Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, August 10, 2026

Episode Date: August 11, 2026

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Breaking tonight, the powerful earthquake killing more than 100 people and now the urgent search for survivors. The national emergency unfolding after a magnitude 7.4 quake rocks Columbia. Dozens of buildings destroyed this hospital collapsing on an ambulance as patients flee. The spire of a cathedral crumbling rescue teams racing to find people trapped in the rubble tonight. This just in. President Trump signing. a new executive order overhauling the vaccine schedule for children. Why one Republican senator, a doctor, calls it, quote, so wrong, what parents need to know. Outbreak expanding, salsa's and guacamole now being recalled because of fears that salmonella contamination may be spreading.

Taylor farms pulling more products from shelves in 26 states. The major concern over jalapenos just weeks after voluntarily recalling lettuce. The new tornado threat bearing down on millions tonight, twisters slamming the Midwest, even blowing a train off its tracks, blistering temperatures fueling dozens of wildfires, the new view from above with entire neighborhoods reduced to ash. Oscar winner Brad Pitt opening up about suicidal thoughts and his struggle with alcohol,

what he revealed about some of his darkest moments. Courtside close line, the hard foul against the Indiana fever, and why it's now escalating into calls for their coach to be fired. And the only fans' model pleading guilty in the killing of her boyfriend will bring you the latest in the years-long legal drama. Top story starts right now. And good evening, we begin tonight with that catastrophic earthquake in Colombia. More than 100 people killed in the 7.4 magnitude quake.

Now the race against the clock to rescue survivors from the rubble. Video shows the frightening moments, entire buildings come crashing down as people run for their lives. Frantic travelers at this airport holding onto pillars as the ceiling collapses around them. This video is so crazy. And landmarks toppling as well, crosses and steeples on top of churches crumbling under the force of that earthquake. And there were chaos at hospitals, too, because parts of this one splintering into pieces with patients and medical staff still in side. Tonight, the desperate search and rescue mission ramping up across the region. At least 111 people, as we've mentioned, are dead. Dozens more are missing, according to the president

of Colombia. And authorities say the death toll is sure to rise. It's just the latest devastating earthquake in South America following that horrific one in Venezuela that killed more than 6,000. We'll talk to a scientist in a moment. Is there any connection with all the earthquakes happening recently? Right now, new videos and desperate pleas for help are pouring into our newsroom tonight, George Solis starts us off. Tonight, a powerful and deadly 7.4 magnitude earthquake wreaking havoc in Western Colombia, taking so many by surprise when it struck early this morning, reducing homes and buildings to rubble. Passengers at this airport holding pillars, bracing during the moment of impact.

One man screaming as the shaking intensifies. Outside this hospital in Cali, part of the hospital. building collapsing on an ambulance as patients scrambled for safety. This woman narrowly escaping falling concrete. Churches damaged across the region, including this one, watch the cross collapsing from its spire. Now the urgent search for survivors. Rescue teams removing debris and working quickly to find those still trapped. Authorities say more than 100 people have died.

The epicenter of the quake, San Jose de Palmar. Nearly 70 miles away in Pereira, people frantically running. In Medellín, Sam Simpson says her family ran for safety. I am shaking so hard right now. And earthquake just hit. And recorded this video moments after they felt their high-rise shake. So we just grabbed our dogs and held on, and the building was swaying so much. It really felt like it was going to crack.

Tonight Simpson and her family still reeling as everyone fears if more is on the way. You know, it is, it's really hard. Tonight, the focus remains on the search for survivors. Colombia's president says six of the country's airports are closed from damage, which will only make getting critical aid into the country that much harder. Tom. George Solis, leading us off, joining us now a journalist who experienced the earthquake firsthand. NBC Miami reporter Valerie Ryan, who is live tonight for us in Bogota.

Valerie, thank you for joining Top Story. So we're glad you're safe, obviously. you were in the Capitol, which is about 250 miles from the epicenter, but this thing was so powerful. You could actually feel it shaking there? Yeah, it was about 7.30 in the morning, Tom. I was actually sleeping. I was awoken out of my sleep because I was rocking back and forth in bed. And immediately I'm staying with family.

A cousin of mine had screamed, it's an earthquake, it's an earthquake. We need to get out. Immediately we run out of the house. Luckily, it's not an apartment building, so we were able to get out fairly quickly. You come out onto the street. The entire community is out on the street with their pets, holding each other, trying to figure out what's going on. That quake lasted probably about 90 seconds, but it felt like in eternity. You're standing on concrete.

The way that I would describe it is you're on the street, and it feels as if you're standing straight up rocking on a boat. And the thing that is so, you know, that nobody can describe as the fear you feel. You understand the power of Mother Nature in that moment, and you're kind of just waiting for everything to pass. So we were experiencing that. Luckily, Bogota did not see any structural damages, nothing. That was reported by officials compared to what we're seeing in places like Cali and Pereira. But it was a very scary situation for all of us.

And a very strong quake, one that locals here had said that they have never felt something of this magnitude. You know, you're on the ground there, and we've been covering this, we've been seeing all the videos coming in, and there's still videos coming in at this hour. What is the sense there in Colombia? I mean, because I know you can see the local reporting there, and you're hearing from friends and family around the country. The big thing is that communication is very difficult right now.

For people that are here and have not been impacted, if you live in Colombia, you most likely have a friend or a family member who lives in a different area, Western Columbia, that have those areas that have been hit very, very, very hard. We're still trying to get in contact with some family members. I do have some friends that have family there and describe the destruction that we are seeing in these videos, collapsed buildings,

people not being let back into apartments because they don't know if they're structurally sound, pets, missing pets, missing people. So right now, you know, we're kind of hitting the 12-hour mark and still the big thing is the uncertainty of, is my loved one okay? And what are the next steps? Okay.

Valerie Ryan, we want to thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. Please stay safe out there. We also want to talk to tonight, Lucy Jones, she's a seismologist and author of big ones, how natural disasters have shaped us. We thank you so much for joining us tonight. So in just the last few months alone, we've reported on earthquakes in Venezuela, in Colombia, in Japan. I'm not a seismologist, right? Are they connected at all? Are any of them connected? And what is this telling us right now about the planet? No, they're not connected. We have, spent a lot of time trying to understand how one earthquake triggers another, right?

That does happen. We have aftershocks. But we've been able to demonstrate that we only see a signal beyond random if you're within a few hundred kilometers. It scales with how big the earthquake, but these are all too far apart to have been triggering each other. It feels like it because we notice the earthquakes that are near people, but in fact, there's a magnitude seven somewhere in the world.

usually every month, sometimes more often. And we notice the ones that are near people, but in fact, the Earth doesn't care if we're there or not. Yeah, we also saw a volcano, or I should say, eruptions in Guatemala, and then we also have some activity in the Caribbean as well. And again, you're saying all these things are a little different. Is the planet telling us anything at all?

Should we be, you know, there's obviously people that think these things happen in threes, but should we be aware or at least be on watch for anything else? Well, let's put it this way. We always should be. This occurrence doesn't tell us that something has become more likely. But when they're far enough apart, we tend to forget that they're there and then are surprised each time they come. And we shouldn't be. We should know that a seven happens in the world every month.

And it's just whether or not we're near them. And that parts, all of it's really quite random. It's we want a pattern. Yeah, that puts in a perspective. I mean, you know, the big fear living in the states, you think about, you know, your fellow citizens and California, right? And the big fears there, you know, I'm old enough to remember that big earthquake that hit San Francisco. And you just always fear for the people of California. Can we pull anything from this?

But it sounds like we can't. These are just sort of random things that happen in the earth just does this. Right. It doesn't change the probability of an earthquake in California. What we can say, though, is that the last. last 30 years has been particularly quiet in California. You look at the long-term record, and we wouldn't have expected more earthquakes than we've seen. So in the long run, we need to have more earthquakes than we've been having for the last few decades. And that's the life experience

of most people. That's what they remember. So I think people are going to be surprised when we get into that more active face. We also need to remember that California isn't the only state. We put a lot of people on top of our earthquakes, so it's very noticeable. But Oregon and Washington have the potential for a magnitude 9. They had one in 1700. Alaska, of course, has more earthquakes than anywhere else. So does Hawaii. There was just a magnitude 5 in Hawaii.

And so it's thought of as a California problem, but in fact, many of us have to deal with that risk. A magnitude 9-wow. Before I let you go, what should the people of Columbia be doing right now? Should they be worried about aftershocks? Well, obviously, aftershocks are really common. The good news is this earthquake was actually quite deep. It was about 100 kilometers below the surface of the earth.

So they didn't get the strongest shaking they could have, but they have, I don't know, 10 million people received very strong shaking. So it's very, very widespread. The one good news is that the deepest earthquakes tend to have fewer aftershocks. There's only been one magnitude 5 so far. So it's not protection, but it's less likely than if it had been. shallow. All right, we thank you so much for your time and your expertise and we'll be thinking about you and everything we just learned in this segment. We want to turn out to our other major

headline out of Washington tonight. President Trump signing an executive order to reduce childhood vaccine requirements saying it will give parents more choices. But some doctors warn it will spark dangerous confusion. Here's Garrett Hake. Tonight, President Trump tripling down on his efforts to overhaul America's childhood vaccine schedule after previous efforts were blocked in federal court, signing an order lowering the number of recommended vaccines for children, which would put the U.S. in line with European countries like Denmark. Parents can still choose to give their children all of the vaccinations if they wish. It's up to the parents who are making recommendations that are strong, but it's up to the parents

if they wish. The order recommends 11 immunizations for all children instead of the current 17 and suggests consulting with doctors about others, including RSV and hepatitis B. which is currently given to all infants at birth. The president calling to spread vaccinations across more appointments and time, including splitting up the MMR vaccine into three separate shots, making this baseless claim. Together, there could be a possibility they're quite lethal,

and separately it looks like they are not at all lethal, but just very effective. Reporters pressing him. Is there any evidence of that? What I've heard is that there are, there are some people that say it is that way. The president says he was motivated to change vaccine recommendations by recent rises in autism, though studies have shown no links between them. The order blasted by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The executive order that was issued today is going to cause more confusion and fear. And families that is both unnecessary and appropriate. And Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, saying parents should listen to pediatricians, blasting the new recommendations is, quote, so wrong. The new recommendations to spread out vaccinations could lead to more doctor visits and more costs. The president was asked how he would counter that, but did not offer specifics. We're going to work with the families, and we're going to make sure everything works out

cost-wise. Okay, Garrett Hague joins us from Washington. There's going to be a lot of questions about this, especially when it comes to insurance and what you have to pay. The last time the president tried to do this, they got bogged down in court. Why do they think it's going to be different this time? Well, an administration official gave kind of a novel legal strategy here, Tom. They argued that because in this case, these are just recommendations, essentially based on the president's personal view that this is what should be done by the states, that there's nothing legally binding here to even sue about.

We will see, I suspect, quite quickly, whether that argument holds up. Okay, Garrett Hake at the White House force. Garrett, thank you to help parents at home make sense of these possible changes. I want to bring in NBC News medical contributor, Dr. Natalie Azar. So Dr. Azar, today's executive order changes the official recommendation for families, but will the MMR vaccine still be available as a single shot? Yeah, 100%. And the reasons are a couple.

So first of all, just to sort of reemphasize what Garrett was saying is that the president does not actually have any authority to legally override what the states are recommending. So if states and independent medical groups are still recommending the combined shot, that is what most people will be able to still get. And just from a more practical matter, the single shots are not licensed or sold domestically, Tom. And it could take medical economics experts say it could take up to years before we could actually have three separate shots on the market. They need to reconfigure manufacturing. They need to do clinical trials. And all three shots would need to be authorized by the FDA before they could be marketed to the public.

And then the president made the claim that the MMR vaccine could be lethal. And Garrett pointed out sort of the fact check on that. Is there any medical evidence of that? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. There is nothing that I could say more vehemently, that there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the MMR has any lethality attached to it. In fact, we know that measles can be fatal in many, many cases.

And then as Garrett mentioned, moving from 17 mandatory vaccines for kids to 11 puts the U.S. in line with some European countries. How will parents know what the right number of vaccines are for their kids? You know, I think, Tom, parents need to feel reassured that the recommendations as they stand right now have been informed by decades of research by true vaccine experts. They are transparent and they are based on the best scientific evidence. Specifically, the number of vaccines that are given to a child at a certain age, it's because we know that certain age children are more vulnerable to certain infections at certain ages, and we know when their immune system will respond best. People need to understand that the recommendations, as they are, are not arbitrary. And you really can't compare to other health systems. We are not Denmark for so many different reasons. infrastructure is very, very different than many other developed countries. What we do here in this country, again, has been informed by science all this time. And there is no new evidence, by the way, to inform any of these changes. None.

OK, Dr. Natalie Azar, we always thank you for joining Top Story. We're going to stay on the health beat tonight. Taylor Farms, the supplier, linked to that cyclospora outbreak, is now voluntarily recalling food items that could be linked to the salmonella outbreak. They're pulling products like salsa and guacamquels. from shelves at major retailers, including Walmart, Whole Foods and Kroger. Steve Patterson has the details. Tonight, another major food recall impacting stores nationwide. As Taylor Farms voluntarily recalls 20 food items made with jalapeno peppers due to possible links to salmonella. The recall hitting store shelves in 26 states. Officials say the recall includes products like dips, burritos, and salsa sold in stores

from Target and Trader Joe's to Walmart and Whole Foods. The CDC and FDA have been investigating the salmonella outbreak, which is sick in 345 people so far. Taylor Farms says they are not aware of any reported illnesses linked to its products containing jalapinos. I'm a little worried about it, but I'm not going to stop, you know, eating vegetables if that's the concern. Last month, Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled shredded iceberg lettuce during the growing cyclospora outbreak. A lot of the fallout that we're seeing now in terms of additional recalls are from things that could have been made with contaminated jalapenos. It's often done in an abundance of caution. It comes as Americans pay more attention to what's in their food.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today announcing a new proposed rule focused on ultra-processed food. That would force manufacturers to notify the FDA on using additives that are generally recognized as safe or grass for short, initially used for simple ingredients like garlic and vanilla, the again. Existing rule allows manufacturers to use additives that haven't undergone extensive safety testing without telling the FDA. But today, many experts say the industry uses the rule to allow hundreds of unstudied chemicals into the nation's food supply. Under the current system, the FDA does not even have a complete picture of what is entering the food supply. Some argue it won't prevent manufacturers from adding new ingredients or removing additives already on shelves. Steve Patterson joins it tonight from Los Angeles. So Steve, how can you check whether you have something in your fridge right now that needs to be tossed or returned?

So, Tom, there's a full list of products on the websites for both the CDC and FDA. They are specifically calling for any of those items with the best, if used by date, up to and including August 16th. If you think you have one, throw it out and return it or disinfect any of the surface it may have touched. If you feel sick, of course, call your doctor right away. Okay, Steve Patterson, with some good tips for our viewers, Steve. Also tonight, we're tracking the severe weather threat impacting millions of Americans from powerful tornadoes in the Midwest to extreme heat and wildfires out west. Angie Lastman is following this for us. Just fully condensed, copicot just fully condensed. Severe weather slamming the nation's heartland. At least five reported tornadoes in Illinois and leaving a trail of destruction. In Ransom, this drone video shows a train blown off the tracks. Daylight revealing the extent of the damage.

Homes unrecognizable. Buildings ripped to shreds. And power lines toppled onto roads. Many now unpassable. In Chicago, torrential downpour soaking the city. The heavy rain even delaying Sunday's White Sox game. Meanwhile, the unrelenting heat impacting almost 45 million people across the country. With scientists saying this July was officially the high.

hottest month on record in the lower 48 states. The blistering temperatures continuing to fuel over 85 raging wildfires in the west. The fire is right here. This video shows flames dangerously close to a road in Wyoming. While in Oregon, firefighters continue battling infernoes from the air. The sky turning eerily orange. And in Washington State, these dramatic photos show the scale of destruction in a neighborhood near Spokane. After wildfires destroyed hundreds of homes as Mother Nature continues causing chaos across the country. Our thanks to Angie Lassman for that report. I want to get right to our good friend meteorologist Bill Cairns. He's in the house tonight. So Bill, dangerous weather tonight. I know you guys are forecasting

more action. Yeah, quarter million people without power in the mid-Atlantic from these storms that race through Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, all the way back through Ohio. In all, all the blue dots on this map show you where we've had people that have reported wind damage. And a lot of those issues have been reported in the mid-Atlantic. That's why we have so many power outages, 155 wind reports. It's almost off the coast, but our friends in Norfolk and Virginia Beach have a nasty thunderstorm over them. And severe thunderstorm warnings now passing out of the Richmond area. Tomorrow we're going to do it again, but a little more dangerous. We think the storms are going to be a little more powerful, probably more power outages. We're talking about our friends

from Chicago through central Indiana, Indianapolis included, Cincinnati to Columbus, and then those storms will head down into West Virginia. This will be two days in a row for storms in West Virginia. West Virginia in the mountains, it's not good when it pours two days in a row. You get a lot of flash flooding issues. We already have a flood watch for nine million people in this little area here around Charleston. This is a moderate risk. So Tom, we'll probably be talking about that tomorrow. West Virginia has a history of some really bad flash flooding events. Tomorrow could be one of those dangerous days. I'm sure we're going to check in with you again tomorrow night. Okay, Bill, thank you for that. Tonight, President Trump responding after Iran released a new

list of demands to be met before it will stop firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Here Simmons is in the region for us and has the late details. Tonight, the stalemate over the strait of Hamoos. Iran demanding what would amount to billions of dollars before it will stop attacking commercial ships in the strait, and President Trump now pushing back. They asked for money for the damage that we've done, and I said, that's a good idea.

Well, we're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period. The president pointing to decades of deadly Iranian attacks on U.S. soldiers and what the UN calls Iran's alarming increase in executions of Iranian protesters. And maybe damages for the 52,000 protesters over the last four months that were killed in Iran. We think their family should get damages. And Iran demanding more concessions than the previous ceasefire, which collapsed when Iran started firing on commercial ships, including that the U.S. military leave the region. The renewed standoff suggesting the Strait of Hammuz will not reopen anytime soon,

with all prices rising again today. We control the straight 100%. Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble. But they're broke. Okay, with that, Kierre, joins us live from Dohaq, Qatar. So, Kier, where do talks go from here?

Well, they're not moving very fast, Tom. President Trump is saying that he is only semi-negotiating with Iran. It quotes that he's low-keying it. Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader, reshuffling the leadership of his security council, putting someone in who is described as a pragmatic hardliner. There are some who believe that both the U.S. and Iran are pausing but are resetting for a potential conflict at a later date.

Others think the Iranians are watching the U.S. political process closely and actually want to wait until after President Trump or when President Trump is less powerful to renegotiate. In any case, Tom, it looks like we'll be talking about the Strait of Homoos for some time to come. Tom? I agree with that. Okay, Kier Simmons first. Kier, thank you. Still ahead here on Top Story, Brad Pitt's revealing new interview,

opening up about some of his darkest moments and breaking his sobriety after seven years. Plus, growing controversy in the WNBA, a player ejected for this hard foul. Look at that. So why is the other team's coach defending the play? And the legal decision just in tonight that could have major implications for social media

and big tech will explain. Stay with us. Back down with a personal update from Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt, the Oscar winner opening up like never before about sobriety, family, and his darkest days, including suicidal thoughts. Here's Chloe Malas. In a revealing new interview with Esquire magazine, movie star Brad Pitt opening up about some of the darkest moments of his life. Speaking candidly about a period when he says the pain became so oppressive, he could feel the cold steel of the bullet in my head. The Oscar winner clarifying he was never suicidal.

but says the experience helped him understand it. Asked why Pitt simply answered family stuff, and we could leave it at that. But it comes after a contentious eight-year divorce battle with Angelina Jolie, in which Jolie alleged Pitt subjected the family to verbal and physical abuse, including allegedly choking one of their children on a transatlantic flight in 2016. Authorities investigated and filed no charges. He's denied the allegations.

Since then, four of the couple's six children have filed to legally drop Pitt from their last name. The Oscar winner also disclosing he is no longer sober after seven years without alcohol. Pitt revealed last year that he joined Alcoholics Anonymous in 2016. I was trying anything in everyone, anything anyone threw at me. It was a particular difficult time. A friend close to Pitt telling NBC News today, he's in a good place and everyone makes their own decisions. He's been very responsible. Now the actor says he drinks in a more restrained manner and he can have a few. The Holly. would icon telling Esquire he no longer tries to climb out of the hard times. Instead, I just one day

woke up and it just felt a little sunnier. Tom, the reason that Brad Pitt even set down with Esquire magazine in the first place was actually to promote a movie called The Heart of the Beast that comes out next month in which he stars in this film. Now, I do want to point out that Pitt and Jolie, they are still battling over that winery that they own together in France. And that is expected to go to trial in early 2027. Tom. Okay, now to the growing controversy in the WNBA. Some lawmakers calling for the Indiana Fever's head coach should be fired over a hard foul on the court involving a controversial player. Let's take a look at the moment that started it all on Saturday. The fever's Sophie Cunningham was going in for a layup when Chicago Sky shooting guard Dijunay Carrington tries

to block her from behind, hitting her in the head and the neck. Looks like a closed line to some people, Carrington was ultimately charged with a foul that it escalated further when Carrington posted this on social media, accusing the Indiana fever of, quote, white privilege. And here's what Indiana fever's head coach Stephanie White had to say about that fall, that foul. One of the things about Ney is that she's going to play her butt off, man. She's going to compete. Nobody's going to go walking in for a layup. And so I'm not, I don't oppose the hard foul. Okay, now the lieutenant governor of Indiana is calling on the Indiana fever to fire White. The coach you just heard from accusing her of, quote, terrible coaching.

For more on all of this, I'm joined on set by sports writer Kavitha Davidson, who hosts the lead a daily podcast produced by The Athletic and a good friend to top story. Kavitha, so great to see you here. So this is more than about just a foul, right? So what happened here and why are so many people sort of obsessed by this? Sophie Cunningham has obviously been in the news for a lot of different reasons. But then you have this tweet and you have the coach seeming to defend it. So there's a lot going on.

There is a lot going on. So I think a lot of what this does stem from, is Sophie Cunningham's personal politics, which she has publicly said, most recently, in an interview with ESPN, and that seemed to go against a lot of the values that the league has. So there's also been a history of people thinking

that her teammate, Caten Clark, has been head hunted with some really hard fouls that have been happened against her. So a lot of people think that that's been happening here against Sophie Cunningham. Now, on the other side, Stephanie White, who used to coach Dijunae Carrington, came out and said that she didn't think

it was head hunting, but she did think it was a hard foul, and probably, deserving of the flavor to it got. I'm not going to add, like, we don't have to go into back and forth about the foul, right? But we can play that again. I mean, there's hard fouls and there's this. It looked like she thought Sophie's head was the ball.

I mean, you just, that's like, that reminds me a little bit of like the W. Is this a hard foul? What are most basketball watchers saying? So basketball watchers are saying that this is something that we have seen in the W a lot. This is a very, very physical league. And I think that people who are new to the league don't realize this. We are also seeing some people who are like this, look like the Kevin Mikhail Kurt Rambis clothes line that happened back in the 80s.

That obviously was a physical play as well. I think that people, right now, what people are really stuck on is whether or not this is intentional. And I don't think that you can necessarily read intent out of it, but it certainly was a flagrant you fell. What does the white privilege tweet mean? So this is where we don't actually know what Dijanae's intentions for. She actually just within the last hour responded on Twitter to another commentator named Emmanuel Acho. And she basically said, use your critical thinking skills. wasn't talking about the foul when I was referring to that, but she didn't further elaborate.

So there are several... What are the theories about white privileges that have anything to do with Sophie Cunningham, Caitlin Clark? I mean, I'm... One of the... Was it a play on the coach, White? I have no idea. It could be a play on the coach. You know, Stephanie White is the... This month's coach of the year, so maybe she gets some benefit of the doubt here. But I think that another theory that's out there also is that there might have been a retaliatory foul called on Cunningham for her coming back, and that was not called.

And a similar play did happen. previously in the week with Caitlin Clark. So there's a lot of questions. What is going on with the WNBA, right? Because I thought this play was the intersection of basketball, politics, and race, social issues as well. Because you had the lieutenant governor and you had Sophie Cunningham's comments about trans athletes. What is going on with the WNBA? I mean, what is happening?

I think you have a lot of people who are not used to watching the way that these women play. And you have a lot of people who are not used to a league that is out as outspoken politically as this league has always been. is Sophie Cunningham's politics don't tend to align with those of the rest of the league. But this league is now becoming a linchpin and a political cudgel for people who don't really care about the basketball and are using it to... Is it good? Is it good for the league? Oh, that's a hard question to answer, Tom. Sophie herself said that she wished the people were talking more about the basketball. It's kind of her fault that they're not, frankly.

But it's also attracting a lot of attention to the WMBA. I think it might be the wrong attention, though, because I don't think those people are watching the games. Yeah, there's no, what do they say? There's no such thing as bad publicity, but you never know. It could be the great to see you, as always. Thanks for coming in. We appreciate it. Still to come tonight, the scary standoff of Bison knocking a man to the ground,

appearing ready to strike again, how he got away. Plus, what would you do with the $900 million, everything you need to know ahead of tonight's massive powerball drawing? Stay with us. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we start with a major ruling tonight that could impact the future of social media. A U.S. Appeals Court now allowing thousands of lawsuits to move forward against META and other tech companies.

The suit center on claims that they designed their apps to be addictive to younger users. It comes just days after a judge found that META created a public nuisance in order to pay more than half a billion dollars. The tech giant has denied that claim and said it will appeal. And here in New York City, new charges connected to the boat that capsized near the Statue of Liberty, killing a 27-year-old mother and her infant daughter, the DOJ now charging the boat's operator for causing the deaths. Federal officials say Manuel Hernandez was operating with out.

a license when the vessel flipped over on Saturday night. There were 14 people on board. The boat was only 22 feet long. If convicted, Hernandez could face up to 20 years in prison. And while video out of Poland of a tourist getting attacked by a bison, here you can see it knocking the man on his back and standing over him, appearing ready to strike again, unclear how or why the man got so close to the animal. The standoff finally landed when someone in a car drove up and put that car between the man and the bison. According to local reports, the man had six. Some cuts and bruises, but it's expected to be okay. And back in the U.S., the Powerball jackpot, soaring to a big drawing.

It's now up to more than $900 million. Look at that. That's the eighth largest grand prize in the game's history. The lucky winner can choose to get the jackpot in one lump sub or payments over roughly three decades. The drawing tonight is set for just before 11 p.m. Eastern. That of new revelations from President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who says his father's cancer is spreading to the point that it is now very debilions. It comes as new images show the former president attending church this weekend.

He's seen talking with parishioners outside of mass. I want to bring in NBC's Monica Alba from the White House. So Monica, what did we hear Hunter Biden say about his father's condition? Well, Tom, he acknowledged how painful it is to watch his father who is struggling with how painful this cancer diagnosis is physically, and he added a little bit more information to how he's doing his condition and his prognosis. Let's take a listen to that. I wish he would complain more because it's not good.

The cancer has spread, is metastasized into his bones and further. It's very painful and it's very debilitating in many respects, but he's still out there. He's still doing this thing that he so believes in this country. Now this is a stage four prostate cancer that we are talking about here, Tom, and a question According to medical experts, the fact that Hunter Biden is talking about this spreading to his bones, we knew that from former First Lady Jill Biden, who had talked to our own colleague Craig Melvin, saying that that was the case and that the former president would be living with cancer for the rest of his life. But the fact that Hunter Biden talked about it spreading beyond the bones and further means that that could potentially have gone to some of his internal organs,

to his liver, to his brain, to his pelvis. We simply do not know. And it's unclear whether at this time the Biden family is going to share any additional updates about that. We know that the former president had received some treatment for this. And as you mentioned, he has been seen at events. He did go to the opening of the Obama Presidential Center

earlier this summer. And he is supposed to have a book coming out in November. But it's unclear exactly what kind of a book tour or media engagements the president will participate in around that as he does continue to navigate his cancer diagnosis, Tom. And we know that Hunter Biden also spoke about his pardon. Yeah, and of course this was extremely controversial at the time. This was toward the end of former President Biden's time in office. And in different interviews, his son, Hunter Biden, who of course received that pardon, has said that he believes in his view that his father chose,

his son chose him over his legacy and that he wishes, he says, in some circumstances, that that hadn't been the case because of what it might mean for how history will view that decision and former President Biden. But ultimately, as a son, Hunter Biden says that he is grateful to his father for doing that. But he acknowledges how unfair it might appear. Here's a little bit more of that. Do you think that he went too far as a dad in issuing a pardon to you? Was it good for our Constitution? Was it good for the American people?

Was it good for my dad's legacy? No, on all accounts. And again, Tom, that may be something that President Biden delves into in that new book that's coming out that is going to examine his time in office before, of course, he made that decision after a disastrous debate performance, to abandon his candidacy and drop out of the race. drop out of the race before leaving office. And a lot easier for Hunter to say now that he has been pardoned. Also, we should point out, Monica Alba for us tonight at the White House.

Monica, thank you for that. We're going to take a turn now to an update in a years-long legal saga, a popular OnlyFans model accused of killing her boyfriend back in 2022, now pleading guilty to manslaughter and breaking down as she faced his mother in court. Here's NBC's Aaron Gilcrest. Tonight, the OnlyFans model and social media star known as Courtney Taylor is now a convicted killer. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing about the truth. The 30-year-old whose real name is Courtney Clenney pleading guilty today to a reduced charge of manslaughter for the 22

death of her boyfriend. Are you pleading guilty because you aren't in fact guilty or believe it's in your best interest? A Miami-day judge sentencing Clennie to six years in prison instead of the 30 years she could have faced with the original second-degree murder charge. With time served, Clenny is looking at two more years in jail plus probation. Ms. Plenty, I have I find a plea has been entered into knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently. Clenny rose to fame on OnlyFans and has more than a million social media followers. Her boyfriend, Christian Toby Obamselli, was found dead at the couple's luxury condo in Miami in April of 2022. The state's attorney said Clennie stabbed him to death after a tumultuous relationship with a history of arguments and fights.

Prosecutors sharing elevator video from two months before the killing showing Clennie repeatedly hitting Obamselly during an arduous. argument. Klinney was arrested months later in Hawaii, where her lawyer said she was in rehab for substance abuse and PTSD. The defense lawyer arguing Klenny stabbed Obamselli in self-defense, pointing to this police body cam video from just days before the stabbing. You can see Klinny telling police she wanted a restraining order against her boyfriend. I'm scared. I'm scared. Her boyfriend comes charging towards her, and we actually try to get in the middle of it. Klinney's lawyer today said again that his client was defending herself. Courtney Clennie was the victim of domestic violence in this case.

And the action she took that night, we stand by them. That she did it to protect her own life. Clennie appeared calm as she accepted the plea, but turned emotional during the victim impact statement from Obam Selly's mother. The conversations we will never have. The person he would have continued to become, those losses continue much longer after today's court case ends. Aaron Gilchrest joins us now. So, Aaron, how does the victim's family feel about this plea deal? Do we know?

Well, Tom, as you might imagine, this is very difficult for Christian's family. We heard from his mother there in the peace, and she went on to talk about the fact that it was very difficult for a mother to have to stand over her child's grave. She talked about the holidays and birthdays that will not be celebrated because her son's life was taken. At the same time, we do know from the state prosecutor, the state's attorney. office there in the Miami-Dade area, that the family was consulted before this plea deal was executed and that the family did agree to this plea deal. But obviously, as you would expect, still a difficult time for them to be able to start trying to close this chapter in their lives. We also heard more from the family of Courtney Clenney as well, her father speaking outside

the courtroom, saying that he still believes that there was no wrongdoing on the part of his daughter, and we know, Tom, that she will likely be out of prison within the next two years. Tom? Yeah, dark story. Aaron, we thank you for that. We want to turn out of Maryland in an investigation to the deaths of hundreds of young black men at a former state-run juvenile detention center. Lawmakers are now forming a new commission to look into how the boys died and why some were buried in unmarked graves. Darcy Spencer from our NBC Washington station reports. Phyllis Hammond found out last April that her uncle, Amos Hammond, was buried in this long-forgotten graveyard in Prince George's County. His grave marked only with a cinder block, and at 18 years old, he was among the hundreds of black boys buried this way on the grounds of a state-run juvenile detention facility.

It's heart-wrenching. It's heart-ratching. They didn't grow up easy. I think that's why my father never talked about his family. The graveyard is in Sheltonham at the former House of Reformation, a segregated state-run facility for boys dating back to the 1800s. There are some headstones that are in disrepair and many of the graves appear to be unmarked. Hammond has her uncle's death certificate showing he died in 1921 at the House of Reformation. The cause, acute heritonitis, which can lead to a life-threatening infection. They try to have a good reasoning for most of the deaths that happened there. and, you know, questionable, very questionable as to how these young men died, and especially when you're looking at over 300 and some young men.

Hammond described how she felt after visiting the graveyard for the very first time. Gut-wrenching. I cried. It inspired her to act, and now she's sitting on a newly formed state commission to study who the boys were and how they died. The group will make recommendations to the governor. Hammond wants to be a voice for the families. Make that site a memorial, a place of dignity to recognize these young men, to bring awareness to the lives that they lived in that facility and how they died in those woods. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown chairs the commission.

They were being committed, forced to labor. they were denied in education. They were mal-urish and medically neglected. There are many questions to answer. Should the bodies be exhumed? Should the graves be left alone? Should families be able to move remains to other burial sites? I'm grateful to be on this journey.

It's not going to be an easy journey. It hasn't been. I'm still grieving. All the families are still grieving. But I'm just so thankful that this has been revealed. Hammond's visit also inspired her to write a poem, if these woods could talk. I just wonder sometimes if those woods could talk, how many lives could have been saved. Darcy Spencer, News 4. Our thanks to Darcy Spencer for that one. We're going to head overseas now

with Top Story's Global Watch. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outright rejecting President Trump's 15-point plan for peace and gauze. Weeks after the White House announced Hamas, had agreed to those terms. NBC's Matt Bradley joins us tonight from Israel. Matt, you spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu's spokesman. Why is Israel against his peace deal? Yeah, I mean, it's a great question, Tom. And if you ask the Israelis, they would say they're not against the peace deal. They're in favor of the peace deal. The peace deal from October 2025 that ended the war in the Gaza Strip, though not the fighting and certainly not the killing. They're not in favor of the 15-point plan that President Trump announced.

last month. Here's that spokesperson, and he makes reference to that 20-point plan from nearly a year ago. We are fed up with Hamas's antics. Hamas is fooling the entire world. Israel's not going to be fooled. It's who's not holding up their plan. Every single day, Hamas is in blatant violation of the 20-point plan. Every single day that goes by that they haven't disarmed, they are essentially sticking their finger in the eye of the president of the United States. So Hamas would say in response to that, that they are abiding by the plan, and that it's Israel who is in violation by continuing their attacks on Hamas targets, on what Israel says are Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, and by not withdrawing further than the so-called yellow line that was detailed in that October 2025 plan. Now, as you heard, the Israelis would say that they're not going to withdraw until Hamas disarms.

Hamas says they won't disarm until Israel withdraws. It's a chicken and egg conundrum that really locks us into this diplomatic gridlock that really hasn't changed since October 2025 when we saw the fighting end. And then, Matt, we heard from Kier Simmons earlier in the broadcast about Iran. What does Israel say about why they're no longer fighting against Iran? Well, we heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu. He spoke to his cabinet yesterday. And the readout from that meeting, he basically said Iran is attacking everybody in the neighborhood, including all of America's Gulf allies. but it's not hating Israel. Why? Because Israel will clap back, and Iran knows that Israel is ferocious

in its counter-attacks. Now, that may be true. Iran probably doesn't relish bringing Israel back into the fighting, but we also know the Israelis are under considerable pressure from the United States to ease up their attacks, not just on Iran, but also against Hezbollah and Lebanon, and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, all in an effort to try to push toward negotiations. But that is very unpopular politically for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces very consequential elections at the end of October here in Israel. Tom? Yep.

Okay. Matt Bradley for us. Thank you. Still ahead tonight in top story. Tributes pouring in for Jackie, the beloved bald eagle who had become an internet sensation. Stay with us. We are back down with a sad update on the bird who became a national sensation. Support had been flooding in for Jackie, the bald eagle from Big Bear, California, who's been recovering from an attack, and then a mysterious,

serious illness. Tonight she has died after weeks in intensive care. He's Camila Bernal. A final flight for Jackie, the famous Bald Eagle from Big Bear, California, who became part of thousands of people's lives through a 24-7 stream. Tonight, a heartbreaking goodbye after years under the watch of devoted fans. Watching her gave people a connection to nature. It gave people an outlet. which had been caring for her says she died early this morning, adding, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists. Last month, Jackie was seen fighting with other eagles

and then struggling to wade through the water before being rescued. She'd been in intensive medical care for more than three weeks after a mysterious illness unrelated to that attack. But it was the sweet moments with her family that drew more. millions of views. Many watch Jackie and her mate's shadow, built a home, weather brutal winters, and raise their eaglets together. Now condolences pouring in. She was fierce. She was gentle. She was very dynamic. The center saying we're deeply grateful for the way Jackie brought people together through a shared love of wildlife. Because even though there's now an empty nest,

Jackie filled the hearts of so many. Camila Bernal, NBC News. When we come back, the extra sweet birthday surprise. We'll show you the moment this boy surprised his big sister during a very special family tradition. Wyatt had her in tears. That's next. Finally tonight, one family's emotional birthday tradition going viral.

Each year, the birthday kid shares the first slice of cake with the person who helped them the most that year. When it was nine-year-old Othello's turn to share his slice, The reaction was priceless. Take a look. This piece of cake. In the Woods family, birthdays are a time to celebrate each other. It's for my big sister, Azaya.

Each year, the birthday kid gives the first piece of cake to the person who helped them the most. So when it was nine-year-old Othello's turn to share his slice, he picked his older sister, Azaria. I used to be this piece to Zaya because she's the one that's been helping me in school with my computer problems. She's the one that played with me when I didn't have no one to play with. 11-year-old Azaria overjoyed to be picked, still feeling that emotion when we talked to her. She loves her brother. Even though it's not my birthday, I still get to feel special in my own kind of way. Parents Richard and Melissa started this tradition.

years ago. We always wanted to establish family values, being appreciative, and just showing that love with one another. And Othello's special message to his big sis. Thank you. And I'm grateful that you're my sister. Me too. Love that story and happy birthday, Othello. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.