Top Story with Tom Llamas - April 9 — NBC News NOW

[0:01] Tonight, First Lady Melania Trump speaking out with a rare and surprising public announcement [0:07] at the White House, denying any knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein's crimes and calling for a [0:11] public hearing with Epstein survivors. The First Lady reading an extraordinary statement denying [0:17] any relationship with Epstein, adding that Epstein, quote, was not alone. The First Lady [0:22] also saying she was not a victim and responding to what she says are smears. The big question [0:27] tonight. Why is she saying this now? The Iran sees fire in trouble as Israel launches more attacks [0:33] on Lebanon. Gulf nations under fire today. Why President Trump told NBC News he's optimistic [0:39] about the deal. The husband of a mom who went overboard now in custody as the U.S. Coast Guard [0:45] opens a criminal investigation into her disappearance. What our correspondent is [0:49] learning on the ground there. NBC News exclusive are Kristen Welker inside of Cuba with the first [0:55] American TV interview with Cuba's leader in years. Look at this wild video of two women [1:01] fighting off a gang of jewelry thieves during a robbery in New Jersey. The search for the suspects [1:05] tonight. Plus, the stark warning from Anthropic why they say their new AI model is too powerful [1:11] to be released to the public. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with [1:21] that stunning moment at the White House. First Lady Melania Trump stepping up to the podium to issue a rare [1:27] and really an unexpected statement about Jeffrey Epstein denying that she ever had a relationship [1:32] with a convicted sex offender or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell saying they only had a distant [1:38] social connection. Melania also denied having any knowledge of the pair's crimes, adding she was not [1:43] a victim of Epstein's. The first lady also slammed what she said were false smears about her on social [1:48] media. Addressing an email she sent to Ghislaine Maxwell in 2002 calling it nothing more than casual [1:54] correspondence. The speech breathing new life into a story that the president has been desperate to [1:59] move past after facing months of scrutiny over the administration's handling and release of the [2:04] Epstein files. But tonight, it's unclear what prompted the first lady's statement in the first place [2:09] or why she's speaking out now. Our Garrett Hague starts us off from the White House. [2:15] Tonight, Melania Trump with a surprise announcement breaking her silence on Jeffrey Epstein. [2:20] The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. [2:28] The first lady speaking publicly for the first time about the convicted sex offender, [2:33] categorically denying any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein's crimes and saying they had only a [2:40] distant social connection. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time [2:49] since overlapping in social circles is common. Mrs. Trump and her team worked aggressively behind [2:57] the scenes over the last year to knock down what they saw as false or defamatory news stories and [3:03] rumors connecting her to Epstein, earning retractions from some media outlets. I am not Epstein's victim. [3:11] Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I was not a participant, was never on Epstein's plane, [3:20] and never visited his private island. Melania Trump's name is mentioned more than a hundred [3:27] times in the Epstein files released by the DOJ, which also include this email she sent to Epstein [3:33] accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in 2002, complimenting Epstein and Maxwell on a flattering magazine story [3:39] and inviting Maxwell to call her in New York. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be [3:46] catarist as anything more than casual correspondence. Mrs. Trump concluding with a call for Epstein's [3:55] survivors to be given a full and open congressional hearing to tell their stories. [4:00] Then and only then we will have the truth. Thank you. All right, Garrett Hague joins us tonight from [4:08] the White House. Garrett, there's some reporting out there about whether the president knew about this, [4:12] whether he didn't know about this. As you point out in your story, this is clearly something he does [4:16] not like talking about Jeffrey Epstein. Yeah, Tom, it's a fascinating turn of events here. [4:21] Over the last day and a half, we've all been trying to figure out exactly what this event was going [4:24] to be. Sources at the White House either couldn't say or didn't know exactly what this was going to [4:31] be about. The president took one phone call today from a reporter after these remarks in which he [4:36] dismissed them, basically saying he didn't know anything about it, but he was in a meeting about [4:39] the war and appearing to hang up the phone. When I asked around with my sources today, no one could [4:45] affirmatively say one way or another whether the first lady had told him the subject of these remarks [4:51] before she gave them. But I can also tell you from my own experience trying to ask the president [4:55] questions about Epstein, whether on camera or over the phone, it's the one subject at which he will very [5:02] quickly change the subject, end an interview, hang up the phone. I simply don't think we know right now [5:08] what he knew. And even as I'm standing here talking to you tonight, the White House, [5:11] separate from the first lady, has not put out one word publicly about those remarks. [5:17] Okay. Garrett, hey, good to know all that. We appreciate it. I want to bring in Stephanie [5:21] Grisham. She's a former chief of staff and press secretary to first lady Melania Trump, [5:25] who ultimately resigned after the January 6th Capitol riot. And of course, Stephanie, [5:29] we want to make sure we let the viewers know all of your experience with the first lady. You worked [5:34] very closely with her for a very long time. And then, as you said there, as we reported, [5:37] you resigned. The first lady has said at times, or at least her office, that you were unprofessional [5:42] and you've been trying to sell books ever since. But you did work with her. So, you know, we do [5:46] want to get your take on this. Were you surprised she came out and said this today? I think I was [5:52] surprised, yes. I'm like the rest of the country and probably world. But also, I wasn't surprised by [5:58] how random it was. This is Melania. She does things when she wants, how she wants. I guarantee she [6:07] thought about this for a long time. I've been asked about her motivation. Why now? I don't know [6:13] the answer. Obviously, I would imagine she's either trying to get in front of maybe a story [6:18] or she had just truly had enough of being linked to the Epstein files. To me, no matter her motivation, [6:25] I am glad that someone in the administration seems to be standing up for those victims. [6:31] It was getting buried, in my opinion. And now it's everywhere again. And so kudos to her for being [6:37] the strong, independent woman that I've always known her to be. Yeah. When I sat down and I [6:41] interviewed her in Africa, she told me that she felt she was the most bullied person in the world, [6:46] maybe on the Internet. You'll remember that exchange. She does read a lot of what's written [6:51] about her, right? She is aware of what's written about her. Oh, absolutely. She devours the news. [6:57] She knew what was happening half the time before I even knew. And she would call me or text me about [7:02] it. She keeps track of not only herself, but of course, her husband. So no doubt she's been [7:07] following this very, very closely. And I'm sure even being mentioned in the DOJ files bothered her [7:13] immensely. Again, this is not something she would ever want to be linked with. And so I think she just [7:18] decided this is the time to speak out. And again, you know, kudos to her. And there's no way, [7:24] by the way, watching Garrett before speak. He, I would imagine she gave the president a heads up. [7:30] If an advisory went out yesterday, there's no way the West Wing press shop wasn't wondering what [7:34] was going on. And so at some point, I'm sure his husband and wife, she gave him a heads up. I'm sure [7:39] he's not happy, but I'm sure that he knew what was coming. It's a very good point. I do want to ask [7:44] you, you spent a lot of time with her both on the campaign and in the White House. Did she ever [7:48] mention Jeffrey Epstein? Did you ever hear Jeffrey Epstein's name come up with her? [7:51] No, never, never once. And even the email, you know, I've got to say that you guys showed at [7:57] the beginning. That was a very polite response that I have seen Melania give many people, [8:02] many socialites in whether it's Florida or New York many times. Again, no, no surprise that she [8:08] would have seen a magazine and then say you looked great. So I, I don't think that email was anything [8:13] at all. Yeah. I do want to ask you, do you think that she's putting media companies on notice, [8:19] legal notice that, cause she is not afraid to go after people and she has gone after people when [8:23] she feels that she's been wronged, either libeled or slandered? Yes, but I don't, I don't think that's [8:30] a secret, right? I mean, I can remember when I worked for her, she would sue the Daily Mail and she, [8:36] and she won. She's definitely, again, I mean, she's very protective of her reputation and her brand. [8:41] So in a way she could be putting them on notice. But again, I'm wondering if something is about to come [8:47] out, if her press shop got some kind of an inquiry. And so she's trying to head things off at the pass [8:52] to be very definitive about, you know, her, any actions that, or interactions that she had with [8:58] either of them. Yeah. So again, this was definitely her planning this out. She, she knew what she was [9:02] doing and I'm sure we're all going to understand it in the next day, two week, something. Every first lady [9:08] has the core issues she loves to fight about. She loves to work on, to try to figure out solutions for, [9:14] they have lanes, you know, and the first lady, Melania Trump has, has always defended children. [9:19] She's always wanted to make sure children are taken care of, whether it be in sports or whether [9:23] it be online or even in Ukraine. And she's also fought for women's rights as well, correct? [9:30] Absolutely. And I believe that she was sincere when she had the backbone, unlike the administration [9:36] or Republican, most Republicans in Congress to call to let these women have a voice. And I understand [9:43] that there's a lot of victims who are unsure about this. I don't blame them. They have been treated [9:47] so poorly by this administration and forgotten. But even though obviously there's no love lost [9:53] between Melania and I now, I believe that she is sincere in allowing those women to have a voice [9:59] and to put on the record, if they choose, the, the shameful, horrible things that happened to them [10:05] and that this administration and Department of Justice and so many in Republican leadership have [10:11] been ignoring or hiding all this time. Stephanie Grisham for us, Stephanie. So great to talk to you. [10:16] We appreciate it. We want to head overseas now to the Middle East, where tonight a new wave of attacks [10:20] is threatening an already fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Stephanie Gosk is on the ground [10:25] in Tel Aviv. Stephanie, we know you've heard bomb sirens tonight for the first time since the ceasefire [10:30] began. Walk our viewers through what you're going through there with your team. Yeah, sure, Tom. And [10:37] a real example of how Lebanon is actually one of the things that is most threatening, this ceasefire [10:43] right now. So we got these bomb sirens. It's the first time we've heard them since the announcement [10:47] of the ceasefire. And according to Israeli media, they were rockets being launched by the Iran-backed [10:53] militia Hezbollah from Lebanon into northern Israel. You know, the Israeli military says it is going to [10:59] continue to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, that it is not part of the ceasefire. They continued those attacks [11:06] today, although they weren't quite on the scale of what happened yesterday. The bombardment yesterday was [11:12] enormous. And according to Lebanese health officials, more than 300 people were killed. But these attacks still [11:19] continue to happen today. You did have an announcement from Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that they were going to [11:26] open up talks. You know, this is a very important issue because Iran's leadership says that Lebanon is an inseparable [11:33] part of this ceasefire, even though the U.S. and Israel deny that it is. All of that going on while the strait and Hormuz [11:42] remains effectively shut down. Only five ships went through there today. And you saw the price of oil go back up today. And you've got it at [11:49] $4.17 a gallon in the U.S. And all sides, Tom, are getting ready for these talks in Pakistan on Saturday. NBC News spoke with President Trump, who said he is, quote, very optimistic about these negotiations coming up this weekend, Tom. [12:07] All right, Stephanie Goski, your team, stay safe tonight, please. Head to the Bahamas now where we've been tracking that story. The husband of a missing Michigan woman has now been arrested. Authorities questioning the 58-year-old five days after he said his wife fell off their boat. This coming as we learn more about the couple's history of domestic violence. NBC's George Solis is in the Bahamas. [12:27] The husband of an American woman missing in the Bahamas in custody tonight. Brian Hooker arrested in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Lynette, missing now for five days. Police say Mr. Hooker told him his wife, Lynette, fell overboard Saturday when they were traveling in an eight-foot dinghy from Hopetown to Elbow Key, strong currents sweeping her away. They had been chronicling their life on the water on social media. But Lynette's daughter tells us their relationship was volatile and expressed suspicions before the arrest. [12:56] Charlie, do you believe this was an accident? I feel like this was probably pre-planned, if anything. Like, it doesn't seem like just some accident. [13:06] Today, Lynette Hooker's mother told the Associated Press she was glad to hear about the arrest. What has he said in response to the allegations made by his stepdaughter? [13:15] He's denied the allegations and he's anxious to defend himself. [13:22] Hooker's attorney also telling NBC News, Mr. Hooker categorically and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing and he has been cooperating with authorities. [13:31] The couple has been married for more than two decades. In 2015, police responded to an incident involving the couple where they accused each other of assault. [13:39] According to the police report, Brian had visible injuries. Lynette was arrested, but a warrant was later denied over insufficient evidence as to who started the assault. [13:47] Today, our drone capturing the couple's boat's soulmate now docked in this harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard confirming they're also conducting a criminal investigation into the disappearance of Ms. Hooker. [13:58] All right. George joins us now from Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas. So, George, what more did Brian Hooker's attorney tell you about what happened before his arrest? [14:05] Yeah, Tom, a couple of interesting things. She told me that he actually retained her services prior to his arrest and he'd already been questioned by police as a witness. [14:16] He also told her that he was actually planning an excursion to go out and try and find his wife in a new search expedition. [14:22] And she also told me that his next line of questioning in Freeport could determine whether he is set free or whether any charges are brought forth. [14:30] Tom? [14:31] Okay, George. In Mexico, an incredible story of survival tonight. [14:34] A mine worker trapped for more than two weeks deep in a cave pulled out alive after rescue teams found him in high water. [14:41] NBC's Morgan Chesky has the dramatic body cam footage. [14:44] Standing shirtless in waist-deep water deep below ground, this video released by Mexican authorities captures a miner's stunning rescue. [15:00] It shows army divers thanking Francisco Zapata Nejero, his face blurred in this just-released video. [15:06] Rescuers following his flashlight down a flooded tunnel to find the 42-year-old alive. [15:11] The massive effort coming two weeks after a nearby dam failed, flooding a mine in a rugged area of Sinaloa, Mexico. [15:19] The surge of water trapping four miners and launching a complex search. [15:24] Crews locating the first worker overnight on day five, later finding another who did not survive. [15:30] Finally, after more than 300 hours searching, Zapata Nejero's flashlight acting as a beacon, telling rescuers he never lost faith. [15:39] Cheers went up Wednesday, crews emerging with a determined survivor wrapped in a blanket before being airlifted to a hospital. [15:49] Mexico's president calling the rescue astonishing, adding she's certain all Mexicans hold Zapata Nejero in their hearts. [15:56] And tonight, authorities in Mexico say that they're still searching for one more missing miner and are hopeful he's still alive. [16:03] Tom? [16:04] Morgan Chesky first. [16:05] Morgan, thank you. [16:05] We're back in a moment with the countdown to Splashdown, those four Artemis astronauts gearing up for the race back to Earth inside the dangerous return mission. [16:14] We're going to show it to you in 3D. [16:16] You'll see it. [16:17] Plus, one-on-one with the president of Cuba, what he told our Kristen Welker about a potential deal with the U.S. [16:24] And a violent smash and grab caught on camera. [16:26] Robbers raiding a jewelry store. [16:28] Two women inside fighting back. [16:30] We'll show you that chaotic scene ahead on Top Story. [16:32] We're back now with the historic Artemis mission. [16:39] Tonight, the astronauts are speeding towards Earth, gearing up for their risky reentry and splash landing tomorrow. [16:45] U.S. naval ships already standing by off of San Diego to pick them up. [16:48] Tom Costello now with the final preparations. [16:52] Picking up speed as Orion races towards Earth, the four astronauts are tonight packing and preparing for tomorrow's fiery reentry. [16:59] As NASA releases more high-res, jaw-dropping photos of the moon, the mission, and a new time-lapse of the solar eclipse. [17:08] It's really hard out here. [17:10] We're a long way from home. [17:12] We've been learning the entire journey. [17:15] Meanwhile, in the Splashdown Zone off the coast of San Diego, the USS John P. Murtha and naval teams already in position. [17:23] Our primary mission is to recover the astronauts from the capsule once it splashes down in San Diego. [17:28] Orion will come screaming back to Earth at 25,000 miles per hour. [17:33] The ship's heat shield climbing to 5,000 degrees, half the temperature of the sun. [17:39] At 22,000 feet, the first parachutes will deploy, slowing Orion from 25,000 down to 20 miles per hour, [17:47] and a safe splashdown in the Pacific off San Diego, where those Navy divers will fast approach. [17:53] Lieutenant Commander Dr. Jesse Wang's team will evaluate the astronauts on the ship. [17:58] We do expect them to have some symptoms for being in space for 10 days, most commonly nausea, a little bit of vertigo or disequilibrium. [18:06] But first, NASA needs to bring the crew home. [18:09] All of it depends on the final minutes of flight, and tomorrow the crew is going to put their lives behind that confidence. [18:14] Tom Costello joins us now live from Miami. [18:16] Tom, a lot is riding on that heat shield. [18:20] I know one of the things they studied was the trajectory of when it actually comes in. [18:24] But, I mean, this is the whole ballgame right here, and this is why this is one of the most dangerous parts of the mission. [18:29] Listen, the stakes here are very high. [18:31] And keep in mind that on the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, the heat shield did not hold up well. [18:37] It had significant burning and scarring, and, in fact, there was an IG report into this. [18:42] But NASA had already put this heat shield on this ship. [18:46] They haven't changed the heat shield. [18:47] So what they have done is change the angle of attack, the angle of descent, to bring it down and hopefully minimize the amount of heating on the shield. [18:55] By the way, one more note about this. [18:57] There will be a six-minute loss of comms tomorrow. [18:59] So while already everybody is a little anxious and nervous and concerned about this ship on reentry, [19:06] they're going to be also dealing with a loss of communications planned, but it's also going to be hair-raising. [19:12] Oh, yeah, I'm sure it is. [19:13] Okay, Tom Costello, and I'm sure you're going to be all over it. [19:15] Tom, we thank you for that. [19:16] Okay, we're going to take a turn here to a shocking robbery that happened in New Jersey. [19:20] A group in masks armed with sledgehammers smashing their way into a jewelry store. [19:24] The workers inside trying to fight back. [19:27] NBC's Erin McLaughlin has the video and the story. [19:29] A brazen smash-and-grab in broad daylight. [19:34] Watch as surveillance footage captures the moment a robbery crew rolls up to Estee Jewelry in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, [19:41] bashing the glass at the front end of the store with sledgehammers. [19:45] Two women appear to try and stop the thieves before flinging the store. [19:49] The alleged bandits smashing glass cases, dumping trays of jewelry into garbage bags, grabbing necklace after necklace. [19:56] They're inside for less than a minute. [19:58] Outside, the women try to confront them once again, [20:02] but are knocked down. [20:06] The suspects drive off. [20:09] The store owned by a mom and daughter who estimate they lost a million dollars worth of merchandise. [20:15] Owner Stephanie Duran has injuries to her head and hand. [20:18] I fought with them, she says. [20:21] I told my mom they're not taking all my efforts away. [20:24] A friend says the mom was hospitalized. [20:26] She lost everything. [20:28] It was a horrible scene. [20:29] Tonight, police say they're looking for five suspects in connection with the violent robbery. [20:34] Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. [20:36] All right, coming up, the key court hearing for Sean Diddy Combs. [20:39] Why his attorneys want him out of prison now. [20:42] Plus, are you paying too much to watch your favorite football team? [20:46] What we're learning about a DOJ investigation into the NFL and the cost to stream it. [20:50] Stay with us. [20:59] We're back now with our NBC News exclusive. [21:01] Meet the Press moderator. [21:02] Kristen Welker sat down today with Cuba's leader, Miguel Diaz-Canel, in Havana. [21:07] It is rare for the leader of the communist country to grant any type of interview. [21:11] Kristen asked him about the historic standoff between the U.S. and Cuba [21:15] after the U.S. imposed an oil blockade in January [21:18] and Cuba's continued imprisonment of political prisoners on the island. [21:22] Here's a portion of that interview. [21:23] Would you be willing to step down if it meant saving Cuba? [21:29] ¿Está dispuesto a dimitir con tal de salvar a Cuba? [21:34] You are a very important journalist. [21:40] Have you ever asked that question to any other president in the world? [21:44] Because it's one of the conditions the United States is asking for. [21:47] Would you ever consider that? [21:49] Let me explain. [21:50] Have you asked that question to any other president in the world? [21:53] Have you asked that question to any other president in the world? [21:55] ¿Se la podría preguntar a Trump? [21:56] Could you ask that question to Trump? [21:58] I have very hard questions of President Trump. [22:01] Eso muestra. [22:02] Es una pregunta tuya, es una pregunta del departamento. [22:04] Is that a question from you or is that coming from the State Department of the U.S. government? [22:08] My question is, because it's one of the things that we've heard the U.S. government talk about, [22:13] that they want political change here in Cuba. [22:15] So my question for you, if they asked you, if they said this is one condition, would you [22:20] step down? [22:22] Because of your honesty, I'm going to assume that you're asking that question because of [22:26] those reasons. [22:27] In Cuba, the people who are in leadership position is not elected by the U.S. government, and they [22:37] don't have a mandate from the U.S. government. [22:38] I also press President Diaz-Canal on the changes the United States says are necessary [22:45] in order to normalize relations with Cuba, including releasing political prisoners, [22:50] holding multi-party elections, and creating a free press. [22:53] He was not willing to commit to any of those demands. [22:57] Tom. [22:57] Kristen Welker first. [22:58] Kristen, we thank you for that. [22:59] You can watch your full interview on Meet the Press this Sunday. [23:02] I want to bring in our panel tonight on Cuba. [23:04] Carlos Curbelo is an NBC News political analyst and a former Republican congressman. [23:08] from South Florida. [23:10] Rosa Maria Payal is a Cuban activist and founder of Cuba Decide, which advocates for democracy [23:15] and free elections in Cuba. [23:17] And Jose de Cordova is the Latin American correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, and that's where [23:21] I'm going to start right there. [23:22] Jose, I want to start with you. [23:24] Why did Miguel Diaz-Canal provide this interview? [23:27] Why did he grant this interview? [23:29] He never sits down for interviews, especially with someone from America. [23:32] So why do you think he wanted to sit down with Kristen Welker? [23:35] Well, I think he wants to change or take control of the narrative right now. [23:44] You know, he, Cuba is in a very difficult situation. [23:50] You know, it's in an economic crisis. [23:54] He wants to basically say that, give Cuba part of it. [24:04] It's very difficult for the Cuban government to get its point over, because it's a very difficult [24:17] situation. [24:17] It's a very tough situation to talk about. [24:21] It's, you know, the country's on the point of collapse. [24:26] And he wants to put the ball back in the U.S. court. [24:33] Thank you, Jose. [24:34] Rosa Maria, why do you think he did this interview? [24:38] Well, he's obviously feeling threatened. [24:42] The pressure is working. [24:44] I think it's interesting that he felt threatened by the very question that he called it an American [24:53] interference. [24:55] And his answer is, I believe, obviously trying to mock President Trump. [25:02] President Trump has been very clear. [25:04] He has mentioned several times that Cuba is next. [25:07] And the Cuban people are fighting for freedom and are doing so despite the hunger and despite [25:12] the humanitarian catastrophe that they are enduring. [25:16] Actually, they are doing it because they understand, we understand, that to overcome the crisis, [25:21] we need to end the regime. [25:24] So the Cuban people have heard President Trump saying that Cuba is next, and we're counting [25:30] on him. [25:31] Carlos, he also told Christian Welker that he's ready to die for Cuba, that Cuba is ready for [25:36] any type of military attack. [25:38] But he also made some news when he told Christian Welker he hasn't spoken with Secretary of State [25:42] Marco Rubio. [25:43] He says he does not know Secretary of State Marco Rubio. [25:45] And yet we know from our reporting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with Raul Castro's [25:50] grandson, who is known as Raulito. [25:53] So there is some negotiations going on between the U.S. and Cuba. [25:56] Why has Diaz-Canel not been part of that, do you think? [25:59] Well, Tom, that certainly explains why he was so uncomfortable with Christian Welker's question [26:05] on whether he would be willing to resign, because Miguel Diaz-Canel is a figurehead. [26:10] He is really a puppet of the Castro family. [26:13] And at the end of the day, he knows that he's expendable. [26:16] He is not the one negotiating with the United States, because he doesn't have the power to [26:21] make any commitments for the Cuban government. [26:24] That power resides exclusively in the Castro family. [26:28] So that's why you saw that big discomfort. [26:31] It looked like Diaz-Canel almost wanted to get up and leave when Christian Welker asked [26:36] him that question, because I think there's a very high likelihood that he will have to [26:41] sacrifice his position in order to try to lower tensions to relieve some of this pressure [26:48] that the Trump administration is applying on the Cuban regime. [26:52] Rosa Maria, you know that back in 2020, 2021, there was this movement, a protest movement [26:58] in Cuba called Patria y Vida, right? [27:00] And there was a very famous song that won a Grammy Award. [27:03] And one of the writers of that song, one of the collaborators there, [27:06] Maikelo Sorbo, has been imprisoned, right? [27:08] He is a political prisoner because he is a rapper who protested the government. [27:13] If you think about the history of Cuba, a place that has exported some of the greatest [27:16] music and some of the greatest dances around the world, they have imprisoned a musician. [27:21] Christian Welker said his name and mentioned him to Diaz-Canel. [27:26] Can you talk to our viewers about that moment? [27:28] Because political prisoners, political dissent does not exist. [27:31] They don't have a voice in Cuba. [27:33] There are many people that are like Ioanni Sanchez and other that go out there and they [27:36] get on social media and they protest. [27:38] But for the mass of Cuban people, they don't want them to hear this, right? [27:42] They want them to make sure that these voices are in prison and don't get to be out there. [27:46] So what do you think that moment was like when Diaz-Canel heard those names and heard [27:50] the name of a political prisoner during that interview? [27:52] Yes, and even so, he refused to commit to release the more than 1,000 political prisoners [28:04] that today endure torture and very harsh conditions inside of Cuban's jails. [28:12] Michael Obsorvo, Luis Manuel Alcántara, both great artists that have been in prison since [28:19] the protests of July 2021, but many others that have been also protesting in the streets [28:25] and being abducted from the streets just to try to stop the civic mobilization of the Cuban [28:35] people that are demanding freedom. [28:39] Currently, they are putting teenagers in jail. [28:44] They are trying to threaten mothers and family members to try to stop this wave of demand for [28:55] freedom and liberation in the island. [28:58] And we understand that that's the only way out. [29:01] Jose, seeing what's happened in Iran, the president has said that Cuba is next. [29:05] It's unclear if the situation in Iran is settled, is finished. [29:09] Iran seems to say it's not. [29:11] Do you think the Cubans have bought time here? [29:13] Do you think they think maybe the president will get distracted or he's too bogged down [29:17] in Iran to worry about Cuba? [29:19] Or do you think they still live in fear that what happened to Nicolas Maduro could happen [29:23] to Diaz-Canel? [29:23] Well, you know, I agree with Carlos Curbelo that Diaz-Canel is a figurehead, and taking [29:31] him out of Cuba doesn't, you know, doesn't do anything. [29:36] But I do think that Iran has provided a breathing space, as it were, for the Cuban regime. [29:46] I understand that the negotiations or the discussions that have been going on have basically slowed [29:56] down or, you know, have stalled or they've slowed down, perhaps because the Trump administration [30:08] is totally involved in Iran right now. [30:12] And the QI is slowballing all the conversations. [30:20] They're offering very minor changes, is what I understand. [30:24] And, of course, they're not, they don't want to touch anything that has to do with the political system. [30:30] Carlos, the final point here, the regime has publicized the release of 2,000 prisoners [30:34] from Cuban prisons, right? [30:36] There's been footage put out there of emotional reunions. [30:38] But the Human Rights Watch finds that political prisoners and critics of the regime were excluded [30:43] from that release. [30:44] So they are releasing criminals, but not political prisoners. [30:48] Can that bill, can that still be seen as a human rights win? [30:52] I think it's pretty hard to describe that as a human rights win, number one. [30:55] And number two, the U.S. government has to be careful here, right? [30:58] Because President Obama wanted to open up Cuba. [31:01] He wanted to open up relations. [31:03] The Cubans made a lot of promises. [31:04] And then they backtracked on those promises. [31:07] That's right, Tom. [31:09] The release of prisoners was a pretty cynical move. [31:11] These are common prisoners. [31:13] These aren't people who are in prison for their political beliefs. [31:16] As Rosa Maria said, there are over 1,000 of those people who were arrested in July of 2021 [31:22] during those mass protests. [31:24] And this is the modus operandi of the Cuban regime. [31:29] Propaganda 24-7. [31:31] Miguel Diaz-Canel, as you said, and this is a big get by NBC News, in part because Miguel [31:36] Diaz-Canel doesn't talk to the media. [31:37] But he's trying to copy what Fidel Castro used to do a long time ago when he would try [31:42] to charm Americans by sitting down with American journalists. [31:46] It's going to be far more difficult for Miguel Diaz-Canel to be able to, you know, do what [31:54] Fidel Castro used to do. [31:56] And, you know, final point, this is a regime that has been in power for 67 years, Tom. [32:02] They are not going to let go of power unless they absolutely have to. [32:07] I think Marco Rubio certainly understands that. [32:10] It's important that other people in the Trump administration understand that, too. [32:14] These people are not just going to let go. [32:16] It is going to take a lot to push these people from power. [32:20] Carlos Rosa Maria and Jose de Corroda, we thank you so much for being here. [32:24] And again, you can see much more of Kristen's interview with President Diaz-Canel Sunday [32:28] on Meet the Press. [32:33] All right, now to Top Stories News Feed. [32:35] And we start with an appeals hearing today for Sean Diddy Combs. [32:38] A federal court is considering whether his four-year prison term was too harsh. [32:44] The hip-hop mogul was convicted last year on prostitution-related charges. [32:48] Combs' attorneys are pushing to have that conviction reversed, claiming it's the most [32:52] prison time ever given to someone for similar charges. [32:55] And wild dash cam video out of Mississippi of a car crashing into a school bus. [33:00] You can watch as the driver smashes right into the front of the bus just moments after [33:03] a crowd of students crosses the street. [33:06] He then proceeds to back up and drive away. [33:08] Luckily, nobody was hurt here. [33:10] Police say the suspect turned himself in earlier. [33:13] He's been charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. [33:17] The fertility rate here in the U.S. just hit another record low. [33:21] New data from the CDC shows there were only about 53 births last year for every 1,000 women [33:27] of childbearing age. [33:28] Overall, the fertility rate has been declining for about two decades. [33:31] Experts say it's in part because fewer women are choosing to have children or waiting until [33:36] later in life. [33:38] And the Justice Department is investigating the NFL. [33:41] Two sources tell NBC News the DOJ is looking into whether the league is forcing football fans [33:46] to pay too much in subscription fees. [33:48] In the past, people could watch games over broadcast, but now many are spread out across streaming [33:52] platforms, some of which you have to pay for. [33:55] In a statement, the NFL claimed it had, quote, the most fan and broadcaster-friendly media [34:00] model in the entire sports industry. [34:03] Okay. [34:03] In Virginia, the ROTC cadets who fought off the gunmen at Old Dominion University last [34:09] month, speaking out about the moments they stepped in to stop that deadly attack. [34:13] Ryan Nobles has this one. [34:16] He's shooting shots. [34:17] Tonight, for the first time, the ROTC cadets inside the classroom at Old Dominion University [34:23] when a man burst into the room and opened fire, are speaking out. [34:27] Nervously, says, you know, is this ROTC or is it a seminar? [34:34] Eight of the cadets recounting their story as part of a video released by the Army, describing [34:39] in chilling detail the moment the shooter, Mohamed Baylor Jalla, burst into the room. [34:44] He pulled out his gun and shouted, Allah Akbar, and began shooting initially at the direction [34:52] of Lieutenant Colonel Shah. [34:54] The shooter, Jalla, was killed in the incident. [34:57] Cadet Louis Ancetta was grazed by a bullet, but still went after the shooter. [35:02] It felt like a graze. [35:04] After that, I'm like, I can keep on going. [35:07] So Colonel Shah finally turns him around. [35:10] So then after that, I'm like, I'm ready. [35:12] So I just go in there, just start stabbing him. [35:17] As I'm stabbing him, other cadets jump in. [35:20] The leader of the class, Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shaw, was killed as he attempted to [35:25] subdue Jalla. [35:26] If he didn't lunge at him, you know, I wouldn't be here right now. [35:30] You know, there's a possibility he could have turned his gun and I could have been next. [35:36] Ryan Nobles joins us now. [35:37] Ryan, some incredible accounts there. [35:39] And those cadets are going to be receiving awards too. [35:41] Yeah. [35:41] One cadet in particular, Louis Ancetta, who was in the room at the time. [35:45] He was actually grazed by a bullet during the shooting. [35:48] But then after being hit by a bullet, he actually went after the shooter, helped to subdue him, likely helped to save more lives. [35:56] As a result, he was already awarded the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal for his actions on that day. [36:03] Incredible. [36:03] Okay, Ryan, so great to have you here in New York, too. [36:05] We appreciate that. [36:06] Still ahead tonight, the new warning from one of the biggest AI companies in the world. [36:10] Why Anthropic says its new model is too powerful to be released to the public. [36:15] Plus the dramatic handbag heist, you heard it right, caught on camera. [36:19] What was inside the hunt for the multi-million dollar items that were inside and what the bag was carrying? [36:25] Back now at Top Story's Global Watch, a Guatemalan man pleading guilty to a felony charge connected to a tractor-trailer crash that left more than 50 migrants dead. [36:36] It happened in Mexico back in 2021. [36:38] Authorities say the truck was heading to the U.S. and packed with at least 160 migrants when it hit a bridge and it flipped. [36:45] Daniel Ramos is one of six Guatemalans charged over that crash. [36:49] He faces a possible sentence of life in prison. [36:52] In London, police say a man stole a designer bag from a woman outside of a pub. [36:56] Get this, little did he know there was a Fabergé egg and watch inside worth up to three million bucks. [37:03] Surveillance video shows the thief making off with the bag. [37:06] Then prosecutors say he sold it with the egg inside for some drugs. [37:10] The man was eventually arrested and sentenced today to more than two years in prison, but police are still on the hunt for that egg. [37:16] Okay. [37:17] And emperor penguins are the latest species to join the list of endangered animals. [37:21] That, according to the world's leading conservation authority. [37:25] It says the penguin population is shrinking. [37:27] This because of climate change and causes sea ice to melt, of course, which they rely on for raising their chicks. [37:34] Okay. [37:34] Now to the stark warning tonight from Anthropic, one of the world's leaders in artificial intelligence. [37:40] Tonight, the company says its newest model, Claude Mythos, is too powerful to be released to the public. [37:45] Warning, it works as an excellent hacker and can exploit software vulnerabilities that even humans can't find. [37:52] So instead of a public release, Anthropic has given this new model to a select group. [37:57] Some of the biggest companies in the world, you see them right here. [38:00] They hope Mythos will help these companies find and fix vulnerabilities or weaknesses in their systems. [38:06] Weaknesses, the company says the model has already spotted. [38:09] Take a listen. [38:10] I found more bugs in the last couple of weeks than I found in the rest of my life combined. [38:15] For OpenBSD, we found a bug that's been present for 27 years where I can send a couple of pieces of data to any OpenBSD server and crash it. [38:28] On Linux, we found a number of vulnerabilities. [38:31] The model that we're experimenting with is, by and large, as good as a professional human identifying bugs. [38:40] It's good for us because we can find more vulnerabilities sooner and we can fix them. [38:44] If you're like me, you have no idea what that means. [38:47] So to help us make sense of all this, I want to bring in NBC's new chief technology analyst, Joanna Stern. [38:53] You may recognize her. [38:53] She's a good friend of Top Story. [38:55] Now I've got a fancy title. [38:56] Joanna, at first, congratulations to you. [38:58] And it's so great to have you here on Top Story. [39:00] Help us understand, I hope I'm saving this right, this mythos model and what are the biggest concerns? [39:07] Right. [39:07] I think you're saying it right. [39:09] That's how I've been saying it. [39:10] And what you heard those engineers talk about is exactly what this is. [39:14] This is a new, really powerful model from Anthropic that can not only find vulnerabilities in software, which means it can not only find weaknesses in software, but then it can exploit, which means it could actually hack. [39:28] And so that is the big fear with this model. [39:32] And this is why Anthropic has said, no, no, we're not releasing it to the public yet. [39:36] We are going to release it first to our partners who can patch some of these things. [39:41] And then maybe eventually we will release it. [39:43] They're not saying. [39:44] But this is, I think, the way some of these model releases are going to go now, given how powerful they've become. [39:50] Okay. [39:50] Explain this to me like I'm five and maybe I am. [39:52] But is this like a McAfee? [39:55] Is that right? [39:56] Right. [39:57] The McAfee, the antivirus software you used to get on your windows. [40:00] Is that like this, but on steroids? [40:04] It's really not like this. [40:06] It's a good analogy, but it's genuinely different. [40:08] Right. [40:08] Because that software was protecting, right? [40:11] It knew where these, they were sort of reactive, right? [40:14] It was reactive to what hackers were finding. [40:17] This is proactive and it's very creative. [40:20] It's looking at all of the software. [40:22] And as we've seen from AI, it can look at far more code and far more text than any human can. [40:28] Right. [40:28] And previously we had humans looking for these bugs. [40:31] And then it can take that step further and do the exploit. [40:35] And so what these researchers and these engineers want to happen is it looks for these and then it fixes and patches those exploits. [40:43] Then eventually, hopefully leading to, yes, better patches in our software or better security software like McAfee. [40:50] Yeah, McAfee. [40:50] That is right. [40:51] Thank you for that correction there. [40:52] I do want to ask you, sometimes with these AI companies, there is a lot of hype. [40:56] They still need to raise a lot of money to fund what they want to do, what they can do. [41:00] Is this the real deal or is this hype? [41:03] And do we even know? [41:04] I mean, has any independent analysts looked at this? [41:07] Are these companies that are being offered the technology, are they already coming out publicly about it? [41:13] Sure. [41:14] Anthropics motive here could be strategic, right? [41:17] Hype up. [41:18] There are great models ahead of the IPO. [41:20] Say how wonderful and better their model is than an open AI, a meta, a Google. [41:25] But I think here they're also being genuine. [41:27] And I think both of these things can be true. [41:28] And this is going to be the question we all ask every time we hear these now going forward because these are soon going to be big for-profit public companies. [41:38] And so they can benefit from having the world's best model. [41:41] But we all could possibly suffer with the end of, you know, civilization or whatever else they're claiming or worried about with some of these AI models. [41:49] Anthropik is still planning to release a version of what we're talking about here to the public, right? [41:53] But for some of these smaller companies, are they now at risk if they don't get this technology first like the big boys are? [42:01] Well, the hope is, and you see from that nice slide you showed up at the beginning of this segment, that those are some of the biggest technology companies in the world. [42:09] And that is what a lot of our systems run on, right? [42:11] You see Microsoft there. [42:13] You see NVIDIA. [42:14] You see Google. [42:15] You see Cisco. [42:15] So all of those are tapping to the infrastructure, the large digital infrastructure, which the Internet and most of our services are built on. [42:23] So it's right for Anthropik to first give it to these companies and say, look, you've had holes here. [42:29] I mean, you saw in that video, someone said 27 years there's been one hole, a security hole, and now it took AI to discover it, right? [42:36] So they went and patched that hole. [42:38] They patched that vulnerability, making it harder for someone or maybe nearly impossible for a hacker to get in that way. [42:44] So starting with these big companies makes a ton of sense. [42:47] All right. [42:48] Joanna, so great to see you. [42:49] Thanks for being here. [42:50] When we come back, the man proving age really is just a number. [42:53] Out on the football field, the record he's trying to break, you are not going to believe this story. [42:57] Trust me. [42:58] That's next. [43:01] Freshman football player breaking blocks and barriers. [43:04] This is an incredible story. [43:06] Again, he's a freshman playing college football, but get this, he is 60 years old. [43:12] We're not joking. [43:13] This is not a publicity stunt. [43:14] He wants to play college football, and right now he's on the team. [43:21] This is the McDaniel College football team running drills at an early morning spring practice. [43:26] Like that, good. [43:28] In the middle of it all, number 72, freshman poli-sci major Tom Green, who happens to be 60 years old. [43:40] The defensive tackle out there keeping up with players one-third his age. [43:47] My son is 34. [43:49] I think he's the same age as the coach. [43:50] Green always dreamed of playing college football. [43:53] I wanted to go to school here back in 85. [43:54] But life had other plans. [43:57] For the youngest of 12 siblings, college wasn't in the cards. [44:01] He went to work and spent decades building a business and a family. [44:05] Then came a stage four cancer diagnosis. [44:09] Eight tumors throughout my body, you know, wonderful miracle that, you know, that I'm even here. [44:14] It was a wake-up call, and he beat cancer. [44:18] Now he's out to beat a different record, on a mission to become the oldest college football player in the country. [44:25] I'm going to be 61 in June, so, you know, I'm going to be tying that record. [44:30] He joined the team as a walk-on and is also a full-time student. [44:34] He says he's bonded with his teammates and picked up a thing or two from them as well. [44:38] What they're teaching me is a lot of new words. [44:43] All part of a new effort, tackling a dream decades in the making. [44:46] Number 72, Tom Green, we'll be watching for you next season. [44:53] Thanks so much for watching Top Story. [44:55] I'm Tom Yamas in New York. [44:56] Stay right there. [44:57] More news on the way. [44:58] We thank you for watching. [45:03] And remember, stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app, [45:08] or watch live on our YouTube channel.