Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, January 16, 2026

Episode Date: January 17, 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, powerful winter storm slamming millions as a surge of brutal Arctic air stretches all the way down to Florida. And it's not over yet. Dangerous snow and I sending a plane skidding off a runway. Tractor trailers jackknifed in cars spinning out, nearly two feet of snow in some spots. Plus, the dramatic temperature plunge, iguanas falling out of trees. We are timing out the brutal holiday weekend weather. Also, tonight, our reporter there as new violent clashes in Minnesota. Now the state is readying the National Guard. Plus, we speak with a California protester who says he was left blind in one eye after a federal agent fired a projectile at him.

President Trump's Greenland takeover push. We are on the ground in Denmark where anxiety is running high over the president's play for part of that country's territory. shocking video as a school bus driver walks off abandoning students on the side of a busy road, and that driver still hasn't been found. The startling wave of violent robberies targeting Pokemon card stores. Our Brian Chung explains why these are desperate to get their hands on these cards, including one he used to own. Terrifying avalanche scare, a wall of snow engulfing a ski resort, tourists trying to outrun the snow.

And the mission to moon, one step closer to lift off the rocket's slow roll to the launch pad in preparation for the major space milestone. Plus, a major medical review just released about Tylenol and pregnancy, the investigation finding no link between the drug and autism. We're going to bring you the details on that. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Luce Croyd's in for Tom. Right now, a one-two punch, a brutal winter storms, putting millions from the middle.

to the northeast on high alert. And it is not just the snow. Dangerous cold is sweeping across the country, pushing as far south as Florida. In Pennsylvania, spinouts and crashes, leaving drivers stranded. Several tractor trailers jackknifed. And this American Airlines plane skidding off the runway in Rochester, New York, as they were de-icing. At that same airport, this plane taking off in near whiteout conditions. You can barely see the aircraft as it moves into the distance. In Omaha, Nebraska, this time lapse showing intense snow squalls quickly reducing the visibility there, a serious danger to drivers in that area. And just how cold is this Arctic blast? Well, it's Florida cold.

Cars in the Sunshine State completely iced over with some places seeing temps well below freezing. And that means cold, even stunning these iguanas. The reptiles literally falling from trees. Bill Carrens is standing by with the timing of the next winter storm. And the city that could see real, real low temperatures, as low as negative 16. But we're going to start with NBC's Sam Brock with those dangerous storm, the one that's right now on the move. Tonight, sheets of snow, smothering cities from the heart of the Midwest to western New York, where planes like this one in Rochester are taking off in near whiteout conditions. One flight there even sliding off the taxiway overnight. We were just leaving Rochester and went to go get de-iced. And as we were doing that,

slid off the runway. No one was injured, but the perils of travel right now on full display. This is the aftermath of a 30-car pile up just outside of Syracuse, New York, a jumbled mess of jackknife trailers and trucks. Similar scenes unfolding from Indiana to Pennsylvania, where snow totals have ranged from 17 to 20 inches in just the last 24 hours. Cities like D.C. in New York experiencing 10-degree wind chills. When it hits you today, what did it feel like? Oh, man, it felt like. I don't want to get up and go to work today. As the Arctic air made it all the way to South Florida,

where temperatures were cold enough to, yes, cause iguanas to freeze. Oh my goodness gracious. NBC Miami, capturing one falling this morning. Whoa, whoa, that is a big guy. That is a big guy. Okay. The iguanas not hurt, just temporarily out of their element. Much like the Los Angeles Rams set to take on the Chicago Bear Sunday with windshield.

slated for six or seven degrees. Even the Patriots game in Foxborough could be a snow game. Fitting for what is turned into a January winter snap showing no signs of letting up. And Sam Brock joins us now from a very chilly New York City. Sam, good to see you. Some places that have been hit the hardest this winter are expecting now even more snow. Yeah, look, all these communities, Liz, that have just been crushed the last couple of days, are not looking at a reprieve anytime soon in New York. There is a winter advisory for parts of the state, really upstate near like the Buffalo and Rochester areas. You know, that lake effect in full effect.

Only trace amounts of snow are expected in New York City. But then over to the Midwest, Liz, you're talking about four states that have already exceeded their seasonal averages, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. They are expecting significant snowfall in parts of their states as well. So all of that is very tough. And lastly, because we have to talk about the iguanas, as of this morning, 55 out of 67 counties in Florida had a freeze warning, Liz. Those have largely now expired. Back to you. Yeah, Sam, those images are absolutely wild.

All right, get some, get inside if you can, warm up. Thanks, Sam. And let's get right to meteorologist Bill Carrens. Bill, okay, walk us through the timing of these winter storms. What can we expect? Yes, these are fast-moving storms. We still haven't had like a blockbuster, huge snowstorm move across the country. But we got a lot of these quick-hitting storms.

And if they're near the lakes, of course, the snow totals get ramped way up. We've got some light snow already developing in areas of northern Kentucky, and we're going to get a coating out there from Lexington into southern Ohio tonight. It's a careful driving there this evening. And then tomorrow morning from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Northern Jersey, Lower Hudson Valley into Connecticut, Massachusetts, a quick two to three inches as possible Saturday morning. So keep that in mind. Then we get the second storm along the coast, and this one will be coming up and getting towards the Boston area, Providence, Cape Cod. And this should happen during the Patriots Houston game at Foxborough, 3 o'clock NBC and Peacock. We could get ourselves a snow game.

It's not a huge epic amount of snow, but it may look pretty and maybe it's kind of fun to watch on TV. So as far as the Arctic Express goes, Liz, there's no end in sight to this. Well, and just to underscore it, Bill, that brutal Arctic blast, it could actually get even worse. That's the problem. And that's the thing that I look ahead and I'm like, all right, so it's going to be cold. We'll warm up eventually, right? And I just can't tell anyone when we're going to warm up yet. So these are the highs predicted on Monday through Wednesday of next week, the highs.

This isn't the lows or the wind chill. five in Minneapolis, Chicago, 10 to 19 to 30. 30 will feel warm compared to that earlier in the week. And even in the east, it gets cold. New York high of only 22 on Tuesday. That's cold by New York City standards. And here's the six to 10-day outlook. So this is taking us all the way towards the end of January.

And where winter has been really bad, Liz, the Great Lakes, Northern Plains, and the northeast, it's going to continue that way. And where you are and everyone else in the Four Corner region is there's no signs of winter. I mean, it's been endless like, you know, late summer. Yeah, I didn't mean to gloat, but it's a pretty nice day here in L.A. Bill, thank you. All right, we're going to get to those violent clashes between anti-ice protesters and federal officers in Minneapolis, with state officials late tonight announcing that they are now readying the National Guard.

Here's Shaquil Brewster. Tonight, Minnesota officials ramping up security ahead of weekend protests. We are mobilizing elements of our national. Guard to support local law enforcement. As overnight, we witnessed yet another face-off between anti-ice protesters and federal officers. It seems like we have another situation. If we turn around, turn the camera, they're now telling the crowd to move back and you

see the crowd becoming very hostile. Later, protesters pounding on this officer's car, who drew his weapon as they drove through. DHS says 12 anti-ice protesters were arrested for assaulting law enforcement. The suspect arrested for allegedly breaking into an FBI vehicle and stealing a rifle. All happening just over a week since the shooting death of Renee Good. Video showing Good accelerating her vehicle, an ICE officer in front of it opening fire. Get out of the ball. DHS says the ICE officer acted in self-defense.

Tonight, new documents released by the city of Minneapolis say paramedics found good in the car with two apparent gunshot wounds to her chest, one to her forearm, and the the possible fourth to the side of her head. 911 transcripts described the chaos at the scene, with DHS requesting local law enforcement who helped agents evacuate. While DHS tonight criticizing Democratic City officials for not allowing local police to work with ICE to arrest criminal suspects. An individual from Ecuador, he murdered his three-month-old son, an individual who's perpetuating human slavery and human trafficking.

These are all the people that we've arrested in Minneapolis. But Democratic lawmakers holding an unofficial. hearing here today. My citizenship did not protect me from being physically detained. Slamming President Trump's immigration enforcement. We are being provoked. We are being terrorized. And as many have described it, we're being occupied. All right. And Shaq Brewster joins me now from St. Paul, Minnesota. Shaq, we heard there that the state is readying the National Guard. Do we expect to see soldiers on the streets? We can see a lot of people still out there right now, even in those winter conditions. Yeah, even in these winter conditions. Yeah, even in these winter conditions.

These protests continue. State officials were asked that exact question. They said that it really depends on the need. How they're having it is they're essentially pre-positioning the National Guard in various locations across the Twin City areas. They say that the Guard will be ready to be activated and on the streets if the call comes. By the way, city leaders, Minneapolis City leaders saying that they are not going to accept any acts of violence or any vandalism and destruction of property. They're saying that despite multiple protests and demonstrations, that are scheduled for this weekend. They want to make sure everyone stays safe. And you mentioned the crowd behind me, it continues to stay here in front of that federal facility that we know has turned into an ice processing and detention center. These folks saying that they're not going anywhere either.

All right, Shaq, we'll see what the weekend brings. Thank you for that. And clashes between anti-ice protesters and federal officers flaring up beyond Minnesota. Here in California, outrage now growing over this video. appearing to show an officer firing a projectile at close range into the face of a demonstrator. He is then dragged across the plaza and then handcuffed inside of a nearby building.

In a statement on the confrontation, DHS said to the Los Angeles Times, make no mistake, rioting and assaulting law enforcement is not only dangerous, but a crime. Now, the man hit in that video is Kaden Rumler. We're showing you the video here. Kaden joins us tonight with his attorney, John Washington. Thank you for joining us, Kaden and John. Caden, I'm going to start with you. We can see your injury there around your eye.

How are you doing? Talk to me about the extent of your injuries. Are you able to see? No, not at all. I'll never see out of this. I can't even see light out of this. Like I said before, my doctor just told me that the entire eye contents of this had fallen out.

They had to put them back in. They found pieces of glass, metal and plastic throughout my eye, behind my eye, in my skull. They said that I had a laceration from the left side of my eye going so far back that they couldn't even see the end. I got 14 nylon stitches throughout it. They compared it to a baseball. I still have shrapnel in my skull. I have one that's still there, millimeters away from my corroded artery.

Well, Kaden, I obviously... And we still don't know what metal is in it. Yeah, absolutely. I'm sorry that this happened to you. The video we're showing it right now. It's getting a lot of attention. Walk us through from your perspective, those moments. What was going through your mind as you're getting hit like that at close range?

Well, at first, I didn't realize what it was when I fell to my knees. I just felt like that pressure and everything started to become muffled and there was ringing. And then I felt warmth on my face. And then they were dragging me and I couldn't breathe. My collar was closed and I was like trying to pull at it like telling him like mustering all my strength telling him like, I can't breathe. I can't breathe. But he didn't say anything. And then I got into the building and he had me on the floor and he was on top of me and pushing my head into the into the ground and into a pool of my own blood.

It was bigger than my head. It was like dark, thick, conculated blood. We understand, Tadden. You know, Kaden, we understand that this is an open case. We know that there's possible charges that are pending right now. Just knowing that, is there anything you can tell us about what was happening in this moment, kind of what led to this? Did any of the officers say anything to you?

What can you tell us about that? So, Kaden is currently facing criminal charges. I hope you can appreciate it, but I don't want my client to answer anything about what happened prior to the shooting just to be fully cautious. What I can tell you, though, is that Caden was doing nothing violent, and we've seen nothing whatsoever to support DHS's narrative that there was a violent riot, people throwing bricks, rocks, things like that. I encourage people to look at the videos because you just won't see it. Well, I was going to ask you to respond to that, because we do know that DHS is saying that the officers were being attacked, that there were

people throwing rocks at them. How do you respond to that? And is there any, word from DHS about what exactly was that projectile that was fired at Caden? So what I say that is it just didn't happen. I've not seen any evidence of it happening. And again, there's video footage so people can look and see if there's anyone throwing bricks or rocks. And I've seen nothing to support that. And as far as what is embedded in in Caden now, Caden can talk about a little as well, but the doctor's, have repeatedly asked for DHS to let them know what it is because they're worried about neurotoxicity and they're getting the run around DHS won't say.

Kaden, I want to ask you as we wrap up here. Do you regret going out that night and what do you want people to know about what happened? No, I don't regret going out that night. I mean, it was horrible what happened, but like I would do it again in a heartbeat. I feel I need to be at these protests because I don't regret. I want to see a difference. I want to see a change. And to other people, I want to say, speak out, say what you want to say, and go to these protests, speak your mind, you know. Well, Kaden Rumler, John Washington, thank you both for joining us. We wish you a speedy recovery,

Kaden. Thank you. All right, we're going to get now to that dramatic moment in the Oval Office, Venezuela's opposition leader, presenting her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump. Tonight, NBC's Garrett Haake asking the president why he accepted it. Tonight, just 24 hours after Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Karina Machado, presented President Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize. We pressed the president on what he'll do with it. What do you intend to do with it?

And why would you want someone else's Nobel Prize? Well, she offered it to me. I thought it was very nice. The president praising Machado after their Oval Office meeting. I never met her before. And I was very, very impressed. She's a really, this is a fine woman. Machado earlier explaining why she offered her 18-carat gold medal to President Trump.

Because he deserves it for what he's doing to liberate Venezuela and for freedom in the Americas. Despite Machado's gesture, the president for now standing by his support for Venezuela's interim president, Delci Rodriguez, a loyalist of authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro, whom the U.S. captured and brought to New York to stand trial. The White House says Rodriguez has been, quote, extraordinarily cooperative, including releasing some political prisoners and proposing new access to oil reserves. Machado, optimistic about a future election. I believe I will be elected when the right time comes as president of Venezuela, the first woman president. And Garrett Hague joins us now from the White House. Garrett, the Nobel Institute tonight is reacting

to the president being gifted this prize? Yeah, Liz, it's right. They put out a statement, making the point that the medal itself is part of the prize, but it's not the award, if that makes any sense, that the laureate, the person who receives the medal, the diploma, and the money is the Nobel Prize laureate. No matter what happens to the medal itself, they even point out there are several examples of medals being gifted or donated or in some cases even sold. That doesn't change the fact that who they were originally awarded to is still the winner. And in fact, the Institute makes a point of not judging or commenting on the actions of laureates after they received the prize. Liz?

All right. Interesting. Gary Haik, thank you. Now to President Trump's push to take over Greenland. Residents there are on edge. That territory is part of Denmark. And our Ryan Nobles is on the ground there as the country fears what could come next. Tonight, in the streets of Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, anxiety over Donald Trump's push to take over Greenland is high. I think that's very terrifying.

Greenland is a largely self-governing territory, part of the broader Danish kingdom, and the people in both places have little interest in making the Arctic Island an American property. Greenland is not for sale, so what is on the table from the U.S. side right now is not interesting for us. And you can't buy a country. The president doubling down just today. I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland because we need Greenland for national security. Pipelak Long serves in Greenland's parliament. She says the U.S. threats are making life difficult.

The children are worried. The adults are not sleeping. I think the Venezuela episode has just ignited our fears. So it's really important to have a dialogue with each other. The unease extends all the way to Denmark. And there are examples of the Danish frustration with President Trump popping up all over Copenhagen, sometimes organically in signs like these. I think it's a really big problem.

And I also think it's a really big move. Also in terms of like NATO and stuff, it's like a big deal. And I also think it's really wrong. And while Trump may not be getting the message, members of Congress are. Democrat Chris Coons and Republican Lisa Murkowski are here trying to ease fears. Telling NBC News exclusively that Trump's push to take over Greenland is a non-starter. We also heard an amazing statement from the foreign minister this afternoon who said, You can trade with people, but you cannot trade people.

We cannot trade away the people of Greenland. And Ryan Nobles joins us now from Copenhagen. Ryan, those senators that you talk to there are stressing that Greenland is an important ally, not an asset for sale? That's exactly right, Liz. And they point to this long relationship that the people of Denmark have had with the people of the United States. It's one of the United States's most reliable allies, especially dating all. all the way back to World War II, they were one of the first members of NATO. And they have shown up when the Americans have needed help in the wake of 9-11.

They sent troops to both Afghanistan and then eventually Iraq. They suffered more losses per capita than the United States did during those two conflicts. In fact, tomorrow the senators that are on this trip will lay a wreath at a memorial in honor of those Danes who lost their life in fighting those causes. They believe it is actually offensive that the United States is suggesting that they should take Greenland away, without any sort of serious conversation and from a group of people that aren't interested in giving it away. Liz? All right, Ryan, great reporting there. Thank you.

We're back in a moment with the string of violent smash and grabs targeting high-value Pokemon cards, what's behind the recent robberies, and how one heist hit home for our own Brian Chung. Plus, the man accused of killing conservative activists Charlie Kirk returning to court today, why his defense team is pushing to get prosecutors kicked off the case. And the dramatic crash caught on camera, a car barreling into a school cafeteria packed with students.

We're going to show you those chaotic moments all ahead on Top Story. All right, we're back now with an update on a story. We first told you about yesterday a dramatic robbery at gunpoint inside a New York City Pokemon store. It is raising new questions about how to keep the valuable cards safe. And for NBC News, business and data correspondent, Brian Chung, this one had a twist. This was the dramatic scene at a card collecting shop in New York City on Wednesday. Three men drawing guns inside Pokey Court, aiming them at customers, before shattering a glass display case, and according to the store, making off with more than $100,000 in merchandise.

It was like clockworth. They grabbed a bunch of stuff, and then they grabbed the cash and left. It's becoming a familiar story nationwide from Burbank, California. They make a second approach to come back, smash more glass, grab some more vintage, Pokemon Pags to Western Washington. Store owners saying they're taking action. Should we be having an armed guard in here? Should we have people working 24-7 in here? Those answers are yes.

Unfortunately, we have to spend a lot of money on security 24-7. The robberies come amid a massive run-up in Pokemon card values, as cards like this Charzard almost six times as valuable now as it was five years ago. And something I found out firsthand. found out firsthand when I went to find out the value of part of my Pokemon card collection as part of a today show story last year. And this is an eight out of ten. Yeah, that's amazing. For that's like mint, it's mint. Yeah, like that's really, really good for this card. As it turns out, one of the cards I sold after that was stolen in the arm robbery in New York City this week.

The owners posting photos, this serial number matching mine as part of their call for people to be on the lookout for the valuable cards. The run-up in prices comes ahead of the Japanese franchise's 30th anniversary this year. I spent $5.3 million on this Pikachu car. As millennial fans say, it's more than just nostalgia. I've always had that kind of like collecting mentality and something about the cards, the artwork, the fact that there is a game attached to it. The suspects tonight still at large.

Alden employees want to come in and work and just, you know, help put the story back together. as the community picks up the broken pieces. All right, Brian Chong, joins us now from New York. Brian, I want to go back to that card that you got appraised right here on NBC. I remember that story last year. So I know you've been collecting these cards for years. Explain to us, why are they so valuable now? And then, of course, then clearly of interest to thieves.

Yeah, well, I mean, first off, when I first saw this theft, I recalled being there at the store just a few months ago to get my card consigned. So when I saw that the account had actually posted all of the different highly valued pieces that were stolen, and I saw the card that I sold them, my heart stopped. It was my brother that alerted me to it. But nonetheless, it is a moment for the Pokemon community. It is certainly the case that the valuations, as I underscored, have tripled, quadrupled, even more than that in some cases, not just because of that anniversary coming up this year, but also because of the fact that there's a digital version of the game called Pocket TCG that has reignited interest in this. And also you have to consider, Liz, there are millennials that are now having kids. Those kids are now interested in this as well.

So for that reason, the popularity is just going through the roof. And for that reason, it's attracting a lot of attention, a lot of value, but also a lot of really scary situations like the one we saw here in New York City. Yeah, absolutely. Really, really interesting stuff, Brian. Thank you for bringing us that story. All right. Still ahead on Top Story, the medical review just released tonight that could offer the most thorough look at the alleged link between Tylenol and autism. Plus, the bizarre incident in Miami as a high-speed train destroys a delivery robot.

But first, top stories, top moment, and the heartwarming welcome in Chicago. MLB player Alex Bregman was recently traded from the Red Sox to the Cubs, and his son, three-year-old Knox, seems to already feel like a part of a team. Take a look. Knox embracing the mascot, Clark the Cove, and even if fans haven't fully adjusted to the newest player on the roster. His son certainly has such a cute moment there. All right, stay with us. More talk story on the way. All right, we're back now with an update on the murder case of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Lawyers for his accused killer, Tyler Robinson,

arguing there was a conflict of interest because one of the prosecutor's son witnessed the fatal shooting. NBC's Morgan Chesky has the latest. In Provo, Utah, alleged assassin Tyler Robinson sat stoic, wearing his shirt. tie, and shackles. The 22-year-old accused of murdering Charlie Kirk not audibly heard saying anything amid a high-stakes, high-security hearing. His defense team accusing prosecutors of a conflict of interest in their office, saying a fellow attorney's daughter was in the crowd at Utah Valley University when Kirk was shot. The defense saying as the daughter ran to safety, she began texting her father who was with the attorney that decided to pursue the death penalty.

If I had found out that my child was at an incident where somebody was shot and killed, I would have an incredibly strong emotional reaction, even if they were safe. Robinson's attorneys claiming the decision to pursue the death penalty was fueled by emotion rather than law. Prosecutors disagreed. This is ambush and another stalling tactic to delay these proceedings. The judge eventually ruling the defense's argument insufficient. Robinson's charge with aggravated murder in Kirk's death, accused of using a family hunting rival to fire the fatal shot witnessed by thousands. All right, and Morgan joins us now on set.

Hi, Morgan. This hearing is still ongoing right now, and there's some late-breaking news. What can you tell us? Yeah, still ongoing. And what we saw the judge do earlier today is he essentially allowed the state to continue to argue on their behalf. The defense saying that they need the AG's office to come in for today. day's hearing, the judge saying that's not the case. So this conflict of interest to argument still ongoing right now. We will be watching and waiting to see how it shakes out. If the judge

sides with the defense, we would see an entirely new prosecutorial team. That could create a significant delay here. And there in the courtroom, there's spectators, including it sounds like members of Tyler Robinson's family. Right. We know that following the shooting, Robinson was convinced by friends and family to turn himself in. Some of those family members seated behind Robinson, we could not see them on camera. And notably, Liz, we're no longer seeing Robinson on camera either because the judge acknowledged that a protocol had been broken when a photographer pushed in on Robinson's face

and they could see conversations being had with his defense team. He said that that was no longer allowed, at least for today. At least say, so it's still TBDF will be able to see him in court the rest of the hearings. Exactly. All right, Morgan, thank you. All right, and now to startling new video out of New Orleans, showing a school bus driver pulling over and abandoning her bus, with kids inside.

Tonight, police saying that driver is still missing. George Salis has the details. The alarming moment caught on surveillance video. Watch as a school bus driver transporting young students walks off the job, leaving six children stranded. The video obtained by NBC affiliate WDSU shows the bus parked near a busy New Orleans intersection when the driver suddenly steps off the bus, crosses multiple lanes of traffic, and walks away.

abandoning the students on their way to school. Here you can see those children running towards the front of the bus as officers arrive 22 minutes after the driver left. School officials later arriving on scene. Tonight, New Orleans Police still searching for the driver. The troubling incident taking place early Wednesday morning, New Orleans police telling NBC News there was a verbal conflict between the driver and at least one student that led the driver to pull to the side of the road and exit the bus.

The child abuse unit now investigating as a community demands answers. It's very unprofessional to leave kids on the bus and you get off. What if somebody would have got on the bus and drove the bus off with the kids on it? The school district telling NBC News families were immediately notified, adding we take matters of student safety very seriously. And George Siles joins us now from Miami. George, do we know anything more about what actually happened inside that bus? Yeah, hey Liz.

So I spoke with the owner of Julian Transportation, which employs. that bus driver. She says that she's had trouble getting in touch with her former employee. She also told me she reviewed video from inside of the school bus and she says she didn't see anything that really would have warranted that kind of reaction to pull over and abandon those children. They are hoping that she is okay. Meanwhile, this investigation and the search for this driver continues. Liz. All right, George, thank you. We're going to turn now to Top Story's news feed, starting with new charges against the surgeon accused of killing his ex-wife and her dentist husband at their home in Ohio. A grand jury today indicted Michael McKee for

aggravated murder and aggravated burglary in the deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe. McKee is accused of using a silencer on the gun when he killed the couple. If convicted, he could face life in prison without parole. McKee's attorney says he plans to plead not guilty. A new medical review was out tonight, pushing back on warnings about the alleged connection between Tylenol and autism. In a report just published in The Lancet, a group of researchers concluded that they found no link between taking Tylenol during pregnancy and autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability. This review could be the most thorough analysis yet of the existing science on the topic. And video capturing a scary moment at a high school in Memphis, a car, take a look, crashing into this cafeteria earlier this week.

You can see the students running as the vehicle burst through the wall. Luckily, nobody was hurt. According to police, the driver said his break failed before he hit the building. And another crash caught on camera. This one in Miami involving a high-speed train and a food delivery robot. Look at this. Oh, you can hear that bright line train honking before slamming into the robot. In a statement to NBC News, the robot company said it had a hardware failure while crossing the railroad tracks and that it's investigating the incident. And now to the former senator being sued under a so-called homewrecker law. Arizona's Kirsten Sinema facing allegations

she had an affair with her bodyguard and then broke up a family. Here's NBC's Stephanie Gosk. Tonight, former Arizona Senator Kirsten Sinema is battling a lawsuit accusing her of breaking up a 14-year marriage through intentional and malicious interference. Claiming Cinema began an affair

with her security guard, Matthew Amel, as early as 2023. Here they both are appearing at the Arizona State Legislature last year. The 16-page lawsuit filed by Amel's ex-wife lays out in detail how the affair allegedly began with texts described as romantic and lascivious and then work trips that turned personal. On one occasion in 2024, Amel told his wife the senator was Hansy. On another trip, Cinema allegedly told Amel to bring the drug MDMA so she could guide him through a psychedelic

experience. According to the lawsuit, Cinema bought Amel gifts and took him to concerts, including asking him to provide her security for a U-2 show at the sphere in Las Vegas. The lawsuit also alleges the head of cinema's security team resign because she believed the senator was having sexual relations with other security members. Amel's ex-wife, who he shares three children with, filed the lawsuit in North Carolina, where the couple lived when the affair allegedly began. Is it possible to be sued for breaking up someone else's marriage? Not in most states, but it is in North Carolina.

That's one of seven states where an alienation of affection claim exists, colloquially called a homewrecker statute. Cinema who served one term as senator before deciding not to run for re-election has not returned requests for comment. Neither has Matt Amel. Amel's ex-wife is seeking at least $25,000 plus punitive damages. In a statement, she said she hopes to hold cinema responsible for, quote, destructive behavior. Liz? All right, Steph, thank you. Coming up, the terrifying avalanche scare in Russia, sending people scrambling at a popular ski resort will have what happened.

Plus, countdown to lift off. A look at NASA's long-awaited Artemis mission as astronauts gear up for a trip around the moon. That's next. All right, we're back with Top Stories Global Watch. And an update on a story we brought you last night about allegations against Grammy-winning singer Julio Iglesias. In a post on social media today, Iglesias denied accusations that he sexually assaulted. assaulted to former employees calling the claims absolutely untrue. Prosecutors in Spain say they're looking into these allegations, which reportedly happened in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas in 2021. And dramatic video of an avalanche engulfing a ski resort on Mount Elbrus in Russia.

You could see the massive cloud of snow rushing. There it is. It's rushing down the mountain. Overwhelming people who stopped to film it. Well, some scrambled to get out of the way. It appears this avalanche was planned after the area got hit with heavy snow. And police in the UK releasing a new video of a burglar's failed escape plan. Surveillance footage shows the man falling on the floor after climbing through a hole in the roof. This happened at a gas station back in October. He ransacks the store before falling again and again, trying to escape through the same hole. He finally gives up and walks out a side door.

Police say he caused more than $4,300 in damage and was, sentenced to a year in prison. All right, now to the Moon mission, one step closer to lift off. Before Artemis II can take its crew further from Earth than any other humans have traveled before, it needs to make the much smaller journey from the vehicle assembly building to the launch pad. And for that four-mile trek, which we saw Artemis I make before NASA's most advanced rocket, will travel at speeds well below what it was designed for. almost as slow as any vehicle on Earth can travel.

We'll be at a cruising speed of just under one mile per hour. It'll be a little slower around the turns and up the hill, and that journey will take us about eight to ten hours to get there. Very precious cargo we're dealing with. Someone who will be watching every single moment of this is my colleague Gotti Schwartz. It's fun to have the table's turn. I get to ask you questions today. I know, and this is my favorite thing in the world to talk about.

But you brought props. Let's just talk about the toys here. Okay, so this is SLS, right? I love that they were just talking. This is going to go, okay, first of all, this is the Statue of Liberty size, right? The real life one is bigger than the Statue of Liberty. And this one moves literally this fast right now. Less than one mile an hour.

It's going less than one mile an hour, yeah, eight to ten hours to get it going down the way four miles. And then this thing will launch into space going 18,000 miles before separating. before separation, then 24,000 miles, so it will be going lightning fast, over Mach 30. So yeah, this is the SLS. It is a testament to human ingenuity. And inside of the SLS, I need more toys. I'm going to expense them right after this, but an espresso capsule. Inside is going to be the Orion capsule. And this Orion capsule is going to be what houses those astronauts. Those four astronauts, they are going to slingshot around the moon. They're going to go further than any other human has ever gone before. They're not going to be landing on the moon this

time, but then they're going to come back and then they're going to reenter the atmosphere, splash down, everything's going to be perfect, and we are all going to cheer. I mean, it's been decades since the first Artemis missions. This is now Artemis II. How big of a deal is this? Yeah, so Artemis I was really important because they did all of this. They sent a capsule up, did the same thing, but there were no humans on board. And it worked. The capsule survived, which is most important. But when you compare it. to the Saturn 5 Apollo mission, right? This is SLS. This is the Saturn 5, 1970s. 1972 was the last time humans were on the moon and they went up in one of the good old Saturn

fives. Now this one's a little bit bigger. This one's still faster, has more thrust, but the big difference here is that this was built to beat the Russians to the moon. Science, let's just get the Americans on the moon as quickly as possible, put the footprint in, plant the flag. This This one is more of a marathon than it is a sprint. This one is really geared at making sure that we can establish a moon base eventually, that Artemis 3 comes down next year. We can put humans on the moon as opposed to just flying by and taking pictures of all the geology. So that's where we're at right now.

And I should have mentioned it was Apollo missions, not Artemis missions, that were decades ago. In terms of what's next, with February, that's the first launch date. But it might not happen, February 7th. So, like, how do they know when to launch? What can we expect? If the window opens allegedly February 7th, and yes, please, Godspeed, February 7th. But look, anybody that watches space, these things roll out and you see all the staging, and so often they're scrubbed. And remember, we've got four astronauts on board here, so they're not going to take any chances.

The window's open, but it can be a delay of weather. There are so many different mechanical delays. They learned a lot of lessons from Artemis 1. They learned some issues with the heat shields. There were some stuff with the CO2 scrubbing. So they've worked out all of those kinks, but anything can happen. So it's going to be a day-by-day thing. Fingers crossed, it is very close to launch.

But, again, that window opens February 7th. Are you excited about it? I can't tell. A little bit. Just a little bit. Everybody, thank you. Thanks for the props. We'll talk to you about this more, I'm sure, in the coming weeks.

And when we come back, a look at everything worth binge watching and listening to this weekend. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reunite for a new net. action thriller, plus the hit series Tell Me Lies Returns, and Dolly Parton teams up with an all-star music crew for a collab that you are not going to want to miss. Stay with us. All right, and we're back now with binge-worthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. Joining us tonight is Pop Culture Expert and Bravo Personality, Darren Carr. Darren, good to be with you in real life. Good to be with you in real life, yes. Here in L.A. representing. All right, we have a lot to dig into. We were just talking about traitors, which is on right now. It's so good.

But let's talk about some of the other things that people are watching. And of course, so many people are talking about this new Matt Damon, Ben Affleck movie, The RIP, streaming on Netflix. Let's take a listen and look at this clip. We had a crime stopper tip come in on this address. There's $1.4 million in this bucket. I have all 14 more of those things. That's a $20 million rip.

You've got to be smart right now. You got to miss money, man. Stay off the radio's no call out. What would you do with this? Just this. Everything. Okay, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, like, you literally can't go wrong. Yeah, and Tiana Taylor, who's coming up a major one battle after another.

She won the critics' choice. She is hot right now. I mean, she's been in the industry forever, but this is star-studded cast. But obviously, Matt and Ben, the bromance is back, and they're starring as the Miami cops. And they basically find this incredible rip. I mean, who knew that $1.5 million could fit in a bucket? I didn't know that. I guess I need more buckets in my house, but they find this boatload of money in the stash house,

and it kind of questions everything in their own jurisdiction, as well as this drug house, who to trust, who can they kind of go after, can they trust each other? So it's a good thriller. It's on Netflix. I highly recommend it. I mean, it's a good entertaining binge. Plus, Brad and Matt and Ben. You can't go wrong. Exactly. It's like goodwill hunting all over again. We love it. And also, it sounds like it's sort of roughly based on a true story. It is, I mean, kind of everything is roughly based on a true story when it comes to Miami cops finding drug money in a weird stash house. I mean, this could be true

at any given point in time. But yes, roughly based on a true story and takes place in Miami. So if you're, cold in New York, you need a little Miami heat. Right. And it's straight to streaming on Netflix. Yes. All right. The other thing we want to talk about is this show on Peacock called Pony's. It's a spy thriller set in 1970s like Cold War era. Let's look at a clip. This job demands sacrifice. Most people are not cut out for it. It's time. These women are not most people. You could have killed someone. I didn't know.

It was flammable? Everything is flammable once you light it on fire. We've never gotten this close to high-level KGB before. Okay, I have to be honest, this is the one that I am the most excited for. I am a huge fan of the Americans. I saw a billboard for this just like a few blocks away and was like, what is that show? Then you'll like this. I mean, certainly like a spy thriller.

Stere's Amelia Clark and Haley Richardson. Amelia Clark is from Game of Throne Days. So if you kind of miss her on screen, this is an... entirely different role for her, but Pony's stands for persons of no interest. And this takes place in the 70s in Moscow. They star as secretaries, and then their husbands mysteriously die in this plane crash, very nefarious. And with that, they become CIA operatives, which is great because the title Pony's is like, you wouldn't be looking at these secretaries in Moscow, but they become CIA operatives trying to figure out why their husbands and their mysterious death

and what happened. It's excellent. What I like most about this is it's created by Susanna Fogel who created Booksmart. And if you like BookSmart, she has incredible female characters, their relationship. It's got a little humor mixed with a little thriller. So definitely recommend this. You're going to like it if you like the Americans. That makes so much sense. And BookSmart, you can see like the best friend relationship there. Haarly Lou Richardson from the White Lotus is in it. Of course. It's a great star-studded cast. It's excellent. Okay, so I'm definitely streaming that this weekend. We want to get to our third one. This, I know you are excited about. I can't, I'm ashamed to admit I haven't started the series yet, but it's season three of Tell Me Lies.

mistakes. Close to what have you done. He's not someone who lets things go. He's going to hold this over us forever. Has anyone ever told you you have really bad decision-making skills? Yeah. Okay, so as a fan tell me, what should fans of the show who I know are so excited, it's back? What should they expect? Well, a lot of deceit. This show, I always saw my friends, makes me feel things, and some of those things are bad. And some of those things are good. But it stars Grace Van Patton and Jackson White, who's Katie Segal's son. And they are in a decade-long tumultuous, abusive, psychologically torturous, yet absolutely addicting relationship up and down, back and forth. They're kind of the same age as me, so that really hits in a different way.

But just their decades-long relationship, it is so addicting. I can't tell you, it is the psychological and emotional drama that this show brings is absolutely incredible. First three episodes dropped on Tuesday on Hulu. Subsequent episodes are coming out weekly, but you have to binge this show list. I am here to bully you into doing this. It is my favorite show on TV, but you will feel things. And it's not a feel good show. It's more of like a revenge show. Because it kind of was giving like rom-comy teen. Not at all. It's not. Okay. Not at all. But you know what? I went to college and like graduated in 2010 and the music is still there. Oh, so it's good. Oh, me too. So in that sense, you're going to feel it. Yes. It's great. Yeah. We're on the same.

No wrong. Okay, got it. Okay, so the other one that we're going to look at is this new series on HBO from the Game of Thrones universe. So a lot of people are excited about that. It's called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Take a look. Targaryens.

They're incestuous aliens and tyrants. Sir Duncan, the tall. Arian would like your head. Maybe the gods figure this is what I deserve. Come out, come out, little knight. And so I ask you again, how good a knight are you? Okay, so this one takes place 100 years before Game of Thrones.

And 100 years. So it's a century after the House of Dragon and a century before Game of Thrones. But we're in the Game of Thrones Westeros world, but it's not the same characters. It's based on George R.R.R. Martin's novel, you know, and it takes place with a squire named Ed. and it's a lot of names to remember. Let me tell you, this was my problem with Game of Thrones in the beginning. But if you are a fan of Game of Thrones and House of Dragons,

you'll definitely want to check out this series. It takes place in that world. It's an excellent cast and very well done. Okay, and a similar one. Our last show we wanted to talk about was this new Star Trek show, Star Trek Starfleet Academy. It takes place way, way, way, in the future.

So it's the opposite. Look at this clip. That thing is taking us to the school? That is a school. Cadet in Starfleet Academy means being open to the people around you. I'm saying, sometimes I feel invisible, but mostly awkward. Let's go! Show me your worthy of this uniform!

Oh, this seems like a very modern, twist, updated, not your grandma's Star Trek kind of thing. I mean, Star Trek has been around for decades. I understand that my dad is the biggest nerd for Star Trek. But for me, if you are a little bit ignorant in the Star Trek world, This is actually a great way to get into it. It's more of the modern-day Star Trek. Great cast, Holly Hunter, Tignitaro, Stephen Colbert is in it. But they're essentially training the new generation of Starfleet people.

And so there's a lot of, there's a lot of good Star Trek references, but it's definitely the more modern version of it. It's on Paramount Plus. You can tell, for sure. Okay, so let's get to music quickly because there's a few really good songs we've got to talk about or some people are talking about. One is, as we talk about the millennials in us, Hillary Duff is making her comeback. She's back. Lee McGuire's back. This one's called roommates.

Listen. All right, she's like a little raunchy here. Listen, Duff's 38. I'm 37. So I grew up with Hillary Duff. Okay, so it's just nice to have her back, but she describes roommates as this sort of like not suitable for work romance. You know, I call a new relationship energy.

The time that you're in a relationship, this is before baby bottles and having a grocery shop and paying a mortgage. This is like the fun when you're in a bar. And all you want to do is hook up with your partner. She harkens back to that time. little bit more of a carefree time. What I like about this video is she's got the rain coming down. It's supposed to be a little Easter egg for the Come Clean video that came out in 2003. And this is off her new upcoming album, Luck or something. But it's good to have Duff back.

It's so good. And Mr. Totally. And okay, last one too. I feel like this is made for us like going into the weekend. It's like feel good song. Dolly Parton is out with a new collaboration with some like star-studded singers. We have Lainie Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, Rie McIntyre. back for a remake of her 1970s hit light of a clear blue morning. Listen. I can see everything's going to be all right. It's going to be okay.

This feels like a big hug. Dolly Parton for president for 2028. She's the patron saint of the world, not even the United States. Anything this woman puts out. And she did it for feel-good reason. She turned 80. She wanted to take her 1977 classic of this song. and remake it with these female voices.

She's absolutely obsessed with. She's got her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, on it. It's just meant to feel good. And everything Dolly Parton puts out is just like warm sunshine. And this is that. Take a break from the world and listen to this song with these amazing women. Definitely listen to this one this weekend. It will make you feel great.

Darren, thank you so much. It's so fun. All right. And thank you all so much for joining us here for Tom Yammis and the whole team. I'm Liz Kroits in Los Angeles. And stay right there though. More News Now is on the way.