Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Episode Date: October 26, 2023

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 we're live once again on the tense Israeli Gaza border. The aerial bombardment, which we've heard for the last two hours now, destroying the strip, now leading to growing calls for a ceasefire. Those calls being met with defiance. Health fire on Hamas, that is what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is in store for the terror group. Explosions laying waste to Gaza, more disturbing scenes of people pulled from the rubble, This young girl trapped by concrete. International demands for a humanitarian pause to the bombings,

calling for more aid into Gaza. President Biden walking a tightrope condemning Hamas for using civilians as human shields while telling Israel it has to protect innocent Palestinians. What we know about Israeli plans for a ground operation. Tonight Netanyahu indicating it's only a matter of time. Inside the terror attack, the Israeli military showing the chilling and graphic moments that set off this war with Hamas, militants shooting from pickup trucks, targeting people as they were fleeing the music festival. Israeli shot and burned beyond recognition, how Israel is

trying to keep the focus on that horrific day. Monster hurricane hits, Otis making landfall as a Category 5 beast, the strongest storm ever to barrel into Mexico, unexpectedly strengthening from a tropical storm in just 24 hours. A million people trapped with no way to escape. Caught on camera the moment power goes out, cutting off communications, flooded streets becoming rivers overnight, intense winds ripping buildings apart, the latest on where it's heading. New speaker, congressional Republicans rallying behind Louisiana's Mike Johnson after three weeks of chaos on Capitol Hill. What we know about the new leader and his fast rise from obscurity to power. Trump storms out of court. The former president getting up and leaving in the

middle of his fraud trial after the judge orders him to take the witness stand, then find him $10,000. The judge's warning more serious punishment could be ahead. Plus poison murder plot, an expert in poisons behind bars accused of killing his wife. The medical examiner stopping the cremation, the suspect's online search history about how much it would take to make a lethal dose. And close call, a massive cliff collapsing onto a beach underneath a man and his dog enjoying the day directly in the path. Amazingly, the dog sprinting out of the way, getting to safety. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber, reporting live from the Israel-Gaza border, in for Tom Yamis.

Tonight, the international cries to halt the bombings to allow more aid to get into Gaza are growing louder. Those calls so far being ignored as Israeli airstrikes are crushing cities throughout Gaza, fuel running out there, as Israel says appals would only help Hamas regroup. Tonight, the Prime Minister of Israel standing by the relentless campaign, and it addressed to the nation, his nation, saying, quote, we are raining down hellfire on Hamas and that this is only the beginning. Netanyahu adding that the war cabinet will determine the timing of a ground invasion when conditions are optimal. Tonight, the leader of Hezbollah meeting with the senior leaders of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the group meeting in Beirut as tensions rise across the region. President Biden today casting doubt on death toll counts out of Gaza and the numbers

released by the Hamas-controlled health agency. But the president admitting civilians have been killed and need to be protected by Israel. The images from Gaza painting a grim picture, smoke filling the streets after a strike in the southern city of Canunis. People running to safety as dust makes it impossible to see. In Gaza City, people digging through the rubble after rockets rained down. Casualties filling hospitals, many of them, children, crying as they are led through packed hallways. Doctors treating them on floors, medics cutting clothes off of an infant rushing to check for injuries after a strike. Right now, seemingly nowhere is safe in the Gaza Strip as Israel shows no intention of slowing down its air attacks. NBC News,

chief foreign correspondent Richard Engle starts us off again tonight. The Middle East tonight is on the edge of disaster. Gaza is being flattened, horrific images are stoking rage across the Muslim world. Tonight, President Biden tried to pull the region back from the brink, saying Israel has a right and responsibility to target Hamas, but that it has an obligation to protect Palestinian civilians. Israel has given his power as difficult it is to protect innocent civilians. It's difficult.

He condemned Hamas for using civilians as human shields and says he has no confidence in claims by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, that 6,500 Palestinian civilians have been killed in the last two and a half weeks. I have no notion that Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed. I'm sure innocence had been killed, and it's a price of waging a war. Israel's allies in the Middle East were more blunt. Jordan's King Abdullah, saying stopping the war on Gaza is an absolute necessity, and that the conflict can lead to an explosion in the region. The president of Egypt, the first country to sign a peace accord with Israel, delivering the same message alongside French President Macron.

In Gaza today, our crew filmed building after building destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. Israel today said it's targeting Hamas tunnels that run under homes, schools, and hospitals. In one building, we saw this little girl inside of what's left of her apartment. Rescue workers tell her to stay calm, that they're nearly done removing debris. Her leg is trapped under concrete. They try to free her without collapsing the pocket she's in. And finally, she's saved. Hamas's backer Iran today blamed the United States for what's happening in Gaza.

Pro-Iranian militias have already carried out probing attacks. against U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq. My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared. Richard joins us now from Jerusalem. Richard, the UN agency bringing humanitarian aid into Gaza has said it will run out of fuel very soon and will have to halt operations. We know Israel is against any fuel being brought into Gaza

because they say they think it will end up in the hands of Hamas. militants. Is there any wiggle room here? Is there a scenario you could see where a limited amount of fuel could get to these aid groups inside of Gaza? Yes. I think that Israel's saying it doesn't want to let in fuel because it doesn't want to go to Hamas is part of the reason, but Israel is also just trying to pressure Hamas, is trying to pressure the entire region, all of the Gaza Strip, to turn against Hamas. Israel wants people in Gaza to answer the leaflets that it's been dropping, asking for tips from the people in Gaza who have information or might have information about Hamas leaders, about the hostages.

So it is a pressure campaign, but you can only push people so far. And now there is an enormous amount of pressure on Israel from human rights groups all around the world, from friendly governments, Egypt, Jordan, countries that have long peace treaties with Israel to find some sort of reprieve for the civilians in Gaza, because if they don't, there is a, we talk about it all the time, but now we are really at a risk of drawing this into a massive conflict all across the Middle East, which these countries around Israel don't want, and the United States doesn't want. Richard, Prime Minister Netanyahu used incredibly strong language in his speech tonight.

What did you make of it? I mean, you have covered so many wars in your career. When you were listening to that, did that sound like the final speech a leader gives before a ground incursion? No, it didn't. It sounded more like Netanyahu asserting his own authority. Israel has been very embarrassed by what has happened. Israel has been wounded by this terrible attack, the 1400 dead.

The basic promise that Israel and any government gives to its people is that it will protect them. And Netanyahu, as the prime minister, failed to do that. And then there's been so much talk over the last several days that the United States is dictating terms to Israel, that the United States is telling Israel when it should go in and how it should go in, and then maybe it should have a pause. So what I heard from Netanyahu tonight was him saying, Israel is sovereign, and Israel make decisions when it will go in and when it won't go in, Israel is still in charge after this very traumatic and blow to this country's credibility.

Richard Engel in Jerusalem, thank you. And turning to the delicate negotiations for the release of more than 200 hostages being held by Hamas inside of Gaza. Joining us now is Chief International correspondent Kier Simmons from Qatar. here. Yesterday, you reported there were ongoing talks about the release or the possibility of the release of a larger group of hostages. Is there any update on those talks? Katari government here for the first time publicly predicted a breakthrough and said, hopefully, quote, hopefully soon. So that was by the Qatari Prime Minister, who's also the Qatari foreign minister. And so that was, I think, significant. I am told by a diplomat with

knowledge of the talks that are going on between Qatar and Israel and Hamas, that one of the challenges is that in order to bring out a larger group of civilian hostages, 50, 60, 70 perhaps, you would need to have a pause in the bombing because Hamas would need to gather them and then bring them out in some kind of a convoy. I mean, imagine it. A convoy. A convoy. of international civilian hostages, including children and people who've been injured. We haven't seen the like of that in recent history. It's a formidable challenge. So there are two parts to this.

One is the talks, the negotiations, although certainly the Israelis, for example, wouldn't call them that, over exactly whether to do this, how to do this, what agreements to make. And then the actual logistics of doing it, the two things are separate, related, of course. And both is tricky. Kier, is there a sense that Hamas might not want to release a large group of hostages for fear that if they have any leverage still, that they might lose it? I think one thing that's being missed is worth pointing out, is that, and this has been said to me by many different sides, that there are two groups here, really.

There are the civilian hostages, and there are what Hamas views the military hostages. And so what we're really talking about is the potential to try to bring out the military hostages. military hostages. Sorry, the civilian hostages. When you think about just, you know, more than 200, that maybe half of them, it's been suggested tonight, might be the civilians. So, to put it bluntly, Hamas would still have a lot of hostages. I mean, clearly there are calculations being made. President Biden today saying that he is encouraging, not urging, not telling, but encouraging bin Laden Netanyahu to try to secure the release of the hostages before launching a ground invasion. So So you can see the pressure there, and you can also imagine the calculations by the Israelis.

If you launch a ground invasion and you kill civilian hostages, particularly, for example, American citizens, what impact does that have on world opinion? So as much as Israel, as Richard was rightly saying there, is asserting its independence. It's also a reality to this. So there are – whether this is going to happen is the big question. And I can't answer that because it's happening behind closed doors. As we talked about yesterday, it was so fragile on. just for two and then another two, and a much bigger group, even harder.

Here, Simmons, in Doha, Qatar. Thank you. We are continuing to monitor the escalating violence on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. Hezbollah announcing more than a dozen of its militants were killed, and what they say was their deadliest day in weeks. The group claims it is deterring Israel's ground assault on Gaza, but questions now growing about how powerful that group. really is. Matt Bradley reports from southern Lebanon. Here in southern Lebanon, the rhythm of a widening war.

Hezbollah is burying yet another of its fighters, and the mood here is fatalistic. It's very sad to lose somebody we like somebody who is. That's normally the life. Nobody can stay forever. Still, they come in their hundreds, this small community united in grief and fury, chanting death to Israel and death to America. This is a celebration of martial martyrdom, even for the young and the even younger. But Hussein Naeem's family members say they didn't know he was American.

member of the group. We know him. The guy is very nice, well-behaving, very nice, and people like him very well. He's very cool, quiet, hard working, as I told you. But his death is just the latest in a string of losses for Hezbollah. Today was the group's deadliest so far. It said it lost more than a dozen men in the past 24 hours. 47 militants have died in more than two weeks of small-scale fighting.

Well, Israel has lost only seven, according to Reuters. Another day, another funeral for Hezbollah. The group is hemorrhaging men. This war hasn't even begun. Ever since Hamas launched its bloody attacks on Israel more than two weeks ago, Hezbollah has positioned itself as a kind of deterrent. Standing alongside an Iran-led, quote, axis of resistance in the way of Israel's much-anticipated ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

But it's unclear if this axis will ever take action. And if it does, if it will have the strength to prevail. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, hasn't been seen since the latest crisis began, but he met other leaders from the Axis of Resistance recently, releasing this photo today, huddling with heads of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad. But if these groups suffer losses like Hezbollah did today on an even grander scale, the death toll could be catastrophic. Alison, well, I briefly mentioned Hassan Nasrallah.

He's the head of Hezbollah, and he's been conspicuous in his absence. Now, normally, he would take any opportunity to address his adoring public, followers of Hezbollah. But now it's been nearly three weeks. We've heard from every leader and luminary in the Middle East addressing this topic, but we haven't heard from Nasrullah. Now, that's remarkable. We don't know what it means, but it just goes to show how weighty this is. There's clearly a lot of deliberation, consideration going on behind the scenes. Ellison?

Matt Bradley in southern Lebanon, thank you. As global attention turns to the rising death toll in Gaza, Israel tonight, working to shift the focus to the brutality of Hamas. Officials here showing reporters some unreleased and incredibly graphic videos from the day of those initial terror attacks that launched this region into war. Raf Sanchez was there and has the details tonight. It felt like there couldn't possibly be new horror left to see. No brutality that hadn't already been shared or live streamed. But tonight, with global attention turning to the spiraling death toll in Gaza, Israel's military trying to keep the focus on the massacre that sparked the war, inviting NBC News and other journalists

to a screening of raw video from the October 7th Hamas terror attack. I have some sense of what's in this footage, and I've been trying to prepare myself, but I'm still anxious about what we're going to see. For 46 minutes, we sat in stunned silence, watching video filmed by Hamas, and filmed by their victims. Much of it had never been seen before. And while Israel's military is not releasing the clips because they're so graphic,

they allowed us to describe what we saw, including a terrorist throwing a grenade into a bomb shelter where an Israeli father is shielding his two young sons. The blast kills the father and wounds the little boys. One of them howls, why am I alive? And tells his brother, I think we're going to die. A Hamas gunman stands over them, drinking coke from their fridge.

It's not clear what happened to the boys. I'm sure that you can figure out that they are worse than ISIS, the way they behave. The military released this video from a Hamas dash cam exclusively to NBC News, saying it shows a terrorist using a heavy machine gun to mow down survivors fleeing from the Supernova Music Festival. Because I knew I just have to survive, just have to run. Millet Ben Haim was among those running for their lives. When I was growing up, there is this movie about the Holocaust.

There is this scene that they are running, and there is people shooting at them, and there is also like bombs on the ground. And I remember really thinking about this scene because it was so similar. She hid in a bush with friends for hours waiting for rescue. I don't know who I am, and I feel like a ghost most of the time. Raph Sanchez joins us now from Ashtad Israel. So, Raf, the details in your piece are devastating, gutting, just beyond words in so many ways. Talk to us about what you witnessed today.

Alison, this is some of the most difficult footage I've ever seen. I watched those ISIS-beheading videos back in 2014, 2015. Those were horrendous, but they were only a couple of minutes long. This was three quarters of an hour. It was one scene of horror after another. And while we described what we could see, there were many times when there were images on that screen, we couldn't understand what we were looking at. We knew that they were human bodies, but they were so badly dismembered, so badly burned, we didn't know what we were seeing. And as we are watching this spiraling death toll in Gaza, these absolutely horrific scenes from the Gaza Strip,

But the Israeli military wants the world to remember what happened on October 7th with that massacre, which actually sparked this war, Elsa. Raf, I understand you also have some new reporting that Israeli officials released a letter recovered from Hamas, a new letter. What can you tell us there? Yeah, that's right, Alison. So this is a handwritten note that the Israeli military says was found on the body of a Hamas terrorist. NBC News has not been able to verify it, but in this note, it reads in part, Your enemy is a disease for which there is no cure except cutting their throats and ripping out their hearts. Alison.

Raff Sanchez in Ashdod, thank you. We appreciate your reporting. For more on the global reaction to the Israel-Hamas War, I want to bring in former CIA Director John Brennan. Director Brennan, thank you for joining us tonight. start by asking you about some new NBC news reporting. We have a U.S. official telling NBC news, the White House is now backing the idea of a pause of indeterminate duration to allow for more aid to get into Gaza and to help those trying to gain safe passage out of the enclave. Do you think Israel will listen to that? I think they will listen. It's a question about whether or not they will agree to do it. But I must say with the increasing footage of the airstrikes

that Israel is carrying out in Gaza and more and more civilians who are dying, the pressure is building to see whether or not there's some way to be able to get Israel to relent a bit, because it is giving the impression of collective punishment, as has been said, by a number of foreign leaders. And so I think the United States, seeing that there's a prospect to get more of the hostages out, particularly American civilians, that it's asking and putting some pressure on Israel to not move forward with this impending ground offensive, but also maybe to cut back on these airstrikes. That footage of October 7th showed just how detestable and despicable those horrific attacks

were, atrocities of epic proportion. But I think over the last 18 days or so, Israel is starting to lose some of that moral high ground because of the footage that they see of Palestinian children, women, elderly, who have been killed in these airstrikes. And this is an impossible balance for Israel to strike. But it's a question of whether or not these strikes now are being counterproductive and whether or not there needs to be some different approach that the United States now is discussing with Israeli leaders.

Do you think the timing of this new footage that Israel officials allowed some journalists, including our Raf Sanchez, to see, do you think they decided to do that right now because they're trying to shift attention from the airstrikes in Gaza? I think that they recognize that Hamas's public relations effort by releasing some of the hostages and getting some of this footage out of the strikes in Gaza, that they are winning sympathizers, not just in fellow Arab states, but around the globe, including in the United Nations. And so I do think this is Israel's way of trying to remind the world about what actually started this conflict. That said, the strikes in Gaza are ongoing.

Every day, there are hundreds of Palestinians who are reportedly killed by these strikes. And I'm concerned that increasingly the United States is going to be seen as allowing this to happen, given our relationship with Israel. And so I think what is happening now is that There's increasing anti-Israeli sentiment, as well as anti-U.S. sentiment in the region, which is very worrisome. I'm curious what you make of Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech he had tonight. At one point, he reiterated that a ground incursion will happen, saying when Israeli forces go into Gaza, quote, we will exact the full price for the murderers. When it comes to the stated goal of this, at least for the part of the next phase in this war, of dismantling Hamas, Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to have the support of the Israeli public. What matters more in moments like this?

Is it perceptions at home or perceptions of allies like the United States? I think for Bibi Netanyahu, it's more important than perceptions at home. But I will say that I think that even sentiment within Israel is really starting to turn a bit because they're concerned that if Israel goes in with this major ground assault, that that could, in fact, put the lives of these hostages at risk. And with the gutteries saying publicly that they are hopeful that there's going to be a larger number of hostages released, I think the pressure is building on Netanyahu domestically as well, not to just go in and to disregard the prospect that there could, in fact, be some way to get these hostages out before he launches this invasion. All right. Former CIA director, John Brennan, thank you so much. We appreciate your time and analysis tonight. Now for the other major news we are following tonight, let's head to the Top Story

Studio in New York, where my colleague Valerie Castro is following it all. Valerie, good evening. Good evening, Ellison. We turn first to the weather. Hurricane Otis making landfall near Acapulco after exploding into a category 5 storm overnight. Forecasters calling the rapid intensification a nightmare scenario. Miguel Almaguer on the impact catching many off guard. Making landfall is the most powerful storm to rake across Mexico's Pacific coast.

As a Category 5 hurricane, Otis tore through Alcapulco overnight, battering the resort town popular with Americans. A dangerous combination of whipping winds and relentless rain severed communications in the beachside city. All communications have been lost, says Mexico's president, the storm has a typical behavior. In just 24 hours, a tropical storm with 50-mile-per-hour winds explosively intensified into a cat-five, packing 165-mile-per-hour winds and 26,000 lightning strikes. With an increase in rapidly intensifying storms, often linked to climate change, the hurricane caught

most by surprise. Louisa Pena says all I could ask for was one more chance, by hidden my closet and prey. With hundreds of thousands in the dark, landslides have cut off supply roads, and now a 4.4 earthquake has struck the area. Tonight amid a national plea for help, the storm is weakening, but not before leaving behind a trail of destruction and misery. With so much extensive damage, there is growing concern tonight about the death toll, but first responders are still struggling to make it in to the hardest hit areas. Valerie? Okay, Miguel Almaguer, thank you. For more on this historic hurricane, NBC news meteorologist Bill Karens joins me now. Bill, we know you were watching this intently

yesterday. Last night you told us how fast the storm was strengthening. What is the latest on Otis's track now? Yeah, we don't have to worry about Otis doing too much more significant damage, maybe a little bit more rain. I think most of the mudslide action is even finished too. All the video and all the pictures that we showed you was not from the hardest hit area. So Alcapulco, here, this is Alcapulco Bay. So the eye went right over the top. We saw a lot of the pictures today from where the major hotels were. The right side quadrant is where the worst of the weather is with all these hurricanes when they make landfall. That includes where the airport is, which the military today said is unusable. They were only six to eight foot elevation. They had

the storm surge. They had wave action on top of that. So all of the hotels and structures to the southeast of Alcapulco, that's what we're waiting for. We're waiting to see just how bad that devastation was. The storm went into the mountains today. Obviously, cause the mudslides, but the mountains tear the storms apart. You can't even really see a little spin left here. But all of this moisture is heading northwards, and it's actually being sucked up into a storm system in Texas at this time. So we already had a storm, and now it's adding additional moisture. We've had a lot of heavy rain today. Some areas breaking rainfall records, about 10 million people are under flood watches. So it's going to continue to rain tonight, right through tomorrow.

It does include the Dallas area to Oklahoma City. So in this area, we could see some isolated flash flooding. This area is in a drought, a lot of this region. We do need the rain, but still, we don't need flash flooding. Possibility, even in Dallas area, around two to three inches of rain. But we'll see tomorrow. Today was just a day in the dark. We couldn't communicate with Acocoe. Tomorrow, hopefully, the military can get in there and we get a better idea of just how bad it is and how much help they need. Yeah, I'm sure we'll see those pictures and video come tomorrow. Bill Kerrins, thank you. Now to Capitol Hill and the Speaker of the House battle ending after weeks of GOP dysfunction and chaos. House Republicans unifying

to elect Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana, a relative unknown. Garrett Hake has the latest on his rise to power. After three chaotic and leaderless weeks, tonight the House once again has a speaker. The Speaker elect Mike Johnson from the state of Louisiana. Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson elected on a party line vote with the support of every Republican every Democrat opposed. A stunning rise for the Trump ally and low-ranking member of the GOP House. leadership team now second in line to the presidency. The challenge before us is great,

but the time for action is now. Johnson is a staunch conservative on issues like abortion and government spending. He also played a key role in efforts by then President Trump to overturn Joe Biden's electoral victory in the 2020 election, history noted by Democrats today. Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. No amount of election denialism will ever changed that reality. Are you worried that a Speaker Johnson would again attempt to overturn the election? No. Johnson's election caps a turbulent month for the House, beginning with the ouster of former

Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the elevation and withdrawal of three other GOP nominees before the party settled on the relatively unknown Johnson late last night. If you don't think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to Maga Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement and where the power in the Republican Party truly lies, then you're not paying attention. The eight Republicans who led the effort to remove McCarthy declaring victory. The only way to change Washington is to change who's leading Washington, and that is what we did today. Johnson, jolting the chamber back into action.

I believe we're going to be able to get this team to work together. With the House voting hours after his election on the first bill of any kind in nearly a month, A resolution supporting Israel, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Garrett Hague, joining us now from Capitol Hill. Garrett, so do we have any sense of how Johnson emerged as the frontrunner here? Well, Johnson always had the ambition to be a higher-ranking member of leadership, but it wasn't clear how fast and how far he'd be able to move so quickly. I think he became, after Tom Emmer flamed out yesterday,

kind of the most acceptable, plausible choice to a lot of different people and different elements of the Republican Party. And also, he was acceptable to Donald Trump, which I think was one of the key things that also doomed Tom Emmer. A lot of folks were also simply exhausted by this process. They were ready to move on. There was nothing so objectionable to them about Mike Johnson as to block him. So the party said, okay, sure, we'll take a chance on the new guy, and now off we go.

And Garrett Johnson is arguably the most ideologically conservative person to serve as speakers since Newt Gingrich in the 90s. So how is that point to influence his role, Speaker? Well, it's going to be very interesting to see whether his ideology affects how he defends those kind of more moderate members, those ones in Joe Biden districts, for whom things like votes on abortion bans or on gay marriage might be political losers. Traditionally, the Speaker's job is in part to make sure that those most vulnerable members get reelected. But if Johnson makes them walk the plank on really difficult votes to please the social

conservative base, that'll be much more challenging. We know what Johnson, the Republican member, of Congress believes, but we don't really know much about what Johnson, the leader, believes, about how to run the House and how he views those parts of the jobs about kind of member management. We're all going to find out in real time whether his personal views will weigh on how he views defending and trying to expand the House Republican majority. All right, Garrett Hake, thank you. Still ahead tonight, murder charges in Malibu. Four Pepperdine University students killed when a car speeding over 100 miles per hour struck

them on the Pacific Coast Highway, what we know about the suspect now being held on four million dollars bond. Plus poison murder plot, a husband arrested for the sudden death of his wife, what he does for a living that drew suspicion. And a salmonella outbreak tied to a popular kind of bagged onions, at least 15 people hospitalized the label you should be looking out for. Stay with us, top story is just getting started on this Wednesday night. And we have breaking news to tell you about Ford Motors and striking auto workers have reached a labor deal. Sources familiar with the matter have confirmed to CNBC. It would still need union leadership approval.

The move would end a nearly six-week strike at the automaker. Brian Chung joins us now to break down this possible deal. Brian, we know those workers were getting anxious for this. Can you tell us the latest on this tentative agreement? Yeah, Valerie, this is just breaking a few minutes ago. As you mentioned, our partners at CNBC, noted. that there has been a deal between Ford and the UAW. There are a number of moving parts here.

First, we have to remember that this deal would need to be ratified by the 57,000 members of the UAW if it is indeed agreed to in tentative terms. Now, after that, they would also then have to take this deal to the other two automakers that this union has been bargaining with as well, that being Chrysler maker Stalantis as well as General Motors. So there are still a lot of moving parts to get this done. And this is relatively unprecedented.

The last time that the union struck, which was prior to the pandemic, they were targeting one specific automaker with the intention of essentially copy and pasting that agreement with the other automakers as well. This time, the UAW decided to strike against all three at once. And it appears based off of Wednesday night, as far as we know right now, that they've at least made an agreement with one of them, whether or not they can get the deal across the finish line with the other two remains an open question. Sean Fain, the president of the UAW has set the standards high.

What are the terms of this agreement? We don't yet know as of Wednesday evening. We'll have to continue to find out, and we'll, of course, bring those updates as we get them. But for right now, it sounds like there's a deal with Ford, with a lot of questions about how they'll be able to apply any sort of agreement to the other automakers of Swall Valley. All right. More to come.

Brian Chen, thank you so much. Next tonight to a major update on a tragic story out of Malibu. Four Pepperdine University students killed after they were hit by a car on a dangerous stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway. The L.A. County DA now charging that driver with murder, saying he was speeding at 100 miles per hour at the time of the crash. NBC's Liz Kreutz reports. A week after a violent car crash that killed four Pepperdine University seniors,

tonight, L.A.'s district attorney formally filing murder charges against 22-year-old Frazier Michael Baum, who authorities say was driving the car that slammed into those young women. The investigation revealed that the defendant knew his actions were dangerous to human life and deliberately acted with conscious disregard. The crash happened on a stretch of California's Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, just four miles from Pepperdine University. Investigators say bomb was driving at 104 miles per hour in a dark BMW around 8.30 at night. When he lost control, sideswiped several parked cars and then rammed into the four sorority. sisters who were walking in the area.

Baum's attorney claims he was being chased at the time of the crash. There was a road raid incident that started at Dukes, that this person chased him and tried to push him off the side of the road. And when he accelerated to get away from him, that's when the accident occurred. Bomb was initially arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, but was released pending an investigation. A week later, on Tuesday, he was re-arrested. The DA now charging him with four counts of murder.

and four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. Bomb has pled not guilty. You must understand that when you're driving with complete disregard for the life of others, severe consequences can occur. The devastating incident now prompting calls for safety along the famed Pacific Coast Highway. Locals have dubbed that stretch

where the crash happened, dead man's curve. You said Melbo's safe, it's not safe. At this heated city council meeting, residents in the beachside community demanding more enforcement, speed cameras, and potentially a redesign of the highway. Why does it take something like this for anybody in this city to do anything? Why? On campus, students and faculty mourning the senseless loss of their beloved friends, Neve Royalston, Peyton, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslin Williams. I met all four of them, freshman year and quickly realized how much better life was about to get.

Each remembered as bright, fun, and loving, their lives cut too short. Another community left shattered. In Pepperdine University, says those four young women will posthumously receive their undergraduate degrees. As for Baum, he is currently being held on $4 million bail. If found guilty, he could face decades in prison. Valerie? Okay, Liz Quartz, thank you. When we come back, scene at a Manhattan courthouse, former President Trump's storming out after the judge handed down a $10,000 fine. The comments he made that landed him in hot water. That's next.

Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with Representative Jamal Bowman charged with a misdemeanor for pulling a fire alarm on Capitol Hill last month. A screen grab of a security video appears to show. the New York Congressman pulling the alarm on September 30th just before a vote on the government shutdown. In a statement to NBC News, Bellman says he will plead guilty. The D.C. Attorney General's office says he has agreed to pay a maximum fine of $1,000 and provide a formal apology to Capitol Police.

A health alert, onion products sold nationwide have been linked to a salmonella outbreak. California-based company Gill's onions recalling all fresh diced onion products due to possible salmonella contamination. The CDC says so far more than 70 people across 22 states have been sickened and at least 15 people have been hospitalized. The affected products have used by dates in August of 2023. You can find the full list of recall products at NBC.com. And a key drug to prevent RSV is in short supply as cases begin to tick up. The CDC alerting doctors about a limited supply of doses of a newly approved antibody drug, given to infants to prevent R.SV infection.

The agency telling doctors to prioritize getting doses to infants at the highest risk of RSV, including those younger than six months or with underlying conditions. Now to the bombshell scene at former President Donald Trump's fraud trial, the judge slapping Trump with a $10,000 fine for violating his gag order, his comments being made just minutes before he entered the courtroom. Take a listen. person who's very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even much more partisan than he is. So we are going very well. The facts are speaking very loud. He's a totally discreditive witness.

And you haven't seen anything yet. This goes on for a long time. He's a totally discredited witness. Okay, let's bring in NBC News legal analyst Angela Sinadella. Angela, you heard what Trump said there in the courtroom. But when he was called to the stand, he said he was talking about Michael Cohen. Now, the judge did not buy that. What are you thinking if you're his defense team right now? Yes, the judge did not buy that. And as the defense team, I mean, that was a Hail Mary. In listening to those words, it does not really sound like he was talking about Michael Cohen. But the judge in this regard has total discretion to make a credibility call.

I mean, that's what the judge, especially in a trial with no jury does, decides if the person on the stand is lying, what evidence he will trust. So if I'm his defense team, I am going to say, Mr. Trump, please stop talking. This is not a question of advancing his political campaign. This is talking about a member of his staff, allegedly, or I'm sorry, of the judge's staff, which is something that is not relevant to any campaign efforts. As a result of these comments today, the judge fined Trump for violating the gag order that was issued earlier in the trial. That's after the president made a negative post about his law clerk on social media.

What happens if he continues to go down this road? Could he possibly face jail time? He could absolutely possibly face jail time. But I'm going to say even the judge doesn't know the answer to this question. And that is because judges live and die by precedent. They don't just make gut decisions. They like to go by past rulings. But there's never been a situation like this before where even the ACLU is arguing on behalf of the president

saying that these gag orders are unconstitutional because they violate the First Amendment right. So there are so many massive issues at play. Whether or not the judge will put him in jail, even though he is every right to, will depend on how he feels about the larger constitutional issues. All right. We'll see what happens the next time. Let's turn to reporting from ABC News that came out last night that Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was granted immunity in the special counsel's federal election fraud case.

Could we see him make a similar deal in the Georgia fraud case? Everything's on the table, Valerie. I expect to see so many deals being made. But I do think we have some amount of time when we saw all of these plea deals happen with lawyers. It's that domino effect that start. started right on the eve of their trials. But there was no trial date set for Meadows or for Mr. Trump.

And so we have some time. Also, the people who are closest to Trump, like Meadows, are the biggest dominoes to fall, and often will be the last. So only time we'll tell. Only time we'll tell. Angela Senadella. Thank you so much. We appreciate you.

Coming up, a scary moment caught on camera as a cliff collapses onto a beach, how a dog and owner caught right under the debris got away on scaves. We'll be right back. Back now with an alleged murder plot, a Minnesota doctor who's an expert in poisons is behind bars for allegedly poisoning his wife and killing her. A criminal complaint says it could have all been part of a scheme to pay off mounting debt. NBC's Rahima Ellis reports. Tonight, a Minnesota doctor accused of poisoning his wife is in jail. Dr. Connor Bowman, a poison specialist, is charged with second-degree murder of Betty Bowman,

after police say they got a tip that his wife's death. in August was suspicious. It was devastating and it was so, so sad, and I just couldn't believe that somebody as young as Betty and as generally healthy as Betty could possibly happen. Betty's friends now reeling with agony that her death might have been caused by her own husband. Police telling NBC News, investigators collected evidence that suggests Connor, who once worked for poison control, may have given Betty a drug for an ailment she did not have. According to a criminal complaint filed against Connor Bowman, after Betty's death, Bowman wanted to cremate his wife, but the medical examiner's office halted the cremation.

They determined her death was suspicious. The complaint also states police found internet searches about the drug Colchicine and determining what a lethal dose would be by entering his wife's weight. Colchicine was found in her system in her toxicology report. The state's going to have to show that this drug is toxic and that the toxicity level is what caused the death. And they're going to have to explain why this drug should not have been in her system and that it had potentially fatal side effects. Because if the drug wasn't dangerous, then it's going to be hard to prove that she was given a dangerous drug. The complaint also states the couple had separate bank accounts because Bowman was in debt.

and that police spoke to a woman who said Bowman claimed he would get $500,000 in life insurance as a result of his wife's death. Betty's friends say Connor showed some people the lab reports at her funeral and asked if anything stood out. At the time, nothing seemed out of place or unusual. But you start to look back now and you think, well, maybe what was that about? An attorney listed as representing Bowman in court documents did not return NBC's request for comment. Bowman's next court appearance is set for it November 1st and his unconditional bond is set for $5 million. He's facing a maximum 40 years behind bars if convicted. Valerie? Rahima Ellis, thank you.

Now to top stories, Global Watch, Mexico deploying 300 National Guardsmen after a deadly ambush on police officers. The troopers will go to the southern state. of Guerrero to help deal with the escalating violence there. On Monday, the bodies of 13 police officers, including the local police chief, were found on a highway with gunshot wounds. That same day, at least six more people were killed in two other attacks on the region. And a close call caught on camera for a dog and its owner in the UK. New video shows the moment part of a cliff on the Isle of White begins to give way,

crashing onto the beach and narrowly missing the dog. His owner eventually grabbing the dog and getting it back on a leash. The public has been warned to stay clear of the area for now. Before we go tonight, pro hockey dropping a controversial ban on the ice, now letting players support pride with rainbow tape, how one player's public protest might have pushed the league to change. And finally, tonight, the NHL will once again allow players to promote social causes on the ice with their sticks

and the about face may be thanks to one brave player. Pride back on the ice after the NHL reversed its ban on colorful stick tape, which included rainbow-colored pride tape. Writing in a statement in part, players will now have the option to voluntarily represent social causes with their stick tape throughout the season. The reversal coming just days after Arizona Coyote's defenseman Travis Dermott, defied the rule,

wrapping his hockey stick with the rainbow tape before this Saturday game against the Anaheim Ducks, the move for receiving praise across social media. This is what a true ally is. It's doing stuff that matters, regardless of the consequences. Travis Dermott stood to lose a lot, and he stood for what was right. But also drawing some negative feedback. Oh, I'm virtuous. Look at me. Dermott telling the athletic, quote, the fight's not over.

We're going to continue to talk about this. And adding, hopefully I'll have a positive impact on some people that needed that positive impact. Raining League MVP Edmonton Oilers, Connor McDavid, also expressing disappointment with the rule when it was first announced. Whether that's Pride tape or pink tape or anything, you know, like I said, it's always something that I've enjoyed in terms of a league standpoint, you know, is it something that I'd like to see put back into place one day, certainly. The controversy following a year of policy changes from the NHL, first announcing no theme jurors. of any kind would be allowed after some players refused to wear pride jerseys. In January, Philadelphia Flyers player Ivan Provorov made headlines after he sat out of a warm-up because of the jersey, citing his religious beliefs.

I respect everybody's choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That's all I'm going to say. Several teams, including the New York Rangers and the Chicago Blackhawks, then opting out of wearing pride-themed jerseys and warm-ups. Earlier this month, the league going a step further, banning the stick to. tape putting out the memo first reported by ESPN, adding that players could still, however, take part in themed celebrations off the ice. The latest step is they banned Pride tape, which to me is really crossing the line. It said this one particular community, these are all the rules

for that one community, but this one particular community, LGBTQ plus community, you can't be celebrated by wearing Pride tape. I don't get it. The specialty jerseys are still banned for the season. But players will once again be allowed to stick to the issue. and causes that matter to them. And thanks for watching, Top Story. For Tom Yamis, I'm Valerie Castro. Stay right there. More news now is on the way.