Top Story with Tom Llamas - Friday, March 13, 2026

Episode Date: March 14, 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 we have breaking news on the war with Iran. President Trump says the war will last, quote, as long as necessary as the deadly toll on American troops grows. Air strikes still rocking Iran tonight as the American death toll climbs. Six U.S. service members confirmed killed in that refueling plane crash in Iraq as the Pentagon orders more than 2,000 Marines to the region. The new video first obtained by NBC News of the suspect in the Michigan synagogue attack, purchasing $2,000 worth of fireworks. The alleged attacker questioned, before the incident about possible terror links. As tonight we're learning his own family members

were killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon just this month. And in Virginia, convicted ISIS supporter opening fire in a college classroom, how the student military cadets managed to take him down, what we've uncovered about the suspect's radical past, and is there a growing threat inside the U.S.? Growing chaos the nation's airports, lines stretching all the way outside,

and airfares on some routes surging, 50% due to fuel costs. The surprise breakthrough with Cuba, the secret talks with the Trump administration now confirmed, and the deal brokered by the Vatican, the Epstein prison guard that Congress wants to interview why they're looking into mysterious deposits made to her bank account before Epstein's death in jail. Plus, dash cam video showing the moment a woman plows a stolen ambulance right into an office building. And the new guidelines for managing your cholesterol should you start medications as early as your 30s. The top story starts right now.

And good evening tonight. We're following breaking news on the war with Iran. President Trump posting moments ago, the U.S. has, quote, obliterated every military target on an Iranian island. I want to get right to NBC's Garrett Hake at the White House. Garrett, what do we know? Tom, the president says these military targets on Karg Island have all been destroyed. Karg Island is a critical piece of Iran's oil infrastructure. It is far.

I guess you would call it up in the north of the Persian Gulf. north of the Straits of Hormuz that we've been talking about for much of the last week. And it's essentially where much of Iran's oil industry and their export industry begins. What the president says he's done tonight is ordered this massive bombing raid that has destroyed the military targets on Karg Island, but left intact the oil infrastructure. What's important then in the second half of this post is the president says, if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, he might reevaluate that decision, and essentially kind of putting a gun to the head of Iran's oil industry,

saying, you know, we've taken out these military targets, we could go back at any time and destroy the oil infrastructure that Iran would need to rebuild its economy if they don't open the straits, essentially leaving the ball in Iran's court to decide how they want to respond to that move by the U.S. military. Okay, and I think we have Keir Simmons as well, who's live for us in Dubai tonight. Kier, I want to bring you in on this conversation as well in this breaking news.

Put this in a perspective, right? I think Iran delivers 90% of their oil. It goes through this island. So how important is this these strikes now on the island and the way the president is describing this attack? Yeah, I mean, it's crucial, Tom, from the perspective, as you mentioned, for Iran's oil industry, but it's also crucial strategically, because remember that the Straits of Hormuz, Kaga Island is right there on the Strait of Hamous. And the Strait of Hormuz is 20 nautical miles wide. So this island plays a role if you want to dominate that strait, which is exactly what the Iranians have been doing. If you want to put it this way, effectively, the Iranians are able to say, from this island, we can target. shipping. Now, of course, straight that that is that narrow, they could stand in another part of that that kind of straight, and they could also target shipping. But I think another part of this is the

message that President Trump is trying to send. And effectively, what he's trying to do is to assert escalation dominance. What does that mean? That means that he is trying to say that every time Iran, you ramp things up, we will ramp things up more. We've now just hit that island, that crucial island. And as you hear from his statement there, he says, we can do more, we'll hit you harder. And he's kept saying that over the past days and two weeks since this war began. I think the crucial question here is how Iran will respond to it, because so far, Iran has itself tried to escalate back, if you like, has tried to assert its ability to control the narrative and the strategic challenge of this war.

And I suspect that you're going to find that Iran will try and do that again. But whether Iran considers that the threat to attack its oil industry is enough of a threat that it will back down. I mean, that's the big question here. And we did just this week, as you know, Tom, hear the new Supreme Leader of Iran, or at least hear his message, saying we are going to continue to control the strait of Khomews. We are going to continue to hit neighbors like UAE, where I am. now until you back down America, until you back down Israel. Keir, I know you're not an oil analyst and or an oil expert,

but the president is claiming that he did not strike the oil infrastructure. They just took out the military targets to show them that they can basically get to Iran and to their economic stronghold. That being said, if the president would have destroyed that oil infrastructure, this would have just shot up oil prices and gas prices even more? Yeah, it may have done. Remember that the Iranian oil industry has enormous capability, prospects, but it is a broken industry, honestly. So whether that specifically will have an impact on oil prices, it's a great question, Tom.

Probably not directly, but what it does, is back to my point, is it does escalate things effectively. Unless we're going to see Iran capitulate, which is the way that Steve Whitkoff described what President Trump is looking for Iran to do, unless that's going to happen, then I think the reason why it might have an impact on oil prices is because it may be. be viewed as a further escalation. We need to see Iran's response. We need to hear Iran's response. But I think, I suspect Iran's response is going to be, we're just not going to, we're not going to raise the white flag because you have done this. And just keep in mind, too, President Trump, the Trump administration, the U.S., is another reason why it's not targeting Iran's oil industry is because should the regime fall, the hope would be that

that oil industry would be used to help finance the rebuilding of Iran. Yeah, that's a great point. I want to go back to Garrett for a moment here. Garrett, it's interesting, right? The president playing a bit of rope-a-dope here because he was asked directly about this this morning on a Fox News radio interview and tell our viewers what he said. Yeah, Tom, the president kind of danced around the question suggesting that the reporter, Brian Kilmead, shouldn't have even asked it, that he wouldn't touch it and that it was an inappropriate question to ask. It's striking to me, and we noted it at the time this morning, because it's very similar to what the president did two weeks ago today, when, as we now know, he had already ordered attacks on Iran. And when a reporter asked him, you know, where he was in his decision-making process, said he wouldn't answer. And then, you know, that would be the scoop of a lifetime, but that he wasn't going to talk about it. It's a bit of a tell. for the president as he's been making these big military decisions, often kind of in plain view, given how often he takes reporter questions on this. And Tom, if I may, I just want to add one other thing, the kind of complex geopolitical elements to all this that Keir was just talking about. There's another country that depends heavily on Iran's oil industry, and that's China. And the president, of course, has a very high-profile trip that he's planning to China in about two weeks' time.

And having the Iranian oil industry taking totally offline as opposed to being bottled up in the Gulf is a big difference. And so how that plays into any decision he might make about further strikes on Karg Island or on Iran's oil infrastructure, if indeed he's trying to escalate this conflict against Iran's economy. I think it's sort of another factor that we should all keep in the back of our minds over these next couple of days. All right, Garrett, we thank you for that. Stand by for us. I want to get to Courtney QB. She covers the Pentagon for us. Courtney, what more do we know about this strike? I know the president sort of announced this to the world, sort of laying out the reasons why he did it. And also playing some sort of, if you've

will combat chess with the Iranians saying, be careful, leave the Strait of Hormuz, let us start having tankers pass through it or else. Yeah. I mean, there's a couple of things. There's the strategic nature of this strike. Number one, it's not only showing Iran, look, we can reach, the United States can reach Karg Island, and we can take out your oil facilities there, which are expansive and critical to Iran's oil infrastructure and an overall program and economy, frankly. The U.S. is showing that they have the ability to take them out, but there's also the tremendous amount of military infrastructure that actually exists there.

They have air defense systems there. This was not only sending the message that the U.S. can hit there, but they were actually taking out some real threats to manned U.S. aircraft there. The big question now is why? Is this President Trump and the U.S. military sending a message that, you know, if you don't open the strait-of-war moves and stop the threat of drones and mines and projectiles at commercial shipping in that region, then we will go back and will hit this oil? Or is this more about the president with some

longer-term ambitions for the U.S. to have some kind of a role in the Iranian oil program, Tom? And then, Courtney, we don't know the answer to this question, but will Iran, as Kyr was describing, waive the white flag, at least over the straight of Hormuz on this move now with the attack on the oil infrastructure island? It's so hard to know, but the reality is if past is any indication of how they might act, Iran plays a long game, and they have for a long time. So I don't know that this is going to be the thing that pushes them over. This is not their only oil, part of their major part of their oil infrastructure there.

It's an important one, but it's not the only part of the program. So I don't know if this is going to be enough. I mean, again, it is a very serious threat that I am actually. that the regime there is going to take seriously, but I don't know if it's going to be enough. The Strait of Hormuz is an extremely powerful chess piece for Iran to have. Courtney Kubey, Garrett Haake, and Kier Shimmons all for us tonight.

We thank you. As the war rages on overseas tonight, we're following those two violent attacks here at home, both being investigated as possible acts of terror. The chilling new video tonight shows the suspect in the Michigan synagogue, Rameen, buying $2,000 worth of fireworks just two days before the attack. And tonight we're learning that suspect lost several family members in Israeli air strikes on Lebanon just last week. And in Virginia, new details

about the student military cadets who brought down the gunmen in a deadly shooting at Old Dominion University. The shooter convicted ISIS supporter who had been released from jail. There's no indication tonight that two attacks are linked as investigators work to determine the motives. We'll have more in Virginia in a moment. But for Shaquille Brewster reports from Michigan. This new surveillance video, first obtained by NBC News, shows 41-year-old I'm in Muhammad Ghazali purchasing more than $2,000 worth of explosives at a Detroit area fireworks store. You can see him nearly filling the back of his pickup truck. Two days later, he rammed his vehicle in this West Bloomfield Township synagogue with 140 preschoolers inside. This could have looked

a lot more like Sandy Hook. Let's not lose sight of that. This is not a political debate. This is targeting babies who are Jewish. Here at the home of the suspected attacker, you see these fresh tire tracks on the ground, that window now boarded up. Neighbors say this entire block was closed for hours as law enforcement searched this home. Two senior officials tell NBC News,

investigators found gas canisters and equipment used to launch fireworks in the back of his vehicle, which may have been what caused it to burst into flames after armed guards opened fire. At some point during the gun fight, Gonzali suffers a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The sheriff says 63 officers were hospitalized from smoke inhalation, but no children or staff members at the temple were injured.

This was the best outcome of the worst situation. Investigators have not publicly identified a motive. A Lebanese official tells NBC news that several members of the suspect's family were killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon last week. Adding two of his adult brothers were known to be members of the Iranian-backed military. group Hezbollah. Patrols at Jewish facilities now ramped up across the country. Many, including those here in Michigan, already spend millions on private security every year. This is terrible, that is the number one thing we have to fund is security. We have to raise dollars just to keep everybody safe so they can be Jewish. And while the FBI says this suspect was never formally

a target of an FBI investigation, a source familiar with the matter telling NBC news that After traveling overseas, he was questioned several times about potential contacts with suspected members of Hezbollah. The FBI earlier today saying it is way too early to speculate on that possible motive. But you bet this is going to definitely be part of the entire investigation. Tom? All right, Shaq Brewster for us. Now to that other possible terror attack we're following tonight. The new details we're learning about the brave group of cadets who took down the shooter at Old Dominion University.

Ryan Noble says that report. Tonight, new details about the attack in a Virginia college classroom full of military officers in training. Mohamed Jallo entered the classroom with a stolen Glock firearm that he illegally purchased, according to the Department of Justice, opening fire in a class full of ROTC cadets who went after him, one of them fatally stabbing the shooter. I feel like it is a small miracle that they were able to jump in and subdue him. Jallo was sentenced to 11 years in prison for providing material support to ISIS, but released early in 2024. While there, he participated in a substance abuse treatment program.

The campus now mourning the loss of Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shaw killed in the attack. The governor tonight promising answers. It's extraordinarily important that we know either here in Virginia or, frankly, anywhere else in the country, where there are lapses in the system. With increased political tensions in the U.S. and a war raging. overseas, the possibility of terror attacks are increasingly in the back of people's minds. When you hear it's like, it could be a terrorist attack. It's like just hits you a second time. According to terror expert Colin Clark, there is reason to be concerned. We absolutely need to brace for more of these attacks going forward. We've long known Iran to

rely on a strategy of forward deployed sleeper cells. And if there was ever a time for the regime to use it, it would be now. And that threat is something Governor Spanberger hopes the Trump administration is paying attention to. This is a hopefully a wake-up call that the FBI should be permitted to focus on their core priorities to include investigating and thwarting terrorist attacks against the American people. And in addition to the threat here at Old Dominion University, at least five other Virginia colleges reported bomb threats today, including the University of Virginia. But none of those threats turned out to be legitimate. Tom. All right, Brian, we thank you for that. For more on these two

potential acts of terror, I want to bring in Carl Schmay. He's a retired FBI supervisory special agent and a joint terrorism task force supervisor. Carl, you worked at the FBI for 22 years. Walk us through how investigators are looking into motive here. How do they assess whether the perpetrator is a lone wolf or if these sort of all these different incidents, not only the U.S., but just across the border also in Canada are connected? Yeah, hi, Tom. So the J-TRATER. ATTFs are going to be very busy this weekend. For both of these subjects, they're going to be doing a deep dive into their background.

They're going to be interviewing family members, associates. They're going to be executing search warrants on their residences, on their vehicles, any storage units. They're also going to be looking at any electronic devices they can get hold of, whether that be a phone or computer, see if they can get hold of emails, social media accounts. Anything that's going to be able to shut some light on these perpetrators' minds, You know, who were they talking to? What were they thinking? What sort of material were they consuming that might have motivated them to take these actions? And then the man accused in this Virginia attack is a convicted ISIS supporter. How did he even get a gun? And is this someone the FBI would have been keeping an eye on even after his release? Yeah, Tom, that's a, that's the big question. So as a

convicted felon, he should not be able to legally possess a firearm. So I think you guys reported that was stolen. So it looks like, you know, he went through an illegal channel to get that, but he certainly would not be legally be able to get that weapon. And in terms of whether the FBI would monitor him, once a person has served their time in prison, unless there's some extenuating circumstances to reopen an investigation, that person is free to live their life. So the question is going to be, you know, why did the Federal Bureau of Prisons decide to release him early? You know, clearly he got some time off for good behavior. But were there any red flags there that could have indicated that he still had these radical beliefs?

Yeah. And then these incidents have no connection, but at least that we know of yet. But is there something to be said about the threat level in the U.S. increasing when there's a war abroad, like a place like Iran? Yeah, Tom. So what we're seeing is that the violence is not being contained to Iran or to the Middle East. It's now coming here to the U.S. homeland. And so I think the takeaway is, yes, everybody needs to be vigilant. We've seen two attacks.

There was a couple prior that might have been terrorism as well. And preparation is key. These attacks could have been much, much worse, except in the case of the Dearborn attack, they had a trained security team that left into action. They put themselves in harm's way. And then we also saw that in the Old Dominion attack as well. So the guidance, you know, when I train active shooter response, it's the same what the FBI teaches. It's run, hide, fight.

And if you're cornered, you've got to fight for your life. And it sounds like that's what those students did in Old Dominion. They didn't have guns. One guy sounds like he had a knife. And that was enough to do what he had to do to stop the shooter and prevent further bloodshed. Carl Schme, we thank you for being here tonight. There's another big story we're tracking. It's a severe weather.

The Midwest bracing for a blizzard. Strong winds there already sweeping in. Take a look at this, a semi-truck almost going over in Ohio. Wow. That's incredible. This was blasted on the highway by a powerful wind. It's going to be a dangerous weekend for millions. Let's get right to meteorologist Bill Karens.

Bill, let's start with the blizzard. Time it out for us. Yeah, storm of the winter. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Upper Peninsula of Mission. Those are the areas that you have to prepare for the storm and maybe power out of just being in your home for a day or two until you get dug out. So this storm that we're watching now in the Great Lakes,

this is a separate storm. And this one was bad enough. We have over a half a million people without power in Ohio because of the strong gusty winds. The blizzard storm has now just mostly. moving through the Intermountain West, bringing snow to a lot of the high elevations, windy conditions in the Pacific Northwest. Blizzard warnings already up in South Dakota, and we'll see these expand.

This could be one of our top five all-time snowfall events in Minneapolis, possibly Green Bay, too. Anywhere in blue, plowable, but where you're in this pink color and purple, this is where you may be in your home for a lot longer than you'd like. The National Weather Service is predicting anywhere from 19 to 31, 24 inches, Minneapolis, 20 inches of snow. this is a big snowstorm. And with all, you know, the high winds, it's going to be blowing and drifting. And on top of all that severe weather outbreak likely with the southern portion of the storm on Sunday from Memphis all the way northwards to St. Louis. And then that reaches the East Coast on Monday. And what's wild is at the same exact time, we are watching numerous record highs in the West. We have an epic March heat wave coming. Tom, we said it yesterday. I'll say it again. Phoenix has only hit 100 one time in the month of March. Look at these temperatures. towards the end of next week, 105 unprecedented. Incredible weather all throughout this winter

really has been one for the books. Bill, we thank you for that. We're going to be back in a moment with tensions flaring in Congress. Multiple right-wing lawmakers posting anti-Muslim statements not backing down despite harsh criticisms. Our teams on the hill tracking the rise of Islamophobia.

More airport misery security lines stretching for hours as TSA workers missed their second paycheck, what you need to know if you're traveling this weekend. Plus, the investigation to Jeffrey Epstein why one of the guards on duty when he died is under new scrutiny. Stay with us.

We're back with the rising incidents of blatant anti-Muslim rhetoric in Washington. A growing number of Republican lawmakers outright embracing Islamophobia after the start of the Iran war. Florida Congressman Randy Fine, writing, quote, we need more Islamophobia, not less.

Texas Representative Brandon Gill calling for, quote, no more Muslims immigrating to America. echoing Tennessee representative Andy Ogles, who said, quote, Muslims don't belong in American society. And Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville sharing a side-by-side of Zorham Amdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York City, and a photo of the 9-11 terror attack saying the enemy is inside the gates. Meanwhile, the president himself blaming recent attacks with potential terror links

on the genetics of the suspects. Here's what Speaker Mike Johnson had to say about those comments from fellow Republicans. I've spoken to those members and all members, as I always do, about our tone and our message and what we say. Look, there's a lot of energy in the country and a lot of popular sentiment that the demand to impose Sharia law in America is a serious problem. That's what animates this, and that's the language that people use. It's different language than I would use, but I think that that's a serious issue.

NBC's Melanie Zanona joins us from D.C. to break this down. Melanie, is there any response from the Republican colleagues and leaders to what is clearly anti-Muslim hate? Yeah, well, this has become an increasingly common and apparently acceptable position in the Republican Party. We have just seen some really blatant Islamophobic rhetoric coming from some Republicans in Congress, particularly after the Iran war started. Yet very few, if any, Republicans are condemning these remarks from their GOP colleagues. And Republican leadership has zero interest in punishing these members. Tom, you played that sound from Speaker Mike Johnson.

He said he wouldn't have personally used that rhetoric, and he did not say that he was going to enact any sort of disciplinary action on these members. And it's really, it's a far cry from just a few years ago when the Republican leadership at the time, they actually stripped former Congressman Steve King of his committee assignments for just questioning why the terms white nationalism and white supremacy were so offensive. Now, though, today, Republicans largely just shugging aside this inflammatory rhetoric, which has become just increasingly common inside the GOP. Are Democrats trying anything in terms of accountability? And do they have any shot of getting that through? Well, Democrats, they are trying to push for accountability. They are completely outraged.

Catherine Clark, she's a member of the Democratic leadership. She wrote on social media that Randy Fine and Tommy Taubberville, two of those lawmakers you mentioned. She called them vile bigots. She also called out the silence from Republican leaders. While Democrats are currently discussing several measures to try to discipline some of those members, that includes one resolution that would censure Andy Ogles and also kick him off the House Homeland Security Committee. But without Republican support, Tom, those measures likely to go nowhere on Capitol Hill. Okay, Melanie is an honor for us. Melanie, we thank you for that. Not of two big warnings for spring break travelers, long lines growing again at airports around the country, and ticket prices jumping more than 50 percent in some cases as the cost of oil and jet fuel soar.

Tom Costello has this one. 5.42 a.m. in Austin. Currently in the Austin security line and this is how long it is. Time lapse as the security line ran out the airport's front door winding down the sidewalk. Finally at the end and here's the airport again. That line she says an hour and 40 minutes. Long lines in Atlanta too. In Tampa Patricia Sauter wasn't taking any chances. So we came two and a half hours early for our flight. With TSA, Officers missing their second paycheck today, some continue calling out sick to take a second job. The checkpoint at Philadelphia Terminal C closed to move TSA staff to other terminals.

We had depleted all of our savings. In Salt Lake, nine-year TSA veteran Robert Echavaria quit this month, not willing to repeat the stress from last fall when officers worked without three paychecks. And seeing my wife how she much struggled trying to keep up with how she was going to feed our kids. It was a big toll on her and her emotions. Tonight, the airlines are calling it a disgrace that Congress cannot reach an agreement or act on viable bipartisan solutions. While in Virginia, a food bank for the TSA. And we're focused on making sure they're their nutritious meals. Meanwhile, with the war sending oil and jet fuel prices soaring, so are airfares.

Deutsche Bank reports domestic advanced booking tickets have jumped 15 to 57%. Now the focus is on the weekend with Spring Break Traveler. Fearing more TSA officers may simply not show up. Tom? All right, Tom Costello, thank you. Coming up, the dramatic end to a high-speed chase, a car launching into the air flipping multiple times. What started that police pursuit? Plus, the ultimate act of kindness,

how strangers from all over the world pitched in to help a 78-year-old door-dasher. That's ahead on top story. We're back now with the investigation to Jeffrey Epstein, the House Oversight Committee, asking to interview one of the prison guards who was on duty when Epstein died. It comes after DOJ documents raise new questions about her actions.

NBC Sam Brock reports. Tonight, the House Committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein is calling for the testimony of a prison guard working the night of his death. Committee Chairman James Comer requesting Tova Noel, a former guard at Metropolitan Correctional Center, appear for an in-person transcribed interview. No one's accusing her of any wrongdoing, but we have a lot of questions about Epstein. Honestly, most people on the committee aren't constantly. confident 100% that Epstein's death was by suicide. The circumstances surrounding Epstein's death have been the driver of conspiracy since 2019. NBC News has learned that disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein is dead.

Though investigations so far have found no evidence of wrongdoing. But millions of pages of Epstein files released by the DOJ at the behest of Congress are reigniting questions about what happened that night, including Noelle's Google history, which, according to some of those documents, revealed Noel searched latest on Epstein in jail at 542 a.m. And then again at 5.52, roughly 40 minutes before he was found dead inside his cell. The documents also revealing she Googled other prisoners, too, and shopped for furniture online. But the bigger red flag for Comer is a $5,000 cash deposit made into her account on July 30th, 2019.

That's according to DOJ documents, 11 days before Epstein's death. It is very concerning, especially the suspicious activity report on a $5,000 mysterious deposit that she had. One of several payments that J.P. Morgan Chase spotlighted in a suspicious activity report to the FBI that encompassed a dozen cash deposits made by Noel, starting in April of 2018, before Epstein was arrested the following year. Noel and another guard on duty that night were charged with falsifying reports in 2019, accused of failing. to do proper checks of Epstein's cell every 30 minutes. The charges were ultimately dismissed in 2022, in part because they agreed to cooperate with a federal probe. All right, Sam Brock joins us now. Sam, as you know, there's very high interest in the story, especially this story. So what do we know about this former security guard and will they testify? So Congressman Calmer wants to find out

if she, Noel, will testify on March 26th. That is less than two weeks from now. We have reached out to Noelle's attorney to find out about that. And this $5,000 deposit that was made, or 11 days before Epstein's death. We have not heard back yet. Her attorney previously has said that this is somebody who has gone through years of harassment as a result of these accusations. It's also worth pointing out, Tom, that the first of these deposits started in April of 2018. That was way before Epstein was actually even arrested. So it's not clear why they were suspicious what the FBI was going off of. But clearly there's going to be some very compelling information that comes forward if she testifies. Okay. Sam Brock for us. Sam. Thanks for stay on that one.

Now at Top Stories News Feed, we start in Washington where federal judge today halted subpoenas that the Justice Department served to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. It's related to an investigation reportedly about the management of renovations to the central bank's office buildings. The judge writing, the government has produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime. U.S. Attorney Janine Piro says, Jeanine Piero, her office plans to appeal. In Wisconsin, dash cam of a police chase ending with a wild roll over crash, As the driver swerves off the road, hits a ditch, and goes airborne, flipping several times before stepping on its side.

Deputies smashing the windshield to help the two people trapped inside. Both were taken to the hospitals, but only with minor injuries. They say the driver was on probation. It was going nearly 100 miles an hour. And a life-changing surprise for a 78-year-old Richard Pulley, who came out of retirement to make ends meet after his wife lost her job. The couple had been working as DoorDash drivers in Tennessee, tag-teaming deliveries when one customer posted a video about them that went viral. The woman set up a GoFundMe campaign, bringing in thousands of donations from all over the world. And just today, get this, it hit more than $600,000, life-changing money, and hopefully they can now retire. And after 30 years on the air, Access Hollywood is getting canceled.

NBC Universal announcing it's axing the celebrity news show. The first run syndicated TV program, it's also cutting Access Live, Karamo and the Steve Wilco show. In a statement to the Hollywood reporter, the network says it is part of a strategic shift away from syndicated TV. We are thinking about all of our colleagues there at Access Hollywood. And new video out of Idaho showing a stolen ambulance crashing into an office building. Police say this woman hopped in the driver's seat, then pulled over and loaded up the back with gas canisters. Minutes later, you see her smashing into the building before getting out and dumping the fuel. Authorities say she wanted to set the place on fire.

The woman has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Now to the Americas tonight, Cuba's regime confirming for the first time that is engaged, it is engaged in talks with the Trump administration. Cuban leader Miguel Diazcanel also announcing the release of 51 prisoners as part of a deal brokered by the Vatican. The move comes three months into a U.S. energy blockade that has worsened an existing humanitarian crisis on the island. Cubans facing rolling blackouts, escalating poverty, and severe resource shortages.

Cuba is saying they had not oil shipments in three months. Here to discuss is Carlos Kubelo and NBC News contributor and former U.S. congressman from South Florida. Carlos, always good to see you. More than a month after President Trump told me that the administration was talking to Cuba, now the regime is confirming those talks and suddenly releasing 51 prisoners. Does this mean the U.S. pressure campaign is working? It's definitely working, Tom. Anytime the Cubans take any steps, it means that they feel pressure.

The Cubans are like that student in high school that just wanted to get by, just wanted to pass. What they want to do is stay in power. So if they're negotiating, if they're releasing political prisoners, it's because they are trying to show good faith. They're trying to get some of this pressure relieved because this crisis in Cuba is real, and it's only going to get harder and harder for them if they don't. negotiate. So definitely the Cuban regime is feeling pressure. That's why they're taking these initial steps. And explain to our viewers. I mean, political prisoners are something that Cuba sort of trades in at times, right? They use them as bargaining chips. But really, if you're a political

prisoner in Cuba, you likely are facing decades, if not your entire life behind prison. So this is significant in that regard. That's right. Part of the strategy for the regime for almost 68 years now, Tom, is to put people. in prison, those people who disagree with the government, who challenge the government, and then whenever they're useful to release these prisoners, to try to win some points with governments like the Vatican that can then advocate for the Cuban regime, the Vatican very strongly encouraging the United States to have a dialogue with Cuba to relieve some of the pressure that's being applied through some of these economic sanctions and the blockade of oil, right?

So yes, political prisoners, sadly, are a currency for the Cuban regime, and they use those prisoners to their advantage. In this case, it really does look like another classic example, Tom, of the Cuban regime trying to buy time, trying to do everything they can to stay in power, relieve a little pressure, make this crisis a little less acute and keep going. Yeah, we know that Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balard said these talks were similar to U.S. with Venezuela before the military, ousted Nicolas Maduro. I don't know, I know there's a lot of people in South Florida that hope that is the outcome in Cuba, but can we draw parallels here?

Well, clearly the two countries are related. Clearly, the strategies are related here. The fact that the United States went into Venezuela and extracted the head of state, that certainly applies pressure on the Cuban regime. We know that the Justice Department is looking for ways to indict Cuban leaders. So that's another way of signaling to the Cuban regime

that an operation of that nature could be possible in Cuba. It doesn't seem that that's likely right now, but just the fact that it's a possibility does apply pressure. What I think a lot of exiles in South Florida in particular feel, Tom, is that maybe this negotiation is just too similar to Venezuela, where the regime is kept in place, where President Trump finds someone from the Castro family who he can deal with, that person remains in power, and there isn't some real substantive change on the island, concrete steps

towards freedom, democracy, and human rights. That is a big concern right now. Raul Castro's grandson, who is reportedly in talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was seated in a visible spot during Diaz-Kon-Las speech, considering he doesn't have an official position in the regime. What can we draw from this? Well, what a lot of people have known for a long time, Tom, the Castro family is in charge in Cuba. Today was an important day for this whole situation, but in particular for Miguel Diazcanel, the president of Cuba, because for all these weeks, all these rumors about these communications between the Castro family and Marco Rubio's team, Diazcanel has really not been a player.

So the fact that he was allowed to come out today and confirm these negotiations, these conversations was important for him because it does make him a little relevant again. He had been cast aside completely, but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that follows Cuba closely that the Castro family is calling the shots. They are the ones who control the military, and they're the ones who are ultimately going to decide what's going to happen with these negotiations. Any timelines here? Because I know there's a lot of people in South Florida that are curious and there's obviously pressure and there's A lot of hope there, but if we learn anything from Cuba is that you have to be patient and the Cubans are patient, right? They've been patient for decades and they can wait, right? In some ways, time is on their hand. Maybe not now when there's no electricity and food is being cut off and they're in a dire situation. But what are people talking about as far as timelines here?

Well, that's right, Tom. And the Cubans do have a high tolerance for pain. They have gone through very difficult periods in the past right after the collapse of the Soviet Union. the so-called period in Cuba. So they have gone through this before, and their strategy, again, will be to remain in power. In terms of the Trump administration, I don't think there's a lot of urgency, but I do think it's something that they would like to get done prior to the midterm elections.

There are three Cuban-American members of Congress down here who would really like to show to their constituents that they got something big done with regards to Cuba. So I do think that for the Trump administration, they would really like to see something by the summer. All right, Carlos, Coberto for us tonight. Carlos, always great to see you. Still to come on Top Story, the new guidance on how to monitor your cholesterol,

the major change for people in their 30s, and what tests you should be getting. That's next. We're back now with Top Stories Health Check and the new cholesterol guidelines out today. The American Heart Association changing their guidance, particularly for people in their 30s. And Stephanie Goss is here with what you need to know.

So Stephanie, walk us through, what the new recommendations are because you think about high cholesterol in your 30s. Sounds pretty early. Except think about this. One out of every five cases of heart attack or cardiovascular disease, people under 40. So that is why they're talking about this group. And if you pay attention to your cholesterol and your risk for heart disease at that age, you actually have a better chance of mitigating that risk because you're young and you have time to do it, Tom.

Right. And then so what are the new levels that are sort of targeting for the bad cholesterol? Right. So they're actually reestablishing levels, and they kind of moved away from being tied to these levels. They're bringing them back. And so if you are at moderate risk for heart disease, then you should have a bad cholesterol level under 100. If you're at high risk, under 70, and if you're at super high risk, under 55. So they're doing that. They also want people to go and get tested as well. And there are a couple of different tests that they want people to do. There's a risk calculator that is more. more precise that they are launching, which will tell you your risk for heart disease. And then there's one other thing. And this was new to me. There's a test called lipoprotein A. This is a type of genetic cholesterol. And they want every adult to test just once to see where they are. You can't mitigate it with lifestyle changes, but it can give you some gauge if you need to pay closer attention to this. So that's a test that's out there. And there are new drugs that are out there potentially to help people with that kind of growth.

So many of these tests now predicting the future of your health. You know, I think, I think we all know the advice, but I should ask you anyway, what are some of the best practices? I know it's not eating the chicken fried steak, not hanging out at Outback. So what are some of the good tips? All of us could probably eat better. All of us could exercise more. But there are those of us who are genetically inclined to just have high cholesterol. And when you get in that place, then you need some medical attention and, you know, well, there you go.

You've got fish. All that stuff looks great. I also think the cookies look good, too, so maybe... I like the store-bought cakes. It actually looks like one of those cakes that you cut into and, like, the surprise of what are those cakes called? Those are so good. Not good for cholesterol.

Ice cream in the middle. No, you know what that has, like the candy in the middle? It was like all the rage a few years ago. People still get them. They're really... Come on, Ritz crackers, come on. And cheese? Yeah, crush cheese, little Veno.

Maybe don't avoid it. Maybe just, maybe just limit it. Just limit it. You got to limit it. Everything in moderation. Stephanie, thank you. You're welcome. When we come back and check on everything worth binge watching and listening to this weekend,

Steve Carell stars in a new comedy series. Another Yellowstone spin-off just dropped, plus all the movies and actors looking to win big at the Oscars. Stay with us. Hey, welcome back. It is binge-worthy time because it is Friday. Our look at the best things to watch and listen to this weekend. And joining us tonight is pop culture expert and entertainment journalists, Brian Balthasar. Brian, so great to see you again.

See you. All right, let's talk about this new one called The Revenue. Rooster. Yes. Set it up for us. Okay, Steve Carell is an author. He has to go back to a university to take on a teaching role because his marriage falls apart. Oh, no. And it's in the, in the likes of a kind of a Ted Lasso kind of shrinking way. Comeback story maybe. Yeah, yeah. HBO Max, we have a clip. Let's look. Hey, rooster. Oh, hey there. The kids call you rooster? Some of the kids think I'm kind of like my character. Nice, washboard. Are you okay? time Katie has a problem. I just move in, but I can't fix us. I'm not rooster. This is college. You can be

the rooster if you want. All right, Steve Carell always love him. Is it worth the weight? Should we binge? I think we should binge. And he just says in the clip, I am not the rooster. That's the character he writes about in his book, which is a much more assertive, brave, kind of confident guy. And this is, you know, very Steve Corellie. Is he going to become that guy? You know, That's a character you love. And this is actually brought to you by the producer who brought us Ted Lassow and shrinking. So it's going to make you laugh. It's going to make you cry a little bit.

HBO Max, Rooster. Next one up, Sunny Nights on Hulu. Will Forte. Love him. Love him. This is a series. Let's take a look. Can I ask what the loan is for?

He's being blackmailed. No, but he really is. I don't think so. I'm accelerating. Tell me your password. One, one, one. What are they all ones? Two.

I love the premise. It's called Sunny Nights, and it's about an American couple that goes to Australia to open a tanning business. Great idea. So what happens? Are they getting in trouble? So they're siblings. They get embroiled in some sort of crime. Oh, they're siblings.

Sorry, I got that they're married. And they're embroiled in some sort of terrible crimes. So they're trying to get their way out of it. It's been described as kooky and violent. So many people have dated have been described the same way. But it's funny. It actually was shot in Australia, which is where it's set, and it aired there first. So it's done well there, and now it's coming to us.

We got another one up here on Hulu. This is Season 4 of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Let's watch. Taylor is going to be The Bachelorette. Saying that out loud is crazy. I have my book tour, which I'm so excited for. Layla is doing New York Fashion Week. And I'm finally official of my boyfriend Mason.

Also, I have a cute little newborn. Whitney and I are on Dancing with the Stars. Hello! Oh my God. I think it's concerning that your picture is bigger than Jesus? So these Mormon wives, they are famous for a lot of reasons, including being very popular on TikTok. Not maybe what you would think of your typical Mormon wives, right? These are a lot of fun. There's a sex scandal involved in this one.

Taylor Frankie Paul, who you heard a lot of here, who's got a picture bigger than Jesus in the house. She's exploded as the main star of this show. And so it's all them kind of dealing with that superstardom and of course the scandal that befell this whole community. And again, this is not what you would have. not what you would expect. Yeah, I said they're a lot of fun. I meant to say they're a little bit wild because... Yeah.

Don't get any ideas. The Madison, this is on Paramount Plus. There's been a lot of talk about the Madison. Before we go to the clip, talk to our viewers about why people would be interested in this and why there's sort of maybe some like, meh-g-ne-h-h-about it, you know? I don't know how to translate that work, but I will tell you. Well, it's part of the Yellowstone franchise. I hope you love that.

But this one has a family that is struck by tragedy. They moved from New York City to Montana. And it's kind of an unfolding, a more emotional, deeply intimate kind of family story than you're probably used to seeing on Yellowstone. Taylor Sheridan, come on. Taylor Sheridan. That's what I'm talking about. That's what I'm talking about. Some people like him.

Some people love him. He makes incredible TV shows. Some people don't like him. And some people say, hey, enough with the Yellowstone already. Can we try something else? Maybe we try Greenstone. I don't know. But here we go.

Here's the clip. It's like a movie. We can play it over and over. To revisit all those times we did have together. Come on! All the talks, all the laughs. It's not the same. I kind of, I like the premise of this, though.

Family from New York moves to Montana. You got Kurt Russell. Yeah, you got Michelle Pfeiffer. Remember him and Tombstone. Remember her and Scarface? Yeah. So, I don't know. Does it work?

Is there chemistry? I think it does. And it's interesting because they're kind of volleying back between the New York story and the Montana. TAM story. Like you said, Taylor Sheridan just bought a yacht because he's got it all going on. You know, he actually bought it. And he's a now our colleague. He's coming here to Peacock. He's the best. And so he's got this ranch, apparently rents out the ranch for the show to the Amazon. He's a smart business guy. You'd be like owning 30 Rock and letting the Today Show and

nightly news and Top Story just be here. I'm sure they'd be a good business. Anyways, Scarpetta, it's on Prime Video. It reminds me of a restaurant. Right? It does. It makes me want to eat Italian food why because it's named after an Italian restaurant anyways it's a crime series has nothing to do with Italian food and it's got a big star it does a couple what's her name Nicole Kidman huge let's watch the clip I came back to this job because I didn't like the way I left things last time around I'm Dr. Scarpetta it's a fifth victim in two and a half months second chances pretty hard to resist right Is it a second chance?

Or am I just looking to mess myself up again? All right, you're not going to want the rigatoni with the mariner on this one. It's not the kind of a tell you what you're expecting? So, yeah, so what is this? It's crime, obviously, pretty intense. Forensic crime show. And so it's the solving of crimes. This is based on a very popular book series, by the way.

And then you have Jamie Lee Curtis, who is Nicole Kidman's sister in the show. Two couples that are living in the same house because of renovations, but there's a lot of crazy happening in the household. And there's already going to be a second season of this. Whoa, that means it's good. Okay, so you can watch that. Again, it is on Prime Video. Oh, no, Prime Video, Prime Video.

Oscars are this weekend. If you're like me, you're like, oh, my God, there's so many these movies I didn't see. I'm like such a, I don't know what, but I didn't see any of these movies. So run us through some of the best Oscar nominees and where we can stream them. You know what? I won't. You're the guest here. I'll do it.

I'll do it. No, no, no, no. You've done enough. You said and done enough tonight, Brian. Let's put up the graphic here. This is what we got. We got. If you want to check out Bagonia, this was a basketball.

bizarre one, right? Yes. Bagoni, did you see it? Was it good? I did. It's good? I encourage you to watch it, but you can't predict the ending. Okay, weird movie on a great, a great streaming platform called Peacock.

F1, did you see that one? I did. Was it good? I did like it. I did like it. I didn't see it. Apple TV Plus, I'm telling you didn't see any of these. Frankenstein.

No, it's on Netflix. Yep. Skipping it. I got mixed reviews. I skipped it because I'm like, I know that story. I know that story, man. It's Oscar nominated, so it might be worth checking out. One battle after another.

I did see this one on HBO. Max. I know people have strong opinions about this one. I was okay with it. You know, I'm agnostic. It's a lot going on with that one. It's a lot of movie. Don't, don't, great performance. Don't try to multitask on that one. What else do we have here? The Secret Agent, it's on Prime Video. You see that one? I didn't see that one. Okay, Brian, we're going to have to talk later. I know. Sentimental value? I did. Okay, what's wrong with this one? It was pretty good. It was, it was, you know what? It was good. It liked it by the end. You know, sometimes it takes the minute to get there. I did. I did. I I like the way. I loved the way it ended. I love the ending. We're going to go to music. There's a couple of

ones. Train Dreams loved it on Netflix. If you need to escape, watch that one. Sinners, huge. Everyone loves it. HBO Max. Haven't seen it, but I will. All right, here's the music. Here's this. I'm just going to play it for you. If you don't know this song, you're not alive. Here's the song. Okay, DJ Hougal. I call him DJ Hugo. He's a DJ. Bomb Bomb. Bomb is the song. Sister Nancy, the famous, famous classic from Jamaica. He's done like a remix. It's everywhere. It's all over like people's Instagram feeds

and TikTok feeds. I'm told maybe mine. The original song is 26 years old, but it's one of the most sampled and remixed songs out there. And you know Sister Nancy made no money off it? That's why she's still touring. You can catch her every now and then in Brooklyn.

We got like 30 seconds left. Charlie Puth. Yep. Home. How is it? Song good? It's very sweet. It's about his love for his wife.

Oh my God. We got to listen to it now. This sounds beautiful. A little? I think we should have ended up with the other one. What did you think, Brian? The other one was a little more upbeat. We could have gotten, you know, get ready for the dance from the club.

A glass of wine and have a love song. Yeah. Surprise release with a Japanese American artist. Do you know about this one? Yes, she's one of the most popular artists in Japan. And she sings the Japanese lyrics in this one. I hope you're right about that. I am right.

Look it up. You're going to do a fact check. Brian Balthas are always so great to have you here. Thank you for watching Top Story this week and on this Friday. Stick around. More news on the way. Brian, thank you.