Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, August 7, 2026

Episode Date: August 8, 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 chilling video just released from that deadly shooting in Idaho and the heroes that may have saved lives. The terrifying scene caught on camera. The moment the gunman pulls up to an in-and-out drive-through and opens fire. Panic inside the restaurant, an off-duty trooper heroically firing back. This worker nearby talking to the shooter so others could get away until officers finally confronted him. Crisis in Puerto Rico with water shut off for hundreds of thousands of Americans. This family showing us their taps are running dry, even as tourists still have access. Major blow to Facebook ordered to pay more than $500 million to address kids' mental health online.

Amanda Knox back in the spotlight, this time performing a comedy show about her ordeal premiering tonight, why her slain roommate's family is outright. by the show. High altitude rescue, Rangers chop right in to save a base jumper trapped on the steep edge of a cliff. A woman hit in the head by a bat flying into the stands suing the Yankees for $10 million. She says the safety nets were too low. Does she have a case? Plus, new hope for dog lovers with allergies will talk to the man who says he edited a Beagle's jeans so it won't make you sneeze. He and Bailey join us here on set. Plus, a Jersey Shore pizza shop going viral for yelling at a customer who brought their own dessert.

So should you be allowed to bring your own birthday cake to a restaurant, we hear from both sides. Top story. Starts right now. And good evening. Tonight we're getting a chilling new look at the deadly shooting spree that began at an Idaho in-and-out burger and left three victims dead. The image is showing both the horrifying violence and the bravery of so many who fought back. This was the scene in Twin Falls.

You can see a gunman's white car approaching the drive-through window before police say he shoots his victims first. Chaos inside the restaurant. Workers huddled on the floor terrified. An off-duty state trooper steps in with his gun. You see it right here, climbing over the counter, guiding the employees to safety. Then he stays behind, gun out, searching for that threat. There were other acts of heroism, too. This man firing back at the gunman in a distance there, you can see him, and this worker at a nearby visitor center actually talking with the shooter. Police say to distract him so others could get away. The community there is still mourning the three victims who were gunned down that day.

You see them right here. Our Dana Griffin starts us off tonight and a warning. Some of what you're about to see is disturbing. Tonight, chilling surveillance video edited and blurred by police shows the twin falls in and out shooting that claimed the lives of three and injured seven others. The 24-year-old shooter pulling up to the popular fast food chain's drive-thru window in a white Honda Saturday afternoon shooting and killing employee Ashley Garibai. Next, calmly walking up to this vehicle with a handgun killing driver Christopher Clanch.

This man seen running to confront the gunman is then shot. Police say he's former Twin Falls officer Austin James Scott. He survives. The gunman returning to the drive-thru firing more rounds inside. Police say his gun jams. He goes to his car and retrieves a rifle. Inside the restaurant, sheer panic as this off-duty state trooper climbs over the counter with his gun, ushering employees to safety.

He and the gunman exchanging fire. Outside, the gunman runs and falls, getting back up, returning to the window, letting off another barrage of bullets. Video recorded by a witness shows the moment Good Samaritan Jordan Salinas also engages the gunman, forcing him to run away. At a nearby Tesla charging station, the gunman shoots three additional people killing Del Schultz inside his car. The shooter, entering a visitor center, you see people. crouching down, hiding just feet away. He leaves, engaging outside with a brave employee who appears to talk with the gunman. Police say that man distracted him long enough, allowing others to get away. To that young man, you are a hero. Where do you go? That way? The gunman is last seen

going down a nearby trail, officers running close behind. Hey, show me your hands. This is the moment officers confront the gunmen before police say he dies by suicide. Investigates. Investigates. praising not only the heroic actions of bystanders, but the enormous response by law enforcement. This is by far the most extreme, complex, and dangerous situation that is completely unprecedented for our community. Dana Griffin joins us tonight. Dana, people at home are going to be watching this asking the same question. What is the motive here? Why? Yeah, and that's the question. Investigators are still trying to work out. They say they have not determined a motive. The FBI, however, is asking for people with new information or video to come forward.

And Tom, in and out just posted that they have reopened that restaurant that has been closed since the shooting, saying that they are doing so with the thoughts of their associates and customers in mind. Tom? Dana Griffin, leading us off here on Top Story. Thank you. Now I want to update on Puerto Rico, the water shut off for hundreds of thousands of people near San Juan. In an effort to ration what is left after a severe drought. But as taps run dry for residents, many hotels appear to be operating as usual.

George Solis is there again tonight. Tonight, the water is now shut off for hundreds of thousands in Puerto Rico. Taps going dry as part of the American Territory's drastic water rationing measures to conserve during a historic drought. For two days at a time, on a rotating basis, families are being forced to live off what water they have saved. It's getting, I would say, to the point, very critical. when you're trying to like panic and see like, oh my God, what are we going to do? How can something like this happen in America? I don't even know.

In the capital city of San Juan, we met Juan Burgos and his daughter Allison filling up their containers. They've been without water for a week now, even before the rolling shutoffs began. Inside their home, an emergency reserve. If you try to do this today, there's no guarantee that I will get at least one. This community is one that should have water today. Let's take a look. But then came the moment of truth. It's a joke.

A trickle in both his kitchen and shower. That's the man need to not recommend to anybody. Not anymore war center me. No. In nearby Trujillo Alto, 84-year-old Carmen Caloka has water, but only because she has a large water tank that sits at the top of her home.

She's been sharing it with her neighbors. But then her tank began running low and with disabilities, her only recourse was to call town leaders and plead with them to bring her more water. She calls Puerto Rico a porqueria, a trash dump. Tonight, FEMA says it's closely monitoring the drought conditions and that the agency is working with the Puerto Rican government

to provide water trailers. George Delees joins us now live from San Juan. George, we see that water truck there behind you. People across the area are going without, but for tourists at many hotels, things seem pretty normal. Yeah, that's right, Tom. The hotels that we stopped at today appear to, be operating normally for now. This, as the Hotel and Tourism Association says, they've

activated their contingency plans. But still, the reality for so many Puerto Ricans, like this gentleman filling this water tank here into the evening hours, this is a crisis that appears to be getting so much worse before it gets better with no relief in sight. Tom? George Solis and his team there covering that story in Puerto Rico. We're also following breaking news out of Utah tonight, an urgent rescue mission underway for the crew of a firefighting helicopter that crash just south of Salt Lake City as it battled the wide mouth to fire. I want to bring in NBC's Ryan Chandler, who is tracking several wildfires out west for us tonight. Ryan, what do we know about who was on board and what happened?

Well, Tom, the fear is that these were firefighters. We know that the two people on board were on a Sikorsky S-64 aircraft, which is a common model for attacking fires from the air. This happened in Richfield, Utah, over a massive fire there, the wide mouth too, massive fire in central Utah there. No official confirmation yet on fatalities or injuries. However, we see Governor Spencer Cox reflecting on social media tonight, saying this is a, quote, painful reminder of the extraordinary risks these brave men and women accept to protect us.

And here in Spokane, we've certainly seen that bravery on display as they fight fires here as well. Yeah, Ryan, you mentioned there you're in Spokane, where crews have been battling wildfires around the clock this week. and now reinforcements are coming in from across the country? You know, just a few hours ago, we were speaking with the assistant fire chief here in Spokane, and he said there is no community in the country that is equipped to handle a disaster like this.

I just want to show you some of the scale on this neighborhood block. As far as you can see, there's probably 10 houses, but you can see clear down because every one of them was just reduced to ash and burnt brick. That is why they are receiving reinforcements from all across the... the country, some 27 states sending firefighters as many as 3,000 on the ground this weekend

because they know the extreme fire risk is only going to worsen as the winds pick up, the temperature rises, and the humidity drops to some 14% right now. This entire area could go up with one single ember officials warns, so they are staffed around the clock working 24-7 to try and keep the upper hand on these fires. As we've seen all day, neighbors finally getting to return to some areas to see what's left, Tom. Yeah, they've got to be really careful out there. Okay, Ryan Chandler, Ryan, thank you. Now to Washington, D.C. and the new roadblock for President Trump's White House ballroom renovations

and appeals court blocking further construction, setting up a potential showdown at the Supreme Court. Ryan Nobles has the details. Tonight, a major setback for President Trump's massive ballroom on the White House complex. An appeals court ruling the construction process should have been approved by Congress. above ground construction halted, but paused their ruling so the administration can appeal to the Supreme Court, a path President Trump has already promised to take, calling it a, quote, unjust decision that must be overturned by the Supreme Court in its entirety. The president now calling it a military project because of the national security enhancements being built in the ballroom's

basement. We're building a great ballroom and a military facility as part of it, and it's incredible. Do you buy that? There's no way that this gilded boondoggle is a military installation. But Republicans saying it's needed. I mean, the security will be much better there. Once you're on White House grounds, the security is pretty breathtaking. The plaintiff organization arguing that the president is just a tenant of the White House, a point the judges agreed with. All right, Ryan Nobles joins us from the West Winger just outside of it. Ryan, we see those cranes behind you. Construction could last for another two weeks, right?

Yes, hon, but it would only be on a very specific part of this construction project that you see here behind me. And that would be the underground security system. The judge is allowing that to continue, even though there are some questions from the plaintiffs that the White House is going above and beyond that very specific parameter as this construction moves forward. But the judges in their ruling today making it very clear. They only have a 14-day window to take this issue up with the Supreme Court, or all construction will be halted immediately. Tom. Okay, Ryan Nobles there at the White House for us.

Ryan, thank you. Now, a new warning signs for the U.S. economy and unexpected labor reports showing businesses slash thousands of jobs last month. But late today, a big rally on Wall Street with stocks hitting a new record high. Our Gabe Gutierrez has fallen at all from the White House. Tonight, the surprising job losses. The Labor Department now saying the U.S. lost 23,000 jobs in July. Economists had expected to gain 83,000. The White House downplaying the figures.

These are very noisy data. It's very, very noisy. And touting an uptick in manufacturing jobs. Stocks closing at a record high today, and the president says his ramped-up deportations are helping too. As illegal aliens go home, the cost of rent, groceries, and other staples is coming down very fast. But polls show fewer Americans approve of his handling of the economy.

While the Iran War keeps the national average for gas above $4 a gallon. It is frustrating. It is hard. It's annoying and it's frustrating. And hopefully we can get a grip on it pretty soon. Now the president says Republicans may face an uphill battle, energizing GOP voters for the midterms, since he's not on the ballot. The question is, will they vote? Because a lot of them are very angry.

And Republicans, to be honest with you. Why is they? I don't know. I mean, they're angry at Republicans, but they're not angry at me. That's an interesting thing. Why? They're not angry at me. Gabe Gutierrez joins us from the White House.

Gabe, the unemployment rate actually ticked down. That's normally an encouraging sign, but this is a little more complicated. Explain. Yeah, that's right, Tom. Look, the unemployment rate did drop a bit to 4.1%. Analysts say, though, that's at least partly because more people stop looking for work. and it is a complicated economic picture. As we said, the number of jobs' loss was much more than expected,

but the administration is really trying to make that argument, trying to look at those positive signs, as you mentioned, the record stock market, and also the uptick in manufacturing job. The major question will be, Tom, will they be able to convince voters ahead of these midterm elections, and also the big uncertainty here, the big question mark for many voters,

what will be the effect on gas prices, this Iran war continues time. Okay, good points there. Gabe, we thank you. Tonight, Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, ordered to pay nearly a billion dollars after a New Mexico judge found the company knowingly designed its apps in a way that harms children and teens. Brian Chung has the details. In a major blow, Meta being told by a New Mexico judge to pay up and even change up its platforms,

including Instagram and Facebook. The judge comparing meta to a factory and psychological harm too, and sexual exploitation of children to be the pollution that must be abated. New Mexico's Attorney General Raul Torres brought the civil case against Mehta. While it is a victory, it is also something that highlights what comes next. What we must continue to do to advance this fight. A jury in March found that Mehta knowingly designed its apps to be addictive and harmful to teens, slapping Meadow with a $375 million penalty.

A judge saying Mehta must now pay another $567 million. The judge also demanding new features for under 18 users, like mandatory usage time limits of 90 hours per month, and banners shown once a month to highlight meta safety features. Meta says it will appeal the decision, adding that they, quote, have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content. Something CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about in deposition video as part of the trial. You need to constantly be vigilant and improve our systems in order to be able to identify the bad actors. META faces further legal challenges this month, including a federal court battle with the first of 29 states alleging that the company is contributing to the youth mental health crisis. As social media companies battle back against allegations they're polluting the internet. Okay, Brian Chung joins us now live in studio.

So, Brian, you mentioned this federal case involving META as well. What's at the core of that case? Yeah, well, these are 29 states that are arguing that META violated consumer protection laws. And in some cases, violated federal children's privacy. law as well. They're going to face the first four of those 29 states in a trial in Oakland. That's going to begin next week, jury selection on Wednesday with the opening statements the week after that. Tom, Metta is saying that those 29 states are asking for $1.4 trillion. So that could be a very, very important court case to watch.

Wow. Okay. Brian Chung for us. Brian, good to see you here. We appreciate you being here. Okay. When we come back tonight, the ballpark legal battle, a woman suing after getting hit in the head with a flying bat. Could the New York Yankees be held responsible? responsible. Plus, Amanda Knox, the American suiting convicted and later acquitted of killing her roommate, debuting a new comedy show tonight about the ordeal, why her roommate's family is outraged. And the terrifying close call overseas, look at this, a huge hippo charging after a group of tourists, how they got away. Stay with us. We're back down with a new lawsuit against the New York Yankees, a woman suing the team for $10 million over the moment you're watching right now, a bat flying right out of a Cleveland

guardian infielder Jose Ramirez's hands, hitting her in the head while she was sitting in the stands behind home plate. Her lawyer argues the protective netting, which you see there, was lower than the netting in nearby sections. If you've ever been to a Yankee Stadium, have you ever been to Yankee Stadium or other ballparks? You've probably seen those signs around the stadium, which warned fans to look out for both stray foul balls and bats.

Sometimes people laugh about the bats part of it, but it can actually happen as it happened to this woman. NBC News is out to the Yankees for comment, but so far we have not heard back. Here's walk us through the case, a friend of Top Story, and NBC News legal analyst, Angela, Senadella. Angela, so great to see you again. So does this woman have a case?

Look, I think she's certainly arguing for a case, but the question here is whose risk was this? Who assumed the risk? Now, she is obviously arguing here that it is the Yankees' fault because the netting should have been higher. But what the Yankees are likely going to defend themselves with is what you just said.

The fact that there are signs everywhere, the fact that there are just disclaimers and that anyone who generally goes to a baseball game assumes a risk of possibly getting hit. I mean, I've bumped into you randomly at Yankees game before, and when you go, you realize it could be a possibility. And you're saying it's not only like on the seats, the warnings, it's also on the ticket. I've been told to there's warnings on the tickets. Yeah, it's working on the tickets. And it's actually not even just that. It's even the fact that when you go to a place like that,

a reasonable consumer should be paying attention because there is the expectation that it's possible. I mean, yes, yes, I agree. But also, I mean, that back came fast, right? And And I don't know how old this woman is, but I mean, even if you have quick cat-like reflexes like myself, I don't know if I would have been able to dodge that bat. Yeah, so that's certainly, you know, what she is arguing there. But I also think if you sit in a place like that that is very close, the assumption of risk could be higher because you should be paying more attention, even if there is netting. So let's talk about negligence. If her lawyer's right and the netting is a little bit lower in this section that it was in other sections, is there negligence there then? So there's no direct law that's like if you don't have.

netting this high, then it means that somebody can sue. But what that does reflect is the industry standard, and that is where all negligence cases live and die. So the industry standard is netting of a certain level, and the Yankee Stadium in here had the netting at a tiny bit lower level, then that gap could be used to say that difference is where the negligence lawsuit exists. I don't know, but do we know how extensive her injuries were? Do we know what exactly happened to her?

So she alleges that it was a traumatic brain injury that happened as a result. injury from the back. Yes, exactly. But I have to say there is a problem. And that is that two weeks after this alleged incident, she appeared on television. And she looked really composed. And she seemed to understand what was happening. And so that could easily be used against her as evidence. Wow. So let me ask, the Yankees obviously don't want this kind of publicity, right? You're a fan. Ticket prices are expensive. You go. You get nailed in the face with a baseball bat. Obviously, she was a Yankees fan that was hurt in some way. At some point, do they settle? Or do you think they will take this as far as they can to kind of fight this,

so they don't keep getting sued. Yeah, so Tom, I'm going to say suits like this happen often, and they pretty much always settle, which is why there's not even precedents like this. I'm actually surprised it got to the stage because usually before this, a demand letter is sent, but the Yankees decided not to settle, perhaps because the number she was asking for was too high.

But usually suits don't even get to this level. They stop at a demand letter. If she's successful, I mean, does it sort of open a can of worms and people that get hit by balls or anything else? Could it be a thing? Absolutely, but that's also why the Yankees will likely settle because they don't want to go in front of a jury. They don't want to have the jury have a verdict then that says that the Yankees are liable here because then people would bring many, many more lawsuits. Jose Ramirez is a baseball player? Is he liable at all?

No, I'm sure he's not. I'm sure he's protected by his team, by the MLB. Some Yankee fans may want to see him get sued, but maybe not. Okay, Angela, we thank you so much for that. Great to see you too. When we come back to debate dividing the Jersey Shore and the Internet, should you be allowed to bring your own birthday? birthday cake to a restaurant. We ask a manners expert. Plus, the race to save a base jumper trapped on a cliff. Look at this. How rescuers used a helicopter to pull him to safety.

But first, top story's top moment in another high-flying video. This one involving a record-breaking stunt. Check this out. 97-year-old Betty Bromache just became the oldest female wing walker flying on the outside of a small plane. She told the BBC, chasing thrills like this keeps life interesting as she gets older. When you get old, you can't go here. You can't do this. You can't drive.

You can't see. I can't see very well. And I get a bit frustrated. So I want to do the things that I can do. 97 years old, strapped to an airplane. Can you believe it? It wasn't Betty's first time flying on the outside of a plane. She actually broke her own wing walking record set several years ago.

The sky's definitely the limit for Betty. Okay. Stay with us. More top story right after this break. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we're starting with a close call for a group of tourists in Botswana. Riding on a boat when this huge hippo, look at this, started chasing after them. The person who took the video called it one of the most terrifying moments she's ever experienced. Hippos are known to be extremely territorial.

Researchers say they kill about 500 people in Africa every year. Wow. In Arizona, base jumper hanging on for dear life. Look at this one. He gets caught on this narrow rock wall. It happened in the superstition mountains east of Phoenix. First responders answering the call for help, rappelling down from a rescue chopper and pulling that jumper to safety.

No word tonight, though, on their condition. Shocking video out of Florida, a police officer had his camera rolling when a bolt of lightning hit a water tower. You got to see this. The powerful strike sending, wow, look at that, sparks and smoke into the air. The Bradenton Police Department says the officer was on call in his car when a loud clap of thunder made him look up just in time to see the lightning.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and that water tower appears to be. to be okay. And a history-making moment in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray, knocking down a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. But she wasn't done there. With the clock winding down, Gray hit another big three to seal the win over the Indiana fever. She's now the first player in league history to score two buzzer beaters in the same game, one to end regulation, one to end OT. And tonight, a controversial comedy show debuting to a live audience. Amanda Knox, the woman convicted and later acquitted of killing her roommate in Italy, now sharing that story in a one-woman show.

Her roommate's family, furious, but the show was sold out. NBC's Janice Mackey Freyer has reaction for fans. Who were there? It was roughly 20 years ago that Amanda Knox first captured the world's attention, accused of killing her roommate, Meredith Kircher, while they were students in Italy. Knox then convicted and years later acquitted. Now she's back in the spotlight. This time as the star of a one-woman comedy show at the fringe festival in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Her material tested on stage previously in Seattle. Guilty. Innocent. Innocence. Her sold-out show Cartwheel facing backlash. 10,000 people signing a petition against it. And Kircher's family speaking out. We felt very strongly that the violence surrounding the theme is not appropriate for a platform.

comedy show but Knox who spent four years in prison says she's trying to tell her story she's also written two books and talked to Tom last year about her two children I want to be honest with them and transparent with them nothing is nothing about me is taboo outside the show in Scotland tonight support she has obviously found a way to use humor to you know help us survive For a performer raising fresh questions over what qualifies as humor. Tom, for the most part, reaction to Amanda Knox's show has been supportive. People outside the venue after the performance said that it was emotional, engaging, powerful. They described it as something that was hard for her to do and that it's something that people should see before they judge.

Yet there are still many people who remain deeply uncomfortable with the memory of Mary. Meredith Kircher forming a part of this show. Remember, this was one of those rare cases that became a global obsession. What started as a murder investigation quickly evolved into a media circus. Every single development, every twist in the tail became a global headline. For years, people were deeply divided over Amanda Knox's role in what happened. And now nearly 20 years later, it seems the controversy still lingers. Okay, Janice, Mackey Freyer for us. Janice, thank you. Taking a turn now to the Jersey Shore where a pizza shop is facing some heat. A staffer caught on camera yelling at customers for bringing a birthday cake to the restaurant, and it's starting a debate. Some defending the diners while others saying the restaurant was just enforcing the rules. NBC's Valerie Castro dives into this debate. It's the pizza shop squabble that has the internet talking. We just want to cut the cake.

How about if I just put your house in the cake? I would say yeah. It's inappropriate. A customer recording as a staffer at the Jersey Shore Pizzeria Joey Tomatoes appears to yell at customers for bringing in an outside cake and asking for a knife to cut it. It's a restaurant. It's a five-year-old birthday party. It's a five-year-old birthday party. The incident was already in progress as the recording starts and it's not clear exactly what happened before.

But that hasn't stopped social media users from weighing in on the viral moment. This restaurant owner just blew up her entire business. over birthday cake. I am on Mrs. Joey Tomatoes' side. And you're telling me that you can't go get them a knife to cut their five-year-old's birthday cake. The restaurant this week is showing a statement titled, Every Story Has Two Sides, saying in part, we are a pizza restaurant, not a party venue, not a bakery, not a rental

hall, and that every restaurant on this boardwalk has policies that exist for real reasons, food safety, liability, order in a kitchen running full speed on a summer night. They declined NBC News request for an interview. Etiquette expert Thomas Farley, who goes by Mr. Manners, weighing in from the boardwalk. The restaurant owner can always say no to a request, right? But what was it about this interaction that is not sitting right with people? No can take many forms. A form that this note took was aggressive.

It was very non-customer friendly. The man who recorded and posted the video didn't respond to our request for an interview. The damage, honestly, has been done. I don't want to keep reliving this story or, you know, keep contributing to affecting people's livelihoods. But adding this about the incident. My hope is that, you know, everyone involved learns from this and that future customers are treated with a little bit more kindness and respect, especially when they want to just create positive moments. It's a five-year-old birthday party. It's a five-year-old birthday party.

The restaurant doubling down, posting, we are going to. considering a new tagline. We don't do cake. We do pizza. We all know the famous saying let them eat cake. Normally that's not a nice thing to say to someone, but I think in this instance here at Joey Tomatoes in Point Pleasant, I think the nice thing would have been let them meet their cake. Valerie Castro joins me out. Valerie is the father to three wonderful kids. I know there is a process and a protocol for this when you want to bring a birthday cake to a restaurant. So what did Mr. Manners tell you? I mean the hard and fast and easiest role to remember is to call the restaurant and see what their policies are. It's not surprising that a restaurant might have rules against

bringing in outside food, but some restaurants might say, hey, it's okay, but we're going to charge you a cake-cutting fee. Similar to a restaurant that doesn't have a liquor license, and they might be a B-Y-O-B type of place, they will charge you a corkage fee to open the bottle of wine. So call the restaurant. In this case, it sounds like there may have been some miscommunication. The family apparently called and was told it was okay, but obviously the reaction from the employee there is what has everyone talking. But we don't. know what happened in the moments leading up to that video. We only know what was recorded. Very, very smart way to put it. You're right. All right, Valerie, we thank you for that.

Great Americans, where we talk to people who have achieved so much about their life and this country. Tonight, someone who we featured here on Top Story before, a remarkable young woman who survived a shark attack and is now working to keep others safe in our oceans. Our Great American this week, Lulu Grimmin. What do you love about America? I think the community. There is something that is so special about. about the community of America. Growing up in Alabama, 17-year-old Lulu Gribben always looked at the water as an oasis.

I love just getting to feel the water and the wind of my back, and that's, it's one of the best feelings. But a visit to Florida's Gulf Coast two years ago changed Gribbon's life forever. I remember I was swimming in the water with all my friends. I turned around and heard my best friend scream shark.

Seconds later, that shark attacked. A bit off my left arm, first and then my right leg. Video from the beach shows the moments after the attack and the rush to save her. And then a man came. He actually punched the shark off of me while I was still attached to my right leg. Beachgoers racing her back to safety. And then I blacked out in another man's arm and lost consciousness.

Lulu rushed to the hospital, ultimately losing her left hand and right leg. But she survived, remembering the moment she woke up. Do you remember what you said? The first words I said were I made it because I knew that it was such a miracle that I made it and that it doesn't matter what the outcome looks like that I'm going to keep pushing, keep striving to move forward. The recovery was grueling, learning to walk and live her life with prosthetics. Months later, she even courageously went back to the beach and back into the water. But during her rehab, she learned something stunning. A woman had been attacked by a shark just no. 90 minutes before her at a nearby beach. Why was no one warned? Lulu knew she had to do something. This bill will allow us to help future accidents and future shark attacks. That's her speaking in front of the Alabama House of Representatives. And just a few months ago, on the U.S. House floor in

Washington as Congress passed Lulu's law. The rules are suspended. The bill is passed. What is Lulu's law? So Lulu's law functions the exact same way as an Amber Alert. but for shark attacks. So when a shark attack has occurred in the water, it sends an alert and notification to your phone to let you know that there is something dangerous happening in the area that you are in. Has there been a time maybe through the legislative process

or trying to get Lulu's law passed that you felt proud to be an American? Definitely. It was being on the house floor, that was just, I was in awe, definitely, and that was one of the best experiences I will ever experience in my lifetime. But really, when I was just,

I want to do with my future is be able to help other amputees. She started a foundation last year, distributing $150,000 in research grants to help other amputees. My foundation is called the Lulu Strong Foundation. And I feel like a lot of times my story is focused on the shark attack, but now it's beyond that. And our goal is to be able to raise money and give that to other companies and organizations who are researching into technology that helps amputees. A teenager, overcoming all odds and reminding us to keep pushing forward. Even though I have two prosthetics, that doesn't define me. I'm still the same Lulu, and nothing has changed on the inside

except for just growing stronger and continuing to strive for more. And we can't wait to see what Lulu does in the future. Coming up next, a scientific marvel joins us here in the Top Story Studio. Meet Bailey the Beagle genetically modified to not cause sneezing or itchy eyes for those who are allergic to dogs. We'll talk to her owner about how he did it and how soon you could get a dog like Bailey right after this. We're back now with a very special guest here on the top story set. Meet Bailey, the genetically edited hypoallergenic beagle. Though just one tweak to her DNA, scientists were able to turn off that protein that causes most dog allergies.

Now she lives in New York City with Matt Walker, co-founder and CEO of Kinderd Companion Sciences, the company behind the project. Matt, thanks so much for joining us. So to sort of make sense of what I just said there, this dog can be given to people that are allergic to dogs. Yeah, so Bailey, just to give you some context behind this story, so we used CRISPR, which you can think of as sort of tiny molecular scissors. Yeah. To make a small cut in the major allergen gene and prevent that from being produced. So I've had allergies my whole life, but I've lived with Bailey for over a year now and haven't experienced a single allergic reaction. And how do you, and well, besides you being the guinea pig here, how are you guys able to know for sure that other people with dog allergies could have Bailey as a pet?

Yeah, so the interesting thing is that this allergen gene has actually been known for 30 years as the major allergen gene that people respond to. So our work is really building on decades of scientific research that's understood and characterized this specific gene. If Bailey were to have puppies, would they carry those same traits that she has? Yeah, exactly. So since every cell in Bailey carries this precise genetic change, her pups would also carry it, assuming she mates with a dog who also has the child. For people out there, they're like, listen, I just want a dog, I just want a puppy. This one was created in a lab.

What would you say? Is it a normal dog? I mean, she looks like she acts like a normal dog. She's been here for a little bit. Yeah, well, we've been carefully monitoring her health and development over her life so far, and as presented in this paper that we just published a couple days ago, so far, she's completely healthy. normally, but the paper's really only a starting point, and we'll be continuing to monitor

over her. And she has a twin brother? She has a twin sister, yes. Oh, twin sister, okay. Yeah. And is the same deal? Yeah, Alfie lives down in Florida with my co-founder's family. Wow, that's incredible. How long do you think it'll take for dogs like this to be able to be purchased for families that have maybe kids that are very sensitive to allergies? So animals with genetic edits are actually regulated by FDA in the States, so we're still proceeding through that pathway carefully and responsibly before we're able to talk about any sort of commercial of ability. Is it still pretty far away from happening?

It could be a matter of years, but we really don't have a good sense at this point. We're still engaging with regulators. People out there might say there's so many dogs and shelters, there's so many other breeds out there. There's already, I think, aren't labrodoodles? They're hypoallergenic, aren't they, sort of, right? Yeah, so there's this term hypoallergenic that really just refers to dogs that shed less hair.

Okay. But dogs as a species all have this gene, and studies have shown that it's produced at the same amount in their saliva. Regardless of these dogs that are marketed that way. Exactly. So my family got a golden doodle right when I left for college and every time I went home, I had the same allergic reaction to this supposedly hypohellergenic breed as I did to end up that. And they started loving the dog more than you and so you had just a lot of this baggage against this dog. Why do this? Yeah, I mean, allergies are a real health problem. They contribute to over a hundred or sorry, a million asthmatic attacks every year and they prevent people from experience

life with a dog. And there are also numerous benefits to having a dog, as I've experienced personally over the past year or so. I mean, they get you into the park and interacting with the whole community. We're also really excited about applying our work to service animals to try and help people who are allergic and could really benefit from a guide dog, for instance, or a seeing-eye dog. Yeah. She's really loving this treat here.

No, no, it's all good. Can you do the same with cats? So there are other groups that are sort of working on cat allergens in that biology, but I'm We're really focused on dogs. Is it different in every animal? Is it more complex, or is it kind of the science is the same? Yeah, the main consideration with any genetic edit is that you want to make sure it doesn't affect the animal health or development.

And so genes have different functions in different animals, and those might be different in a cat, for instance. Is there a reason why you guys pick beagles? We were working with an experienced veterinary team, and they had established protocols in place for this breed. But the allergen gene, as I said, is conserved across breeds, so our goal is now to expand to other groups. How long it take to do this? How long you've been working on this for? So I had the idea before starting my PhD in genetics in 2020 is when I started the company.

I've been really working on it since then. Okay, we thank you so much for being here. This is really cool, and Bailey was a good dog. I know I was going to town and eating, but it seems like a really good dog. And thanks so much for this, and maybe we'll see this out there on the marketplace at some point. You never know. When we come back, we'll tell you why this man has been living inside a billboard on Sunset Boulevard. all will be answered on Bingeworthy right after this. We're back now with Bingeworthy, our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And joining us tonight, a good friend of ours from Rotten Tomatoes, editor Jacqueline Coley. Jacqueline, so great to see you.

So, thanks for being here. Thanks for being here. Okay, so we're going to start out with a docu series from the director of Tiger King. So if you love Tiger King, you may love this next one. It's called Monsters of God. It's on HBO Max. Let's take a look. We were rogues, and I was the king.

Now, how deadly is this King Cobra? Well, you would certainly die. Characic Park made everyone want to have their own dinosaur in their house. He wanted the most rare him unusual, no matter the consequences. All right, we got a true crime docu-series here about the trafficking of, I guess, rare animals and the overlap with drug and weapons cartels. Definitely. And unlike Tiger King, although it's from the same folks, this is from the folks at 824,

It's much less sensationalized take on this sort of area. And it goes deeper into the fact that a lot of nefarious characters end up being a part of the reptile community and doing a lot of other things along the side. Oh, it sounds really interesting. So the connection with the Tiger King here, if you love Tiger King, will you love this? I think you'll appreciate it. But if you're looking for a Carol Bastion, sort of like Joe War, it's not like that. Although it does have characters that you will fall in love with like that. But it's a little bit more docu-series, like in the sense of like examining and prosecuting.

some of the philosophies these folks. All right. Next up is The Shard. So many people are talking about this. It's on Hulu. It's an 80 series about super rich kids at a prep school, and of course, killings. Let's take a look. There's something very wrong with him.

You always embellish everything. You should actually make a little bit of an effort to become my friend. Or else what, proper. Their girl is missing. What do you mean missing? something going on. All right, created by Ryan Murphy from Glee, an American horror story. People usually love his stuff.

So is this entertaining? I know people can't get enough of it. Yeah, it's very Ryan Murphy, but it's also very Brett Easton Ellis. And this is sort of his semi-biographical story of himself growing up in the 80s. This is the man that's behind American Psycho, but also behind less than zero. And so this is a new glossy version of that time where people were rich and living to excess. And I really do love the casting behind this. They have people like Kyah Gerber in it.

And it's really, I think, fun time in history to see it is now a period piece. Yeah. What's the age range for this one? Is this adult only? It's very adult, yeah, very adult. I would say if you want to watch rich people behaving badly and doing a lot of very dangerous, murderous things. I mean, this was the time of the billionaire's boys club when these guys were doing these social clubs that ended up in murder. This was that same time frame.

Is this graphic like Euphoria's graphic or not that graphic? It's on effects, so there's a lot of sex and a lot of drugs. But if you watch the Menendez show from a few years ago, it very much has that vibe. Tracks that way. Okay. Now to another thriller. People also are loving this one. It's on Netflix.

It's called The Last House, and it's about a family sealed inside their home with no way out. Sometimes I feel like that at my home. Okay. Here's a clip. It's not just us. But most importantly, love each other. I saw someone else like today. What is something else?

He's keeping us trapped. All right, getting quarantine vibes here. Maybe some memories from the COVID era. This is really great. They also had a super smart marketing campaign. Let's roll the video. They had a man who they were paying to live inside of a billboard on Sunset Boulevard. This obviously got a lot of buzz because the guy was living out there,

trapped, I guess, in the billboard just like people were trapped inside their home for this. Kind of bizarre, but obviously it gets people talking. So it's a good marketing campaign. right there. Tell us more about this one, Jacqueline. Well, first of all, shout out to Netflix. They own a billboard company. That's the only way they could make that happen, I think. But, no, it's great. Greta Lee and then also Wagner Mora, who folks remember from the Secret Agent, the Oscar-nominated movie from last year, they play this family trapped inside here. And if you remember these movies like the one from Sandra Bullock where they couldn't necessarily speak or movies like Hush,

it's this idea of a premise that keeps you trapped, Cloverfield Lane, something like that. But I don't want to give too much as to why they're trapped. But I will say, it's a survival story, a dystopian story, but a family story at the center of it. And the danger is, how do you explain to kids that things have gotten worse than what they seem? Oh, wow, that's tough. Netflix, it's a movie, again, maybe a little late-night thriller, but sounds great. Next up, we can laugh now. Ted Lassow, season four? Yes, season four. Let's take a look. Boy, welcome back.

It's good to see here. You do. I am one of these rare humans on this planet that has never seen Ted Lassso. I know, and I know this is your jam, so you can take it away. Just go. Wax Poetic on it. Yeah, this one is actually already getting rave reviews from critics. It's the fourth season, but it's actually a new team.

This is actually the girls' team for the first time. So Ted Lassow is trying to weave his magic on a new group of young ladies. We do have some familiar faces like Coach Beard. Also, we have Roy Kent and Keely, and, of course, our owner, played by Hading Warrington. But this time around, I think folks are really going to appreciate, is Ted Lassau is not the center stage. It is actually Roy Kent that's taking over as somebody that has to be the leader behind the scenes. And the ladies, the newcomers, they're absolutely hilarious. And it's already certified fresh on the tomato meter, the fourth within the series to do so.

And so what is it? It's fresh. I mean, what is that? Is it great? It means like critics are raving about it. It's 89% certified. Oh, 89. Wow.

That's a big one. Certified fresh, which means it's our highest distinction. And I will say it's not going to have the magic of the first three seasons. of Ted Lassow. That was literally... Well, I was going to ask you about that. But it sounds like you're excited about it as a fan. You like it. I am because I feel like it's very well written. Jason Sudeikis is a perfect version of Ted Lassau. And he's also kind of tying it into his own sort of like personal life where he's become very dedicated to women's sports himself. And that was actually what sort of gave him the lightning idea to say, if we're going to continue this, this is how we can do it. The way I see this is that once I watch it, I can binge four seasons of it. So I will be just like trapped in my house, much like that other show.

Okay. Our next one is from the mothership, Peacock. We love. We love Peacock. Remember, we do. We love it. No. Peacock's great. And this show sounds great. It's called Miss X. It comes in from New Zealand. It's about a suburban mom that is working with a private detective to sort of find out about her husband, but then gets wrapped up in all kinds of things. Let's take a look. I feel like I'm a supporting character in my own life. Oh, Oscar? It's Mia. Oh, snap. Mia the kettle? Oh my God, it's been like 10 years. This is like everything all good? Oh, it's my husband Jerry. I found some underway today. And he left his wedding wings at home. Jerry, come home last night.

I've got to go. All right. Sometimes when they import stuff from other countries, it is really good. This one comes from New Zealand, I should say. How is it? It actually is like good girls. The show that was on NBC meets Breaking Bad, where the two are kind of come together,

where she goes into this idea of like, where's my husband? Is he cheating on me? And she goes on this adventure, and she finds out, no, this is much more dangerous, but she also figures out she has an aptitude for the danger. Okay. So our lead character ends up maybe being somebody by the end of the series that's just as dangerous as the people that she gets involved in.

This one again's on Peacock. It's a series. I think I'm going to watch this one. This one's up up my alley. We got some new music that we're excited about on this Friday. First up, role model. If you like him, you might like his new song. It's called Harmony. We have a fun fact about this song we think, right? Yeah, I don't know this for sure. But as I was listening to the song of the folks that don't know, his girlfriend is Dakota Johnson. And the voice, I've heard her sing in movies before. It sounds so similar to her. I just wonder if she snuck on there as a back or a back in a track. Because that happens sometimes.

I mean, Paul Meskell actually wrote on his girlfriend's last album. I don't want to accuse her if she's not. But it does sound very familiar to some of the work that I've seen her do with her voice on screen. Well, now we can listen for it. A nice little harmony song, I will say, too, if you like something that's a little bit more easy listening. All right. Jacqueline Coley, thanks so much for being here. Rotten Tomatoes.

Check her out there. And we thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamas in New York. Stay right there. on the way. 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 week nights at seven on NBC News Now. Now. Thank you.