Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, August 4, 2025

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

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.

Tonight, the battle over the future of Texas politics igniting a nationwide firestorm. Democratic lawmakers from Texas fleeing the state in a move to deny Republicans the numbers they need to pass a new congressional map. Texas Governor Greg Abbott now threatening to remove those Democrats from office and some leaders demanding they be hunted down and arrested. Also tonight severe summer weather from coast to coast, multiple fires raging in California. and Arizona, with smoke from Canadian wildfires, triggering air quality alerts in multiple U.S. cities. All this as oppressive heat sweeps the country, we're tracking it all. Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for a grand jury to look into the Russia investigation during President Trump's first term are former top Obama officials, the targets.

Montana manhunt the desperate search for the military veteran who shot and killed four people in a small town bar last week. A community on edge. with the suspect still on the loose. Whale run-in video capturing the moment the 20-foot creature collides with a boat off the coast of New Jersey, the impact knocking a person overboard. The train inferno breaking out during rush hour this morning, flames and smoke filling the cars, sending multiple people to the hospital. What caused this fire?

And the massive Russian volcano roaring back to life, the huge eruption coming after nearly 500 years of inactivity, how it could be tied to that major earth. that triggered tsunami warnings here in the U.S. Plus why Luigi Mangione, the man charged in the murder of United Health Care CEO, Brian Thompson, was just granted a laptop in jail. Top story starts right now. And good evening.

We are an assignment tonight in Miami. Ground zero for some of the extreme heat we've been having throughout the country. We're going to have much more on that later in the broadcast. later in the broadcast, but we begin with the redistricting battle in Texas escalating into a national standoff. More than 50 Democratic state lawmakers fleeing Texas heading to Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York in an effort to deny Republicans a quorum on their redistricting vote. The move rallying supporters from the Democrats all across the country. New York Governor Kathy Hockel saying, quote, this is war. Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatening to remove those Democrats from office or send law enforcement to rejects.

retrieve them. And late today, Republican lawmakers approving civil arrest warrants for those who fled the state. The political face-off coming after Texas Republicans unveiled a new congressional map that would give them the chance to gain five seats in next year's midterm elections. Here's a look at that proposed map right now, shifting district lines and targeting Democratic strongholds like Austin, Dallas, and Houston. The redrawing requested by President Trump himself after he asked Republican lawmakers to, quote, pick us up five seats. There's a lot to get to tonight, but we begin with Ryan Chandler, who leads us off tonight from Texas. Members, a quorum is not present.

Tonight, Texas Republicans issuing civil arrest warrants for the Democrats who left the state in a Hail Mary move to block a controversial redistricting bill. The Constitution says the members of the legislature shall show up to do their jobs. More than 50 Texas Democrats headed to Chicago, New York, and New York. Boston over the weekend, stalling a Republican push to redraw congressional districts in their favor. Why do you believe it is important for Texas to take this rare step of mid-decade redistricting? Oh, because we have the opportunity. We have the time. We have the opportunity and we have the advantage. In New York, flanked by Texas Democrats, the governor said she'd push her state to consider redistricting in response to what's happening in Texas. This is a war. We are at war. And that's why the gloves are off.

Governor Greg Abbott today ordering state troopers to find an arrest the Democratic lawmakers who today dared him to try. Subpoenas from Texas don't work in New York, so he's going to come get us how. Subpoenas in Texas don't work in Chicago. He's going to come get us how. The decisions that come from this chamber could reverberate nationwide. Law enforcement now empowered to bring Democrats back to their empty seats. House rules allow Republicans to lock members inside until they get a chance to vote on this bill. In July, President Trump pushed his allies in Texas to redraw the map to pad the tight Republican margin in Congress.

It's a very simple redrawing. We pick up five seats. Some Democratic strongholds would be absorbed into red districts, including downtown Austin, one of the most liberal parts of the state. Under the proposed map, it would be in a deep red district drawn into a massive rural area stretching three and a half hours east. Representative James Talariko is camping out in Chicago. It's almost like two football teams heading out of the locker room in halftime, and the team that's ahead says they want to change the rules for the second half so that they can win the game. I mean, that's cheating, plain and simple. And if they're going to cheat, we're not going to play. Ryan Chandler joins us tonight from the state capital in Austin, Texas.

So Ryan, walk our viewers through how this could end, this standoff. Well, some Democrats in Chicago tell me, Tom, that they packed for three, weeks. They are hoping to run out the clock on this special session. Republicans say Democrats may be able to stall their bill, but they can't stop it, Tom. Ryan Chandler, leading us off tonight here on Top Story. Ryan, we thank you. We're also following another round of severe weather impacting tens of millions of people across the country. Hot and dry conditions fueling wildfires out west, poor air quality alerts in the Midwest and the Northeast. And right here in Miami, brutal heat. out west dozens of wildfires burning out of control.

The Gifford fire in Santa Barbara County has burned more than 60,000 acres, forcing emergency evacuations, even producing a smoke tornado. This ominous photo showing a scorch section of the Los Padres National Forest today. In Arizona, firefighters continue battling the Dragon Bravo fire near the north rim of the Grand Canyon. One month after the fire started, that blaze is now the last. largest in the continental U.S. burning more than 123,000 acres. Meanwhile, the smoke from hundreds of Canada wildfires triggering air quality alerts in more than a dozen states today from the Great Lakes to New England. I can't breathe. I'm dying and I need to see blue

sky. Really just relentless smoke plaguing the skies. Thick haze visible in cities like Boston, even forcing a brief ground stop at Logan Airport earlier today. And in the south, people are sweating it out as excessive heat is gripping parts of Florida. In places like Miami, you have to stay under the shade even at the beach because there's a heat advisory in effect. So even though the temperatures are in the 90s, the feels like it's about 109. That means even if you get in the water, it's still going to be hot. Describe to me what it feels like when this kind of heat hits you. It feels like oven.

Like when you open the oven and it just all hits you at once in the face, that's exactly how it feels. You can't really be out in the sun for like more than like 20 minutes at a time. And there's no sign of cooling off. Forecasters say heat records could be broken in the southwest this week. All right, let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns. Bill, I'll give you a quick story. I was out throwing the ball of my son here in Miami yesterday. It was about 102.

That was what the fields like was. I almost passed out it was so hot. Is there any break from this intense heat? Yeah, you're a good dad. Brave, too, to be doing that and that heat. Florida has had a tiny bit of a break. I mean, it feels like five degrees cooler. And it's interesting because July, it was ended up being very hot and extremely humid, the eastern half of the country.

Now, which we start August, the heat has kind of migrated to the desert southwest and starting to expand in the areas of California. Now, while the east has got a little mini break, and a lot of people felt it this weekend. So we have heat warnings that are up, Phoenix, the Tucson, De Yuma. on a near or breaking record highs, all the red dots you see on here. So Palm Springs, you're expecting to break records this week. Same with Phoenix, Albuquerque, Roswell, even Denver has a chance of breaking some records, too. So that's where the heat is and the warmth is going

to be. So as we go through tomorrow, about 112 in Phoenix, and Phoenix should be 110 plus all week long. So no relief there. It's about 10 degrees warmer than it should be. While areas in the east, like Atlanta through the Carolinas, you have your break. And it should be. Even in Florida, Tom, it looks more typical August. But of course, as we go through August towards the peak of hurricane season, our attention turns elsewhere. Yeah, and the water is warm. I know you've been tracking that smoke, too, we've been talking about over the weekend and now from the Canadian wildfires. Any updates there? Yeah, it doesn't look to go anywhere anytime soon. So we have all these huge fires burning. So we have about 39 large fires burning, mostly in the west.

But in Canada, we have at least 59 uncontrolled fires. And they don't even try to put them out. These are in extremely rural areas. And the wind direction just happens to be for like the last week straight, blowing down into the lower 40 years. Look all the fires here, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, east are western portions of Ontario. And the air quality alerts are up for all of the Great Lakes and into the northeast. This is for tomorrow. And this isn't clouds. This is smoke from these fires, especially thick in Maine and all through central and southern New England again.

And the air quality, even at this hour, still extremely poor. And for areas of sensitive and even just everyone where you get to the red, especially Detroit and Green Bay right now, it's unhealthy just to go out for a walk right now, Tom. Yeah, that is wild out there. Okay, Bill Cairns, we thank you for that. Next tonight, some breaking news as we turn to politics. This is coming out of Washington, a senior Trump administration official telling him, ABC News that Attorney General Pam Boddy is calling for a grand jury to investigate how Obama-era officials handled Russian interference in the 2016 election. NBC's Garrett Haak is following this, and Garrett, this would be a major escalation here. Yeah, Tom, really a significant uptick here in a probe that the president has publicly pushed

for, which gained momentum after D&I Tulsi Gabbard filed criminal referrals with the Department of Justice last month. Democrats have dismissed the entirety of this new investigation as a distraction, lacking in evidence, and pointing out that it comes as the Trump administration may be looking to shift focus from disappointing economic headlines and the president's Friday firing of the official in charge of the monthly jobs reports. Tonight, the White House on defense over the president's Friday firing of the federal official responsible for monthly jobs report data. Trump just strikes a match and sets it on fire.

He tells the entire world, don't trust data coming out of it. of the United States. The president posting this morning without evidence that Friday's jobs report, which showed a significant slowdown in hiring over the past three months, was, quote, rigged with fake political numbers. Do you believe that to be true? You know, as an economist, I like to go for what I can prove, and what I can prove is that the data have become very unreliable.

But economists say jobs data has actually gotten more reliable in the seven decades that BLS has conducted their monthly surveys. Their reports critical for policymakers and businesses making hiring and investment decisions. In last week's report, the Bureau made revisions to some of its previous estimates, which is typical. When you see revisions coming in month after month, what do you see? I see a successful survey because we're getting more information. I don't see a problem.

It's just the normal course of events. Trump's first BLS commissioner, William Beach, says it would be impossible for a problem. commissioner to rig the jobs data. The claim made by President Trump is that the commissioner led that conspiracy and was basically shaping the data. That is not possible, in my view

and in the view of anybody who's served in that position. All right, Garrett joins us again from the White House. Gary, let's pick up the conversation right there. Has the Trump administration told us more about what they think the jobs report data should have looked like? Well, Tom, they have acknowledged that

the last month's hiring was softer, than they would have liked. Kevin Hassett, who you saw in that piece, has said in several interviews, they're mostly frustrated with the revisions for June's and May's numbers. That's where they think the shenanigans may have lied here. They said they wanted a more robust explanation for why those numbers were revived so significantly. But they may not like the explanation they would get. A lot of economists looking into this today have said that the numbers were likely revised because of all the uncertainty during that time period about what the president would do with his tariff. You know, the way these surveys worked is they basically go back to the same businesses, the same people for one month, then the next, then the next, and more and more uncertainty meant fewer and fewer jobs.

All right. Garrett Hake for us at the White House, Garrett, we thank you. The jobs report, along with concerns surrounding President Trump's tariffs, contributing to Wall Street turmoil last Friday, with markets posting their worst week in months. But things appear to be looking up. Take a look at this. Stock's rebounding today by a significant margin. The NASDAQ composite up nearly two. percent while the S&P 500 and Dow averages rose 1.5 and 1.3 respectively. For more on this uptick, I want to bring in NBC's business and data correspondent Brian Chung. Brian, why are we seen a bounce back in the markets when there appears to be, at least to us, still so much uncertainty? Yeah, Tom, that bounce back today essentially erasing the steep losses that we saw at the end of last week. But nonetheless, it is a bit of a fool's errand to try to attribute any sort of market action to one particular thing. But one thing that may have gotten markets excited today was commentary from some Federal Reserve officials suggesting that an interest rate cut

could be coming as a result of that weaker jobs data that we got at the end of last week, certainly not to the scale of the types of cuts that the President has been asking the Federal Reserve for. But again, that could be driving some of the sentiment, although I want to point out. Some market traders are expressing a little bit of anxiety about what's to happen later on this week as we get to that August 7 deadline on those tariffs taking effect on. And Brian, you know, traders may be positive tonight, but consumers not so much. want to share a study with our viewers that says Americans feel the most stressed financially over groceries, followed by housing, the amount of money saved, and the amount of money

they're paid. So why are groceries still such a pain point here in America? Even for consumers that, you know, have credit cards and have student loan debts, it just seems to be mounting the pressure there. Yeah, well, when it comes to grocery prices, those are the types of prices that you notice on a daily basis or near daily basis because you're going to the store so frequently. And Americans are feeling what the data is vetting out, which is that grocery prices are continuing to rise, despite the president's promise to lower grocery prices when he entered office. Prices for food at home. Again, kind of a proxy for measuring grocery prices has been up by 2.4% between June of this year and June of last year. Again, consumers feeling that pinch in areas like meat, also in eggs, although prices have come down over the last few months on that particular category. But again, this call underscoring some of the debt load concerns that you just underscored.

Not only are there credit card debts that are piling up, but you do have that same research suggesting that 19% of people are turning to buy now, pay later-like products just to fund their grocery expenses. That debt cliff, certainly getting more precarious as more people turn to those type of drastic measures to finance what they do at the cash register at the grocery store, Tom. Brian, someone doing just fine as Elon Musk news today that his company has awarded him a pay package of 96 million Tesla shares worth roughly $29 billion to essentially keep his focus on Tesla. How is the company justifying this? Well, the company is justifying this massive potential package for Elon Musk by saying that if they don't give him the money that he needs or don't give him the stock a stake that he needs in this company, that he'll take his talent somewhere else and perhaps take some of his developments on. artificial intelligence, which has been kind of the apple of his eye lately, to another company. He actually said this directly on his website X earlier this year, suggesting, quote, unless that is the case referring to needing a stake of 25%. He has about 13% now, quote, I would prefer to

build products outside of Tesla. That explains why he's getting such a generous offer here. But again, we'll have to see what the board ultimately approves, Tom. All right, Brian Chung, with a lot of headlines tonight. Brian, we thank you for that. We went to head overseas now to the war in Israel and Gaza. Hamas over the weekend releasing new videos showing an Israeli hostage, who was just basically skin and bones, fighting for his life, as we're learning what U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff told the hostage families during his visit last week. NBC's Matt Bradley has this report from the region, and a warning, these images are graphic.

Two new propaganda videos showing amazeated Israeli hostages in Gaza have outraged Israelis, triggering fresh calls for their release. Palestinian Islamic jihad posted the video of 22-year-old Ram Braslovsky last week before Hamas released video of 24-year-old Aviatar David. The images came as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff visited Israel in the Gaza Strip. In a leaked audio recording of Saturday's meeting with hostages families, the diplomat signaled a new approach to long-stalled ceasefire negotiations with Hamas. No peace of the deals. Now we think that we have to shift this negotiation to all or nothing. Everybody comes off.

But Aviatar's brother, Ile, who met with Whitkoff at the meeting, told me his brother is running out of time. My father couldn't recognize his voice in this video. And doctors are saying it can be a matter of days if we don't give them now the medical care they need. As aid trickles in, Gazzins running to get their hands on any food. But aid groups say it's not enough. According to Ghazan health officials, hunger has killed 180 Ghazans, more than half of them children. Eviatar's brother said his brother's faith is keeping him alive. Did you watch the video? No.

Why? I just know that if I watch that video, I'll collapse. Matt Bradley joins us tonight from Tel Aviv. Matt, what is the next step for the Israeli army now in the Gaza Strip? Yeah, officials from the Prime Minister's office said tonight that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek to occupy the whole of the Gaza Strip, including areas where hostages may be held. Tom? Matt Bradley for us tonight.

Matt, we thank you. Back here at home, the manhunt intensifying for the suspect accused of killing four people at a Montana bar on Friday. Authorities calling the suspect armed and incredibly dangerous. And tonight, the family of one of the victims speaking. Speaking out, here's Morgan Chesky with that report. Tonight, investigators scouring the woods near Anaconda, Montana from Michael Paul Brown, a 45-year-old suspected killer, after authorities say he opened fire inside a bar Friday morning.

This is an unstable individual who walked in and murdered four people in cold blood for no reason whatsoever. Officials say this photo, showing Brown without a shirt or pants, captured him before he escaped in a stolen pickup. Investigators say he's likely found clothing and is now believed to be on foot. An Army spokesman tells NBC News, Brown served from 2001 through 2005 and was deployed to Iraq, adding he served in the Montana National Guard until 2009. We have to believe he is still armed. We don't know that he is for sure, but we certainly don't know that he isn't. This is a person who had access to firearms. Obviously, he's had training with firearms. As the search intensifies, Lacey Groswald is giving her nine-year-old daughter close. We all have to be prepared.

You think, well, what would happen if he came up the driveway or if he tried to get into my house? I mean, every single person in this community has to think about those things. Over the weekend, authorities identified the four victims, the family of Nancy Loretta Kelly, sharing she recently retired. She just liked people. She was definitely a people person. Morgan Teske joins us live now. And Morgan, I understand authorities are now offering a reward for information. regarding the suspect?

Yeah, Tom, U.S. Marshals have increased that reward to $10,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest of Brown. They're also saying that they do believe he is in a confined area, which means that he could still be in that immediate vicinity of Anaconda, which is why tonight people in that community remaining incredibly vigilant. Tom? Yeah, no, and that leads me to my next question, Morgan. I have to think, you know, they're terrified, right? What precautions are they taking right now that we know of? Yeah, Tom, I had a chance to speak with Lacey, that woman who lives just outside of town. She says that some businesses have shut down entirely just out of fear of where this man could be.

Another post we saw that was very telling, Tom, is that a local sports bar remaining open, but they're asking customers to call them when they approach the exterior of the building. They will unlock their doors and let them in. that is the level of security that is in this tight-knit Montana as we speak. Tom? As that, Manhunt continues tonight. Okay, Morgan, we thank you. And update the Luigi Mangione case, a federal judge granting the murder suspect access to a laptop in jail ahead of his trial for the killing of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. The laptop is prepared by the government and is just for legal purposes, not for talking with anyone.

It will let Mangione see information and evidence to help him get ready. for trial. He's pleaded not guilty to a federal murder charge. Mangione's next hearing is scheduled for December, which will determine when the trial starts. All right, up next on top story live from Miami, the growing controversy over alligator Alcatraz, at least one detainee on a hunger strike as the Trump administration says it will build more migrant detention sites just like it. Plus, health officials urging people to stay vigilant amid a big increase in tick bites. The following Justin Timberlake's Lyme disease diagnosis, all of that following it. And President Trump waning on the mounting controversy surrounding Sidney and her American Eagle

ad, his message to the actress that sent the stock of American Eagle soaring. We're back in a moment, live tonight from Miami. Top story back now live from Miami with a look at the conditions at Alligator Alcatraz, the iced detention facility in neighboring colleges. County here in Florida. The wife of one detainee says her husband is so outraged by what he calls inhumane conditions there. He's been on a hunger strike for almost two weeks. But despite those concerns and others, the Trump administration says it's looking to build similar facilities in several more states. NBC's Jesse Kirsch has this one.

Pedro Concepcion says inside this South Florida detention center, there is abuse and mistreatment. In protest, the immigration detainee originally from Cuba started a hunger strike on July 22nd, according to his wife. Then she says he was hospitalized, and despite the personal toll it's taking, tonight Concepcion is still refusing to eat. According to his wife, who spoke with our Miami Telemundo station, they're not the only ones raising concerns about the Florida Everglades facility known as Alligator Alcatraz. Carlos Naranjo is an immigration activist. We stand with Mr. Pedro and the conditions are horrific and this is not going to stop. A spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management telling NBC News, detainees are given three meals per day and have access to clean showers and facilities for hygiene.

The federal government has not shined away from the facility either. President Trump recently toured there. And tonight the Department of Homeland Security telling NBC News, with the opening of Alligator Alcatraz, we expanded facilities. and bed space in just days. We look forward to partnering with other states to open other similar facilities. CBS News reports in an interview.

The Secretary of Home and Security said the possibility of new detention facilities is already being explored for Arizona, Nebraska, and Louisiana. The locations we're looking at are right by airport runways that will help give us an efficiency that we've never had before

the secretary shared, according to CBS. Meanwhile, back in Florida, Concepcion's wife says he has been moved to another immigration facility in Miami. But she says he's still risking his life in protest. Jesse Kerr joins us now live here in Miami. So Jesse, you just mentioned there that Cuban man has now been moved, but he's continuing his hunger strike. Why? That's right. And one of the things that he said he was trying to push for was getting out of that facility. So we asked

his wife through our friends at Telemundo today. And his wife says that he wants to know the status of his immigration case. He wants to understand what they are planning to do with him long term. And his wife says, if anything, he views this as a punishment. being moved to this other facility. Okay, Jesse Kerch for us tonight. Jesse, great to see you here in Miami. Still ahead on Top Story, the jarring moment captured on camera. Take a look at this.

A whale in shallow water near the Jersey Shore, nearly capsizing a boat, throwing one person overboard. Plus, track heat. World champ Noah Lyles pushed by another sprinter after staring him down as he streaked across the finish line. But first, Top Story's top moment and a major milestone on the court. The WNBA's Las Vegas Aces held their third annual halftime baby race and one little fan stole the show when she took her first steps in the middle of

that race. Take a look. What a moment. That is Baby Ada who took her first steps who took her first steps in order to finish the race. Parents, Paul and Lisa, who are huge ace fan, says it makes the moment even more special that it happened at the game. Love to hear that crowd roar for Baby Ada. All right, stay with us. We are back in just a moment. We're back down with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with a tragic update on that deadly sailboat crash in Biscayne Bay, not too far from where we are broadcasting tonight. The U.S. Coast Coast Guard says a third young girl who was just 10 years old has died after that barge crashed into the sailboat just outside of Miami.

She and four other girls were on board with a 19-year-old woman, a camp counselor at the time of the collision. Coast Guard officials say they're still investigating how exactly that happened. And a fire breaking out under a commuter train in New Jersey sending passengers running for safety. You can see the smoke filling the cabin here as flames erupted along the sides of the path train car. It happened during the morning rush today and temporarily suspended service. getting to New York City. Several riders were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. The cause of this fire is still under investigation. And a tense moment this weekend after Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles got shoved by arrival after winning the U.S. track championship.

Take a look at this. In the final stretch of the men's 200-meter race, Noah Lyles looking over at Kenny Benerick as he crossed the finish line. Then Ben-Nobbing Lyles leading to a heated exchange. Both athletes are set to head to the World Championships in Tokyo next month. And here in Florida, an unexpected guest discovered in a family's backyard pool on Saturday. Check out this video of a gator cooling off in the water before the deputy grabs it out of the pool. That gator trying to escape, but eventually the officer books him into the back seat and, of course, safety first. The deputy making sure the gator is buckled in before safely relocating it to a nearby pond. Okay, now to a rare encounter off a New Jersey beach, a bystander capturing the terrifying moments of 20-foot whale, collided with a motorboat, almost

causing it to capsize and sending a passenger overboard. NBC San Brock has the video and what happened next. Stay here, stay here. Oh my God, they're going over. Mayhem at sea unfolding off the Jersey shore. After a 20-foot mink whale nearly capsizes this motorboat in Barnaget Bay Saturday. You can see one of the boaters trying to climb back in as the whale thrashes in the water. Charlie Nunn with towboat U.S. captured the incident on dash cam. I was actually just observing. the whale commenting to my co-worker that, like, that's pretty crazy to see that in the bay. And it's not like a particularly normal site. And all of a sudden, you see one of the boats starting to spin from the whale.

Yeah, so it kind of started to spin around like 180. He says at one point, the impact knocked a woman into the water. Once we got over there, they said that she was all right. They were getting her out of the water. They gave me a big thumbs up. And that was kind of when the whale began doing a circle around behind us. The injured marine mammal moving to a nearby boat and leading to some, tense moments.

Teddy's going to hit us. Oh, Ted! He's under us. The encounter happening in a popular part of the bay. It's very common for boating, fishing, clamming all in this area because you could go from 10 feet right up to a foot of water. Captain Walter Bond's team at Cito responded to calls from the Coast Guard and state officials. These passages are very narrow.

It's very simple and very easy for a whale that could possibly get, you know, beach by itself and get stuck on the air. The team finding the whale deceased and moving it to a New Jersey State Park this morning where the marine mammal stranding center received it for further examination, a rare glimpse of a face-to-face with a stunning creature. And with that, Sam Brock joins us tonight from New York. Sam, you know, this was such a freak incident. What should boaters take away from this type of encounter? Sure. So, Tom, as a general reminder, boaters are told that you have to keep at least 150 feet from marine mammals. But the reality here, to your point, encounter is there's no indication they actually did anything wrong here. That captain that we

spoke with said the channel where this happened is super narrow. It's about 15 feet wide. Some boats have difficulty being able to navigate it. Really seems like this is more a case of wrong place, wrong time. But we'll know more once we get that necropsy back. Tom? Sam Brock for us tonight. Sam, our thanks to you. In health check tonight, Justin Timberlake's recent reveal about battling Lyme diseases, putting a spotlight on a growing threat this summer. experts saying the risk is even higher than usual. NBC's Ann Thompson takes us to one hot spot where the tick season is off the charts. In the woods of New York's Westchester County, researchers use a piece of corduroy and a link brush to measure the density of this summer's ticks. Every week we sample two to three times in our woods to monitor the tick population.

On a scale of 1 to 10, the Fordham tick index hit 10 three weeks in a row last month. Dr. Thomas Daniels has studied ticks for 40 years. How is 2025 shaping up? The numbers of ticks that we've seen this year are at least 30% higher than we've seen in previous years. That increase seen in America's emergency rooms. In May, the CDC says ER visits due to tick bites were at their highest levels since 2019. Of particular concern, the black-legged tick that can carry up to five pathogens, including Lyme disease. Just last week, Pop's superstar Justin Timberlake revealed he has Lyme disease, calling it relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically.

He is one of nearly a half million Americans diagnosed and treated for Lyme every year. You get it when you were bitten by a bacteria-carrying tick, often leaving a distinctive bull's eye on the skin. Dr. Daniels says the best thing you can do is limit skin exposure when out in wooded areas. Long pants, if you can do it, wear repellents. They are effective. And when you come back inside, make sure that you check yourself thoroughly. As for a Lyme vaccine, Pfizer is working on one and says it hopes to apply for approval next year. Until then, experts say be vigilant to ensure your summer souvenir isn't a potentially fatiguing disease.

Ann Thompson, NBC News, Armunk, New York. Turning now to a pop culture controversy getting political tonight. President Trump waning on the discourse surrounding actress Sidney Sweeney and this American Eagle ad that divided the Internet over its tagline, Great Jeans with a G-E-N-E-N-E-S, starring the blue-eyed blonde-haired actress. Critics of the ad saying it promoted eugenics while right-wing media are calling the criticism, quote, woke backlash. President Trump waning today on Truth Social with this post,

Sidney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the hottest ad out there. It's for American Eagle and the jeans are flying off the shelves. Go get him, Sydney. That post sending American Eagle stock soaring for more on all of this. Let's bring in Rolling Stone political reporter Nikki McCann Ramirez. Nikki, so thanks for being here on Top Story tonight. So talk to us about how this ad became so political so fast. Absolutely.

And thank you so much for having me. I think one of the first things we need to remember here is that The initial virality of the ad didn't necessarily come from people critiquing it. It came from far-right accounts on X lauding the ad as an example of a return to anti-woke aesthetics, this idea that a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed woman represented a departure from a lot of sort of the woke marketing and woke advertising that right-wing accounts, right-wing commentators have tended to disdain in the last couple years. And through that, the digital dialogue, the conversation between those who, you know, almost lauded the advertising campaign as an example of a return to white aesthetics. And those who critiqued it as a little bit tone deaf has climbed a ladder all the way to the president, who on Sunday was asked about the advertisement about reports that actress Sidney Sweeney was a registered Republican, sorry, was a registered Republican, and stated that he had nothing but praise for her. Do we have any kind of statement from Sidney-Sweeney or American Eagle about those accusations

and the racial undertones that some people are accusing the ad of? Not from Sidney-Sweeney. We do have a statement from American Eagle essentially saying that, you know, this advertisement, this campaign is about feeling good in your genes, looking good in your genes, that everyone, regardless of their genes, their genetics, can look good in a pair of American Eagle genes. However, it does seem at this point that the conversation has run away a bit from American Eagle. Now, I do want to talk about the American Eagle stock soaring, 20% at least surging, I should say.

Do you think this has to do with a Trump bump, or is this just that a lot of America is talking about American Eagle jeans right now when maybe for a long time they weren't talking about American Eagle clothing? It's a little bit of both. The stock actually started to climb before Trump weighed in on the controversy. You had a little bit of a stric sand affecting on social media, on message boards like Reddit, where people tend to day trade or trade stocks. It was getting a lot of traffic. And then the moment Trump weighed in on it, we saw a secondary spike. I would compare it a little bit to the 2021 GameStop stock, the sort of memeification of this company based on a viral trend. And I, not to bet on anything, but would expect it to level out once this all passes.

Hollywood hasn't had a great relationship with President Trump or the Republican Party, to be completely honest. Could this hurt eventually Sidney-Sweening this endorsement from President Trump? I think it's definitely something to consider. There is a lot of tension between Hollywood and the presidency. I don't think it's the first time that right-wingers have attempted to project their own political beliefs, ideologies, and beliefs about sort of what conservative womanhood should look like onto a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed celebrity, the quintessential example being, of course, Taylor Swift, who Trump mentioned in his post Monday morning.

Taylor Swift, for years, was very guarded about her politics, became sort of a whiteboard through which a lot of right-wing commentators and conservative would project a lot of beliefs about her onto her image and her public persona. And then they became very upset, as the president demonstrated Monday morning, when she became more open about her politics and did reveal that she was more true. Democratic leaning. So I think in the absence of open dialogue and transparency from celebrities about their political beliefs, you do leave that space for people to, you know, insert conjecture and innuendo and speculation about what their politics truly are. And I think

Sweeney's silence has fed into that a little bit. Finally, Nikki, do you think there's any kind of lesson brands have learned from this Sydney-Sweeney incident or do you think some people may capitalize on sort of stepping on that line, if you will, of? of what's acceptable and what's not acceptable? I think not just companies, but institutions all around the country are having to tow a very delicate line with this current administration. Trump and Republicans are making it very clear

that misalignment with their agenda, with their ideology is a punishable offense these days. We've seen it in their targeting of media companies, of law firms, universities, and although it's a little more difficult for the government to target a private company, you do have outfits like America First Legal, which was founded by Stephen Miller, which has been targeting companies that the outfit that Republicans see as being too woke or embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion. So I think the lesson that a lot of companies are taking

these days is that it's better to align yourself with the Trump administration, even if it means sacrificing the values of your brand in order to avoid being targeted. And that not only does a disservice to consumers, but I think it does a disservice to the public at large. All right. Nicky, thank you so much. We appreciate it. When we come back, the volcano that was dormant for centuries now roaring back to life, the massive eruption, the first and nearly 500 years will tell you where it happened and

what might have sparked it. And could the best sandwich shop in America be right here in Miami? Our NBC Miami station did some deep detective work to find out. You're watching Top Story coming to you tonight. from Miami. Stay right there. We're back now with Top Stories Global Watch and South Korea removing loud speakers at its borders with North Korea and a sign of easing tensions. The speakers had been used to blast music and news across the border where access to free media is extremely limited. The reversal

comes after the election of a new South Korean president in June. The speakers were were put back in use last June after the north sent balloons filled with trash into the south. Moving on to Lebanon now, marking five years since a deadly port blast killed 218 people with protesters demanding justice for victims. Hundreds gathering holding photos of the victims killed the 2020 blast, which was triggered by the ignition of thousands of tons of ammonium, I should say, ammonium nitrate. No officials have been charged in connection to the blast, with protesters saying political interference and legal challenges have stifled the investigation. And a rare scene down in Australia, check this out, several towns in the eastern part of the country getting hit with the most snow they've seen in decades.

Forecasters say they've got as much as 16 inches in some places. It comes after a weekend of wild weather that authorities say cause floods and cut power to thousands of homes. Okay, in Russia, spectacular display of power, a massive volcano roaring back to life after hundreds of years of inactivity. Residents forced to evacuate as smoke and ash spewed three miles into the air. say the eruption could be linked to the monster earthquake that triggered tsunami warnings in Hawaii and California last week. NBC's Priya Shrether has the remarkable images. For the first time in centuries, this massive Russian volcano roaring back to life, sending

plumes of ash and smoke three miles up into the air. These images captured by a stunned helicopter tour guide mid-flight as he flew over the Krishenia Kov volcano. According to the Smithsonian Institution's global volcanism program, this was its first eruption in nearly 500 years. Researchers near the volcano detecting steam and gas jets breaking through cracks on the slopes of the volcano just after 6 a.m. on Sunday, according to Russian authorities who say the team was able to safely evacuate. That volcano, less than 150 miles from the epicenter of the huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Russia's Kamchatka region just last week and right on the cusp of colliding tectonic plates along the Pacific's notorious seismic ring of fire.

Last week's quake, one of the largest ever recorded, destroying buildings in Russia and triggering tsunami warnings in Hawaii and parts of California. This eruption, the second reported on the Kamchatka Peninsula, since that earthquake, as a third volcano shows increased activity, a surge in seismic activity that scientists say may be related. You've just moved the ground a lot, and that's really shaking up the volcanic system. It's not a huge surprise to think that they're related, but we've never seen it before. Concern mounting the lava float from that second volcano could speed up the melting of glacier ice in the area, endangering any people nearby, a well-known risk in other volcanic areas like Iceland.

Clearly, wherever the lava is coming out, it's going to be melting any ice around it. The experience in Iceland is really extreme flood events because so much water is released in a very short period of time, and it would just depend on who's downstream from that. So the good news about this volcano is that it erupted in a place that was very rural, not near any people. So there were no known reports of any people being in danger, either from the ash in the sky or the lava, which melted the nearby glacier, which could have triggered flash flooding. Tom? When we come back, great-grandma's dream getaway, the moment this 85-year-old matriarch realized she'd be going to Ireland with two very special travel buddies and what she's telling us tonight about the surprise

and the trip of a lifetime. Stay with us. We're back here, Miami. And while we're here reporting, we wanted to share the story of a local sandwich shop now in the national spotlight. Frankie's Deli Warehouse was just ranked the number one sandwich shop in the country, according to Yelp. So what makes this mom and pop shop rise above the rest. NBC Miami's Roxanne Vargas gives us a taste. What would you like? Hey, come inside. Smell the fresh bread. See the slice salami. Welcome to Frankie's deli warehouse in the heart of Hialea. And just named number one sandwich shop in the country by Yelp. From Frankie's famous Italian sub to the tuna on wheat,

Frankie knows subs, but what makes this sandwich shop different is they know you. They knew who we were. And we only came one time. And as soon as we came through the door, he was like, hi guys. So they remember those. It does mean a lot when you go into a store and they actually know your name. It shows that they care. And he knows, like, if I haven't eaten, what's going on with Greg. So I'm usually here Monday through Friday, every day, twice a day.

What makes this slice of Deli Paradise the best bite? Well, it's a love story. It's a tag team. We do it together. You see, Nanette and Frankie Diaz go together, like. salami and provolone married 46 years and opened Frankie's deli in 1999, 26 years ago. The secret sauce to their success? They feel like family.

It's very important to make sure that they are felt like family and that they enjoy this whole experience. That's what we do. They met 50 years ago working in retail. He went on to service subway restaurants and she went on to be customer service for UPS. And you, the customer, as always. been the main ingredient. Welcome to crunch time. It is lunchtime here at Frankie's deli. Get so busy and sometimes he has to turn off the noise. Disconnect the phone so that

Frankie can do this. Focus on the people. Regulars on the daily, but meet this family from Chicago who stopped by for a fresh bite of the award-winning menu. We saw that they were number one on Yelp and that's how I find local good eats said I wanted to try it out. So while the fresh slices of meat, the 20 pounds of solid tuna, homemade honey mustard, and even the for the press cuban sandwiches are frankie's mom's homemade recipe so it's all melted the sandwich shop experience where you're greeted by name your orders written down pen to paper and makes a quick meal a memorable one and has kept these doors open for 27 years and with that roxham vargas joins us now rox is so great to see you here so the number one deli in all the

countries in Hyaliyah, pretty incredible. Now, do they have any plans for expansion, franchise it? I did ask that question. It's so good. Everybody's checking it out, right? Why wouldn't they? They had that idea in 2019, but of course, 2020 pandemic came. So they pushed that to the back burner. They're talking about it, but right now they're thinking about retirement, maybe traveling. But that was a five-year plan they had 10 years ago, Tom. So maybe we'll just stop and take a bite. It's good. Trust me. All right, no, it's making me hungry. Roxy, so great to see you. Thanks for being here. Finally tonight, great-grandma Mary was waiting at the airport, ready.

for her birthday trip to Ireland when she saw some familiar faces across the way. Her great grandson surprising her at the airport to join the family trip. The heartwarming moment caught on camera and going viral. Our Savannah Sellers chatted with Grandma Mary about the surprise and how she became an overnight sensation. Oh my God! It was the surprise of a lifetime for this great grandmother from Illinois. Oh, God, that kid looked like Finley. Kicking off an 85th birthday trip, with a couple unexpected travel partners. Her two great grandsons, Finley and Wyatt, making the truck from Colorado.

Mary McCarthy's granddaughter, Sarah Giannini, asked her to name any destination. She told me Ireland instantly. So off to the motherland they went, and Mary was ready for adventure, hiking Blarney Castle, holding an owl, even a hawk. Well, I saw them, everybody do it. And I thought, well, heck, I'm going to do it. Sarah, your grandma is with it.

I think that's why we knew we wanted to make it a surprise because she has the best reactions. And the best dance moves. Dancing? Yeah, baby. I loved it. Overjoyed to spend her first vacation with her great grandkids, normally a thousand miles apart. Some lucky, lucky, lucky lady. One who's already dreaming of going back.

Dropping the hat. I'm ready. Until then. Mary. Savannah Sellers, NBC News. Grandma Mary with a trip of a lifetime. We thank you so much for watching this special edition of Top Story from Miami. I'm Tom Yamis.

Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.