Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, February 2, 2026

Episode Date: February 3, 2026

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

Tonight, the painful headline for our NBC family. The urgent search underway for today's show anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, police investigating her disappearance as a crime and now pleading for the public's help. 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie reported missing by her family after her friend said she did not show up to church. Police saying the scene is suspicious in nature. What our beloved colleague Savannah is saying about the search for her mom and what the sheriff just told Tom about why he believes she was taken. against her will. Also breaking tonight, the verdict just reached in the O'Pera Fair murder trial.

Will the husband accused of plotting to kill his wife get prison time? Historic southern snow. The winter storm breaking records, homes collapsing and swept out to sea. Snowfall as far south as Florida, a driver narrowly missing this state trooper. How much longer will this extreme cold last? New revelations from the Epstein files. Photos of former Prince Andrew kneeling over a woman. Plus, What Epstein said in a rare never-before-seen interview, and this just in, the Clintons agreeing to testify in the House's Epstein investigation. Three fraternity members arrested after his students' alleged hazing death, what we know about the night he died. Politics taking center stage at the Grammys, the artists using their platform to push back on the president's immigration crackdown,

and a paraglider trapped in power lines, how this man ended up dangling upside down. Plus, the major change for federal officers on the ground in Minneapolis now forced to wear body cameras. Top story starts right now. And good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. We begin tonight with a story that hits painfully close to home for our NBC News family. The desperate search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of today's show anchor Savannah Guthrie, missing from her home, as officials say they're investigating her disappearance as a crime. The 84-year-old was last seen around 9.45 p.m. Saturday.

night when she was dropped off at her home. But when she didn't show up to church Sunday morning, her friend, growing concerned, called her children. The sheriff saying the scene inside the home was, quote, suspicious and now telling NBC News they believe Nancy was taken against her will. Search and rescue teams, homicide detectives, and the FBI all on this case, as police asked the public for any tips or security footage. The Guthrie family urging those with any information to contact the Pima County Sheriff's Department, adding that they are grateful for for the outreach, thoughts, and prayers. But tonight it is a race against time,

as Nancy has limited mobility and needs daily medication. Our Liz Croix is in Tucson, Arizona, and leads us off. Tonight, the quiet Tucson foothills are the center of a massive multi-agency search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. We believe now, after we've processed that crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime. Nancy was last seen Saturday night when family members dropped her off at home. around 9.45 p.m. But the next morning, police say a call from a friend at Nancy's church. She never showed up for Sunday service. Her children rushed to the house, spending nearly an

hour searching the home and property. Unable to find her, they called 911 around noon. We saw some things at the home that were concerning to us. Officials saying the evidence inside the home was suspicious in nature, leading them to bring in homicide detectives. This is not a dementia related. She is as sharp as a The family wants everybody to know this is it's somebody who just wandered off. The sheriff says they're searching with helicopters, drones, infrared systems, teams on the ground, and canine units. But tonight it's a race against time. Nancy Guthrie has limited mobility and relies on daily medication. That authorities say if she doesn't have in 24 hours can be fatal. Investigators say they have Nancy's cell phone but are pleading for tips, asking neighbors to check their security cameras.

I'm going to go home and check my ring camera, see if anything odd was going on. They asked us to review our ring, and unfortunately, there wasn't anything. The Today Show anchor thanking everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and messages of support. Right now our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom. That's so cute. Savannah's mother has been a frequent guest on the Today Show. My mom and I, I feel like we really click as friends, too. It's just amazing what she's brought to my life.

The too often reminisce about their tight bond. One of my favorite memories is we were driving home. There was a rainbow. My mom said, let's find the end of the rainbow. And I would say, turn right, turn right. We never found the end of the rainbow. That's one of my favorite memories, too. They talk about the tough times, too, like when Savannah's dad died when she was just 16.

We lost my dad suddenly and shockingly. And my mom was so strong and set aside her own grief in many ways just to be there and make sure that we could all move forward together. For years, they stayed together at home, where Savannah lived with her mother during college. We didn't have money to afford the dorm, and that was thing one. But the other was that my sister and I really felt like

we should stick with my mom and not leave her alone. When it came to getting a job, though, her mother pushed her to pursue her dreams. She said, if you can't leave me, then I didn't do my job, right, Savannah. She just gave me permission to go, you know. But the greatest gift Nancy gave to her, faith and belief in God.

It changed my whole lot. Today, she and her family are leaning on that faith, praying for Nancy's safe return. And Liz Kreutz joins us now from Tucson, Arizona. Liz, I understand you just got an update from law enforcement. Yeah, Alice and I just spoke to the sheriff who told us that they do believe that Nancy Guthrie was harmed when she was taken from her home. He would not tell us the extent of those injuries. He is saying this is essentially an abduction from her home. I was in the neighborhood earlier where this happened. We saw authorities going door to door, knocking on homes, trying to find any kind of surveillance footage. And we also saw members of the community driving around with a photo of Nancy desperately trying to find anybody who may have seen her.

Alison. Liz Kreutz, thank you. And late today, Tom also spoke with Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos about the investigation. Here's a portion of that interview. We're all here to support the investigation as well as our colleague, Savannah, and her family. And we're all hoping for a happy ending here. We know Nancy has limited mobility. Is it physically possible for her to have left the home on her own?

Or are you operating entirely on the premise that she was moved by someone else or abducted? You know, from what the families told us and everything we've learned, she could not walk out of that home. 50 yards. No, we believe she was taken out of the home against her will. and that's how this investigation is moving. Are you proceeding forward saying now this is clearly an abduction case? You know, we don't want to rule out anything. We came into this.

We get hundreds of these calls every day. Our search and rescue teams are out there every day. The beautiful mountains draw, all the hikers you can imagine. We have a great retirement community here. Sometimes people walk away. That is not the case here. We believe strongly that just based on what we see at the home, something happened here. We're pursuing it from both sides.

We're never going to give up on the search and rescue aspect, but we can't ignore what's in front of us when it comes to the evidence we see. And so we also are taking a criminal investigative approach to this as well. What would you say to someone who, if they're holding Nancy Guthrie right now, what's your message to them? It's not just my message, it's the community's message, it is the family's message. Just call us, let her go, just call us. Family would tell you, there's no questions asked here. Look, if she's alive right now, her meds are vital. I can't stress that enough, you know.

It's been better than 24 hours, and the family tells us, if she doesn't have those meds, it can become fatal. And, you know, this is just a really sad for our community. I know it's sad for your team, but it's sad for our community too. Savannah is family to us. She's a big part of this community. Her family is devastated, the entire family. And, you know, this just doesn't happen in Tucson. So you don't see someone at 84 years of age, go home, go to bed,

and in the middle of the night just disappear from her own home, from our own bed. That's not who we are. I've been in Tucson. Yeah, I've been in Tucson many times for work and for vacation. I know it's a city and then you're surrounded by mountains and desert. Talk to me about the search operation just to make sure you guys were clear that she had not left and she was not lost. Yeah, well, you know, the call comes into me. I get them, like I say, quite often.

And usually we don't send our homicide team out on these unless there's a body found and knock on wood. This one was when I got the advisory that this 84-year-old lady was missing from a residence. There was something else there that didn't click. And I don't want to get into all those details, but we clearly, I clearly knew something's not right here, and we immediately started this in two separate avenues. One, the search of rescue mission, our search of rescue teams, our helicopters, our airplanes, our drone, everything we threw at this, all our air assets. men and women on the ground, our volunteers, hundreds of people out looking for her.

Then we also took the other approach, and that's we contact our criminal investigation team, homicide specifically, and get them to look at the evidence that's in front of us that's concerning to us. And so we've taken it in both ways. We're still not giving up hope. We still hope we can find her alive and safe. But we, it would be. It would be very bad for us to just ignore what we see in front of us and not proceed in a criminal investigation as well.

This is clearly a high profile case because of Savannah and her family. How many tips have come in since this has gone public? This is a high profile case because it's a community member who's come up missing in the middle of the night. Savannah is dear to us as well. But your team, the media, my local media as well, has done a tremendous job in alerting our community. We're getting tips by the hundreds. We, we, that's why we came to you. We know this community. We know that every time we come and ask Tucson for help, our citizens stand up. They support us and they give us what we ask. We're asking again, we need their help. Don't be dismissive on anything. You see something here. So many times we hear, hi, it will look suspicious, but we didn't want to call.

you call us. Let us be the ones to decide what that piece of evidence or what that situation is, whether it needs to be dismissed or further work. We know the family dropped up Nancy about 945 Saturday evening and the alarm was raised when she missed church the next morning. Have detectives been able to narrow down that window? We're working on that as we speak. Today's events for the detectives have been to go out, back out, look through the neighborhood for any kind of ring cameras, talk to people, see what we can find out. The home itself had some cameras. We're hoping to pull that down and get some imagery there that might further help us with this.

But right now, it's just a lot of legwork and a lot of download of information, digital information, that we hope will lead us to what happened there. You mentioned the scene was concerning and suspicious. What led you to call homicide detectives so quickly? Yeah, I just really can't get into that. You know, I know everybody wants to know all the details. I understand that. I wish I could share it with you, but we do have an obligation to preserve our investigative efforts.

There's things that home that only the intruder would know, and so we need to kind of keep that protected. And we respect that and we understand that. Do you have any reason to believe this was targeted? You know, again, we would never rule that out, but we've worked with Savannah and her family, the FBI. Law enforcement in this community is so great. We work as a regional effort. There's 11 different agencies in this valley. I am blessed to be able to have a team of law enforcement officers, not just from the Sheriff's Department,

department, but all over, federal, state, local who reach out to me last night, yesterday morning, today, all of them called, what can we do for you? We all have possessed different skill sets and different pieces of equipment that we share in resources. It is a real community effort, and we continue in that passion. Is this an unusual case for your community? Yes, I, yeah, absolutely. You know, we get people who walk away from their home. We get missing people in the mountains, hiking, and in the desert trails. But I can't think of the last time where in the middle of the night in someone's bed, an 84-year-old woman disappeared on us. That's a challenge for us, and it's something we just want her back.

Yeah, we all do. We all do, Sheriff. I know you've been in contact with Savannah, who we know is in Tucson. What is your message to her and the Guthrie family and all the viewers who care so much about Savannah? We're not going to give up. We'll get this. I'm blessed. I have a team that is, look, they'll solve this.

I know they will. Sheriff, we thank you for your time. I know you're busy. And I'm going to be praying that you find Nancy. Thank you. Appreciate it. If you have any information about the case for investigators, please call the Pima County Sheriff's Office. It is the number you see there on your screen, or you can go to 8.8cime.org.

We have more breaking news tonight. A guilty verdict for the man accused of an elaborate plot to kill his wife amid an affair with the family au pair. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has the late details. Tonight, Brendan Banfield, impassive as the verdict was read. guilty and aggravated murder. Guilty on all counts for the stabbing death of his wife, Christine, and shooting death of Joseph Ryan, who prosecutors say Banfield lured to the couple's home via fetish website to frame him for his wife's murder.

The double homicide while the Banfield's four-year-old daughter was downstairs. It's monsters. I mean, that's really what it is. It's monsters. During the extraordinary trial, Banfield testified in his own defense. That a plan was made to get rid of my wife. that is absolutely crazy. This body camera footage played for the jury showed Banfield being told Christine was dead.

You have one of the doctors here. Your wife has died. Banfield's now former lover, the family's Brazilian O'Pair, Juliana Perez Maglis, took the stand against him as part of a plea deal, testifying they'd been having an affair and had logged on to the fetish website posing as Christine and invited Ryan over for a rape fantasy. Ryan had entered the couple's bedroom, Perez Maglis admitted to shooting Ryan herself and described the moment Banfield allegedly killed his wife. Where in her body was he stabbing her? The neck. But Banfield claims it was Ryan who attacked Christine. He was attacking Christine. He was stabbing her. And Aaron joins us now on set along with NBC News legal analyst Misty Maris. So Aaron the

opair in the case who had that plea deal and agreed to testify against her former lover, she is supposed to be sentenced next week, right? Yeah, that's right. Her sentencing is expected for next week. In fact, in that press conference that followed the verdict, the prosecutor was pressed on what the journalist asked was a sweetheart deal because it's entirely possible that the opair in question, Presumegles could walk free next week. She pled guilty to manslaughter. It's possible that she is sentenced by the judge up to 10 years in prison, but the prosecutor, as part of the plea agreement, is recommending time served. So in that press conference, the prosecutor pressed on that. He insisted this was not a

sweet, hard deal, that it is still possible that she serves additional time in jail. I mean, it is stunning, given the fact that she admitted to also firing and shooting Joseph Ryan with a second weapon. I mean, Misty, talk to us about how the jury deliberated here, because they were out for about two days, is that right? Yeah, nine hours. So the jury deliberated. We had a weekend in between and about four hours when they got the case on Friday. And you know what that does? It gives them time over the weekend. They can't talk about it. They can't look anything up, but they certainly can contemplate and think. So to the extent that they came back in Monday, maybe wanted to look at some of the evidence, which, by the way, was in the room with them. So they

had full access to it, ultimately coming back with this guilty verdict on all counts. If you were a part of that defense legal team, are you looking at Brendan Manfield's testimony and thinking that was a mistake? Absolutely. And who knows? And who knows whether or not his legal team made the recommendation for him to take the stand or not. It's up to the defendant to make that choice. But ultimately, in my view, watching that testimony, it simply was not credible. It was very self-serving. And he got himself caught in a lot of lies that the prosecutors exploited on cross-examination. All right. Aaron McLaughlin, Misty Maris, thank you both. We appreciate it. Now of that historic winter storm in the south, dumping up to a foot of snow

and bringing record low temperatures. Homes in North Carolina collapsing and swept out to sea. Right now, freeze warnings remain in effect for millions. Our Aaron Gilchrist has more. Watch as a winter storm wreaks havoc along North Carolina's coast. Waves and strong winds snatching this home and three others into the ocean along the outer banks. We just lost the third house. Others left almost fully submerged. This bird's eye view showing snow blanketing the state's beaches. Blizzard conditions fueled by historic snowfall all across the state. Charlotte, right? tracking up 11 inches its biggest snow total in 20 years.

Tonight, state officials say thousands of plows are making slow progress on day three of trying to clear roads. If you've never driven in snow and you don't have a four-wheel drive vehicle, then you should most likely stay off the roads. It's not just the Carolinas, the extreme cold and powerful wind taking down a massive tree in Georgia. Surprise snow flurries falling in Tampa. We got frozen iguaners. And icy temps around Miami, again leaving piles of iguan. is temporarily frozen.

A frigid Nashville still dealing with mass power outages from the storm two weekends ago. It could take another full week to get the lights and heat back on. Watch it, watch it, watch it. In Nebraska, new dash cam video showing the frightening moments when a car narrowly misses two state troopers last week. And in New York and Washington, snow still piled up along city streets. Back in North Carolina, residents are just trying to thaw out.

It was definitely a larger storm that I think people predicted. And Aaron Gilchrest joins us now from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Aaron, conditions are improving, but people are still being told to stay home. Yeah, you're right. You know, today we got temperatures that climbed well into the 30s here. The sun was out. It was crystal blue, clear blue skies here. And that was a good thing to help with some of the melting that was necessary.

But let me show you the reality tonight, right? If you can kind of see out on the road here, this is a road that's been plowed, but there's a lot of slush here. Basically everything that melted today into water has now refrozen. Temperatures have dropped into the 20s at this point. It's going to stay in that area throughout the night. And so there's all this stuff that's now ice all over again. There's black ice in places where people may not anticipate it. So schools here in Onslow County, schools in Charlotte on the other side of the state,

they're all closed tomorrow because there is this concern about roads still being impassable in so many places. We understand from the state that they've had their 2,500 plows out. really since Saturday, doing the work of clearing roads. They've gotten the interstates clear, but it's going to take at least several more days to really totally clear the rest of these roads and make them safe for folks to be able to move around on. Ellison, back to you. NBC's Aaron Gilcrest, thank you. Now, the latest on the immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Late today, the Department of Homeland Security announcing every officer sent to Minneapolis will receive a body camera. I want to bring in NBC's Maggie Vespah, who's on the ground tonight.

Maggie, what more do we know about this announcement from Secretary Kristy Knoem? Yeah, Alison, details are really coming in. As we speak tonight, most of it summed up in Secretary Nome's post on X, saying, effective immediately, all officers in the field in Minneapolis, so that includes ICE, Border Patrol, will be wearing body cameras with the goal of bringing this nationwide, as she put it, as funding becomes available. And in her post, she praised the president, kind of in conjunction with this announcement, who moments later had this to say.

Well, it wasn't my decision. I would have, you know, I leave it to her. They generally tend to be good for law enforcement because people can't lie about what's happening. So it's generally speaking, I think 80% good for law enforcement. But if she wants to do that, I'm okay with it. That was the president there. It is worth noting this is one of the first major policy shifts since border czar Tom Holman arrived here in Minneapolis, replacing embattled and high-profile Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino. And when Holman arrived here last week, Alison, remember, he said, I wouldn't be here if things had gone perfectly here in Minneapolis. So a lot of calls for this. And it seems to be a bit of a shifting tactic here for the administration. And Maggie, that five-year-old from Minneapolis, Liam Cunachor Ramos, who had been detained by officers has officially been released along with his father. What can you tell us about their release

and Liam's condition? Yeah, this was so striking over the weekend. Those are the photos that you see there that went viral, right? The little boy in the blue hat who was detained in his snowy driveway almost two weeks ago here in Minnesota, a preschooler whose school district immediately started sounding alarms with the permission of his mother saying that he and his dad were detained. And then DHS confirmed taken to a South Texas detention facility known for housing kids and families. We'll cut to a federal judge's ruling this weekend, blasting the Trump administration's tactics, calling them incompetently implemented, and saying that they were traumatizing children, ordering the release of little Liam and his dad immediately. They were released from the Dilley Detention Center on Saturday night. They traveled home here Sunday morning.

We've just been told that their family is back together. That's them walking out right there, that they want privacy, that they're just kind of healing together. That's Liam, his mom, his dad, and his brother. His health, Ellison, one final note, has been a concern. Because remember, a Texas congressman visited Liam in the detention center earlier this week, last week, and said that he seemed to be in poor health. He wasn't eating well. He was depressed.

In the wake of his release, DHS confirming there is a measles outbreak inside that detention center saying they have two cases so far, and they've been their words, frozen all movement, ceased all movement within the detention center. So we reached out to the family attorney for Liam and his dad. We haven't heard back. DHS had said that he didn't have any medical concerns, but just a lot of people concerned for that little boy, obviously. And tonight, if nothing else, relieved that he's back home, Alison. All right. NBC's Maggie Vespa on the ground there in Minneapolis. Thank you. Still ahead on top story, new details from the trove of recently released Epstein files. Alarming images of former Prince Andrew and we speak with a victim

frustrated over a lack of redactions. Plus, a deadly hazing incident on a college campus. Three fraternity brothers arrested the details coming into us tonight. And the new warning ahead of NASA's mission to the moon. What a former astronaut and engineer told our team about a possible issue that could put astronauts' lives at risk. Stay with us. Back now with new developments on the Epstein files. millions of pages, including never-before-seen images and conversations with some of the world's most powerful people, and Epstein survivors speaking out over the lack of redactions and concern for their privacy. NBC's Halle Jackson has the latest.

Fallout and frustration tonight after the release of millions of pages of Epstein documents, showing the late convicted sex offenders ties to the rich and powerful, like former Prince Andrew, seen in these photos kneeling over an unidentified woman. It's not clear why. Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year, but has long vigorously denied allegations of abuse related to Epstein. And at the Capitol, new word, the Clintons will provide the testimony the House Oversight Committee has been seeking, according to the former president's spokesperson. With that news, coming ahead of a planned vote this week to hold the former first couple in contempt. The Clintons have not been accused by officials of wrongdoing.

Also among the files, this video of Epstein just months before his 2019 arrest and suicide, interviewed by Maga, strategist Steve Bannon. Is your money dirty money? No, it's not. So in fact, why is it not dirty money? Because I earned it. Bannon has not been accused of wrongdoing and has not responded to NBC's request for comment. The Justice Department today says it worked through the weekend to take down several thousand files

that inadvertently identified victims with some survivors furious. I found my own date of birth, my own phone number, but it was also just really disturbed to find, to see evidence of names of people that I knew did not want to be public. Developments in the Epstein case, making headlines worldwide, even mentioned at the Grammys last night by host Trevor Noah, referencing President Trump. Epstein's island is gone. He needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton. The president, now angrily threatening to sue the comedian. He made a statement about me and Jeffrey Epstein's. I have nothing to do with that. I have nothing

to do with Jeffrey Epstein. He's not been accused by officials of wrongdoing related to Epstein. NBC News, Washington. Coming up, a startling video of a car barreling across a park apparently towards a group of kids, what police are now saying. Plus, the paraglider left dangling on power lines. What happened here? Stay with us. And we're back now with all eyes on the Middle East as a major diplomatic breakthrough is taking shape.

Sources telling NBC News that the U.S. and Iran are working toward a high-level summit in Istanbul as soon as Friday. NBC's Richard Engel is on the ground in Tehran. tonight. As American warships arrive in the region, today Iran's president authorized negotiations with Washington. Iran appears to be looking for a way to de-escalate as it faces the threat of American and Israeli military action and a huge wave of domestic unrest, only suppressed after security forces killed thousands of anti-government protesters last month.

This is an extraordinarily tense time in Iran right now, after the mass demonstration. the government's crackdown and nearly total blackout of the internet, the government is now trying to show strength that it is fully in control once again of the streets. And in propaganda posters that have gone up all across town, the government is also sending a clear message that if there is another war, Israel and the United States will be receiving coffins. That hard line coming from Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, who said this weekend, Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war.

President Trump responding. If we don't make a deal, then we'll find out whether or not he was right. But two Iranian officials told NBC News today they hope it won't come to that, that Iran wants a deal, even expressing optimism about reaching one if the goal is limited to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Diplomatic sources tell NBC News that Iran-U.S. talks with President Trump's envoy, Steve Whitkoff are due to take place this Friday in Istanbul. Richard Engel in Tehran, thank you. Now, back here at home, President Trump saying he will temporarily close the Kennedy Center

for two years for renovations. The memorial in honor of the late 35th president has been at the center of controversy for months now after a board handpicked by President Trump renamed the center to include his name, prompting many artists to cancel appearances. NBC's Garrett Haik joins us now on set. Garrett, let's play a little bit of what President Trump has said about these plans, and then we'll have you explain a little more for us right after. How much will all of the renovations cost?

Probably around $200 million. I was thinking maybe there's a way of doing it simultaneously, but there really isn't. And we're going to have something that when it opens, it's going to be brand new, beautiful. I'm not ripping it down. I'll be using the steel. So we're using the structure. We're using some of the marble and some of the marble comes down. But when it's open, it'll be brand-new.

new and really beautiful. So what else have we heard from the president and what sort of context do we need for that? Yeah, well, look, I mean, this comes in the context of the huge backlash that exists from the president trying to change the name of the Kennedy Center to the Trump Kennedy Center in the first place.

You outlined some of this in your introduction. The idea that so many artists have pulled out of their commitments to perform there, you've seen ticket sales declining. The New York Times, the Washington Post have both discussed or reported on this idea of significant ticket declines. Now the president says, not only is this renovation

necessary, which I think is arguable from an architectural standpoint, but that it's going to be a gut renovation down to the studs, and oh, by the way, they have to close it for two years. It would potentially give time for this controversy to subside, perhaps. But I could tell you, I mean, just the, and you know, as a former D.C. resident, the cultural place in the city that the Kennedy Center holds now absent for two years starting midsummer. So have we heard anything from the Kennedy family or foundations associated with the late president? Yeah, basically every Kennedy family member not on the administration payroll

has spoken out about this to some extent. Maria Schreiber, the niece of JFK, put out a statement really directly tying this to the change in performance schedule. She is sort of euphemistically saying here that the president shut the center down to rebuild a new one in his name, which she hopes will get, you know,

she's saying sarcastically here, that she hopes will get people to stop talking about the idea that everybody's canceling. Joe Kennedy, the third, who is Bobby Kennedy's nephew, put out a sort of a more hopeful statement, the former congressman suggesting that whatever the president might do here to the physical building doesn't in any way affect President Kennedy's legacy and that people should stay focused on the other ways that he believes this administration is trying to trample on that legacy and not get bogged down and talking about the building. Interesting stuff. NBC's Garrett, hey, good to have you here. Thank you. Turning now to Top Stories News Feed, and we start with a massive gas explosion. in New Hampshire, leaving three firefighters hospitalized. You can see the smoke billowing above a medical center in Nashua. Police say firefighters were working to rescue people inside when the building

exploded. At least 40 people were said to be inside before the gas leak. All have been accounted for. And in Colorado, police are investigating after a driver attempted to hit a group of kids in a park. Video shows children running to get out of the way as the car speeds towards them. The kids say the driver was yelling and cursing at them when they yelled back. That driver appeared to try and hit them. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Police say this afternoon they located a teen driver and two others in a stolen car. No word on if they will face any charges.

And a scary scene in Thailand after an American paraglider got stuck on a high voltage electricity pole. You can see that paraglider hanging upside down. The parachute entangled on a pole to the right. Official saying that paraglider suddenly lost control. Authorities were forced to cut off the power so crews could safely rescue him. The paraglider suffered injuries, but is expected to be okay. And there's a new fee now in effect for those flying without a real ID. Passengers will be subject to a $45 fee for TSA to use an alternate verification process.

Flyers can still use their passport if they don't have a real ID. The real ID verification went into effect last May. Now to Arizona, where three fraternity members are facing hazing charges after a student died, at their off-campus house. NBC's Camila Bernal has this one. Tonight, three fraternity brothers arrested and facing hazing charges in connection to the death of a fellow student at Northern Arizona University. This appears to be largely a foolish instant that got out of hand. Police say they were called to the off-campus house in Flagstaff Saturday morning, where they found

an 18-year-old student who was not breathing. Bystanders were performing CPR and paramedics could not save him. It's just a young guy to die so young and so many other young people to be traumatized by that event. After executing a search warrant and talking to witnesses, investigators say a Delta Tau Delta rush event had been held Friday night, where they believe alcohol was involved. I don't find any of you intended to name malice towards the deceased, but at the same time the deceased is still dead and that fact fact that in. The 3 20-year-olds were arrested and appeared in court Sunday. Ryan Creach is the fraternity's vice president, Carter Eslick, the new member educator, and Riley Cass, the treasurer. We reached out to a public defender for the students and did not hear back.

They did not enter a plea. Do you have any questions about your eyes? No, Your Honor. In 2002, Arizona passed a law that made hazing a criminal offense in honor of Jack Collolius, who died as a freshman at Arizona State University. No one was charged in connection to his death. mother says she's heartbroken for another family, but grateful for the law. When you bring it down, which what we did to an individual level, that now you as a person are being held accountable, it will change. It has to change because no one wants to go to jail. Delta Tau Delta CEO writing in a

statement that they want to understand what led to the tragedy this weekend and that hazing is a violation of the values of the fraternity. Northern Arizona University announcing it has suspended the fraternity while it conducts its own investigation, saying in a statement, we want to be clear the safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priorities. And Camila joins us now from Los Angeles. How much jail time could these students face if they are ultimately convicted? Hey, Ellison. So if someone dies, this then becomes a class. for felony in the state of Arizona, which means that the penalty is one to nearly four years if the person doesn't have a criminal record. So it really depends on that person because if they

do have some sort of past or a criminal record or a repeat offender, then the penalty increases. Jack's mom really stressing the importance of accountability, saying that maybe this will help students think twice about all of this and obviously prevent another one of these tragedies in the future, Alison. And Camille, in your report you mentioned, Jack's law in Arizona. Is hazing illegal elsewhere in the country or is that only in Arizona? Yeah. So most states actually do have anti-hasing laws, but not all of them. And again, Jack's mom really stressing the importance of every state having one of these. She says that in Arizona, it's working. She believes that this is essentially the reason why they haven't had more of these cases because

now people in Arizona are held accountable. And she really does feel like every state should hold people accountable for this type of crime if convicted. And then, of course, she says that if everyone does this, it again will continue to prevent more of these crimes. Ellison. All right. Camila Bernal, thank you. Tonight, a critical test for NASA before their next mission around the moon. At this hour, NASA fueling the Artemis II rocket with hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel as questions are raised about the safety of the capsule's heat shield, which could be deadly if it fails.

NBC's Tom Costello talked to a former astronaut about the potential risks to the crew. On the launch pad in Florida, a dress rehearsal for NASA's Artemis II launch. If the fueling test goes well, NASA could send four astronauts on a mission around the moon as soon as Sunday night. It's really impressive to see how much work has to go into a mission as complicated as Artemis 2. But a former astronaut and thermal protection engineer is warning the heat shield on the crew's Orion Space Space. could fail as it hits 5,000 degrees on reentry. Do you fear that this crew could lose their lives? Absolutely. Charlie Carmata flew on the first mission after the space shuttle Columbia disaster killed all seven astronauts. He says the burns and cracks found on Orion's heat shield after a test flight in 2022 are a big warning.

I don't think NASA should be flying a crew on this vehicle. It's a deviant heat shield. We know it's a deviant heat shield. We know it's a deviant heat shield. We do not know how it's going to fail or how we can predict it's going to fail. But NASA says it's changing Orion's return angle to ensure the crew is protected. We've changed the entry profile so that we're flying a profile that the heat shield can handle. We're also ensuring that we launch on a day where the demands of the heat shield are lower. And NASA Chief Jared Isaacman says internal and external engineering teams have reviewed the heat shield analysis and signed up. off on the plan for reentry 10 days after Artemis actually launches. Allison?

Tom Costello, thank you. And when Top Story returns, startling video of a man running on top of a plane at an airport, how did he get there? Plus, the strange investigation underway in Italy after a restored painting in a church appeared to resemble the country's prime minister. Stay with us. And we're back now with a major step in the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The Rafa border crossing partially reopened today with an estimated 20,000 Gazans waiting to be medically evacuated from the war-torn enclave.

Israeli forces seize control of the border crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt in May of 2024, and it has largely been closed since then. NBC News international correspondent Matt Bradley reporting from Tel Aviv tonight. Matt, this is a limited reopening. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has said this is for pedestrian passage only, so it does not mean aid or supplies will be allowed in, correct? What are you hearing? That's right, Alison. That's the hope is that eventually with this reopening today, that aid and supplies all of it so desperately needed inside the Gaza Strip, that that's going to start to flow fairly soon. But you're right, it was a very limited reopening, very carefully staged by the Israelis.

More than one checkpoint was involved in getting people, at least from the Gaza side, into Egypt. And a lot of these names had to be checked, had to be vetted by the Israelis as part of their terms. So that's why, according to what we heard from Egyptian authorities in the northern Sinai Peninsula, that there were about 50 people, the plan was, 50 people were to come from Sinai, from Egypt, into the Gaza Strip, and 50 people from Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. We don't know whether that happened. We still don't have solid numbers on exactly how many people went back and forth. Ellison. This was a very closely watched event. It means a lot for the future of the ceasefire.

So it looked as though up until now that this has worked out. There has been no incidents so far today. So that is still an important milestone, regardless of whether there were hundreds or dozens of people who managed to cross that border today. NBC's Matt Bradley in Tel Aviv. Thank you. Staying overseas with Top Stories Global Watch, Mexico pledging to send humanitarian aid to Cuba after President Trump's recent tariff out on countries who sell oil to the Caribbean island. Mexico's president, Claudia Shinebaum, says aid including food and essential supplies will be sent to Cuba. Shine bomb pledged to seek a diplomatic resolution to get oil to the island, which faces a deepening energy crisis. And shocking video of a man standing on top of a passenger plane at Valencia International Airport in Spain. You can see the man running across the top of a viewing airbus.

Multiple Spanish outlets report that the man climbed onto the roof and that officers were called in for medical assistance. The incident reportedly caused a two-hour delay on that flight, which was headed to Amsterdam. And a bizarre investigation in Italy after a restored painting appeared to resemble Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Maloney. This fresco skyrocketed to celebrity status after an Italian newspaper pointed out the angel's resemblance to Maloney. Here's a look at a side-by-side of that painting. It was recently restored by the artist that created it, who defines, who denies that altered the image. The cultural ministry is sending a delegate to inspect the painting so it can decide what to do next. When we come back, politics taking center stage at the Grammys.

We'll show you the big winners and the acceptance speeches that still have everyone talking today. That's next. Finally, tonight, politics in the spotlight on music's biggest night. Bad Bunny not only making history at last night's Grammys, but also using his acceptance speech to speak out about President Trump's immigration crackdown. And he won't. was not alone. NBC's entertainment correspondent, Chloe Malas, has more. Either Grammy goes to Bad Boney. One week before his Super Bowl halftime show. I'm going to say, eyes out.

Bad Bunny's acceptance speech for Best Musica Urbana album, getting a standing ovation from the Grammy's audience. We're not savage, we're not animals, we're not aliens, we are humans, and we we are Americans. The hate get more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful

than hate is love. The Puerto Rican superstar also making music history. And the Grammy goes to Bad Bunny. As the first Spanish language record to win album of the year. I want to dedicate this award

to all the people that had to their home land, their country to follow their dreams. That album's tour didn't include dates in the continental U.S. over fears that ICE could be outside his concerts. ICE in the recent immigration raids, a topic for many of the night's winners. No one is illegal on stolen land. Including Billy Eilish, whose remarks about ICE were bleeped for profanity by broadcaster CBS. I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel.

I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting and our voices really do matter and the people matter. And I say, sorry. Also speaking out, breakout star Olivia Dean, delivering this emotional message after winning Best New Artist. I'm going to say, I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I wouldn't be here. I'm a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. Their messages dividing some fans watching at home. I just think it's nonsense.

I think that if you are letting these people mold your point of view on life, I feel sorry for you. In fashion, also a focus of political statements. Bonnie Vare wearing this whistlepin on the red carpet in honor of ice observers. While Justin Bieber, Joni Mitchell and Brandy Carlisle among the stars sporting black and white pins that said, ice out. look at a photo of Brandy Carlisle for the rest of time, you will see that pin on her, and that will identify and frame that moment specifically and her political position to forever. Politics also a punchline for host Trevor Noah. Nikki Minaj is not here. She is not here.

The comedian taking aim at rapper Nikki Minaj, who recently called herself Trump's number one fan and has appeared alongside the president at a Treasury Department event promoting Trump accounts, and the premiere of the Melania documentary. She is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues. And Chloe joins us now in studio. I mean, Chloe, huge night last night for Bad Bunny, and now we're just days away from his Super Bowl halftime performance. What are we expecting to see there?

I mean, just by listening to Bad Bunny's speech, it's clear that he's not afraid to get political on a massive stage like the Grammys. And the Super Bowl is an even bigger stage. And this win last night, multiple wins, let me point that out. I mean, only emboldens him further if he was planning to make a political statement. But if you're wondering, have halftime shows at the Super Bowl gotten political? Look no further than just last year with his fellow artist, Kendrick Lamar, who got incredibly political. He even had Samuel L. Jackson dressed up as Uncle Sam.

He made reference to 40 acres in a mule. And then go a few years. further to 2020 when Jennifer Lopez, fellow Puerto Rican, like Bad Bunny, took the stage at the Super Bowl halftime show. And she had a Puerto Rican cape, like a flag on her back, but then she also had children that appeared to be in cages in reference to President Trump's first term and his immigration policies, right? So, again, this wouldn't be the first time that a star has taken a big stage like that is an opportunity to make some political commentary. And I think that given the fact that we're just a week away from what Bad Bunny has just said about ICE in his stance, I think you're going to see something further and really pushing the envelope next weekend. It'll be interesting to watch NBC's Chloe Malas. Thank you. We appreciate it.

And remember, you can catch Bad Bunny's halftime performance in all of Super Bowl 60. on NBC and of course on Peacock. Coverage begins this Sunday at noon Eastern. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. For Tom Yamis, I'm Ellison Barber in New York. Stay right there. More news is on the way.