Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Episode Date: May 25, 2023

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces his presidential campaign in an audio-only Twitter panel hosted by Elon Musk fraught with technical issues, music legend Tina Turner dies at 83, Tom sits down with families still grieving the victims of the Uvalde school shooting one year later, a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting descending into chaos as a protester threw a brick towards the stage, and the spinal implant giving a paralyzed man some of his mobility back.

Tonight breaking news, failure to launch, Twitter melting down as Ron DeSantis tries to announce his run for the presidency. The Florida governor attempting to announce his bid for the White House with a live audio-only event with Twitter owner Elon Musk. But the event crashing, leaving listeners confused and in the dark. The Trump campaign pouncing, calling it a failure to launch. The event finally moving forward after nearly 30 minutes of confusion. What we're hearing from DeSantis and from Twitter about that messy launch and the new campaign ad released moments ago. Taking on Trump, DeSantis widely viewed as the biggest challenger to the former president, but a new national poll showing Trump with a 30-point lead over the governor.

So will this announcement move the needle and will an increasingly crowded field help or hurt Trump in his third run for the White House? Are panel of reporters and analysts here to break it all down? Our other major headline, Tina Turner, the queen of rock and roll, has died at the age of 83. The tributes pouring in for a singer who was simply the best. Also tonight, a super typhoon slamming onto the shores of Guam, plunging much of the U.S. territory into darkness. Winds topping 145 miles per hour, sending cars flying. Reports of damage at an American naval base where that monster storm is headed next. Losing control a meeting in San Francisco

about the city's exploding drug crisis shut down after the mayor was relentlessly echoed one protester lobbying a brick towards officials but hitting a high school student instead. The open-air drug market at the center of this debate and how the mayor is vowing to deal with them. Plus medical miracle, a man who was completely paralyzed, able to walk again after getting brain and spinal cord implants.

When experts believe this great, groundbreaking technology could become widely available. And tonight, the nation and the community in Uvaldi, Texas, marking one year since the tragedy at Rob Elementary. 19 students and two teachers killed in a horrific act of violence. Our interviews with the parents whose lives were shattered on that day and how they're moving forward and the changes they're still fighting for. Top story starts right now.

And good evening. We thank you for joining us on this very busy Wednesday night. We've got a lot of news to cover. So we want to get right to that major announcement that nearly broke Twitter. Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, officially launching his campaign to be the next president of the United States. A type of event we have covered hundreds of times before, but never quite like this. So let's take a look at how he did it. The Florida governor taking a very big risk that may have become a swing and a miss. We just don't know yet, right? Instead of a rally or a grand speech to the DeSantis campaign was launched on this web page here in a live conversation with Elon Musk, a part of Twitter that few have heard of, and one that completely melted down as tens of thousands, we should say, hundreds of thousands of users try to join. Moderator David Sacks addressing the confusion. All right, sorry about that. We've got so many people here that I think we are kind of melting the servers, which is a good sign. All right, as we mentioned, all of this going down on a part of Twitter called Twitter Spaces, right?

It's an audio-only live chat service, okay, that in theory allows thousands of people to listen to one speaker. Those listeners can attempt to ask those speakers' questions, but can also be blocked if the host does not want them in the room. It's an entirely different way to launch a campaign and one that may have backfired here. And it's a far cry from the photo op that launched Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. You may remember this when he came down that. Golden Escalator and Trump Tower, a campaign launch that ended with a win. We'll see where this one takes DeSantis. But Trump clearly already sizing up DeSantis as a threat running this new ad, a super PAC is for Trump labeling his opponent as Ron DeSales tax. DeSantis, who trails Trump

in the polls by up to 30 points, is focused on creating as much distance between himself and the former president highlighting the fact that he is a veteran and a lawyer with a successful record as a governor of Florida, a state that even Trump fled from New York to go to, a state that many business owners are also fleeing to. In a campaign ad released moments ago, Governor DeSantis calling himself the man to lead the great American comeback. We need the courage to lead and the strength to win. I'm Ron DeSantis, and I'm running for president to lead our great American comeback. All right, but the big questions looming over all of this is the DeSantis platform, one that?

can win a general election or has his war on woke and a six-week abortion ban taking them too far to the right. Here's NBC National Correspondent, Gabe Gutierrez, on the campaign's Rocky Star. After teasing a run for months, which stops in Iowa, New Hampshire, and a high-profile overseas trip. You can see that brighter future. Tonight, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is diving into the presidential race in a highly unconventional way. In addition to a new ad, an audio-only announcement on Twitter spaces with billionaire Elon Musk that appeared to have technical glitches. All right. Sorry about that. We've got so many people here that I think we are, we are kind of melting the servers. DeSantis now seen as Republican frontrunner, former President Trump's toughest opponent.

Just five years ago, Trump's endorsement critical to DeSantis' victory in his first run for governor. He even touted it in this campaign at with his kids. Make America great again. But the relationship later souring after DeSantis' landslide re-election win, he now argues he's the best pick to take on President Biden. There is no substitute for victory. We must end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years. And stood for what was right. Tonight, new details about how a pro-Dissantis super PAC plans to do it, a staggering $200 million operating budget that includes hiring more than 2,600 field organizers by later.

day. But DeSantis still trails Trump by more than 25 points in many polls. Now, in the state, both men call home a scramble for GOP primary voters. We met Trump supporter Monique Pope, an attorney and mother of two. I believe President Trump is the man that can bring us across the finish line. While DeSantis backer, Robert Salvador told us he moved his construction software business from Illinois to Florida because the governor removed COVID restrictions early. You know, we saw his leadership during COVID when everyone was yelling at him, you know, across the country and around the world to shut down. Gabe Gutierrez joins us now live tonight from Miami. So Gabe, kind of walk us through what's happening right now because this is sort of an ongoing news event.

They finally got the Twitter spaces up and running. Yeah, after about 26 minutes, Tom, they got it up and running. But then it started going down again. It was extremely confusing for those people that were listening. Finally, Governor DeSantis was able to make the official announcement. He then pivoted to his stump speech. But, Tom, this is getting reaction from all sorts of the political world. The Trump campaign is having a field day right now talking about these technical glitches.

One Trump advisor just told me that this shows DeSantis is not ready to be president. Quote, this is an embarrassment, this advisor said. And you mentioned that another Trump campaign official said that this was a complete failure to launch. But Tom, we're also hearing from the DeSantis campaign now. One senior campaign officials saying that the strength of DeSantis' candidacy broke the Internet. So expect to see that spin over the coming days. But again, a highly unconventional rollout that ran into these technical glitches time. Look, I will say when I logged on, there were more than half a million people that were trying to listen at the same time.

Granted, a lot of the people that I was seen were politicians, people in the media, celebrities that were logging on there. I do want to ask you something, though, Gabe. you know, do we know why he chose Elon Musk? I know Elon has very high marks with conservatives, but that, too, was sort of a different kind of strategy. Well, certainly, Tom, and it is extremely risky when you're, you know, having this platform with Elon Musk, a very controversial figure.

It could go any number of ways, and Twitter spaces, not exactly well-known. So unconventional, at least a part of Twitter that is not exactly well-known. But, Tom, Twitter, increasingly, since Elon Musk took over, as you know, and reputation for being increasingly conservative, at least a more conservative platform or conservative voices on there.

And the DeSantis campaign wanted something unconventional, and they have railed, as you know, against the mainstream media over and over and over again. This is an opportunity to make this announcement outside of a traditional space. And so they went for it. They felt that it was on brand and could reach another section of the population. Of course, Elon Musk has more than 140 million Twitter followers. So this was a big risk. It depends on who you ask at this point, certainly.

If you talk to the Trump campaign, they think it did not pay off. But, of course, this campaign just getting started, a long way to go here. And Governor DeSantis now expecting to finally campaign in earnest after several months of teasing this announcement. Yeah, and this announcement, honestly, it's also still getting started. He has an interview lined up, and he also released that campaign video. Okay, Gabe Gutier is leading us off tonight. Gabe, we appreciate that.

with Governor DeSantis and his campaign off the ground. Getting off to a rocky start on launch day, I want to bring an NBC News political director and moderator of Meet the Press. Chuck Todd, Chuck, I'm going to take you down, Memory Lane, okay? We have two videos lined up for you that are going to bring you back to a point in time. This is 2007-first, Springfield, Illinois, in front of the old state capital, where Lincoln once served, then Senator Obama announcing his campaign to more than 17,000 people. then 2015 billionaire reality star and businessman Donald Trump

coming down that golden escalator there at Trump Tower. And then tonight, we have no visual, right? We have a visual of a system going down. Twitter space is something that most people probably aren't familiar with. What is your take on this? Is this the future of campaigns? Because I got to be honest with you, once it started, I understood it. It was like a podcast.

It felt like it was the Joe Rogan podcast, right? I sort of understood it once it started. But, man, that was a rocky start. It is. Look, I think you've got to be careful when you're, you know, Twitter right now is sort of, it's not a startup, but it's a reboot phase, right? He's trying to rebrand it, remarket it. And you've got to ask yourself, if you're the DeSantis campaign, be careful if you're part of somebody else's marketing strategy, right? And you're put your hands into somebody.

You know, I know a lot of people that have run presidential campaigns over the years, the announcement is something that is so tightly controlled. and to essentially hand over control to somebody as erratic and as Elon Musk is frankly highly questionable. And I think that they have learned a hard lesson tonight with this. It strikes me that when are we going to get the big campaign visual, if you will, right? We may never. We may never. And no one says that that's necessary per se. But, you know, they're, look, I think presidential announcement speeches, I will tell you this, it's the only speech I care about from a presidential candidate, because it's usually the one the candidate actually works on writing themselves.

Every other speech over time has a lot of cooks in it and stuff like that. But that first one matters. And frankly, I think it sends a message, a pretty empty campaign platform that he's offering up right now. What is he offering up, right? We don't really have that announcement speech. We don't have his theory of the case. We've got the video, and the video is just very platitude-oriented. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is defining launch day.

You know, you played the Super PAC hit. His campaign's out with another one that says, hey, there's only one Donald Trump. Be careful of imitators. And then they show Ron DeSantis and his building block ad. So, look, I think that this is a continuation of what's been a... The DeSantis campaign has had the feel of being overly reactionary over the last month. The decision to do Twitter spaces feels like a spaghetti at the wall idea. Yeah, okay, let's try that. There doesn't right now feel as if this is a tight ship. And I could tell you

this, other than Donald Trump, he's the only one that didn't run a tight ship that got the presidency. Usually tight ships win presidencies, loose ships lose ships, lose them. Yeah. And I get the idea about trying to go around the mainstream media, but when you're trying to get as many votes as possible, You want to meet people where they are. You've got to be everywhere. It's unclear if Twitter spaces is going to do that for him. I do want to bring up, yeah, go ahead. Okay, real quick, Tom, I do think this is a candidate who's online too much.

You know, a couple of Florida Republicans that you and I know very well, spend a lot of time online. Governor DeSantis is one of them, and I think when you spend that much time online, I think it warps your perception of what's mainstream and what isn't. And I really believe that these folks have a warped view these days because Twitter's no place to find out the real world. I want to put up something on the screen for our viewers and for you because I want to get your take on it. So there's the DeSantis campaign and then there's the DeSantis Super PAC. This is Jeff Rowe, very experienced campaign hand. He's CEO of the DeSantis Super PAC called Never Back Down. He wrote, he said this to the New York Times, quote, in framing the 2024 race,

Mr. Rowe acknowledged that Mr. Trump has been the leader of a movement, but in Mr. Rowe's telling it, Mr. DeSantis alone, who has been, has the opportunity to be the leader of the party and the movement. Chuck, I got to tell you, this is one of the smartest takes I have heard so far for a candidate on the Republican side to beat Trump because he brings up a good point. It is true. Former President Trump is the leader of the MAGA movement, but there are a lot of Republicans looking to turn the page. Is that argument strong enough? And can they build a campaign around that to take them through all these several states in the beginning? Well, in theory, they could. But what Jeff is saying and the campaign they're building, that's where these two things don't make sense

to me. You know, on one hand, I think he's correct in saying, look, Donald Trump's the leader of a movement, the MAGA movement. Right now, there is no leader of the Republican party. I guess in theory, it's Kevin McCarthy right now, right? Since he's Speaker of the House, sort of the highest ranking position of a Republican. Ron DeSantis is essentially wanting to be the leader of the party. But I think a lot of Republicans still view Donald Trump as the leader of the party, number one. And so, you know, I look, I go back to the strategy of trying to out MAGA. him. Like, if you believe he is the leader of that MAGA movement, then how are you going to be able to replace him, right? It doesn't make sense to me. He'd be better off running almost an

alternative campaign, the one that Rick, Tim Scott's trying to run, which is sort of a different tone, a different, Rick's, Tim Scott's trying to run as leader of the Republican Party. I don't think Ronda Santis is right now. Ron DeSantis feels like he's running to be heir of the MAGA movement, and I don't see how that makes a lot of sense in a general election. I want to know if something concerns you, because when I heard this yesterday, I became concerned. Just because we both covered former President Trump. We know how his supporters can be just with reporters, and we saw what happened on January 6th. We've been covering his legal issues.

His hush money trial set for March of next year in the heart of primary season. If this is a heated race, right, and you have to worry about former President Trump appearing in court in Manhattan, and that somehow, I don't want to say interferes with the campaign, but it's going to be part of it. it. Do you worry at all about what could happen in those months and what could happen with his supporters? That's the, it's almost, Tom, this is why we're all like, well, let's see how this plays out, right? I don't presume that if more indictments have Donald Trump's name on it, that somehow he is going, it is going to be, it is going to boomerang in his benefit the way the Alvin Bragg and the Manhattan indictment did, you know, if there's one in Georgia, and then one or two from one.

Washington, D.C., right? So we don't, it's, these are the unknowns, right? We don't know, is there a point where the straw, the indictment breaks the camels back, right? That's, and I do think that is why there are more people in this race. More people are thinking about running, because number one, there's still that unknown about Trump, and number two, DeSantis looks like he's got a glass jaw. So if you think that Trump could be in deep trouble come, say, March, but DeSantis doesn't look like he can get to January, then suddenly you're thinking about, well, why not me, right? Which is the Glenn Yonkin thing and Chris Christie thing and all of this conversation.

So look, I think all of that is the potential to sort of totally change this race. But Donald Trump, you know, the guy, Teflon isn't a good enough word to describe how stuff doesn't stick to that guy. Chuck Todd, we appreciate your analysis here tonight. and tomorrow on Meet the Press Now, more on the DeSantis launch and its tech problems, plus an interview with Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith on the future of AI. Very big show tomorrow for Chuck. Make sure to tune in. Okay, we want to get back to this show and talk more about Governor DeSantis' launch

with this historic presidential announcement and what it means for the 2024 race. I want to bring in Steve Hayes tonight, NBC News political analyst and editor and CEO of the dispatch, and Republican strategist Krisha Lenzo. I thank you both for joining Top Story. Steve, I do want to start with you. You've reported on Republican campaigns and elections for a long time. What did you think about this rollout and talk to me about if there are highlights and where you think some moments possibly were missed? Yeah, I mean, I think it's been a disaster the way that you've all been talking about it. It was a big risk doing this on Twitter spaces, and I think the risk didn't pay off.

One of the reasons that I think this is likely to last beyond a bad news cycle is a core part of the argument that Ron DeSantis was going to make against Donald Trump was that Donald Trump can talk a lot and you might excite people and he can do big rallies, but he wasn't very effective president. He didn't get done the things that he said he was going to get done. And DeSantis' argument is that he could come in and instead be a very effective governor, produce results. He, in an exchange later in this Twitter space with radio host Steve Dees, he was asked about policies and what he's done in Florida. He said, well, I produce results. When you have the kind of problems, technical glitches, and problems that he has at the top of this discussion, at the top of this announcement,

it just puts a dent in that argument, I think. Chris, I want to put up some poll numbers for you, okay? And these are national polls we should mention at first, and you shouldn't take too much stock in them, but obviously President Trump is. CNN out with a new one that has Trump polling at 53% while the Santis' closest competition is at 26%. Quinnipiac, similar numbers, Trump at 56, while the Santis is at 25%. Do you think Republican voters are still open to Governor DeSantis, and is it still so early in the race?

Because when you look at that and you see how everyone else is in single digits, Governor DeSantis is really the only person in this race that can match Trump. I think based on tonight's performance, I think Republican voters will be less inclined to vote for Governor DeSantis. I agree with that previous assessment that there was really nothing newsworthy about what he had to say other than the technical glitches. It's pretty much the same stump speech we've heard all along. And besides using the word woke, maybe about five times I was counting, there was nothing new when it came to even international policy and what he will do on the world stage.

And I think that's something that Republican voters really are concerned about at this moment in time, especially as we have threats from China, from Russia. And realistically, we don't have a proven record from any of the other candidates who are up in the primary. I will say this, though. He was touting some of his accomplishments in Florida throughout that speech. It was sprinkled in in the Twitter space conversation. So why did he pick Twitter spaces?

We have a clip of him on the Twitter space explaining. Let's listen. Talk about the problems on Twitter spaces and the technological problems. We're having technology problems here as well on Top Story. It happens. Anyways, he said he went there on Twitter spaces because it's a free speech. environment and that's what him and Elon Musk were talking about. So, you know, I want to ask you, I mean, there's a part of the Republican Party that loves this. They lean into that. Again,

Elon Musk has huge, huge, huge, huge high ratings with conservatives. So he is going to get some some street credit for that among GOP voters. He'll definitely get some street cred. But I think when it comes to the general electorate, it did come across as somewhat elitist in the presentation. I think when even David Sachs, he was a VC who is moderating this. I mean, people, including Vivek Ramoswamy, talked about how David Sachs was one of the key venture capitalists who was in support of the Silicon Valley bank financial institution bailout. So that even raises questions about how this is reaching the general retail banking customer, not to take it too far off the rails, but I think when it's Elon Musk at the helm,

yes, conservatives love his freedom of speech territory, but ultimately when it comes to even donations, asking for donations at the end of his speech. having the reception at the four seasons tonight in Miami. I think that doesn't necessarily relate with the average voter. Steve, I got to tell you, I think there's been a lot of reporting about how the Trump campaign, the DeSantis campaign has had some stumbles. I got to tell you, I think some of it is unfair because it is still so early in the campaign. He's going to have, I think, a $200 million war chest when it comes to a super PAC.

He has somebody who's very experienced and who I should remind viewers, won Iowa. Jeff Roe was running the Ted Cruz campaign. They won Iowa. They beat Trump. in a very early contest, which actually catapulted Senator Cruz through the rest of that primary. But I do have to ask you, I mean, there's still time for Governor DeSantis to not only catch up, but to really give Trump a run for his money. Yeah, I think there is. Look, you have more than half the Republican Party who wants somebody other than Donald Trump.

For a long time, it looked like that might be Ron DeSantis. But as you point out, Tom, this is very, very early. And if you listened to the kind of conversation that he was having, He introduced several different speakers, David Sacks, introduced several different speakers who asked questions of Ron DeSantis, and he included Thomas Massey, a very conservative member of Congress who asked some questions of Governor DeSantis. You had people who were supportive of Ron DeSantis on his COVID plans in Florida. You have somebody who he's appointed to the board of trustees of the college down in Florida that he's sort of remaking in an anti-woke way. And you imagine if you get past the glitches and get past some of the stumbles, that for conservatives and the conservative base who are open to and frustrated with sort of the culture war and believe in the arguments that he's making, there's some appeal there, I think. They will listen to some of the things that he's saying and say, yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

And, you know, he's running a very base campaign based on culture war politics, and he's not the narcissist that Donald Trump is. So it's not hard to imagine that people will say, we kind of like this part of what Trump was offering before, but without the kind of baggage and chaos that Donald Trump brings. Stephen, you think we're going to have a repeat of 2016 in the sense that, just because what I'm getting from the candidates that have entered the race and the ones that are probably going to enter later, I get a sense that when we get on that debate stage,

there's going to be a couple people going after former President Trump, but there's going to be a lot of people going after DeSantis. And we sort of saw this in 2016, right? There was Rubio who went after Jeb Bush. and Trump went after Jeb Bush, and then you had Christy going after Rubio, and you had Cruz and Rubio going at it, and eventually what it did is it just made Trump stronger. Yeah, I mean, you would think these candidates would learn, but look, each of these candidates is running for very distinct reasons. You've had Nikki Haley effectively running against Ron DeSantis and almost going out of her way not to mention or not to criticize Donald Trump. She's at an event in New Hampshire, I guess she's offered some sort of gentle criticism of Trump, but she comes at.

Ron DeSantis hard. And it's caused people to wonder whether she would like a position, you know, potentially as Donald Trump's running mate. I think you're likely to see some of the same things. They're all trying to be the last candidate. It's going to be Trump against somebody. At least that's the calculation that a lot of Republican strategists have made. They all want to be that somebody. And to that end, it would be very much a replay of 2016. Christian, before we go, if you could give Governor DeSantis any advice, what would you tell them? You have to talk about international policy. It has to be more than just your blueprint for Florida.

While you have achieved a tremendous amount in your state and your determining factor in terms of how the rest of the country will play out, people want to see your perspective on the world stage. And I think it's very important, especially in this place. Yeah, you say Ukraine, China. There's so many issues there. A hundred percent. Chris Alenzo, we thank you so much.

Stephen Hayes. Always a pleasure. Thank you for joining Top Story tonight. The other major headline that we're falling, of course, the death of rock and roll icon, Tina Turner, In this statement, her publicist confirming the 83-year-old trailblazer and powerhouse performer died at her home in Switzerland after a long illness. NBC's nightly news anchor, Lester Holt, has a look at her life and legacy as tributes pour in from around the world. That powerful voice.

That electrifying dancing. No wonder, Tina Turner was known as the Queen of Rock and Roll. When I walk out into the stage, it's one big healthy party. That's the feeling, and that was what I always wanted. After an iconic career and a life of hardship and resilience, the 83-year-old legend died today at her home in Switzerland, following a long illness. Born Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee in 1939, Turner was the daughter. of sharecroppers. As a teenager, she was discovered by Ike Turner, who gave her that famous

stage name. In the 60s, they performed together as the Ike and Tina Turner Review. But in their 16 years of marriage, Ike's abuse was brutal and unrelenting. There was no control. There was no freedom. You just get fed up and you say, life is not worth living if I'm going to stay in this situation. Tina fled in 1976. She said she had just 36 cents and a mobile card to her name. A scene recreated in the 1993 biopic, What's Love got to do with it? I'm Tina Turner. My husband and I just had a fight. It was after she broke free from Ike, she truly became a superstar.

I got to be known as a great performer. I never tried to change my style because of any other style. I just stayed true to what I do. Along the way, she won eight Grammys and had six top ten hits, a Super Bowl halftime show, and a Broadway musical about her life. They love sitting there, watching them do a show that it took me years

to learn and do and here it took them a matter of months to master. In a recent HBO documentary, Turner reflecting on all she'd been through. I had an abusive life. There's no other way to tell

the story. A survivor and performer, Tina Turner was simply one of the best. I think I have something very special to do it makes sense to me that that I'm here for something more than

my dancing and in all of what I've done at my heart And as we thank Lester Holt for that beautiful look back This is a live look at Tina Turner's home just outside of Zurich, Switzerland And you can see the growing memorial there

With all those lit candles For more on Tina's legendary career And what she meant to all of her fans From all over the world I want to bring in Gail Mitchell. She's Billboard's R&B and hip-hop executive director. Gail, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. We heard all about Turner's life and legacy there in that piece from Lester.

Can you speak more about the Tina that overcame to become the legend we know of today? Yeah, I was just listening to the clip and watching that, and it just drives home, listening to the music, just what she came through. The whole arc of her life, you could probably, if you want to. to truncate it in social media, a fool in love, to what's love got to do with it. But in that arc, she did so much, especially finding herself, finding who she was as a woman, as her own person, doing the things she wanted to do. She was very determined to move from soul into rock and roll, which, you know, once you're signed to a label or dealing with labels, a lot of times they've wanted to change who people

are and what they are, but she was steadfast and determined. that she was going to be this force in rock and roll, and she turned out to be one, very influential in that respect. Being able, as the clip noted earlier, about her being able to become a survivor and be brave enough to tell her story about escaping from sexual abuse and verbal abuse and physical abuse and rising triumphant through all that,

but still keeping the essence of Anna Mae Bullock. You know, I want to ask you something. She was a female icon, she was a black icon, but she was also an American icon. What was it about her that appealed to so many audiences? I think the fact that she was, she just did music to do music. Everybody says music is the universal language, and it certainly is. And she was able, she had that aura and that creativity and that voice, that powerful voice, that emitted such emotion and power and inspiration all at the same time.

And I think that that's what, and that stands at the heart of what an American is, is all of that. And she encompassed all that. And I think people, as you just said, people black, white, all ethnic groups can learn from her message of empowerment and inspiration and never giving up on yourself. I think that's another major lesson she showed. And that's certainly one of the core values of America is don't give up. Here we're going to fight, and that's essentially what she did throughout her life and emerged triumphant at the end. Gail Mitchell from Billboard, we thank you so much for your time and for this look back of Tina's life. We appreciate it.

We also want to let you know that we're going to have more on Tina Turner's life coming up later in the broadcast. We're also following developing news tonight in Guam after a powerful typhoon slammed the U.S. territory with damaging winds up to 140 miles per hour and a dangerous storm search. Residents there now waking up to the destruction. For more on where it's headed next, let's get right to Bill Cairns. And Bill, some of these images were incredible. Hey, it's been 12 hours since the northern portion of the island was in the eyewall, the southern portion of the eye wall. And it's been about four hours since the sun come up.

There's always kind of a fog after these big storms hit, whether it's a hurricane here in our country or anywhere around the globe. But now that we're four hours in and the sun's been up, we haven't heard of anything that's catastrophic. So that's a piece of good news. And the storm actually weakened as it approached Guam, and then as intensified as it exists. So here's what we do know.

The winds were about 105 to 135 miles per hour. That's the equivalent of what we would call like a category three hurricane. They had hurricane gusts for six hours, tropical storm gusts for 24 hours. Last night was miserable. No one had power. Everyone's in their homes, and they have no idea what's going on outside, but they can hear like the wind just whipping. And the highest wind gust measured was 105 miles per hour, and then the sensor broke. So that's probably as high as wherever we're going to hear.

It did rain about 12 inches. It rained up one and a quarter inches in only 10 to 12 minutes at the airport. Definitely landslides and mudslides. occurred, but we haven't seen any catastrophic pictures. So here's where Guam is. And you can see how it, look at the eye, reappear as it exited Guam. It actually, Guam is so fortunate. Let me show you the path. So this is the historical path. So the storm was heading towards Guam. All the alerts were going off. Everyone was like, oh, look out. And then it took this little turn to the north. And then it went back to the west. That spared Guam the direct hit. So I'm sure people in Guam,

they have a lot of cleanup. There's tree damage all over the place. Probably want to power for days, if not weeks in a few spots, but it's not what they feared. And then in the future, this storm continues to track almost towards Taiwan or even southern islands of Japan early next week. So we'll keep an eye on that time. Incredible that it made that turn there that you just pointed out there. Bill, we appreciate all of that. We want to switch gears now.

One year ago, a gunman walked into Rob Elementary School in Yuvaldi, Texas. He killed two teachers and 19 students as law enforcement waited for more than an hour to stop the shooter. The tragedy shaking the community and the country to its core. I sat down with families grieving their losses while they're trying to find a path forward and find change. In Yuvaldi, Texas, memories of the massacre are impossible to escape. Some days, I feel like it was just yesterday, but being able to hold your daughter, give her a kiss to say, I love you. It feels like an eternity.

And just as the days go by, it gets much harder. One year later, loved ones of the 19 students and two teachers killed are still grappling with their devastating reality. Each of these women lost a daughter that day. It's hard waking up every morning, knowing that she's not going to yell at me from her bedroom. You know, it's hard walking into our house. and there's nobody in our house anymore. And we just want it to stop. And I don't know how to make it stop.

Veronica Mata lost her 10-year-old Tess. Kimberly Mata Rubio's daughter, Lexi, was also just 10 years old. Gloria Casares lost her daughter Jackie and niece Annabelle. They are among the Yuvaldi families pushing for political change and stricter gun loss. What's it like when you hear there's been another shooting, It literally happens almost every week. It's devastating, disappointing, it's disgusting. You would think sometimes you blame yourself.

You'd think that what you were doing, you're going to prevent somebody else's child from dying. I know a lot of you have decided to stay here and not move away. What has that been like? I think it's more difficult. I hate this town. I hate living here. My daughter's here, though, so how do we leave?

The Rob Elementary School building will be demolished. The surviving students and staff now go to different schools. It's been through a lot. Including Noah, who got a scholarship to attend a private school nearby. He says history is his favorite class. So tell me about your new school. How is it? It's good.

I've been doing pretty good. Yeah. You've enjoyed it. You've been able to make some friends? Yes. He was in one of those classrooms that day, shot in the back, but somehow survived. You know, we're approaching the one-year mark or what had happened. How is the last year been?

It's been an eventful year, both good and bad, good in that our son has made some progress, physically, emotionally, still a long road ahead. Now the 10-year-old says his life was saved thanks to the actions of the two teachers who also lost their lives that day, Irma Linda Lorenzo Garcia and Eva Midellis. It makes me so proud of my sister and know that. If, you know, the way she went at least, she went a hero for sure. It's a teacher's nightmare, and my sister stared it straight in the face. Velma Duran is also a teacher. A year later, she still can't imagine what her sister Irma must have gone through that day. I don't think they were prepared for the type of weapon that they were staring at.

And that's the nightmares. The nightmares that continue every time I close my eyes. Because I can envision what she must have felt, what she must have seen. Which is why safety is still on the minds of those in this town. There's a lot to do here to try to move forward. Gary Patterson is interim superintendent for the district, a role he stepped into last November when he volunteered. What I tried to do right off the bat was try to reach out to the families and open lines of communication and make an attempt to reestablish some trust that have been lost in the aftermath.

When parents ask you, are my kids safe? What do you tell them? I tell them that I believe they're as safe as they can be. We've progressed a lot rapidly with fencing and re-keying and securing our exterior doors. but there's still a lot of parents who don't feel safe. A community forever shaken by a uniquely American tragedy. Will the fight ever end, or will you constantly try to fight for reform? I'll never stop. Yeah, we're never going to stop. I don't think that there's a finish line in sight.

And before we go to break, we want to take a live look tonight from Yuvaldi, Texas. This is the scene right now at a memorial in the town square, honoring those 21 victims. communities, community members leaving wreaths, handwritten cards and pictures as Yuvaldi and this nation marks the somber day and vows not to forget those lives lost. We'll be right back. All right, we're back now with a story out of San Francisco. The Board of Supervisors holding a meeting outdoors to address the city's drug crisis, but it quickly escalated into chaos with protesters and hecklers and one person even throwing a brick towards the stage. Jacob Ward has the details.

A San Francisco City meeting held outside, focused on the city's drug and overdose crisis devolved into chaos in the very plaza the mayor is hoping to clean up. Protests, heckling, even a brick got thrown. Forcing the meeting back inside City Hall after just 14 minutes, according to NBC Bay Area. It all started when the Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin called the special session in a plaza near City Hall and just off the meeting. a historic but troubled tenderloin district. But after initial comments,

We will recess. The meeting's ending abruptly as protesters and hecklers shouted at officials with the person who threw the brick quickly taken into custody. Police saying a girl was hit with the brick and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. This hectic scene, a reminder of the struggles residents face often in the city's UN Plaza. Video from just the night before shows the scene, which residents say is one of the biggest open-air drug dealing sites in the city. These people ain't just stayed here and homeless.

No, these are new people here. These ain't the same people. This incident, the latest controversy in a city grappling with a large homeless population, drug overdose is up 37% this year through April, multiple recent acts of violence caught on camera, and several notable store closures in the city center. San Francisco's leaders now trying to bring the once bustling downtown back to what it was pre-pandemic. When the special council meeting reconvened inside,

the mayor called out critics of her approach. A certain member vocally expressed opposition to some of this. work. The mayor also responding to a tweet from supervisor Dean Preston, who wrote in part, arresting people for drug addiction is not moderate nor common sense. It's reactionary, cruel, and counterproductive. Mayor Breed fired back. When we offer shelter, when we offer housing, and when we offer behavioral health support, all of the services that exist in the city and those offers are declined. That doesn't mean a free license to terrorize a community. Another day, another very public challenge for the city's leadership.

Jake Ward, NBC News. All right, coming up, the new Murdoch indictment why the man convicted of murdering his wife and son has now been charged with 22 new federal counts. Stay with us. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed in the latest on the death of a 20-year-old woman who was shot after pulling into the wrong driveway in upstate New York. The suspect in court today facing two new charges of reckless and dangerous. and tampering with evidence.

He's already facing a second-degree murder charge for the fatal shooting of Kaelin Gillis last month. He pleaded not guilty and has been held without bail. Rapper Fetty Wop was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking scheme. The 31-year-old rapper was arrested in 2021 on charges that he participated in a drug-smuggling conspiracy that distributed fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.

Prosecutors asking for the rapper to receive a longer term in the minimum of five years, saying he used his fame and influence to, quote, glamorize the drug trade. And convicted murderer Alex Murdoch now facing new federal charges, the disgraced South Carolina attorney indicted on 22 fraud-related charges, including cheating on his late housekeeper's estate and insurance carriers out of nearly $3.5 million. That housekeeper died after an alleged fall at his home in 2018. Murdoch is currently serving life in prison for the murder of his wife and son.

Okay, we want to head overseas down to the war in Ukraine after a two-day battle on the Russian border, anti-Putin Russian fighters claiming responsibility for the assault against the Russian army. The fellow Russians appearing to carry it out using American-made military vehicles. Russia's defense minister now launching a counterterrorism sweep, Molly Hunter, has this one. Tonight, saboteurs far-right Russian nationalist militias who have taken up arms against the Kremlin inside Russia, speaking out on the Ukrainian side of the border. The operation is ongoing. New video shows these anti-Putin fighters

appearing to use American-made tactical vehicles, MRAPs and Humvees, in Russia's Belgrade region. It happened in a brazen cross-border attack earlier this week and raising questions about where they acquired the equipment and what kind of backing they get from Kiev. Obviously, a lot of encouragement. Planning? Planning, we could consult.

Speaking is Russian far-right nationalist Dennis Nikitin. He's espoused neo-Nazi views. He's the leader of a group called the Russian Volunteer Corps, who, along with the freedom of Russia Legion, claims credit for the assault inside Russia. Are you planning to carry out wider operations? Absolutely. This one is a success. The Ukrainian government officially denies they have any connection to these groups.

They're hoping that in some small way they can contribute to the downfall of the Putin regime. They believe that a Russian defeat in Ukraine hastens the downfall of the regime in Moscow. In the past chaotic 48 hours, Russia's defense minister sending a top general to the region to lead a massive counterterrorism suite, but it draws critical resources away from Russia's border defense. Now, Tom, these guys aren't new. They've been around for a few years. What is new and different is the scale and the brazenness of this attack.

Now, the Kremlin says tonight, it is no surprise that American military vehicles are winding up in these hands that they say, these militias, that they say are backed by Kiev, which of course is backed by the U.S. The State Department, though, addressing this in their briefing earlier today, Tom, very clearly saying they do not support any American-made military vehicles or equipment being used in attacks inside Russia. They say they've seen the reports and they're looking into it. Tom. Okay, not a top story. Global Watch and the flash flooding emergency in southeastern Spain. Video shows roads underwater and vehicles submerged after torrential rain fell in the port city of Cartagena. Schools and daycares closed. So far, there no injuries are reported. France is now banning domestic short-haul flights to cut carbon emissions. Listen to this. The ban

prohibits flights between cities that are reachable by train within two and a half hours. Routes like Paris to Bordeaux will be discontinued, but connecting flights will not be affected. say trains will also have to run late at night and early in the morning, so travelers were not have to spend more than eight hours to get to a destination. And in London, a legendary sword just sold for a staggering $17 million. Take a look. The sword belonged to an Indian ruler in the 18th century. The sultan was slain by British forces who were given his sword as a symbol of courage.

The weapon's handle is decorated with gold calligraphy and remains in good condition. All right, coming up, the incredible medical breakthrough. now able to walk again. We'll tell you about the science behind this incredible achievement. Stay with us. We're back now with a medical breakthrough that has allowed a paralyzed 40-year-old man to climb stairs and move more freely again.

It's all possible with the help of brain and spine implants that translate thoughts into movement. NBC's Josh Letterman breaks down the incredible advancement. So they're speaking up well. For more than a decade, Gert Yon, Oskam has been trying to relearn to walk. A motorbike accident in his late 20s left him paralyzed from the hips down, changing his life forever.

But now, Oskam is back on his feet, thanks to groundbreaking digital implants in his brain and his spine. After two days, within five to ten minutes, I could control my hips. It works like this. When Oskam thinks about taking a step, a brain implant picks up the signals and sends them to a computer strapped to his back. The computer decodes it, then transmits the signal to a device in his spinal cord, triggering his legs to move.

Scientists say it's like a digital bridge that bypasses the damaged part of his spine. The patient has first to learn how to work with his brain signals, and we also have to learn how to correlate his brain signal to the spinal cord stimulation. Scientists were shocked to find it may have helped close the gap in his nervous system. In less than a year, Ostum gained the ability to walk with crutches, even when the device is turned off. Life-changing abilities he didn't have after a previous experimental implant, which only let him take a few clunky steps.

I am in full control of what the stimulation does, and that gives me a lot of freedom which I didn't have with previous therapy. Researchers say it's an incredible step forward from older technologies that could detect brain signals or stimulate muscle movement, but not both. Putting all those components together in a human with spinal cord injury and having them talk in quasi real time, it's a breakthrough, really. It's not a cure. Oskim can still only walk several hundred feet a day and stand without help for a few minutes. But for the first time since his accident 12 years ago, Oskim can do things most of us take for granted, like get out of a car or stand at a local pub.

It was a long journey, but at the end I can really build functional things from it. A long journey now giving hope to other patients, still striving to take that first step. So far, Oskam is the only person to experiment with this digital bridge. But Swiss scientists who published the case today in the peer-review journal Nature say they're planning future studies involving people with paralyzed arms and hands and even stroke victims, Tom. An incredible step. Okay, we thank Josh for that. When we come back, remembering the queen of rock and roll, Tina Turner, and one of the songs that skyrocketed her into stardom.

That's next. Finally tonight, the voice of a legend, Tina Turner's version of Proud Mary as she performed it through the decades. It cemented her place in music history. So tonight, as we remember her life, we also want to leave you with a little bit of Tina. We thank you so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yomass in New York. Here now, the queen of rock and roll. Rolling

Rolling on a river I said we're rolling rolling, rolling, rolling rolling on a river We're on two, two, chew. Two, choose, two, choose, two, two, two, two, two. If you come down to the river, I bet you're going to find some people to live. And you don't have no one. You've got no money. People are forever.

Rolling, rolling on the river river. Rolling. Rolling on the river. Rolling, rolling. Rolling on the river. Rolling