Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, April 3, 2026

Episode Date: April 4, 2026

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight, a desperate search and rescue mission deep inside Iran after an American fighter jet is shot down. The scramble to find the airman before the enemy does. Look at this new video of Iranian's opening fire on the U.S. as they search for the downed airmen. Another American on that jet on board rescued and flown out of Iran with chilling new photos unconfirmed from Iranian CTV showing what they say is the smoking wreckage. Iran now offering a bounty for the missing American with at least three other U.S. aircraft also hit as part of the, search. Also tonight, the cost of war hitting home as we may be heading into the summer of the surcharge. Amazon adding a new fee to most of its shipments. Airfares and bag charges also on the rise where you'll feel it next. Possible tornadoes tearing through the Midwest, a huge debris cloud.

Look at that filling the sky in Iowa. Pieces of wreckage raining down. And right now a brush fire forcing evacuations in California. We've got it all. The Supreme Court Justice Health scare, what we're learning about why Justice Samuel Alito was hospitalized and how he's doing now. Gen Z goes to church, the rise of Catholic influencers, sharing how young people are turning to religion. So why are they trading the parties for the pews? And have you heard of the Gindex? How one man used AI to track the price of a pint of Guinness at thousands of pubs across Ireland.

And that one solicited, illicited change, rather, some bars lowering prices. Plus, the so-called prehistoric purse will show you the one-of-a-kind handbag derived from dinosaurs. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Hallie Jackson in for Tom tonight, and we begin with that urgent race against time. That search and rescue mission happening now after a U.S. fighter jet was shot down by Iranian forces. One American airman has been rescued, but the other is still missing as we speak. Video appears to show the search happening overseas. Look at this.

So this is an American C-130 and two choppers flying inside Iran. We know that Iran managed to hit two helicopters that were part of the rescue mission. Some Americans were hurt, but no one was killed. Iranian state media is sharing these photos, claiming to show pieces of that downed U.S. jet. And Iran is now offering a $60,000 bounty for the missing airmen. Take a look at this new video just into us, appearing to show Iranians shooting at a U.S. chopper. We don't know if this chopper was part of the rescue mission, but it is still significant. As we're learning new details now about another U.S. plane, an A-10,

Taken down by Iran, that American pilot managed to get out of Iranian airspace before ejecting to safety. All of it coming as oil infrastructure in the region remains a critical target in this war, this oil refinery in Kuwait, up in flames after an Iranian strike. That is impacting nearly every aspect of life here at home. Think about gas prices. Think about airfare, surcharges online, all of them spiking. It's all coming less than 48 hours after President Trump's primetime address where he said Iran had no anti-aircraft equipment. Right now, of course, the focus entirely on trying to find that missing airmen and getting them out alive. There's a lot to get to. We start with Courtney Kuby with the late details on that search and rescue. Tonight, the U.S. military in a dangerous race against time to find a service member who was in an F-15E strike eagle when it appears to have been shot down by Iran, according to a U.S. A second airman, the official says, was rescued alive and taken out of the country for medical treatment.

Iranian state TV says these photos show wreckage of the American fighter jet. Weapons experts confirmed to NBC News the photos appear to show in F-15. It's the first time a manned U.S. aircraft has been shot down behind enemy lines during this war. These videos show U.S. aircraft flying low over the mountainous region, scrambling to find the airmen before Iranian forces do. Three U.S. aircraft involved in the search and rescue operation were also hit by Iranian fire, according to a U.S. official. A single pilot A10 Wardhawk was struck, the official says, making it to Kuwaiti airspace where the pilot safely ejected and the A10 crashed. This video shows Iranians firing at U.S. helicopters. Two Blackhawks involved in the search were hit, according to the official, who says there were minor injuries to U.S. service members.

It all comes just two days after President Trump said this. They have no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100% annihilated. Iran still has air defenses, shoulder fire missiles, and even guns, all of which can threaten aircraft. Today on Iranian State TV, a bounty put on the missing airmen's head. This anchor saying, if you capture the enemy pilots alive and hand them over to the police, you will receive a precious prize. That prize, roughly $60,000. For other manned U.S. aircraft have gone down since this conflict began. Friendly fire took out three jets in Kuwait, while six service members died after a fueling plane crashed in Iraq last month. The F-15 is a

workhorse of the U.S. military and has been used extensively in Iran. And tonight, it's at the center of a potentially dangerous inflection point in this war. Courtney is joining us on set here in Washington. So, in Iran, it is the middle of the night. It is dark, but they are keeping up the search. Yeah, that's right. They are searching through the night, and that makes it even more dangerous. We know that this is already a dangerous search and rescue, as you saw in our story there, they have. Iran has now struck four U.S. military aircraft in less than 24 hours. That is remarkable. It's an extremely dangerous search for them. And it's dangerous, of course, for the airmen who's on the ground there. Now, fortunately, that person is trained for this. They are essentially trained

in this very intensive three-week program where they learn to survive behind enemy lines, exactly what this person is facing right now. But to be clear, Courtney, we have no steer on whether this person, whether this American is dead or alive at this point, right? We don't. We don't. The other piece of this, too, we heard from the president. We've heard from top military officials basically talking about the U.S. air superiority in the region and saying that Iran has degraded capabilities couldn't take down a U.S. aircraft.

Obviously, that's not the case. It's not the case at all. Now, I mean, the U.S. military has taken out a lot of Iran's conventional capabilities, including some of their air defenses, their missiles, their drones, their ability to threaten aircraft the way that they were just six weeks ago. That being said, it is not decimated at all. And today proves that. They still have the ability to threaten the airspace, even though the U.S. has maintained some ability to have some air superiority over Iran throughout the last couple weeks. Going to be a long night over at the Pentagon. Courtney Kuby, thank you very much. Long

night at the White House, too. That is where we find our Garrett Haig, who's joining us now. Garrett, you got President Trump on the phone. You talked to him about this search and rescue mission. Talk us through some of the highlights here. Yeah, I did, Halley. And despite my best efforts, President Trump declined to discuss the specifics of the ongoing rescue operation as he was monitoring it when we spoke this afternoon. But it was clear he was frustrated at some of the coverage of this effort, which he believes could make this missing airman less safe. The president never appeared publicly today, and he only posted on social media once about the war after the news of the downfighter became public, right, and quote, keep the oil anyone. And it comes in the context of Iran's semi-official news agency reporting that the regime there had rejected a U.S. proposal for a 48-hour ceasefire. That got me thinking about the negotiations that may or may not be happening between the U.S. and Iran.

And I asked the president if what happened today would affect any of those negotiations with Iran. And he told me in no uncertain terms, quote, no, not at all. No, he continued, it's war. So the gravity of the moment clearly not lost on the president, Halley. Yeah, clearly, Garrett. Although we have what's called a lid in White House press pool of Paralance meeting. We do not expect to hear from the president later on tonight, right? Although he could obviously post something on truth social.

That's right. An early lid about four o'clock. And about half an hour ago, I was just checking the Marine who stands guard outside the West Wing if the president is still present there, departed. So it's likely backup in the residence done with official work. But to Courtney's point, as the search continues tonight, I'm sure the president would be updated and may very well speak if the news comes in, particularly if it's positive. We've seen him on Truth Social already. His focus, at least in that online post, and again, this is a platform that the president uses to speak with Americans, really more on oil, right? The Strait of Hormuz is we've been focusing on that key waterway. That's right. Really two posts about oil today, Halley, including the one after that fighter was shot down and one earlier this morning before it was at least publicly known, where he talked about seizing the oil from Iran and suggesting it would be a, quote, gusher. I mean, to me, I think this is such a tell about the way that he thinks about this conflict. And the way that he's thought about in Iran.

and its oil going back to the 1980s. He's been pretty consistent on this point about seizing the oil. And he made some comments earlier in this week that were relatively little covered, where he said he would prefer to go seize the oil, but the American people just want to win and go home. I think his risk tolerance here, if there is significant natural resource,

in this case, oil to be had, is a little bit higher than that of the people around him. And I think we see some of that tension between the speech Wednesday, which basically sounded like, okay, this is all but over in two to three more weeks. And these truth, social comments suggesting he's ready to go a lot further, potentially, than, you know, than what's scripted for him. Garrett, Hake, live for us there on the North Lawn. Garrett, thank you very much.

I appreciate that and for you bringing us more of that conversation with the president. Let me bring in some of our military experts to break down the latest developments in the war. Colonel Steve Warren is an NBC military analyst and former top Pentagon spokesperson. Dan O'Shea is a retired Navy SEAL commander who coordinated freeing American hostages during the Iraq War. Thank you both for being with us. Dan, let me start with you. Put us inside those rescue aircraft tonight, right? What is happening? We talked about this with Courtney. It is nighttime in Iran. They are still searching in the dark. What's going through their minds? How are they pulling this off or trying to?

Well, they've got the best capable force for personal recovery on the planet with U.S. Special Operations aircraft and personal pararetscue men specifically who are always on standby anytime there's airborne operations, especially during combat. So if they've got communications and the pilot does have a radio that should be able to make communications on a secure line, a classified net with crypto. And if they can pinpoint a location, the nighttime is actually the best time because we own the night, special operations aviation owns the night. And that would be insertion platform on Air Force Special Operation Birds with pararescue men standing by. But the

most important thing is they've got to locate this pilot so they can send force in. But they won't go in alone. They'll have a close air support. support package. Air Tans, as we know, was used earlier in the day, and other, every capability that the Air Force has will be used tonight to bring this pilot home safely. If, you know, if the Iranians were to get to this airman before the U.S. does, God forbid, and the Iranians didn't tell, you know, didn't come out publicly with it. Would the U.S. know? Would there be backchannel, presumably intel ways where the U.S. would have a sense of that, perhaps?

Well, the Iranians would put this on the news. This would be huge propaganda. So if a pilot was captured, we know about it very quickly. They trained for this. Courtney ran through that for us earlier in the broadcast here. How long does that? In other words, can this person last a day, three days, five days trying to hide out? I mean, like at what point does the timeline, do you start to worry about the timeline here if this airman isn't found? Well, obviously, it's a matter of how much you can survive in that kind of environment. I don't know the temperatures right now in Iran, but obviously desert environment. probably not near a water source.

I mean, the human body can really barely go three days without water. So that'd be my biggest concern about the risk to exposure for this pilot. So you heard Colonel Dan walk us through kind of what's happening there at the Pentagon. This is an all-hands-on-deck effort. I mean, they're going to have the lights on until this airman is found. That's right. They're going to have the lights on until the airman is found in the Pentagon. Also in Tampa, Florida, the headquarters of U.S. Central Command,

and in Bahrain where the Central Command forward is. Everyone does this. And this is what's really, I think, the most important and most interesting to talk about. There are hundreds, probably, of service members right now putting their own lives in danger to rescue that one down. You make an important point here, I'll ask our team and the control him to pull up some of these images that we've seen of Iranians appearing to be firing at a U.S. helicopter that's in the region. We don't know if it's on the rescue mission or not. We know that other aircraft involved in the rescue have been shot at as well. And yet, we've heard from the president and other top military officials that the Iranian anti-aircraft capabilities have been degraded intensely. Clearly, there's a disconnect here.

There's a disconnect there. Now, keep in mind there are different types of air defense capabilities. What we see in this video is one type of air defense, a guy with a gun shooting into the air, right? Right. You know, also there's heat-seeking missiles, right? A guy holding a shoulder-mounted cannon, basically, that can fire, like a stinger missile, right? You can't degrade those. What the president's talking about, Sancom.

but the more complex integrated air defense that are radar guided. So hard to tell. We don't know what hit this F-15, but we do know one thing. It's still dangerous. Can you get nerdy with us? And Dan, I'll come to you on this too. We know that an A-10, I think we talked about it, is out there as well. The F-15, obviously, is the plane that we believe was shot down.

These are the kinds of advanced military aircraft that the U.S. is going to put into a conflict, like the war against Iran. But there are risks involved with that. Well, there are risks. And, you know, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs recently announced that he's got aircraft now doing dynamic strikes, which means it's not pre-planned. The plane is flying around looking for something to hit. In those cases, often, the aircraft have to fly lower and a little bit slower, making them more vulnerable. So, Dan, let me go to you on this, too, sort of the operational piece of it and the capabilities here from some of these aircraft, because at the same time that the search and rescue mission is happening, presumably the U.S. is also continuing to pursue targets as it relates to the broader world. Well, of course they are. And they're going to do everything they can to suppress. I mean, their number one focus right now, as my counterpart alluded, is on getting this pilot home. So all assets right now are not directed towards going after, you know, just targets of opportunity.

They're not going to stop until they get this pilot back or this co-pilot back. That's what their number one mission is until he's brought home safely. You pull back a little bit as we sit here in Washington. You look at the Pentagon Colonel, and you've got the Secretary of Defense basically fired. the Army Chief of Staff less than 24 hours ago right in the middle of this war, other key officials on the chopping block as well. How does that impact either morale, operations, or just the vibe over there? Yeah, certainly it impacts the vibe, doesn't it, Halley? You know, General George, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army is not directly involved

in operations, right? He's the train and equip guy, right? He's in charge of that type of thing. So he's not part of this war, so to speak, but he's certainly a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And, oh, by the way, you know, we've already lost other members of the Joint Chiefs this year as well. So there's turmoil in the Pentagon right now, and it makes it difficult to lead. It makes it difficult to plan. It makes it difficult to get things done. Colonel Warren, thank you for being here with us. Dan O'Shea, thank you as well.

I know we will talk again in the days to come. Appreciate that. As we talk about the war in Iran, we know that there is a domino effect as it relates to the economy here at home. Our Brian Chung reports on how this may be a summer of surcharges coming up connected to spiking oil costs that could cost you more. Gas prices today hitting a new high since the war with Iran began. $4.9 cents a gallon as U.S. crude oil has surged to over $111.11 a barrel. It's outrageous and it hurts in the pocket. The ripple effects of the war are now reaching deeper into the U.S. economy.

Amazon joining UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service in announcing shipping surcharges. Amazon saying due to elevated costs in fuel logistics, it will apply a 3.5 percent surcharges. to the independent sellers who make up more than 60% of the retail giant sales. Amazon saying when costs remain elevated, we implement temporary surcharges to partially recover those costs. Costs are also soaring in the skies. Ticket prices up as much as 15%. Airlines scrambling to deal with the rising price of jet fuel, United now joining JetBlue and bumping up bag fees as much as $10. And with diesel prices nearing all-time highs. But the grocery prices really have, are obviously higher.

Experts say higher costs are coming for just about everything we buy. It's starting to come through in a couple of food prices. Obviously, fertilizer has also been impacted in those transportation costs. Tonight, growing concerns that a war, half a world away, could leave longer lasting scars. Do you think that those price increases are going to be temporary or permanent? We all learned that prices often go up, and they, They are very, very slow to come back down if they ever do come back down. And, Halley, we did get an updated read on the state of the labor market in the form of government

data this morning showing 178,000 jobs added in the month of March that blew through economists' expectations. But the same report also showed that the pace of wage gains is slowing in this country, which could present an affordability problem if inflation from the war does continue to tick up from here. Howie? Brian Chong, thank you. Here in Washington now to the news of a health scare for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito,

the court revealing today that the 76-year-old was hospitalized last month. I want to bring in our legal affairs reporter Gary Grombach, who's been following this one for us. He's fine. He's out. He's back. But we're only just finding out about this now. Yeah, that's right. Famously tight-lipped Supreme Court, just telling us two weeks after it happened.

He fell ill during a Federalist Society dinner that was being held in his honor in Philadelphia on March 20th. He was taken to the hospital by his security. team. He was treated for dehydration, given some fluids, and then took that three-hour drive back down 95, back here to the D.C. area. But, of course, this is the springtime. We're talking about the potential for retirements. Alito is 76 years old. Justice Thomas is 77. If President Trump gets a fourth nominee to the Supreme Court, that's the first time that'll happen since Richard Nixon, decades ago. Wouldn't he have to do that potentially before the midterms in case one or both chambers of the U.S. Congress flip? That is certainly a conversation.

that needs to be had by the folks that are inside the White House and folks over at the Supreme Court as well. One of the big tea leaves are watching is whether or not the justices are hiring clerks for the next two years. So far, we know that Alito has hired at least one. So much tea leaf watching on your beat, Gary. All you're doing a lot of it. Thank you very much for that. Keep us posted. Let's get to that severe weather threatening some 13 million people from Texas to Illinois.

These really violent storms coming after reported tornadoes ripped through central parts of the country. Right now, you've got a lot of wind spreading wildfire out west too. Here's Ryan Chandler. Big debris cloud. The likely tornado in Iowa filled the entire horizon. Yeah, it's on the ground. Is it? Yeah, look at that.

This video is showing pieces of wreckage raining across the farmland in Downey, Iowa. Look at all the debris, tornado in progress right in front of us. Oh my gosh, look at the vorticity. In Preston, Iowa, this farm devastated. The roof torn off, pieces of buildings scattered across the land, down trees, narrowly avoiding crashing into this house. Strong winds and hail adding to the danger.

Golf ball-sized chunks of ice hitting this neighborhood hard. Look at the top of my window. I got hail damage for sure. And the risk tonight, only growing. 13 million people from North Texas all the way through Western Illinois, facing severe storms and flood watches. Country music superstar Zach Bryan scheduled to play in Tulsa, Oklahoma tonight, canceling a show for the first time in five years of touring.

He said due to the threat of extreme and dangerous weather. Out west, high winds adding to the threat from a new wildfire. The springs fire in Southern California prompting evacuation orders. 1,500 acres already burned. And as of this afternoon, the blaze is 0% contained. And heading into the Easter weekend, we're looking at more severe weather tomorrow across the Ohio Valley and eastern Great Lakes. 18 million people are at risk. Hallie.

Ryan Chandler, thank you. for more on this intense weather threat. I want to bring in meteorologist, Tevin, from our NBC Boston station. This is a real risk for a lot of people, especially in the Midwest right now. Kevin, what's the timing? Absolutely, Hallie. Look at this. It's moving through during a holiday weekend as well. So not really a prime time to travel tonight and tomorrow, especially across portions of Iowa, where it's been a double dose since yesterday of severe weather. We have tornado watches and pink until 10 o'clock tonight, and then a zone of severe weather stretching as far south as portions of Wichita Falls and North Texas. moving towards the east pretty quickly.

So once we get through early morning tomorrow, that zone is now across Ohio, portions of Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, where thunderstorms are very likely at about 8 o'clock tomorrow night. And progressively, it moves Sunday morning now. Very unfortunate timing. It's Easter weekend.

Some of those sunrise surfaces may be impacted across portions of New England and as far south as Atlanta for flights there, by the way. If you're wondering, when is the best time to do that Easter egg hunt for the kiddos? I'd say do it tomorrow, especially along the I-95 course.

door and into the Mid-Atlantic coastline. Plenty of warmth on the way. Temperatures are about five to maybe even 25 degrees above the average. What goes up must come down and we'll likely have mixed temperatures into Sunday and Monday of next week. Halley. We will be watching that. Tevin, thank you very much. Good to see you.

We are back in a moment with growing questions about that retired Air Force General who mysteriously went missing in New Mexico, the 911 call from his wife after he disappeared. Plus, the Artemis 2 crew sending back a stunning new look at Earth, they approach the moon. And now we are hearing from the astronauts themselves. We've got that in just a second. We are back now with new developments on that retired high-ranking general who's been missing for weeks.

New audio now of his wife calling officials in the moments after his disappearance. Camila Bernal reports. My husband is missing. Tonight, new audio from the wife of a retired Air Force General gone missing in New Mexico. I have some indication that he must have planned. not to be found. That's William McCaslin's wife, Susan, during the call to authorities on February 27th. The day her husband disappeared. The call was first obtained by law and crime and later verified to NBC News by the sheriff's department. He's left his phone. He changed his clothes and I don't know what. I think he's on foot. McHasson's disappearance generated a lot of speculation due to his past career as a high-ranking military general. McCaslin was retired. But at one point worked inside

an Air Force base in Ohio long rumored to house extraterrestrial debris despite repeated air force denials following his disappearance authorities confirmed only a few items were missing including a 38 caliber revolver adding McCasteland had stated he was experiencing mental fog his wife telling this to the dispatcher other than saying if his brain and body keeps terrier rating he didn't want to live like that but It seemed to me that was just a man, I hate how this is going kind of thing. Camilla is joining us now from L.A. So Camila, not long after his disappearance, his wife talked about some of this sort of

chatter related to the UFO thing online, right? Yeah, so basically she addressed this by saying that he did when he was in the Air Force have access to highly classified information, but saying, look, he's been retired for about 13 years or so, so now his clearance is very common. believes it's very unlikely that someone took him to try to gain information from him. We tried to contact the wife multiple times today, but did not hear back from her. We did hear from the Sheriff's Department. They said they have no updates on this case, but said it remains a high priority for them, and they're following up on any tips and any leads in this case, Hallie.

Camilla Brunall, thank you very much. Coming up, crowds in New York, coming together to go to church, why some groups of Gen Ziers like these are packing the pews at Catholic Masses. Plus, we'll hear from the engineer behind a new AI tracker helping to find the cheapest pint of Guinness in Ireland. But first, top story's top moment, and one man turning his recovery into a work of art. 87-year-old Donald Muffley for years suffered from an essential tremor, preventing him from writing, doing basic self-care, and his passion painting. But after treatment, Donald was once again able to create art and shared it with his doctor who helped him through it all. Oh, my God. That's amazing.

Whoa. Amazing. I love the frame and the transducer. That's incredible. Holy ow, that is in the MRI machine. And all this. These lines represent the ultrasound. Whoa.

Donald was treated at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island, where his painting will hang proudly and hopefully inspire other patients in the future. Stay with us. We've got more top story on the way. Back now with the Artemis mission around the moon. And tonight we are hearing from those astronauts themselves as they send back some incredible photos looking at all of us here on Earth.

Here's Tom Costello. Tonight, new video of the Orion capsule with the moon off in the distance. There's no doubt where are we are heading right now. The crew well on their way, leaving Earth's orbit on Thursday, thanks to a six-minute boost. A move called a trans-luner injection

that requires 6,000 pounds of thrust. Early reports that it was a very good burn. The foursome of Artemis II in all of everything since Wednesday's launch. Sending four humans 250,000 miles away is a Herculean effort, and we are now just realizing the gravity of that. The team also snapping these never-before-seen images. I really like it up here. I wish I could have got here sooner. This afternoon, Mission Control woke up the crew within a daydream by the Freddie Jones band. And there was some minor housekeeping, a question about where to find a much-needed item. Orion's lunar fly-by scheduled for Monday afternoon before a massive U-turn brings them back home again.

This is literally and symbolically our moonshot that we are in the middle of. And lift off. Meanwhile, what may be the best view yet of Wednesday's launch. Roger. Roll pitch. Captured by a NASA plane flying over the space coast. It was a ride where you're trying to be professional, but the kid inside of you wants to break out and just hoot and holler. Meanwhile, today, the astronauts got their first chance to actually talk with their families in a video chat, the first since Wednesday's launch. Tomorrow, they'll spend the day manually flying the ship as to get even closer to the moon and that Monday lunar flyby. Holly?

Tom Costello, thank you very much for that. To Top Story's news feed now to Florida first, where a fertility clinic is closing just months after a patient accused the center of implanting another couple's embryo in her. Apparently, nobody learned about the mix-up until after she gave birth. The announcement on the clinic's website didn't say when operations would end, but records show it's been facing serious legal and financial problems. We've reached out to that center, but they've declined to comment. A consumer alert tonight, more than 3 million over-the-counter eyedrops have been recalled because of potential safety problems.

The FDA is warning they may not be sterile. KC Pharmaceuticals makes the products for a whole bunch of brands. They're sold under multiple names at big stores, including CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. So far, no reports of any injuries, but a good thing to check if you have eyed drops at home. And dramatic video of a rescue off the coast of Puerto Rico, customs and border protection agents were trying to save two people after their boat capsized and 10-foot. waves. But then look at this. A powerful wave. You see that came. Their own boat overturned. The agents ended up in the water. Fortunately, the rest of the Coast Guard, local police responded. They managed to airlift all five people to safety. They're doing just fine. And take a look at some

of these pictures from state police in New Jersey. We're about to show you an unexpected rescue. Look at this little bear cub. They found him on the side of the road, apparently all alone in a ditch. The troopers say they managed to safely grab the little guy and brought him back to the barracks. The bear has now been turned over to the state's Environmental Protection Department, which is caring for him. And with Easter just days away, scenes of young people filling Catholic churches in New York City are driving headlines ahead of that holiday. But is Gen Z really embracing Catholicism in a significant way?

Our Erin McLaughlin takes a closer look. In New York City, on Sunday nights, these are the scenes at St. Joseph's Church. Young people packed in. I think there was over a thousand people. With videos like these filling things. feeds. Don't sit on the balcony or you're going to be in a 20 minute traffic jam. I go to St. Joe's 22-year-old content creator Anthony Gross says he's been Catholic his whole life. He's never seen anything like this. A crush of young people at Mass in Manhattan.

The entire place was packed. There's people standing in the back. And it's all people 20 to probably max 30 years old. Like I've never been exposed to this stuff. Gross says he's found community with other young Catholics not just at Mass, but on TikTok. Come to church with me and come to church with me. Sharing his journey with his 48,000 followers. A couple months ago, I was visiting and ranking every Catholic church in the big app. According to the New York Times, diocese in Iowa, Michigan, and Texas are seeing their highest numbers of new Catholics in decades. But nationwide, a more nuanced picture.

According to a 2025 Pew Research survey, 12% of today's young adults have actually switched out of Catholicism. And overall, the survey found America has been in a religious decline for decades. Each new generation of young adults, each new cohort of young adults, has been less religious than their parents and their grandparents before them. So overall, would you say America is becoming less religious? It's very interesting. Overall, over the long term, over the last few decades, yes. Over the last five or six years, we have entered and have been in a period of religious stability. As for gross, the world's turning back to God and Gen Z is at the head of it.

He's excited to see where his generation and New York City's young Catholic community go next. I know that the future looks bright and I think the trajectory that Gen Z is on right now is really, really powerful. Well content creators we talk to say that technology and that need for human connection have driven people back to the church. Pew Research actually suggests something else that the stabilization of religion in America happened around the time of COVID,

that the pandemic actually served to strengthen people's faith. Hallie? Aaron McLaughlin, thank you. To our series now, the cost of denial. As health insurance premiums spike higher this year, some are turning to alternatives. Our Andrea Mitchell reports on the couple saying, buyer beware when it comes to the faith,

based option they tried. I just feel ashamed like I should have known better or done better, you know, and didn't get us in this financial trouble. That trouble for Las Vegas couple Anita and Stephen Thornton began nearly two years ago, one night when Stephen was rushed to the hospital. They said I might have to be put into emergency surgery. So it's scary. It was scary.

At first he was relieved he didn't need surgery, but then what was the best? About $24,000. For one night in the hospital? For one night. A bill they thought they'd have help with. I was under the impression that we had protection. Are you tired of expensive health care costs? Protection through a health care sharing ministry called Metashare.

As a community of believers, we share in one another's medical bills in support. These sharing ministries are not regulated the way insurance is. That's because, as they say up front, they are not insurance. Payments are voluntary among members. The pitch, pay into a collective fund and then get help with medical bills. But Stephen and Anita say that's not what happened. It just, I'm sorry, it's just... It's okay.

Take your time. I'm sorry. It's just, it was so difficult and it was so frustrating that they didn't help us. Medeshire members agree not to use tobacco or abuse alcohol and attest to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Why did you decide to sign up? Well, signed up because the insurance premiums on the open market were too high for us. They tried working with MediShare for a year, but there was no help with their bill.

And then? We got radio silence. You know, that's when Stephen was like, well, let's contact NBC because we saw the segment on the cost of denial. After NBC News asked MediShare about the case. All of a sudden, the tune changed. Soon the Thorntons received a call from a MediShare's. supervisor, which they recorded. I do apologize for the experience that you have.

It's not an experience we want for our members. Medeshire told us it was grieved by the lengthy and unusual delay. It says was caused by billing errors by the provider, submission errors by the Thorntons, and administrative errors by MediShare. MediShare says once it learned of the problem, it processed a payment. An ordeal that Thornton's hope others will learn from. What happened to us was very terrifying and nerve-wracking. I don't want anybody else to go through this.

Andrea is joining us now here on set in Washington, and Andrea, good to see you. These programs, people might not have heard of them, but they're fairly popular. They are, Halley. A estimate shows that about 1.7 million people belong to health care sharing ministries, and they may work for some people. But it's important to note they are not governed by the federal and state laws that insurance plans are, and they don't have to cover the same things, Halley's. An important distinction.

Andrew Mitchell, thank you very much for bringing us out reporting tonight. Appreciate it. Coming up here on Top Story, Cuba, releasing thousands of prisoners as U.S. pressure builds. So could that ease tensions? Plus, the one-of-a-kind handbag derived from dinosaurs? We'll explain next.

Back now with Top Story's Global Watch, starting with Russia, launching another huge aerial attack on Ukraine. Video shows a drone hitting an apartment complex Just outside Kiev, officials say nobody was killed in the strike, but across the country, at least eight people have died after the latest round of attacks. To Cuba now announcing it will release more than 2,000 prisoners, with the government there describing that as a humanitarian gesture.

But it comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Cuba with its oil blockade. You've also got Russia's energy minister pledging more support for Cuba, saying they're planning to send the country a second oil tanker after the first shipment arrived earlier this week. And Pope Leo presiding over his first Good Friday service at St. Peter's as the Catholic Church prepares for Easter. Pope Leo is also now the first pontiff in decades to personally carry the wooden cross through the entire procession at the Coliseum in Rome. A big moment there. Also tonight, a group of designers and scientists revealing a new one-of-a-kind handbag made with collagen extracted from dinosaurs. Why? Well, that's a question for the scientists, but they do call it the T-Rexact. Leather bag. They use these ancient protein fragments and genetic engineering to make this, you see it here, teal colored bag. It's on display at a museum in Amsterdam, set to be auctioned off next month with a reported starting price of more than half a million dollars. Certainly one of a kind. So the AI revolution is taking aim at a new front, starting with the age-old question, am I paying too much for my beer? One engineer wanted to find out. So he used an AI assistant to call 3,000 bars in Ireland to ask.

ask for the price of a pint of what else, Guinness? Hey there, sorry to bother. I'm calling from the Gindex. We were looking to come in for a wee pint, and I was hoping you could tell me the cost of a pint of Guinness. So all of those answers were fed into Claude from Anthropic to generate, yes, the Gindex. It's a real-time price tracker that lets you compare the price of a pint all across Ireland. You can see there.

The average pint, at least at the moment, is what is that? $5.50, $5.00, we should say. Let me bring in the genius, the AI engineer behind this, Matt Cortland. Matt, it's so smart. It's so simple, and it's leveraging AI in this really clever way that, like, is super helpful. You just were like, let me do it. Let me see if Claude will actually do it. How'd you come up with it?

Yeah, I mean, I was in Dublin, and I was having a pint, and it was like 780, and it's the craziest thing. You go two streets over, and it's like 6.10. It's like, what's going on with this pricing? So I decided to maybe look into it a bit more and see if there was. anything I could do to try to figure out what's happening. And if we can, work together to stabilize the cost of a pint. Did you think it would be this huge? No, I was just doing it because I thought it was a fun side project. And then it really took off. I think, you know, it really spoke to a lot of

people in Ireland. And we've had hundreds of submissions of people logging how much their pint costs to create a real-time consumer price index. Were you surprised at the response from, I mean, You talk about people chiming in on their own thoughts on this, too. Were you surprised that there was such a big response? No, Irish people love Guinness. My husband's from Dublin. Like, you know, it's how is the economy doing? What does milk cost?

What is eggs cost? What is petrol costs? What is it Guinness cost? You know, it's one of those major hallmarks that people just like to talk about, where to get the best pint. I think that's right. What's so interesting, too, is you just talked about it, Matt. You said you thought of this because you wanted to see maybe we can try to stabilize the

price of a pint of Guinness. This started off, obviously, is a fun idea. Have you seen it actually start to influence prices? Like, in other words, has this changed the behavior of bars who are setting the price for a pint? Yeah, so, I mean, I have people like tweeting at me, sending me messages, and you see in some of these threads that, you know, a pub owner saw that, you know, what the Guinness costs next door and they lower their prices by 40 cents. So it's interesting how it can maybe affect behavior, but really kind of want to just channel business to pub owners that are doing really really. good trade and kind of charging affordably. For those who aren't big beer drinkers who live in the U.S., I'm not a big beer drinker, but I do

fill the car up with gas. You are launching a version of this that tracks the price of gas in the U.S. Give me a sense of the landscape there, because this idea of using AI agents to help crowdsource pricing, I mean, the possibilities are endless. Yes, so we launched it today. It's called the Gas Index at gas index.aI, and we We kind of surveyed about 175,000 gas stations across the U.S. using a mix of AI agents and other data. So as far as I can see, it's one of the most complete sources of real-time data of what, you know, a gallon of gas costs at different stations. So check it out.

We launched it today. And that's the hope as well. It should just help people find a better deal. Super smart. Matt, thank you very much for being with us. We'll have people go check that out. And I'm sure we'll be talking again down the road to whatever the next big idea is. is from you and the team. Appreciate that. Thanks. Sure thanks. Still ahead. Everything you can binge

watch and listen to this weekend. The popular series, your friends and neighbors is back for a new season. This time with James Marsden and lots of buzz too around love on the spectrum plus only music from you too. We got a lot. Stay with us. Back now with bingeworthy, our look at the best stuff to watch and listen to this weekend and there's plenty of it. Let me bring in tonight pop culture expert and Bravo personality, Darren Carp. Hello, Darren, you're ready for this? I'm ready, I'm ready. People might have a lot of time this weekend to watch stuff.

So let's start with this Apple TV Plus series. It's been really popular, your friends and neighbors, John Hamm, who everybody loves, and new this season, season two, James Marsden, who's like 10 out of 10, just from an actor perspective. Here's a clip. Oh, and Ash, my friends just call me Ash. Andrew Cooper.

Coop. Your reputation, procedure. I'm a simple man. I think both of us know that's not true. You, my friend, have complicated written all over you. Turns out I had no idea how complicated. I can't explain. Can you really?

Feels like Darren, season two is going to be just as much of a hit as season one, huh? Yeah, well, I'll say this. Season three was already renewed even before season two premiered, so that just goes to show how popular and incredible this show is. But yeah, ugliest men on television clearly are on the show. because we got Hambone back on TV. I'm super excited about, and of course, James Marsden. But if you haven't seen the show, which, Hallie,

I understand you're probably very busy. I will just give you a little synopsis. But basically, John Hammie. Yeah, he plays Coop. He's this New York hedge fund manager coming off a really bad divorce, loses his job, and decides in order to keep his lifestyle going for himself and his family. He decides to steal from his neighbors. Classic, classic story.

And James Marsden comes in as this other successful, wildly successful neighbor. that John Hamm also decides to kind of manipulate and steal from. So it's one of those shows where it's, yeah, keep your enemies close, but your neighbors even closer. It's this crime, drama, comedy. I love it. It's an excellent show. And all episodes, well, you can't binge them,

but they're out weekly starting today, 10 episodes on Apple TV. Can you start season two if you're not caught up on season one? Or is this one where you've got to go back and watch the whole catalog? I would definitely watch the whole catalog. It's not too hard to catch up onto it because it's only one season that's aired so far,

but definitely catch up because you want the backstory. For sure. Season four is coming up for the one that's getting a lot of buzz and has gotten a lot of buzz. Love on the Spectrum. This is a series. It's on Netflix. Follows a group of adults with autism, getting into the dating world. Let's play that.

This series follows people on the autism spectrum. Hi, everybody. As they navigate the confusing world of relationships. I just need to work on responding before reacting. Like, what if he's not the one? And dating. Hello. Hi.

What if he gives me a wedding ring? Staying in the Brothers Church, be me think. I'm... Darren, people love dating shows. People love this dating show. This show tugs at my heartstrings every time I watch it. I mean, to say that it's even in the reality category sort of feels like a misnomer. This is, like you said, about seven young adults who are on the autism spectrum, and they're trying to find love and battling these misconceptions, not only about themselves, but what they want.

It is so tender. is so pure of heart. It is a feel-good show to the T, and it makes you believe in humanity again. I highly recommend the series on Netflix. It is just, it tugs at your heartstrings no matter who you are. That's a hell of a cell, Darren. I mean, I don't know how anybody doesn't watch it after this. There's another one on Netflix, Exo Kitty. This is a spinoff from To All the Boys I've Loved Before. It's back with season three now at this point. Let me play it. Enough what makes the signals. Do I know the truth? I guess I got caught up in thinking. and I could be something.

LJ, I need to talk to you. What? Hi, sister. Tell me everything. After you take a shower. Spoken like a true sister. This one's a big Gen Z hit, right? Yeah.

Huge Gen Z hit. To your point, it is a spinoff from To All the Boys I Love Before, which actually marks Netflix's first spin-off from an original Netflix film. So it just goes to show the power kind of behind the show. but very Gen Z takes place, you know, with a girl coming back for her senior year and all the complications and the love and the loss and the friendship and the complications that kind of come with it with it and you're maturing and you're growing up. This is just a fun series to binge. I highly recommend it if you just want something like kind of lighthearted, super girl friendly.

It's fun. If you're looking for something that's sort of less sort of relationship-y, whatever, there's something a little bit more sports-oriented, although still about relationships, and that's Roy McElroy, the master's weight. This is a story of his journey. to try to get a career golf grand slam. This one's on Amazon Prime video. Here's a clip. Driving away from that golf club and being so close and not getting it done.

All the ups and the downs and the disappointments. I want to make a key year old, Rory, pride. McElroy has his masterpiece. Rory, if you could go back in time and see yourself, what would you say? Keep believing. Who doesn't love the journey of like a sports hero, right? And even if you're not even into golf, his journey has been absolutely incredible.

The one note I have about this documentary that you didn't see in the trailer is he calls himself middle-aged and he's a year younger than me. So I'm highly offended by this, but I guess in the athlete world, he's 36. 37? I can't. He's born in 89. Thank you. Thank you, Halley.

I feel seen here. But yeah, I mean, certainly for athletic standards and certainly in golf, he's probably middle-aged. But he was one of the best golfers in the world. always wanted to win the Masters. In order to become a grand slam champion, you've got to win four of them. He won three. It took him 10 years of a drought in this, in this, you know, golf world. He finally captured it last year. And what a moment. I mean, he's such a nice, good guy. And he's just trying to make his childhood dream come true. Even if you're not a golf fan, check it out on

prime. Yeah, that's super relatable. Okay, so let's say you don't, you're not, you're not in the mood for like a lovey, romantic, relationshipy thing. You're not in the mood for a sports thing. You're always the mood for pizza. This Hulu movie that's out is. for you. It's literally called Pizza Movie. And it's, we are told the unexpected journey of two college students to go pick up their pizza delivery. I'm dying to see the clip here. It's an incredible hot pizza. It'll blow your brain straight out your... What? I am sack atchon 3,000. This is two flights of stairs. There's no way we'll make it to the lobby. There's all A's. Rooms! It's kind of giving me like, dude wears my car vibes. You know, like,

It is very much so that. I mean, the title alone says exactly what it is. This is just pure fun. I mean, this is literally about two college students who take this mind-altering, bending drug. And they just have to go two flights upstairs to get their pizza. And, you know, an hour and a half later, they're kind of in a weird multi-universe where things are happening and they're hallucinating. It's funny. It's very, it's very dude wears my car, dazed and confused.

Yeah, yeah. I'm kind of here for it. You know, I love a hijinks kind of story. But yeah, they take a mind-altering drug that confuses them. Needless to say, as they try to get pizza. Darren, you know, binge-worthy, it's a buffet. It's the full menu of options for people, including music, of course. And you've got Raven Lanay, who's out with a new song with Dominic Fike.

This is Reputation. Here's that. They're hoping this one's a hit. I think it's going to be. I mean, she actually came up. She was laying low for a little while coming off her 2024 hit. Love Me Not, which went TikTok viral. It's actually a great, great song. And Dominic Fike, I love, and it's kind of ahead of the euphoria premiere, which he is in, so that's even cooler.

But they talks about kind of the ups and downs of relationships and representing your reputation and all of this. So I actually love this song. It's a little romantic, a little dramatic. I'm here for it. I think it's going to be a huge hit. There's also a surprise from a band that's been around, a group that's been around for a long time. You two out with their latest EP, EP with the song In A Life. Here's a little bit of that.

For you two, Darren. So you, too. It actually came out on a perfect time because this is from their six-song EP, Easter Lily, so it's coming ahead of Good Friday. Obviously, Easter's coming up this weekend. But this six-song kind of EP is all about reflections, reflecting back on their life. And certainly in this song, they're really much so doing it. If you're a U-2 fan, you're going to like this. This is a little bit of a deeper headiness from them. And I really enjoy it. And they just keep churning out great music. So good on you too. Darren Karp, do you have time for all of this? You watch it all. You listen to it all.

I'm so impressed. Thank you for being our guide through all of it. You're welcome. Appreciate you. Thanks, Dan. You too. And thanks to all of you for watching, Top Story. I'm Hallie Jackson in Washington in for Tom. Stay right there. We've got a lot more news now on the way.