Top Story with Tom Llamas - June 1 — NBC News NOW

[0:01] Tonight, we're tracking two major developments out of the White House, the rare and sudden [0:05] reversal from the Trump administration over what critics are calling a $1.8 billion slush fund, [0:12] plus the president speaking to our reporter as Iran walks away from the talks. The surprising [0:17] Republican revolt against the administration's fund. Now, the White House is backing down and [0:22] appearing to end the plan that critics say could have sent taxpayer money to the January 6 rioters, [0:28] our new reporting on how it all fell apart. Also tonight, what the president has told our [0:32] Garrett Haik about where talks with Iran now stand after Iran announced it's walking away [0:37] from negotiations, and we are following new strikes right now. Also tonight, [0:42] police officer charged after he was caught on camera repeatedly punching a woman, [0:48] how he was fired from the force and now arrested. AI expansion, the company's supercharging laptops [0:54] and personal computers with the power of AI when you could get one as the tech giant also dives [1:00] into the world of humanoid robots. And the fireball over New England setting off a sonic boom, just the [1:06] latest in a string of scares. Are we seeing a surge in meteors? We'll explain. Plus the breakout horror [1:12] films from YouTube creators surging at the box office. Could it change the movie industry? Top story [1:17] starts right now. And good evening. Tonight, a $1.8 billion fund at the center of a rare and sudden [1:29] reversal from the White House. President Trump appearing to change course amid growing Republican [1:34] outrage. And a judge's order to shut down the anti-weaponization fund. Those $1.8 billion were [1:41] set to go to allies of President Trump who say they were unfairly prosecuted by the Biden administration. [1:47] But the move drew pushback from both sides of the aisle as fear mounted it would pay out January 6th [1:52] rioters. It comes as President Trump's push for peace with Iran is on shaky ground. Iran saying [1:58] today it has walked away from negotiations and President Trump telling our Garrett Haake on the [2:02] phone today, if they don't want to talk, that's okay with me. The fighting has not stopped. Iran releasing [2:07] this footage today of retaliatory strikes after the U.S. launched self-defense strikes on the regime. [2:13] And in Lebanon, the Israeli military seizing this historic castle as they ramp up attacks against [2:19] Hezbollah going deeper into the country than they have in decades. That conflict repeatedly cited by [2:24] Iran as a reason to suspend peace talks with the U.S. NBC's Garrett Haake is tracking it all, [2:29] leads us off tonight. Tonight, the Trump administration appearing to abandon plans for [2:35] its $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund amid stiff Republican opposition and the judge's [2:42] order to halt work on it. The Department of Justice saying it, quote, disagrees strongly but will abide [2:47] by the court's ruling. People were destroyed. They went to jail. President Trump had defended the fund [2:53] created to compensate people he says were unfairly prosecuted by the Biden administration. [2:58] But it drew bipartisan condemnation, including a closed-door clash between acting Attorney General [3:04] Todd Blanche and GOP senators amid concerns it could be used to pay January 6th rioters. [3:10] This is just stupid on stilts. [3:12] All is tonight, President Trump is facing that showdown in Iran talks. [3:16] President Trump telling me in a phone interview that if the Iranian regime wants to suspend [3:21] negotiations with the U.S., as Iranian media has reported, he would be, quote, very happy with that. [3:27] If they don't want to talk, that's OK with me, he told me. I don't particularly want to talk either. [3:32] We talk too much. The president adding that the U.S. would, quote, just go silent. [3:36] We'll keep the blockade of Iranian ports but not resume bombing. Quote, I think I can wait as long [3:42] as they want, he told me. They are losing a fortune. Their country is falling apart. [3:47] CENTCOM says it has disabled five commercial vessels and redirected 121 others as part of the [3:53] U.S. blockade. And this weekend, the U.S. launching self-defense strikes on Iran after Iranian forces [4:00] shot down a U.S. drone. Iran also attacking its Arab neighbors again, firing at U.S. forces in [4:06] Kuwait. But the president insisting time is on his side. We're getting what we want slowly. [4:12] Very tough negotiators. It takes a long time. I'm in no hurry. I'd like to say I'm in a hurry. [4:19] All right. With that, Garrett Haig joins us tonight from the White House. Garrett, [4:21] if you're sort of watching everything and reading everything that's coming out of the White House, [4:24] there seems to be some mixed messaging. I know you have some new reporting on this. [4:28] Yeah, it's been a confusing day here, Tom. Just a few hours after our conversation, [4:32] the president posted that talks with Iran are, quote, continuing at a rapid pace. [4:36] There's also been contradictory messages on Lebanon. The president said he spoke with [4:41] Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and representatives of Hezbollah, [4:44] who he says agreed to end combat there. But Netanyahu said after their call that the IDF will [4:51] still respond to attacks and operate as planned. It's sort of a key sub-story related to the overall [4:57] ceasefire, Tom. And there's a lot of conflicting information about what exactly is going on there [5:01] tonight. All right, Garrett Haig leading us off. Garrett, we thank you for that. [5:05] You may have seen this next story on your social media feed. It's the viral doorbell cam video [5:10] sparking protests in North Carolina. A police officer seen on camera repeatedly punching a woman. [5:16] Now, he's been fired and charged with assault. We want to warn you some of the images you're about [5:21] to see our graphic. George Solis tonight with the video and the latest in the investigation. [5:28] Tonight, the former North Carolina police officer caught on camera repeatedly punching a woman has [5:34] been charged with assault. This doorbell video shows the moment that officer, now identified as 22-year-old [5:42] Carson Heider, pushes 34-year-old Cherie Moore to the ground before unleashing a barrage of punches. [5:48] In the house, what are you doing? As he strikes her, a second officer can be seen running into [5:55] the frame to intervene. Moore is eventually placed in handcuffs and can be heard asking for mental [6:05] health care and pleading for officers to call her father. It's unclear what happened in the moments [6:12] leading up to the encounter, which happened just outside Charlotte. Her family telling us this photo [6:18] shows Moore's bloodied face. According to court documents obtained by NBC News, Moore was arrested for [6:23] breaking or entering, resisting arrest and assaulting a government official accused of grabbing and [6:29] ripping Heider's uniform. The resisting arrest and assault charges have been dropped. Heider was fired [6:35] over the weekend after video of the arrest went viral. The police chief saying officers were conducting [6:39] a criminal investigation in the area when they encountered a suspicious female. The actions taken [6:44] by one of our officers during that encounter are disturbing and inappropriate. Heider turned himself [6:49] in this morning and was later released on bond. Records reviewed by NBC News show Moore and Heider [6:54] have a history. Just last year, Moore pled guilty to resisting arrest in a separate case that also [7:00] involved Heider. George joins top story live now. And George, we're hearing from the attorney [7:05] representing that family. Yeah, that's right, Tom. They've obtained, entertained civil rights attorney [7:10] Ben Crump, who in a statement on behalf of the family saying instead of compassion, she received [7:14] violence and that no one should be subjected to this kind of treatment, especially by someone who is [7:19] intended to serve and protect. The family is looking for justice and then we'll be planning a press [7:24] conference alongside Crump tomorrow. Tom. Okay, George, thank you. We want to head to New Jersey [7:29] now in the ICE detention center where clashes between protesters and law enforcement have grown [7:34] increasingly violent. This week, in the largest crowds yet showing up to protest the conditions [7:38] inside Delaney Hall. Protesters facing off against police and against counter protesters. [7:44] At least 50 people were charged last night for violating the curfew implemented by officials. [7:49] NBC's Erin McLaughlin is there tonight at the facility in Newark for us live. So Erin, [7:53] we know things tend to ramp up as night falls. What is the scene behind you like right now? [7:57] Hey there, Tom. Well, I would say the scene is tense but calm. Let me just show you around. Over [8:05] this way is a group of about 50 to 60 protesters at the moment, just calmly standing there on the [8:12] corner. Over that way is Delaney Hall. They've established a security perimeter. You see the [8:18] officers, dozens of officers lined up. The hall is so far away, you can barely see the hall itself. [8:25] It's an indication of the precautions that our authorities are taking in anticipation of more [8:32] violence tonight. And just over that way is a sewage treatment plant. And I can tell you this area [8:38] right now, Tom, smells like a sewage treatment plant. It is very clear from the signals that state [8:45] officials are sending. They do not want these protesters staying here, especially past the 9 p.m. [8:51] curfew. They do not want to see the kinds of scenes that played out over the weekend. Violent clashes [8:56] between police officers and protesters. The protesters setting garbage on fire, setting tires on fire, [9:04] moving these metal barricades around. Police responding with pepper spray, rubber bullets, [9:11] and tear gas at times getting so violent. The acting attorney general says that one man was arrested [9:18] for biting an ICE officer, putting out a still of the bite marks. And all last night, some 50 people [9:26] were detained for violating that curfew. Again, that curfew begins in just a matter of a couple of [9:32] hours at 9 p.m. tonight. Yeah, I know you also spoke to a lawyer for someone who's inside the center. [9:38] What did they tell you? Yeah, this all started due to allegations being levied by detainees [9:46] inside of the facility, alleging extremely poor living conditions, poor food quality, [9:52] and a lack of medical care among the litany of complaints. I spoke to one attorney who represents [9:58] 25 of the detainees currently being held inside the facility. This is what she had to say. [10:05] Most of the time, you know, the milk is either spoiled or very close to the expiration date, [10:10] so it's not good. They were served bread with mold. You know, it's so I had a client that was [10:20] actually released by Delaney through an abeus carpus. And after being released, he had to undergo [10:26] surgery because of the food that he ate. Now, DHS put out a statement calling those allegations [10:35] a, quote, hoax. The border czar Tom Homan visited the facility, according to two sources with [10:42] knowledge of the visit over the weekend. He says he sat down for a meal and said it was, [10:47] quote, fine. So federal authorities disputing that account, Tom. [10:52] Okay, Erin McLaughlin out there on the scene. Erin, we thank you for that. [10:55] Tonight, the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine is facing a new scandal with revelations he was [11:00] sending sexually explicit texts to half a dozen women while married. It may be the most important [11:05] Senate race for both parties this year, and now the candidate and his wife are speaking out. Here's [11:09] Ryan Nobles. Tonight, Graham Plattner, the oyster farmer whose insurgent Senate campaign caught fire [11:16] with Democrats in Maine now addressing his latest scandal. Amy and I have a very loving and very [11:22] happy marriage. They would very much like to try to rip that apart. Plattner's campaign admitting he [11:28] sent sexually explicit text messages to at least half a dozen women while he was married. His wife [11:33] had brought the text to the campaign's attention. Their existence was leaked to the media by a former [11:38] staffer. I find it really shameful that there's a group of media outlets and people who are willing [11:46] to spread gossip. The sexting scandal, the latest controversy for Plattner, who's running against [11:53] longtime GOP Senator Susan Collins. There's a series of Plattner's inflammatory past social media [12:00] posts, including where he blamed victims for rape and said a Purple Heart veteran who was shot by the [12:05] Taliban didn't deserve to live. I can't tell you the number of veterans who have contacted us [12:11] to say how deeply offended they were by Plattner's comments. And then there's the tattoo Plattner [12:20] acquired during his time in the military that resembles a Nazi SS symbol. Plattner said he was [12:25] unaware of the meaning of the tattoo and has since covered it up and has apologized for some of his [12:31] posts. Tonight, Plattner facing Democratic criticism. Yeah, I have concerns. That guy has questions to [12:37] answer and that's what campaigns are for. But also renewed support. So do I think he can win? [12:42] Absolutely. And we desperately need somebody like him here in the US. Okay. Ryan Nobles joins us [12:48] tonight from Capitol Hill. Ryan, how real of a chance does Plattner have of winning this seat and how much [12:53] of a chance maybe did he have before? Well, Plattner has quite a bit of support in Maine, Tom. In fact, [12:58] so much that he drove his biggest Democratic challenger, the very popular governor, Janet [13:03] Mills, out of the Senate primary. And every poll up until this point has showed him leading the [13:09] Democratic primary by a wide margin. And most polls show him leading Susan Collins, the incumbent. [13:15] But here's the catch. Susan Collins has won this seat many times before. The last time she ran for [13:21] reelection six years ago, poll after poll showed her Democratic opponent leading. She ended up winning [13:27] that race comfortably. So there's still a long way to go before Election Day. [13:31] All right. One of the most closely watched races. We thank you for that, Ryan. We appreciate it. [13:36] Okay. We're going to turn now to another big headline. We're following from overseas. The [13:39] race to find and rescue two men believed to still be inside that flooded cave in Laos. There are new [13:44] signs they could still be alive after five others made it out alive over the weekend. Janice [13:48] Mackey-Frayer has been covering this for us. Tonight, the rescue is focusing on two men still [13:54] missing 12 days after entering the cave. Divers using ropes to rappel down deep shafts, [14:00] with another team exploring holes for new ways to get into the cave, but finding even bigger risks. [14:07] Josh Richards was one of the divers. The two tunnels that were there are so razor sharp that [14:12] they couldn't drop down. So it's those kind of risks dropping into holes where you know literally [14:17] nothing because no one has ever done it before. When they were in there, they also heard noises, [14:23] scraping sounds deep inside the cave. A knock on the rock with a hammer returning a noise that [14:29] wasn't an echo. I just couldn't pin down what this noise was that I could hear. It wasn't a [14:34] consistent noise either, and it wasn't an echo. Weather remains a problem. With torrential rain [14:41] slowing the search, the plan, according to rescuers, to drain the cave system so they can reach chambers [14:47] beyond where five men were already found. Lower water levels inside over the weekend allowed four [14:54] of them to crawl out, over 800 feet on their own, a day after the first survivor was freed by divers. [15:01] The head of the operation, emotional, telling NBC News, [15:05] we have only the equipment we brought with us, but I think we did it, he says, and for the rest, [15:10] we will try to do our best. The world watching the expanding search for two men and ideally a new [15:17] path to find them. All right, Janice Mackey-Fair joins us live from Beijing tonight. Janice, [15:23] what happens next in the search and rescue operation? How long do they keep searching for [15:27] those two men? Well, the plan, according to rescuers, is that they're going to pump all of the water out. [15:35] They want to be able to explore these other chambers because they were able to get some [15:39] information from the five men who were already freed from the cave. They were talking to them [15:46] in hospital. They were able to give them a sense of what lay beyond where they were found. So they [15:52] say that that was also very critical information. The other big change, Tom, is that this whole operation [15:58] has now shifted from a diving operation to something else. They're going to be doing a lot [16:05] of rock climbing, a lot of rappelling in trying to explore these new routes to see if that can get [16:11] them closer to where these two men might be. It's changed so much that at least three of the [16:17] foreign divers who had joined this rescue effort are now leaving. They say that the skills now required [16:24] for this search and rescue operation are beyond what they can offer. So we are seeing a shift [16:30] in this operation over the next few days. Time really does remain of the essence because as we know, [16:38] these two men are without food, they're without water, and the air is increasingly toxic inside that [16:44] cave system. Tom? Okay, Janice Mackey-Frayer for us. Janice, we thank you. Now to an update on those 18 [16:50] Americans exposed to the Hantavirus on a cruise ship, the CDC announcing tonight some of them [16:55] have left the national quarantine unit in Nebraska to isolate at home. I want to bring in NBC's Maggie [17:00] Vespa, who spoke to one of them and has been covering this for us. So Maggie, this is a big [17:04] change in policy, right? Yeah, Tom, it really is. Remember just a couple of weeks ago, the CDC issued [17:09] federal quarantine orders threatening the 18 Americans exposed on that cruise ship last month [17:15] with potential criminal charges if they tried to leave that Nebraska hospital where they've been [17:20] for the last three weeks. We'll cut to today. Again, three weeks. So we're halfway through the [17:24] six-week quarantine period. The CDC says all 18 of them have no symptoms. None of them have tested [17:30] positive. Therefore, they can go home if they so choose. We have the state-by-state breakdown. You [17:34] can see it there. Federal and state officials say basically five people took that option. Today, [17:39] two flew to New York, one to California, one to Arizona, one to Oregon. All of them, Tom, [17:46] traveling by private planes and ambulances and private SUVs at times with medical staff on board [17:54] who were told, Tom, were in full head-to-toe hazmat gear. All of this paid for by the government. It [18:00] was a huge operation today. And then what more do we know about what those people who return home can [18:05] expect? Yeah, so they're basically under the authority of the state, whatever state they're in [18:10] at this point. We talked to one man. He's a 30-year-old New Yorker living in New York State and now [18:14] quarantining in New York State. And he showed us his quarantine order that we got. If we can pull [18:18] that up, you can see some of the stipulations and specific instructions that he got. Among them, [18:23] you have to remain alone in your residence. You can go outside on your property only if you can [18:28] avoid having contact with others. Deliveries like food and stuff that has to be left outside the front [18:33] door. Twice a day, at random times of day, county or state health officials will do symptom checks [18:40] via video. And you have to take your temperature, show them your symptoms. There are also 24-7 [18:44] monitoring by health officials or get this, law enforcement outside their door. He has a state [18:50] trooper outside his door parked there 24-7. And then finally, if you develop symptoms, they say alert [18:56] health officials immediately. He gave us a really strong quote if we can pull that up. Again, this [19:01] is a 30-year-old New York man who spent the last three weeks in the federal quarantine unit. He said [19:05] all along, he's been open to quarantining at home. All that's totally fine. And then he goes, [19:10] it was just the fact of being, his word, incarcerated, like held in solitary confinement. [19:17] He goes, I went days and days and days and days without a single breath of fresh air or glimpse of [19:23] the sun. He said that was not acceptable. I'll point out 13 remaining at that Nebraska hospital. [19:30] One of them has been speaking out the entire time. His name is Jake Rosemarron. He posted on [19:34] Instagram talking about why he chose to remain there. Here's part of that. [19:39] This whole experience has totally traumatized me. I'm afraid to leave this room until I know that I [19:45] will not get sick. I do not want to leave here until I know that there's a 0% chance of me getting [19:51] sick, a 0% chance of me risking my family and friends getting sick or the general public getting sick. I [19:58] don't want there to be a minimal risk. I want it to be a 0% chance of risk. [20:02] So again, Tom, he's one of 13 remaining there for the rest of the six-week period. [20:08] Okay. Maggie Vespa for us tonight. Maggie, we thank you for staying on top of that one. [20:11] Still ahead on top story, Sabrina Carpenter's desperate plea. Have you heard about this one? [20:16] A man allegedly showed up to her home numerous times. The legal action she's now trying to take [20:21] against that alleged stalker. We're back now with some breaking news just coming into the newsroom. [20:30] Pop star Sabrina Carpenter has filed a restraining order against an alleged stalker who showed up at her [20:35] home. Steve Patterson is following this story out of LA. And Steve, I know there's some images too [20:40] that have been put out there. There have been. Yeah. A lot of this just coming into our newsroom, [20:45] as mentioned, Tom, including the fact that a judge granting a temporary restraining order [20:49] to Sabrina Carpenter, the pop singer, against 31-year-old William Applegate. This is the guy [20:55] allegedly that you're going to see on your screen in this doorbell camera. That's because [21:00] he is accused of, on May 23rd, going to the pop singer's home through trespassing through a [21:06] neighbor's yard, trying to go in through the front door, allegedly grabbing the door handle, [21:11] forcefully trying to go inside of her home. Then a security team comes out, confronts the man. [21:18] Applegate says that he presents himself like he knows Carpenter, that he is going to meet her. [21:24] They try to turn him away forcefully, but he won't leave the premises until the police are called. [21:30] He's then escorted off the property, comes back the next day on May 24th, where the same pattern [21:36] emerges. He's confronted by that security team, leaves the premises, then comes back even again [21:41] the next day on the 25th, where he's then escorted away by police once again. We're reading some of [21:47] these documents. One says that, according to Carpenter, the approach was deliberate, calculated, [21:52] aggressive, which is deeply alarming. Another excerpt says that she is in genuine fear for her [21:58] personal safety at the time of the incident and continues to fear for her safety to this day. [22:03] Again, that temporary restraining order was granted. There will be another hearing to find [22:08] out if that restraining order, which is temporary, will be made permanent. Tom. [22:12] All right, Steve Patterson for us. Steve, we thank you for that. Now to the battle to become the mayor [22:16] of Los Angeles. Election day is tomorrow, and the latest polls show it's anyone's game. Mayor Karen [22:22] Bass a few points ahead of her challenger, including Spencer Pratt. Each of the candidates firing [22:27] pointed shots at each other in the final stretch of this race. NBC's Liz Kreutz is reporting from [22:32] Pacific, from the Pacific Palisades tonight. And Liz, you're there in one of the areas obviously [22:36] hardest hit by the wildfires, which is central to Pratt's campaign. You spoke to some voters [22:40] about him. Let's listen. I don't believe that Mr. Pratt is, uh, uh, has what it takes in the [22:49] political world. I know he's a Hollywood person and, uh, you know, once maybe if he starts a little [22:56] lower than wanting to be mayor. Definitely voting for Pratt. Why is that? Because I'm voting for change. [23:03] Uh, what they did here in the Palisades was really wrong, very neglectful. Well, that last lady [23:11] gives a little bit of oomph, if you will, into Spencer Pratt's campaign. Only the top two candidates [23:16] can move on. So what would have been the final pitches for these candidates? Yeah. Hey, Tom, [23:22] well, both Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman, who is the progressive challenger in this race, have been [23:27] casting themselves in these final days as the candidate for change. The alternative to the [23:32] incumbent mayor, Karen Bass, who has an approval rating, according to a poll from a couple of months [23:36] ago, of just 24%. Nithya Raman is saying, look, you can either have the status quo in Karen Bass, [23:42] or you can have a right-wing extremist in Spencer Pratt. Spencer Pratt, though, Tom is calling [23:47] himself, he says he's the look-around candidate. He goes, just look around L.A., see the homelessness, [23:52] see the crime, look around the race, see the other candidates, and he's the common sense choice. [23:57] I will tell you, and I know you've talked to him extensively, you've been here in Pacific [24:01] Palisades, this is his base. This is where he lives. This is where he lost his home. We've been [24:05] talking to voters all day here today. Almost every single person we're talking to is voting for him, [24:11] whether or not they want to say so publicly. That goes back to this idea of maybe there's the shy [24:15] Spencer Pratt voter. The big question is whether or not he's going to be able to expand his coalition [24:19] beyond the west side of L.A. And actually, I was out yesterday at a campaign event he had [24:24] in the eastern part of the city, in a heavily Latino neighborhood, so he is certainly reaching [24:29] out. The big question is, will he be able to do it, Tom? And Liz, just because people who may not [24:34] be familiar with L.A., you're in the Pacific Palisades. Not all of it burned to the ground, [24:38] as we can see behind you. But there's a lot of it that has burned, a lot of it that has not been [24:42] rebuilt. Exactly. Right behind me is the disaster recovery center, right next to where people are [24:50] voting. But where I'm looking here to my right is a building that burned down all around this [24:55] community. As you know, there are homes that are either still just flat rubble or being built. But [25:02] the problem here and a big issue of this campaign has been that people feel like the mayor [25:06] mismanaged the initial response to the fire, mismanaged the recovery. They feel like there [25:12] is a slow rebuild process, and that has become a central issue in this race, along with issues [25:17] of crime, homelessness, and also the issue of Hollywood. There's been a big decline in jobs [25:22] and production here in Hollywood, and that's also a central part of this race. All issues that [25:27] Spencer Pat has really made the key hallmark part of his campaign that a lot of people are [25:32] are resonating with whether or not they want to vote for him. It's going to be such a big election [25:36] tomorrow. We can't wait to watch your coverage. Liz, we thank you for that. Now to Top Stories [25:40] News Feed, starting with an appeals court ruling that transgender troops can remain in the U.S. [25:45] military. The majority opinion by a three-judge panel ruling that the Pentagon's order to exclude [25:50] transgender troops from military service likely violates their constitutional rights. However, [25:55] the military can still block transgender people from enlisting. The administration is expected [25:59] to appeal that decision. And a stunning underground discovery near the U.S.-Mexico border. Federal [26:05] agents uncovering an 869-foot tunnel, roughly three football fields long, connecting Tijuana [26:10] with the San Diego border. Mexican officials say the tunnel was likely a hub for weapons and drug [26:15] trafficking. And Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupting in a fiery display. Video shows lava just spewing [26:24] from the volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. Officials warning those nearby to be careful of ash and other [26:28] volcanic debris. Kilauea has been experiencing intermittent eruptions, as you know, since [26:33] December of 2024. Now to the growing mysteries up in the air since the start of the year. A string [26:38] of dramatic fireballs and meteors have lit up the skies, including one in New England this weekend. [26:43] We've told you about so many of them on the broadcast, and it had us wondering, [26:46] have there been more of these incidents than usual? And what is NASA doing? What are they looking at? [26:50] Steven Romo takes a closer look. Fireballs lighting up the sky. Whoa! Sonic booms rattling homes sent [27:00] scurrying. And one meteorite crashing through a roof. Boom! Did I hit a boom? The latest came over the [27:08] weekend. A five-foot meteor exploding above Massachusetts, with a boom heard across the region. [27:15] Here in New England, that's pretty insane. Mike Hanke of the American Meteor Society has been tracking it all. [27:22] When we observe daytime fireballs, they're kind of special, okay? They get people excited. They often [27:27] have the booms. They have to outshine the sun. In Ohio, a meteor blazed across the sky in March, [27:34] and a sonic boom followed. That month in Houston, reports poured in of a bright fireball and a loud [27:40] blast. Later, a homeowner found a meteorite had punched into her house. Just where it came in at. [27:46] Extremely rare, as most meteors burn up in the atmosphere. Along the Jersey Shore in April. [27:52] A lot of people have been reporting seeing something streak across the sky. A daytime meteor [27:58] drawing hundreds of reports. Loud booms follow. In the Pacific Northwest, a vivid green fireball [28:05] streaking overhead in late April. And in South Carolina just last week, a mysterious boom shaking the [28:12] state and confusing residents. The USGS ruled out earthquakes, and experts say a large meteor [28:18] is a leading theory. Is this something that people should have on their minds all the time? [28:22] Not at all. Most of them are associated with objects that completely burn up in the atmosphere. [28:28] But is there an uptick in these events? There was a big uptick, a noticeable uptick. It came on quickly, [28:36] and it turned off quickly. Hankey's saying March alone had more than double the average meteor reports, [28:42] but that spike ended this spring. The latest flurry we've seen, he says, is anomalous. As we watch these [28:48] jaw-dropping videos, scientists say they are glued to the data. All right, Stephen Romo joins us. So, [28:55] Stephen, is there anything to this uptick? I mean, what are they saying? Yeah, it's really sort of [29:00] alarming to learn that NASA is not tracking things nearly as much as I thought they were. Even that [29:04] one over Boston that was five feet around, yeah, they weren't keeping a close eye on that because [29:10] there's just too many things that are zipping around space right now. It's really got to be the [29:14] size of a football field before they can actually keep a good track on it. But they do say there's [29:18] really nothing we can do about it here on Earth, but they are tracking those large dangerous ones, [29:23] and they do have an eye on that. Incredible, the sound and the force, even from that five-foot [29:27] object, how much it can do. Thanks so much, Stephen, for looking into that. Just ahead, [29:32] the push to get high-powered AI chips into laptops and into your home, how NVIDIA is doing it. [29:37] We're back now with Top Stories Global Watch, and we're starting with massive clashes between police [29:43] and thousands of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators in Israel protesting mandatory military enlistment. [29:50] Israel's police said demonstrators blocked major intersections and officers using horses and water [29:55] cannons to try to disperse the crowds. The clash is coming amid threats to long-held military service [30:00] exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews. Progressive political commentators Hassan Piker and Cenk Uyghur [30:07] have been barred from entering the U.K. to speak at public events. Uyghur co-hosts the YouTube [30:13] series The Young Turks and his nephew broadcast commentary on the video platform Twitch. They [30:18] said they've been blocked because of their views on Israel. The British interior ministry said their [30:23] travel authorization has been canceled because their presence in the U.K. may not be conducive to the [30:28] public good. Now to new moves in the AI tech world that could be a game changer. NVIDIA unveiling [30:33] its first computers designed specifically to be powered by AI agents or assistants. The PCs will be [30:40] as light as three pounds and as slim as 14 millimeters, thinner than most pens, and run by NVIDIA's new [30:47] RTX smart AI computer chip, lauded as the most efficient ever built. They'll be sold at a premium price [30:54] point. The target audience, creators, AI developers, and gamers. Joining me now to discuss this is NBC [31:00] News' chief technology analyst Joanna Stern. Joanna, always great to see you. So what makes NVIDIA's [31:05] new computers different than what's already out there? Well, the biggest one is that NVIDIA hasn't [31:12] made computer chips like this for a consumer market ever. And so that is a big, big deal. They have [31:18] made chips for the gaming side. They've made graphics processors. Now this is NVIDIA saying, [31:24] hey, we want to help make the whole stack and we're teaming up with Microsoft to give a full AI PC [31:30] experience. What they believe or what Jensen Wong said in Taipei when he announced these, a reinvention [31:36] of the personal computer. And as you mentioned, the point of these is to be able to use AI right on the [31:42] device. So instead of only going out to the cloud to connect to the internet to use AI, more of this will [31:48] happen locally on the PC. So if I'm five years old, explain this to me. Does it mean it's just [31:53] faster? The AI is just instant when you ask for it? Well, that, and you might experience that. But [32:01] the big thing is, is that you might not be using as much data center processing power, right? So [32:05] everything that's now done through AI is going out and it's doing a complicated process called [32:10] inference. And it's going out to the data center to deal with your query or your chat bot, whatever [32:15] you've put in, whatever you, Tom, have asked the chat bot to explain to you as a five-year-old. [32:19] So that's how it works right now. But what they might do with these Nvidia PCs is be able [32:24] to say, actually, the model is going to run right on the computer. We don't need the internet [32:28] connection to give you that answer or to do various tasks that the agent might do on your [32:32] behalf. All right. You mentioned another key phrase there, the AI agent. What's the difference [32:37] between an AI agent and an AI chat bot? Great question. I can really explain this to you as [32:43] a five-year-old. An AI chat bot answers a question. You put in the query and you get an answer [32:47] back. An AI agent takes multiple steps to do something you've asked it to. So you might ask [32:53] it, hey, do my school shopping for my kids. Do my food shopping for the house. It can go out and go [33:01] out to the web, take those multi-step process for you and maybe even pay for you. [33:05] That's incredible. So when will this be available and how much? Do you have any idea yet how much [33:10] it's going to cost for this computer? We don't. They haven't released prices yet on these devices. [33:16] They said they have many partners. So Nvidia is going to be teaming up with Dell and many other [33:20] kinds of computer makers like HP or Lenovo. They're going to be selling these in the fall of the fall of [33:26] 2026 and probably more around holiday time frame. So these new PCs are just one of the latest headlines [33:31] from Nvidia. They're also diving into physical AI, right? Developing tech to power humanoid robots [33:36] and autonomous vehicles. Big picture, are we unlocking sort of a new era of AI innovation [33:42] and direct consumer access? And is Nvidia diversifying? [33:47] No, Nvidia has been a big player in this space already. They've already had a lot of self-driving [33:51] computing and graphics process units and these cars. They've been having them more and more in these [33:57] humanoid robots. That was one of the big announcements today. They're teaming up with [34:00] one of the Chinese makers of humanoid robots named Unitree. So this is a big place that [34:05] Nvidia has already played in. What they're announcing now is just more progress, [34:08] better chips to do this, better platforms to do this. And the real thing with all of this stuff, [34:14] Tom, is that the data needs to be better. They need more data to collect for the humanoid robots [34:18] to navigate in your house. They need more data to get the cars to drive themselves. And so that's [34:23] what the platforms that Nvidia is making is to then take that data and teach these machines how [34:28] to learn and navigate our world. Okay. And then, Joanna, AI giant, anthropic, [34:33] maker of Claude and rival to OpenAI is planning on going public. And I know you're not an investment [34:38] banker, right? But maybe you can get out of your comfort zone for just a little bit. There is a lot [34:41] of talk about an AI bubble, right? And people are wondering about their 401ks and their investments. [34:46] Is this something people should go run and invest in? And again, not looking at investment advice. [34:50] What I'm asking you is, are these companies overvalued now? And is Anthropic now about to [34:56] become the king of AI? Well, look, Anthropic has been one that has been consistently very much [35:02] watching their checkbook and really focusing on being profitable. Now, they're not fully profitable, [35:06] but they have shown that they have quite a bit of revenue and that they're working towards that [35:10] and that they're likely in a better spot than OpenAI. And so these two companies have sort of been [35:16] they're the most fierce competitors in the AI space. But we're going to be watching for both [35:22] of these IPOs is which one has the better books and which have the better future going forward with [35:27] the models that they have. All right. Joanna Stern, my five-year-old self thanks you. [35:32] We thank you for being on Top Story tonight. We're just days away from the NBA Finals. We're going to [35:36] take a tough turn here from AI to the NBA Finals. But trust me, it's all going to come together with tech. [35:41] This has been over two decades in the making. The San Antonio Spurs taking on the New York Knicks [35:46] and the stakes aren't just high for the players. The staggering ticket prices and big potential [35:52] betting payouts are raising the stakes for fans. So we're here now with our good friend Steve Kornacki [35:56] at the big board. So, Steve, the big question, what are the odds? Do the Knicks have a chance? [36:02] What does Vegas think? A rematch 27 years in the making. And Vegas says, honestly, [36:07] pretty much what it said 27 years ago. This minus 210 means the Spurs are favorites. They're pretty [36:12] big favorites in this series. The Knicks are the underdogs. That was the setup back in 1999. [36:18] The Twin Towers of Duncan and Robinson against the Ewing-less Knicks. And of course, [36:22] that series did end four to one with the Spurs winning the title. It's still going to be a great [36:25] series. The prediction markets, right? A lot of people are talking about these. You said they haven't [36:29] changed much. I mean, this is kind of where they're at. How do they see this matchup? Yeah, I mean, [36:33] again, I think the Knicks, you know, they were 53 and 29 this season. The Spurs were like 10 games [36:38] better in the standings. I think there's that. There's a question of size with the Knicks here. [36:42] There's also just size in terms of the money that's being bet here. I mean, month to month, [36:46] the American Gaming Association came out with a study recently. You're looking at somewhere around [36:51] $15 billion every month is being bet on sports. And when you get the big events like this, that really [36:57] drives that number. Yeah. And people are still also betting on things like the most valuable player. I mean, [37:02] all those great prop bets. Yeah, you could bet anything. Take a look at this. So here's the [37:06] odds to be the finals MVP here. And I think basically, if you're looking at this, first decide [37:11] which team you think is going to win, because that's where the MVP is going to come from. But [37:14] obviously, the battle of the stars. I mean, look at that division there. Wemby for the Spurs, [37:18] Brunson for the Knicks. Those are the two shortest prices. And then it's a long shot that it would be [37:23] anybody else. And Steve, if you have the opportunity to go to the game, right? Talk to me about ticket prices here. [37:28] I heard a rumor that it's cheaper to actually fly to San Antonio, get a hotel, watch a game [37:32] there, and fly back and just actually watch at the Garden. Yeah, I think you better hit some of [37:36] these bets if you want to go to some of these games, because take a look at this. This is just [37:40] to get in the arena. Cheapest price here in San Antonio. Basically, $1,000 for Game 1, a little [37:46] bit more for Game 2. You get to MSG, the numbers jump. But what is this? What kind of seat is this? [37:51] You're in the nosebleed. No, no. That's like a regular bad seat at the Garden. [37:55] You want a good seat in the Garden? $4,600? Wow. You want a good seat on the ticket market [37:59] in the Garden right now? How about $181,000 for the best available seat in MSG? I'll give [38:06] you a deal, though. Yeah. Selling for third row at MSG? A mere $141,000. Wow, $141,000 for [38:13] third row. There's a lot of money around New York. You're not even except Kylie Jenner and [38:17] like Timothee Chambalamet. Okay. You're close. All right. Steve, so great to see you. When we come [38:21] back tonight, the major box office shake-up, the YouTube stars creating two hit horror movies, [38:26] could it upend the film industry? We are back now with a pair of stunning box office triumphs. [38:32] Horror hit back rooms based on a popular YouTube series, blowing past opening weekend expectations, [38:38] raking in more than 81 million bucks domestically and making history as the largest ever original [38:44] horror movie debut. It's 20-year-old director, Kane Parsons, now the youngest to ever open a film at [38:50] number one globally. And it comes after the wildly successful opening of another horror sensation, [38:55] obsession also from the mind of a Gen Z YouTuber. It made $148 million worldwide and cost less [39:02] than $1 million to make. Imagine that investment. So is the YouTube or YouTube in general now the [39:09] king of Hollywood? I want to bring in NBC's Chloe Malas to break it down for us. So Chloe, let's start [39:13] with back rooms and we see the back rooms here just behind us. We're in the back rooms. I saw the preview [39:18] for this. I wasn't really scared by this movie, but maybe it's scary. What is the big deal and why [39:22] do people in Gen Z love this? Okay. Well, first of all, this started as a viral internet meme and it [39:28] was just a picture of a back room, as you can see behind me. And people started creating all of these [39:33] theories about it all. And then you saw Kane Parsons really take this and really just go off into the [39:40] sunset here on YouTube by creating these different shorts and videos around it, eventually racking up [39:47] millions and millions of views with age 24 approaching him saying, Hey, it's everybody's [39:53] dream, right? To get that phone call. Want to make a movie? And he did. And it's huge. Is it mostly [39:58] young people going to these movies? So it's Gen Z and it's Gen A, which is what our kids are in that [40:03] generation. Gen A. So get used to saying that. What we've seen from different data is that there's [40:09] about a 25 to 30% increase in the last couple of years since the pandemic of this younger generation [40:15] going to the theater. I think you really just have to look at the COVID-19 pandemic. People were [40:21] really craving those IRL experiences. That means in real life. Oh, no, I know that one. I know. And [40:27] it's about they want to have that sense of community. It feels old school maybe to us where I'm like, [40:32] I love being able to just watch streaming from home. But this younger generation, they want [40:37] this. But then they also have loved these guys from YouTube. These are YouTube creators who have [40:43] built these massive loyal audiences. And I think that the big question that we need to think about [40:49] is does a studio have to spend $100 million to make a movie to have it be successful? And I think [40:57] when you look at Disney's Mandalorian, it's a Star Wars movie. It has been dethroned. [41:04] Right. It's incredible. I don't know too much about obsession. What is obsession about? And what [41:08] kind of movie is it? It's exactly what you think. Have you ever seen the movie with Michael Douglas [41:13] and Glenn Close? Yeah. Fatal Attraction? Fatal Attraction. Thank you. And it doesn't go so far [41:20] as to have like a bunny boiling in a pot. But it's about a guy who wants his this girl that he loves [41:27] to be obsessed with him. And he makes a wish. Think of it like a very dark version of big. Remember [41:33] when Tom Hanks makes that wish over at like Ride Playland. He wants to be a big guy. Of course. And so [41:39] basically it's like how love can go so, so wrong and how it can turn into obsession. And it's a horror [41:46] film. It's a horror movie. So I don't want to ruin anything for you. But both of these movies are [41:52] scary and creepy. But they're not like jump scare films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre where you're [41:57] going to be like jumping out of your sea. But definitely it's going to give you that. Are they R-rated? [42:00] Are they are they kind of like not for kids? Yes. They're not for little kids. But you are [42:04] seeing teenagers go out in droves. I mean, I remember when I saw Halloween H20 and I was not [42:09] 18 years old and I begged my mom to let me go see a Halloween horror movie. So I think the parents [42:14] maybe sometimes make exception with the horror movies. But look, these are two directors that [42:19] potentially could go on to have really big careers. But when you're looking at Curry Barker, [42:24] he has already inked a deal to be a part of the next remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. [42:30] Massacre, which is really incredible because he actually credits that film [42:34] with really what made him fall in love with the horror genre. And he'll bring all those kids into [42:39] that genre, into that intellectual property as well. We're looking at horror films. I don't know [42:43] if you're necessarily going to see a successful rom-com come out of the YouTube creator world, [42:48] but never say never, never. What if Mr. Beast wants to make a movie? I think all bets are off. He'll be like [42:54] the best one for the next five years. [42:55] always great to have you. We thank you so much. [42:58] If that does it for us, thanks so much for watching Top Story. [43:00] I'm Tom Yamas in New York. Stay right there. [43:02] More news on the way. [43:03] We thank you for watching and remember, [43:14] stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app [43:18] or watch live on our YouTube channel.