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Tonight tears at the trial one of former president Trump's most trusted confidants taking the stand in his hush money trial so why did she break down former White House communications director hope Hicks needing a moment pausing the trial as she grew emotional Hicks pressed on the scandals That Shook Up his campaign one of which ultimately.

Landed him in that court room but did her testimony help her former boss or hurt him why some are saying it was a win for both sides also tonight catastrophic flooding triggering evacuations in Houston torrential downpours washing out roads and flooding cars emergency crews in helicopters rescuing people trapped and it's not.

Just flooding tornadoes carving a path of destruction in this region or on the ground in Houston as flood waters continue to rise surf trip horror two Australian brothers and an American vanish while on vacation authorities taking three people in questioning the warning tonight from the US to avoid this area of Mexico Wild Ride will show.

You the jaw-dropping video as an ATV Rider slams into a police cruiser why the officer purposely cut him off plus Nestle's sugar Scandal a new report finding the company is adding sugar to infant formula in poor countries they're even accused of using influencers to promote those products what may be behind this and why Health officials are.

Sounding the alarm over the report and Dr ape for the first time ever in a rangang is recorded healing his own facial wound with a plan the rare sight leaving scientists in all top story starts right now and good evening hope hick stuck by former president Trum side guiding him.

Through nearly every Scandal leading up to and during some of his presidency now instead of being next to him she's coming face to face with her former boss tearing up and nervously laughing as she testified in his hush money trial Trump's former White House communications director was one of his most trusted confidants during his 2016.

Campaign and while he was in the Oval Office Hicks was the former President's first line of defense as the access Hollywood tape and articles about adult film star Stormy Daniels emerged her testimony was a riveting play byplay of the damage control efforts behind the scenes Hicks revealing the last time she spoke with Trump was back in 2022.

Tonight legal analysts are torn on who she helped more the defense or the prosecution let's start tonight with NBC's Von Hillard who breaks down the bombshell testimony she was one of former president Trump's most trusted advisers hope we want hope but today hope Hicks walked into court as a prosecution.

Witness in her old boss's hush money scheme trial Mr Trump without smiling stared on first directly at her before turning his attention toward a monitor in papers in front of him Hicks today admitting she was nervous at one point becoming emotional tearing up and needing a break Hicks telling prosecutors the release of the axis.

Hollywood tape weeks before the 2016 election was a crisis I was concerned very concerned she said everyone was just absorbing the shock of it Hicks testified adding its impact on Women Voters was a major concern prosecutors say the release of the tape helped Propel the hush money scheme but Mr Trump today arguing none of it is.

Related to the charges he's facing that he allegedly disguised reimbursements to Michael Cohen for hush money payments to stormmy Daniels as legal expenses in his company's internal books Mr Trump who's pleaded not guilty slamming a corrupt ancient and highly political attack that he says has nothing to do with this fake I'm not allowed to comment on any of.

That as you know I'm under a gag AIT I was very interested in what took place today on cross-examination Hicks was asked about a Wall Street Journal report days before the 2016 election on payments allegedly made to Karen McDougall she said Mr Trump did not want the paper delivered to his home that day she said he really values Mrs Trump's.

Opinion in saying of Michael Cohen he likes to call himself a fixer it's it's only because he first broke it that he'd fix it notably Hicks testified she was not engaged in negotiations nor was aware of the hush money payments before they were made and saying she had nothing to do with the Trump organization business.

Records okay Von hiler joins us tonight live outside the courthouse so Von reading some of the reports about today's testimony it seems like hope Hicks was actually good for both sides the defense wanted to paint Trump as a family man did Hick's testimony back that up right and she testified there that she.

Was concerned before the 2016 election about milania Trump learning about the Access Hollywood tape and learning about these other allegations of extramarital Affairs but then also hope Hicks notably she did testify that she was not aware of the hush money payments herself until November 4th about the allegations of Karen McDougall being paid and that she.

Didn't become familiar with Stormy Daniels allegation until 4 days before the election as well and so the prosecution has been looking to build a case that Donald Trump was uh aware it was directing Michael Cohen to make these payments but notably hope hick was not one of those witnesses that directly corroborated that herself here today and.

Then you know V it's interesting something else that stood out was when Hicks was asked about Michael Cohen right and she said yes he was a fixer but only because he broke it first that was in your report as well um did did she nail Cohen's credibility there yes and she said repeatedly that Michael Cohen was not always a trusted.

Figure right he was never actually brought on to Trump's 2016 campaign in a formal role and that he would sort of voluntarily go and do his own thing here and there but she knew that he had relationships with people like David pecker and the National enquire and TMZ and yet her testimony though also made it clear that Donald Trump was very.

Familiar with what Michael Cohen's work was on his behalf yet did that exactly mean that he was familiar that Michael Cohen for example paid $130,000 in the month before the election that is not clear but she did effectively testify today the fact that there was much concern in that final month about how the impacts of these types of.

Allegations in the Access Hollywood tape particularly with Women Voters the impact it would have on the election which the prosecution is intending to make the case to the jury that Donald Trump sought to have these hush money payments St out for the purposes of influencing his electoral prospects in November of 2016 Tom and then finally.

Von we both met hope Hicks back in 2016 2015 really when she was working for Donald Trump in that campaign press secretary role it was a very hard job back then because the campaign as we all remember wasn't really well put together um I want to talk about the moment she broke down on the stand because obviously cameras aren't allowed in.

Court so we couldn't see that what is your understanding of what exactly happened at that moment right she broke down right about the first minute within the cross-examination that's when Donald Trump's own defense attorney began asking her questions and for Hope Hicks I think it's important you know if you.

Look at her through a sympathetic lens well she said that she hasn't talked to Donald Trump since 2022 she was paying her own legal bills at the same time in 2014 she was brought on by the Trump organization by Donald Trump she was elevated to press secretary of major presidential campaign and then brought on as a communications director in the.

White House all before the age of 30 years old by and large she was a close Confidant on what you just said you know this so well was a very small insular campaign team for Donald Trump she was a confidant not only of him but of his family and so for her today coming to testify under oath before Donald Trump about him and his family it was.

Understandably a difficult day and one about events that were so very real and ones that she was very clearly at the center of Tom all right Von Hillard great to have you out there covering this trial we appreciate it for more of the major takeaways from today's testimony I want to bring in our All-Star legal panel tonight NBC News.

Legal analyst Danny savalos we call him Danny C and criminal trial attorney Sarah Azari in Los Angeles live for us we thank you both for joining top story Danny let's play top story court house if you will I'm going to have you play the prosecution here talk to me about why you think this was a a good day for the.

Prosecution because hopix lines up testimony from characters that are maybe less credible than hopix than your uh Keith Davidson or your eventual Michael Cohen some of the other characters who may have credibility issues someone like hopix who has virtually none she lines up their testimony and deflates any attack that the defense makes on those.

Credibility issues of the other Witnesses hopix introduces also the concept of the the chaos after the Access Hollywood tape and the need of the campaign to do something about it up until now we've mostly heard testimony establishing the transaction between Cohen and Stormy Daniels that's what occupied the last few days now the the.

People appear to be moving into the phase of proving that this transaction was motivated by Trump's and specifically Trump's desire to preserve his campaign Sarah let's talk about the defense now right and we talked about some of these things with vonas well it sounds like they scored some points there right she discredits Michael Cohen.

But she also talks about Melania Trump and that Donald Trump was concerned about Wall Street Journal headlines getting in front of her uh yeah by the way that's Sarah a if that's Danny C got it um uh yeah so listen this I call her a chameleon witness you know I mean she even went as far as using the terminology for the.

Defense president Trump whereas before on direct she was she was saying Mr Trump um it was incredible and this is this just shows how as defense attorneys we dismantle what the prosecution builds and there were a lot of good points today both on direct and on cross and I think some of the ones that stand out to me is that she completely discredit.

Discredited Michael Cohen on the one hand she was the bridge between Cohen and Trump she was in most of the rooms but then she said he's a liar he's he's cheap there's no way that I believe the fact that he paid hush money um out of the good of his heart and then she um sort of made this whole thing about a personal reputation issue as opposed to.

A political gain issue she said that you know um president Trump deferred to Melania and was very concerned about how she would take this kind of news um that he didn't think that the axis Hollywood tape was that big of a deal and so almost like distancing himself in a way that if people did things unbeknownst to him um they were just going rogue it.

Wasn't anything that he had directed I mean it was really incredible to watch and I think that the way her cross-examination started and ended was very strong for the defense it it it really while she was a corroborating witness she was also helping Donald Trump and not in a biased way Danny is the prosecution getting to the point.

Here right it feels like a lot of pretext right it's a lot of Godfather 2 it's the story leading up to what happened are they getting to the point with the jury of connecting the dots here's the crime here's what they did they haven't establish guilt Beyond a reasonable doubt they're far from that where I think they are getting close to.

Is enough evidence to beat a motion for a judgment of aqu quid in other words uh when the prosecution finishes its case the defense will make a motion for a judgment of aqu quid and the judge will apply this standard the judge will say have they introduced any evidence on the elements that they need to prove not Beyond A Reasonable Doubt not saying.

They win but any evidence on those elements and I do think they're starting to get there but I'll just say if I may rip off my prosecutor Helm for a moment H pick I did expect that the people would have more out of her than they did she was a big question mark they established some good points explain that though the people explain that that.

Part right there hopix was a question mark because we don't she hasn't been like Michael Cohen or Stormy Daniels talking to every media outlet that will hear her talk she's been virtually interviews yeah zero interviews we don't know what she was going to say only the grand jury maybe knows so when she came in anything was possible she could come.

In and say I was in a meeting where Trump is on the phone with Stormy Daniels or something like that which obviously didn't happen and wouldn't happen but the point is I was expecting anything and they got some good stuff if I'm the prosecutors I'm feeling good enough they shored up some motivation the campaign some meetings matched up.

With h David pecker they did a good job with her but I did kind of expect that someone that close to Trump for that long might have a bombshell and that didn't happen Sarah you've seen this case now for for more than two weeks is it truly about Prosecuting Trump for crimes he committed or is it about embarrassing him publicly reminding.

Voters of what he did during that first election and making sure it's on headlines in front of all the voters as we get to November well I think it that's a question depends on who you ask right his his supporters are going to call every criminal investigation or prosecution a Witch Hunt um and so I.

Don't think it's going to matter to them one way or another uh but but I do think there's a real case here and even to the people the the sort of the lay audience who was questioning whether this is really a case it's so weird it's so cryptic what kind of law is this I think it's starting to become more and more clear uh that this is about election.

Interference and um not just impacting you know your chances in an election and that it's not personal and I think this is just the beginning right she's like witness number five or six out of 41 um again that tape is really bad and one of the things that work for the prosecution I think today is that it just showed how bad that tape is um she focused on that.

Access Hollywood tape a bunch and so I think I think this is just the beginning I think the the fact that we have two lawyers on the jury is going to help um you know educate the jury on any complications with the instructions and and so I think both things can to be true I think that you know it could be a real case and it could also harm him.

With respect to certain vo not his followers quick because we're running out of time Dan I'm going to start with you just from observing the case who who is in the lead here who do you think is on top well the government the prosecution is always in the lead during their case in Chief because it's their show they're putting on witness after.

Witness that's just bashing the defense over the head but uh they're going to need more they're not there yet at all and the defense is actually probably feeling not too bad this Friday evening although they're probably at the offices Sarah your take who's who's ahead here you think I think it's too early I you know there's a number of times where I.

Thought I'm winning and then things went South and vice versa and I think the today's witness hope hick shows us how you can expect one thing and then it turns out to be a different thing Sarah a you're always winning here on top story all right just just know that much Danny C we thank you guys both for being here we want to turn out to our other.

Big story that we're following tonight the severe floods sweeping across parts of Texas tonight officials in Houston ordering mandatory evacuations as heavy rain leaves highways and Roads completely underwater the Red Cross Now setting up Emergency Shelters with residents warned of more flooding to come NBC's Kathy park has more tonight.

Millions in Texas in the crosshairs of catastrophic flooding and dangerous tornadoes oh my God in the past 24 hours dramatic lightning strikes like this one caught on camera oh my God he's going in the water oh my God oh my God and nearly a foot of rain in the Houston area stranding drivers even washing away roads and part of this Nursery it's hard.

To tell exactly what how much we've lost but it'll be estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars of product washed away in Harris County officials declaring a disaster and urging residents to evacuate Thursday night or prepare to stay for days this threat is ongoing and it's going to get worse it is not your typical River flood dozens.

Have been rescued so far and one family escaped by swimming to safety as the rushing waters filled their home when I seen it lift the refrigerator up and I could sit on and Float around my house like a subboard that's when I told her this was time to go 14 rivers are now at Major flood stage including the sanino yeah so if you open your front.

Door yeah I mean the river is right there it is give them L says she's still repairing the damage from 2017 brought on by Hurricane Harvey how tough is it to see this type of damage again I'm just Crest fing I I don't know if we can get back up again I really don't now she and so many others are reliving the nightmare as a brace for more severe.

Weather expected to last through the weekend okay with that Kathy Park joins us now live from the scene there in Conroe Texas so Kathy I want to start first on the conditions I know you just finish your report saying that there's more bad weather on the on the horizon Tom that's right meteorolog are saying that more severe weather is.

Expected through the entire weekend and obviously the ground is so saturated right now any sort of rainfall or moisture could only make matters worse right now we're actually standing in someone's backyard this isn't uh lakefront property um this actually transformed overnight the homeowner was telling us that the water came rushing.

In during the overnight hours there was a lot of storm damage inside her home and Tom adding insult to injury she said she just wrapped up Renovations from Hurricane Harvey back in 2017 and now she has to pick up the pieces once again yeah well I wanted to ask you about hurricane Harvey right how are people comparing these two.

Disasters yeah you know when we talked to a lot of folks on the ground today they were drawing a lot of comparisons because that was the biggest natural disaster that they can recall that caused this type of damage um obviously this is bad but it wasn't as bad as Harvey which is certainly good news but like I mentioned a lot of folks are.

Still recovering from that storm we're in this one particular neighborhood a lot of folks are still doing renovations and construction from the dam image from more than six years ago they actually showed me the water line from Hurricane Harvey in fact this home where we are standing at um we're told that the water got to the second level of their house.

So obviously not like that this time around but you know this is just kind of an example of what severe weather can do in this area Kathy Park you and your team stay safe out there okay we have a m major update that's just come in on those college campus protests this is first on NBC News Columbia University is now rethinking its commencement plans.

And may be cancelling the main commencement ceremony that according to a source at the University and two members of the student government it comes a in backlash for the NYPD response at Columbia earlier this week NBC's Aon mclaughin has more tonight the crackdowns on college campuses continue in New York City two.

More schools inviting the NYPD to clear Pro Palestinian encampments at NYU and the new school where demonstrators turn their backs on police who's in char any in charge him more than 50 were arrested today police pointing to disturbing leaflets they say they found during both crackdowns one of which included violent threats and at Portland State University.

In Oregon new video shows Damage Done during the occupation of its library and today at Columbia University president Manu shafik releasing this video message a group of protesters crossed a new line with the occupation of Hamilton Hall it was a violent act that put our students at risk as well as putting the protesters at.

Risk this week's raid raising new questions about outside involvement the university reports that of the 44 arrested in the building 13 were unaffiliated with the university among them was 40-Year-Old James Carlson a longtime figure in the anarchist world according to a senior law enforcement official he's also being investigated.

For a possible hate crime after he allegedly set fire to an Israeli flag at Colombia last month he's pleaded not guilty to charges of trespassing student protester miam Awan was not part of the group that occupied Hamilton Hall the cause of the student body is to call for divestment from bombs that are dropping on our friends and family I think the.

Police violence has only strengthened this the central mission tonight students and faculty are outraged over the use of force after police say an officer accidentally discharged his firearm during The Raid inside Hamilton Hall there was nobody in danger there was nobody struck and for us this is a accidental discharge.

Meanwhile on the west coast the UCLA campus is also rattled after the intense Crackdown yesterday student protester Blair battle was among the more than 200 arrested the police get the order they start to move in uh with their batons they start to push and shove after about 10 minutes of that or so I'm knocked down and I can't get back.

Up and last night back at Columbia the traditional pre-final scream was relocated to outside shafi's residence as a form of protest what I take to be the kind of like existential Despair and frustration um that that there is simply no way that they can be heard tonight Columbia's president Manu shafik says that she's.

Going to work to rebuild the Campus Community but students and faculty we've spoken to say too much damage has been done Tom okay Aon mclin for tonight Aon we thank you for that now to power and politics longtime Texas Congressman Henry quar and his wife have been indicted on bribery moneya laundering and foreign influence charges the.

Department of Justice accusing the Democratic congressman and his wife of accepting $600,000 in bribes from two foreign entities the alleged scheme took place from 2014 to 2021 they've both been released on a $100,000 bond if convicted they could spend years or even decades in prison in a statement quar denied any wrongdoing okay we want to.

Stay with politics now South Dakota governor Christy gnome is building her case to be the running mate this fall for former president Donald Trump but her biggest obstacle right now might be her own book which isn't even out yet noome now backtracking on a claim in her upcoming Memoir that she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un which White.

House officials say is highly unlikely last night gnome's spokesperson appearing to concede that the meeting did not happen saying quote we've been made aware that the publisher will be addressing conflated world leaders names in the book before its release but that's not the only part of her Memoir that's been raising eyebrows last week.

The guardian shared exerpts where she talks about killing a dog one of her dogs gome wrote that her 14-month-old dog was untrainable dangerous and had to be put down NBC News senior National politics reporter John Allen joins us now so John I you know the dog story aside let's talk about this first how did this story come out if the book's.

Not even out and how do you get something like meeting Kim Jong Un wrong well number one uh sometimes reporters are very good at getting copies of those published books before uh before they hit shelves so that's what happened in this case uh the reporter got uh the book ahead of time went through it found uh something very.

Interesting obviously uh that's been a big piece of news the last week or so last certainly the last several days about her shooting her dog uh getting the uh meeting the wrong world leader um you know there's a a case being made by our team that there was a quote unquote conflation of world leaders I I find it hard to imagine that somebody felt that.

They met the uh the leader of North Korea perhaps the most reclusive country in the world um and did not actually meet him so uh you know we'll have to see how this goes but for now it's been uh it's been very difficult for Nome to manage before her book even comes out she's getting a lot of publicity but it's not uh the kind of publicity she.

Would want there are some people in if formerly or maybe they still are in Trump World who have been pushing the governor very hard to be the running mate how do you think something like this affects her chances because we know in NBC News has been reporting that that Trump is taking his time and picking a running mate but I got to think he.

Doesn't love these headlines yeah I mean there's one person as you point out that uh will make this decision ultimately it's Donald J Trump and so we don't know uh necessarily how he's going to react to this but certainly there are two elements to it number one is the basic set of stories right uh she shot her dog there are a.

Lot of Americans that won't like that uh she said she met with uh Kim Jong-il I'm sorry uh Kim Jong-un uh and uh clearly did not do that um there are some other items in the book that are not great but the second piece of it of course is uh that she put these things out there in the first place that the Judgment uh that she displayed in deciding to tell.

People that she had shot her dog that she had shot a goat um you know that she had met with a world leader she hadn't met with uh an attack on Micki Haley in the book um that we haven't even mentioned so far I think there's a lot to say um you know that there are going to be a lot of people in the political world who look at the Judgment that.

She's displayed here uh and the way that she's reacted to it as being less than ideal in Normal political circumstances again it's Donald Trump that makes this decision and so uh it's a little hard to predict what he will do she had shot the goat I had not heard that one okay Jonathan Allen always great to see you here on top story we thank you for that.

Still ahead tonight the tragedy out of Mexico three men including one American Vanishing while on a surf trip the late breaking details just coming in tonight and the new video from the bow of the DOL ship from Baltimore more than a month after it crashed into that bridge the operation now to remove move a section of the bridge from the ship.

We're going to show you the more of the video stay with us okay we're back now with the investigation Into The Disappearance of three Surfers who went missing during a trip to Mexico tonight the FBI confirming three bodies have been found in the Mexican state of Baja California.

This after the men including one American vanished for nearly a week here's bla Alexander tonight in Mexico a remote Surfer Paradise has become the grounds of a growing mystery after three Travelers disappeared now Mexican officials are questioning at least three people they believe may have been involved late.

Today authori say they have located three bodies in the area Mexican officials have identified the three missing men as American Jack Carter and Australian Brothers Jake and Callum Robinson according to the family they were last heard from on Saturday and were in the area on a surfing trip the attorney general for Baja California.

Mexico says officials found a cell phone that may have belonged to one of the missing men and other evidence including a white pickup truck among the missing Callum Robinson a professional lacrosse player and along with his brother Jake an Avid surfer according to Social Media pictures in a Facebook message their mother says the three men never showed.

Up to check into their air m b now pleading for any information with its picturesque Pacific beaches the Mexican peninsula of Baja California has become hugely popular among Surfers but as recently as last summer the US state department has urged Americans to reconsider travel to the Mexican state citing crime and.

Kidnapping tonight Mexican officials say they are working with authorities in the US and Australia bla Alexander and NBC News okay when we come back a sugar Scandal a new report accusing Nestle of adding sugar to baby food products in poor countries while those same products in places like Europe are sugar-free what researchers say could be the reason.

And how Nestle is responding tonight stay with us okay back now with top stories news feed and we begin with an update on the bridge collapse in Baltimore look at this new V footage shows a section of the bridge lyed on top of the dolly cargo ship's bow crews are now working to lift that piece off the ship the.

Removal operation is a vital step in reopening access to the Port of Baltimore which has been partially blocked since the cargo ship crashed into the bridge back in March and some wild video of an ATV crash in Connecticut look at this dash cam footage showing the moment a police car turns to block a speeding four-wheeler.

From hitting pedestrians the ATV losing control as it swerves to avoid the cruiser throwing its 19-year-old driver onto the windshield police saying the incident is a reminder of the dangers of illegal ATV riding police say the rider of the four-wheeler survived but had to be taken to the hospital I want to turn now to a new report by Human Rights.

Watch that says the federally run smartphone app cbp1 is leaving migrants vulnerable as they wait for an asylum appointment many of the migrants reporting that the long weight times are exposing them to Smugglers and cartels NBC's Julia Angley has more on the report tonight human rights Advocates are.

Calling out the Biden Administration for what they call a trump style policy at the US Southern border pointing to the cbp1 app the application that was meant to expedite Asylum claims but instead Advocates say is putting migrants in the hands of cartels the report from Human Rights Watch sheds light on why so many.

Migrants have given up hope with cbp1 and instead crossed illegally into the United States to flee unsafe and overcrowded conditions in northern Mexico Human Rights Watch claiming that after over 100 interviews with migrants border officials and activists they found that while Asylum Seekers waited for appointments in Mexico they reported.

Kidnappings extortion sexual violence disappearances and other types of harms a senior Customs and Border Protection officials says cbp1 has actually decreased the number of migrants waiting in northern Mexico and violence against migrants waiting to cross the border predates the app you are now ready to use the cbp1 mobile application the app.

Was put into widespread use in January 2023 and requires migrants to make appointments for Asylum screenings on their phones before crossing the US Mexico border but ongoing glitches and limited appointments have pushed thousands to cross the border illegally instead ongoing issues that NBC News has documented first hand it says please.

Choose CH he has a Spanish please choose date and time but then it says there's no date and time available come back tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. a year later the Biden Administration has kept the application in place the greatest challenge with respect to the cbp1 app is not a technological challenge but rather the fact that we have many more.

Migrants than we have the capacity to make appointments for But as time goes by the report pointing to Growing concerns some migrants saying they didn't have a or know about the app some adding they had no place to stay in northern Mexico to wait as shelters are full and felt racially or ethnically discriminated black and brown Asylum.

Seekers had problems submitting pictures with the app's facial recognition technology and migrants who spoke languages other than English Spanish or Haitian Creole could not read its instructions and Tom we should point out that according to CBP statistics nearly 30,000 migrants every month are able to successfully book appointments through.

The cbp1 app and come to the US border to claim Asylum but Advocates like Human Rights Watch say that it's still too restrictive on Asylum because if you look at the numbers of migrants who are crossing illegally between ports of entry and are apprehended by border patrol those numbers are regularly above 130,000 per month sometimes over 200,000.

Tom okay Julia Angley for us tonight Julia thank you for that now to a special edition tonight of top stories Global watch an alarm new report accusing Nestle of adding sugar to baby foods that sold only in Middle to lower income countries the investigation sparking new concerns over infant Health around the world as Nestle doubles down.

On their commitment to equity and food safety mbc's Maya eagland has this report tonight Nestle Under Fire the parent company of popular Global baby food brands such as seral acano accused of adding sugar to its infant products in middle and low-income countries on average 4 grams uh of added sugar in CAC baby cereals that's more as one sugar.

Cube researcher luron gabell with the independent Swiss investigative organization public eye making the discovery partnering with the international baby food Action Network by testing sugar levels in global Nestle baby products that bring in billions of dollars in profit when we check the product that Nestle sells in Switzerland.

They're so without any added sugar so the the the same product the same uh can of brand one example in the report Nestle's biscuit flavored cereals in Switzerland is promoted with no sugar added however the cereal act cereals with the same flavor in Sagal and South Africa contain six grams of sugar per survey public ey also alleging Nestle.

Promotes these products through paid Partnerships with social media influencers in these countries what do you think is Nestle's motivation for continuing to do this it's basically because they know that babies like the sweet taste and so they will like the product and they will come back and they will want more so the the main objective.

Is really to increase the sales and get uh babies and kids pooped on the product from a very uh uh small age most of the countries impacted are in Africa Central America and South Asia where food regulations tend to be more LAX according to the report there's an average of more than six gram of added sugar in certain baby cereals each.

Variation based on recipe and regulation the highest amount that we found was 7 three gram of added sugar in one serving and that was in a product that is sold in the Philippines uh for babies from 6 months but the research finding those same products sold in Europe have zero added sugar discoveries gabell says ignore International guidance including.

The World Health Organization also the usfda and many many other nutrition guidelines around the world which are pretty clear there's no place at all for sugar and baby food on its website Nestle says our products comply with all applicable local and or International regulations and a Nestle spokesperson writing to NBC News quote supporting the.

Right nutritional start to Life Is Fundamental to who we are and how we operate all our early life foods and milks are nutritionally balanced as defined in the commonly accepted scientific guidelines and dietary recommendations what can happen to young babies and infants if they consume sugar at such a young age we have decreased.

The amount of sugar recommend commendations in especially young Toddlers and children because we know that we're in a crisis of obesity not only in this country but around the world Dr SAR sadiki of NYU langone has been a pediatrician for 25 years and says creating healthy eating habits at a young age is essential it is really.

Important to start off young and try to decrease our relationship with sugar because it is it does have some addictive qualities to it and it can change your brain b are equal uh and what is good for babies in Switzerland should also be good for babies in low and middle income countries and with that Maya eagland.

Joins us now in studio so Maya I know that the news has been out there and people are very upset about this what is the reaction like in those countries we've been hearing some strong reaction from India for example the food safety and standards authority of India has launched an independent investigation there and they're actually vowing to.

Take action against Nestle depending on what those findings are luren gabra the researcher we spoke to says he believes there's an easy solution to this and it's to stop manufacturing the products that have these added sugars because sugar-free ones already exist and then I guess that leads me to my next question what is Nestle going to do after this.

Investigation Nestle says they're working on reducing the amount of added sugar in their baby and infant products and also looking to expand the amount of sugar-free options worldwide all right Maya eagland for us Maya great to see you here at top story coming up you've heard of king of the jungle but what about doctor of the jungle new video.

Capturing a male orangutang in his 30s crushing up leaves of a medicinal plant and using the liquid to treat his own wounds what experts say about the self-medicating ape and if they think other animals are also doing this the fascinating video and story when we come back all right we're back now with a fascinating story that could change the.

Way you think about primates and aut Tang spotted using leaves to treat a gash on his face it's the first time researchers have ever observed an animal using a medicinal plant to treat a wound which we do want to warn you is a little gnarly NBC Steven Romo has more on why this discovery has made the scientific World Go.

Bananas deep in the Indonesian rainforest a small step for a wild orangutan and a giant leap for our understanding of how alike we are to non-human primates that's where researchers say rakis a male orangutan in his 30s was injured in a fight back in 2022 the team documenting this quarter sized wound under his right eye.

And another in his mouth Dr Isabella lmer a behavioral biologist and one of the study's lead researchers says they followed the orangutan to observe what he would do and were astounded to see him chewing the leaves of the lyana plant so it's quite rare that they eat from it known to local humans for its pain relieving properties the researcher.

Findings published this week in the journal scientific did did not end there they then spotted rakus using the plant to make a paste from the crushed leaves and sap and applying it to his facial injury marking the first time an animal has been seen using medicine to treat a skin wound this discovery adds to Growing research suggesting animals May.

Self-medicate with varying degrees of sophistication the researchers with the max plank Institute say this Behavior could even be traced back to a common ancestor between humans and other primates does this tell us anything about our own connection to these non-human primates I mean it it also shows again how similar great apes are.

To us so we share 97% of our DNA with orans they say rakus medicinal treatment may be his own Innovation or more intriguingly something he learned culturally from other orangutans earlier in life sometimes they also watch from a distance but sometimes they go super close sometimes even up to 20 cm and watch the other doing something and.

Rak's treatment worked the researchers say his wound never showed any signs of infection and closed up within a week the fascinating finding giving more food for thought on how similar we are to our primate cousins it really is so important to create more protected Forest areas for these animals it would be so sad to have these wonderful.

Astonishing animals leave this world Steven Romo NBC News I'm Tom Yas in New York stay right there more news on the way thanks for watching stay updated about breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or follow us on social media

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