Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, July 10, 2026

Episode Date: July 11, 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.

Breaking news right now. A catastrophic flash flood emergency unfolding the rescues at this hour. A state of emergency just declared this family trapped on that roof of a house, a rescue boat capsizing. These state troopers thrown in the water. Floods destroying this kitchen. A man rescuing this horse nearly swept away. We're tracking it all. Also tonight, the nightmare mid-flight, a passenger partially sucked out of a window. Passengers pulling him back in. The video from inside the plane showing the blown out of the plane. window, oxygen masks dangling. Was this engine with blades broken off to blame? Our emotional sit-down with the parents of Nolan Wells, the college athlete found dead after a boat trip with friends, the new details they share about the timeline and the phone call they got

saying he was missing. Alarming new reporting about a new Iranian plot to kill President Trump, the president's plan if he was assassinated. The long flyover buzzing a packed beach, the Apache helicopter pilots suspended how Pete Hegson is now stepping in. The teen shark attack survivor behind a new law that could save lives, the system that can send alerts right to your phone about dangers lurking in the water. And the historic operation for the first time humanoid robots performing surgery, we talk to the people who helped them do it. Could they be coming to an OR near you? Plus Royal Reunion King Charles hosting Prince Harry, Megan and their children for the first time in years. Top story starts right now. And good evening as we come on the air. Catastrophic flash floods

ripping through the Midwest. Tens of millions under alert as first responders raced to get stranded people out alive. The National Weather Service calling this an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation. Russian waters flooding homes in Missouri. These kids huddled on kitchen counters as the waters quickly rise. A man rescuing a horse almost fully submerged. Desperate rescue still underway. The flood so high, this family seeking refuge on their roof, they were safely rescued by boat. At least 90 water rescues reported. Scary moments unfolding as first responders battled dangerous conditions. A Missouri state trooper boat capsizing after a submerged power line got tangled up in the motors. Incredibly scary. A stark reminder of how dangerous this can get. At least six people are still unaccounted for tonight,

as officials warn swift currents and nightfall could make matters worse. Our Ryan Chandler leads us off. Thank you. Tonight, search and rescue teams racing to catastrophic flooding in southeast Missouri. First responders rescuing dozens of stranded residents from high water. Pretty much anything near the Black River is going to be completely submerged. The National Weather Service declaring a flash flood emergency in parts of multiple counties. Water rising to the rooftops of homes.

You see it there as rivers exploded out of their banks after as much as a foot of rain. Rescue teams still searching for at least six people in the area. Heavy rain also swamping parts of the northeast in the last 24 hours. Outside Philadelphia, first responders rescuing one woman, her car stranded in the water. And that weather is impacting air travel all across the country. Here in Dallas, the biggest weather danger is the heat. It's going to feel close to 100 today, even more on this hot tarmac. American Airlines making sure their workers stay hydrated.

A second straight weekend of packed airports as millions take to stormy skies late this week, with more than 5,000 delays Friday. I had a delay on the way there, and then this morning we had an hour and a half delay. And in Montreal, an Air Canada flight arriving from Los Angeles veered off the taxiway in the rain. None of the 162 people on board were hers. And Tom, so many Americans are hoping for calmer skies tonight, but still more than 20 million people from Missouri to Penn. Pennsylvania still face a risk for potential flooding. Tom. All right, Ryan Chandler, leading us off tonight. Ryan, we thank you for that. For more of those active storms, I want to get right to Telemundo meteorologist Gabby Dejan.

Gabby, welcome to Top Story. Thanks for being here for us. Talk to us about these flash floods. It looks like it's a very dangerous night. It is. And unfortunately, we can see more of those images that we're already seeing with the flooding. And that's very concerning. Look at right now, this image is very active, very dynamic. In the next couple of hours, we could see more flooding. Twenty-two million are rigs, basically from Missouri. all the way to Pennsylvania. But look at this flat flood warning. This is the highest alert for the National Weather Service. And this happens where we could see up to three inches of rain in an hour. This could definitely lead to floating. Additional to that, we also have some severe threat that would include wind gusts to 60 miles per hour,

damaging hail, isolated tornadoes. That is possible. We're not going to rule out that overnight, so that's definitely a very dangerous situation, Tom. All right. And Gabby, you're also tracking that massive Sahara dustblum, blanketing parts of Florida and the Gulf Coast, video capturing a hazy sunset, and that dust is even sending temperature soaring. So what's the latest? We have a visitor that is going to make it all the way from Africa to the southeast. And look at, we have higher concentrations, definitely, during the weekend, and that's going to be for Saturday night, Sunday. Attention all the way to the southeast. This is going to impact Florida all the way to Texas by Monday. And what happens this does. It does have some benefits. This is going to suppress some

storms, but it's going to open up the sky. We'll have more sunlight that's going to feel hotter. Definitely something that Florians don't need in the next couple of days, but it will have also some impacts on the air quality. So people who have breathing issues that could affect them, and the good news is, we have to leave with a positive point of the Saharan dust is that it will bring beautiful, beautiful sunsets. It's going to be very red, orange, those colors, tons that we light, so it will be camera ready. Okay, great. Thank you, Gabby. We thank you for that. We want to turn out of the horrifying moments, 15,000 feet above the ground. A passenger partially sucked out of a plane after the window shattered mid-air. Witnesses to say the man's entire head was outside of the plane at one point. Other passengers pulling him back inside. All of this happening on a Ryan Air flight from Greece to Germany this morning. Here's a closer look at that smashed window. The glass completely shattered. Look at this. Tonight, that Ryan Air passenger, lucky to be alive. But the question tonight, how could this point this? possibly have happened. Here's Tom Costello.

Video from inside the Ryan Air flight shows dangling oxygen masks and the blown out window. Greek media reports a passenger partially sucked out his head outside the window and pulled back inside by fellow passengers.

One passenger told Greek radio the head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately he had not taken off his seatbell. The Boeing 737-800 had just taken off, flying from Greece to Germany when Ryanair says a passenger window dislodged in flight. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger treated for injuries. Video on X appears to show engine fan blades broken off.

Experts say engine shrapnel may have blown out that window. This is the engine cowling, the casing around the engine. and uncontained engine failure is when the fan blade spinning at a very high rate suddenly break apart and punch through the cowling potentially endangering the plane. This man that was partially sucked out of the airplane is extremely lucky that he was not killed as well as all of the other passengers on board that airplane. Today's incident eerily similar to the 2018 Southwest Airlines emergency when pieces of the the cowling itself blew out a window pulling a mother of two to her death.

Both engines made by CFM with GE, a joint partner. The company today says CFM is supporting our customers and assisting with the investigation. So after that Southwest Airlines blowout in 2018, the FAA ordered changes to the engine casing and more inspections. And that included more fan blade inspections and a redesign of that engine cowling to contain any engine failure. Investigators will now look at whether that work was done. Boeing tells us it is in common. contact with Ryanair. The NTSB on the FAA have assigned investigators to go and assist in the investigation. And by the way, Boeing says that plane was built in 2008. So before the 2018 Southwest incident.

Tom? A terrifying incident there, midair. Okay, Tom, thank you. We want to turn out of the search for answers after the death of a Mississippi teen, Nolan Wells. His parents offering new details on how they learned their 18-year-old was missing after a Fourth of July boating trip with friends. Are Kate Snowstnat down with them and their lawyer just a few hours ago? We're doing this because we want answers. Christine Wells-Wansley and Elmore Wansley say their son Nolan went out for a fun boat trip to Horn Island with a bunch of his high school friends. Late on July 4th, his mom says her heart dropped when she saw one of Nolan's friends calling. What did he say? He said, hey, Ms. Christine, have you seen Nolan or talked to Nolan?

I said, no, I thought he was with you guys. He was like, no, nobody's talked to him. We left the island at, I think he's at 3 p.m., and he wanted to stay because he was talking to a girl. That friend's mother, a local judge, posted on Facebook that Nolan told the boys he was going to stay on the island. But the family's attorney, Ben Crump, says another teenager said Nolan was going back with his friends.

It's unclear who Nolan was with when he disappeared. Do you think there's a possibility that your son drowned? accidentally honestly because of the way the stories are just so inconsistent and how that day went it's just you know we can't say for sure and I don't honestly I don't know how to answer that Monday the college athletes body was recovered in the water the location of Nolan's phone now fueling the family's questions his mother tracked it to a friend's home back on land teenagers love their phones and to

That's his means of communication. If something happens, you need your phone. There are hundreds of people on that island. Nobody sees what happened to him. And he stays behind and doesn't ask for his phone. We asked about this video from the fourth, which many on social media suggest, shows an argument involving Nolan. Do you hear your son in that video?

I can't say yay or nay to that. Do you see him in the video? I do not just because of the way it shot. The family's high-profile attorney has repeatedly invoked race. Do you think that race may be involved in what happened to your son? I don't want to believe it is, but unfortunately there's patterns, right? So many things have happened and so many things have been swept on the road. They say they want their son to be remembered as a sweet soul.

He just had a big heart. To really know Nolan, to have him as your friend was just, it was something special. Do you worry that he might have trusted too much? Sometimes, yeah. And that was something we always talked to him about. Kate Snow joins us in the studio. You feel for those parents. They just want some answers.

And one of the things they're doing is they're trying to get an independent autopsy in Washington. What do we know about this? Yeah, they actually move the... body of their son from Mississippi to Washington to a special place that they paid for. They raised some money. Actually, a former NFL player helped them. They're waiting for that. They don't have the results yet. Also, the state is doing an autopsy

Tom, and those results aren't back yet either. We're coming up on a week. I understand it's a holiday. There are weekends involved. But what is law enforcement saying? Because it's been several days now. It has. The sheriff has said in interviews, he's done just a few, but he has said, look, we're in the middle of an investigation. We're gathering as much

information as we can. And they're not going to get ahead of it. They're waiting for people. They said we want videos, especially uncut, unedited videos. If people were there, if they saw something, they need that information as they try to figure out what happened. Okay. Kate Snow, we thank you for that. Now to the alarming new report tonight that Israel has warned the U.S. that Iran is plotting to kill President Trump. Kelly O'Donnell is following this and joins us tonight from the White House. So Kelly, those threats were also seen at the funeral for the Ayatollah. There's a real link here, Tom, between what we're hearing from these Israel reports and what was happening on the ground in Iran. Now, the White House is not

commenting on this because of all the sensitivities. And yet today, the president said that Israel came up with nothing, referring to that report about them giving the White House some new intel. Now, all of this comes as demonstrators in the streets of Iran carried signs written in English. So that was a message to go well beyond Iran calling for the assassination of President Trump. Of course, the U.S. also assassinated through war, the supreme leader of Iran and other top officials. Now, the president said today, in response to this, I've left instructions, if anything happens, to just literally bomb them at levels they've never seen before. That's the president saying if he were killed by Iran, that would be his message. Now, there's some new information tonight.

We were able to talk to a number of top officials involved in this process, and they're telling us that Iran must issue a public statement pledging to, keep open the Strait of Hormuz so that commercial shipping can continue. That's a new demand from the White House. And that's important because we've already seen Iran violate the ceasefire by firing on ships trying to carry out commercial business. So that is a critical point. We also learned from those officials that the issue of trying to obtain the enriched uranium that is buried below the plants where Iran had been working on its nuclear program, that that is something they still want to get. And that would require cooperation from Iran in order to do that for the U.S. to extract that. So that's still an active part of the negotiations. We also learned today,

based on the reporting of some of our colleagues here at NBC News, that the president is now in what an official called a wait-and-see mode. He's getting some different sources of advice. From Pete Hegset, the defense secretary, encouragement to do more to go against Iran with military action, while others, including the vice president, are concerned about upping that up again into a full-scale war. Tom? Okay, Kelly O'Donnell, with a lot of new reporting there first. Kelly, we thank you. We have new video tonight. We want to show you the moments before 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado was killed by officers in Houston. And it's raising new questions about how this whole shooting unfolded. As our Priscilla Thompson reports, he may not have been the initial target.

New video shows the clearest images yet of what led up to the deadly shooting of 50. 22-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Arajo by ICE agents. This video posted by his son shows Arajo leaving for work that morning. Surveillance video later picks him up turning a corner, being tailed by a dark SUV that appears to try to get around the van. Another angle shows a second SUV cutting through a parking lot to catch up. Moments later, the vehicles circle back around. And ice agents appear to pull someone from the van. Salgado then seen here, on the ground, moments after being shot. DHS initially said Salgado weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE officer who fired in self-defense. That is simply false. Now, the others inside that van, currently in

detention, are speaking out through their attorney. I believe that the shots did come from the signs not for it. Tonight, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia says the acting ICE director told her, Salgado wasn't the target. Ice was searching for an individual with a final removal order who officers believe had entered the van. In a new statement, DHS says they observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target. Late today, borders are Tom Holman saying this. If our agents violate policy, they violate the law,

and they'll be done with. Priscilla Thompson joins us tonight from Houston. Priscilla, those agents involved weren't wearing body cams at the time? That's right, Tom. DHS says that none of the officers on scene had body cams. They say that's because of the gun. government shut down earlier this year that froze funding to the agency. But DHS says now there are more than half of their field offices that do have body cans and that all field offices will have them

within the next 60 days. Tom. Okay, Priscilla Thompson with those updates tonight. We're back in a moment with the teen shark attack survivor pushing for a new alert system to warn swimmers of sharks lurking nearby. The law she helped get passed. Plus, the major reversal from meta. We told you about that new AI feature on Instagram last night, why the tech giant is reportedly pulling the plug. And our great American this week, Lynn Manuel Miranda, how Hamilton changed his life and the surprising song that inspired some of his greatest hits and ambitions. That's ahead on top story. We're back down with the shark attack survivor behind a new law that could save lives. It comes as we've reported a recent surge in shark sightings at a number of popular beaches this

summer. Back in June of 2024, 15-year-old Lulu Gribben was swimming when a bull shark suddenly surfaced. Beachgoers rushing in to save her, but the shark took her left hand and part of her right leg. But what Lulu didn't know at the time was that another woman was attacked just 90 minutes before and just three miles down the beach. Since then, she's advocated tirelessly on a law which authorizes alerts to your phone when a shark attack happens nearby. Lulu Gribbon joins Top Story Live. Now, Lulu, thanks so much for being here. Your story of perseverance is truly incredible. If you can, take us back to the moment when you realized, not only that you had been attacked, but that someone else had been attacked, and this possibly

could have been prevented. It was crazy when I found out that another woman had been attacked before me, just 90 minutes before me, and it was only three miles down the coast, because I was really already skeptical of big bodies of water. And so obviously, if I would have known that, I would not have been swimming in the water. So it's definitely very surprised. to find that out when I was in recovery, but we really wanted to create this common sense legislature so that led to Louis law, and we are just so grateful that we were able to create this law. And that's really just the backstory. It is. It's incredible what you've done. It's incredible how you've bounced back and you've done this. You know, sometimes making laws can be kind of hard, right?

They call it cutting through the red tape. What was it like to get this law passed? And did people want to work with you, or did you find sort of any headwinds? It was a very long process. It was probably about two years that we were working on this with the help of Senator Katie Brett, Representative Gary Palmer, and a lot of other state legislatures. But it was really meaningful to me to be able to pass this law just because it is, like, having a law in my name. Like, obviously, that's one of the greatest, most biggest accomplishments I'll ever have

and ever will be able to achieve in my life. And so it's really such an honor. And I was very, very excited. And it was a bipartisan. was in law. So all of the legislators came together and they all voted yay and the vote was 401 to 6. And that was also incredible. And I was very proud that I was able to bring together the community up in Congress. You should be proud because you're probably going to save a lot of lives and help a lot of not only kids, but just people, anyone at the beach. Help us understand

how this new law works and how it can protect other people. So this law works exactly like an Amber Alert system. So basically, when a shark attack has a occurred in the water. It will send an alert to your phone and notify you that a shark attack has occurred nearby and it's geo-fence to a certain radius. So it will only send an alert if you are in that certain radius. And this goal, the law, it not only helps the beaches be safer, but it also lets the lifeguards, all the paramedics to be alert of what is going on in their waters very faster, much faster than the flag system of what is used to. And so we're not only excited to be able to help the beaches feel safe, but to help all the

life-saving measures that it takes to be able to help other people survive. Just real quick, as some folks may be watching this, they may not be super tech savvy. Do people have to do anything on their phones? Do they have to register for anything? They have to download an app or anything like that? You don't have to register for anything. It will send an alert to your phone if you are in that radius, and it will be a very loud alert, even if you're in the water.

So other people will be able to hear it. And you don't have to sign up for anything. just go straight to your phone. I want to show our viewers a moment because it shows how brave you are. You actually went back to the spot where you were attacked and you posted video of getting back in the water just a few months

after that attack. Talk to me about what was going through your head and why was this important to you? It was very nerve-wracking to go back into the ocean just because that is where my life completely changed and where I lost two of my limbs. But getting back in, I got to learn how to surf and just standing up on the surfboard, getting to feel the wind in my back, I just got to be

free. And there was so much freedom of just getting to go back in, getting to feel the water, feel the waves. I was more, I was obviously a little bit more skeptical. I was looking around me to make sure there was nothing around me. But just getting up and standing on that surfboard, it's one of the best feelings that I've ever felt. And let me tell you, that's not easy. That's incredible. You were able to do that. You created the Lulu Strong Foundation that helps other amputees. Talk to us about the work you do there. So I created my foundation to be able to help other amputees by this gives grants to other foundations to other organizations who are researching into different technologies and to different strategies to be able to help the amputee community.

So we give grants to organizations, whether that's helping them develop virtual reality headsets to help phantom limb pain, to help create apps, to bring together amputees and have community, really just very different things that will be able to help people that struggle with limb loss. And this was just really important to me because in my recovery, other people came to me and were able to help me, so I don't be able to give back and be able to help others. Lulu, you are incredible. Thank you for taking the time to talk to our viewers here. Keep doing what you're doing. Don't stop because your energy is infectious and you're doing so much good. So thank you. Thank you so much. All right, coming up here on the broadcast, still, the

mysterious killing overseas. A former lawmaker and reality TV star found dead inside her home the search for a motive tonight. Plus the dramatic boat rescue deputies pulling people from the water during a daring nighttime mission. But first, top story's top moment. And here in New York City music star Keith Urban surprising passengers on a ferry during the evening commute. Take a listen. Urban also serenaded the captain of the ferry. He was there promoting his newest album, Flow State, while sailing down the river. All right, stay with us. More Top Story on the way. Instead of Top Stories news feed, we start with Graham Platner, officially dropping out of the main Senate race. It has happened. It paves away for Democrats to pick a new nominee in what could be

one of the nation's most competitive Senate races. The announcement came after Platner's campaign has faced a flurry of scandals. Maine Democrats say they'll hold a convention to choose a new candidate. And Defense Secretary Pete Higg sat stepping in after the pilots of eight Apache choppers were grounded by the South Carolina National Guard. It's all because of this low flyby during the 4th of July. You can see people on the beach cheering and waving flags as they get pretty close to the ground. But that suspension was only brief after Heggseth intervened to get it lifted, calling the pilots, Patriots. And a major reversal from meta, we told you last time about the backlash it's been facing over a new AI feature on Instagram.

It allows users to make realistic deep fakes by using other people's photos. One way to do it is by mentioning public accounts. counts, but now META reportedly says it's pausing that feature because of the feedback it got from users. That according to Puck, we reached out to META for comment but haven't heard back. And a dramatic nighttime rescue up the coast of Florida, seven people left stranded when their boat crashed into some rocks. It happened about 30 miles north of West Palm.

Body cam shows deputies throwing life rafts into the water, then pulling everybody on board. They say all made it back to shore safely and no one was hurt. Okay. Time now for our series, Great Americans, where we speak with those who have achieved so much about their life and this great country. Tonight, our interview with the man who revolutionized the American musical and went on to pen some of the catchiest and most beloved animated soundtracks of the 21st century. Our Great American this week, Lynn Manuel Miranda. What do you love most about America? I think my favorite thing about this country is the fact that immigrants are what make this country great.

You have no control. Who lives, who dies, who tells your story. For Lynn Manuel Miranda, those words have become a life's work. Making him one of America's most influential storytellers. Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me. His own story beginning in Inwood on the northern tip of Manhattan. I grew up in an amazing immigrant nation. where English and Spanish was spoken in every store.

Did you know you were living in some place unique, some place special? You're speaking these two languages? It wasn't until I started going to elementary school. Suddenly I'm commuting from uptown Manhattan to the Upper East Side. And that's a bit of a culture shock. I'm Lynn at school because they cannot pronounce Ling Manuel. I'm Ling Manuel in my neighborhood. And then, you know, summers I'd get sent to my grandparents in Puerto Rico,

where I was like, the kid with the messed-up gringito accent. present in every one of those worlds, music, and lots of it. It's Ruben Blades, it's Willie Colong, it's Mungo Santa Maria. It's like the glory of like the invention of New York salsa in the 70s. And then also like what my mom and dad bumped into car was Man of La Mancha, Camelot, the unsinkable Molly Brown. Probably more than anything, why I do what I do is because seeing my parents' reactions to music. It would make my mother cry.

It would make my father dance. And I think I was drawn towards making the thing that makes people feel that to play. Everybody's got a job. Everybody's got a dream. His first musical turned movie, In The Heights, was a love letter to the community that raised it. In The Heights exists because I wanted to see Latinos on stage. I wanted a life in this business. And I wanted a fuller picture than what I had seen so far on Broadway.

Then a biography he read on vacation sparked an idea that wouldn't leave him alone. My name is Alexander Hamilton. Felt like a mosquito that hit an artery. I was like, there's so much here. Did you ever think it would be a billion-dollar idea? No. No. My optimistic sky-high hope was we'll run three years on school groups.

Hamilton became a cultural phenomenon. One line in particular, still resonating with audiences a decade later. Immigrants, we get the job done! I remember between off-Broadway and Broadway, we had to add extra bars of music because the cheering was so loud that you couldn't hear the next line. Soon, Hollywood came calling. We don't talk about Bruno, no, no, no, no.

And for Miranda, a lifelong fan of animation, it was a full circle moment. And when you first started doing it, did you love it? Is it hard? Is it different? Oh, yeah. I mean, it was a dream. because, you know, I think that when I saw The Little Mermaid in 1989, I still remember the feeling when this Caribbean calypso number underneath the water broke out in the middle of this Disney movie.

And here's And da the sea. I was like, this is an island jam. How is this possible? And that Caribbean beat inspiring hits from Enkanto and Moana. And for Miranda, storytelling has. always come with a sense of responsibility. When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Miranda turned his attention there. Your job is to jump up and scream as loud as you can to get attention to your brothers and

sisters on the island. A role he will always play as he writes America's story. When our children tell our story, and when our children tell our story, he'll tell the story of tonight. The country has grown and changed and adapted in so many ways. and so many of the brilliant innovations that have benefited this country are from immigrants or children of immigrants. And I believe that the people who come here

from somewhere else to make a better life for themselves end up making a better country for us. Lynn Manuel Miranda, our great American this week, we thank Lynn so much for that conversation. We really enjoyed it. Still to come tonight, King Charles meeting Prince Harry and his family for the first time in years. But will it fix that royal rift?

Plus, the potential medical break through a surgery carried out by a pair of robots. We'll hear from the real-life team who led the operation. That's next. We're back now with a major royal update. Prince Harry and Megan, Duchess of Sussex, bringing their two young children to meet with King Charles and Queen Camilla, believed to be the first time they've seen their grandparents in possibly four years. Aaron McLaughlin has more on the Royal Reunion. Tonight, in what some see is the first step toward healing a major.

Royal Rift. The King and Queen hosting Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, along with their two children, seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lillibat. It's believed to be the first time the King has seen them together in four years. This is a really, really significant visit. At the heart of it, he's a father and grandfather who also wanted to spend time with his son and with those two children. The visit comes days after a London High Court dismissed a privacy lawsuit filed by Prince Harry and others against the publisher of the Daily mail. That lawsuit long seen by Royal Watchers is one of many sources of bad blood between Harry and other members of the deeply private royal family, including Harry's tell-all book and a sit-down

interview with Oprah. Today's gathering took place at Highgrove House, the King's private country estate in West England. Sources telling NBC News there will be no images released since this was a private family occasion. And tonight, no word of a meeting with Prince William and Princess Catherine. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. Okay, Aaron McLaughlin for us tonight. Aaron, thank you. Now at Top Story's Global Watch, a check of what else is happening around the world. We start in southern Spain. At least a dozen people were killed when a wildfire ripped through a rural expac community. It's one of the country's deadliest fires on record. We've been covering these wildfires

here on Top Story all week. Authorities say eight others were hurt and more than 20 are missing. The fire broke out yesterday as Spain faces another brutal heat wave. And in the UK, police say they arrested a suspect, connected to the killing of a former British lawmaker and reality TV contestant. Her name is Anne Whittacombe. Police say the 78-year-old was found dead in her home yesterday with serious injuries. A British man is now in custody. No word yet on a possible motive, but authorities say there is no sign that it was politically motivated or terror-related. And the high-security homecoming for a priceless medieval piece of art. After almost 1,000 years, the Bayou tap is.

is back in England. You can see it right here. It's more than 200 feet long and depicts the lead-up to a historic battle. It was loaded up on a truck in France, then escorted by police on a secret nighttime journey to a museum in London. It's set to go on display there in September. All right, now to a groundbreaking moment in the world of medicine. Check this out. This is the world's first surgery performed by humanoid robots. These two robots called Sergei, working under the direction of the team at the University of California. San Diego. To remove the gallbladders of two pigs, one was done entirely by the robots, directed by people, and the second also involved a human assistant in the OR. I want to bring in the team who worked on the surgeries, Michael Yip, the project lead and robotics professor at

UCSD, and Dr. Sean Liu, the surgeon who oversaw both operations. First off, guys, congratulations. This is pretty incredible stuff here, and to watch it on video is stunning. Dr. Lou, I want to start with you, walking through what it felt like to perform surgery. with a humanoid robot, you know, obviously it's different. And you guys were starting out with a pig better than a human, I would think. But talk to me about some of the challenges in what you learned. Well, thanks again, Tom, for having us here, first of all. I think surgeons have been used to using robotic surgery to perform some of the most advanced surgeries in the world.

And using the humanoid robot in a telecontrol format was very similar to that. And that was the aha moment that we can use a much more affordable and humanoid form of a robotic and get the same experience of an expensive robotic platform and have the high level of surgical precision that we're used to. Yeah, and then Michael, we've seen those kind of robots

doing flips and boxing and running. We've done a lot of stories on them here on Top Story, but why bring a humanoid robot into the operating room? Explain this, because we just heard Dr. Liu saying that you guys have already sort of worked with robotic arms. Why now bring in the humanoid?

I mean, that's actually exactly it. You know, we see all of these humanoid robots doing things like backflips and juggling balls and things like that. And the question is, well, what is it good for the society? Right? And humanoid robots have a place in an operating room because they are flexible, they're versatile. They can be performing many kinds of surgeries. It could be part of a surgical team.

It's just really, like when you look at it, it's another potential team member of the surgical staff. And I think that's the real potential here. And then, Dr. Lou, how was training for performing a surgery different from sort of typical training? The training using live model method, a pig model we use, is the standard training model we use for surgery residents today. So that setup was not difficult. The idea of using the humanoid robot using the control that we used was also very analogous to how robotic surgery is done today. Okay, and then, Mike, are humans next? I mean, what needs to happen and is this at that point yet, or are we a few years away?

So we're still a few years away from, you know, actually seeing this being used in a human surgery. But I think what's next is really looking at the role of the human robot teaming. And by that, I mean, an operation is not done by one person. It's done by a whole surgical team. And when you have a team environment, you want the robot to both be responsive to what, you know, you're asking it to do, whether that's somebody operating behind a console, telling the robot, you know, and instructing the tools what they have to do, or if it's actually an autonomous humanoid robot at the bedside. And I think those are really two big possibilities of the future.

Dr. Lou, people may be asking why do this? Why would you need humanoid robots? And there's sort of a good idea behind this, which is you have some rural hospitals, you have hospitals in different parts the world. You can't get surgeons there. They don't have surgeons on call, but you have these robots. Yeah, I think it's very important to recognize that some of the most advanced surgeries who do is done by these large, complex, and expensive robots. But the operating room for the better part of a century was designed by and designed for humans, humans of a certain size, arm span, dexterity, and the humanoid robots are able to go into an existing workflow meant for humans in the operating pick up the same instruments meant for humans and give the human operator an experience that's

very akin to a very expensive surgical precision of robotic surgery. And that's the benefit, using just a small fraction of the investment, both financially and in terms of spatial usage for the operating room. And that's what's going to help to break down some of the barriers and access to bring this high level of surgical technique to everybody. Dr. Lewis is going to be viewers saying, here we go again. The robot's taking the job. So are they going to take your job? Well, it would be my dream if the robots can do my job, because that means we would advance to the point where doctors are so plentful that we can have robots be them.

But I think realistically, there are a lot of gaps in healthcare right now where there's not enough personnel, be it surgeons, assistant surgeons, or our staff, and we just need a way to fill that gap. And I think that's one place where we can meaningfully and responsibly use the technology, not as a replacement, but an augmentation to improve the care we develop now. Michael, you obviously couldn't ask the pigs how they felt about being operated on by a humanoid robot. When do you think humans will be comfortable with this? Yeah, I think one of the things to recognize is that when you provide a surgery that you can show that the outcomes are going to be better

or that they're going to have access to the surgery, where in certain scenarios they would never be able to get access. I think that's when you're going to start seeing, you know, many people see the value of this type of technology. And an example of this is like an emergency medicine in places where it's hard to access care and you need timely care and you need a quick. And I think in those kind of scenarios, we're going to start seeing increasing adoption. And that's going to break down the barriers for patient acceptance. All right. Michael and Dr. Louis, thank you so much for coming on Top Story. And again, congratulations. When we come back, I look at everything worth binge watching. listen to this weekend. Jennifer Gardner stars in a new drama series on Peacock, plus the

legally blonde spin-off is finally out and the surprise drop from Beyonce. Yeah, she's got some new music. Stay with us. Welcome back. It is Friday, which means it's time for binge-worthy. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And joining us tonight is Emily Orozco. Of course, you know, from Access Hollywood. She's a correspondent for that great show. Emily, so great to see you. Thanks for being here. Thanks for having me. Yeah, okay, so we're going to start with one that is playing like crazy in my house. It's called Elle. It's on Amazon Prime.

It, of course, is the prequel to Legally Blonde. We have a clip. Let's take a look. You have something important we want to talk to you about. Elle, we're moving to Seattle. No. It doesn't sound right. I'm just a girl.

Nice umbrella. Thanks. It's an heirloom. She's joking. You look like an idiot. All right, so this is the origin story of Elle Woods. How is it? Bend and snap.

Elle is back. We all remember that. Okay, does that not look like a young Reese Witherspoon? It's insane. And give our viewers the backstory because it's incredible how she was cast. Yeah, so she sent in her audition like everybody else. She beat out 5,000 women. Reese Witherspoon, who is an EP on this, handpicked her.

Reese said that when she saw her, she just knew, and she had looked through so many tapes. So it's kind of me. She got the job. That is incredible. The Seattle connection is just, they've just invented this. Because like, if you watch Legally Blonde or Legally Blonde 2, you're like, what is the Seattle connection? This is something new for the series. She's an L.A. girl. We know L.A. is L.A.

But her family tells her they're moving to Seattle. She's a fish out of water in high school, and she has to try to navigate Seattle, which is not L.A., as we all know. So it's fun. It's kind of how L. Becomes L. Yeah, and Legally Blonde, obviously, so funny. Is this series pretty funny?

It's great. Yeah? I honestly think Lexi's performance is the best part of it. She's really good. Really good. And good for her. Anyways, like I said, it's playing like crazy in my house. Next up is one from our mother's ship.

Jennifer Gardner, whose character is grappling with loss and takes a getaway with a group of friends. It's on Peacock. It's called Five Star Weekend. Let's take a look. Your mom's first boyfriend. What do you want, Jack? Same thing I've always wanted it. You're moving on.

I really wanted this weekend to be fun. Your best friends in the world are here. What do you want to do? All right, we love Jennifer Gardner. We love Peacock, of course. So this one is she loses her husband, which sounds like a little kind of sad, obviously, especially if you want to binge it on the weekend.

But I can tell just from the trailer, maybe she meets a man, right? Am I right? Yes. Okay, all right. This is when you cozy up with your girlfriends and watch. It's a story of hope, healing, friendship, love. Jennifer Garner's character, as her husband passes away, she goes to Nantucket. It's based on Ellen Hilderbrand novels that are always

sort of the same theme. They're always in Nantucket. They're always in the summer. They're always about love and heart and healing. So this is a really good one, also starring Regina Hall, who I am obsessed with, and her and Jennifer are great together. Yeah, she was also in the Kevin Hart roast, but she didn't say anything. She had like one speech, but she wasn't allowed. I don't think they were allowed to make fun of her of Regina.

But anyways, moving on now. There is a docu series that is on Netflix. It is called The Verdict. It's about Michael Jackson's trial when he was accused of child molestation back in 2005. It is very intense. Let's take a look at the trailer. This was a man. who was unique in his talent, skill, accomplishment,

and unique in his victimization of children. When the supposed victim was on the stand, the thing that struck me was, wow, he's just a kid. It was very moving testimony. You really got to me. So, Emily, as I was telling you, I watched this documentary. I binge this.

It's very intense. I do want to let our viewers know that, and there are some scenes that you definitely should not watch with children. Michael, the movie, is so popular right now. I think it's about to make a billion dollars. supposed to make it a billion dollars, or it already has. So Michael Jackson is more popular than ever, and this documentary goes back to maybe the darkest moment in his life and this case and the accusations and the series of accusations and a lot of

evidence, and it lays it all out there. In fact, they bring back Martin Bashir, who was the first one to sort of sit down with Michael Jackson and expose that he was sleeping with children in his bed. And they talked to Martin, and they talk about that film that they made that was first in the UK and then it came over here. And you hear from people who knew Michael, people who worked with Michael, Michael's lawyers like this. If you are into Michael Jackson,

if you're into that case, true crime, it is pretty incredible. Yeah, in 2005, they did not let cameras into the courtroom. So this is a real retelling from people that were in there. Things that we haven't heard before, as you said, you know, we all know that this Michael being charged with multiple counts of child molestation set off a media frenzy at the time. And as we know, he did beat that case. There was a lot of evidence.

We're going to move on now, take a turn. There's also a docu series, I think. It's called Burning Man. It's about how Burning Man came to life. This was on Netflix. Let's take a look. I am a retired combat veteran. For me, this is a place of healing.

You've faced a number of crises over the years. I've had to keep the organization alive through COVID. We're being rained out. We fix a thing and then we run into another crisis. I've had a lot of friends who've gone to Burning Man. They've tried to explain to me. Have you? I still don't understand it.

I'm one of those people that I always kind of want to know what actually goes on there, right? This kind of pulls back the curtain. I didn't really know it actually did start in San Francisco as a grassroots anti-establishment kind of movement. And it turned into this now 80,000 person, multi-million dollar, you know, festival. They had access, full unpresident access from 2001 to 2005. There's a ton of footage, and they had 40 years of archival footage that they're showing. If you're into this kind of stuff, it sounds like this would be really fun. Little House on the Prairie, there's a new reimagining.

It's completely different from the series that was playing when we were sort of growing up, even though we're like, that, that old, but it was out there. Let's watch a clip. Welcome to Independence, Mr. Ingalls. There's no post office, no church, no school. What do you think? So small. What we wanted, right?

Be at the beginning of something. We're building a house nearby. Maybe our neighbors. Be careful if I were you. It's nothing for you about this lane at all. I can't have strangers walking into my house uninvited. I think they'd say the same thing. All right, a little bit of tension, but maybe a little bit of learning, too.

It feels a little bit like a Western, but you were telling me like, no, it's kind of similar to the original, but just, It is similar to the... Yes, it is. You know, Michael Landon co-created this series on NBC in 1974, so Netflix has reimagined it. It's an entirely new cast. It's so nostalgic for anyone that was a fan of the original, and it's that warm family feel.

It's all about survival in a time that was not easy to live. Right. Oh, gosh, no way. So that's what you're going to get from this, and if you were a fan of the original, you're going to love this. Okay, let's turn to music, Emily. role model, which is very popular with a lot of the producers on top story here. People love him. He's got a new song out. It's called Joy. Let's take a look. So you're cooler than me.

I don't know role model. Is it a band? Is he a guy? Is he a person? He is a performer. He is an artist. He is fun. He's happy. This song, Joy, is all about friendship and embracing. Yeah. Let's hope there's water in that gasoline. Let's hope that's just for creative effect. Amazing. I'm so happy. I love my friend. But this, you know, this is coming, it's going to be on his upcoming third album coming out in August. So fans are excited. And it's a good summer bop. It really is. It's happy. It's kind of 70s vibe. Yeah, yeah. You know, it's definitely a good song. Queen B. She's got a new one out, which may have surprised a lot of people. I was surprised as well. A lot of people wondering about a new album maybe. It's called Morning Doe, but I think there's another part of this, right? Morning Dew, Dunk.

Let's take a look into me because maybe I can get it 100% right. What exactly is happening with it? It's a reissue. Okay, so this is leading up to the reissue of Beyonce's second album called B-Day. Okay. It's the 20th anniversary. It's coming out in September. This new song will be on the album. It's a very sexy, soul-trie song. But it's a new song.

It is a new song. Got it. But it goes with the reissue of the old album. Yes. And I think we can expect some more new singles for the re-issue. What is the rumor? There's a rumor that there's a new album coming out or that there's something or... Yes.

Well, there is. We do know there is a third part coming to her, to the last... Trilogy, right? Yes, to the last two albums. Renaissance, Cowboy Carter. We know there's a third coming, but we don't know when. Okay. But this is not part of it?

No. Okay, you're sure. Well, I mean, look, I don't work for Beyonce, but it would kind of be unprecedented if it was. And disappointing. I know, but it would. I'm sure, I'm sure they're to do it. Emily, thank you so much for being here. It's great to see you.

It's been a while. Great to see you. Thanks for coming back. We thank you for watching Top story. As always, I'm Tom Yamma. Stay right there. More news on the way.