Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, December 22, 2025

Episode Date: December 23, 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight, the dangerous weather pounding the West Coast just as holiday travel ramps up. And the major storm taking aim at the east right before Christmas. Dramatic rescues caught on camera in California, firefighters climbing a ladder over floodwaters to save children. The race to reach drivers trapped in rising water. And the threat from coast to coast not over yet, we're tracking it all. High seas pursued the U.S. Coast Guard chasing down an oil tanker off Venezuela. President Trump defiant refusing to rule out war. Plus how the blockade in Venezuela could be pushing Cuba to the brink of collapse.

Epstein files fall out. Why did this photo of President Trump disappear from the files only to be reposted? The push from victims and lawmakers for more files to be released. Chilling new body cam showing a shoplifting suspect, pointing a gun at police and pulling the trigger, or at least trying to, what the officer did next. 60-minute standoff, CBS under scrutiny after pulling a report about El Salvador's mega-prison just hours before air. Why some inside the network are alleging the decision was, quote, a political one. NFL firework failure, the frightened scene when a rogue firework shoots out onto the field just moments before kickoff.

Plus, Powerball, play-by-play. Steve Kornacki is in the house to break down your chances at winning the billion-dollar prize. And he'll tell us if he won what he'd spend it on. and the first ever emergency plane landing using Autoland, a robotic system that takes over for pilots when they're incapacitated. What we're learning about that incident. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with the dangerous flood emergency up and down the West Coast.

Communities in Southern California on alert, bracing for evacuations as the flooding up north turns deadly. This was the scene in North. California, neighborhoods underwater, cars completely submerged. Look at that. Officials confirming at least one person has been killed. There are just some of the rescues captured out throughout the region. These are them right here. First responders swimming out to submerged vehicles, trying to reach the drivers that were stranded in the rising water. And this frightening scene at a rental home outside of Tahoe, firefighters stretching their ladders over rushing waters

to pull multiple people to safety. The storm's so strong it caused a main break in Reading, creating this eruption of muddy water. And now we're following another storm system on the move. Tonight, on a collision course with the holiday travel rush, rain and snow expected to pound the East Coast on one of the busiest travel days of the year. We're tracking it all from coast to coast. We begin tonight with Liz Croix,

who leads us off from California. Tonight, the wrath of Mother Nature impacting travel coast to coast. I don't know if we're going to make it. Parts of the West Coast slam with torrential rain and flooding. In Redding, California, authorities say a driver died after their car got stuck in rising waters. The mayor saying that person had called 911 for help, but their phone died. By the time police officers arrived, it was too late.

We had our police swimming through the water, breaking the glass of the vehicle, pulling the victim out of the vehicle. It's just really unfortunate the victim just didn't make it. Across the region, first responders making multiple water rescues. Here, seen swimming out to a submerged vehicle. Sheriff's also responding to trap residents in rural areas by jet ski. where in some places, the water was chest deep. Even these goats needing rescue. And look at this, the force of the storm so strong,

it caused a deluge of water to erupt from an oversaturated drain. The powerful storm also hitting the Sierra Nevada. Right now, there's probably about a foot of water. Firefighters rescued multiple people, including children, stuck in this rental home outside Tahoe. You can see them climbing on a ladder extending over the floodwaters to get to safety. Among those bracing for a deluge, San Francisco, where almost all of the power is finally back on after that massive blackout over the busy pre-holiday weekend that brought the city to a standstill. Videos show self-driving Waymo cars stalling in the streets, unable to navigate the down traffic lights.

The company temporarily suspending service. The cause of the electrical fire that led to at least some of the outages is still unknown. Meanwhile, across the country, some 122 million Americans are estimated to travel this holiday season. on the roads and in the air, hoping to get out in time. Liz Croyce joins us tonight from LAX. Liz, I know you'll get our viewers updated on the travel of so many across the country right now. But I know you're following some breaking news. L.A. now announcing evacuation orders ahead of the storm. Yeah, Tom, the city has just announced isolated evacuation orders starting tomorrow for some areas that were impacted by the L.A.

Fire. Some of those burn scar areas, they particularly targeted about 380 homes. and they say they're going to have first responders going door to door knocking on those homes to make sure that those folks need to get out ahead of this storm. Meanwhile, at airports across the country, some good news today has been relatively smooth with just some scattered cancellations and delays. But with that storm moving in, many travelers here say they expect a very different picture tomorrow. Tom. All right, Liz Kroits for us. Liz, we thank you for that. We're going to head now to Bill Karens, who's following all this for us. Bill, it's going to be a very, very sort of crazy and wild week with the weather.

Start us off out west. There are more than 100 million Americans are going to be traveling this week. But what are they up against over there? Yeah, the west could see a historic storm. The northeast, you're going to have two, you know, medium to minor winter events in the next five days. But it's really this event that's going to take place in California. That's going to be all the headlines. It's going to cause people not to get to the holiday destination. Some people are being evacuated from their homes. And the storm is not started yet. We get a break. Tomorrow is actually the day, the last day of preparations, especially Southern California. So we have 41 million people that are under the. flood watches. And the big headline is Wednesday, Christmas Eve, into Christmas morning. This pink area here, all these mountains outside of Santa Barbara and Los Angeles are under what we call a high risk of flash flooding. That means we know we're going to get life-threatening flash flooding, whether it's rock slides, mudslides, debris flows. We're going to get power outages throughout this region. First responders will be out there over the holiday doing rescues. And there's a lot of

people driving on a lot of roads that are not typically used to because of the holidays too. It's a really bad recipe for a combination for a storm like this to hit right at the peak of the holiday. So how much rain are we talking about? Widespread. Almost everyone in California has a chance for about one to five inches of rain. Los Angeles only gets 14 inches a year, and they're expecting almost half of that amount in this one storm alone. That's why we're going to have such epic amount of flooding, even urban flooding in the downtown area as possible. So here's your holiday travel. Tuesday morning, tomorrow morning.

New York City northwards, be prepared to drive in the snow. Treated roads will be fine. Secondary roads, bridges will be problematic, and will there be enough snow to plow in areas of northern New England? Christmas Eve, big storm comes into the west we just talked about. It continues, even on Christmas Day. In the middle of the country, by the way, record heat, temperatures are in the 70s in areas like Texas and Oklahoma. That's fine. By the time we get to Friday, a quick moving snowstorm is possible Friday evening heading into the northeast.

And Tom, still on Friday, it's still raining in areas of the west. This unfortunately, you know, we started the year with those. horrific fires, and now we're going to end it with likely a horrific flood event. No, it's wild. Bill, before you go there, those snowstorms in the east, both tomorrow and then later on Friday. I mean, are they going to really delay and cancel flights? Are those storms that strong? The one tomorrow, I don't think so. Friday, especially Friday evening, New York City could have a period of heavy snow, and we'll fine tune this. But Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, New York City, keep an eye on that forecast. If you have travel plans Friday

evening, they could be changed and interrupted. Okay. Bill, parents, we're going to stay tracking this. all week. We appreciate it. Next, tonight to that U.S. pursuit of an oil tanker happening right now. This is President Trump and his administration ramps up that pressure campaign against Venezuela. NBC's Garrett Hake has the late details. Tonight, President Trump ramping up his pressure campaign against Venezuela, with new U.S. efforts to seize oil tankers loaded with Venezuelan oil that's under sanctioned. We're keeping it. We're keeping the ships also. Tonight, the Coast Guard remains in what two U.S. officials call an active pursuit of

of the Bella 1. A tanker placed on a U.S. sanctions list last year, currently flying a false flag. Its seizure approved by a federal judge, according to one of the officials. And over the weekend, Coast Guard teams boarding a tanker DHS says was last docked in Venezuela. After that seizure earlier this month,

also approved by a federal judge of this tanker, the skipper off the Venezuelan coast. The interceptions of oil tankers come after President Trump announced a blockade on Venezuelan oil. And after months of day, deadly strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats. Part of President Trump's war on drug cartels.

If they want to come by land, they're going to end up having a big problem. They're going to get blown to pieces because we don't want our people poisoned. The president calling Venezuela's authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro an illegitimate narco-terrorist. If he plays tough, it'll be the last time he's ever able to play tough. But sparking a clash over the U.S. response. I am all in the camp for regime change. We should not be waging worry. against Venezuela.

Maduro's regime accuses the U.S. of hijacking and theft of four million barrels of oil. While in communist Cuba, which depends on cheap Venezuelan oil, they're worried about potentially blocked shipments. Cuba's president saying recently its economy is already, quote, partially paralyzed. All right, Garrick joins us tonight from West Palm Beach. Gary, President Trump also just gave an update on that tanker that the U.S. is pursuing yet another. What's the latest?

Yeah, Tom, the president says. Because the U.S. is still pursuing that tanker somewhere out in the Atlantic. It's part of the so-called shadow fleet used by different nations all around the world to transport sanctioned oil all around the globe. The president predicts the U.S. will ultimately intercept and seize this ship too, although it's not exactly clear how or where. And it doesn't sound like this ship is carrying any Venezuelan oil at this time, Tom. Okay, Garrett Haig, with an update for us.

Garrett, thank you. As the U.S. ramps up pressure on Venezuela, there are our growing concerns tonight about what the blockade could mean for nearby Cuba. I want to bring in Jorge Pinyong. He's a senior research fellow at the Energy Institute at the University of Texas, Austin. Jorge, thank you for joining top story tonight. Let's start with Venezuela, though, first. How hard is this blockade going to affect Venezuela right now?

Well, eventually we'll really hit it very hard, particular for incoming diluance. Venezuela needs diluance in order to make its oil. viscous enough that it can move. So it's getting nafta and condensate and other product from Iran and Russia. So if they stop those imports of diluance, then things are really going to get tough. So it's not only oil going out, it's going to be also oil going in. Can Maduro hold on even though oil will not be leaving Venezuela? Not really. I mean, after we estimate that after 30, 35 days,

without the diluance, Venezuela will be in a tough position that it won't be able to export any oil. Also, their storage tanks will be full. So they're going to have a logistical problem which they can move a drop of oil. That will eventually bring them down. Yeah, and then talk about the domino effect here, right?

Because people may not know this exactly, but Cuba gets 40% of its oil from Venezuela. Right now, they are going through an economic crisis, a power crisis. There is a pandemic right now that involves a mosquito-borne illness because the garbage hasn't been picked up there. What is this doing to Cuba in sort of the short term? And tonight, 60% of the electric power stations are going to be down. So Cuba will be going through a major blackout in the next 24 hours. As you said, Cuba's economy has gone down for the last two years. And if Maduro or if Cuba loses,

It's Venezuelan oil. This house of cars is just going to come tumbling down. They used to supply Tom 100,000 barrels a day of crude back in 2015, 2016. Today, that's down to a mere 30,000 barrels a day. Russia is helping. By the way, there's a Russian tanker that is coming in into Havana here in the next 24 hours, a sanctioned tanker with sanctioned oil that is delivering oil to Cuba. Do you think part of the U.S. strategy here, I know your focus is on energy, but do you think part of the U.S. strategy here is sort of that domino effect, right? A House of Falling Cards. If Venezuela falls, then Cuba falls, and there could possibly be regime change in both areas?

Again, yeah, I'm not a geopolitical commentator, but the answer is yes. I mean, there's no question that out of this process, the Cuban domino, if Venezuela falls, the Cuban domino will follow it closely right behind it. We thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. We thank you for your analysis. Thank you. There's new criticism of the Justice Department tonight after its release of thousands of documents that are part of its files on Jeffrey Epstein. Tonight, survivors saying the DOJ is still not making enough of it public. Here's Ryan Nobles. Tonight, the Justice Department under pressure after critics say it did not release enough of its files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Right now, they are defying the law. defying Congress. They have not met, which is with a very simple standard laid out in the law that was bipartisan. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer threatening to sue, while top DOJ officials insist they followed the law releasing hundreds of thousands of documents Friday. The Epstein files existed for years and years and years, and you did not hear a peep out of a single Democrat for the past four years. Fifteen photos were taken down from the DOJ website, including one of President Trump. Though that one was reposted, the DOJ says,

after confirmation there were no victims in it. President Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing related to Epstein. What this whole thing is with Epstein is a way of trying to deflect from the tremendous success that the Republican Party has. Former President Bill Clinton was seen in many of the photos in the initial release, including this one taken in a hot tub with an unidentified person. And seen here swimming with Epstein co-conspirator Galane Maxwell and an unlawful. unidentified woman. The documents do not give any context or imply criminal activity.

Tonight, a Clinton spokesperson calling on the DOJ to release all documents connected to Clinton, saying selective releases imply wrongdoing by individuals who have been repeatedly cleared. I think Bill Leves a big boy. He can handle it. And now an Epstein survivor says the DOJ is redacting too much information in the files. The department says it took out details, including very very. them information. Are you kidding me? There's so much there that has been redacted. Okay, with that, Ryan Nobles joins Top Story live tonight. So, Ryan, what happens now with this potential lawsuit against the DOJ by Senate Democrats? Well, Tom, this is going to take some time.

Congress does not even return until after the new year. And at this point, there's no buy-in from GOP leadership. In order for this to move quickly, Republican leaders will have to be involved. But also keep in mind that the Department of Justice has repeatedly said it could take up to two weeks before all of the documents they have in their possession are going to be made public. So there is the possibility that the DOJ will ultimately release enough information that congressional leaders feel satisfied that they're complying with the law. At the very least, we won't see much resolution to this until after the holidays. Tom. Okay, Ryan, we thank you. Next tonight we head to Ohio where police have released frightening body cam video showing a suspected

shoplifter, allegedly trying to shoot and kill a police officer. It was all captured on body cam. NBC's Jesse Kirsch has the video and the story. This is the moment Ohio police say a shoplifting incident devolved into an attempted murder. In Canton, Ohio police say 21-year-old Shane Newman and 23-year-old Katerina Jeffrey were suspected of shoplifting at this Walmart on Thursday when a police officer led them to the store's lost prevention office. The incident shown on police edited body camera footage. In here, guys.

I don't know. Because that's the way it is. Inside, the officer checks Newman for weapons. You got anything on you I need to know about? Why are your hand in your pockets? I'm going to pat you down real quick, all right? That's cool. Watch minutes later as Newman turns.

Police say Newman tried to shoot the officer, but the handgun did not fire. Dang, we stop. Police say the officer and a Walmart employee secured Newman, who later said this. He was the only response did that go, and put it on the wrong here. Tonight, Newman is facing multiple charges, including attempt to commit murder, while Jeffrey is charged with complicity to commit robbery. Newman's attorney declined to comment on the allegations.

Jeffrey's lawyer did not respond to NBC News's request for comment. Jesse joins us now live. Jesse, good to see you. What else do we know about this incident from the video? And do we know why this? His shoplifting suspect decided to pull the gun out on the police officer. He went from likely being charged with one crime to now likely facing maybe his entire life now behind bars. Well, and speaking to how this incident escalated, Tom, in that video in the aftermath of this alleged attempted shooting incident,

the police officers afterward are going through the details of what it unfolded. And the officers says that he was actually initially planning to release the two suspects involved here with just, a summons, implying that this escalated far further from that. Other details that we gleaned from going over this video, the officer says at one point that he didn't get the suspect's pouch, implying that he did not fully frisk every part of this suspect, which would potentially be how that gun was able to be there undetected until police say that the suspect tried to shoot that officer, Tom. All right, Jesse, we thank you for that. We want to turn to some breaking news out of Texas that's just coming in right now. We're learning that four people are dead after a small

plane crashed in Galveston Bay. Priscilla Thompson joins us now live. Priscilla, what more can you tell us about the type of plane and who may have been on board? Yeah, Tom, so this was a small plane that we now know was coming from Mexico, according to the Mexican Navy that says that this was a plane that was on a medical mission. The sheriff in Galveston confirming with our affiliate KPRC that there were burn victims on board this plane, a total of eight people on board, including two pilots. It's unclear how many of those people were patients, but we do know that sadly four of those people did a die.

We are also learning that this was a medical mission in collaboration with a nonprofit group that according to their website helps to transport pediatric burn patients from Mexico to the Shriners Hospital in Galveston. Obviously, it was an extremely foggy day here in Texas and on Galveston Island, and this crash happened near the causeway, the base of the causeway, which is the bridge that connects Galveston. Galveston Island to land. It goes over water. We know that witnesses on the ground there described a very heavy law enforcement presence. We know that the Texas Department of Public Safety was there and that the Galveston County also had dive teams, a crime scene unit, a drone unit and patrols all responding to this crash in addition to the FAA. I will say the Galveston Sheriff has issued a statement on social media saying that this incident remains under investigation and additional information will be released.

as it becomes available. That is what they said on a post of their Facebook page. And right now they are urging the public to stay away as it remains a very active scene there after a foggy day. And tragically, four people had died as a result of this plane crash. Tom? That's terribly sad. Okay, Priscilla.

We're back in a moment with Barry Manilow's major update about his health. The iconic singer revealing he's battling cancer, why he says it was pure luck it was found early. Plus, the troubling allegations in upstate, New York, school officials accused of using this wooden box to punish young students. The latest on the outrage and the investigation. And the major malfunctioned during Sunday night football,

a firework shot onto the field, nearly hitting someone on the ground. We'll show you that video. Ahead on Top Story. We're back now with a music legend confronting a serious health challenge. Barry Manila revealing he's been diagnosed with lung cancer. Now, pausing his farewell tour as he undergoes surgery.

Here's Chloe Malas with the latest. Barry Manalo, the voice behind some of the most enduring songs in American music, announcing he has lung cancer. He says an MRI ordered after weeks of bronchitis discovered a cancerous spot on his left lung, the doctor's plan to surgically remove. It's pure luck that it was found so early, he posted, adding, the doctors do not believe it is spread. No chemo, no radiation, just chicken soup, and I Love Lucy reruns. The 82-year-old will take about a month off touring. It says he plans to return to the stage in Las Vegas for Valentine's Day.

Born in Brooklyn, Manilow first broke onto the scene in the 1970s, with hits like Mandy. And I write the songs. I sat down with him last year. When do you know that this song is a hit? I never do. I never do. No, I just write them. And if I'm lucky, you know, make a great record out of it.

Even after all the hits, Manilow still can't believe it. Every night when there's an audience out there, I say, is there anybody out there? And I mean it. I'm so grateful that they still have a good time with me. And tonight, Manilow telling those same fans, he's looking forward to returning to the stage once again. And with that, Chloe joins us now live. Chloe, do we have any sense of a timeline on surgery and recovery for him? Yeah, so Barry Manilow's statement was rather extensive, Tom.

He says it's going, he gave a lot of details. His recovery is going to take about a month, and he laid out what the upcoming tour dates look like. So he believes he's going to be back on stage Valentine's Day weekend for three dates in Las Vegas. And then he kicks things off with his arena tour, February 27th in Tampa, and that goes all the way through April, as you see. Well, actually, like April 29th right there in Duluth, Georgia, not too far from where I grew up. So again, he is just continuing to work. A very organized tour manager there, putting that exact dates and the rescheduling of the dates. I want to ask you, you spent some time with him.

What's he like in person? One of the most humble people I have ever interviewed. He still cannot believe that he sells out venues. He never thought that this kid growing up in Brooklyn, he said he had music coming out of his ears, that he would ever go on to have anything other than a nine to five job. And look at who he is today. Barry Manilow.

Incredible. Okay, thanks so much for that, Chloe. Great to have you on set. Okay, we're going to turn now to a story that's kind of troubling. In upstate New York, a school district, is now under investigation after officials were accused of punishing students by putting them inside a wooden timeout, box. Our Valerie Castro has more on the backlash and how the school is responding.

For these parents. Outrage in a northern New York State school district. I'm here to speak for my grandson who was put in that box. Over what family's claim is depicted in these photos, a wooden box which appears to be in the corner of a classroom and used as punishment for students, including some who have special needs. Chrissy Onienta Jacobs, a parent and former Salmon River Central School District Board member posted the photo to social media, given to her, she says, by teachers who recently left the district. It broke my heart. When I received those photos, I myself became physically ill. New York Governor Kathy Hochle calling the allegations alarming, ordering the state's

independent education department to rectify this situation. Many parents speaking out at a public meeting Wednesday night. He explained to us that if you are angry or if you are sad, this is where you go when it's time to calm down what was the the mood that night a lot of anger a lot a lot of sadness the district superintendent issuing a statement saying at no time was the item depicted in the photographs used by any student at mohawk school the district also serves a nearby indigenous tribe tribal leaders calling for the superintendent's removal and an independent investigation. This is not right at all. The district's board of education announcing an investigation while reassigning the superintendent to home duties pending the outcome. But some community members

say the damage is already done. Valerie Castro, NBC News. Okay, coming up on top stories still, a mother's frantic drive home to confront a group of burglars. We'll show you what happened once she got there that sent the suspects scrambling. Plus the growing controversy at CBS News after the network pulled a 60-minute story about the Trump administration's deportation efforts. But first, top stories, top moment. And with the holiday travel season in full swing, TSA agents in Baltimore forming a choir to help make the airport a bit more joyful. Here they are singing a Christmas classic.

Take a listen. All I want for Christmas is you. Wow, wow, they can really sing. This has now become an annual activity for these agents who hope to spread a little cheer before they pat you down. No, just joking. A little cheer before riders have to get to their final destination. All right, stay with us. More top story on the way.

We're back now with a shake-up at 60 Minutes. The editor-in-chief at CBS, Barry Weiss, saying she decided to postpone the broadcast of a report about Trump deportees in El Salvador just one day before it was set to air. Now we're hearing from the journalists behind the report about the sudden change in programming. NBC Stephanie Gosk has this one.

Tonight, a battle at CBS News spilling into the public with flagship broadcast 60 minutes, and new editor-in-chief Barry Weiss right at the center. Did you think you were going to die there? This segment on the inhumane conditions at a maximum security prison in El Salvador, where the U.S. government deported some undocumented immigrants, was supposed to air Sunday night. The promo even released on social media.

But Weiss told show leadership to pull the segment late Saturday, in part because there was no interview with the Trump administration, according to a source at the network. Angry with the decision, correspondent Sharon Al-Fa. Alfonzi emailed her fellow 60 Minutes colleagues, a copy of the email obtained by NBC News. Alfonzi writing in part, the segment is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision. It is a political one. The veteran 60 Minutes correspondent says the story was cleared by editors after multiple screenings

and the Trump administration declined request for an interview. Adding in her email to colleagues, the public will correctly identify this as, corporate censorship. Weiss responding today, writing, holding stories that aren't ready for whatever reason, happens every day in every newsroom. The conflict at 60 Minutes, echoing a similar fight over a story about big tobacco in the 90s, made into the Hollywood movie, The Insider. Is it newsworthy? Yes. Are we going to air it? Of course not. 60 Minutes has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. The president mentioning the show as recently as Friday.

60 Minutes has treated me worse under the new ownership than they just keep treating me. They just keep hitting me. It's crazy. Tonight, Weiss says she looks forward to this important story, airing, quote, when it's ready. Stephanie, Goss joins us now live here on Top Story in studio. So, Stephanie, Barry Weiss spoke with CBS staff this morning as well. What is she saying? Yeah, Thomas, source at CBS tells us that this was part of their morning meeting.

And among her comments, she said, the only newsroom. I'm interested in running is one in which we are able to have contentious disagreements about the thornyest editorial matters with respect and crucially where we assume the best intent of our colleagues, the suggestion here, Tom. She does not believe that the editorial conversation and process here happened quite the way she wanted it to. Okay, Stephanie Goss, I don't think this story is going to be going anywhere. We thank you for that. So we do want to bring in Harry Smith, who you will remember from his time at this fine network as an NBC News correspondent. And contributing to Top Story on occasion, but before that, he spent more than two decades working at CBS News as both a correspondent and an anchor.

Harry's so great to see you again. In person. Thanks for coming out here. We wanted to bring you on because you've had so many years in broadcast journalism. You worked at CBS News. You know why this matters. For people at home wondering, what's the big deal here? A story was done. It seems to have been signed off by everyone except the editor-in-chief.

It was promoted. It was set to air on Sunday, and then suddenly it's pulled. Why is this a big deal? Friday night is not the time to get involved, right? It's already been promoted. It's already done. If the executive producer of the show is signed off, and it's gone through standards and practices and all,

you know how this works. There's so much vetting that is required for a story like this to be able to make air. It met, as best we know, 60-minute standards. And if it's good for them, then it's, was probably good enough to be put on television. But what's the danger here? Why should people at home be concerned about this? Because there is a danger here, right?

Well, the question then becomes, especially in Stephanie's story, which is perfect, was spot on. Here's President Trump talking about, well, the new guys are worse than the old guys. And who is CBS listening to now? In the end of the day, their most important audience is the American people, not whoever is in the White House. Yeah. Barry Weiss can come in there and she can have the feeling that maybe her news network was a little to the left, maybe center left, maybe it needs to move more towards the center. She can have that opinion. That's fine. And she can pull a story as editor-in-chief. But the concern here is what, that this was done to appease the White House. And we don't know if that's the case. There's no way to know it. There's no way to answer that question, right? But more than anything else, it's really sort of a management issue, isn't it? It's like we, I want to put my handprint on this, it's already been, it's... And you had the correspondent saying it was political. You have the correspondent saying this thing, we dot all the eyes, right?

We crossed the T's, this was political. And this story wasn't a surprise. It's not like, oh, we just cook this up and here we're going to throw this on television. It was in the process for, it had to be in the process for weeks and weeks and weeks. Humans make journalism. Humans can make mistakes. Maybe that story wasn't perfect. Maybe Barry Weiss had cause, but you're saying it came too late in the process, right?

If you had an issue with the story, don't promote it, pull it earlier. Here's a story that will make the Trump administration not look good. Everybody knows that, how many of the 200 and some people who were detained there, what was it, 13% of them actually had a criminal record. These people were all tortured. Independent people came in and reviewed the testimony. of a range of dozens and dozens of these prisoners, and unanimously said, well, yeah, they were all tortured. This was a hellhole for these people, right? So for that story, there was a lot that we knew about that story,

and a lot about that story that wasn't going to make the Trump administration look very good in the end of the day. If that's in your pipeline, and you know that's the one show that's on your network, your network that almost, that is still has tremendous trust and tremendous ratings, you've got to have your eye on that ball. As I mentioned at the top of this, you have a lot of experience in our business. You've been a correspondent. It is all about trust, right?

We like to tell the viewers, we work for them. CBS has an incredible history. They have great journalists there, great reporters. They have great people in management that I know that are personal friends that are the best of the best. How do they get a handle on this so it doesn't get out of control? That's a really good question. I don't know the answer to that.

And if anything, you know, going back to that whole thing, who do you work for? Who do we work for? And I'm not sure that the message that was sent was clear to the people at CBS who they work for now. And until you can figure out how to communicate who that is, then you're going to have a festering problem. Listen, think about this. Bill Owens, who had the executive producer of the show, resigned earlier this year. This is a place that is being buffeted by a lot of really nasty headwinds and really rough water. And somebody needs to come along and say, either you all go or we're going to do it my way.

Right. We've got to figure that out. It's not good. Harry Smith, great to see you. We thank you for your perspective. I hope it was helpful. Thank you. Thanks for being here. Okay, we're going to turn out of Top Stories News Feed. We start with the funeral for one of the students that was killed in that shooting at Brown University. Hundreds of warners gathering today to remember a 19-year-old Ella Cook.

The service taking place at a church in her home state of Alabama, one of Cook's professors described her as smart, confident, and brave, and someone who made a big impact on campus. And we're just learning tonight that the FDA has proved a pill version of the popular weight-loss drug, Wagovi. It will be the first oral version of a GLP-1. drug that's been cleared for weight loss. Another pill made by Eli Lilly is also expected to be approved in the coming months. Still unclear, though, how much of the daily pills will cost, but expected to be cheaper

than the weekly injections. And a scary moment during Sunday night football as a firework nearly hit someone standing on the field. Here's what it looked like. It happened during the pregame show in Baltimore. Most of the fireworks went up into the sky, but one shot straight towards the ground. Luckily, no one was hurt. An official with the Raven says there was a mechanical malfunction.

and that they're investigating. And the Kansas City Chiefs announcing they will be leaving their long-time home at Arrowhead Stadium at the start of 2031. The Chiefs will move to a new Dome Stadium that will be built across the Kansas-Missouri state line. The news following a vote by Kansas lawmakers to allow state tax and revenue bonds to cover up to 70% of the cost of the $3 billion stadium. Okay, led to a dramatic confrontation out of California, a mom racing home

after learning that burglars were at her house with her children inside. and when she got there, she slammed the suspect's car. Dana Griffin spoke to that mother and has the video. A California mother's desperate attempt to stop burglars at her home caught on camera. I see the guys and I was in panic. I was in shock, you know, and I like hid their car unintentionally. She was on the phone with her mom who was inside watching her three young kids when all of a sudden. My mom is screaming.

My kids are in the house. She's screaming like, I don't know, how, like crazy. The mom who asked to conceal her identity due to safety concerns raced home from getting coffee. So panicked, she rammed the parked sedan that turned out to be the getaway car. What was going through your mind? Like, I don't know. In my mind, I thought they killed my family. Two burglars take off running.

Moments later, a third man believed to be the driver emerges from the right side of the car and takes off too. The collision so intense. the driver's side door jammed closed. Hergy wagon damaged two. Video shows LAPD collecting evidence including handheld radios that appeared to be monitoring police activity. As for this frantic mother,

she's got one parting message for the men who terrorized her family. Next time, I'm going to kill them. Don't come back. Yeah, don't come back to my house. Don't mess with that mother. Dana Griffin joins us now from Los Angeles. Dana, those suspects still on the run.

In fact, we saw them sprinting away from that mom. Do we have any more information about the investigation and the search for them? Yeah, so Tom, right now, investigators are not commenting on where they are in this investigation. So no word yet on if any arrests have been made. I will tell you that those homeowners tell me that those thieves left behind wallet, IDs, even a pair of shoes. So they are pretty confident that law enforcement at least has some indication as to who these guys may be. And they are just hoping that they are arrested soon. Meanwhile, they say they are going to hire 24-7 security to monitor their property.

Tom? I don't think I've seen crooks run that fast from somewhere, so they were definitely scared themselves. Dana, thanks so much. Don't mess with her. Yeah, exactly. All right, we're going to turn now to what we're told is the first ever emergency landing involving a private plane and a robotic technology designed to take over when a pilot is incapacitated. It happened in Colorado as a plane was approaching Metro Denver.

Here's Tom Costello. It happened Saturday afternoon in Colorado. Pilot incapacitation, two miles south of Kilo. Emergency auto landing 19 minutes on runway 300 ride at Kilo. A computerized voice breaking over the radio, alerting controllers at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport and Broomfield to an inbound emergency. The computer transmitting which runway the Beechcraft Super King would land on, then counting down as it approached.

Emergency Autoland in nine limits on runway 3-0 ride at Kilo. Immediately, the controller at the busy regional airport vectored other planes away from the inbound emergency. The computer is estimating beyond the ground here in two minutes, and they are doing auto land procedures. We are expecting them to stop on the runway. The system called Autoland is made by Garmin. It automatically activates if it senses the pilot isn't responsive, or it can be manually activated by passengers. Garman says Saturday's incident is the first time it's been used in a real emergency. Autoland takes complete control of the aircraft.

It searches airports for the best option for landing. A system that will automatically take over the aircraft and land it in the event of a pilot incapacitation. And so it does everything, including looking at the wind, and then it positions the airplane using the autopilot to land on that runway. It extends the landing gear, it extends the flaps, and it broadcast repeatedly what it's doing and it's time until touchdown so that everybody involved knows where the airplane is and what it's going to do, and it lands the airplane. Emergency auto landing less than one minute on runway 300 ride at kilo. The plane had left Aspen earlier in the afternoon and reportedly suffered a pressurization issue in flight. The FAA tells NBC News the pilot had lost communications with air traffic control. The airport is currently closed.

I'm not sure in the EPA on when it's going to be back open. North Metro Fire Rescue tells NBC News units follow the plane as it landed, but the two people on board shut down the engines and walked off, requiring no medical attention. While commercial airliners have two pilots in the cockpit, most private planes don't. Garmin says 1,700 planes are now equipped with auto land. offering a new level of safety for passengers if a pilot is incapacitated. Tom? Tom Costello with that really interesting story. Tom, thank you. Still ahead tonight, a Russian general killed after a bomb exploded under his car.

What we're learning about the deadly blast and how Ukraine is responding. Plus, the elusive street artist Banksy, revealing his latest work, will explain where it turned up and what it shows. That's next. Back now with a major development out of Russia. there say a top general was killed by a car bomb in Moscow, in an attack now being investigated as a targeted assassination with Ukraine possibly behind it. NBC's Matt Bradley has more. Far from the front lines, another top Russian general assassinated. A car bomb placed under Lieutenant General Fennell Sarvarov's car shocked this quiet southern Moscow neighborhood early this morning.

We thought it was a Ukrainian drone attack, said this neighbor. The next person for Russia's top investigative agency saying it's investigating whether Ukrainian intelligence orchestrated the killing. No comment from Ukraine. It's the third bombing in the past year, assassinating a senior Russian military official, including a deputy head of the general staff killed in April. And a year ago, a general in charge of the Russian military's chemical and nuclear weapons protection was killed by a bomb on a scooter.

Despite continued fighting, both sides now expressing more optimism about President Trump's peace plan. After meeting separately with U.S. negotiators in Miami, including the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and envoy, Steve Whitkoff. The country's president said they were very close to a real outcome. There are some things we are probably not ready for, he said, and I'm sure there are things the Russians aren't ready for either. While Russia's special envoy called their talks with the U.S. constructive. All right, Matt Bradley joins us now. Matt, as those conversations are ongoing. Tonight, President Zelensky is warning of a possible Russian attack over Christmas. That's right. President Zelensky said that he had alerted security officials to

heightened alert to increased attacks by the Russians over the holiday season. This is something that the Russians have done in the past. But Tom, given the amount of projectiles we're seeing being fired by both the Russian side and the Ukrainian side, one against another, on an almost daily basis, hard to see the violence over the skies over Ukraine and Russia escalating any more than it already has. Tom? Matt Bradley for us tonight. Matt, we thank you for that. Time now for Top Story's Global Watch, and we have an update on the investigation into the Bondi Beach shooting that left 15 people dead. Newly released court documents show two suspects also through four improvised explosive devices at a crowd before the attack, but they didn't go off.

Police also saying the father and son conducted training ahead of the mass shooting. the surviving 24-year-old suspect is facing murder and terrorism charges. And Japan is preparing to restart operations at the world's biggest nuclear power plant. This comes 15 years after an earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima plant in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Earlier today, around 300 protesters gathered to oppose resuming operations. Japanese leaders say the move will help increase the country's energy supply. And the mysterious street artist, Banksy, appeared to have struck again.

He posted photos on Instagram today of this black and white mural showing two children dressed in winter clothes lying down, one pointing up at the sky. The artwork shown here is on a wall on the side of a building in West London, but an identical one also showed up on a tower in the central part of the city. Okay, when we come back, a look at the special nighttime tradition in Detroit that's shining a light and hope for children spending their holidays in the hospital. Plus, with the Powerball Jackpot soaring, our Steve Kornacki, stops by the studio to break down the odds and reveal his own wish list if he hits the

lotto. Stay with us. We're back now with what could be the ultimate holiday gift this season, the Powerball Jackpot, soaring to the fifth largest prize of all time. It's an estimated $1.6 billion ahead of tonight's strine. The cash value, if you take it in a lump sum, also nearing, $1 billion. Joining us tonight, a man who knows his numbers, Steve Kornacki. Steve, the jackpot is big. It's not the biggest ever, but tell us where it ranks and how it holds up. Yeah, I mean,

you could see here, this is the fifth highest all time. There was that mega millions a couple years ago, 2023. It was just a little bit bigger, but at 1.6 billion. And you know what? If you're like me, I would choose the lump sum cash payment option. If I read that, that'd be about 735 million they'd give you. That'd be so great. And explain to our viewers real quick. It rolls over. It gets bigger. and all that money just stays in the jackpot. It keeps growing. It keeps growing. And the odds to try to hit this thing, just put this in some perspective here, you know, things that are rare, right? A hole in one in golf, probably more for me, but one in 12,500 here. A five leaf clover, one in a million. How about this? Flip a coin, 28 straight times it comes up heads. That's about one in 268 million.

We're still not at this one. It's one in 292 million. You have a better chance of flipping a quarter and getting heads 28 times. That's wild. Yeah. If you could do that with a coin, play Powerball. That one I had never seen. I want to know if Steve Kornacki wins this, right? What's on your sort of wish list? What are you buying first?

Are you getting the Lambo? Are you getting the place of Miami? What is Steve Kornacki doing? I got the list and I told you, I'm doing the lump sum. So I'm settling for $735 million. The first thing I'm doing, I always wanted to own a pro sports team. Oh, that's a great idea. Major League Soccer team, $415 million.

Nice. You know, I kind of like the outdoors. I like skiing, so I'm in Colorado. I'm getting the most expensive, exclusive mountain chalet for $78 million in the Rocky Mountains. I love horse racing. You love horse racing. So I'm going to be a big time owner. I'm getting the biggest stable in the world, the top horses, for $20 million.

How many horses is that? Roughly how many horses? We're looking at 20 horses. Basically, a million dollar horses. A horse is a million dollar? I'm going to try to win the Kentucky Derby with this. And then look, I got this giant chalet. I need a Christmas tree, right?

I want the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. That's $100,000. Can you buy it? Can you really buy it? You're going to try to buy it. Maybe I got to go 200,000. Now I love the way you're living, man. Do you know why, Tom?

Because I'm going to have a little spending money on the side, 221 million left over. You'll have that left over to do what I want. I thought you were going to get a big, like, monitor, like all like blinged out, like diamonds and gold. That's what I thought you were going to get. So here's a question I always ask and I always wondered this. And you were telling me this is sort of a true thing. Are there numbers that come up again and again? Like, are these the best numbers to play in case you need some advice on playing?

What are those numbers? I mean, there actually is a range here. So if you look at the last 10 years of Powerball drawings, the number that has come up the most frequently is the number 61. Sixty-one is the hot number. That has come in more than a number. And how about this? The number that has come up less, the least frequent number, it's very fitting. The one you probably don't want, 13.

13. No number has come up fewer times in a Powerball drawing than 13. That's pretty amazing. All right. Steve Cornacken, we appreciate it, man. If you win, just invite me to one of these things. Let me hang out with you for like a day. This looks so much fine.

If I win, it was nice knowing you, Tom. Steve Kornacki, man, we appreciate it. Finally, tonight, we got one more great story. It's the bedtime routine at one Detroit Children's Hospital making holiday dreams come true. Dozens of volunteers coming together to create an incredible light display for the young patients inside, making this season that can be so difficult for so many a little brighter. In the middle of Detroit, this holiday display isn't just about the music. Or the cheer.

It's about the children. Outside hundreds of people from the community gazing up with flashlights in hand to simply say good night. To the patients at Corwell Health Children's Hospital. And as the lights begin to flicker, these faces light up. The children inside marveling at the holiday lights and decorations. as they wave their own beams back. How is it going good? Yeah.

Including four-year-old Zoe, diagnosed with a neuroblastoma. Her favorite part, the massive fire truck. Its ladder extended higher than her fifth floor room. That's pretty cool. How big was the ladder? It was so big. The moonbeams for Sweet Dreams program

takes place for two weeks every December at the hospital. with signs, costumes, and plenty of lights. Brightening the spirits of the patients and their parents. Just so beautiful. And when it happens to yourself, like, I'm getting choked up. Like, what happens to you, you're like, oh, my gosh. Like, I don't, I don't know if we, if we deserve this, but it doesn't, it's not about what you deserve, it's about what other people are willing to give.

And they're willing to give a lot. And that's, it's really, really beautiful. The simplest acts can bring a glimmer of light. Santa Claus is coming. And spread some much-needed holiday joy. That does it for us tonight. Thanks so much for watching Top Story on this Monday night. I'm Tom Yammis in New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.