Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, December 20, 2024

Episode Date: December 21, 2024

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.

Tonight, breaking news, the House passing a last-minute deal to avert a government shutdown. Lawmakers agree in just moments ago to fund the government through March 14th. The bill, with bipartisan support, clearing a two-thirds majority requirement to get through the House, now headed to the Senate with just hours to go before the midnight deadline. House Speaker Mike Johnson confirming both President-elect Trump and Elon Musk signed off on the deal. Ryan Noble, standing by live for us on the Hill. Also breaking tonight the deadly Christmas market attack in Germany, a car driving full speed through a crowd of shoppers. The suspect later seemed putting his hands up, surrendering to authorities.

Officials confirming at least two people killed, including a child. Dozens more left injured. The late details just coming in. Historic holiday travel, a record 120 million Americans set to take to the roads, the rails, and the skies as they head home for the holidays. long lines already stretching through major airports. This has a wave of cold winter weather rolls into the northeast. Are Bill Karin standing by? Plus, inside Russia are Keir Simmons gaining rare access inside the nation at war.

Speaking to Russians from across the country about what life is really like under Vladimir Putin, their thoughts on the war in Ukraine, and their fears for the future. Addicted to the market? The growing number of people who can't stop trading stocks on their phones. Gamblers' Anonymous meetings now filling up with day traders. So what's driving this growing trend will explain. See through TV, LG unveiling the world's first transparent television will tell you the eye-popping price tag to be able to see through your screen. And Rocking Reunion Beatles legend Paul McCartney bringing out his old bandmate Ringo star in a surprise appearance.

The two surviving members of one of the music's most iconic bands playing some of their biggest hits in front of a band. the Packed London Stadium, the other member of Rock Royalty, who joined them on stage. And the plane forced to make an emergency landing on a New York highway will show it to you how the three people on board are doing tonight. Top story starts right now. And good evening, I'm Tom Yamas. We begin with that breaking news just moments ago. The House of Representatives passing a critical spending bill, taking one step into a critical spending bill,

taking one step closer to averting a government shutdown. Lawmakers passing the last-minute agreement by more than a two-thirds vote with support from both Republicans and almost every Democrat in the House. It now heads to the Senate, which needs to approve the bill as well before President Biden can sign it into law.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirming to reporters the bill cleared the House with the blessing of both President-elect Trump and Elon Musk, the two men who torpedoed the original budget spending bill and were not able to push a replacement over the finish line last night. The deal funds the government through March 14th and extends aid to both farmers and those affected by the disasters we've been covering.

It does not, however, lift the debt ceiling entirely, which Trump specifically asked Republicans to do. But it does ensure the essential government workers keep getting their paychecks, like the TSA agents expected to process tens of millions of travelers over the next few weeks as the holiday travel season, that ramps up. The agreement capping off a week of bitter infighting among congressional Republicans. Ryan Noble, he's live for us tonight on Capitol Hill with the very latest. Ryan, walk through what happened tonight for our viewers.

Yeah, this has been a very hectic 48 hours for sure, Tom, and we weren't exactly sure what direction Republicans and Democrats were going to go. But eventually, House Speaker Mike Johnson crafted a bill that mentioned all of those things that you talked about, but specifically removed that provision to allow the debt ceiling to be extended for a certain period of time. That was really the difference between bringing along Democratic support. They were able to get that bill over the finish line in the House with just hours to spare. Tonight, House Republicans scrambling in a last-minute effort to prevent a partial federal government shutdown. Voting on their third attempt to come up with a spending deal before a midnight deadline.

The plan passing tonight. We are really grateful that tonight, in bipartisan fashion, with overwhelming majority of votes, we pass the American Relief Act of 2025. The Republican Plan C strips much of what was in the original massive spending deal, a bipartisan plan blown up by last-minute opposition from President-elect Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. The new deal has three parts. It extends government funding through March,

provides $100 billion in new disaster aid, and gives $10 billion in funding for farmers. What it does not include are any provisions to raise or suspend the debt ceiling. something Trump insisted on. But it comes after a major setback for President-elect Trump, after 38 Republicans joined virtually every Democrat, killing a slim-down GOP spending plan last night after Trump had asked the GOP to support it.

Still, Republicans touting this new proposal despite the chaos. We have a clean CR, if we have the farm aid, and we have the disaster relief, then that shows our unity, our ability to effectively legislate Meanwhile, NBC's Gabe Gutierrez pressing the White House. Shouldn't Americans hear from the president of the United States just hours from a shutdown? What Americans need to know is that you have Republicans in Congress in the House who got in a way, who stopped a bipartisan agreement. All of it also highlighting the growing role of billionaire Elon Musk, who will lead Trump's effort to slash wasteful government spending.

Musk slammed the original sprawling 1,500-page spending bill, which was filled full of items unrelated to the funding of government, including allowing for a pay raise for members of Congress. Though Musk did repost a false claim, the bill included $3 billion for a new NFL stadium in Washington. In a phone call Thursday, Trump told NBC News, Musk's actions came with his blessing. I told him that if he agrees with me, he could put out a statement, Trump said, he's looking at things from a cost standpoint. But Democrats slamming Musk's role. How worried are you about the influence that Elon Musk has? I think it's pretty clear that right now Elon Musk is the de facto leader of the House Republicans. I mean, I've literally never seen anything like it. Okay, Ryan joins us again from Capitol Hill. Ryan, walk our viewers through what's next. This bill now goes to the Senate.

Yeah, that's exactly right, Tom. It requires 60 votes in order to pass the Senate. And that means both Republicans and Democrats will have to support it in the Senate as well. But we're already seeing positive feedback from lawmakers, including the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who said that he expects this bill to pass, despite the fact that Democrats did lose out on many of the things that they were hoping would be in this bill in that initial bipartisan deal that Elon Musk and Donald Trump torpedoed.

So, Ryan, take a step back, and it may be a little too early for this question. But what did we learn? What did you learn from covering Capitol Hill about the new administration and the effort led by Elon Musk to tackle government efficiency? Well, I think we learned, Tom, that this could foreshadow the way this process could work from a legislative perspective once the new administration takes office. And one of the things I think many of us on Capitol Hill are going to be doing is that every time a new piece of legislation comes out, we're going to be heading to X, the platform owned by Elon Musk,

to see what his reaction is to this legislation. Because it's clear that how, how Republicans in particular are listening to him. And it also gives us an indication into just how much authority this new Department of Government Efficiency that Elon Musk is running with Vivek Ramoswamy. This, of course, is not a real government agency. It has no statutory power, but it's clear that Elon Musk has a direct line to Donald Trump, that the two are working in lockstep. So the recommendations from this Doge Committee, as it's called, could play a very big role in how spending decisions are made in this upcoming administration. Okay, Ryan Nobles from Capitol Hill for us. Ryan, we thank you for that.

Now we turn to our other major story tonight. You may have heard about this. A Christmas market attack in Germany. At least two people are dead and at least 60 are injured after a car plowed through a crowd of holiday shoppers. That market, you see it here in Magdeburg, a city located about 100 miles southwest of Berlin. Aaron McLaughlin has the late-breaking details as police departments in the U.S. now have to ramp up. up security as well at Christmas markets here at home. Tonight, horror at a crowded Christmas market in Germany, a deadly attack just days before Christmas Eve, captured on chilling surveillance video. You see the moment around 7 p.m., a driver plows a car

into the Magdeburg market, packed with holiday shoppers, the car barely slowing down even as it turns the corner. Footage from the scene shows the driver surrounded by police and pinned to the ground. Though police are describing him as a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia, who came to Germany 18 years ago. The motive unclear, but police suspect the attack was deliberate. The perpetrator acted alone, and we don't believe there are other threats. Germany's state premier told reporters tonight. This footage shows the panic that immediately followed the attack. You hear the sound of a crying baby as bystanders scramble to save the dying and wounded.

Authorities say among the dead an adult, and a small child. Dozens were injured, some seriously. Chilling echoes of two European terror attacks, both from 2016, including when a driver plowed a massive truck through a promenade in Nice, France, killing 86 people. The same year, another driver careened a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12. Officials say both attacks were carried out by Islamic extremists. Both drivers were shot dead by authorities. And now, eight years later, Germany on edge again after another holiday nightmare and tonight aaron mclaughlin joins us from the bryant park christmas market here in manhattan where the nypd says they have stepped up security

in the wake of this attack aaron talked to us about some of your new reporting yeah that's right the nypd says it's stepping up security resources to christmas markets across new york city as well as other high profile locations chicago police also saying that the They're keeping an eye on their Christmas markets as well. While there's no specific or credible threats at this time, there have been threats, according to security officials, at markets overseas. And then, Aaron, walk our viewers through exactly where this happened in Germany, and you spent a lot of time reporting out of Europe.

These Christmas markets are so popular all over that continent. Yeah, that's right, Tom. This happened at a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, which is about an hour and a half. southwest of Berlin. These Christmas markets are heavily guarded. There was that attack back in 2016 against that major market in Berlin. I was actually there in the aftermath of that attack covering of the investigation as there was a manhunt underway. They eventually found the perpetrator days later in Italy and shot and killed him ever since that point in the last eight years.

They have increased security, according to media reports, at these markets, not just in Berlin, but across Germany, as well as across Europe. And there are media reports tonight that there was increased security at this particular Christmas market in question, which is now obviously going to be part of the investigation as to how this particular driver managed to carry out this attack, despite that security. Tom. Erin McLaughlin for us, Aaron, we appreciate that. Back here at home to the busy holiday travel expected over the next day.

next few days, AAA now saying a record 120 million Americans are expected to travel this coming week, but winter weather is set to hit parts of the country, which could create a headache for some people trying to get home. Here's Antonia Hilton with more. It's the start of the biggest holiday travel season in history, with AAA estimating almost 120 million Americans are traveling at least 50 miles from home. But just in time for the travel crush comes tricky weather. Up to six inches of snow will fall across the northeast and gusty winds and colder than average temperatures forecast throughout the Midwest and mid-Atlantic. Fingers crossed all the snow, but it's pretty good so far.

And today, one small plane even landed in the snow outside Albany. Nobody was injured. Four of the place. TSA warning, the 40 million flyers expected through January 2nd prepare for possible delays. From the west coast, we thought there was going to be more traffic, so we said we got here early. East, where Boston's Logan Airport had long lines before dawn. I've flown out of this airport probably 50 times, and I've never seen people like this. Experts say with Hanukkah and Christmas starting on the same day, the roads, rails, and skies

will be packed. The busiest travel days for those returning will be Friday after Christmas and the Monday before New Year's. Based on what I saw today, I think my connections might be a little tight. U.S. Navy sailor Andre Jones carefully planned his flights one month ago. Wanting to get home for the holidays, currently stationed a bride. So I just wanted to surprise my wife. Hoping that winter weather won't dispel his holiday magic.

Okay, Antonio Hilton joins us now live from Newark. So, Antonio, you mentioned there in your report next Friday being the busiest day for travel during these holidays. Do we know how things are looking this weekend just ahead? Because we've had a little bit of snow here in the New York area. That's right. Tomorrow is expected to be the biggest travel day for people heading out for the holidays. That's according to AAA, Tom. And look, today we have already seen more than 7,000 delays and hundreds of cancellations,

frustrated families waiting for hours at times here in the airport. And because of that wintry, snowy mix that's coming almost six inches in some parts of the northeast expected, that is going to complicate matters in the coming hours and days. So experts have a few pieces of advice. If you're traveling with small kids, pack some extra clothes in your carry-ons. Make sure you have snacks or something to entertain them with. And make sure you don't put your valuables in the bags that you check

because some people are not finding their bags when they get to their next location. If you're one of the unlucky ones who hasn't yet made your plan for the holidays yet, well, experts are also saying you may want to consider traveling now on Christmas Day, Tom. Oh, wow. Okay. Antonio Hilton, we thank you for. For that, for more on what could be a messy few days of travel for millions of Americans.

Bill Cairns joins us tonight. Bill, what are you watching? A lot of issues in the Northeast. We've had the snow, the volume. We've got canceled flights all over the place on a ton of delays. So this snow has been troublesome all day long. It hasn't amounted that much, maybe an inch or two in many areas. But we still have 81 minute delays, JFK. A ground stop right now in Boston, it's snowing hard. About four inches on the ground. You're going to get another two to three inches. And a ground stop means that anyone on a plane somewhere else in the country that's destined to Boston,

you can't land. You can't even take off right now. And so that's causing a huge ripple effect problem. So we have numerous little areas here that are under winter of weather advisories. This is kind of a dying storm. There's only a little bit of snow left with this. Boston, another one to two inches for you. Down East Maine, you're going to get hit pretty hard tonight.

In western New York, you're going to get about another one to three inches. Then as we go through the rest of the weekend, it's kind of quiet. Not a lot of bad weather. It's going to be brutally cold this weekend, though, from the Great Lakes and the north. I mean, it's going to be like midwinter cold. The Northwest, that's where we're going to watch a little storm today into tomorrow,

then another one on Sunday. Fast forwarding towards Christmas Eve, Tom, a little interesting. In the Northeast, a little clipper system could bring some snow on Christmas Eve, but then Christmas Day kind of quietes out close to coast. Yeah, I don't know if you can go back to that last graphic there. I know it's early. It could change, but, I mean, are we expecting a white Christmas in the New York area? Is that possible?

So the rule is for a white Christmas, technically, it has to be one inch on the ground. It does look like by the time we get to Christmas Eve, that this could produce that. Now, will it melt by the time we get to Christmas morning? That's kind of the question. But, Bill, you can do something about that, right? You have that power. If I could do it, I don't think I'd be here. Okay.

All right, Bill Cairns for us, Bill. We thank you for that. All right, still to come tonight, we're going to switch gears. We have an update in that Delphi killer sentencing. The man convicted in the murders of two teen seven years ago, sentenced to 130 years behind bars. What the families of the victims are saying tonight. Top story, just getting started on this first.

Friday night. Stay with us. Okay, we are back now with the sentencing in the Delphi murders case. The Indiana man convicted of killing two teenage girls back in 2017, sentenced to 130 years in prison. Tonight, the victim's family speaking out for the first time in court, sharing their anguish nearly eight years later. Here's Maggie Vespa. In Delphi, Indiana, husband and father turned condo. convicted killer, Richard Allen, handed the maximum sentence, 130 years in prison for the 2017 slayings of 13-year-old Abby Williams and her 14-year-old best friend Libby German.

The judge telling Alan, you rank right up there with the most hideous cases I've ever presided over, adding, you continue to roll your eyes at me as you have throughout the trial. Tonight, with a gag order lifted, the girls' families able to share their anguish for the first time in court. She would be 22 and she should be here, Libby's mom said. So many what ifs. She doesn't get to fall in love and have babies. Abby's grandfather comparing the pain to losing a limb that will never grow back. Libby's uncle leaving the courthouse. That's still ain't justice. Nothing is going to bring girls back. Prosecutors praising the girls for securing key evidence.

Recording Alan on Libby's cell phone just before the they say he slit their throats. Libby for recording the defendant as he walked across the bridge having the wherewithal to pull out her phone Abby for hiding the phone. The defense maintaining Alan's innocence arguing during the trial there's no DNA evidence tying him to the scene and telling reporters while tonight Christmas decorations hang alongside memorials in this rural town forever changed by two brutal murders. And Allen's team says they plan to appeal soon. State law requires they file the initial paperwork within the next 30 days.

Tom. Okay, Maggie. Next to the George Mason University student facing federal charges for an alleged attack on the Jewish community. It's the second time this year. Students at that school have been arrested for anti-Semitic incidents. Jessica Albert from NBC Washington spoke with shaken students on campus. Feelings of unease and concern at George Mason University after the FBI arrested freshman Abdullah Ezzledon Taha Muhammad Hassan this week.

The 18-year-old information technology major who was originally from Egypt is accused of planning a mass casualty attack on the Consulate General of Israel in New York. Very crazy, knowing it was conducted by the FBI, which means it was very serious. According to court documents, the FBI began investigating Hassan back in May after getting an anonymous tip about concerning posts on X. FBI agents say the account was traced back to Hassan and that they eventually learned he allegedly had several accounts containing pro-ISIS and Al-Qaeda Post promoting violence against Jewish people. The court documents state an FBI confidential source began communicating with Hassan online in August and that Hassan allegedly tried to recruit that source to carry out an attack on the consulate in New York by sending ISIS propaganda and a video containing how to make a bomb. News 4 spoke to several students on campus who first learned about the arrest when the university sent out a message about it on Thursday.

I was really shocked because it's one of the students and recently there were a couple of other incidents too happening. In November, George Mason Police, Fairfax County Police and the FBI raided the off-campus home of two students allegedly connected to two cases of vandalism on campus earlier in the year. They allegedly found weapons and materials calling for violence against Americans and Jewish people. There's a lot of radicalism and it's going everywhere because you kind of hear about on the news, but it's usually not anywhere near you. In light of these incidents, George Mason University leaders are highlighting a number of security measures that they have in place to keep students safe. Those include a robust police force, including a university SWAT team, working with local state and federal law enforcement and a threat assessment team that meets when needed. I think they've done a decent job letting the students know what's going on. and then also actually handling the situations.

According to court documents, authorities are working to send Hassan back to his home country of Egypt. Okay, we thank Washington's Jessica Albert for that report. When we come back, addicted to the markets, a growing number of people seeking treatment for gambling addictions, but they're not betting on sports,

they're betting on the stock market, how people often men are getting hooked. Why it can be so hard to stop? We're going to explain. That's next. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and the party is over for Party City. Now going out of business and closing all of their stores. The Party Supply Store winding down operations immediately. Party City filed for bankruptcy in 2023, struggling to pay debts and battling increasing inflation.

Employees learning today is their last day of employment with benefits ending and no severance pay. Okay, and the future is here. first transparent TV has officially hit the market. Look at this thing. TV manufacturer LG debuting its transparent TV for a whopping $60,000. It's 4K OLED. I don't even know what that means. The TV is wireless with options for viewing in transparent or opaque modes. When turned on, the TV becomes an aesthetic digital canvas with high quality a spray. Looks beautiful. All right. Now to new reporting on a growing type of addiction that has exploded in recent years. It's affecting mostly men. A new Wall Street Journal article out today, headline

More Men Are Addicted to the, quote, crack cocaine of the stock market, details the rise in addicts showing up to gamblers' anonymous meetings, hooked on trading stocks using their smartphones. The writer of that article, Gunjin Banerjee, joins us now on set. Gunjin, so great to have you. She's also a CNBC contributor and the lead writer on that report. So I want to read an excerpt from your story for our viewers so they get a sense of this. You write, in an age where sports betting has become an accepted pastime, accessible by the flick of a thumb on an iPhone app. They found the same rush betting on Dogecoin, Tesla, or Navidia, as wagering on Patrick Mahomes to carry the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl. So explain what happened here. This started

in the pandemic. People started trading stocks, trying to make money, and they got addicted to it? Everyone became a day trader during the pandemic. I'm sure a lot of viewers remember meme stocks, Dogecoin, going crazy. Trading was fun. It was easy. It was on your app. Now we're seeing the negative consequences of that boom in trading. And my reporting shows that more and more American men are getting addicted to trading in financial markets, on cryptocurrencies, on stocks, on options trades. Some of the riskiest trades out there, they tell me that they feel an uncontrollable urge to bet on financial markets. So how are they doing this, right? Because the football game, you're watching it, you know, it plays over two and a half hours. But the stock market, I mean, a stock can sit there for days, months, years, and that move.

So are they trading options? Are they betting low and hoping it takes off? Wall Street has introduced newer and riskier ways to play the market that are very similar to betting on a football game. Instead of betting on where Tesla will be a year from now, you can buy contracts on where the stock will be in a few hours. You can buy contracts on where Invidia, the S&P 500, the NASDAB will be. It's like a game for them. It is. It's turned into a game. game for them. And these are some of the most explosive trades out there. It's actually quite

mind-boggling. You can get returns of 10%, 50%, 100% within seconds. Talk to me about some of the men you talked to who have lost a lot of money. It's been harrowing. You know, I've been attending these gamblers-anonymous meetings. I've interviewed dozens of investors, treatment counselors, doctors around the country. Some of them told me, I lost everything I had. I lost six figures in the options market. A few of them told me, I got divorced because of this, or I was on the verge of divorce. My wife said, I'm going to leave you unless you stop trading, because this is having such negative consequences on our fights.

You talked to men who literally left their home to spend time in their car doing these trades. So it very much looks like somebody who's addicted to something. It's affecting their personal lives. Exactly. They said they grew depressed. They grew isolated. Their finances were in shambles. instead of, you know, going to their kids' baseball games,

they wanted to sit at home and trade. They wanted to go into the basement and trade. They were placing hundreds of trades a day, a week, and it's really been quite harrowing. You go to these meetings and gamblers anonymous, and you have people who lose their houses in Vegas or betting online on football games. Were they open to these sort of new gamblers

who were betting on stocks? It's a little different, but did they welcome them? I found that it was a really welcoming organization, In fact, I picked up some pamphlets and materials from GA, which say that people should not be betting whether it's in the stock market, whether it's in the commodities market. They actually mention the stock market, commodities market, in their materials. Almost like a roulette table or something. Exactly. They're telling people to watch out. Sometimes people will hand over retirement accounts to their spouses. I do want to put this up on the screen for our viewers, too, because we reached out to some of the apps.

They did get back to us, the trading apps, the day trading apps. Here's what they said. A Robin Hood spoke. said, it includes, quote, robust safeguards to help customers make informed decisions, while a spokesperson for, I think this one's called Weble, is that right? Yeah, said the platform offers educational tools to foster responsible investment decisions. Do these apps, do you think, do they bear some responsibility? So it's interesting. I spoke to the National Council for Problem Gambling, and what they told me is that at times, restrictions and safeguards in traditional gambling apps, think casino apps, think draft kings, they think they can surpass the safeguards on apps like Robin Hood,

on apps like Webel. Think about it. When you open up draft kings, you can see, hey, if you have a problem gambling, here's a hotline. The financial apps don't say that. Yeah, it's a very good point. Gungent, so great to have you here on Top Story. We look forward to talking to you more in the future. Thank you. All right, time now for Top Story's Global Watch. And tonight we have a remarkable look at life inside of Russia. 1,000 days since the invasion of Ukraine. NBC's chief international correspondent, Keir Simmons, got rare access speaking to everyday Russians in Moscow and beyond

about what life is like in a nation ruled by leader Vladimir Putin. Here are their stories. More than a thousand days of death and destruction, of drones, missiles, and military offensives have devastated Ukraine and upended Russian society. Right now when I decided to come here, today I was actually scared for my life and for my future. So you're more scared now than you were two years ago? Yeah, much more.

The first time we spoke with this Moscow student in her 20s, in the first year of the war, she sat alongside four friends. I want you to put up your hand, put up your hand. If you believe any time soon, people will go into the school. streets in huge numbers to try and change things. I remember that. You remember it? Yeah. Nobody put their hand up.

Yeah. I still wouldn't. You still wouldn't? No. It's crazy how you can go to prison, you can be sent to prison. In the two years since she spoke to us with that group of five students, some have left the country, some reluctant to talk again. We were sitting in this park.

Yeah. You and four of your friends. Yes. And now it's just you left? Yeah, unfortunately. I had to finish my degree. And now I'm also planning to leave the country. You're planning to go to? Yeah, I'm planning to go to Europe because I don't see any opportunities for me. And actually, I'm scared that the borders soon will be closed. When we spoke last time, I asked you guys about what you thought the future held. What do you think? the future will be like now.

I believe it would be worse and worse. In three years of conflict, traveling to Russia has become more perilous. Landing in Kazan in October was no exception. People with Western passports and some Russians are asked questions and politely asked to sit to one side and wait. So they stopped me for about half an hour. which is basically normal.

When you come to Russia, it never gets easier or kind of comfortable. But here we are now, in Kazan, which is a city that I've never been to. A long, long, long way from Moscow. Welcome to Russia. A rare chance in this nation of 11 time zones to gauge opinion outside the capital. Raviliya proudly shows me around the city's most important mosque.

Kazan is in Tartistan, a semi-autonomous region of majority Muslim Tartas. Some descendants of Genghis Khan. But today's war in Ukraine feels a long way away. And you call it... Hachpichmach. Back at her restaurant, where she's... where she serves up local tartar food and stories. She tells me they love Moscow's current Tsar.

Because people criticize President Putin. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? You don't understand why? I don't understand why. They say that he started. This is what people say.

This is what people say. No, it's not true. I don't want to talk about politics. You know, I don't want to talk about politics. I just love him very much, but I just don't want to talk about it. Then there is Islam, who we met outside his university, but who told us he'd like one day to study in America. Maybe it will be Boston University, maybe it will be Tarts University.

University or maybe even Harvard. When was this? Then he tells us his father was killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine. How did he die? Bomb. Bomb. Grenade. Grenade.

Grenades. On his hip. To the knee. His leg area. His leg is. Yes. And there was a lot of a lot of... A lot of blood.

A lot of blood, yes, yes. A young man who expresses allegiance to Putin and admiration for America. Three voices of different ages in different regions of this vast country. A reminder that Russia, indeed our world, is more complex than it can seem. This was a week in which President Putin held a question and answer session here in Moscow. that lasted for four and a half hours, a session in which he took questions from journalists and from Russians around the country,

even from Russians on the front line with Ukraine. The message was that he listens, that he is somewhat democratic, that he is in tune with the needs and concerns of his people. What most Russians say about... the war in Ukraine is that they would like it to be over, but that they don't want to give up on the important things that they think Russia

has been fighting for. Whether that's going to be possible is a huge question. If negotiations take place next year, they will be challenging. Tom. Kier Simmons, for us reporting out of Russia once again, Kier, we thank you. And coming up, the rocking reunion,

Ringo Starr surprising fans at a Paul McCartney concert. The moment the two Beatles began performing some of their classic hits to the shock of the crowd, that's all coming up next. We're back now with a night of surprises in London. Paul McCartney bringing down the house with a little help from his friend, former bandmate Ringo Starr, the two performing together for the first time in years and Sir Paul also pulling out a guitar once believed to be lost forever. NBC's Valerie Castro, has it all.

A surprise guest driving a Pax Stadium wild. Bringing to the stage, the mighty, the one and only Mr. Ringo Star! Paul McCartney calling his fellow Beatle Ringo Star on stage at London's O2 Arena. Should we rock? Yeah, rock. For a show-stopping performance on one of the last days of his got-back tour, The reunion, a glimpse into one of the greatest music acts of all time. You look at the last 50 years, you've got the Beatles, you've got Michael Jackson, you've got Taylor Swift.

The Beatles' legends and last two surviving members of the group rocked out to Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band. Following that up with another one of their most famous tracks, Helter Skelter. The moment won for the history books. Love you all. Any time you get Beatles together, it's going to be exciting. It's like seeing two family members together when you've got Paul and Ringo on stage. But that wasn't the only surprise. We've got a special guest for you here, Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood.

McCartney calling out Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood. for the set, too. And McCartney playing an iconic bass guitar thought to have been stolen from him 50 years ago just recently returned. The Big Night, wowing fans. A fitting finale to McCartney's year of touring and rare instance in rock history

where three of the genre's biggest icons put on a jam for the ages. It was a huge moment. You never know when the last one is gonna be. I'm really glad it happened. I hope it happens again, and I hope I'm there. We love you all. Valerie Castro, NBC News.

What a concert. We thank Valerie Castro for that one. When we come back, I look at what you can binge watch and listen to this weekend. The highly anticipated prequel to the hit show, Dexter, plus the Aaron Rogers docu-series, Enigma, and where you can stream some of your holiday favorites this weekend. Stay with us. We're back now with Bingeworthy because it is Friday.

It's our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And tonight we are joined by our good friend Darren Karp. She's a pop culture expert. Bravo Personality, host of the podcast Shaken and Disturbed. And she's read almost 52 books this year. Darren, congratulations. Thank you. What an accomplishment.

And congratulations on reaching your goal of a book a week. That is impressive. Speaking of people who like to reach goals, Aaron Rogers just keeps pushing it, even though he's injured. Yes. This documentary has been on my list for a while. It's on Netflix. It's called Enigma. Let's watch it, and we'll chat about it after.

Protection breaks down goes, Rogers. Aaron Rogers has officially tore his Achilles. It's catastrophic. It's a time for him to retire. What does the future hold for Aaron Rogers? I'm coming back to do it all. It wants the risk of playing. That's not normal.

People getting to see behind the curtain. Have you thought about going into the door? politics. Once I started my spiritual journey, everything shifted. The metamorphosis is happening. Aaron Rogers, one of the most disgust athletes I'd say in all the country. So walk us through the documentary. Is

it cool? It actually is really cool. Let me just say Aaron Rogers injured is still better than the entire Giants this season. So I'm interested in him. But you mean the Jets? Yes, no, he's on the Jets but I'm a giant's man. Oh, geez, okay. Yes. He injures his Achilles heel, which is literally it's basically tearing your ACL on the first game when he joins the Jets, New York. A lot of disappointed fans. Absolutely, especially coming from the Green Bay Packers,

where he was a champ. But Aaron Rogers is very interesting. I mean, certainly during 2020 and during COVID, a lot of he's an anti-vaxxer, a lot of things came out about him, a lot of Q&M things actually came out about him. He sacrificed a lot of his relationships. But what's interesting here is to actually tackle the mindset of being so singularly focused on one thing. There's football and there's nothing else. He just says blinders for it. That's what this is all about getting back to there? Well, it's actually what he has sacrificed to be a singularly focused person.

His relationships, his personality. I mean, he sort of said he has this legacy of becoming Aaron Rogers the football player. But what legacy is he leaving as Aaron Rogers the person? He sacrificed a lot of personal relationships. He's gone on this spiritual journey to see this premier athlete. Let's park it right there, the spiritual journey. Yeah. Ayahuasca.

Yes. Does he take it? He does. And what he goes like, he's always on that spiritual journey? That spiritual journey, you can see him doing some meditation. I think he's doing some brain waves. There's a lot of breathing exercises. I mean, I've been actually meditating every day for the past two years,

and it can transform your mind in a weird way. It does seem a little woo-woo, but especially for an athlete, how he can get so focused. It really is what it takes to get to the top of here. Would you do ayahuasca? Absolutely. While meditating and reading a book. Would you, like, combine all your, like, everything?

I would try, but I don't think I could read the book on a book. ayahuasca, but we'll see. I think you could do it. That's our next binge-worthy. If you love the sitcom Friends, and who doesn't really, right? If you don't love Friends, there's like a little something wrong with you. Yeah. There's a new game show about Friends. Let's watch the clip, and then Darren, I want to get your take on it. You and your teammate are going to sprint through the iconic sets. Oh my God, the French! Answer questions. Bamboozled. I think your buzzer needs to go to the paramedics. Solve puzzles. Phoebe does this.

guys getting a massage as you attempt to escape the world of friends in the fastest time okay a game show about friends or with what is it's it's it's literally friends trivia so there's a friends experience yeah so this is four episode hosted by whitney cummings on max she's hilarious she's super fun i was a 90s baby in the sense that i was more a sign filled than friends person but of course i love friends and this takes fun actual friends they They take brother and sister, they take husband and wife, pairs, and they compete around the friends set to do trivia and try and get through the house quickest. It's super fun to watch.

It's four episodes. Is it for Friends fanatics? Like, if you know the trivia? Absolutely. This is strictly Friends trivia. So it's fun to play along at home if you think you know good. Darren, this next one is a movie. Juror number two.

This one looks absolutely awesome. I'm going to run the clip and we'll talk about it. One year ago on October 25th, the defendant, James Dyeff and his then girlfriend, Kendall Carter, they had a fight. And he's going to pay for what he did. What are you telling me? Maybe I didn't hit it here. You can kind of gather what the story's about from the trailer, which looks great, great cast.

You're telling me it's worth watching. I'm a criminal justice person. I've sat on a jury before. I believe that every citizen should sit on a jury. I think it's very important. Jury duty is... Darren, I feel like you've got a lot of going on today. I feel like this is like the platform for Darren Karp for President or something.

Or Mayor Darren or something like that. Yeah, I'll take mayor. Let's start off there. But I do believe everyone should sit on a jury to just understand how our criminal justice system works in case you are in that situation. Don't try to get out of it. And this certainly takes a guy who sits on a jury and finds out that the guy who was on trial for committing the crime, he might actually, the juror himself might actually be guilty of this crime and a moral dilemma, what do you do? I mean, a little bit of a hit and run. Do you stay and tell the truth or do you try

and get this guy free and then wash it away? No, it looks great. I'm definitely going to binge that one. Definitely check it out. Next one up is Dexter, but it's the prequel to Dexter. Let's take a look. It really is like they say. Your life flashes before your eyes. in the beginning there was blood and a code I learned from my father

the code is to make sure you are different from the people that you kill it was simple kill the bad guys who escape justice and don't get caught myself all right takes place in Miami that's the only reason we're recommending it for you Tom I might have really like that

but I'm not huge into this show this type of genre, but you're telling me it's pretty good. If you certainly like Dexter, of which I was a fan of, and it had a huge following. Huge following. I mean, Michael C. Hall, I loved him in six feet under, but this really was his role. He's the voiceover for this, so there is the younger Dexter. This is the prequel to it.

It takes place in 1991 in Miami, showing how he is controlling his urges to be this vigilante killer through his father, who's played by Christian Slater. So you've got a star-studied cast here, but this kind of shows how Dexter became Dexter in his evil or good ways depending on how you see him. Let's go back to another movie here. This is Carry On. This is on Netflix. This has got a lot of promotion. This one also looks great. Just relax, okay? An associate of mine is going to step into your line and you are going to make sure that his bag clears the machine. Listen, I work for the Department of Homeland Security.

That's like the janitor at NASA calling himself an astronaut. Let's cancel the text. or we execute your girlfriend. Big time cast here, right? We're talking about Jason Bateman, Taryn Eagerton, Sophia Carson. Yes, yes. Did I say that right, Terran Eagerton? Yeah, Egerton? Eggerton, yeah.

There's not two G's, though. It's tough to say. I know, you should try to read it. It's rough. So, look, I love Jason Bateman. I watch everything he does, but he's the evil guy here. Yeah, which is definitely a different role. I will say it's worth it watching, kind of just for that to see it.

I mean, first of, I, traveling during the holidays, you might not want to watch this movie just to give you a premise of what it is. Terran Egerton, Eagerton gets kind of blackmailed into, yeah, Taryn E gets convinced to let a mysterious, nefarious package go through on this flight by being blackmailed by Jason Bateman. So, you know, you're traveling for the holidays. I personally only travel with a carry-on, so it might be a little PTSD right there. But it tried you hard a little bit to be die hard, but this was advertised everywhere. and you can check it out on Netflix. They definitely put a lot of PR behind it. They did.

Finally, you know, we know it's Christmas time. We have the whole set, you know, we bought two trees. We imported them for you. Thank you. And the fire. It's not too hot, right? No, but I'd like some gifts. I can't wait for my gifts.

There might be something in that stocking. Actually, you should go and see if there's anything. So here's where you can stream some of your favorite holiday classics. We have some here. These are some of my favorites. Home Alone, of course. We've already seen it a bunch of times this year. Christmas vacation.

Also love that one. Charlie Brown Christmas. That wasn't on my list on yours. No, but that's. That's a classic. And then jingle all the way. That was my list. That was my list.

I didn't know that. It's just my childhood. I don't know when you watched these movies. I love that. It's just fun. Speaking of big stars, Ben Stiller. Yes. For some reason, he's in this next music video.

It makes no sense. The song is amazing. Let's watch. I mean out the song ride said it to nowhere or when someone is missing me somewhere driving. Just driving. The dream, just trying to get my air right.

Cizza, right there. It was so good. It cut out of nowhere, but it was, we were, like, in silence because we loved it. Yeah, I mean, Ben Stiller, just watching him do it. The song is so beautiful. The thing about the video isn't even Ben Stiller. I don't know if you've watched the whole video, but when he's driving in his car, he gets out, and then you go into nature and you find what can only be described as, like,

a mysterious bug creature. Okay. I didn't get that far. B, Siza, in the wilderness, and it's just weird and a little haunting. The song is really good. The song is great. I just dropped her deluxe album, which is 38 songs on it.

And we're going to wrap this one up. Yeah. No pun intended, because it is Christmas, with Darren's favorite song of the year or no? It's definitely like top five. Cold play. Here it is. All my love. Until the end of one days, you've got all my love. So that's Dick Van Dyke's real family.

At his house. And Chris Martin and Coldplay, we don't know the connection? I think they're just friends, and I think there was something kind of, because Dick Van Dykes had a huge birthday, I think that they was coinciding. 99, I'm being told by her. Yes, I think it was coinciding with them writing this song, and I think they're just very good friends. They wrote it together, or the timing got it. really worked out. And in the music video, if you watch the whole thing, which is about seven and a half minutes, the song isn't that long. A, you see Chris Martin writing a song for Dick Van Dyke, which is really beautiful. They perform this song on Saturday Night Live, who isn't a Dick Van Dyke fan? Just all around. This is just a happy, beautiful way. It is a very cool video. And if you like Dick Van Dyke at all, you should watch it. But if you love Coldplay, it's also very, very cool. Yes, who doesn't like Dick Van Dyke. I don't know. Maybe a lot of young people may not know who he is, unfortunately. I'm going to run through the list, 52 books. Yes.

Meditates twice a week. Carry on. No, I meditate every day. Oh, every other time. Giant's fan. Yeah, that's my biggest flaw. And Coldplay, one of her favorite. So you're a Darren Carr fan.

You learned a lot tonight. Darren, we thank you. Thank you. If I don't see you, Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Yes. Happy New Year. I see big, beautiful things in 2025 for you.

I don't know why. 104 bucks? But I see, fingers crossed. I see big things. We thank you for being here. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yama's New York. right there. More news on the way.