Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Episode Date: May 22, 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, the explosive meeting in the Oval Office over accusations of genocide in Africa. White House blow up, President Trump attacking the President of South Africa over unfounded claims of white farmers being slaughtered en masse in that country. The videos Mr. Trump played in the Oval Office in the fiery back and forth, is there any truth to the claims? Landing the plane. The Pentagon officially accepting that luxury jet from Qatar in the U.S. face of bipartisan opposition will they be able to retrofit it to become air force one chilling

new photos allegedly from inside shan did he combs home when the FBI raided it the stockpile of guns and the writing across the bathroom mirror why they were shown to jurors rare nor easter set to hit the northeast bracing for an unusually early and dangerous storm as we get new images of tornadoes tearing through the south killed in broad day The new surveillance video of two top aides to Mexico City's mayor being gunned down, the killer running off. Elephants snuck out. The controversial move to elephants removed from the Los Angeles Zoo under the cover

of darkness, why wildlife advocates, including Cher, are outraged with where they ended up. And America's favorite rescue dog. How after days of his foster mom trying to win the scared pup over, he finally came around. Now, he needs a permanent home. And the new twist in the Karen Reed murder trial today, why did the judge kick everyone out and talk to the jurors one-on-one? Top story starts right now. Good evening.

I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, the heated confrontation inside the Oval Office. President Trump locked in a tense exchange with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over unfounded claims. that there is a genocide against white farmers in South Africa. The dramatic moment playing out after a reporter asked President Trump about the U.S. decision to admit white South Africans as refugees. Then the president taking this unusual step, asking an aide to dim the lights and play this video

on a TV monitor with clips that claim to support his allegations. South Africa's president forcefully denying the accusations. And just two months ago, a South African court dismissing claims of a white genocide ruling, that the assertion is, quote, not real. Plus, the other major headline today, the Trump administration formally accepting a luxury jet from Qatar to use as Air Force One.

The criticism over the move and the arduous task to transform that plane to make it fit for a president. We begin with NBC's Peter Alexander at the White House. Tonight, another extraordinary Oval Office meeting, President Trump hosting the leader of South Africa, kicking it off with this unusual introduction.

President Ramaphosa, and he is a man who is certainly in some circles really respected. Other circles, a little bit less respected, like all of us in all fairness, like all of them. We all like that. The meeting quickly turning into a tense confrontation, President Trump, accusing South Africa's black majority government of not doing enough to protect white minority farmers from racial persecution. They're white farmers, and they feel that they're going to die. And after amplifying unsubstantiated claims of genocide, the president was asked if he believes it's happening. I haven't made up my mind. I hate to see it from the standpoint of South Africa. The Trump administration this month fast-tracked 59 white-Afrikaner refugees to become American citizens, despite effectively banning others, including Afghans, many of whom had risked their lives to help U.S. forces.

Today I pressed President Trump why it's appropriate to welcome white Afrikaners when other refugees have had their particular. status revoked. We've had tremendous complaints about Africa, about other countries too, from people. They say there's a lot of bad things going on in Africa, and that's what we're going to be discussing today. When you say we don't take others, all you have to do is take a look at the southern border. The president was then asked what it would take to convince him there was no white genocide, Ramaphosa jumping in.

It will take President Trump listening to the voices of all the of South African, some of whom are his good friends. Then in an unprecedented move, President Trump directed an aide to play a video for the visiting president. Excuse me, turn the lights down. Turn the lights down. Showing South African opposition leaders calling for violence against white farmers. You are cut in the throat of whatness. And alleged burial sites.

I'd like to know where that is, because this I've never seen. But don't. Okay. I mean, it's in South Africa this week. We need to find out. These are people that are officials, and they're saying that kill the white farmer and take their land. Ramaphosa saying he strongly rejects the messages in the video. Our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying.

Acknowledging violence, including in rural areas, but saying most crime victims are black. There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity, are not only white people. Majority of them are black people. NBC's chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander joins us now from the North Lawn. Peter, the G20 is scheduled to be there in South Africa later this year. What did he say about that? It's a good question, Alison.

President Trump today would not commit to attending that G20 summit. that, as you note, is set to be held in Johannesburg this November, saying without the U.S., that the G20, which, of course, is a gathering of some of the world's largest economies, is, in the president's words, not very important. South Africa's president tonight saying that the U.S. helped form the G20 and saying it is important that the U.S. continues to play a key role there. Alison. Peter Alexander, thank you.

Let's bring in Josh Rogan. He is the lead global security analyst for Washington Post Intelligence. Josh, thank you for joining Top Story. with what President Trump has said. How is genocide typically defined, and is there any truth to Trump's claims of a genocide against white South Africans? Right, quick, great question.

The determination of genocide can be based on a number of legal factors, but the U.S. government has its own process to determine which things are a genocide. For example, the Trump administration and Biden administration said that the Uyghur repression in China is a genocide, the Rohingya repression in Myanmar,

a genocide. But there's been no process at all, at least that anyone's aware of, to examine the plight of white Afrikaners in South Africa as a genocide. And there's no evidence that anyone's seen, despite what over was in that video, that there's a genocide going on against white Afrikaners in South Africa. They're simply not supported by any reality. Now, of course, the white Afrikaners have grievances, and there is violence, and there's violence on the other side, too. But as far as illegal or even informal allegation of genocide, The evidence is just not there. So, Josh, do we know where these claims originated from and why the president has seemingly

become fixated on them? Right. Well, we don't know for sure, but this idea of the repression of white Afrikaners has been popular in parts of the American far right for a long time and now amplified by South African Americans that are close to Trump, including Elon Musk, including White House AIs are David Sachs, and others. And Gary Player, who used to coach Trump in golf, and these are the types of people from South Africa, Donald Trump, has interacted with over the years. So he believes them, despite the fact that this is not true. And then to amplify that through the White House

and through the Maga Media makes it something that becomes part of the narrative, despite the facts. And you touched on the Uyghurs earlier. There are a lot of people, a lot more people, at least, claiming genocide in places like Ukraine, claiming genocide in Gaza. But the president, President Trump has not weighed in like he's weighed in here. Why do you think that is? Well, Senator Tim Kane pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on that exact question that yesterday is Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, and he alleged that it's pretty obvious to Senator Tim Kane that the white refugees are getting priority and the non-white

refugees are not. Of course, Secretary of State Rubio denied that vehemently and said that the white Afrikaners were being invited to skip the line out of a national security. interest that he failed to really define. So we can't be sure exactly what it's in President Trump's mind, but it's pretty clear that in the hierarchy of refugees being admitted to the United States, Donald Trump has put the way out for Conner's at the very top and everyone else at the bottom. Josh Rogan, thank you. We appreciate your time and insights. Any time?

More major news out of the White House today. The Pentagon announcing its officially accepted a luxury jet plane from Qatar for President Donald Trump to use as the new Air Force One. But the gifted Boeing 747 drawing both security and ethical concerns from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. NBC's Courtney Kuby joins us now. Courtney, talk to us about this decision. We know it's controversial, but the administration says it is completely legal. Yeah, controversial on both sides of the aisle, too, Ellison. So what we learned today from a statement from the Pentagon is that, in fact, the Air Force has accepted this Boeing aircraft that will ultimately serve.

as an Air Force One, but that's about all the detail we have. Now, what we know from defense officials is that the Air Force is still working on who will actually have the contract to refurbish that aircraft. You mentioned security concerns here. Remember, this was a standard luxury aircraft, but to actually serve as Air Force One, it needs a lot more than luxury. It needs security protocols, things like being able to defend against a missile, being able to defend against an electromagnetic pulse.

It needs to have the most secure communication systems of really any aircraft just about in the world. So the president has the ability to always maintain secure encrypted communications and always maintain nuclear command and control, as he needs to do as the president of the United States. But that's not it, Ellison. Even before they can begin installing these new things, they're going to have to essentially strip that aircraft down and search to make sure that there are no listening devices, no surveillance equipment on there, so that all those secure communications are not in any way compromise. All of that is going to take months, if not years, and some of the estimates we're hearing are at least a billion dollars. But all of that at this point is still unclear.

The Air Force is really at the beginning of this entire process. NBC's Courtney Kuby at the Pentagon there. Thank you. Prosecution releasing new photos today in the federal case of Sean Diddy Combs, showing the guns, baby oil, and drugs. Federal agents say they discovered in the raid of the music moguls Miami home. The man who led that operation taking the stand today as the prosecution ramps up its efforts to paint Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise. NBC's Chloe Malas reports. Tonight, a new look inside the raided Miami mansion of Sean Diddy Combs. Heavily armed teams searched two of Combs's properties last year ahead of his arrest.

Special agent Gerard Gannon led the search team in Miami. Miami. Testifying they found guns, including two dismantled AR-15s. This bin contains 25 bottles of baby oil and a Gucci bag, which he said included evidence of cocaine, ketamine, and MDMA. The new images and testimony are the latest effort by the prosecution to convince the jury that Combs is guilty of racketeering, alleging that he used his business empire to help commit and conceal criminal activities. Prosecutors have alleged in the indictment that Combs and others had this criminal enterprise. And one of the means and methods of carrying out the crimes of this criminal enterprise was using firearms, drugs, all of these things that we now see the government introducing as evidence. The jury also hearing from forensic psychologist Don Hughes, who has worked on high-profile cases, including actor Amber Heard's defense in the 2022 defamation suit filed by Johnny Depp. She testified about why many victims of abuse stay in relationships. Her testimony coming just days after Combs's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, said that he subjected her to years of violent abuse. The defense team has acknowledged Combs' temper and moments of violence, but his lawyers say his actions are not federal crimes and that sex was consensual.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. And Chloe Malaz joins us now from outside that courthouse in downtown. Manhattan. Chloe rapper Kid Cuddy is expected to testify as early as tomorrow. Yes, and this is incredibly significant because this will be the first time that we've heard from him since Cassie Ventura initially named him in her 2023 civil lawsuit in which she claims that Sean Combs was incensed when they briefly were dating when she and Combs had a break in the relationship. And she claims that Combs actually blew up his car in a fit of rage. Now, Kid Cuddy had confirmed this to the New York Times, but New York prosecutors, they claim that Combs orchestrated a Molotov cocktail to be dropped inside his convertible.

So I'm expecting that we're going to hear more about that when he takes the stand tomorrow. Ellison. Chloe Malas, thank you. And we're following the severe weather sweeping across parts of the country tonight and the devastating aftermath of those deadly tornadoes ripping through multiple states. Homes and neighborhoods just completely destroyed, making this. tornado season, one of the most destructive in nearly 15 years. NBC's Priya Shrether is on the ground. Huge tornado right now. Fierce tornadoes ripping across the Tennessee Valley overnight, sending debris flying. It's throwing trees in the year. And knocking out power for thousands in Alabama and Tennessee.

Oh my gosh. That's a freaking tornado. 13 tornado reports in four states last night. Today in Kentucky, clean-up efforts underway. A massive EF-4 tornado killed 19 people. There it goes. In Alabama, a tornado tearing the roof off of Gary Kennedy's home. Normally, I'm somebody involved in tears. Somebody helping me is kind of not used to that. So it's touching to have that much help.

In Madison County. Everything you've ever worked for, your whole life is scattered all over the community. you know and the matter of just minutes the Gibson family lost everything all of this can be replaced I've got my wife my kids everybody's good so that's at the end of the day that's the most important thing and in St. Louis the head of the city's emergency management agency placed on leave with new procedures in place after a failure to set off sirens over the weekend to alert residents let me be clear CMA exists to alert the community when

Severe weather is coming. This office failed to do that in the most horrific and deadly storm that our city has experienced in my lifetime. And Priya Shrethar joins us now from Gurley, Alabama, which is just east of Huntsville. Priya, you visited with families there today. You saw the sheer scope of this storm system. What else have you heard from residents and also local officials? Yeah, that's right, Allison. Well, if you look behind me here, this is just a...

a glimpse of the destruction that we've seen in this area. A 85-year-old woman lived in this house. She thankfully was able to get out before the tornado hit. She had her children who lived up the hill who actually brought her to safety once they realized how powerful the storm system could be. And now you can see an excavator behind me here that's combing through all of the debris,

trying to salvage any of those personal memory items that she'd like to keep. but this is clearly a total loss. And this is just one home, Ellison. There was another house that was actually across the street. And the only thing that you can see standing still is a set of stairs that goes to nothing. And that's because the house flew all the way to this side of the street. And you can actually see pieces of that house up into the hillside.

And there was another barn here that was also completely destroyed. We were actually 40 minutes away in Huntsville as well. You saw my interview with Gary Kennedy there. His roof was completely blown off. He actually served in the army along with his wife and two kids. And he's so used to serving his country and his community that he was just so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the people in Huntsville who all saw his house on social media came out there and just overnight have been helping him clean up all the damage.

And it's pretty amazing to see that even though this occurred less than 24 hours ago, We're already seeing cleanup taking place. And fortunately, this storm system is going to be moving on. You can also see power crews down the road trying to restore the power to the 4,600 people here who lost it overnight. So survey teams are saying, though, Ellison, that it could take a few days to assess the full extent of the damage here. Alison. Priya Shrether, thank you. We appreciate it.

As this severe weather makes its way east, let's get to the forecast with NBC meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, I mean, here in New York, we have that rare Northeaster in sight. It's set to hit overnight. What should we expect from that? Yeah, we're not expecting severe weather, tornadoes, you know, the typical things that we've been covering over the last four to five days. This is just going to be one ugly storm. It's not going to be more disruptive.

You know, it's going to cause you delays traveling. It's going to just make you pull out the jackets. In some cases, the hats and gloves, and maybe even snow shovels in a few spots. So let's get into it. You can watch the heavy rain moving through Pennsylvania. Severe weather threats ending for the Pittsburgh area. Tomorrow morning, it's pouring in New York City, Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, up into Boston. The wind is going to be howling tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening, especially from Boston, northwards, a cold rain.

Then as we go through Thursday night, the blue on this map shows you snow in some of the higher elevations, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, and the leaves are on the trees. So that could be problematic with power outages. Then the storm finally exits by the time we get out of Friday, but even in the Saturday, it's still chilly. It doesn't feel like Memorial Day weekend. So up to two to three inches of rain as possible, especially areas where. on Providence, the Boston down in Cape Cod. Winds, it's not damaging, but you'll know it's windy. 40 to 35 mile per hour winds, minor tree damage, minor power outages.

And here's the snow forecast. Some of the mountains in New Hampshire getting up to four to six inches of snow and a few in Vermont, Ellison, too. Bill, you touched on Memorial Day weekend. There are a lot of people traveling for the holidays. Any major issues that you're anticipating? Yeah, we're not going to be watching like severe weather outbreaks or anything like that, but we are going to be watching a new storm developing in the middle of the country.

We'll call it isolated, strong, That's Friday. By the time we get the Saturday, it gets a little more concentrated. And then we're talking Missouri, Arkansas, and areas that just got done with all these severe weather events in the tornadoes. So they're still in recovery mode, and we could deal with even flooding. This is Sunday's map. East Coast is fine, but especially Missouri. My friends alone on the Ohio River down through areas of Kentucky and the Tennessee, that's going to be problematic. By the time we get to Memorial Day, this shifts down into the south. So kind of that same area, Allison, that's been having so many issues with weather over the last week. Not going to have the best Memorial Day. We weekends either. All right, NBC's Bill Cairns. Thank you. We are back in a moment with tightening the net around those escaped prisoners in New Orleans. Two more alleged accomplices arrested, another fugitive caught, and the new video of three inmates walking the streets of New Orleans. Plus, this fire that destroyed a historic black church in Memphis now believed to be arson. The suspect police are looking for. And the bizarre twist in the Karen Reed retrial, why did the judge clear the room and speak to each juror one-on-one.

We're back now with the latest on the manhunt for those escaped inmates in New Orleans. There were two new arrests today of people accused of helping the fugitives as officials announced they caught another escapee that is five captured with five others still at large. Our Ryan Chandler is on the ground in the Big Easy as law enforcement ramps up their search.

Tonight, two new arrests connected to the urgent manhunt for New Orleans fugitives. State police say Courtney Harris and Corvante Baptiste aided some inmates after their brazen escape. They say before the breakout, Harris used a phone to contact an inmate who remains at large and say she transported two escapees to multiple locations. They're both still on the run. They say Baptiste used a phone and social media to contact and deliver food to an inmate who has since been captured. Both are now facing felony charges of their own. The level of fear is high, as it should be. Everyone needs to be on high alert. New video shows three of the men

wandering around in New Orleans alley shortly after their escape. Five fugitives are still on the run, including a convicted killer. At this very moment, they're comparing all faces. The search aided by more than 200 facial recognition cameras across New Orleans. At Project Nola, this non-profits command center scans the city's hot spots. The French quarter here, Canal Street in front of the cathedral, automatically alerting certain authorities when a face matches a mugshot. As soon as we received the data from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, it only took us about three or four minutes to do the data entry.

And literally, we hit enter and ding, ding, ding, we started getting the first alerts. There were two escapees in the French quarter. He says Project Nola's cameras helped authorities capture one of the escaped inmates. Has it ever made a mistake? For the last two years, we've been 99% accurate regardless of skin complexion and lighting conditions. Some civil rights groups scrutinizing the technology, the New Orleans Police Department even opting out of the program's auto alert system. But Project Nola says it's perfectly legal. State and federal law enforcement continuing to utilize it, scanning for these five faces as the manhunt continues.

Ryan Chandler joins us now from New Orleans. So, Ryan, we know one jail worker has been arrested for allegedly helping these inmates escape. I understand you have some new information from his attorney tonight. Yeah, that's right. Quick refresher, Alison. Authorities say an old maintenance worker used to work at this jail. Sterling Williams intentionally shut off the water to a cell that allowed the inmates to dig through the wall, through the plumbing, and eventually escape.

Well, the lawyer tells, NBC news today. No, no, no, no, that's all a big misunderstanding or worse. My client was just shutting off the water so that he could unclog a toilet, accusing the sheriff's office of using Sterling as a scapego. Alison. Ryan Chandler, thank you. When Top Story returns, the strange twist in the Karen Reed trial, why the judge had to talk to each of the jurors one-on-one. Plus, elephants secretly moved. Why the LA Zoo moved these two elephants out when no one was looking

and why some are so upset about where they ended up. And we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, starting with an update in that April fire at a historic Black Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Investigators revealing that the fire at Claiborne Temple had been intentionally set. They are also searching for a person suspected of being involved. An $11,000 reward is being offered. The church, which was home to civil rights meetings, including one led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had been undergoing a years-long $25 million restoration prior to that fire. A Hawaii Airlines flight evacuated in California after reports of a possible bomb on board. Police say the plane had just pushed back from the gate at San Diego International Airport yesterday morning

when a passenger told a flight attendant that the person next to him had a bomb. Police, FBI and SWAT were called in for a search, but they say nothing suspicious was found. The 35-year-old passenger, a member of the Navy, was arrested in charge with making a false bomb threat. His seatmate was only removed from the flight. flight later reboarded and took off for Hawaii. A massive water main break flooding out homes, cars, businesses even triggering an oil leak in a Pennsylvania neighborhood. The 20-inch break happening today in Pittsburgh, crews have sent shut off water to the area. However, Pittsburgh public safety says at least three homes were damaged. Hasmat crews also laying out mats

to soak up oil that had come spilling out and into the street. People who live in the area say they were told it could be hours before they're allowed to return home. And in long, In Las Vegas, police using some specialized tech to stop a suspect on the run. Video appears to show officials in a white truck in pursuit of a red car. That truck quickly deploying the grappler, which is a specialized bumper device that releases a spring-loaded net to stop a fleeing vehicle. Police say the suspect here is a 10-time convicted felon who led officers across multiple states on a five-day-long manhunt after opening fire on police near Seattle.

He was taken into custody and is now awaiting extradition back to watch. Washington State. Over on Capitol Hill, the future of President Trump's big, beautiful bill is in jeopardy. The massive tax reform bill facing opposition from the Conservative House Freedom Caucus, who says the spending cuts do not go far enough. That group meeting with the president and Republican House leadership in an effort to come to a resolution. NBC News, Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles joins us with the latest.

Ryan, that meeting at the White House concluded not too long ago, what more do we know about how that went. Well, everyone left the meeting pretty optimistic, Ellison, that they're moving closer to getting enough yes votes on this bill to get it over the finish line and at least get it through the House, which is an important step in this process. But no one was ready to claim victory quite yet. And so that shows that there's still a little bit of a disconnect between these conservative hardliners that are looking for deep cuts in order to try and shrink the budget deficit. But of course, Speaker Mike Johnson finds himself in a very difficult situation here because the more he gives in to the conservative faction of his party, he

risks alienating those moderate votes that he also needs. So he's balancing a lot of different competing interests here, which is part of the reason that he hasn't brought this bill to the floor yet for a vote. So Ryan, Speaker Johnson did want to bring this bill to the floor for a vote tonight. Is there any chance that could still happen? Yeah, there's a chance, Allison, but I wouldn't call it a very good chance. There's still a lot of work to be done. And what Speaker Johnson doesn't want to do is put this bill on the floor and have it fail.

That would be very embarrassing. It'd be a huge setback to the future prospects of this being passed, especially being passed all in one big package. So they're going to continue to work through the night. There's a real possibility that this bill could be voted on in the early morning hours, maybe at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning,

or perhaps it even tracks into tomorrow. morning. What Johnson desperately wants, though, is to get it passed before the Memorial Day recess, because the longer this bill hangs out there, it's much more likely that he's going to lose yes votes than gain them. So he'd like to get it done sooner rather than later. Allison? Chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles. Thank you. There was a new twist today in the Karen Reed murder retrial. The judge began the day by announcing there was an issue that needed to be addressed and then forced everyone, including the media and TV cameras to leave. She then questioned each juror one by one. When court resumed, the judge did not

explain the issue in the day's testimony resumed, focusing on pieces of plastic found on John O'Keefe that, according to prosecutors, match the taillight of Karen Reed's SUV. Reed is accused of running over and killing her boyfriend, O'Keefe, in 2022. Let's bring in NBC's legal analyst Danny Savalos for more. Danny, let's start with what happened with the judge, the judge asking to speak to the jurors one-on-one, do, or can you speculate for us why that would happen? And in terms of just normal court proceedings, is this out of the ordinary? Yeah, with the caveat, this is wild speculation. But actually, this happens quite a bit. A lot of what happens during jury trials is juror management. They have all kinds of issues every day. But under these facts, here are

some inferences I think we can draw. If you have to get all the jurors together, separate them and question them, then maybe one of a couple things happened. Either some out. A outside piece of information may have infiltrated the jury room and you need to see who has been tainted, or maybe more often, there's word that gets back to the judge that one of the jurors is kind of misbehaving or talking or suggesting they may have looked at something or read something. Again, I'm just speculating. So what you have to do is kind of separate each of them and ask them, is there an issue and how much have you learned and is there any problem that we need to address? We can presume because they went forward with trial, and I don't believe any jurors were dismissed, that whatever it was was resolved to the judge's satisfaction. Okay. So let's talk about some of the evidence and testimony that we heard today, because there was a forensic scientist who testified that red plastic pieces, which were found on O'Keefe, could have originated from Reed's taillight or some sort of sorts with the same characteristics. How do you think jurors will react to that testimony? Was that expert strong? I think that's a very strong expert for the Commonwealth to have, because if they can tie up the pieces from Karen Reed's car to the victim, then that goes a long way toward showing that a collision happened. Because remember, that's the defense's theme this time around. It's not so much conspiracy, conspiracy. It's more there was no collision, which, by the way, is a brilliant approach. Because remember, the people, excuse me, the Commonwealth has the burden. The prosecutors have the burden. The defense doesn't need to prove anything. So instead of getting up there and saying, there was a vast conspiracy and he was hit in the head. They didn't do that. They just said there was no collision, putting the burden on the prosecution to prove

that there was a collision. This expert today definitely got them a little closer to that goal. We always ask, when is the trial going to wrap up? When do we expect it to end? And it varies always, right? But today we did hear the judge say that they are ahead of schedule. Do you think this trial will wrap up soon? Okay. First, it's not uncommon to be ahead of schedule because what attorneys on the defense and prosecution often do, we over budget. How much time do you need? Well, if I need five weeks, I'm going to say seven weeks just to be safe, because you don't want to be the attorney that says, Judge, I have five more witnesses. I'm sorry, we're going to go way over time. So there's that angle that that's probably why they're moving quicker than we may

have expected. The other thing to keep in mind is that the defense's case is going to be much shorter. Ordinarily, it is considerably shorter than the prosecutions. I often rest without calling a single witness in criminal cases. However, in this case, we know from the last trial that the defense will have witnesses of their own. They'll have experts. But here's the big question mark. Will they call trooper Proctor?

Or now, I guess you would say, defrocked Trooper Proctor, who is no longer a trooper. He was the lead investigator in the defense's eyes, the case agent in the Commonwealth's eyes, because they're trying to back away from him being the lead investigator, because he made a lot of critical errors during this investigation. That's a big question mark, and it remains to be seen. Danny Savalos, thank you.

Now to Top Stories, Global Watch, and we begin in China, where the roof of a building that is more than 600 years old collapsed. You could see hundreds of tiles falling to the ground and smashing near people visiting the site on Monday evening. The local culture and tourism bureau saying that no one was injured and that it is investigating what happened. That tower was first built during the Ming Dynasty in 1375. Livestock now added to the list of evacuees at risk from a possible landslide in the Swiss village about two hours from Bern. Video showing a cow airlifted by a helicopter reportedly got the special accommodation because of an injury. Besides that cow, a spokesperson for a local crisis center saying 190 sheep, over 25 cows, and about 20 rabbits were evacuated, not to mention about 300 people.

It's unclear when everyone will be able to return to their homes. And a man in Sydney arrested for allegedly trying to climb up a docked cruise ship. You can see him trying to make his way up the ropes there dangling over the water. A police vote arriving, a police boat rather, arriving at the scene. Video showing the moment the man was taken aboard, local media reporting he is now facing multiple charges related to unauthorized entry. We move now to the Americas and a disturbing attack in Mexico caught on camera. Two top aides of the mayor of Mexico City shot and killed in broad daylight. The targeted attack sending shockwaves through the Capitol and the country.

Here's Marissa Pora with the details. Tonight, a brutal killing of two top aides in Mexico City caught on camera. Surveillance footage of the broad daylight ambush shows a car driven by Jimena Guzman. Mayor Clara Brugada's private secretary stopped on the side of the road. Jose Munoz, an advisor to the mayor, approaches the passenger's side. The gunmen, dressed in white, opening fire, killing them both before taking off. That no haya impunidad. Brugada, mourning her staffers, promising she will not rest until there's justice.

Mexico's president, Claudia Scheinbaum, saying, investigations are underway to determine the motive of the attack, and that surveillance cameras in the area are being analyzed to identify possible perpetrators. You see this in really conflictual states like Guerrero, Michoacan, Tamolip, bus, but in Mexico City, I was not really heard of." Investigators say they believe at least four people were responsible. The murders have sent shockwaves across the nation's capital. I think this is a bit out of control here.

One resident saying, things are a bit out of control here. I support the president, but they haven't managed security. They haven't calmed things down. Political violence in Mexico has been on the rise. The nation saw a wave of murders targeting political candidates heading in into its presidential election last June, and to report this year found 104 cases of political violence in Mexico between January and March alone. Earlier this month, Maygoral candidate Yessenia Lara Gutierrez was gunned down in

Veracruz. She was a member of the same Morena party as Brugada. Is there any type of connection to be made between the string of attacks here? I think it's too soon to say, but you know, there is speculation that this could be a message from criminal groups and cartels to the Mexican government back off. because Claudia Shanebomson's taking office eight months ago has had a much tougher approach to cartels and gangs than her predecessors. Usually we see them react in some kind of way to that, eventually increase violence, and I'm afraid we may be seeing the beginning of that now.

And Marissa Parra joins us now. Marissa, what more do we know about the suspects authorities in Mexico are searching for? Well, there was an Attorney General's press conference held earlier today, Alison. And while they still have not released any identities, any motives, They do believe that four people were responsible. And something that is telling when they're trying to distinguish whether this was a random crime or whether this was targeted is the autopsy of Jimena showed that she was shot eight different times and that the both of them were shot both in the thorax, the body, the abdomen, the head.

And this is very telling, Alison. And as we mentioned, this has sent shockwaves because this isn't just an act of political violence, rather, in Mexico. This was in Mexico City, which has historically, at least in recent years, been seen as a safe haven from this kind of violence. And it is not only sending shockwaves for that reason, but these are also two top aides to the current mayor. So clearly, a lot of resources will be thrown at this to figure out who was behind this and why, Alison.

Marissa Parra, thank you. And we're back in a moment with the zoo under fire for secretly moving these elephants to another zoo, the celebrities weighing in tonight. And pushing forward, the NFL's most controversial play, the Tush Push lives on. why NFL owners voted to keep it. We're back now with the two elephants at the center of a growing controversy.

They were moved from their enclosure at the L.A. Zoo under the cover of darkness amid mounting protest and legal actions trying to halt their relocation. NBC's Morgan Chesky has this report on where they ended up and why. Tonight outrage over the relocation of two elephants moved under the cover of darkness out. of the Los Angeles Zoo. The Tulsa Zoo confirming Asian elephants, Billy and Tina, completed a 26-hour journey to its facilities. Sharing both elephants were calm and ate and drank well at each stop. Not another zoo!

The move made despite multiple protests, a petition, and a lawsuit to keep the elephants in L.A. until other destinations could be explored. LA Councilmember Bob Blumenfield telling NBC news he's frustrated by the lack of transparency and unwillingness to vet this decision publicly, adding, you don't hide from public scrutiny. Some animal rights advocates and A-listers alike have said elephants should not be in zoos at all. Please, L.A. City Council, it's time for you to do the right thing. Share among the dozens of celebrities who signed this letter to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass earlier this month,

urging that Billy and Tina be sent to a genuine elephant sanctuary. After the L.A. Zoo announced it would move the elephants in April. They have nowhere to go in the zoo. You can see them just wandering around aimlessly. The L.A. Zoo attributing the decision to move the pair in part to the death of two older elephants at the zoo, leaving just Billy and Tina remaining. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or AZA, requires zoos to have a herd of at least three elephants together at a time, given their social nature. The L.A. Zoo says it chose Tosa because of the zoo's recently expanded elephant program, and its 17-acre complex that's currently home to five Asian elephants. Also saying in a statement, although they will be missed, we know that Billy and Tina will receive the same love and expert individualized care that they have had at the Los Angeles Zoo.

The L.A. Zoo sent its elephant secretly in the middle of the night and never telling anyone. I think, you know, I think they're afraid of the reaction that people have. On its website, the L.A. Zoo says transports like these occur at night taking into consideration optimal temperatures, traffic conditions, and the safety. of people in the zoo during loading. Advocacy groups like In Defensive Animals say they're worried for the gentle giants, citing concerns over the Tulsa Zoo facilities and their suitability for animals.

There's no zoo that has adequate environment. You know, elephants need grass, trees, hills. They don't have that. The Tulsa Zoo has not responded to requests for comment about those concerns. According to in defensive animals, 39 zoos have already closed their elephant exhibits in the U.S., with four more planning to do so. And Morgan Chesky joins us now from Los Angeles. Morgan, we know you spoke to council member Blumenfield, who said this move lacks transparency.

But what happens next? Can city council do anything now that the elephants are gone? Yeah, Alison, their options are certainly limited. And Blumenfield tells me that he was even more frustrated because he had filed a motion back. on April 23rd that would have kept the elephants here in Los Angeles until the city council had a chance to weigh in on this very issue. But he says because of larger ongoing budget discussions, the council never had a chance to vote on that motion. As such, he says while the optics were in his words horrible, the zoo was within their legal rights to transfer those animals from L.A. to Tulsa. He does say that the people of L.A. and the council deserve an explanation from the zoo because, of how they handled this operation.

In the meantime, another animal advocacy group has said that even though the animals are now in Tulsa, they still have multiple legal options at their disposal to hopefully move both Billy and Tina to a genuine animal sanctuary. Alison? Morgan Chesky, thank you. A major headline in sports today. There are certain phrases you never expect to say on a national news broadcast. But tonight, the tush push, as football fans know it, is in the spotlight and here to say.

stay. That's after NFL owners voted to keep the brotherly shove in the playbook. NBC, Sam Brock is here. Sam, this was a debate that has gotten a lot of attention. I just enjoy how much you enjoyed saying that just now. And once I saw the Eagle's social media team, I was like, I didn't know I cared, but now I might be in favor of the tush-plosh. They are absolutely trolling everybody to doubt it, without they be able to get this through. Let's talk about this. The idea that the NFL Elson cannot unilaterally just comment and, you know, change the rules. They have to go to the owners. It requires three quarters of all of the 32 owners

to be able to meet that mark. With respect to banning the tush push, it came really, really close, which is to say it is still highly controversial going into this season. For the Eagles, Perthes, getting a little push. One of the most polarizing plays in recent NFL history.

Hurts is in. Touchdown! We live to see another season. The Eagles posting simply, push on. After the NFL owners failed to ban the so-called tush push, with 22 voting to vanquish it, too shy of what was needed. The original proposal from the Packers held up at the one-yard line as the Eagles brought in former star player Jason Kelsey to lobby.

This was a part of a very calculated plan by the Eagles to try to make one more pitch to the rest of the owners of this is why this play is not dangerous and you should not ban it. Eagles fans rejoicing and trolling. You're so scared of it. Here's my advice. Be better. This is a double cheek push here. In the NFL last season, the play also referred to as the brotherly shove was only run 0.28% of the time per ESPN, with the Eagles and Bills doing the lion's share and getting a first down or a touchdown nearly 90% of the time.

It just so happens. Philly's quarterback Jalen Hertz has been squatting 600 pounds since college and plays behind an elite offensive line. Star running back Saquan Barkley, joking on the tonight show. I think I have the easiest job, to be honest. I think I'm the one who pushes the tush. Now the Eagles laughing at the rest of the league with a major off-field victory. Okay, Sam, the play is safe for now, but could banning it be possible still in the future? Yes, so this basically can be re-looked at every single year.

I think the key point here is you can talk about the fact that it's a competitive advantage, you might argue, for the Eagles, because they're just so darn good at execution. They have Jaylen Hertz. We saw him squatting Ellison, 600 pounds. They have one of the best offensive lines in the entire league, if not the best. So that's sort of like a perfect storm for being really good at this. The other side of it, though, what might make the, I might say push the scale in the direction of banning it is whether or not there turns out to be injuries associated with this particular place. So far, there's not been a single major injury that has occurred as a result of a tush push. And yes, I am bringing that back into the lexicon. However, were something like that to happen, it would change the prism in the conversation to the point. where owners would have to say, okay, if you have these superior athletes that are pushing one another at maximum velocity and increasing the amount of force that is being used and someone gets really injured, now we do have to reevaluate. But as of right now, that has not happened.

And, you know, this particular play that came into effect, it was on the books banning, pushing, and pulling for 85 years from 1920 to 2005, gets taken off the books because the refs like, this is just too hard to enforce. And the Eagles step in and take. advantage. And here we are today having this conversation. All right. It really is a fascinating, very specific story, but one that is just interesting beyond words. Sam Brock. Not what you thought you were going to be discussing. Not at all, but I am so glad I had you here to walk me through

the tush push candles. Sam Brock, thank you. Still ahead tonight, the foster dog capturing the hearts of millions, the stunning transformation of Tiki going viral, how the shutdown dog was nurtured to have a more positive outlook. Finally, tonight, you may have seen this fearful foster pup all over your TikTok. His name is Tiki, and he's a rescue dog that's winning over the hearts of millions. His foster mom documenting his journey online as he overcomes his fears, learning to trust and love again. NBC's Steve Patterson has Tiki's incredible story. You'd be a good boy?

In all honesty, there wasn't a whole lot of hope for troubled pup Tiki. This day 26 with my extremely fearful shut down foster dogs. Tiki landed in the New York City apartment of foster mom Isabel Klee through the ASPCA traumatized. He is quite literally paralyzed with fear. The pup was so shaken, he wouldn't leave his bed, didn't trust humans, and would sometimes even bite. But Isabel is no stranger to tough cases.

She's fostered 25 dogs from some of the worst backgrounds detailing the recovery on social media. Her work so impactful, she was profiled on today. Fostering is the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my entire life. But there's something special about Tiki that took the internet by storm, millions following every little development from those first few steps into Isabel's Brooklyn apartment to the first time he accepted food. I know this might not look like a huge step, but it is. And a breakthrough on day 13. Last night, we officially pet Tiki for the first time. Tiki, quite literally making leaps and bounce. Oh, here comes Tiki. Tiki. Oh, my gosh. Wow. He's come a long way. Look at that. I know. He just crawled onto my lap.

From where you started, I mean, what is it like to be able to have him in your lap while you're talking to me? It's insane. When I brought him home, he didn't leave his crate for days. He didn't eat. He didn't go to the bathroom. He couldn't even lift his head. He was absolutely terrified of human touch. And every single day, he gets braver and braver. Clearly, Tiki still has a long journey ahead. But the love and care provided by Isabel is the head start he never would have had, the heartwarming saga, leading a lot of fans to one question. Is there any chance you're going to keep him? That is a question that I get on every single video. And I completely understand people's point of view, it would really be a fairy tale story for me to adopt Tiki, but

that's just simply not what I do. I foster dogs and I fostered so many. I think Tiki is number 25. And I would rather foster this dog and rehabilitate him and find him the perfect family and then save the next one to continue inspiring people to foster and adopt. Isabel says Tiki should be ready to adopt in the next few weeks, both an incredible ending and a beautiful new beginning for this foster pup. Bye, Tiki. Steve Patterson, NBC News. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis.

Stay right there. More news is on the way. Thank you.