Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, August 14, 2026

Episode Date: August 15, 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, the stunning admission from Luigi Mangione confessing to killing CEO Brian Thompson as he pleads guilty in federal court. Mangioni admitting that he shot Mr. Thompson as the late CEO's own family sat in court listening to those chilling words. And new revelations from the 28-year-old, including how he posts as an investor to get details on where Thompson would be. The victim's family flanked with security. So what does it all mean for his New York state trial? Breaking right now, the Army announced. It's temporarily grounding all Apache training flights after that deadly crash, killing two soldiers. Roadside shooter, a man carrying a semi-automatic rifle firing on passing cars at random.

Multiple people tonight injured, including a mother and daughter. Plus, Hawaii bracing for a possible historic landfall as Tropical Storm Lala intensifies, fears over landslides and power outages mounting. Europe's intensifying wildfires, tourists fleeing flames, closing in on beaches in Greece, and new video of the race to rescue the remains of medieval Spanish kings. And striking gold will show you how construction workers discovered $10 million in gold bars and coins as they were laying sewer pipes. Plus the mystery vacation deal going viral, a Groupon package where you shell out $200

without a clue of where you're going. We hear from travelers who ended up in Paris and others who weren't as lucky. And President Trump speaking for the first time about the poor conditions on the USS Lincoln, the reaction tonight from parents with service members on board. Top story. It starts right now. Good evening. We begin with that stunning and chilling moment inside a federal courtroom here in New York City. Luigi Mangione confessing to shooting and killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, laying out the twisted sequence of events that led us.

to this instant when he pulled the trigger. The 28-year-old pleading guilty to two federal accounts of stalking resulting in death, admitting for the first time, quote, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died. Mangione made the disturbing confession just steps from the family of his victim. Thompson's wife and mother seen at the courthouse surrounded by security. We're also learning new details about how Mangioni planned this brutal crime, posing as an investor in an email to the company so he could get Mr. Thompson's exact location. and revealing he used a 3D printer to make part of the gun that he used to shoot and kill the late CEO outside of that New York City Hotel.

Today's confession coming after months of legal twists and turns. You can see them here. Multiple charges dismissed. The death penalty dropped. Now the big question that remains, how will today's plea in federal court impact the looming state trial? Our Stephanie Gosk has been on the case from the very beginning. She leads us off.

Tonight, Luigi Mangione is a confessed killer, telling a federal judge he should. shot United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. In court, Thompson's family, seen outside surrounded by a security detail. His mother and wife became emotional as Mangione, in his own words, described the crime. I traveled to Manhattan, he said. I then emailed United Health Care leadership posing as an investor at a firm managing over 50 billion in assets. Mangione says they wrote back, telling him the location of the conference Thompson was attending, adding, I used a 3D printer to make a part of a gun. I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died.

Mangione shot Thompson, a husband and father of two children in the back. Today, Mangione showed no remorse for what he did. This was not a spontaneous act of violence. It was deliberate, calculated, and premeditated. The judge accepted the 28-year-old's guilty plea on stalking charges. Prosecutors say they are seeking a life sentence. The Thompson family releasing new photos of Brian today and writing, while nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable. The dramatic hearing drawing hordes of journalists.

This is a wild scene outside the federal courthouse right now. Take a look at how many members of the press on that side of the street, only to be outdone by how many members of the press. are on this side of the street. The defense team says Mangione had battled severe back pain and the health care system. He believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life. Federal prosecutors showing little sympathy. We live in a civilized society governed by the rule of law.

We debate, we disagree, we protest. We do not commit murder. But that is what Luigi Mangione did, a crime that shocked the country and uncovered a torrent of anger towards the health insurance industry, with some even supporting the cold-blooded murder. Today, the police commissioner had her own message. To those who idolize Luigi Mangione, I say this. Violence is not a cause. Murder is not a message, and a killer is certainly not a hero. Stephanie joins us now from outside that courthouse. So Stephanie, the defense clearly has a strategy here with this guilty plea today. Explain that to our viewers.

Yeah, and it's about the state case, Tom. And they're saying that the state case would effectively be double jeopardy, meaning someone being tried twice for the same crime, and that's why that case should be dismissed. Now, they've put an emotion already. We have yet to hear from the DA, the district attorney here in the city, on how he's going to respond to that. Meanwhile, you also have the sentencing hearing here for the federal case on December 18th, and prosecutors today saying they are going to push.

for a life sentence, which certainly is something that these charges can carry. And that would mean Manjuri would be very unlikely to get a prison at all, Tom. And then the state trial was supposed to start in just a few weeks in September. Is it looking like that might not happen now? Yeah. Certainly the September 8th date is off the table. It's going to be pushed down the road. They've got to argue this whole double jeopardy issue. And the state judge is going to have to rule on that. But that also, depending on what the state judge rules, that could trigger a set of appeals, and that could take a while. We are definitely not going to be selecting a jury on September 8th. And also, there is the possibility that there ends up being no state trial at all, Tom.

Yeah. And then, you know, talk to us about court today, what that was like. I mean, you feel for the Thompson family. You can't forget at the end of the day, this is about a father or a husband who was shot and killed in cold blood. You know, Tom, we heard from Brian Thompson. Thompson's wife in the first day after the murder, but then we didn't really hear at all from the family. Very little and very little from United Healthcare. And today you had family members, Ryan Thompson's mom and his wife, in that courtroom today, facing off with a man who stood up and confessed to killing Brian Thompson and then laid out in very cold-hearted detail exactly how he did it, showing no remorse at all. And people are in the same.

The court said at times it was very emotional for the family members. The wife at times was crying, seen crying. She was wiping her eyes when she walked out. You can only imagine how intense that would be. It's nearly impossible to put yourself in their shoes. But a very dramatic and difficult scene for them for sure, Tom. Yeah, you can't imagine. And it's still really not over for them just yet.

Stephanie Gosper's at the courthouse. Stephanie, thank you. Now to the breaking news from the U.S. military tonight. The Army announcing it's grounding their fleet of Apache helicopters from training flights. This after that deadly crash in Texas, you may remember, earlier this week, which killed two soldiers who were on board. NBC's Ryan Noble tonight has been following these developments from Washington. And Ryan, this is a big deal. What more do we know about the Army's decision?

Yeah, Tom, it is a big deal, although it's probably not unexpected. The Army calls it a temporary standdown of all Apache helicopter training flights. They say, quote, it will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident. They are looking back into that deadly crash that happened during a training exercise at Fort Hood, Texas. It ended up sparking a massive fire. The Apache attack helicopters are widely used by the Army, and they're usually flown by two crew members. The Army calls it the most advanced aerial fighting vehicle in the world. So this is something that the Army needs to figure out exactly what went wrong.

Was it a mechanical issue? Was it a training issue? They don't have the answers to those questions quite yet, so until they get those answers. They're just going to ground the entire fleet just to keep all of those soldiers safe. Yeah, you want to keep those soldiers safe. We're also learning about the crew that was killed in the accident on Wednesday. Yeah, that's right. The pilots have been identified as Chief Warrant Officer 2, Deontre T. Huey, and warrant officer Seth Olmsted. We're told that both of these young men were from Texas, Tom. Obviously, a tragic loss. And part of the reason that the Army is taking such special precautions to make something, make sure,

something like this doesn't happen again. Tom. Okay, Ryan Nobles for us tonight. Ryan, thank you. We're going to turn to some terrifying roadside moments of shooting in Houston. Police say a gunman wielding a high-powered rifle, shot at moving cars, injuring several people inside those unsuspecting vehicles. Jesse Kerrish has the alarming details. Harrowing moments when gunshots rang out in Houston today. He's shooting in the streets. Watch the frantic scene as a good Samaritan warns people to take cover. Don't go that way, ma'am. This gunman, armed with an automatic weapon, opened fire on multiple vehicles this morning. There's been a bunch shots for hard.

The suspect who police say is in his 30s allegedly shooting three people, including a mother and her daughter. Police say officers ordered the suspect to drop his weapon. The officers engaged with the suspect and discharged the weapons multiple times. The suspect was struck more than once, and he was transported to local hospital. Police say this was an isolated incident. adding they do not know what the suspect's mental state was during the attack. Man, if you'd have seen it, you thought he was in a movie or something. Sounds like it was incredibly dangerous out there.

Jesse Curse joins us now live from Miami, who's tracking this here from Miami. Jesse, any updates to the victims at this hour? Yeah, and Tom, I was just checking again. So the latest we have from authorities is that the three victims are in stable condition. That is the last thing police told us. Meanwhile, as far as the suspect, what we have been told is very. very limited information. We know this is a man in his 30s. This is someone who himself was injured, according to police, but he has not been named and he has not yet been charged either, Tom.

Okay, Jesse Kirsch first tonight. Jesse, we thank you for that. We're following several developing weather headlines right now, including a powerful earthquake that just struck off the coast of Indonesia and that tropical storm taking aim at Hawaii that could get upgraded to a hurricane in just a matter of hours. Our Morgan Chesky is on the ground there as families prepare for a potentially historic landfall. And right now, catastrophic floods continue to ravage the Midwest, and we're just finding out these storms have turned deadly. Maggie Vespa reports from the storm zone in a moment,

but we want to get right to meteorologist Bill Caron. So, Bill, this is a significant, I'm being told 7.7 magnitude earthquake and pretty shallow. Yeah, another big one. Of course, this is on the heels of the Columbia one, and also the 8.0 that happened in Venezuela. So this is in Indonesia. And if you remember all the way back in 2004, we had a 9.1. and it killed thousands of people, one of the worst tsunamis in recorded history.

This, we just learned, did not produce a significant tsunami. So that's a sigh of relief for the area. It struck at 5 a.m. in the morning, but the shake magnitude of it being near the islands and population centers, there's significant damage from the shaking alone. So the tsunami part we're happy about. That's good. That's good for areas in India. It's good for areas in Australia.

But as far as the shaking went, this was a very shallow earthquake at only six miles, and it was about a 7.7, just to kind of give you a scale of what that even means. Here's a, you know, in a typical year on our planet, the magnitude that we see. Usually we only get one, that's an eight. Well, we just had that in Venezuela. We only typically get 18 in the entire globe that are a 7.0 to a 7.9. This was a 7.7 or 7.8, pretty high on this scale. So you see how rare it is and why it really got everyone's attention thinking, you know, Tom, you know, could we have a really powerful tsunami out of this too?

So we'll find out about the shaking. They estimate roughly 200,000 people were close enough for extreme shaking. And we're waiting to see how bad the structural damage is in those areas. Okay, we're going to turn now, also sticking in the Pacific, though, hurricane warning for Hawaii. As tropical storm, Lala draws near, do we still expect the historic landfall? We are going to be watching what's happening. As far as the tropical system goes, that is going to be happening as we go throughout the next 24 hours. So here's our Hawaiian islands, 60 mile per hour winds.

So it's a formidable tropical storm right now. It should get a little bit stronger. Now, if we get that direct landfalling out, really doesn't matter, because the storm is big enough that most of the Hawaiian island chains are going to go through the gusty winds and they're going to go through the rain. For the history books, it would be, if it does make landfalls a hurricane, the first time ever in the big island. It has been hit by two tropical storms.

The red line here is the center line from the hurricane center. This is the cone of uncertainty, so it's getting more narrow now. So it looks like there's no way we're going to avoid, you know, catastrophic rain. That looks pretty certain. Damaging wind looks pretty certain, too, with this. And, of course, we'll get those crashing waves on all the shores, too. The timing for Hawaii, it looks like to be around sometime around two to maybe four in the afternoon tomorrow. That'll be when it makes its closest approach.

And as far as the winds go, we kind of use this to say like power outages. If you're in this high-risk area, including all of the big island, be prepared to lose power from the storm. moderate risk, Oahu, especially where Honolulu is located. You could see some gust for some minor power outages also, but we're not expecting you to get the impacts that the big island will get. And if the difference with this storm compared to say if a hurricane hits Florida or if it hits anywhere in the southeast, we don't have mountains in the southeast. You have to go down to the Caribbean islands to get those. But these volcanic peaks, they're as tall as the mountains and the Rockies. And when we get the rain hitting that, it just rings it out. And that's why Tom, we could see up the 25, inches of rain. That will cause extreme flooding, mudslides, rock slides. When the storm's all said and done, that'll be the legacy of just how bad all the flooding and mudslides and debris flows are. Bill, we thank you for that. We're going to be covering this throughout the weekend, including right now. I want to bring in Morgan Chesky. He's in Hilo on the big island for us. Morgan, how are people on the ground getting prepared for the storm? And I'm already seeing headlines

that the power companies in Hawaii are telling residents there. If the power goes out, it could be days until it comes back on. Tom, people here are taking this storm incredibly seriously because this could be if it makes landfall here on the Big Island, the first recorded hurricane to do so. And that is why we have seen Hawaiians for the last 24 hours, if not longer, stuck up on food, water emergency supplies, generators included because of those very power outages, you mentioned. The concern here, Tom, not so much the storm surge as we sometimes see with other hurricanes, but it's just that incredible amount of rain falling in such a short amount of time. As we heard just a few moments ago, 25 inches in certain areas here could lead to devastating mudslides and flash floods. And this is an area here where people are very much cognizant of the power of Mother Nature here. And that's why no one is taking the storm lightly.

All eyes on its anticipated landfall on the big island. But people also keep in a close eye on neighboring islands of Maui and Oahu as well here, Tom. Yeah. And then while we have you there, parts of Hawaii are still recovering, as we've been talking about all night from storms earlier this year. It's very easy to have a mudslide in Hawaii. Bill was talking about that as well. What else sort of are our residents worried about right now, Morgan? Tom, they look back to February and March. They had a series of storms that they call Kona Lowe's that were devastating, particularly to Oahu and Maui, did an estimated $100 million worth of damage because of some mudslides, of some flasked. floods that damaged entire neighborhoods in that case. So to have people still recovering

from that and then to see the approach of this hurricane, on some level it's adding insult to injury, and that is why there is such a level of apprehension here. And no one is taking this storm lightly. You know, having covered hurricanes in the Gulf, you don't really see people change their behavior until maybe a category three, category four hurricane. This is only approaching category one. And yet we are seeing a lot of preparation ahead of its arrival here, Tom. Yeah, that's a bit of good news that people are taking it seriously. Morgan Chesky, be safe out there. We're no you're going to be there for a few days.

Also at this hour, there's a growing flood threat in the Midwest. Rivers already at dangerously high level, still rising. Homes right in the danger zone. Maggie Vespa on the ground once again from Indiana. And Maggie, we're just hearing that a woman has died in the floods? Yeah, Tom, that's right. Authorities in Delaware County, which is where Muncie is. and we know Muncie was hit so hard.

Say they found the body of a 58-year-old woman today near her car, meaning they believe both were swept away by floodwaters, and then they think that she tried to get out and swim and was ultimately overtaken by the current. They also found the body of her dog inside the car. So that obviously a devastating update to get. At the same time, authorities doing their best. We can just push it on this boat right here.

You see that rescue raft here in Anderson. In this flooded neighborhood, we have sheriff's deputies going door to door checking on people trying to make sure that the impacts of these floods are basically kept as limited as possible, knowing how devastating all of this has already been. Tonight, new rounds of heavy rain falling across an already soaked Midwest. In Champaign, Illinois, a woman stranded in her vehicle. This pair of firefighters carefully carrying her to safety.

Wicked winds in normal Illinois overnight causing this sheet of glass to shatter. The rain, swelling record river levels, even. more. It's heartbreaking. Northeast of Indianapolis today, Christy Stewart and her family ventured into the flood zone. Her sister by Kayak to check on Christy's house in Anderson. Christy's daughter filming this video, finding the first floor largely spared, but then showing

us. Basework flooded. Christy's on disability and doesn't have flood insurance. All you can do is cry and pray and pray. It's a pretty helpless feeling. Super. She tells me the family evacuated overnight after smelling gas in the water. Meanwhile, state authorities say conditions in the raging Mrs. Sinwa River

forced them to suspend the search for 19-year-old Matthew Mori, who jumped off a bridge into the water with friends Wednesday night. His mom in agony, saying the star high school wide receivers just days away from starting his freshman year at Purdue University. Is he somewhere asking, where's my mom and my mom and dad? Like I'm hurt and I need some help and so we're not there and I can't get there. A mother's desperate plea amid widespread devastation with more rain in the coming days. Maggie joins us once again and Maggie's so much devastation and now we're hearing hundreds more of home, 100 more homes could be flooded. Yeah, Tom, up to 400 potentially according to forecasters.

So for context, this flooding is courtesy of the White River. It's a huge river, obviously. It runs toward and past Indianapolis, and that's where a lot of this water is headed. Forecasters say that river in that part of the state, which is about an hour or so from here, that could reach near record or record levels there, flooding between 200 and 400 homes, basically by tomorrow morning, Tom. Maggie Vestbiner team who have been there all week. Maggie, we thank you.

That to a major update in the story we brought you last night. President Trump dismissing concerns about poor living conditions on the U.S. USS Abraham Lincoln, describing the deployment of the aircraft carrier as, quote, not nearly long enough. Gabe Gutierrez has this one. Tonight, President Trump dismissing reports of poor living conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, a key aircraft carrier supporting the war against Iran. Well, no, that ship is moving.

No, they're not. That ship is moving right now, or very shortly. The Pentagon now sending another carrier to the region after the more than 5,000 soldiers in Marines on the Lincoln had not made a port call since December, a record. Relatives had complained of plumbing issues and limited fresh food. A U.S. official says one sailor went overboard and was quickly rescued. The president pressed by NBC's Julie Sirkin. No, no, no, no. Not nearly long enough. Danielle Rappas' son is on board. I do support the president overall, but I have every right to disagree with a comment.

We'd spoken with Melanie Stowe. Yesterday. It's been difficult. Her daughter's been deployed since last year. What do you make of those comments? Well, I am a Trump supporter. I feel that it was more of a comment that the job hasn't been completed yet, more than the sailors need to stay out there longer.

She had a more pointed response for Defense Secretary Heggseth. I would say that he should fly his butt out there to take a look. Tonight, the Navy's acting secretary is calling those on the Lincoln the epitivy of American strength, and he's slamming the media for trying to paint them as victims. Tom? Okay, Gabe. Also tonight, President Trump is touting new crime stats from the FBI, showing the biggest one-year drop in violent crimes since the Bureau started tracking the data nearly a century ago from 2024 to 2025. Murder and manslaughter dropped by more than 18 percent. Rape offenses fell by an estimated 7.6 percent.

and robberies were down 18.5%. We're going to be back at a moment here on Top Story with the new video of thieves rushing into an Italian museum snatching millions of dollars worth of art, how police just got those paintings back. Plus the dangerous wildfires raging in Europe, fast-moving flames closing into popular resort towns, the race to get tourists out of the burn zone.

And the potential disaster averted two planes on a collision course, flying with the same flight number, how they managed to touch down safely. That's ahead of top story. We're back with a studying art heist in Italy. Tonight, police were covering three paintings worth millions after they were stolen earlier this year. The whole heist captured on video.

Kier Simmons has this one for us. The brazen art heist taking less than three minutes. Newly released surveillance video showing the moment thieves stole three paintings back in March. The thieves first breaking and entering through the front door of this museum in northern Italy, in the middle of the night, then racing to grab the works by French masters straight off the walls. One masked individual setting down this Renoir valued at about 3.5 million to take a second painting by Zazan, worth 7 million. Both paintings then handed off to an accomplice waiting outside. Tonight, officials from the Italian Art Recovery Squad announcing all three paintings have been

safely recovered. Authorities telling Italy's leading news, The news agency answer five suspects from Moldova have now been detained in connection with the robbery. Adding they tracked the gang down using clues recovered from the scene of the crime, including a fire extinguisher used as a diversion against the museum's caretaker. It's the latest in a series of high-profile art heists across Europe, including the theft of the French crown jewels stolen from the Louvre last year in broad daylight and still missing. Kier Simmons joins us tonight. So Kier, this isn't the only major art heist bus today.

Police in Brazil recovering stolen Matisse paintings in a separate incident? That's right, Tom. Eight paintings by Matisse recovered after they were stolen in Sao Paulo in Brazil. Worth, apparently, almost $200,000. An extraordinary coincidence. What are the odds that this is announced today the same day as that separate heist recovery of those paintings in Italy. It seems, Tom, as if these gangs are getting a taste for the best art in the world, Tom. Might be right. All right.

We thank you for that, Keir. Still ahead tonight, the stunning discovery oversees millions of dollars worth of gold dug up at a construction site, so who gets to keep it? And the giant fireball lighting up the sky will show you more of this video on what exactly it was. But first, top story's top moment, and this one coming from a good friend of this. show. Entertainment journalist Emily Orozco is expecting her first baby this October and in honor of her grandma Rita's 93rd birthday today. She shared this video of the moment she told her the exciting news. Take a look.

Oh my god. Are you telling me you're pregnant? Yeah. Oh my god. Oh my god. I'm actually going to have a great-grandchild. I can't you. What an amazing surprise. This will officially make her a great-grandchild. great-grandma, we're so happy for Emily and all of her family. Stay with us, more Top Story on the way. We're back now with Top Story's news feed, and we have an update on that special election in the UK. Nigel Farge officially heading back to the parliament, the Reform Party leader beat a bunch of fringe candidates, including Count BinFace, who you saw here on Top Story. We covered his story.

The trash can-waring comic who grabbed more than a quarter of the vote, believe that. Major parties boycotted this election, calling it a stunt. Farage left his seat last month during an investigation to nearly $7 million in a gift from a crypto billionaire. He denied any wrongdoing. And construction workers in Belgium digging up quite the treasure on the job side. Look at this. According to local media, they were drilling to put in some new sewer pipes at a property when they stumbled across this hidden stash of gold coins and bars. It's reportedly worth more than $10 million. Police say the loot is now locked up in a government vault, but it's still unclear who will actually get to keep it. And a potential disaster

inverted after two American airline flights with the exact same call signs were approaching and leaving Phoenix at the same time. And air traffic controller noticed the flights were both numbered 2482 and acted quickly to tell each one where to go. Listen. I've been working air traffic for 25 years. I've never seen two aircraft pretty much emerge with the same call sign. That's pretty incredible. It could have been disastrous, but I'm glad it all worked out. We are too.

If both pilots were told to fly at the same altitude, it's possible. they could have collided. The FAA is now investigating what went wrong and how that happened. In New York, a wild encounter with nature caught on video. Look at this chopper footage. It shows the whale swimming right up to a lifeguard boat. It breaches above the water. You see it right there at the back of it. Look how beautiful that is. The whale continued to surface several times after that, and thankfully, everyone seemed to be okay. And a huge fireball lighting up the skies out west. You can see the meteor here, captured on a doorbell camp overnight. experts say hundreds of people reported seeing that bright flash of light in states like Washington,

Oregon, Idaho, and even in Colombia, good old British Columbia, Canada. Turning now to Top Stories Global watching those wildfires raging across Europe, hundreds of people forced to evacuate from parts of Croatia and Greece as fast-moving flames bear down on popular tourist towns. A warning, some of the video you're about to see is graphic. Our Danielle Hamamjan is following it all. Daniel, what do you know? Well, Tom, it's been one heat wave after another, followed by relentless wildfires that have engulfed so many parts of Europe this past summer. Just look at these latest pictures coming out of northern Greece. The sky turning black, just a wall of smoke filling the air as residents and tourists had to flee by air and by sea.

Strong winds fanning the flames, burning houses and holiday apartments near resorts in Halki Diki in the middle of the holiday season. Hundreds had to be evacuated from what is normally, as you can imagine, a picturesque Greek peninsula. Over to Croatia now, and wildfires have also turned the night sky completely red. This is along the Dalmatian coast, very popular with tourists. Dozens have been injured, hundreds evacuated there as well, with local media reporting that a stretch of a major highway had to be shut because of the blaze. Firefighters in France and Germany also battling raging fires. Spain has also been hit particularly hard this season.

Many have been killed over the course of the summer even as they tried to escape. Authorities there now have removed the remains of three 11th century kings from a monastery threatened by a wildfire. And here in the UK, we've just seen the hottest day of the year, London hitting 100 degrees. much of England now in drought, the grass everywhere you look is yellow with the month of July, having been the driest on record since records began. Back in 1836, records broke in just about everywhere in Europe this summer. Tom. All right, Danielle Hemangin, we thank you for that. Still coming up tonight, the new mystery vacation deal. Travelers rolling the dice on rock bottom prices, even though they have no idea

where they're actually going. We speak with some willing. to take that gamble. Plus, our great American this week, a park ranger at the Statue of Liberty, you'll hear his stories about the iconic symbol of freedom and what inspired him to serve his country. Stay with us. Coming on the air with breaking news. We are live tonight from Juarez, Mexico, reporting over the skies of Bajna. Here in Florida, the time to evacuate has come and gone. You were seeing people just running for their lives? People running for their lives. We've seen this almost unbelievable power struggle.

What does this mean for Ukraine? It's the battle off the field that's inspired the world. Every night, it's your news playlist. Top Story with Tom Yamas, streaming weeknights at seven on NBC News Now. We're back now with the travel trend, inviting you to play roulette with your vacation. A viral group on deal promises a round-trip flight and hotel stay

for as little as $200. But here's the catch. You have no idea where you're going until after you've paid. Ryan Chandler spoke to some buyers who scored their dream trips and others who weren't so lucky. It's the ultimate travel gamble. We're going to Greece.

You pick your departure airport and some rough dates, shell out as little as $200. Drum roll. Your girl is going to New Orleans. And 72 hours later, a stranger reveals your destination. Anywhere above Florida, please. The beginning is Orlando, Florida. Those willing to play vacation roulette,

and by Groupon's mystery getaway could score a trip to faraway places like Singapore, Greece, or Hawaii. Seven days in Portugal, and this was only $2.99 per person. Or they could land on a frontier flight to Phoenix. He was like, you can go out of Arizona. Mystery Vacations, the company that partners with Groupon to run these trips, told NBC News they've sold close to $2 million worth in the past month. Americans are eager for a deal with airfares up. roughly 25% compared to last year.

Like, is this real? Orlando-based Melinda and Joey Lemon are headed to Paris and London for seven nights. We're still hearing the words that we're going to get to go to London and Paris and stuff, but we're still like, where's the catch? Where's to catch? You know, for $200 a piece, this is crazy. And Chicago-based Kristen Lamps won a trip to Puerto Rico.

The fact that I got like the bigger one was I was like, oh my God, I never won anything. So I was super excited about that. But not everyone got so lucky. They're making money off of people. L.A. based Kimber Bowman says her experience left her feeling like the whole thing was a scam. And she didn't even end up taking her trip. It was not a value at all.

Because when I actually went back to look up the cost of what I purchased, it's frontier in Arizona in August, 105 degree average temperature. Of course your flight is $66, right? That makes sense. But then the hotel? $70 a night. It would have been cheaper for me to book it on my own. Groupon tells us, out of every 2,000 vouchers,

six are for seven nights in Europe or Asia, while over 99% are for two night stays in the U.S. They say, we print that number, so nobody buys a fantasy. We want to do everything right to manage expectations. Whenever we do get a complaint, we do try to resolve it. But despite some bad experiences, Travel agent Tammy Wells said the promise of any adventure with minimal planning was enough to convince her to book the package twice.

They're definitely not a scam. You just have to set your expectations realistically of what you're getting. So as Americans hunt for those golden travel deals, many are happy to test their luck and see where it lands. We are in really difficult financial time. So the promise of maybe getting that lucky, that lucky strike, it sounds good. Ryan Chandler joins us now. So Ryan, let's talk specific. So if you buy this deal and have buyers remorse, you can't get a refund. No, Tom, no refunds of the slot machine and no refunds with mystery travel. You pay around $2 to $300 for this service. And I presume the way they make money is that a lot of people just get a trip that costs less than that, and then they pocket the difference. You can get a refund if you request your money back before you give

them your dates and the departure airport and they really start to plan. But that would be well before you ever learn what your destination was going to be. Yeah. And then while we have you here, this Groupon deal has really taken off because of social media, but it's not the only company offering experiences like this. So I was able to find a couple other companies offering mystery travel. And if you're not into the whole lottery aspect of the Groupon package, one that you should look into is called Pack Up and Go. This is a more concierge upscale service where they ask you what you're interested in, what your budget is, and then they put together a plan and surprise you.

But it's more likely to be something you'd like. There's another one called Journey. Their whole schick is you don't learn where you're going until you get to the airport, Tom. That sounds like a lot of fun. All right, Ryan, we thank you for that. Now to our series, Great Americans, where we talk to people who have achieved so much

about their life and this country. Tonight we head to an iconic symbol of America, the Statue of Liberty, a beacon of hope for millions who immigrated to this country. Our great American this week, the man helping to preserve the history of Lady Liberty. Park Ranger Rinell Langdon. What I love about America is the opportunity. This is a place where you can come and if you're willing to work.

I think the sky is the limit. It's one of America's most iconic landmarks. Lady Liberty shining over New York's harbor, a poignant reminder of the promise that built America. It's a view park ranger, Rennell Langdon says, never gets old. I mean, working at the Stature of Liberty, it's pretty incredible, you know, sailing in on a ferry every morning and seeing the stature of liberty, you know, I kind of pinch myself every day. Langdon immigrated to America from Grenada in 2000, arriving in New York City as a teenager. Then about a year later, the September 11th attacks would change him and the country forever. On 9-11, I was in the city.

And we went outside. It was just complete chaos and panic. And it really kind of set in that I needed to do something I needed to serve. That day absolutely changed my life. Inspired to help protect his new home, Langdon enlisted in the Coast Guard. Four years later, after finishing his service, Langdon returned to New York, searching for ways to continue giving back to America. Applying for every federal job I think I qualified for, and the Park Service was the first to give me a chance. I felt the park service in a way sort of chose me. He started on the ground at Liberty Island, climbing from maintenance worker to park ranger, and now supervisor. When I put on this uniform, I feel like I'm part of something greater. There are a lot of passionate, dedicated people who's put on this uniform before me.

I'm so privileged to have landed in this position. Langdon also oversees Ellis Island, where more than 12 million people from all over the world entered this country. An immigrant himself now telling their stories. I find that absolutely poetic that I'm here telling the story of millions of people before me. I feel quite privileged being able to work here and help keep that history alive. Welcome to Statue of Liberty, folks. For Ranger Langdon, the Statue of Liberty is more than just a landmark. It's a reminder of our responsibility as Americans. When visitors come here, I hope they feel inspired. I hope they see themselves. in her story.

And if you look at her, she's obviously not sitting on her pedestal. I like to think that she's taking a step forward. We're standing here on this pedestal of freedom. But like the Statue of Liberty is not enough to just sit or stand. But that each of us have a responsibility to move liberty forward. It's something that we all have to participate in. A beacon of hope lighting the way for the future of our great nation. When you look across the harbor and as long as you see that torch up,

there and you see the statue standing. I think there's hope for America. I think we find that inspiring. We all find that inspiring. All right. This week's great American, Rennell Langdon. Just ahead, everything you can binge watch and listen to this weekend. Blink 182 drummer

Travis Barker out with a new documentary detailing how he survived a terrifying plane crash. Plus the hit Disney movie Camp Rock returning after nearly two decades and new feel good music from Jungle. Stay with us. Back down with Bingeworthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend.

And joining us tonight is NBC News Entertainment contributor and the founder of pop viewers. And a good friend to this show, Chris Witherspoon. Chris, how you doing, man? This is up, Tom. Y'all miss. I'm doing great, man. How's your summer going? It's going. It's like almost done, which I'm kind of in denial about. I feel like there's still at least another month of summer. We're going to keep this going. We have to run it out. I don't want it to get cold. If you're going to be hanging out this weekend, we have a lot of great stuff for you to watch. We're going to start with a documentary about Travee about Travee.

I was Travis Barker, of course, from Blink 182 and then Solo fame. He's done so many cool things. Married to a Kardashian now. Let's take a look. I was touring with Blink nonstop. I was taking so many pills that I had a security guard whose only job was to watch me sleep and make sure I was breeding. It was all the blur. And then came the crash.

It was just fire and chaos everywhere. 65% of my body was bright. This one's called louder than fear. It's on Hulu. A lot of people forget about that plane crash. He survived a horrific plane crash. Tell us a little bit about this docu. Is it a docu series or just documentary? It's a documentary film. Willie is Travis Barker like you never have seen him before. As you mentioned, so many folks know him now as being Courtney Kardashian's husband. He's tatted head to toe. He's his kind of like strong drummer. But you're seeing him very vulnerable talking about this crash for the first time. And also how he's

not flown on a plane, Tom, since 2008 when this happened. He takes these international cruises. Oh, I didn't know that. When Blink 192 goes on tour, he travels on these boats for nine days to get across the country because he's petrified of flying. But it's very honest, it's very raw. If you had to survive something like that, I'm sure it would be the same thing. I mean, he's in such an incredible musician from Blink 182. I think he was in the Aquabats way back in the day to the transplants. I'm a huge fan.

And then everything he's done like with other artists as well, EDM and all types of genres. And you have so many legendary drummers coming and talking about him in this documentary by Quest Love. and Sheila E. Oh, great. It's like athletic what he does. What about the marriage? Did they talk about the marriage at all? A little bit. A little bit. Kind of helped heal him. Courtney actually is like a therapist for him, he says. All right. Next up, this one's on Peacock. This is called Girls Like Girls. Let's watch the clip. Promise you'll message me tonight. You could have just given that to me on paper. It's called Roamouse. Very nice to meet you, Selyan. You're welcome any time.

So what are you doing here? Oh my God. Let's go. As moms, you never mentioned her. Okay, as we saw there in the promotion, it is based on a novel, very popular novel. So a novel that came on in 2023, but the gag is it was based on a YouTube video that came out in 2015. Like a song? A song by Haley Kiyoko. Okay. So she wrote this train, Tom, from 2015, over 100 million views in its YouTube video,

then a book. Really? This is her directorial debut. She's directed it now. She's directed it now. Yes. It's a coming-of-age story of these two girls in this small town that fall in love. It's beautiful, it's heartwarming.

But to me, it's an interesting kind of blueprint for Hollywood. You know, music video, turned book, turned film. I feel like they used to do those things. But you don't see that as much anymore. But you're right. All right. I started again. Okay, next up here, this was called Camp Rock 3,

from what I understand if you watch Camp Rock 1 and 2. Yes, your generation, younger than me. This one, I think, is on Disney Plus. It is on Disney Plus. It also has the Jonas Brothers who were in the first two, or at least one of them. In the first two. In the first two. All right, let's take a look.

City sold out tour. The only thing missing? Someone to open for us. We figured why not find our opening act right here, right now. There's going to be three challenges. You get through those, you get a shot at the final jam. Until then, you will be in the very capable hands of our tour manager. I am so getting a raise for this. Okay, give me the premise here for Camp Rock. What is this about? I mean, this is like this ultimate if you're like a music nerd or a band nerd like me growing up, you love you some camp. It kind of put the Jonas Brothers on the map in a huge way. I didn't know that. Yeah, the first one came out in 2008, second one came out in 2010. Demi Lovato also was in this, but they're all back for this one.

The Joe Bros. were in this group called Connect 3, who are looking for their opening act. So they go back to where they got their start to find the fresh face, the fresh talent. They're all competing. Demi Lovato's executive producer on this as well. And she was in the originals? Yeah, she's a cameo in this one. She's not a lead role, but a cameo, it's really cute. Very cool.

Next up, this is more. My Speed, Hard Knocks on HBO Max. This is pretty incredible. They got access to the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champs as they try to regain the title. Let's take a look. You have done it through our mentality of every freaking day. How are we getting it better from last year? Such a huge fan of the filmmakers at Hard Knocks.

Great writers, great shooters. They get those moments. They have cameras everywhere. This season so far, what I've watched has been great. Sometimes I like nine out of the 10 hard knocks. that I'm not so short about. Yeah. This one, so far, I've seen two episodes.

Great. I'm a big fan. I don't know about you, Chris. I'm a huge fan. And I think that this show, it really humanizes these athletes. These guys, like this team, they range between 22 to, like, 32 years old. And you realize that these are young guys who are developing this mindset off the field, like, during the training camp, which is incredible. And we'll see if they can parlay this.

And I love it. It shows the business side. It shows the coaching side. It shows the player side. The fights with their coaches. The fights. Yeah, the fights and people that make it get cut. For folks that don't like reality TV.

For the ultimate game, right? It's real. All right, Chris. Coming up next, HBO Max, we're going to stick with HBO Max. This is getting a lot of buzz, lanterns. Oh, yeah. People love this show so far. Let's watch the clip, and then you can tell them,

because I know there's some drama, too. All right, let's watch. It's no accident. We're here. These victims are going to end up being alien. Face on what? I have a feeling. He has a feeling.

I think this is more than just a feeling. This is the threat no one's ever seen before. What do you know about man hunters? Where'd you hear that word? So give us the background, this. I mean, this is one of those DC comics that folks have been waiting for a very long time to be turned into a TV series about these, like, their lanterns, they're like these detectives, essentially.

And this series is kind of cool. It takes a page from True Detective, and these two lanterns, sort of like the lawkeepers, of the superhero universe are coming together. Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, from Friday Night Lights. It's all the things that you want in a superhero series. So it's a little maybe elevated in the Superhero series with the writing and everything else. I said there was a little bit of drama.

I had seen something online because there was, I guess, an issue, Green Lantern was once, who was Green Lantern? Joel. Ryan Reynolds. And they're saying, and that movie didn't do that well, right? Did not do well. Deadpool's great, but Green Lantern not that great?

And there's two Green Lantern now. Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler. He's playing like an OG older version. Got it. I heard this is great. So we have to watch that. We are transitioning so fast to music. I don't know why, but we are.

Phoebe Bridgers, right? Did I say that right? Phoebe Bridgers, she's great. She's awesome. Little sad. This one's a little sad for the summer. Let's play it. If you got to hold hands, we'll figure it out.

Let's watch. All my life, side by side. I'm Jackal Angel. New album out today. It's called Lost Week. And that song's called I Can't Wait, produced by Jack Antonoff. You know it's going to be good. Guys, super talented.

What do you think? I mean, this is kind of cool. It's her being solo again after all the hits she's had with Boy Genius. Yeah, which was like a super group. It's a really cool video that I love. There's like this bug that's kind of flying around, almost like a fly on the wall as all the success is happening in Los Angeles. So it's a really cool concept and unique. And she's so talented.

And you've got to be in the mood for it, right? It's super talented, great song, great album from the tracks I've heard so far in the office. But it is like it's a mood, right? Yeah, we gotta hold hands. You got to hold hands. Next up, Jungle with this single, I never even heard of this band. It's called Sunshine, so great.

They're a British indie band. You may remember them from back on 74. Let's listen to this one, yeah. What do you think? I mean, I'm a fan of this group, by the way. They're a British band. It's kind of like Brazilian Neo-Soul. Whoa, okay, go there.

They know how to do it. It is that upbeat, the exact opposite of what we just heard. Yeah, no, no, this will get you going. Booking moment for the summer. And I think it's great. And I like that you brought that up. This has been my favorite song so far. I've heard this summer. There's some great country songs that are doing great this summer. This is my favorite song so far of the summer. Chris, thank you for being here. Thank you for bringing this to us. We thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamma. Stay right there. More news on the way.