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‘Where is Roker?’ Man snuck into 30 Rock looking for ‘Today’ show host, police say

People walk by the Comcast building which houses NBC Studios in Manhattan on June 29, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — A man is facing charges, including menacing as a hate crime, after he allegedly snuck into an NBC building at New York City’s Rockefeller Center looking for “Today” show weather anchor Al Roker, authorities said.

The suspect, Andrew Truelove, gained access to the “Today” studio on Thursday morning by entering the lobby and closely following an NBC employee who used an ID card to scan into the building, Rockefeller Center security personnel told authorities.

Truelove allegedly loitered at the bottom of a stairwell before calling out, “Where is Roker?” according to a criminal complaint.

He then allegedly took steps toward “Today” anchor Craig Melvin and repeatedly uttered a racial slur, the complaint said.

Truelove, 41, of Manhattan, was detained by an NYPD officer working a paid detail, police said.

He was charged with burglary as a hate crime, menacing as a hate crime, criminal trespass as a hate crime and harassment, according to police. He appeared in court on Friday, where a judge set bail at $10,000.

Police sources told ABC News Truelove is a Sandy Hook school shooting denier who has been arrested numerous times, including in his native Virginia, for allegedly stealing signs dedicated to Sandy Hook victims.

Melvin wrote on Instagram after Thursday’s incident, “I’m doing just fine. Thanks for reaching out.” He added on “Today” on Friday, “We are cooperating fully with the NYPD as they investigate the matter and we are just very happy that everyone is safe.”

Roker wrote on Instagram Friday morning, “A really heartfelt thank you to all who reached out over the last 24 hours to check in on my brother, craigmelvinnbc. We are both okay. It’s moments like these that serve to pull us together.”

NBC News did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment, but Melvin shared a statement from NBC News on Instagram, which said the person “entered an unauthorized area ” and “approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security.”

“The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured,” NBC said.

NBC said it takes “the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trump has squandered Republicans’ typical advantages in 2 key areas

By CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump’s political stature is so poor right now that he has squandered the Republican Party’s advantage on two major issues that almost always favor the GOP: the economy and national security.A Reuters-Ipsos poll this week showed Democrats and Republicans virtually tied on “war, foreign conflicts and terrorism.” The GOP led on that issue by 11 points after the 2024 election. Today, 37% of US adults say Democrats have a better approach, compared to 36% who say the GOP does.Fox News polling a couple weeks back showed something very similar: On national security, 50% of registered voters preferred the GOP, to 48% who preferred the Democratic Party. That’s compared to a 12-point edge for Republicans in January, before the Iran war.Both recent findings are within the margin of error. But the numbers even being that close is basically unheard of.Fox polling has regularly tested how registered voters compare the two parties on terrorism and national security. Until the Iran war, Democrats had never even been within double-digits of the Republican Party on either issue.Republicans have also led consistently on national security in Gallup polling. Democrats only nosed ahead on that issue once in the 21st century: in 2007.Gallup’s data on which party is better on “international terrorism and military threats” has been even more lopsided in the GOP’s favor.Across 22 polls conducted since a year after 9/11, Democrats have led on that issue only once — again, in 2007 — and most of the time Republicans led by double-digits.And then there’s the economy.The most recent Fox survey showed Democrats leading on that issue by nine points, 54%-45%. That was the biggest Democratic advantage since 2006, when they led by 20 points.And when they took a lead on the economy back in April, it marked the first time they were ahead since 2010, shortly after the 2008 financial crisis that began during the George W. Bush administration.CNN polling back in May showed a closer split between the two parties on the economy, with 35% of adults preferring Democrats, compared to 33% who preferred the GOP.The poll previously asked people to choose between congressional Republicans and congressional Democrats. The last time Republicans didn’t lead on that question was 2009.The numbers on both fronts seem to illustrate that Trump greatly miscalculated the fallout from launching the Iran war — as well as other controversial policies like his global tariffs.By launching the tariffs, he effectively took ownership of whatever became of the economic picture. Then he compounded negative public sentiment by basically shrugging off any responsibility to address Americans’ inflation concerns. Now he’s contending with a still-stagnant economic picture, with the economy shedding 23,000 jobs in July.Americans don’t love Democrats; in fact, the blue side remains pretty unpopular in polls. So the fact that they’ve apparently taken a lead on the economy really says something.And the national security numbers might be even more striking — because Democrats hardly ever even compete with Republicans on the topic.Just as education and health care almost always favor Democrats, national security and defending the homeland are almost always signature GOP issues, and lopsidedly so.That remained true even when Bush launched wars in the Middle East that gradually became pretty unpopular.Trump, though, seems to have botched the Iran war so badly that Americans suddenly see Democrats on equal footing with the GOP — in terms of issues on the GOP’s own turf.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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