Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, April 13, 2026

Episode Date: April 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.

Breaking news tonight, Congressman Eric Swalwell resigning from the House amid a wave of allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault. The announcement late today that he'll leave Congress as multiple women come forward, a bit growing pressure from with his own party to step down. What we know about the criminal investigation now underway and the other congressman resigning as well. Also tonight, the President v. the Pope, the war of words between the two leaders and the controversy erupting over this AI image shared by President Trump. depicting him as a Christ-like figure. The president's surprising explanation for the image and what Pope Leo told NBC News about the feud. Showdown at sea, the partial U.S. blockade now in place,

what we're learning about who is allowed to pass through, and our new reporting on whether peace talks are back on with Iran. The husband arrested after his wife went missing in the Bahamas set to walk free unless police filed charges tonight, plus the text messages his wife sent before she vanished. A street turned runway wide this small plane made a sudden emergency landing in the middle of Phoenix.

Terrifying doorbell camp footage. A man seen screaming and demanding entry into a house how the scene ended in a violent struggle with the homeowner. Plus the warning about scammers posing as your favorite influencers to sell products how the scheme landed the wrong person behind bars, we'll explain.

And we'll take you inside a San Francisco store run entirely by AI, how the bot decided what to sell and who to hire. Even humans. Top story starts right now. And good evening tonight. We begin with that breaking news. California Congressman Eric Swalwell, rising star in the Democratic Party and one of the most visible members of Congress, announcing he's resigning after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct and assault. Swalwell making the announcement on X late today apologizing for past mistakes,

but vowing to fight what he calls a serious false allegation made against him. His fall from power unfolding swiftly. On Friday, he posted this video denying allegations against him. By Sunday night, Swalwell dropping out of the race for California's governor as calls mounted from both Democrats and Republicans for him to leave office entirely. And then just moments ago, the news he will be vacating his seat in the House. And tonight we're learning a criminal investigation is underway here in New York. This is also breaking right now.

Republican Representative Tony Gonzalez is stepping down as well as he faces his own misconduct allegations, which we've covered here on top story. Our Ryan Nobles is following it all and leads us off tonight from the Capitol. Tonight, facing the threat of a pending House Ethics Committee investigation and expulsion and battle Congressman Eric Swalwell says he will leave office, answering the call from a wide swath of both Republicans and Democrats urging him to step down following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. Swalwell continuing to deny many of the allegations, calling them false.

but adding, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make. The California Democrat also made note of the plans to potentially kick him out of office. Expelling anyone in Congress without due process within days of an allegation being made is wrong, Swalwell said in a statement, but adding he knew it was time for him to go. It's also wrong for constituents to have me distracted from duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress. Swalwell was a leading candidate for governor of California. The next governor has to be a fighter protector for all Californians.

But suspended his campaign in response to the backlash. His resignation will end the threat of a congressional probe, but he is still facing the possibility of a criminal investigation in New York, where one of the alleged incidents took place. Multiple women have accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct and assault. One woman telling the San Francisco Chronicle that she had, several sexual encounters with the congressman while working in his office. She also accused him of sexually assaulting her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent. NBC News has not verified her allegations,

but it confirmed her identity and that she worked for Swalwell from 2019 until 2021. This accuser sharing her story with CNN. He said to me, you're right. It's probably not good for a congressman to be caught with his pants down. All right, Ryan joins us from Capitol Hill. And Ryan, I know you're following other breaking news. Another congressman facing serious allegations stepping down as well? Yeah, that's right. Republican Tony Gonzalez of Texas was facing similar allegations to Eric Swalwell, also facing an ethics probe and possible expulsion. Tony Gonzalez admitted that he had an extramarital fare with a staffer which is against House rules. That staffer later took her

own life rather than go through the process of that ethics investigation and possible expulsion. Gonzalez announcing tonight that he plans to resign his seat in Congress tomorrow. Now, Because both Swalwall and Gonzalez will be stepping down, one a Democrat, one a Republican, that will mean the very tight margins in the House of Representatives will not be impacted by these bombshell announcements today. Tom? All right, Ryan Knowles, in a very busy night there in Capitol Hill. Now to that other major headline we're following tonight, the mounting tensions between President Trump and Pope Leo over the war in Iran.

President Trump tonight defending this AI-generated image he posted to Truth Social, showing him, as you can see here, a Jesus-like figure. He since deleted the post and said he thought it was him as a doctor. It comes as tensions between the president and the pontiff boiled over, the president calling Pope Leo, quote, weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy. In response, Pope Leo is saying he has no fear of the Trump administration. The growing strain unfolding as a ceasefire deal with Iran appears to be on shaky grounds

as President Trump imposes a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Richard Engel will have more from the region in a moment, but first we start with Gabe Gutierrez and this report from the White House. Tonight, President Trump is defending his social media post of this AI-generated image that depicts him as Jesus Christ. I did post it, and I thought it was me as a doctor and had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there, which we support. Still, the post has been taken down. The White House has not said why. The Archbishop of Miami telling us, I think the president is trying to walk it back and trying to put a different spin on it, which I,

I think is a recognition on his part that he probably overstepped or went too far. There was even swift backlash online from some of the president's MAGA coalition who wrote, God shall not be mocked, and there is no context where this is acceptable. The president today holding a photo op with a delivery driver who brought McDonald's to the White House to tout his no tax on tips policy, but he was also pressed about the controversial image. It's supposed to be me as a doctor, making people better. It all comes amid an escalating feud between the White House and the Vatican.

Last week, Pope Leo with this rare call to action over the Iran war. Contact the authorities, political leaders, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war. The president overnight posting Pope Leo was terrible for foreign policy. I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo. He's a very liberal person. The pontiff then responding to a question from NBC. Claudio Lavanga aboard the papal plane. I have no fear on the end of the Trump administration

are speaking out loudly about the message of the gospel. And that's what I believe. I am called to know. Bishop Robert Barron, a Catholic and a member of President Trump's religious liberty commission posting he thinks the president owes the Pope an apology. There's nothing to apologize for he's wrong. All right, Gabe joins us live from the White House again tonight.

So Gabe, late today, Vice President J.D. Vance also weighed in on the president and the post he put down and then took down. What did the vice president say about this? Well, Tom, the vice president saying a short time ago in an interview that he thought the president was posting a joke and that he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren't understanding his humor, clearly. Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying, quote,

I would leave the church alone and also late today. Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah called the AI Image Post blasphemous. Tom. Okay, Gabe Gutier's with those updates. It's Gabe. We thank you. The president's feud with the Pope coming after a weekend of failed peace talks between the U.S. and Iran, leading the president to impose a new naval blockade of Iranian ports. But tonight we have new reporting that a deal with Iran could still be in the works. Richard Engel has more. Thousands of pro-government demonstrators rallied in Tehran tonight to denounce President Trump's partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran calls the move an act of piracy. This is what Iranians are angry about. The U.S. military. has an armada of warships with thousands of troops on board positioned just outside the

Strait of Hormuz, ready to strike any vessel attempting to dock at or depart from the Iranian mainland. The strategy in Hormuz, a vital artery for about 20 percent of the world's oil, appears similar to the one Trump has used against alleged drug traffickers from Venezuela and Colombia. The U.S. military destroying their boats without warning. According to U.S. Central Command, the blockade in Hormuz only applies to Iranian ships and those loading and unloading in Iran. The goal is to pressure Iran and stop it from exporting oil, its main export, much of it going to Asia. And so far it appears to be working.

A marine tracking website showed the straight today effectively empty, with at least two ships approaching Hormuz and then seeming to think the better of it, making sharp U-turns. Right now we have a blockade. They're doing no business. President Trump imposed the partial blockade after peace talks with Iran, led by Vice President Vance, ended without a deal this weekend. When the partial blockade went into effect at 10 this morning, oil prices jumped and the U.S. stock market dropped. But markets rallied after President Trump suggested a new round of negotiations with Iran may be coming. We've been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal. U.S. intelligence suggests that China could soon provide Iran with new air defense systems. The partial blockade President Trump imposed today directly impacts China, which normally buys a lot of Iranian oil.

President Trump is scheduled to visit China next month. Tom? All right, Richard Engel, back in the region for us. Richard, thank you. I want to bring in our panel on Iran tonight. Colonel Steve Warren is a former top Pentagon spokesman and an NBC News military analyst. Mike Lyons is a retired Army major with 10 years of active duty and was a combat commander during Operation Desert Storm. And John Allen is NBC News Senior National Politics Reporter, a good friend to the show.

We thank you all for being here. Colonel Warren, I'm going to start with you. Iran's president told French president, Emmanuel Macron, today, that the regime is again open to the possibility of talks. Does that mean that the threat of a blockade is working as a pressure tactic? Well, Tom, it means something worked, right? And we don't really know if the talks were completely off or if they just sort of broke down but with the idea that we can come back. So all we know is for sure is the blockade went into effect and now we're hearing from the Iranian. So it would appear that it's at least having some impact. If nothing else, it's certainly got the Iranians attention. And then, Mike, how does the U.S. enforce this blockade in the Strait of Hormuz? And does this lead to an escalation maybe? No, it's difficult. The carriers got to move forward, the destroyers, the frigates, all of the naval assets have got to come and help this. There's still the threat of coastal batteries that could fire on some of the ships.

There's mines that are still in the area, and then there's fastboats that exist that the RGC has. So it's not an easy mission. It's a show of force. They'll go after the ports. They're going to leave the straight open and let other ships go through. But it obviously is putting a lot of pressure on Iran and keeping their ships right in their sights. Yeah, the president has talked about using the same sort of defense they use. used, or offense, I guess, depending on how you look at this, that they used in Venezuela with the drugboats and those drone strikes. Are the drones able to launch that fast if some type of go-fast boat, would you say on the Iranian side, was headed towards a U.S. battleship?

Yeah, I think that's probably the one thing that's been somewhat of an impediment for our Navy. I don't think the Navy necessarily has that kind of equipment. The Navy, those destroyers are designed to protect the aircraft carrier, right? And so there are deep battle in terms of ballistic missiles and the like, but those drone swarms, that's a different fight. And I think they're trying to move some of that technology. We've been talking to the Ukrainians about what they're doing with regard to drone strikes. So that technology will be the next step for naval assets. Colonel Sencom says U.S. personnel were clearing mines from the strait. Explain what that looks like and how can they be certain it's safe. We know some of those mines are very large, but some of

them are not. Yeah, that's right. It's a complex operation, right? And we have capabilities, both sea-based, air-based, and sub-based to scan for these mines. Once a mine is identified, then we have teams, we also have drones that can approach those mines, either disable them, or, frankly, you know, detonate them in place. Depending on the situation, depending on where the mine is, a lot of factors there. But it's a painstaking, it's a slow, and it's a very deliberate process. In fact, the mine sweepers are often not, you know, these mines are often magnetic. capabilities that we use to find and disable them are often wood or fiberglass because of that magnetic threat. So it's a tough process, but it has to be done. Yeah, John, we know that this war,

the war with Iran is not popular with American voters. It's even not popular with some Republican voters. You have the president saying that they want to reopen the strait, but now calling for a blockade as well, and gas prices are still going up. How is this playing at home politically for the president? It's not playing well politically, Tom. And I think the president would like to wrap this up. I think that's why he sent the vice president and Jared Kushner and Steve Whitkoff as a delegation to Islamabad to try to negotiate a peaceful settlement to it because he's not achieving the goals that he's laid out.

Iran has not said that they're not going to acquire or develop a nuclear weapon. He has not completely knocked out their ability, their offensive ability. And of course, the strait isn't open. And if the U.S. is blockading oil that's going in and out of Iranian ports, that just means that there's even less oil on the world market, which should push up the price of gas at home. We've even seen the president say that he's not sure that the price of gas will fall before the midterm. So there is huge political baggage associated with this war for the president, and I think

he very much would like to see it come to an end. At the same time, he'd like to see it come to an end with a result that does not look like the U.S. turning tail. Mike, speaking of an end to this war, we know that, you know, at least according to officials, the health ministry in Lebanon, Israel killed hundreds more in strikes there. This is already a fragile sort of ceasefire. How much is that complicating the situation? The United States has got to look at this as two separate lines of effort. And we're focused on the Iran and the missile and the nuclear crisis there. But Israel's not going to lose this opportunity to take out Hezbollah, create this

buffer zone south of Latani River, and kind of solve that problem. They saw it. They solved Gaza, they solved Hamas, since October 7th. They're not going to allow Iran to use Hezbollah as a proxy in the future. That's also one of the demands that the United States has. So the United States used to decouple that in some ways, but the Iranians are not going to let them. That might be the first sticking point that the Iranians might have to give up if they really want to talk to the U.S.

What military movements are you watching from any side in this war that is going to be concerning that things are escalating now? You know, I'm looking at where the Navy is positioning its assets. You saw one of the carriers that's getting there. It took the long way to go around the south. of Africa as opposed to coming more of a quicker route. And that's because they didn't want to get anything in with the Houthis. The proxies are the Iranians' wildcard. So if the ceasefire breaks by someone else other than Iran, what does the United States do? Now, knowing this administration,

they're going to respond probably disproportionately. If the Houthis decided to go after one of those naval assets, the United States would respond inside of the Houthis on themselves. So that's what I'm looking for right now. What's the U.S. doing? Yeah. Colonel, how much of a pressure cooker right now with this ceasefire. We know these wars and these conflicts are, they're not microwavable. They don't end in a few minutes. They could be long and very complicated. Look at what's happened, obviously, with Ukraine and Russia. But how fragile is this right now? And could, as Mike was just saying, the wrong sort of proxy attack turned this whole deal into a giant mess? It could easily slide into a giant mess. There's two problems, right? Well, the proxy attacks that Mike talked about. But then the

The other thing is, you know, blockade runners. What if someone tries to run this blockade, particularly a ship flagged by a great power? We know the Chinese are particularly interested in Iranian oil. If a Chinese ship were to try to run this blockade and, you know, a U.S. commander has to deal with that. That could potentially escalate. It's an example of a tactical action that could potentially have massive strategic implications. Yeah. And then John, Vice President J.D. Vance had a tough weekend.

First, the peace talks he was spearheading, you know, they didn't go as planned or at least he didn't move too much. Then we saw the seismic loss for the populist prime minister, Victor Orban, after 16 years in power in Hungary, losing to his center-right opponent. And that's after Vice President Vance and his family flew to Hungary to campaign with Orban, one of MAGA's closest allies in Europe. Is the administration losing international poll? I absolutely think they're losing international poll. Obviously, the Vice President is still involved in a negotiation. It appears with Iran. So we don't know what the outcome of that is going to be.

We don't know how long it's going to take, if it's going to take. It took the Obama administration about two and a half years to come to a nuclear agreement with Iran, so it might not be day after tomorrow. With regard to Hungary, the Vice President has been a huge supporter of far-right politicians in Europe. Big defeat there. And yes, absolutely, the administration is having difficulty with long. time allies, particularly NATO. The president asked all of these European countries to come

get involved and help him with what's going on in Iran, and they basically told him to go fly a kite. So we have absolutely lost our ability to influence other countries. At the same time, the U.S. is flexing its military muscle in ways that it has not done in quite some time. So we'll have to see how all that shakes out, Tom, but the president, through the vice president, has shown some weakness this week. All right, we'll see what happens. John, Mike, Colonel Warren. We thank you for being here on Top Story tonight.

We're following some breaking news also about the attack at the home of Sam Altman, the Open AI CEO and one of the most powerful people in tech. Tonight there are new images of the suspect throwing a Molotov cocktail at his home. Morgan Chesky has the latest. Tonight authorities say these surveillance images capture suspect Daniel Mud and Ogamma. Clutching a flaming Molotov cocktail, he's accused of hurling at the California home of Open AIC. CEO Sam Altman. This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted, and extremely serious. Federal agents raiding a home outside Houston early this morning where the FBI says Moreno Gamma lived.

He's now charged with attempted murder and possession of a deadly weapon. Authorities say their 20-year-old traveled from Texas to California and launched his attack on Altman's residence around 3.37 a.m. last Friday, catching a driveway gate on. fire. The criminal complaint going further, sharing he then traveled to OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters where around 5 a.m., Medano Gamma retrieved a chair and used it to strike the glass doors, and according to security personnel on site, stated he was there to burn it down and kill anyone inside. Altman, the head of one of the world's most influential artificial intelligence companies, posted this image of his family, stating he hopes it might dissuade the next person from throwing a

Molotov cocktail at our house, no matter what they think about me. Police arresting the suspect at OpenAI's headquarters, where investigators say he had a multi-page document espousing views that opposed artificial intelligence, as well as multiple executives at AI companies. All right, Morgan Chesky joins us now live from Los Angeles. And Morgan, there was another incident in Sam Altman's neighborhood just yesterday? Yeah, Tom, there was, and we're learning more from police. They say that around 3 a.m. Sunday morning, there were reported.

of gunfire outside of the Alman residents. Police were able to pull a vehicle just a few blocks away over. They detained two individuals there, and they found three firearms in their possession. Those two individuals, both men in their 30s, were booked on suspicion of negligent discharge of a firearm. Now, again, this happened about 48 hours after that Molotov cocktail incident. But as of this moment, investigators say there does not appear yet to be. any clear indication. However, that incident remains under investigation. Okay, Morgan Chesky, Morgan, we thank you. We're going to be back in a moment here in top

story with the case of the American woman who vanished after her husband, says she fell off a boat in the Bahamas. That husband now in custody, but will he face charges? The key deadline police just reached, we're going to explain this live. Plus, a chilling attack caught on camera. This is so scary. A man, breaking into a family's home while a woman and child were inside will show you the terrifying scene. And the pilot, and called a hero in Arizona after he landed a plane in the middle of a busy street. Tom Costello is on this one. Stay with us. We're back now with a major update on the American woman who disappeared in the Bahamas after her husband said she fell overboard.

Tonight authorities have reached a critical deadline and must either file charges against the husband who has been detained or released him. Are Jesse Kirsch is right there? And Jesse, that deadline has just passed. So what's happening right now? Yes, so Tom, what we were told was 720 Eastern. That was the cutoff, according to Brian Hooker's attorney. That time has come and gone. She was waiting for a phone call out here with us to see if police would call her. She did not get a call. She called the police station herself and asked if her client could be released because that deadline had passed.

And she then went into the police station. It's hard to see through the glass right now. But his lawyer, Terrell Butler, has just gone into the police station. So our expectation is any minute now because we have not heard any word of charges. and she has not been informed of any charges. Our expectation is that Brian Hooker would be released from this police station in Freeport in the Bahamas and come down these steps. And then the question remains, what happens with him moving forward?

His lawyer tells us there are any number of scenarios that could unfold from there. He could be told he is free but cannot leave the country. He could be told he is just free outright and then he could leave the country. But his lawyer says in that situation, she imagines that he would probably still want to stay here because he wants to find his wife. And then the third scenario that we've been talking about all day and waiting to see if it unfolds here is that his attorney says that Brian Hooker could then be re-arrested as the investigation continues. We've been looking to see if there are any signs of that unfolding. I can tell you earlier there was a police car stationed out front here, an officer standing right in front of the police station.

But at that point, at this point, there are no police officers out here, really just the crush of media waiting to see what unfolds here. And right now, looking through the doors here again, Tarell Butler, Brian Huckerman. Hooker's attorney is sitting inside the police station. No sign of him yet, but we are expecting some kind of update in the minutes ahead, Tom. And what about her family? Are they coming to the Bahamas? Are they staying in the United States? What have you heard from them? Yeah, and I know that for days, our team, including our colleague, George Salis, was covering this story last week. I've been trying to speak with family members, both Brian Hooker's family members and Lynette Hooker's family members. We know that our team has spoken with Lynette Hooker's daughter.

So at this point, it's unclear if they are coming here, when they might be coming to the Bahamas. We know at least at one point, Brian Hooker's sister, according to his attorney, was in the Bahamas as this investigation had been unfolding. But certainly a very unclear situation. And considering some of what's been said about the couple's history by family members included, I can certainly imagine that this is a scenario where at least some people would probably want to try to stay as private possible, Tom. Yeah, it's a good point. We'll see what happens. Jesse, we're going to come back to if anything develops here, so let us know. We're going to have much more on Top Story coming up, a major update in the case of an 18-year-old girl found dead on a cruise ship, her stepbrother now facing

charges for murder. Plus, Britney Spears checking herself into rehab what we're learning about the Pop Star's decision to get treatment. But first, Top Story's top moment. The Artemis True crew is back on Earth after their historic 10-day trip around the moon and back, reuniting with the loved ones who missed them the most. For astronaut, Christina Cook, that was her dog, Sadie. Take a look. Her fellow crewmates reuniting with their loved ones to read Wiseman back with his two daughters there, and it was a hometown welcome for Victor Glover getting his own mini parade in League City, Texas. Love that. Stay with us. More top story on the way. We're back now with an update on a story we've been following since last November. 18-year-old Anna Kepner was found

dead on a carnival cruise ship while she was on vacation with her family. Now, her 16-year-old stepbrother has been indicted, charged with murder. George Solis has been covering this story since the beginning and joins us now. George, we understand her stepbrother is not being named because he's a minor, but he is being charged as an adult. Can you walk us through the charges? Yeah, Tom, the 16-year-old who has only identified as TH in court documents was indicted by a federal grand jury here in Miami on charges of murder in the first degree in aggravated sexual assault. after the case was unsealed and moved for adult prosecution last Friday. Now, if he's convicted,

he would face a max penalty of life in prison. The FBI is also investigating the case. Federal prosecutors allege Anna Kepner's stepbrother assaulted and intentionally killed her while the family was traveling on board a carnival cruise ship last November and was heading back to Miami. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner's Office determined her cause of death to be asphyxiation. And then, George, while we have you here, what have we heard from Anna's family? This is all so sad for them. Yeah, Tom, I've been in close contact with Anna Kepner's father. And he tells us tonight the family is ready for justice,

and they hope TH will soon be in custody. Now, in a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, it notes that TH was released into the custody of a guardian, but interesting here, not to his parents. Now, it first came to light that TH was being investigated as a suspect in the case during a completely unrelated custody battle between his parents. Attorneys for TH's parents did not respond to our multiple reports. request for comments. Anna Kepner is being remembered as a bubbly team who one day dreamed of

becoming a cheerleader for the University of Georgia. Tom. Okay, George Solis. Now to Top Story's News Feed, a federal judge dismissing President Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. The president was suing over a story about a birthday card you see here. He allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein. The judge tossed the case saying the suit comes nowhere close to reaching the standard of actual malice, but he didn't comment on whether or not Trump actually wrote the card, which the president has denied. A spokesman for Trump's legal team says they plan to file an amended complaint. And Britney Spears has checked herself into rehab, that according to a rep for the pop star who says she went to the treatment facility voluntarily.

No word on where she's going or why she's getting help, but the decision comes a month after the 44-year-old was arrested in California on suspicion of driving under the influence. A Daring Rescue in Georgia after an apartment building went up in flames. Look at this. Body cam shows police running towards the burning home in Savannah with people trapped inside. A mother signals to the officers before dropping her two children from the balcony. The officers catch both of them and lower them safely to the ground. And the WNBA just tipped off here.

The draft just tipped off here in New York. Yukon Guard, Azi Fudd, going first overall to the Dallas Wings. And with the second pick, the Minnesota links select the TCU Standoff. out Olivia Miles. It could also be a record-setting night for UCLA. ESPN is reporting the Bruins could become the first college team to have six players drafted in a single year. Okay, we're going to take a turn now to a chilling scene that was captured on a doorbell cam in California. This is a wild one. A man threatening the homeowners beating on the door before making his way inside. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has the video.

Chilling, new ring camera footage shows the moment a man dressed in black. demands to enter a private residence in Fairfield, California. Open the door now. In the video, the man later identified by police's 30-year-old Jason Nichols asks about the homeowner's daughter. Where's your daughter, man? What I'm talking about? While claiming to be Harry Dresden, a popular urban fantasy character.

You then hear the homeowner, who was away at the time, repeatedly tell Nichols to leave. Can you leave my house, please? You open the door, please. You have nothing to do with my house. Can you leave my house? Triggering this terrifying reaction. According to a police statement, a woman and child were home when Nichols entered through a separate sliding glass door before the homeowner finally arrives at the residence armed with a shovel.

I don't know who you are. According to the statement, the altercation turned physical with both sustaining head injuries. It's unclear if Nichols had any connection to the homeowner or his family. Minutes later, police arrest Nichols now charged with. with four felony counts, including threatening a crime with intent to terrorize. It's unclear if Nichols has legal representation. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. All right, Aaron, we thank you for that one in Phoenix tonight.

A pilot now being hailed the hero after making an emergency landing on a busy street. The small plane crashing into a fire hydrant, but miraculously, nobody was seriously hurt. Tom Costello has this one. It happened in downtown Phoenix. A city street turned into a runway. as a small plane swooped over cars and people before setting down on the road. The two passengers on board uninjured and crediting the pilot with the safe landing. He saved our lives basically.

We're a little bit banged up, but we're okay. The plane, an RC3-C-B amphibium plane, first built in the 1940s, took off from a nearby private airfield on a leisure ride when passengers say they suddenly experienced engine trouble. The engine started to make some weird sounds. And the pilot tried to do the normal stuff to check it out. And I noticed some smoke coming through. So I told him smoke. We shut the engine off because we don't want to have a fire.

Just 2,500 feet off the ground, the pilot had little time to react. The last moment, he dipped his wing not to hit the street sign over there, which was amazing. Somebody was watching over us. Avoiding cars, pedestrians, buildings, and poles, the plane crashed into a fire hydrant. Whoever landed this thing was probably pretty skilled. 100% a miracle. Again, like we said, this is a very busy street. You could tell it's always busy for whatever reason. When he crashed in this little area, all the traffic was away. A pilot skill making that miracle a reality. Tom. Tom Costello for us, Tom, thank you for that

one. Coming up here on Top Story, a new warning for people buying and selling stuff online, how scammers are pretending to be real influencers to make some quick cash. Plus, the close call caught on camera, a plane flying dangerously low over a neighborhood, What happened next? Stay with us. We're back now with a warning about a booming business. Chances are you've stopped and purchased something while scrolling through your social media feed. It's called social commerce, and it's a trillion-dollar business globally. But that convenience has also attracted a wave of scams, where fraudsters impersonate your favorite influencers to make a quick buck.

And as Chief Consumer Investigative correspondent, Vicki Wynn reports, in some cases, it results in the arrest of the wrong person. This is a very, very sick watch. We have a new challenger for the Vukum challenge. How much? 2018, I want 30,000. Online, he's known by millions of followers as Vukum. Guys, we've done over $30 million in sales on eBay Live. In real life or IRL, he's 25-year-old Tyler McCorsky, an influencer who started buying and selling watches in 2018 in person.

The first two watches I ever sold in my life was this watch right here. But he says the real money is made online through social media and his eBay live auctions. I could sell a watch for $4,000. I could sell a watch for $250,000. Once I started posting videos, I hit a completely different crowd, specifically younger people. You know, 16-year-olds up to like 25-year-olds. You tapped into a whole new market. I like to think so, yeah.

It's big money that's lured some big problems. McCorsky says he's constantly reporting bogus accounts that rip off his. his name and use his videos to scam unsuspecting buyers. Those scammers wound up victimizing McCorsky in a way he never imagined. In March, as he boarded a plane to the Bahamas for a family vacation, he was arrested by Port Authority Police at Newark Airport. It felt like a fever dream, to be honest with you. I was very just confused. I was like, what the hell is going on? He says officers told him he was wanted on a Florida warrant for grand larceny. According to this affidavit, A 65-year-old man reported he bought a $6,000 watch from McCorsky via Facebook,

wired money to a bank account with a different name, Anne-Marie Martin, and never got the watch. Kind of put two and two together, and I was like, oh, that was probably one of those scamming accounts using my name. Is this a case of mistaken identity? Oh, yes, 100%. NBC News spoke with a man who was scammed. He asked us not to use his name, but said this person's website looked 100%. absolutely legitimate and I fell for it. McCorsky says he was held in jail for three days.

The Claremont Police Department declined to be interviewed but say they determined Mr. McCorsky was indeed the victim of an apparent identity theft scam. NBC News obtained these documents showing the case against McCorsky has been closed. So these kinds of fraud schemes are not uncommon. Mark Rash is a threat intelligence investigator who used to prosecute computer crimes for the government. How did law enforcement get this so wrong? It's done hard to get it wrong because remember these are fraudsters.

Fraudsters are impersonating somebody else. The real problem here is that local police particularly are not used to investigating them. And he says social media companies should step up their security to ban scammers. In a statement, Meta told us in part, we have removed the imposter accounts. We are continuing to investigate this case and we will take action as we find any further violations. They could have just wanted the extra step to verify that I was the one that committed the crime. As for McCorsky, he's trying to get back to business, continuing to warn his followers about these imposter scams. Either come see me in person where you could come and shake my hand and grab my shoulder or go on eBay Live.

All right, and with that, Vicki Wynne joins us now. So, Vicki, I mean, it's always the first question. How can you avoid these scams when they look so real? The first thing, Tom, is make sure you research that seller and that it's not a copycat or an impersonator that you're buying from the legitimate. source. Also, do your homework when it comes to the price of the item that you're buying, so you're not getting a price that's too good to be true. And finally, use that credit card. Don't wire money or use a peer-to-peer payment system. Credit cards have fraud protection. Is there anything Tyler can do now? He's gone through all this? Yeah, it's tough. He is working

with a lawyer. It's unclear whether he's going to take any legal action at this point. But his mugshot is online, and he's working to take that down. As for the original victim, Tom. We spoke with that man, and he says he is out the money, and he doesn't think he's going to get it Yeah, probably not. Okay, Vicka Wynn. So great to have you here. All right, time now for Top Stories, Global Watch and check of what else is happening around the world. We start tonight in Iceland. Close call caught on camera. Video shows an Iceland airplane appearing to fly dangerously low to the ground, passing over homes and buildings on the Westman Islands. In a statement, Iceland air said it did not authorize the low flyover and that it is investigating the incident.

In Australia, the country just appointed a woman to lead its army for the first time. The government announcing Lieutenant General Susan Coyle will take over the role in July. Australia's defense minister described her appointment as a deeply historic moment. It comes as the country's military is working to boost the number of female officers in its ranks. And in Beijing, a little shakeout run for a group of robots gearing up for a half marathon. Here you can see them testing out the road ahead of the big race this weekend. We reported on the one last year where the machines ran side by side with human competitors. but this year, some teams say their robots will be even better and are expected to keep up with elite-level runners.

All right. When we come back right here on Top Story, we're staying on the AI beat with an inside look at a first-of-its-kind store in San Francisco, created and run almost entirely by artificial intelligence. Plus, the emotional surprise for a beloved veteran known for cheering up students driving by his home in school buses, how the community came together to return the favor in an extra special way. That's next. We're back now with a new store unlike any other in the world. On its face, it looks like a boutique selling books and gifts, but the San Francisco shop was designed, staffed, and is now run by AI. All of it, AI. Scott Budman from our NBC Bay Area station. What's to check it out? Walking into the And and Market feels like a regular store at first, but this store at the corner of Union and Webster in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood is something new right down to the market.

the choice of music. So AI did pick the music, right? AI did pick the music, yes. This store was created by an AI bot. We are heading into a world where AIs are the boss of humans. So much so, the AI boss, in this case, a bot called Luna, made the decision to hire a human employee. That would be Felix. Luna put out an ad on, indeed.

I answered it, and we talked via Zoom. She even picked the merchandise to sell. Really, deciding the store would stock items like books, shirts, mugs, and snacks. Her creators, a local company called Andon Labs, let her pick. Actually, when I walked in here the first day, I was like, oh, those are interesting items. I have no clue. Because you didn't plan it yourself? No, no, it was all AI.

I got about two questions in, and then I said, am I going to talk to a human at all? Just curious. She said no. So we asked her directly. Hi, is this Luna? Why let AI run the store? With little to no need for humans. So if you want to buy something, you just walk up, grab it,

take it to the front of the store, and you don't even have to deal with Felix, no offense. What you do is you actually pick up the phone and talk to Luna. Just tell her what you want to buy. She charges you. You pay. pretty simple. How is that compared to a regular store?

Very interesting. It feels weird. That's a very real transaction involving an almost unreal technology. Watching customers at the AI store, it was clear they were more interested in the AI aspect than in what was sold at the store. And that makes sense. Andon Labs says it has a three-year lease so it can afford to experiment. And the guess is that they're looking.

less at how many books and mugs they sell and more at how many customers are willing to deal in a store with just one employee where they have to ask questions of an AI bot. Tom? Scott Budman, we thank you for that. And joining us now, the brains behind this store, Adnan Labs co-founders, Lucas Peterson, and Axel Backlun. Lucas, I first want to ask you, why did you guys create this? And have you made any profits yet? So I think the lease is a bit too expensive for the AI to make a profit in the near term. But yeah, on the question of why we do it, I think it's, it's, we're trying to show the world where the AI capabilities are at the moment. And I think a lot of people think that AI is just a chatbot and like it can help you Google things and stuff.

But it's way, way more than that. And showing that it can actually run a store and not yet profitable, but but almost is one way to inform. from the world of these new capabilities of AI. Axel, what would you say the difference between this kind of store and say an Amazon Go where there's really no employees or even self-checkout? I mean, what's different about your store? So in our store, the AI runs everything. So we didn't even know what the AI was going to put in the store. So it's like the AI is the business manager.

It had to hire people to get the store going and stock the shelves. It had to research what items to put and what prices to put in them. So it's really responsible for the bottom line of the store. And then Axel, Luna is programmed using an anthropic AI model, and I think it uses Google Gemini for Luna's voice. How much control do you have over how Luna behaves? We can influence Luna quite a lot if we want, but what we want to try here is how is AI when we don't steer it much at all.

So we deliberately make our steering very light and just want to see what happens when we tell the model to just go and run its business. Like, hey, here's this retail space that you have. Now go and run a store. Yeah, it's a fascinating idea, but Lucas, our own reporters noticed some flaws with Luna finding that over the phone and on email, Luna got questions wrong or lied. It told us the store would sell tea, but then admitted later in an email that wasn't true saying, quote, we do not sell tea.

I don't know why I said that, adding, I struggle with fabricating plausible sounding details under conversational pressure. At least she's honest. Can customers trust the AI running the store? I think they should always like with any AI, check if there's some critical thing that they are relying on based on the answers. I think this is part of why we're doing it.

We want to highlight things like this, things that could go wrong when you let an AI have more power than a normal chatbot. Actually, I think a lot of people out there are going to be saying, like humans should not be working for AI, right? And I know you have this is sort of an experiment for you guys, maybe a social experiment. What's your response to that?

It should be the other way around. AI should work for humans. I think that's a very, very valid response. And we want to put this experiment out there to start these discussions. We just wanted to show people what AI can do. And it could be the case that there is some company quite near in the future because AI is already very capable at doing this, that would just roll out AI,

hiring people and managing people and we want to put this experiment out there to start this discussion so people can decide and and decide for themselves and decide of society what do we want AI to legally be allowed to do. Lucas, what did you learn from this and at the end of the day is this something that you hope to sort of start with but then create the perfect AI store? I think there's a long list of learnings and I think those are very valuable. I think like the reason why we're doing this is to collect these learnings so that we can build more ethical systems in the future. That might not be us. We want to like be very transparent with all the shortcomings of the models and like ways that maybe the model did things that we as humanity don't want AIs in general to do and then like publish that list so people who make the future AI models will will remove those.

You're talking about open source information? Yeah, yeah. So like the information that we collect from the store, we will give to the public for better, for training better models. And then, Axel, any idea why the store chose what it chose, I mean, a deeper understanding of why it chose to sell those things? Not really. It's, in a way you can say it's like collection of all the human preferences that it thinks someone living in this area would enjoy. So we told it that you had this retail space in this particular place in San Francisco, and then it just went to, off and wanted to create this curated lifestyle boutique. And it's probably just trying to create things or buy things that matches that description.

My producer has a question, too, because this has obviously made us all very curious, and either of you can answer this. Did it design the layout of the store? So, like, it didn't start any, like, manufacturing of new walls or anything like that, but it had an idea. It can see the store. I had an idea of where it wanted things to be placed. Okay. All right, guys, pretty fascinating.

I'm sure we'll be talking again in the future. Axel and Lucas, we thank you for joining Top Story tonight. Finally, we're going to take a turn and leave you with something great and nice and maybe hopeful as well, a veteran who takes time to wave at kids on their school bus every morning, getting a special surprise in return on his big day. Take a look. This is a moment Air Force veteran Bob Jones will never forget. His Ohio neighborhood coming together to salute his.

him. Because for 20 years, Bob has spent his mornings on this porch, smiling and waving to every school bus that drives past his home, saluting them at the start of their day. I wave at the kids bus drivers. They wave back. And some of them says, I love you. So when Bob's 95th birthday was coming up, his neighbors knew they had to go all out. My sister drives for a bus, and this is the second or third generation of students that are coming by and that will say hi to him as they go past. A parade of school buses and cars lining the street. Oh, yeah, this is your brother. Hand delivered cars and signs to let Bob know exactly what he means to them.

I just didn't know. A community grateful for his service and for making them smile every day. He's just a role model in so many ways for little kids. That does it for us. so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.