the closest friends she ever had. Rory Cone once made an arrest warrant for her father just disappear. And when Barbara Walters was wanted to adopt a baby, it was Rory Cone who facilitated that private adoption. There was also part of it where she, from the way

she grew up, she wanted to stay always in the headlines, right? She wanted to be in the news. She wanted to be a socialite, besides working hard as a journalist. She loved being in the middle of things. She loved being in the middle of the news, to be in the middle of the biggest story there was, to be at the best table, in the best restaurant. All these things mattered. Those were very important to her. Let's talk about the Today Show. And you have a quote in your book, which was great. And so we had our producer make a graphic of it. Near the beginning of her career at NBC's Today Show, host Frank McGee, he was the other anchor, had issued an edict that She couldn't speak during on-air interviews with Washington newsmakers until he had asked the first three questions.

You just think about that dynamic right now. She had been named co-host. He was coming down from nightly news, and he just thought he was so much better and bigger than her. And this was a joke. He wouldn't even let her speak. And she took her, which is unimaginable, right? So how insulting. But do you know what she did?

She took that lemon and made lemonade because she started, that's when she began to set up her own interviews outside the studio. where Frank McGee wouldn't be around. And she could do the first question and the second and the third in all of them. And it really started her on the path that led to her greatest fame. You know, we talk about breaking that glass ceiling. She, in a lot of ways, sort of bulldozed

that glass ceiling. Do you think she knew what she was doing at the time sort of being this trailblazer for women or do you think it was just something inside of her? Well, she definitely knew what she was doing at the time because she was pushing her way into worlds in which she was not welcome. This was not like the guys who were running things were begging for a woman to come along and try to get a job there.

So she pushed and pushed and pushed. But she wasn't pushing for all women. She wasn't really pushing to clear a path for everybody. She was pushing to clear a path for herself. But in the process, she did clear a path for everybody. She cleared a path for a generation of women in TV journalism that followed. And you were a woman who came up in journalism, print journalism, not an easy trade either as you were coming up, I'm sure. You wrote this book, and she had her own autobiography called Audition.

Why did you want to write this book? Well, I wanted to write this book because an autobiography is not the same as a biography. An autobiography is the person that the... This is the story she wants out there. And a biography is a 360-degree portrait of the person as she was. So the portrait and memoirs a little different from... An audition is a little different from the one in the Rollbreaker. And, you know, another thing is there was no good...

of Barbara Walters. And I thought it was, I thought she deserved to have a big biography at a point when friends and coworkers and colleagues and family members were still around. And I do want to ask you, what are some of the things that you leaned into that weren't in her autobiography? Well, of course, there was a whole period of time of her work after her biography came out in 2008, where she was still on the air. There were her final years, which were quite sad and isolated as her health declined. And I think I explored some of the personal costs to her of her great fame that she had not fully acknowledged. Before I ask you this next question, I want you to set the scene for some of our viewers who may not know the dynamic.

What happens? How does Diane Sawyer leave CBS News and get to ABC News? And where's Barbara at that point? Well, Barbara is the queen of ABC, and Rune Arledge cultivates a relationship with Diane Sawyer and lures me. He was the president. He was the president of the news division at that point, and Barbara's great protector. Barbara saw this as treachery from Rune Arlisch, because now Diane Sawyer would be going after the same interviews that she would be going after for a news magazine on the same network. I want to put up another excerpt of your book that I thought was written so well, and this is how you describe it. You write, if Diane was cool and aloof, Barbara was hot, intense.

hence in your face. Diane glided, Barbara charged. Yes, that's right. They were different, and yet they were the same, and they were both very hardworking and fiercely competitive, and found themselves at loggerheads over and over and over. But explain to our viewers at home, we'll be like, how can two people who work at the same company, in the same division, be fighting for the same interviews, and one person's not talking to the other words? Because there are instances that you point out where they tried to steal, well, at least Barbara, tried to steal Diane's interviews. Yeah, yeah, that's right. Well, this was Rune Arledge's tactic. He did this with the many employed, too. He thought that setting two talented people against each other would make them both work harder and work better and create sparks and increase ratings. But it was a tough, it was tough.

And there was the resistances, right, like an interview with President Bill Clinton, right, where there was a lot of back and forth where Barbara swooped in and apparently stole the interview from Diane Sawyer. That's right. And then Rune Arledge was so angry because this interview was supposed to go to Diane. It was not the first time Barbara had chosen, had stolen an interview from Diane. Rune Arledge was so angry that he called the Washington Bureau Chief and said, turn down the interview. Turned down an interview with the president of the United States

because I'm unhappy with how Barbara got it instead of Diane. And the Washington Bureau chief waited for a warden. She was panicked. She was going to call the White House and tell them that. So she was waiting to try to figure out how to do it when Rune Arledge's assistant called her back and said, You know that thing Rune asked you to do? Don't do that.

We're happy with the interview. Something that's interesting when you talk to people who work with Barbara at ABC News is that she didn't really mentor other young women coming up in the business who were on-air as well. This has happened with other female on-air talent that I've talked to that I know from a certain generation. Why do you think that was? I think they saw it as a zero-sum game. And you know what? I think they were right.

So if some other woman got the job as co-anchored the evening news, she was going to have it, and you were not. And that's still a very competitive business, as you know, but it's a little less fierce between women than it used to be. This was not a time when sisterhood was a powerful force because women tended to see each other as rivals, not as allies. What did you learn from writing this book? She's a woman of such great achievement, and I'm only one of many women journalists who owe her a debt. But the price she paid was pretty severe. And I want to ask you that because on her tombstone, it read, no regrets, what a life. You think that was true?

You think she believed that? I do. I think she had no regrets in the end, and she thought she had a great life. But it was a life that I think many of us would not have chosen. All right. Susan Page, we thank you so much for joining here. The book. It's called The Rule Breaker.

It is an excellent read. Take it. Good summary, too, if you need something interesting. and you want to learn something. Susan, we thank you for being here. Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. That does it for us tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.