Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, August 31, 2026

Episode Date: September 1, 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, the stabbing attack in New York's Times Square, tourists running for their lives, video of a woman wielding a knife. She allegedly stabbed multiple people. Police rushing in, she's then tased and shot by officers. Times Square put on lockdown. Also breaking the death toll rising from those flash floods that swept through the Grand Canyon, the desperate race to find more than a dozen people still missing. Dozens evacuated.

New downpours today slowing those rescue efforts. Ballroom breakthrough, the Supreme Court allowing the President to move forward with the White House construction, but Chief Justice John Roberts blast the project. Deadly ferry disaster, the sinking caught on camera off Cyprus, passengers desperate to escape as their ship went under. Surrendering to drones, the Russian soldiers laying down their weapons for Ukrainian machines, how the technology is changing the state of war. Rollercoaster danger. one woman says she was ejected mid-ride in Colorado, while another coaster in California has been linked to several brain injuries. Both rides now shut down.

And flyover close call, video capturing two planes making a very low pass above a stadium, how the airline is defending the maneuver. Plus, could groceries soon get even more expensive? The new warning as prices remain stubbornly high. Top story starts right now. Hey, good evening. We're coming on the air with some breaking news. One person has been killed in a deadly stabbing attack in Times Square just blocks from our studio here in New York City.

And moments ago, officials confirming the suspect is also dead. A warning, some of these videos are disturbing. You can see a woman here in a pink shirt approaching officers with her arms raised, holding what appears to be a knife. Some of the crowd watching seemingly frozen as police opened fire and she falls to the ground. Another angle shows the standoff people running away as shots are ring out. cameras capturing the moment an officer recovers two knives that may have been used in the attack. Officials say three people were transported to the hospital. We now know one of the victims, a woman who has yet to be identified, has died.

The chaotic scene unfolding at around 4.30 this afternoon in one of the busiest intersections in the world packed with tourists. Sam Brock is there for us tonight. And Sam, we were just getting late word tonight about those two fatalities. What more can you tell us? That's up. These are significant developments all coming in within the last 20 or 30 minutes. according to four officials who are briefed on the matter. That woman that you see in that video wielding a knife and moving towards police officers has now died. We don't know her age or where she's from, only that she is deceased.

We also know that one of the two, at least two stabbing victims, a woman has also died. There was a man, Tom, that was critically injured as well. We don't know his status. As we are standing right now in the middle of one of the landmarks in New York City and the world, Times Square, where you're looking at barricades, police tape, just tons of investigators that are still appear to be processing this scene as right now this high profile location is the site of a crime scene. Tonight, this chilling scene unfolding in New York's Times Square following an apparent stabbing spring and an officer involved shooting. A large crowd screaming as this woman in a pink

shirt appears to approach officers with her arms raised. Then the sounds of more gunfire and witnesses scattering. Multiple New York City officials telling NBC News police are investigating her mental health history. As a woman armed with at least one knife, according to those officials, slashed at least two people near the heart of Times Square, then was shot by police. The cops are showing up.

Looks like the lady got another victim over here. The NYPD confirming that emergency responders transported three civilians to area hospitals. This video showing a person being wheeled away on a stretcher. As investigators stood next to what appeared to be a long knife, on a nearby sidewalk. Witnesses to the shocking violence report seeing a woman with multiple knives.

I see the lady with a knife. When they have the knife in your hand, so police say, drop her. Tonight the NYPD confirming it's conducting a police investigation and cautioning to avoid the area. Sam Brock joins us once again from Times Square. So Sam, people are still being asked to avoid that area as the investigation continues? Tom, it's just a huge footprint, right? standing right now on 7th Avenue. This is one of the most highly populated, congested parts of New York City. And actually, the entire situation and the shooting unfolded. Right over my shoulder. If you see what this flashing lights are next to the police van. It's on the sidewalk, Tom, next to that. Stretching down the block to see police tape and perhaps some people moving back and forth there. But the footprint of this is five blocks. Now, we do have a press conference. We're told that NYPD is holding a little bit later tonight. The timing on that is unclear, but at least we should be getting some background on who the woman was at the woman was at the

the center of this officer involved shooting and whether or not there were previous mental health confrontations with police, because that is not uncommon, of course, in New York City. It just so happens were that to be the case. The platform is one of the most visible blocks in all of New York City. And obviously, folks here are still tragically shocked in trying to process what they witnessed as they stand around to see what happens next. Tom, let me send it back to you. Okay, Sam Brock, leading us off here on Top Story tonight. Our other major headline tonight, of course, that urgent search and rescue operation underway at the Grand Canyon. Deadly flash floods ripped through the National Park, and you can see a destroyed bunkhouse swept away in the violent current.

Hikers running to safety as torrential rain poured down on helicopter teams deployed to find those stranded. At least two people have been killed, and more than a dozen tonight remain missing. Our Dana Griffin is live tonight from the Grand Canyon right now. The weather looks a bit clear, Dana, but you and your team have seen firsthand today just how quickly the conditions can change there. Oh yeah, Tom, we've seen everything from lightning, thunder, heavy rain. At one point you could not see into this canyon, but now you can clearly see the bright angel canyon area, which is in the depths of the Grand Canyon. This is the area where the mud and debris flows came down and many of those hikers had to be evacuated. Tonight, the urgent search for missing hikers at the Grand Canyon intensifying, as officials say a second body is being recovered.

More than a dozen people are still unaccounted for after catastrophic flash flooding ripped through the canyon Saturday. Watch as this torrent comes roaring through, wiping out foot bridges and this floating bunkhouse barely recognizable. That's a bunkhouse there? Campers in the area who made it out alive say they had little warning before the wall of water came rushing down. Rangers screaming for them to run. It was like the whole trail was being watched out. We were just trying to run. dozens of people airlifted to safety.

It just started pouring. I was completely drenched. We were completely drenched from the head to toe. Conditions today worsening. Crews are searching for those they believe are still in the canyon, but as you can see throughout the day, they've been met with wide out conditions hampering the search operation. The families of three friends, Texas chiropractor John Juusty,

confirming he died, while Brent Rosecrans and Timothy Allen Smith remain missing. Juisti's sister telling the New York Times he was documenting his journey online. The family last heard from him just hours before the flooding began. The catastrophic floods also destroying a critical water pipeline to the park, forcing hotels and lodges to clear out overnight guests. And tonight, a flood watch remains in effect until midnight, as the race to find the missing becomes more and more dire.

Dana joins us once again. Dana, were there any warnings that this flood was going to hit? hit when it did? Tom, while there were weather warnings earlier in the day for surrounding areas, it appears the first flash flood alert did not go out until the flooding was already underway, likely catching many of those hikers off guard. Tom. Okay, Dana Griffin for us, Dana, thank you. For more, I want to bring in NBC meteorologist Bill Carrans. Bill, we're watching the weather there. As Dana mentioned, it can change really fast. It's been changing for her all day behind her in that live shot. There's a risk we can see behind you of more flash floods. Yeah, we've

We've already had some during the day today in areas of Utah, mostly remote locations. We haven't had any dramatic video like we saw in the Grand Canyon over the weekend. But we're still watching this monsoon will continue even through tomorrow. So it doesn't mean it's going to be everywhere. It'll be isolated, but it will be happening. So anywhere you see the maroon right now, there's one, two, three, a couple in Arizona here, two, even one in Colorado. These are all where we have active flash flood warnings throughout the four-corner region, six million people under flood watches as we go through tonight into tomorrow.

And as far as additional rainfall goes, we're not really seeing too much of anything impressive. One thing I am keeping my eye on for everyone in Southern California, we're going to have a system developing in the Pacific. These are our little spaghetti lines. Notice most of them parallel the Baja here and come up to the north. Yes, it won't make it to California as a tropical system, but a lot of that moisture could come into the southwest time as we go throughout Labor Day weekend. We could have some serious flooding problems from that. Something to keep an eye on. And then I know we're tracking something else here, Bill. I want to ship to the tropical threat in the Gulf. Tropical storm warnings just extended right now. We're talking about Edward here.

Yeah, we've had a very quiet hurricane season, and now we're at the peak of it. So it shouldn't surprise us that something can quickly just pop up. This is a small system, and right now it's pretty weak, but it still has about 24 hours until it's going to make the expected landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border. You can see how compact it is compared to the state of Louisiana here. It's not big at all, but these little storms sometimes can rapidly get intense quickly. And that is what we're watching. Center is thinking this could make it up to a strong tropical storm, not a hurricane, before that landfall. Roughly about 1 p.m. local time here right around Beaumont, Port Arthur. So from Lake Charles to Houston,

it's kind of that cone of uncertainty. The winds are not going to be that strong. Remember, it's a small system. So the only areas that are getting at the high winds will be right near the center. All of our spaghetti lines are pretty much agreeing here in between Galveston and Port Arthur for that path. And Tom, the thing we're going to watch is rainfall with a weaker system. Someone could get up to six inches of rain. And if that's in Houston, that could cause some problems, especially tomorrow evening for the rush hour. Yeah, okay, Bill, I know we'll be watching Houston probably all week. We thank you for that. Now to Washington, and a huge illegal victory for President Trump at his White House ballroom project. The Supreme Court granting an emergency request to let construction move forward.

So let's get right over to Gabe Gutier's at the White House. Gabe, the justices lifting an order that would have blocked construction of the ballroom. What do we know? Yes, Tom, it is a big win for President Trump. The Supreme Court is now allowing him to move forward indefinitely. with the project. And the president had ordered the White House's east wing torn down to make way for the ballroom and a secure facility underground, but a historical preservation group had sued, arguing the president needed congressional approval. Well, tonight, the court ruling that the group

did not have legal standing to bring the lawsuit, writing mere offense, disagreement, or distaste does not qualify. Still, the 5-4 ruling is narrow with Chief Justice John Roberts. joining the court's three liberal justices in dissent. Roberts writing that the construction is likely unlawful. But President Trump tonight is praising that ruling, saying that the project will be finished by the summer of 28, Tom. Are there any other legal holdups or roll blocks that could come up? Well, look, the justices ruled that the group that sued didn't have standing,

but the justices did not rule on the merits of the case. So it's possible the ballroom could face another lawsuit. And we're also now hearing from that group, the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is saying tonight that, quote, we are deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court's ruling today, but the group also pointed out that the majority of the justices did not weigh in on whether the ballroom project was in fact legal. And also, Tom, there are unanswered questions about where the money from all this is coming from. The president has repeatedly said that the $400 million ballroom project will be paid for by private donations. but some secret service funding, taxpayer funding,

has already been directed for some of the security enhancements tied to the project time. Okay, Gabe Gutier, there's a lot of updates for us on that project. Gabe, we thank you for that. Overseas now to Nepal, where a catastrophic flash flood has killed at least 900 people. Tonight we're hearing stories of survival, including from an American couple who managed to get to higher ground

as that terrifying wall of water rushed in. Here's Janice McEugh. Tonight, the search for survival, from these devastating floods growing more desperate. Rescuers combing through tunnels at this hydropower project where at least 100 workers are still missing. So many communities are still totally buried. There are towns like this that have been left in ruins all along the river.

Miles and miles of mud and destruction. Here in Devi Gop, the layer of mud is so thick, houses just disappeared. The ground around the river is still unstable. They are knee-deep in mud. This is solid ground, though, because it's the roof of their house that got swallowed by the flood. Families scrambling to salvage what they can. Poor money is this house? Gold and money. Your life savings are in this house.

The number of missing now in the thousands, including 80 Americans, according to the State Department. And now new images of the raging floods shot by an American couple who were able to make. make it out. Anjana Raja and her partner, among the only American witnesses, to the massive wall of water the moment it struck. We kind of relive the moment every day. They were on a tour bus near the border with China when she saw something huge in the sky. So like how cobra has that head when it sticks out, the only thing I could think of at that point is I told him we need to run right now.

A sprint to higher ground saving their lives. The Chinese border point was flattened by the flood. we are happy, we are safe, our heart just goes out to the people that we are not heard from. Janice McEFerer joins us now from outside of hospital in Nepal. Janice, we can see the pictures of those missing there behind you. This is incredible. Those missing today doubled again to more than 4,000? It speaks to the scale of what's underway here, Tom, with the search and rescue mission nearly a week since this tragedy happened.

Nepal is still hesitant to accept offers of search and rescue help from other countries, including the United States. More Americans, the ones we're speaking to, are now coming to Nepal to try to search for their loved ones on their own, to get any information that they can, good or bad, to end the uncertainty. Tom? We thank you for that. We're going to stay overseas now with the urgent search for passengers after a ferry capsized in Cyprus. New video shows the frantic moments family scrambled to find life vests, water quickly filling the ship, carrying close to 300 passengers leaving many trapped inside. Kier Simmons with more.

Tonight a massive search underway as terrifying video emerges of passengers panicking. Scambling to put on life vests and get to an exit as their ferry capsizes. Dozens clinging to the side of the sinking. vessel, video taken from the water showing the ship completely on its side. Many still crammed inside, desperate to make it out. The water filled with debris, one mother describing clinging to her daughter, then losing her grip. She was saying, don't let go.

And I didn't let go of my daughter. I swear I didn't let go. But Aitin Byser says through tears, a suitcase fell on top of her. and she slipped out of my hand. Tonight, her children, six-year-old Bermette and 12-year-old Salihar are both missing. The ferry carrying 267 people capsized in the Mediterranean off the coast of northern Cyprus Sunday. Rescue teams scrambled by air and sea, pulling 239 people safely to shore. So far, eight are confirmed dead and 20 more are still missing, as time and hope around.

running out. Keir Simmons joins us now. Can you hear any word on the search for those 20 missing people? Well, Tom, tonight we're learning that the ferry is 1,600 feet down now. So they're having to bring in specialist divers and equipment in order to try and reach the ferry. Of course, it's incredibly unlikely that anyone survived that deep. Impossible, frankly. But still, the search goes on to try to find people.

You know, that mother, Tom, that you heard from in my report, she says that after she lost her grip on her daughter, she managed to grab her shoe, but there was so much oil, it was so slippery, that she lost her again. This is the end of the summer season, Tom. This is vacation time. Imagine being one of those passengers on that ferry,

enjoying the end of the summer and then facing that, especially those parents, Tom. Absolutely terrible. Keir Simmons for us tonight, Kier, thank you. Now, the growing violence in the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians, and our own NBC news team was there to cover the story. They too came under attack.

Here's Matt Bradley with those moments. The disturbing attack happening in the middle of our interview. That's Aida Ahmed Abdullah, a Palestinian woman, telling us how Israeli settlers forced her family out of their home the West Beck. Now she can only watch her home on security cameras, showing the settlers strolling through her yard. She says she dies a hundred times a day watching this scene. But as Ida carefully walked us toward her home, a gray car full of masked young men pulls up. Armed with sticks and stones, they smashed our car's windshield, pummeled our team with sticks

and beat 51-year-old Aida, unconscious. Are you okay? You... Israeli Jewish settlers, some of whom want to intimidate Palestinians into leaving their land, attacked Palestinian homes throughout the West Bank Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemning criminal acts of settler violence, including the attack on NBC News. And this criticism from the U.S. ambassador, Mike Huckabee. We're appalled. at some of the things that have happened to families who are the victims of just criminal activity that is inexcusable and repugnant. We were able to get Ida to an ambulance. They beat us, and our team was treated for minor injuries.

The next day we checked in with Ida, she's left the hospital, but she won't be convalescing at home. That's still occupied by those settlers. Matt Bradley joins us tonight from Tel Aviv. Matt, it's great to hear that Ida is out of the hospital and that you and your crew are okay. I do want to go back to that moment and play it again for our viewers. Did you know immediately that that car was carrying Israeli settlers and did you know that they were going to be aggressive and violent? Yeah, I mean, this has been going on for years, really, and we have seen the results of so many other settler attacks. And we knew from the couple that we were interviewing that there were settlers all around.

In fact, we had been to that same location just a little further away about two weeks before where we knew there were violent acts. going on. The car, we knew it was something weird because there was a guy who was hanging onto the roof outside of the car. It was backing up instead of driving forward. And once they got close, we could see that there were dudes hanging out with weapons. And I got to tell you, I've been in quite a few situations like this. But this one was particularly scary, being confronted by these angry young men with weapons right up in my face. It really was frightening. Yeah, you guys showed a lot of bravery, but also a lot of humanity in the way you dealt with Ida and still were mindful to sort of keep the journalism going with the cameras rolling and falling up with questions.

And that's my next question is I know you've asked the Israeli military whether they're investigating this incident. What are they telling you? Yeah, well, we've actually been talking to the police. I was just in Jerusalem a couple of hours ago speaking with police officers who are investigating into this case. They asked for a lot of details. They wanted to know about the make of the car, who was in it, whether we could identify them. Now, the police have come under a lot of criticism for not doing enough to stop settler violence in the West Bank. But so far, it does look as though the police, at least in our case, is making a concerted effort. Tom?

Matt Bradley for us. Matt, thank you. Still ahead tonight. Verdict watch the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, our reporter outside the courthouse as the jury deliberates for a third day. Plus, going airborne, the racing boat topping 200 miles an hour flipping over and over again. happen next. But first, top story's top moment and the exciting on-air announcement that happened this morning on the Today Show from our very own Emily Akkadat. Take a look. I feel like my weekend is best encapsulated in pictures. I think we maybe have some and I'm going to try to get. Oh my God! Wait! You're having a baby. They legitimately don't know. I'm surprising them

right now. Wait, are you serious? Yeah, I'm five months pregnant. I'm doing. What a fun surprise to and her husband. Congrats to them. We can't wait to welcome the newest member of our NBC family. We are so happy for Emily. Stay with us. More top story after this.

We're back now with Julie Deliberations and the Lindsay Clancy trial. The fate of the Massachusetts mother charged with killing her three kids in the hands of 12 jurors. Clancy's attorneys have argued that she should not be held criminally responsible

because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Our Stephanie Gosk is outside the courthouse. She's tracking this one this week for us. Stephanie, great to see you. The jury has deliberated for 17 hours now. Walk us through what they're considering, because this is kind of complicated. Yeah, it is a little bit. And so it centers first on that question you just ask. Was Lindsay Clancy criminally responsible when she took her children's lives

in January 2023? In other words, Tom, was she aware in that moment that what she was doing was wrong? If they decide that she was not, then it is a not guilty verdict. If, however, they decide that she was. It does not simply mean that she's that she is guilty of first degree murder, which is what she was first charged with. The judge has opened up the possibilities for the jury so they can consider second degree murder, which would mean it was not premeditated or possibly manslaughter. That is a lot of things to go through. There is a lot of nuance there in that criminal law, and it is complicated, Tom. And then Stephanie, what do we know about the jurors so far in their It's interesting, Tom, you know, obviously a 12-person jury, you have nine women on this jury and three men, which is an interesting makeup.

And as you can see that graphic there, an overwhelming number of women as opposed to men. We haven't had much insight into what they have been thinking, other than that they asked for some evidence on Friday, a knife, as well as some pill bottles. But the defense attorney has been coming out periodically and giving us some insight into the jury. Listen to what he had to say to us a little bit ago just before they stopped deliberating today. People are incredible. They're very attentive. They don't look as though they're worn out tired. They seem very, they're just working real hard. So, I mean, listen, you're going into the fourth day. These days are long. This is tedious, tough work. and it seems certainly that they feel the responsibility of it on their shoulders, Tom.

Steph, I know you're not a legal analyst, right, and you don't know what's going on behind closed doors. But today, I think, marks day three of deliberations. The jury has been sent home. We don't have a verdict yet. Do we know what this means? Is this good for the prosecution? Is it better for the defense that they're taking their time? Well, one thing that you start to imagine could be happening. Now, for all those levels of verdict that I discussed a moment ago, you obviously have to have a unanimous verdict. Everyone has to agree. And the longer this goes on, the more it becomes possible. And people start, you know, the rumor mills around here on the courthouse, that there might actually be a hung jury. The jury comes back and says, hey, we're deadlocked to the judge.

The judge will send them back, likely, once, maybe twice, to really figure out if they can't reach a unanimous verdict. And then you potentially have a hung jury, Tom. Yeah, we're going to have to wait and see what happens. Stephanie, I'm sure we'll be checking in throughout the week. Coming up on Top Story, another health scare for Lionel Richie, the singer reportedly hospitalized after a concert. What we're learning tonight. Plus, the urgent alerts for families potentially exposed to rabies,

all linked to a traveling petting zoo. We'll tell you where right after this. We're back with Top Story's News Feed and another health scare for legendary singer Lionel Richie. Source is telling TMZ he checked himself into an ICU in St. Louis after a concert there over the weekend. The outlet, also reporting doctors, are looking into whether he was slightly dehydrated. It comes just months after Richie ended a show early, telling the audience he was feeling dizzy. We reached out to his team for comment,

but haven't heard back. Here in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Met, just canceled a show that was said to honor British fashion designer John Galliano. The move came after a wave of backlash and anger over his previous anti-Semitic and anti-Asian remarks. In a statement today, Galliano said he's still deeply sorry about those comments. His work was supposed to be revealed at a show next year, which coincides with the annual Met Gala. And a scary scene in Missouri at what's described as the largest power boating event in the world. Look at this. One of the racing boats topping 200 miles an hour before going airborne, flipping multiple times, and crashing into the water.

That happened on the lake of the Ozarks. Officials there say the driver was seriously hurt. His passenger, though, somehow walked away. In South Africa, an airline is now defending its pregame stunt where two jets, passenger jets, flew extremely low over stadium. Watch this. It happened at a rugby game with more than 50,000 fans in the crowd. Flight data shows the planes flew less than 50 feet above the roof. No passengers were on board. Some experts raised serious concerns about the stunt. But the airline insists it was carefully rehearsed and performed by experienced pilots.

Okay, that an alarming headline out of North Carolina. Hundreds of children and adults potentially exposed to rabies carried by baby goats at a traveling petting zoo. Families now deciding whether to get a series of painful shots for a disease that is almost always fatal when symptoms appear. Here's Ann Thompson. This summer, four baby goats brought joy across North Carolina. Tonight, it is fear. I don't want to bury my child. Rebecca Lannine's four-year-old son is one of hundreds of children and adults exposed to rabies.

All because like so many, he fed these infected baby goats at a festival earlier this month. Did you ever think your child could be exposed to rabies by farm animals? Absolutely not. Anyone who came in contact with the goats now has to decide whether to get a series of painful shots. The risk, rabies is almost always fatal in people once symptoms appear. Symptoms which can take months to develop include fever and flu-like illness. Ravies can be transmitted by a bite, scratch, or even infected saliva that gets into the body. Too young to be vaccinated, the goats had been brought to assisted living facilities, public parks, and private events across the state.

Mobile petting zoo Farm Adventures, which own the goats, says the animals became infected after they were bitten by a skunk in their pen. But the owners say they didn't know it until last week. Lannin acted immediately, getting her. her son the shots needed to protect his life. Are you going to let your son go to petting zoos? We will probably skip petting zoos and just go to the zoo where you can look from afar. And be safe. And Thompson joins us now. And what should people do if they think their kid came into contact or if they did with one of these animals with rabies? The first thing you want to do is get in touch with your doctor and have a conversation about just what that contact was, Tom. Because in this case, In Rebecca's case, her son was feeding the baby goats.

And the question is that the saliva again on his fingers were there open cuts? And if you even have something like an open cut, if the saliva is infected, it can get into your system. So you really want to have that conversation with your doctor because speed is of the essence. And the faster you move, you don't want to wait until symptoms appear. It's too late then. You want to move before the symptoms because that way the vaccines can get in your body and take hold to fight the infection. Sam Thompson. Wow, this is such a crazy one. We thank you for being here and explaining that one. We're going to turn out to new questions about the safety of thrill rides after several riders reported brain injuries on one coaster in California.

And another woman was dragged on the tracks after being flung from her ride vehicle in Colorado. Stephen Romo reports. Tonight, a terrifying incident on this Colorado coaster now under investigation. Attorneys for 60-year-old Nicola Parker say she was riding Copper Mountain Ski Resort's Rocky Mountain Coast. on August 17th when she was somehow thrown from her cart while rounding a turn. Her lawyer saying her seatbelt remained fastened but got tangled around her, dragging her on the track, causing a traumatic brain injury, a separated shoulder, and a broken rib that punctured her lung.

How is she doing right now? She's traumatized. She's scared. She cannot believe this happened. The coaster can reach speeds of 25 miles an hour. Copper Mountain Resort saying when members of patrol arrived, the guest was seated in the cart. with their seatbelt fastened.

Her husband was in the next car. There was some netting on the right side of the tracks, so her husband jumped from his car into that netting, jumped into her car, and then pulled her back into her car for safety. This comes as another ride is facing scrutiny in California. Six Flags Magic Mountains X2, featuring seats that rotate 360 degrees, closed since July, with reports of riders who've been hurt.

And last week, Six Flags and the ride manufacturer, reaching a settlement with the family of 22-year-old Christopher Holland. He was like nobody else in the best possible way. He looked for the best in everybody. The family's lawsuit claimed Holly's 22 death was caused by head trauma from riding X2. When Christopher got off the ride, he just looked very in distress and then eventually collapsed. We asked six flags about the settlement and the park only shared that the ride remains closed at this time. Back in Colorado, officials say the Rocky Mountain coaster also remains.

remains closed with the investigation ongoing. Stephen Romo joins us now. Stephen, do we know if that roller coaster at Six Flags, the X2 will ever reopen again? Yeah, it's a good question. And the family of Christopher Hawley definitely has a lot of questions about that as well. Six Flags only telling us that it remains closed at the moment. It's already been closed for seven weeks now. It opened back in 2002 for $45 million.

It's had sort of a history of these types of complaints. We know the state is investigating. But right now, these incidents have. A lot of people wondering if they're going to get on that next coaster, Tom. Stephen Rubble for us, Stephen, we thank you for that. For more on roller coaster safety, I do want to bring in Todd Martens. He's a features columnist at the LA Times who writes about theme parks. Todd, you may have one of the best assignments in this game.

We thank you for joining Top Story. This is sort of scary when you watch Stephen's report and you hear about these injuries and these brainbleeds. Can you talk to us specifically about the X-2 roller coaster at Six Flags? What makes it such an intense ride? So the X2, thank you for having me, is one of the most intense coasters at the park. It is also one of the most popular coasters because part of Six Flag Magic Mountains whole thing is that you're going there for these super intense rides, these super intense roller coasters. This coaster in particular goes 360 degrees in its cars. It goes up 200 feet into the air.

It'll drop you straight down. There's a moment in this coaster where you are staring at the ground, straight down, the ground is right below you, and then it flips you again upside down. You're constantly being rotated and flipped, so you never really know what direction you're heading. These stories obviously are alarming, but we know that hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, right, these roller coasters, right? This is a $45 million roller coaster, from what I understand. Are these sort of anomalies or are a lot of accidents like this happening on this roller coaster? These are definitely anomalies. If you think about a roller coaster, you think it's usually about less than a minute of an experience.

It's usually catering to about 2,000 people per hour. So these are running constantly throughout the day. They are pretty safe. So, but it is, that's why it is big news when you hear something that goes wrong or you hear an allegation of somebody having some sort of elmine caused by the coaster. What we've seen so far in this sort of roller coaster arms race, if you will, over the past few decades, the rides are getting wilder and wilder. We've seen some horrific accidents.

I do want to note that as well. but they want to get faster, they want to get taller, they want to get more extreme. Are we reaching a point maybe where we've gone too far? You know, I've been wondering that myself, because we're getting to a point, as you just said, where the marketing of every coaster is based on how extreme it is, how intense it is. Six Flags in Arlington, Texas just opened a coaster. And their whole thing was the coaster breaks a number of world records. It's one of the tallest drop coasters in the world.

It's one of the fastest drop coasters in the world. It's designed to be a super intense coaster. So it's become sort of the selling point of these coasters that they, are super intense. And these G-forces, you know, you know, sometimes, you know, you can actually pass out for milliseconds when you're facing a G-force on a coaster. So, like, I do sort of wonder about how intense coasters are getting in, as you said, this coaster arms race. Yeah, it is kind of wild. You know, I'm curious, and I know you're not a doctor, but are there a, is there a best practice when you're riding on some of these roller coasters? One thing I notice, because I have kids

who love riding these roller coasters, is depending on what park you go to, they actually will tell you if it's a rough ride, right? It's like sort of labeled a rough ride. Is there a way that you should be riding roller coasters to be more careful? Well, you should definitely always pay attention to the staff, especially if you're at a massive park like at Disney or Universal where they really do go out of their way to make sure things are safe. Pay attention to those signs, you know, when they tell you don't ride this roller coaster if you're feeling any of these conditions or if you have any of these pre-existing conditions, take that seriously. I think a lot of guests just kind of walk past those signs. Also, when you're seated in the

seat, make sure the coaster doesn't go, the headrest of the coaster, make sure you can rest against that headrest. Make sure it's not above you or below you. You want to be comfortable and you don't want to be forced too down. If there's something that feels off, you know, I've done this a few times. The coasters where it's just sort of, I'm a big guy, I'm 6'2, I'm more than 200 pounds, where the seat doesn't go all the way down and they have to come and push it down. And I'm like, you know what, I'll just get off this one. We don't need to force myself to fit in it. Yeah, how much, do you know the level of difference that a roller coaster like out of six flags or like at any of the big theme parks, whether it be, you know, a universal

theme park or a Disney theme park, how much those rides are inspected versus, you know, your average carnival ride where you just, you know, at the state fair or you're in your town that sometimes you have accidents. It will vary by state. Every state has different rules in California, Ryan Base. You know, there's Cal OSHA, which does inspect the roller coasters and the roller coasters are held at a relatively high standard. Same with Florida where you have multiple theme parks and amusement parks.

Any of those big parks are pretty highly reputable and pretty safe. You know, the smaller sort of regional parks that you mentioned or there's touring parks. You know what? I cover this industry and I ride these roller coasters. Sometimes I get a little too squeamish. You know, but I feel perfectly safe at any of the big name, any of the big name theme parks. Yeah. Todd, before I go, I have two questions for you.

One, what is your favorite roller coaster out there at any park? And two, what is the scariest roller coaster you've ever been on? My favorite roller coaster is the one that just opened here. at Universal Studios Hollywood, which would be the Fast and Furious Hollywood drift. That is intense, but it's actually really comfortable. The seats are really big. You have a lot of leg room. You feel relatively comfortable. The most intense coaster I've ever been on would probably be a number of the Six Flags Coasters. If not, X2, which I haven't really been on, I would say a twisted colossus,

which does scare me a little bit. All right. Todd Barnes, we thank you for joining Top Story tonight. Thanks for having me. Net of Money Talks and the shoppers feeling the squeeze from sky-high grocery prices and analysts are predicting that those prices could climb even higher. NBC business reporter Allie Canals here to break it all down for us. Ali, it is always good to see you. Walk us through maybe not your grocery list, but an average family's grocery list and how high the prices are.

Yeah, well, Tom, we've all been feeling the pinch from these higher grocery prices. But a good way to contextualize it is to look at some of these basic items that are in all of our carts. You have ground beef, up 9% year-over-year beef prices actually hovering at record highs. Your cup of Joe, 16% more expensive. Tomatoes up nearly 13%. One of the biggest outliers has been eggs, so they're down 26%. And over the past few years, we've seen egg prices pretty volatile due to the outbreak of the bird flu. But recently, production has resumed.

Those flocks have recovered, and we now have an oversupply of eggs on the market, which is allowing those prices to come down a bit. But if we take a step back and look at how this is affecting family budgets, this is from the They crunch the numbers. It's actually based on a low-cost food plan. But back in 2021, a family of four was spending $840 a month on groceries. Flash forward just five years later, we're now well over $1,000 a month. That's a 22% increase there, Tom. Yeah, I do want to ask you just a point of clarity there, that instant coffee. That's ground coffee, right? It's a coffee you make in the drip machine, right? So is there one thing driving these costs? We obviously have an issue with fuel with the war with Iran, but I know there's been issues with farmers and importing beef and all kinds of

things. So what's going on? There's a lot of things happening at the same time here, Tom. So you mentioned the war, and you're right, we have multiple wars going on at the same time. Russia, Ukraine, the war with Iran that's pushing up diesel costs. Farmers use diesel to operate their machinery, their tractors, fertilizer ingredients actually transit through the Strait of Hormuz, which has essentially been shut down since the start of the Iran war in late February. And then you mentioned things like weather-related disruptions. That's impacting coffee beans. It's impacting things like corn yields. And there's a ripple effect to all of that, too, because corn is a main ingredient for a lot of animal feeds. So if you start to see corn prices go up, that means higher prices for meat,

for dairy, and even eggs. And unfortunately, Tom, it doesn't seem like things are going to get better anytime soon. J.P. Morgan is predicting than the first half of 2027 global food inflation will hit 5% that's nearly double what we saw in the first half of this year, Tom. And then, Allie, do you have any, like, tips at all for our viewers out there here on Top Story? I have some ways to get creative here. So one, swap in lower cost proteins. I mentioned beef prices are at record highs. Chicken, in comparison, pretty affordable. Eggs are at record lows. Another good protein option. Also, choose store brands over name brands. This is actually a pretty underrated way to save a lot in those costs. And when you're building your meal plans, when you're putting together your shopping list,

look ahead and see what's on a discount. I also know at my local grocery store, Tuesdays are a day where they offer a lot of discounts. So try and maybe be flexible with your schedule. Also, shop your pantry. Look at what you already have. Use those leftovers for lunch, for dinners, and put your freezer to work. I don't know if it's the Italian in me, but I put everything and anything in the freezer. My friends literally make fun of me.

But this is a great opportunity for when you're shopping and you see those discounts. So maybe you think, okay, I don't need this item this week, throw it in the freezer, and then make it maybe next week or the week after. But you know what the flip side to that is? You got to eat it if it's in the freezer. You can't just leave it in the freezer. You've got to clear it out. I have some things that have been in the freezer for a long time. But you know, the shelf life is long in the freezer, which is good. All right, All right, Allie, we thank you for that just ahead. The daytime hised overseas, unmasked thieves taking off with a multi-million dollar diamond necklace, the international manhunt to find them. Plus, the new warfare tactics hitting the front lines, how Ukrainian troops are now using drones to get Russian soldiers to surrender without firing any bullets. That's next.

We're back now with an update on the war in Ukraine and the new drone tactics on the front lines. New reporting from our NBC News digital team reveals Russian soldiers are increasingly surrendering to machines, with one Ukrainian brigade capturing a group of men without infantry firing a single shot. Joining us now with that reporting is Jane Litvinenko, senior technology reporter for NBC News. Jane, thanks so much for being here. So I want to show our viewers some of this video, and you can kind of walk us through what we're seeing here. So you notice sort of this massive, you know, grass field here. You see the soldiers there raising their hands, putting their weapons down, essentially giving up and surrendering, right? We understand these to be Russian soldiers.

Pick it up from here. Where are we seeing this video from? Is that another drone? So this is the tail end of an operation to repel a Russian assault on Ukraine. Ukrainian positions, not far from the city of Harkev. And essentially, after bombarding the Russians, Ukrainians led them into a trap and sent in a drone with a loudspeaker that encouraged them to surrender. First you saw one soldier come in, put down his gun, and then the rest of the soldiers came in.

The Russians don't try to shoot the drone out of the air or anything like that? No, they can. That does sometimes happen, but in this case they chose surrender. So the drone that we're watching there is a drone that has a drone as the announcement, right, to surrender. Does it also have a warhead on it? Can it kill them? Drones are modular.

So some of them can have the loudspeakers on them, some of them can have weapons on them. Some of them are for surveillance. So what you're watching is footage from a recon drone. It's not weighed down by the warhead that other drones would be. In this case, it's just watching the Russians very closely to try to make sure they don't attempt sabotage. This is so incredible. And when you think about such a brutal war like the Ukrainian-Russian war has been,

it's sort of startling to see this happen. How do these Russians know what to do? How do they not know that as soon as they put their guns down, the drone's going to kill them? They might. I mean, Ukrainians have been really pushing the tactic of using drones to capture Russians' prisoner. They've put out these instructional videos, these messages on social media. So how do they get those instructional videos to Russia? How do the Russian soldiers know about this?

Social media exists everywhere. That's amazing. But really, it's the instructions from the drone that are key. Sometimes Ukrainians will drop down pieces of paper with the instructions. Sometimes they're ground drones rather than aerial drones. So there's a lot of different approaches. I do want to ask you, you know, we also saw this a couple weeks ago where that drone was chasing a person in somewhere in Ukraine.

And the guy was selling vegetables or fruit and it tried to kill him. How do these Russians have the faith to know that the Ukrainians maybe don't want to kill them, at least not in the situation. And number two, why is Ukraine doing this? So when Russians use drones against civilians, like what you pointed out, it is essentially a terror tactic that they've been deploying across the front line for years. For Ukrainians, they're really interested in taking Russians prisoner because they want to exchange the Russian prisoners for Ukrainian prisoners

in order to bring them home. Yeah. What is Russia saying about this? I mean, if these men are released back to Russia, I mean, will Russia punish them? I mean, do we know anything about these prisoner swaps? Sometimes they're sent right back to the front line. Sometimes they're not. I mean...

Is Russia using the drones in the same way or now? They're using drones in many other, also innovative and effective ways, but they don't capture Ukrainians in quite the same way. From your conversations with Ukrainian soldiers, is this something that they want to keep doing? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Ukrainians know that in terms of manpower, Ukraine is at a disadvantage. And so they really want to make sure that machines, drones, all kinds of unmanned vehicles are doing as much of the work as possible so that the infantry and the individuals can keep safe.

Do you think Ukraine is also doing this? There's no humanity in war, but this looks much more humane than the stuff we've seen. Do you think that they're trying to do this as well to maybe show who sort of the good and the bad are in this in this war? I think war is math and worse strategy. I think that Ukrainians are using this strategy now as long as it's working. But drone warfare has iterated so much over the last four and a half years. It's going to keep changing. Jane, so great to have you. Thank you for this story.

Very interesting. You can read it on NBCNews.com right now. We're going to stick overseas here on top of time. top story with the international manhunt after a daytime heist. Unmasked thieves smashing open a display case at a museum in Vienna, stealing a diamond necklace worth millions. Our Ralph Sanchez is following the latest on this one. Raf? Yeah, Tom, a major manhunt is underway across Europe right now. For two men wanted in connection with a brazen daylight heist at a museum in Vienna, authorities there say the men smashed a display case and grabbed a diamond and platinum necklace, that once belonged to a former queen of Egypt. Authorities are saying this happened in the middle of the day.

They used some kind of hammer to break the display case, taking just that necklace and then disappearing into the streets of Vienna. Authorities with tracker dogs tried to pick up their scent, but they were unable to find them. And because Europe has largely open borders, the fear is now that they could be almost anywhere across the continent at this point.

The diamond necklace was made in 1939 by the French jewelers, Van Cleef and Arpels. And it's estimated to be worth some $4 million. There's some 600 diamonds in that necklace. And the great-granddaughter of the Queen of Egypt, calling it an irreplaceable part of our family's history and Egypt's cultural heritage. This, of course, is just the latest in a string of heist at European museums. Back in March, there was a break-in. at a gallery in northern Italy.

It took thieves just three minutes to make off with masterpieces by Cizanne, Renoir, and Matisse. Unbelievable CCTV showing them going from gallery to gallery. Those paintings were recovered earlier this month, but those crown jewels stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris last year still not found worth $100 million. Police in France have made a number of arrests, but they say, the mastermind behind that heist is still at large, and they seem no closer to tracking down those treasures. Tom.

Raffar, thanks to you when we come back, the emotional moments from the Little League World Series, and the players proving that sometimes you still win even when you lose. We'll explain. Finally, tonight, a big win for a Little League team. The emotional moments an underdog clinched a win for Team Japan, and the lessons of sportsmanship from one coach during the Little League World Series this weekend.

With two strikes and the pressure on. A big hit for one of Japan's smallest players. Four foot seven, So Kayama, keeping his team alive in the final inning of the Little League World Series game against Ohio, a battle for third place. But Kayama's face made clear everything was on the line. I mean, you're not supposed to have favorites, but this guy, he's the one after making big plays. He goes around.

He wants hugs from all his team. Japan was down to nothing before Kayama's hit sent a player home. His emotion pouring out as he stood on first base. And now the winning run is that third base. And moments later, with teammate Ayumu Hasigawa at bat, Kiyama became the winning run. And Japan wins it three to two with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. The huge win delivered by unlikely heroes. Two of the smaller kids on Japan just delivered in the biggest spot.

Tears screaming from players' faces, but respect for the crowds, their opponents and the game clear-eyed in their bow. And it is danger time for Nevada. And in the championship game with Nevada facing Curacao, a lesson in plain and, yes, sometimes losing with grace. And this nightmare of a top six is continuing. With Nevada down 11 to 2, Coach Corey Edwards gathering his players and propping them up. No matter what happens, you have to hold your head up. You have to not get on each other. You have to have good body language.

Those things are important. You have to stay mentally tough. When it gets tough, you get tougher. A coach who knows not every game can end with a W, but every inning can be played with pride. Some great kids there and great coaches. We thank you for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamous in New York. Stay right there.

More news on the way.