Top Story with Tom Llamas - April 18 | NBC News NOW

and good night going on air with breaking

news

tonight: the US vetoed a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, ultimately blocking the creation of a Palestinian state. This was the moment when US Ambassador Robert Wood overturned the widely supported move: the US was alone in the 15 United Nations. member states there the security council vetoed the measure two countries abstained and 12 others voted in favor the measure came under harsh criticism from several countries, including russia and egypt, the united states argued that the two-state solution should be the result of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. not the United Nations and comes as tensions rise across the country over Israel's war Hamas at Columbia University Police and riot gear arrest more than 100 protesters during a pro-Palestinian protest and concerns about yet another war Wide Middle East cross-fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon intensifying in recent days In just a moment you'll hear Hezbollah's second-in-command in an exclusive NBC meeting, the Iran-backed militant group vows to attack Israel if provoke an attack, we'll get to all that in a moment, but first I want to get to the breaking

news

on the UN Security Council vote.

NBC's Ellison Barber joins us now Ellison takes us to the UN and what happened today. Yeah, I mean, look, this wasn't a surprise. The United States had been very clear. From the State Department briefings today saying we intend to veto this, we saw the US try to delay this resolution with a vote, uh, presumably in the hope that they wouldn't have to take this position so public against, but the way this works with the UN Security Council is that you have all these members that are on the Security Council and for a resolution to pass in the UN Security Council you need nine votes in favor and you cannot have any negative vote or veto from any of the five. permanent members, the United States, one of those five permanent members, so when we look at this 15-member Council, the United States voted no, that minute it was going to be dead on arrival, it will not go to the full 193 members of the UN to vote about this.

For Palestinians that means their hope for an independent state is even further out of reach. This wouldn't have meant that they were going to have a state and be an independent state, but it would have given a lot of validity to that push that I've been trying to get to for decades for Israel, this is a moment where, despite public disagreements between Netanyahu and Biden, Israel can look at this and say we still have our biggest ally in our corner, which is why many countries voted to approve statehood that we obviously didn't vote for. Has the White House reacted to this yet?

Yes, they have, so we heard on Air Force One National Security Council spokesman John Kirby tell reporters this quote: We believe in a two-state, one-state solution for the Palestinian people, we believe that The The best and most sustainable way to do this is through direct negotiations between the parties, which echoes what we heard today from the State Department spokesperson when he said that there needs to be direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but the matter continues. It is when and how that happens because the Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank but does not have the full support of the Palestinian people.

Hamas controls Gaza and Netanyahu has been very clear that he does not support a two-state solution, saying after the October 7 terrorist attacks that this is essentially a failure for them, they believe it would be a victory for Hamas and would further threaten the security of Israel and this can be a small problem or maybe a big problem. for President Biden as he gets closer to the election because he's already felt pressure from progressives in his party and also from Americans in places like Michigan and Pennsylvania, yeah, I mean, when you look at that graph you had before of who voted. in favor, the countries that said yes and then the countries that abstained, you have key allies for us, such as France, Japan, which voted in favor of this resolution, then you have another key ally, such as the United Kingdom, which abstains from voting at the national level.

I think President Biden is really on sort of a global island in some ways and the most pressure he's faced in terms of his position on Israel's war in Gaza is coming from his own party, which is something that's probably going to be an issue. for him in the political future. because there are other key Western allies that made a very different decision than the one the United States made here Ellison Barbara on the latest news from the UN Ellison we appreciate it and as we mentioned a stunning scene at Columbia University in New York City today as this vote brought down the police in riot gear at the request of the president of the University moving to clear a camp of student protesters protesting the war in Gaza Antonia Hilton is there as the demonstrations continue tonight confrontation in Colombia today the police are taking out to campus protesters citing extraordinary circumstances Columbia University President Manu Shafik asked the NYPD to clear a camp of pro-Palestinian student protesters.

The camp was set up Wednesday morning the same day Shaik testified at the Capitol about anti-Semitism on campus. We must defend freedom of expression because it is essential to our academic mission, but we cannot and should not tolerate the abuse of this privilege to harass and discriminate in a letter to the university community. Shafi noted that the protests have a storied hi

story

in Colombia, where anti-Vietnam protesters took control of buildings on campus in 1968, but in asking for help from police he said the encampment and related unrest pose a clear and present danger to the substantial functioning of the University.

We are risking our academic standing just to show administrators that we do not agree with their decisions. Several protesters today trample an Israeli. Point out some students who say they feel unsafe on campus. I feel like people are weaponizing anti-Semitic protesters by telling us that they plan to continue their protest despite the police presence. Do you feel that this administration has taken drastic measures against students and teachers? members free speech 100% yes I believe the mayor of New York City tonight said police made more than 100 arrests on a severely divided campus Antonia Hilton NBC News New York and fears continue to rise that war between Israel and Hamas explode into broader war In an exclusive interview with NBC News, a senior leader of the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah says he is not looking to get involved in war, but if Israel attacks, he will hit back here's Matt Bradley with that interview tonight as the world awaits Israel's response to Iran's massive airstrike the entire Middle East teeters on the brink of a regional war the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah vows to match any escalation From Israel, the Israelis have indicated that His response, which we are still waiting for, will probably not be against Iran itself;

It could very well be against Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah, in which case are you prepared to respond? Are you prepared to escalate the situation if Israel attacks? us and attacks us, then we will definitely respond if they escalate, we will escalate In a rare and exclusive interview, Hezbollah's second-in-command Naim Kasum said the group is determined not to escalate the fighting unless Israel does so first, blaming to Israel and the United States for escalating the war. Israel's two-front war against Hamas and Hezbollah, both backed by Iran, is now in its seventh month. The war began with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7.

Hezbollah intervened the next day, attacking a disputed border region between Israel and Lebanon and what it described as solidarity. with Hamas we did not expect the war to last so long because we did not think Netanyahu was so stupid, the same for Biden and the other countries. Hezbollah on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack that wounded 14 soldiers in northern Israel, a response they say, Israeli strikes that killed two of the group's top commanders have killed hundreds of people on both sides of the border. the Lebanese border since the start of Hamas' war with Israel. Kasum defended Iran's decision to attack on Saturday night, which Iran said was in retaliation for an Israeli attack on Iran.

The military leaders in the country's Consulate in Syria speak publicly and clearly do not want war and have responded to the attack on their Embassy and that is it for them. I think Iran is honest, this is what they told us and this is what they maintain. Reiterating to the media that his patron state, Iran, Kasum said Hezbollah is determined to avoid a broader war and will only escalate its attacks on Israel if the Jewish state steps up first, but U.S. officials believe Israel can respond. to Iran's airstrike targeting militant groups. like Hezbollah, what do you expect Israel's attack to be?

The Israelis are confused, they don't know whether to respond or not and you want them to know what Israel will do. Do you think Israel doesn't have a plan right now? They don't have a plan. They neither have the courage nor do they know what they will do if they make a mistake then they will pay a high price for that. Do you think they are afraid? They are 100% scared. They did not expect Iran to respond and it did. But there is good reason to fear that a single spark from this conflict could ignite the entire Middle East in such a conflagration that it would be difficult for the United States to avoid burning down.

Well, Matt Bradley joins us fresh from his interview from Beirut tonight, so Matt you asked what Hezbollah would do if Israel attacks. How worried are you that you could be the target of Israel's retaliation against Iran? Yeah, well, Kasum told me that you know he doesn't think the Israelis really know if they're going to be Israelis or not. attack Hezbollah or if they are going to attack someone he said that the Israelis are confused and scared and Tom I don't know if worried is the right word he said you know when it comes to the path of jihad when it comes to fighting against the martyrdom of Israel it is a of the only options and that there is no way to turn us over to Tom Matt Bradley here tonight on the main

story

Matt, we appreciate that we want to move on now to the latest in the Trump hush money trial. 12 jurors now seated to hear the case plus one alternate The accelerated selection came after the process appeared to suffer a serious setback when two previously selected jurors were dismissed from the case today NBC's Laura Jared has the latest tonight a full jury of 12 now sworn in to former president Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial after day began with drama surrounding two jurors dismissing the entire jury, which now includes an investment banker, a security engineer, an administrator of retired private wealth, a speech therapist, physical therapists, someone in e-commerce and a product development manager who wanted to be a lot of in different places campaigning, but I've been here all day, in a trial that really is a trial very unfair.

The whole world is watching this New York scam. Mr. Trump arrived this morning with seven jurors sworn in only to see the number quickly reduced to five after an oncology nurse said during questioning that no one was above the law. I'm just here to hear the facts. She told the judge today that she was concerned that she could not be impartial regarding Mr. Trump and was concerned that his identity would become public after he was loved. Those who discovered she had been a member of the other juror, an older IT consultant who had called the presumptive Republican nominee fascinating and mysterious in court Tuesday, excused himself today after prosecutors said he was arrested for tearing down ads. conservative politicians decades ago and didn't disclose it in his jury questionnaire, but late today those additional jurors were selected to serve, including an investment banker who said he follows Trump's truth social posting and has seen quotes from his book The Art of the deal but he has not read them.

The retired private wealth manager who said he does yoga every morning and speech therapist said Mr. Trump tends to disagree with many of his policies and his decisions as president, but said he can be impartial in a moment Given, one prospective juror even apologized to the former foreman. Because of her past criticism of him on social media, she was fired. Today's events underscore the challenges of seating a jury in deep blue Manhattan, where 85% of people voted for President Biden whenThis morning the group of 96 potential jurors was asked if they could be impartial. When judging the likely Republican candidate, almost 50 hands went up saying they couldn't and they were fired.

The cat was among them. I could not be impartial, it is a historic case and you know that this is going to define many things, but at the same time our right to work as a jury is to be impartial. Mr. Trump speaks poorly of the jury selection process, writing that he was given the second-worst jury selection in the country. He is accused of altering his internal business records to conceal a refund payment to Michael Cohen, who allegedly paid Stormy. Daniels before the 2016 election, so he couldn't go public with an affair, Mr. Trump. Trump denies any sexual relationship with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty and with that, Laura joins us tonight from Lowa Manhattan, so Laura, I know you have new reports on the witness list, yes Tom, end of the day , Todd Blanch, Mr.

Trump's lead lawyer, asked the prosecution to provide the names of the first three witnesses who are expected to begin testifying after opening statements. It is a typical courtesy that is seen a lot in court. many times, but the prosecution here, Tom, said no, they said they were not going to do it because they are very concerned about Mr. Trump posting about these people on social media and Tom understands this, the judge agreed and He said, "I can't blame them and I'm not going to order people to turn them in to go to court on the first day with the F first Witnesses without knowing who they are, Tom, yes, it speaks to the sensitivity of this case but also how a lot of people around the country in the world are watching this um Laura walks our viewers through the kind of timeline what we can expect from the schedule if we know they're still looking for alternate jurors They still have to do that do we know when they might start. opening statements?

That's right, we now have a sworn in and ready to go, but we still need about five more. The judge has said he wants six in total. You can understand why. to be fired today, so we will continue with more questioning of potential substitutes in court tomorrow morning and then opening statements in this case could begin as early as Monday. Tom Laura Jarrett reporting from Lower Manhattan tonight. to us, Laura, we thank you for that next night on the top news Spotlight before there was an indictment or a trial there was a breaking news story the investigation that led to the first criminal trial of a former president was prompted by an exclusive from the Wall Street Journal article you see here Trump's lawyer arranged a $130,000 payment for an adult film star The silence was broken in 2018 and detailed the agreement of a $130,000 payment between Michael Cohen and Stormmy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Donald Trump and we join together tonight. by one of the reporters of that line who wants to surprise with his work Michael Rothfeld Michael's now investigative reporter from the New York Times and Michael welcome to the main story, so I want your first thoughts to be correct, it's been six years since that you broke the story almost a decade since the alleged affair occurred and now we are about to begin the criminal trial, what do you think?

I mean, it's pretty mind-blowing as a reporter, you're always surprised when your stories have some consequences in the world and this one, you know the consequences of having been the first impeachment of a former president, the first criminal trial of Donald Trump, maybe the only criminal trial before the November elections and you know you're not expecting any particular outcome. but just watching the reporting develop over so many years since we first reported on the hush money payment in 2018 is really surprising and I think that's the operative phrase for so many years and I want to ask you, does the Department of Justice know ? had investigated this case properly and we'll get into that in a moment.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office had previously, uh, Alvin Brag had investigated this as well, but they never pursued it properly and now we're about to start the criminal trial, I mean. Did you ever think that was going to happen? No, actually I mean, I knew that Sance, who preceded Alvin Brag, was looking into this, and of course we knew that federal prosecutors were looking into it too, but they couldn't indict Trump, when? he was president because of a justice department policy and then they didn't really want to use Michael Cohen as a witness because he had been convicted of crimes, he had lied, they had criticized him themselves in court papers, so they weren't going to do it and then Sance thought this case wasn't serious enough or you know that was one of the things so you mentioned Michael Cohen you raise a question.

I have a lot for when we interview the lawyers here and the former district attorneys, how? I think a jury is going to perceive Michael Cohen with his story, the way he behaves and what he reports, what he told authorities that turned out to be lies. Yes, I think that will largely depend on how you perform before the witness. He stands his ground and has a lot of practice. He has been on television a lot. He testified before Congress and he's a smart guy, so he'll be prepared to be attacked. How he does it will make a difference, but there are Witnesses who cooperate.

Witnesses all the time in criminal trials. who have criminal convictions, drug dealers, really bad people and you know, mafia, hitmen, you know, come on, uh, and you know, this is unprecedented, right? I want, I want to go back in time if we can, and I was reading your initial again. report, I'm going to put a part on the screen since we're talking about Michael Cohen here, you guys are right, this is a statement from Michael Cohen, um, he told you guys, this is the second time you were raising outlandish accusations against My client, you have attempted to perpetuate this false narrative for over a year, a narrative that has been consistently denied by all parties since at least 2011, tell me about the process and how to nail down this story because it was a difficult cast. of characters they had to deal with and you spent over a year working well, we first ran the story in the Wall Street Journal about Karen Mcdougall paying hush money or was it a confidentiality agreement with the national investigation did they actually buy the rights to her life story and then it was a game of catch and kill and then we learned that Stormmy Daniels at that time had been represented by the same lawyer who represented Karen McDougall, but we didn't know, you know, who had paid her , if someone had done it. paid him, so throughout 2017 we kept asking this cast of characters around Donald Trump, you know, the Playboy models, porn stars, Paparazzi and towards the end of 2017, we had a meeting with the source and that source said which you know, think about taxis and you know Michael Cohen owned a lot of taxis, so we knew, you know, that meant that he had paid him and that he had used uh uh in an LLC, a shell company to do it, so we had to Look for the ghost company and we pass through it. corporate records until we found one that had his name on it and incredible, yes, incredible report, you know, after your report, after all this came to light, Michael Cohen's office was raided, this was part of the investigation of Muller, federal agents raided his office and I ask you.

This is because do you think there is evidence that the lawyers have, that the prosecutors have, that perhaps the public does not yet know, that we can be surprised in this case? I'd like to know what I mean, uh, you know, uh, Joe and I. whoever revealed the stormy story wrote a book about this, we've interviewed everyone exhaustively, but you know, I'm very curious to know what else might come out. I bet there will be some new details. I doubt there will be many new details, but I'm sure we'll hear from David Pecker, he was the editor of the national Inquirer and Associate of Trumps.

He's never spoken publicly, so I'd love to hear what comes out of his mouth. Michael has covered this case for so long. What are you looking for in this trial? Well, I really want to see if Donald Trump testifies and how he's going to talk about these events, how he's going to perform on the witness stand and I really want to see how prosecutors are going to lay all of this out and just see how this all plays out in a courtroom. of the court, that is, this whole story that I've been covering all this time and whether it will result in the first conviction of a former president or whether Trump You can take this back to the campaign and say Hey, look, it's in They were chasing me here Okay, Michael, we thank you for your time and for all your time reporting now on power politics and the family feud that will unfold in 2024.

The campaign follows more than a dozen members of the Kennedy family who are backing President Biden at a rally in Philadelphia even though their own relative, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is running against him as an independent. Gabe Gutierrez is at the White House tonight with the latest today with his opponent trapped. In court, President Biden on the attack on Battleground Pennsylvania, the 2024 election on two fundamentally different visions for America, Donald Trump's vision is one of anger, hate, revenge and retribution, campaign touts endorsement of 15 members of the Kennedy family, although one of their own, Robert F. Kennedy Jr is running against him as an independent, the best way forward for the United States is to re-elect Joe Biden and Kamla Harris for four more years responding to the support of his family to his opponent today RFK Jr posted on social media we are divided in our opinions, but United In our love for each other, the environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist first ran as a Democrat.

Now Kennedy's independent campaign is polling more than 10% in some key states where Biden is also trailing Trump. Democrats are aggressively attacking third-party candidates like Kennedy, who they see. as a threat to President Biden's re-election, people involved told NBC News, although it is unclear which candidate, President Biden or former President Trump, would lose more votes to RFK Jr. Kennedy told NBC's Von Hillard this in February. I hope to get equal numbers from both. I think at this point I'm probably getting more from President Trump. Okay, Gabe Gutierrez joins us tonight from the White House and Gabe, I understand you have some new reports on how this endorsement came about.

H, yes, Tom, a source familiar with Biden's campaign planning. says that the Kennedy family endorsement was months in the making and that it was the Kennedy family that came up with the idea and brought it to the campaign and I know NBC News has some other reports on Kennedy Shanahan's candidacy with a little bit of other news out there uh, not a great day for their campaign, but they got a financial boost in a unique way, yeah, that's right, Tom, and we're just finding out through an FEC filing, but it turns out that the day after After she was announced as a vice presidential candidate, Shanahan donated $2 million to that campaign and had donated before, but now that she is a candidate on the ballot she can get unlimited amounts of her own money.

Tom, okay, Gabe Gutierrez in the White House tonight, we want to change. prepares now for a close call at Washington DC's Reagan National Airport FAA now investigating how two airliners nearly collided on the runway this morning air traffic controllers scrambled to stop JetBlue and Southwest Plains cleared on the same runway NBC's Emily Aeta has the story creepy moment today on one of America's busiest runways, Southwest stop 2937, stop, an air traffic controller frantically tells a Southwest plane to stop, we stopped, we were cleared to cross the runway, after being cleared to taxi across a runway at Reagan National in Washington DC.

Wind on Runway 4 ready to take off, a JetBlue plane was about to take off according to the FAA but was also suddenly told to abort and we are at 154. One source says the planes came within 1000 feet one of the another, something failed and caused uh A controller to authorize the plane to take off and another ground controller authorizes Southwest Airlines to cross that same active runway, so it seems to me that it is what the FAA calls an operational error involving an air traffic control problem after a series of near misses, an independent Safety review found that overtime last year is at a historically high level for air traffic controllers and challenges, including staff shortages , have caused an erosion of safety margins that must be urgently addressed tonight.

The FAA reports that serious runway incursions are trending downward. scares both airlines they sayThey're working closely with federal investigators to determine what went wrong and Tom, you know, I mentioned how the FAA is ramping up its contracting process, but he says to improve safety it's also taking other steps, including introducing production. modernized simulators to help make the training process for all those new employees more efficient. They are also exploring more advanced track technology to help improve controllers' situational awareness, all in an effort to reduce the number of serious situations approaching the track to zero. Tom, yes.

We hope you are well Emily, thanks for that, still ahead tonight. The new alibi for Brian Cober, the man accused of killing four University of Idaho students, claims that he could not have committed the murders in November 2022. His lawyers say he was also driving at that time. of the murders plus Los Angeles police confirm Kanye West is a suspect in a criminal investigation, the charges he could face and the terrifying moments in a Taco Bell drive-thru, an 11-week-old boy in the back of the car his mother suddenly can't breathe. I'm going to listen to the employee who went into action and saved that baby's life, stay with us.

Now we're back with the latest on the Idaho College murders. Defense attorneys for suspect Brian Coburger presented an updated alibi in August. His lawyers said he had been out and about at the time of the murders but could not give a specific time or location, prosecutors argued that was too vague and a judge agreed that Dana Griffin has his team's latest claims. legal and the reaction of the family of one of his alleged victims an alleged alibi revealed in the fatal stabbing of four students at the University of Idaho Madison Mogan Kaylee González Zanna kotal and Ethan chapen Brian Cober's defense brief Mr.

Koberger was driving in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, as he usually did to walk and run Andor, see the moon and stars, the Gonzolas family told NBC News in a statement that in part we are not sure why it has taken over a year to come out, since these do not seem to be complicated activities, we believe that if this alibi had any weight, it would have been presented months ago, it is the same defense that the judge questioned last year, so At least no witnesses were included in the presentation, Cober's team will rely on an expert's analysis of cell phone data, could this help or hurt their case.

I think the defense had tainted this alibi notice. I think they know it's a difficult alibi. He's not arguing that I was hundreds of miles away in another. He's saying that he's not arguing that I just wasn't in the area, he's basically saying that my alibi is that I was in the area, but not specifically there, but last January the Police said cell phone data showed Cerg was trying to hide his location and that his phone was turned off. 2:47 to 4:48 a.m. that morning during the time of the murders, Berger's phone also rang 12 times near the victim's home months before the murders, prosecutor says his DNA was on a knife sheath left at the crime scene and stated and the record program cobber changed the title of his car 5 days after the murders days before his arrest.

Cerer was arrested in Indiana on a road trip to Pennsylvania with his father driving a white Hyundai Elantra, the same vehicle caught on surveillance near the crime scene. Remaining silent, hey, I'm going in, no, please. Each of them will accuse the alleged murder weapon. A large knife with a fixed blade has never been found. Dana Griffin joins us tonight from Los Angeles Dana, this trial is already long overdue. Do we have any idea when it will actually start, we don't know, Tom, a trial date hasn't been set much, much to the frustration of the victims' families, and based on the dates that have been thrown out by the judge and the prosecution, it could start sometime next year.

Although the defense says other issues must be addressed even before a date is set, now in June, the judge will hear arguments about moving the case to a different county and Tom, this adds to the growing bill that taxpayers Idaho are supporting this case, according to According to the Idaho Statesman, this is already costing taxpayers a whopping $3.6 million and the University of Idaho confirmed months ago that this high private security bill for the home turned into crime scene is part of the reason they took it down for us from Los Angeles. Dana, we thank you for that here on this side of the country in Pennsylvania, a terrifying moment for a mother in a Taco Bell drive-thru with a baby's life at stake and an employee springing into action just in time George from NBC like this she spoke to that mother and the woman she now calls her baby's guardian angel.

A mother's worst nightmare captured on video. These are the moments when the heart pounds. Natasha Long noticed her 11-week-old son having trouble breathing while in a Taco Bell drive-thru. Just outside of Philadelphia, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I saw that he was turning blue, so I took him out of his car seat and that's when I passed out. Not know what to do. Here you see Miles, a long baby cradling, as she begins that desperate search for help as the tension increases with each passing second. Baby Miles, who was born with a rare syndrome involving airway breathing, did not respond to his mother's touch, but the couple was not alone for long.

She was there right when I needed her. It was the wrong time. but the right place looks how, seemingly out of nowhere, this good Samaritan rushes to rescue her like a guardian angel, yes, absolutely her, it was literally out of nowhere. I heard someone scream and then someone screamed and called 911. The baby's not breathing, so I pulled. I took off my headphones and ran out, the mystery woman taking over, that's Taco Bell manager Becky Arba, who started performing CPR to save the baby's life, what were you saying to Natasha to calm her down? I kept saying she's fine, she's fine, she's going to breathe, she's fine. he will breathe he is totally fine and she says I can't lose him she didn't thanks to arba who was able to get the baby breathing miles before the paramedics arrived a mom to her arbau had a similar experience with one of yours years ago.

I prepared her for a moment like this, you don't want to be called a hero, no, I'm just a mom helping a mom. I didn't do anything different than what others should do. I knew what that was like and I listened. I felt it instantly and I had to go help her because I knew it's painful, you're so helpless as a mother when that happens. The two mothers are now friends and feel united forever. I think I'll look back. and I know like you know, oh my God, thank God Becky was there because I'm going to let Miles know exactly why Becky is Aunt Becky.

It's safe to say she has a friend for life. Absolutely baby, Miles is much better, but we. He will need at least one surgery to help improve his quality of life and hopefully avoid another scare like this. Taco Bell also issued a statement about the heroic actions of its employees, the company says they are incredibly proud, okay George Soise, great story when we come back talking about a horrible boss, an employee of a Bay Area School District is He showed up for work and discovered his desk had been put on the ceiling while claiming his supervisor did it to get back at him and that's not the only accusation as to why.

His employees say they will never fire him, we'll explain what's going on there, what's next, now with the top news, LAPD confirms to NBC News that Kanye West is the suspect in an assault investigation. West is accused of beating. man in face several times TMZ reports West accused victim of assaulting his wife Bianka This is still not the first time he has encountered an assault investigation He was cleared of charges last year after grabbing a photographer's phone and throw it into the street well the FBI on high alert for threats to the Jewish community before the Passover holiday director Christopher Ray speaking at an event organized by Jewish community security officials Ray saying the FBI is especially concerned about the attacks of lone actors and that greater caution should be taken at large gatherings and places of worship Ray also warns about Iran's state-sponsored threats and how much he believes his city spends on its public bathrooms.

Well, a newly opened public restroom in the San Francisco Valley was originally going to cost the city $1.7 million. I heard that, right, the 150 foot structure only has one stall and the price caused quite a reaction among taxpayers. Two companies ended up donating materials and labor, so it ended up costing the city only about $300,000, still a lot of money. Well, we want to attend. The bully boss, have you ever felt pressured by a supervisor? Well, this Bay Area employee says his boss put his desk on the ceiling after a disagreement and he's just one of 10 people who have now filed complaints, but they say this bully boss didn't do it. is.

Getting proper discipline from friends in high places NBC Bay Area investigative reporter Candice wins the pressure for answers This image is neither the beginning nor the end of the story, but it could be the final chapter in the Jim Kasser's 30-year career as a maintenance worker in the Antioch Unified School District, he says his new boss, Ken Turnage, waited until he was off work to vandalize his desk and then ordered several district employees to use this forklift to place his desk on the roof of the district maintenance yard, where he works. a sign saying Ker access and a staircase.

I was literally in the emergency room the following weekend. My wife said you're having panic attacks and I thought she was having a heart attack. Why do you think she put your desk on the ceiling? At first I asked that question hundreds of times. I thought you knew she was bullying me for speaking up in a conversation we had a few months earlier where she asked me to do a work task and I told her I was willing to do, you know, whatever you asked me to do? what to do but I just want to let you know because you're new I'm not a mechanic or an electrician and he literally blew up on me when you say he blew up on you he does it from 0 to 60 in 5 seconds it wasn't a joke it was predatory it was bullying Kim Atkinson is the school district purchasing technician, she manages the district dollars and says this was not an appropriate way to use public resources we are a school district, our money is for students and we are spending money and employee time and overtime to put a desk on the ceiling like a cruel intimidating prankster.

Kesser and Atkinson are two of approximately 10 Antioch Unified employees who have reported Turnage to the district. Ken Turnage is the school district representative. Director of Maintenance Operations and Facilities, he supervises everyone in the department, including these four. Who provided the investigation unit with copies of his complaints against him. They say his behavior put three of them on medical leave due to stress and he convinced Bruce Cordemans to take early retirement. I said I honestly feel like you're disrespecting me and he did the little thing of him shaking his shoulder and saying I respect you. I told him he's fine, thank you.

I appreciate that he stomped behind his desk, he clenched his fist, did his thing and said he didn't respect you. He didn't respect you at all, he accused me, he thought they were going to physically attack me. I asked where I could put my printer and they said I could put it on the ceiling. We contacted Turnage several times, but he didn't. No response I believe in ecological balance, spoke to us back in 2020, during the height of covid, just before he was removed as antioch planning commissioner for writing a lengthy social media post advocating for ending the lockdown and allowing That the virus kills the weak and the elderly is something that I am advocating not happen, but it is the course of nature also in the Facebook photos that these employees say reveal a bigger problem why they believe that 15 months after this incident on the roof, Turnage has not yet been held accountable because he is his best friend Stephanie anello's husband Stephanie anello is a unified superintendent of Antioch.

She is shown here near K Turnage along with her husband Alan Cando. Former Antioch Police Chief. Kando and Turnage appear together outside of work again and again in different locations. They go play golf together every weekend. golf friends barbecue friends I've seen him on the golf course golf game I literally saw him playingwith Kent tando and Stephanie Anello we brought the allegations that Anello is not disciplining Turnage due to his friendship with her and her husband directly to her and After several emails and calls from her husband we never heard back but we did receive this email from the District Human Resources Director saying that USD takes all matters related to our employees seriously, since this is a personnel matter, there will be no more comments than we still want to hear. the district's top official, so we went to last week's school board meeting.

I'm here to talk to superintendent anello. you have not responded directly to any of my calls or emails. You have received numerous complaints about Kenneth Turnage and I want to ask you if he has been disciplined, we cannot discuss personal matters. He is accused of putting the desk of one of his employees on a roof using District resources. What was his reaction to the fact that several employees feel that he has not been properly disciplined because he also has a close relationship with you? As for her husband, a former Antioch police chief, how does he respond to these employees saying the silence makes them more uneasy?

Oh, I'm ready for full retaliation. I'm afraid of what he's going to do to me. NBC Bay Area's Candace wi joins. top story tonight, so Candace, we're hearing that there is now a disciplinary meeting that was scheduled after your report aired, that's right, just a few hours ago, the president of the school board called me and told me that he will now convene a special meeting tomorrow. Board members will meet to discuss possible disciplinary action and even possible removal of a public employee at this time. School officials cannot specify who that employee is, but I'm told it's a result of our report.

Tom, it's okay, Candace will win tonight. Here at the main story, Candace, we appreciate all your reporting. Next, we will take you directly to the future. The latest generation of the Atlas humanoid robot looks like something out of a science fiction movie, but its creators say it will be that way. used to do some very real manual work the major automaker already hired that robot that's next okay now we're back with the top news. The world watches a tsunami warning in Indonesia as a volcano erupts on a remote island. Officials say the volcano has erupted several times.

Authorities closed a nearby airport and ordered the evacuation of more than 11,000 people. So far, no injuries or deaths have been reported. Police in southeastern Germany have arrested two suspected Russian spies in the state of Bavaria. Authorities say Russian German nationals are accused of planning bombings and arson attacks against U.S. military facilities in Germany in hopes of sabotaging aid to Ukraine Prosecutors say they were in contact with a person linked to the intelligence group Russian that the Kremlin has not yet responded to those accusations and bone fragments discovered by a boy on a beach in the United Kingdom turn out to be an ancient fossil that is more than 200 million years old.

Investigators now say the work a girl and her father found on a Somerset beach in 2016 was a gigantic g. The marine reptile is estimated to have measured between 72 and 85 feet, which could have placed it in the ranks of one of the largest creatures on the planet. Thank you very much for watching tonight's top story. I'm Tom Yamas in New York, stay there, more news on the way. Thanks for watching, stay up to date with the latest news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media.