Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, March 16, 2026

Episode Date: March 17, 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, a brutal March megastorm ripping across the country with damaging wind and intense rain battering the east, while the Midwest digs out from record-breaking snow. Blizzards turning roads into a total whiteout just days before spring, while firefighters take on a huge warehouse fire in the bitter cold. Look at that. Plus, the dramatic Coast Guard rescue of a snowmobiler stranded on an ice shelf. On the East Coast, rare tornado watches. High wind already tearing through towns up the coast. And look, a funnel cloud forming over a highway in Maryland. Thousands more flights canceled, and it is a one-to-punch for travelers, with security lines stretching out the door as hundreds of TSA agents walk off the job.

What you need to know before you fly. The war with Iran, a giant fireball over Dubai's airport. You see it there after an Iranian drone attack, and the terrifying moment, a cluster bomb explodes near Tel Aviv. Our Richard Engel is on the ground. Cuba plunged into darkness. country's entire electrical grid collapsing our rare interview with one of Cuba's top officials. Panic on the beach as crowds of spring breakers take off running. Why this party devolved into chaos. And Banksy finally revealed tracking down the identity of the mysterious street artist. We talked to one reporter who says he found him.

Plus, on the brink of March Madness, our Steve Kornacki joins us with tips on how to fill out your bracket, who he likes and who his favorites are. Top story starting right now. Good evening. I'm Hallie Jackson, in for Tom. And we begin with the wild weather all across this country right now. A blizzard battering the Midwest, making history as severe storms march up the East Coast. More than 45 million people now on alert. We've already seen near total whiteout conditions from Iowa to South Dakota. Look at that. Dangerous for drivers.

You can barely see what's in front of you. In Green Bay, in Wisconsin, really intense wind fueled this huge warehouse fire. Made it really tough for firefighters. Think about how much snow, how bitterly cold it was. You see that thick smoke rising into the sky. The city got a ton of snow. 26 plus maybe a fraction of an inch there. It's the biggest snowstorm in more than a century.

Michigan was also hit hard. Some homeowners plowing through three feet of snow, up to their windows almost in some spots. And the Coast Guard rescuing a snowmobiler who became stranded when an ice block broke off near one island nearby. The East Coast faced a rare tornado threat today with a potential funnel clouds spotted over the highway in Maryland. Several states are under tornado watches throughout the day. And down South, Gail Force winds slamming North Carolina. Doorbell camera capturing the moment a kid is flung into the air in Texas. How scary.

Even Hawaii got slammed with the Big Island, shattering a 75-year rainfall record. Over in Maui, one home was swept away in the flooding there. Look, you see that whole garage it looks like just taken out. All of it has meant a true. travel nightmare. More than 4,000 flights canceled today alone. And it is not over yet. We're going to bring you the latest track in just a second. But I want to start with our Angie Lastman leading us off from Wisconsin. Tonight, the Midwest buried in record smashing snow. Look at these near white out conditions in this video from Wisconsin. You can barely make out the road. Car after car after car stuck. Probably one of the crazier snowstorms we've ever seen. One town, got a jaw dropping three feet.

While here in Green Bay, this storm already dumping 20 inches of snow so far, solidifying its place in the record books as the largest March snowstorm since 1888, an impressive amount of snow, even for Midwest standards, with just four days till spring. A massive fire broke out at a warehouse here this morning,

firefighters fighting high winds and freezing equipment as they battled the blaze. The blizzard also causing dangerous conditions on the roads in Iowa, where this tractor trailer overturned. And in South Dakota, where pushing was the only way out for this Amazon truck. While in Michigan, a dramatic rescue. Watch this Coast Guard cutter make its way to a snowmobiler stranded on a sheet of ice,

pulling him on board to safety. Meanwhile, the East Coast was pummeled by an outbreak of severe storms today, with portions of 10 states under tornado watches. Take a look at this funnel cloud that formed over a highway in Maryland. The wind and rain leading to a mess at the nation's airports. More than 4,000 flights canceled today, with the storms triggering ground stops at major hubs, including Atlanta and Chicago. In Charlotte, high winds sent debris through the air.

The winds were so strong in Texas over the weekend, it sent this child flying. Even the South was hit by frigid temperatures today with a rare snowstorm in Alabama. While back in the Midwest, the snow is finally tapering off, but the digout is just beginning. Angie is joining us now from Green Bay. Angie, there's so much snow on the ground, and it's so incredible to think about the fact that spring is just a couple of days away. Days away, and yet we look like a winter wonderland here, Hallie. You're exactly right. Biggest snowstorm so far of the year for this region.

More than 300 cities picking up double-digit snowfall totals, including, of course, here in Green. Bay where you'll notice we've started to get some cleanup underway now that the heavy snow has stopped. City officials have actually extended that snow emergency lasting it into tomorrow night, Tuesday evening, and urging drivers to continue as usual. Stop, make sure that you're not getting on those roads just yet. They still want a little extra time to clear them off. So my advice, since folks are staying home, you might as well have a snowball put. Oh my gosh. Oh, gosh. Angie, come on, girl.

Straight on my photo. Girl, I love it. You, your photo, is it, Bill. We love Bill. We love Sue Kroll, who I know is with you out there too. You and your team. Stay warm. Thank you for bringing all it to us.

I appreciate you. Have fun in your almost spring snowball fight. Bill Carrens is tracking it for us. Bill, you don't get any snowballs, man. When are we going to get you out there? Oh, no. Only Angie. I want to let Angie do it.

But you know I'm sitting here in Washington, And you know, like I'll tell you, all the kids in the city got out of school early today. There was a real concern about the severe storm threat here. It sounds like, well, people shouldn't let their guard down just now in the Mid-Atlantic. The threat is mostly over. Yes. Yeah, the forecast didn't materialize. It's as simple as that. So we went into today. We knew the storm was obviously very strong. The blizzard in the Great Lakes. This produced severe weather all through the Ohio Valley yesterday, all through the south.

The only place it really didn't leave its mark is in the Mid-Atlantic. There's been isolated reports of wind damage, but we haven't had anything that's been too severe. And the reason why is because we had too many rounds of storms. So you need the sunshine and the warmth that the heats the energy for storms. If we don't have that heat and the energy, the storms won't be as strong. It's as simple as that. And because we had so many rounds of storms during the day, we never got like the big storm in the late afternoon. We still have a line.

We have a severe thunderstorm warning from the Raleigh area. But even this is dying off now as the sun is setting. So we're past the point where we're worried about any like severe storms or torn. But the winds will still howl. There's people that will be in the northeast tonight sleeping. Yikes. And when that cold front swings through, your house is going to shake and the windows are going to rattle. We could have 63-mile-per-hour gust tonight in Boston all through eastern mass areas of Rhode Island, too, and still pretty breezy of the Jersey Shore, Long Island, New York City. As far as snow goes, we're going to get a little bit more tomorrow morning. Some unwelcome

shoveling in Buffalo to Erie, Syracuse, Rochester down through Central PA, just a couple inches, nothing, you know, horrible. And then, Hallie, we turn the page and we go straight to summer. We have excessive heat warnings. Heat warnings in the middle of March. All these red dots are record highs over the next five days. And this is going to be eye break. One quick, quick stat. California could set the hottest temperature in the U.S. for March and April ever ever recorded.

Wow. I know what you're booked for later in the week. Bill Carrots, come back. I know you've been talking about it. We'll be watching all of that in the West there. Appreciate that, friend. Listen, this really intense weather is not the only thing creating flight delays during this very busy spring break travel week.

We've seen security lines stretching for hours at some airports with TSA staffing issues during this partial government shutdown. Tom Costello is tracking it all. The busiest spring break travel week yet. I'm a TSA free day. I'm all the way back in the baggage place. With building frustration and long lines at key airports, including Austin, Atlanta, and LaGuardia.

After missing a second paycheck, the TSA says, 366 officers have now quit. Hundreds are calling out every day to work a second job to make ends meet. This is a kitchen table issue. Sit at the table, speak to the TSA officers, find out from them what's going on. For some, it's potentially life and death. I've heard from officers who cannot afford co-payments for cancer treatments or office visits for their sick children. The airports with the highest call-out rates include 21% in Atlanta, JFK, and Houston Hobby, 16% in New Orleans, 14% in Pittsburgh. When Republican Senator Cornyn showed up with burgers for TSA officers, Democratic Congressman Gray Kassar was there. Instead of bringing people burgers, he should bring them their paychecks.

On truth social, President Trump today said the crazed Democrats are not allowing TSA agents to get paid. Democrats have offered to fund TSA, but want changes. to ICE procedures after two Americans were killed in Minneapolis. The TSA's advice get to the airport two to three hours early. We are concerned that if this continues, it's a matter if not when we're going to have significant impacts of the airport. And those impacts are just going to worsen. Tonight, no sign of compromise on Capitol Hill. The TSA insists security not being compromised, but officers and passengers are paying the price every day.

Hallie. Tom Costello, thank you. Now to the war with Iran. new images appear to show the first non-Iranian oil tanker crossing the key strait of Hormuz since the start of this war. It comes as President Trump tries to pressure allies to send warships to the critical waterway to fully open it back up. Our senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez explains. Tonight, I've made Iran's attacks on oil tankers trying to drive up oil prices. President Trump

is pressuring U.S. allies to send warships to help unblock the vital strait of Hormuz. Some are very enthusiastic and some are less than enthusiastic, and I assume some will not do it. The president saying he's been talking with about a half dozen countries to counter the Iranian regime. This is a paper tiger that we're dealing with now. It wasn't a paper tiger two weeks ago. It's a paper tiger now. But Germany's defense minister arguing today, this is not our war, a top diplomat for the European Union saying there's no appetite to help with escorting ships. The president ripping the NATO alliance. know, do you have any minesweepers? Well, we'd rather not get involved, sir. I said, for you mean, for 40 years we're protecting you and you don't want to get involved? We'll protect them.

And if ever needed, if we ever needed help, they won't be there for us. About 20% of the world's oil typically flows through the Strait of Hormuz, virtually all of it to Asia, not the U.S. But the instability is affecting global oil prices. Jet fuel is up, which could lead to high. higher airfares. And the average price for a gallon of gas is up more than 70 cents since the war began. When this is over, oil prices are going to go down very, very rapidly. You can't let the most violent, vicious country in the last 50 years have a nuclear weapon. Late today, the vice president pressed on why he supports this war, despite previously opposing U.S. intervention abroad.

We have a smart president. Whereas in the past, we've had dumb presidents. And I trust President Trump to get the job done, to do a good job for the American people, and to make sure that the mistakes of the past aren't repeated, absolutely. Gabe, is joining us now from the White House North Lawn. So, Gabe, there's this upcoming trip that the president's supposed to be taking to China, super high profile, but now we're hearing word of a potential delay because of all this. What's going on?

Yeah, that's right, Hallie. Look, it was just a few weeks from now. The president said today that he may want to postpone that summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a month or so, because of the war, adding that it's important for him to be here. Allie. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. And with the Strait of Hormuz, clearly a major flashpoint, Iran is renewing its attacks on neighbors in the region. Our Richard Engel has this report from Tel Aviv.

Iran is lashing out. Today, with airports again in the crosshairs. In Dubai, fires burn from an Iranian strike. Oil facilities hit in the Emirates. We filmed an Iranian cluster bomb as it exploded mid-air near Tel Aviv. Those lights floating down are each small bombs. One of them landed on Rahm Masasa's house. He showed me exactly where he was, saying he thought about ignoring the air raid sirens.

But... I knew that if a missile would hit me, my wife would kill me. For having ignored the siren, yeah? He walked down these steps and made it to the safe room. I closed the door of the shelter, and the second I closed it, bam. The blast was 10 seconds after he decided to leave. Did you tell your wife that it was thinking about her and what she was going to do to you if you didn't listen to the siren? Yeah, she said I was right. She would have killed me.

In Lebanon, Israeli troops are rapidly expanding their ground operation against Hezbollah. 800,000 people displaced so far. While in Iran, the government, which launched a brutal crackdown on protesters in January, is now threatening to kill anyone who protest the regime. President Trump says that's why demonstrators, for now, have not taken to the streets. They can be brave, but they're not stupid, and they have no gun, and you have snipers in buildings. Richard is joining us now from Tel Aviv, and Richard, there's some new reporting from our team here about potential, off-ramps, right?

Potential off-ramps, if President Trump chooses to take them. So six U.S. officials familiar with the war plans presented to President Trump say that these war plans do include off-ramps, ways that he could end the war right now militarily with Iran. Also ways that he could potentially escalate the war he has yet to make a decision. While officials in Iran say at the moment, this is what they're publicly saying, that they're not focused on diplomacy. They're focused on fighting off a foreign aggression. Haleigh. Richard Engel, live for us there in Tel Aviv. Richard, thank you. To an update now out of the White House here in Washington with President Trump revealing his chief

of staff, one of the most powerful people in this city, has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Susie Wiles says she's encouraged by a strong prognosis and plans to stay on in her role as President Trump's right hand. You see her there in the pink blazer. Kelly O'Donnell is joining. us here in D.C. with Moore. And Kelly, she will continue to work full time while she's going through this treatment. That is the plan. And in her public statement today, she noted that many women take that same position. She talked about the fact that there are women who care for their families. They go to work. They serve their communities while going through treatment. Now, she did not disclose the type of treatment she will experience. But she said she learned about

this diagnosis last week. She expressed confidence in the doctors who are working with her. and that if we look at the statistics, when it's in its early stage, there is over a five-year period a 99% survivability when it's stage one breast cancer. It is also very common, and she did note that one in eight women during their lifetime will be facing this kind of diagnosis. So in many ways what Susie Wiles is talking about is an experience that many American women have. What is different here is because she's the first woman to ever be White House Chief of Staff. We've never dealt with this particular kind of health scare and health concern with someone this close to the president by virtue of her being groundbreaking in that way. She's often someone right in the room with the president there when he's making decisions.

And we will see how she progresses in the time ahead. Of course, we wish her well in her journey with this difficult, but also many optimistic notes, she says. That's right. That's a strong prognosis. Yeah. Kelly O'Donnell here with us in Washington. Kelly, thank you for that reporting. I'm going to know to stand top of it. Appreciate it. Let's take it to Cuba now with a rare look inside that regime.

And a top official telling NBC News exclusively the country wants to open up more of a relationship with the U.S., even with some critics, skeptical. Our George Salis has made his way to Havana and reports tonight. Tonight, Cuba is in the dark. The entire electrical grid collapsing today as the country struggles with an energy crisis, leaving millions on the island without power. During this latest blackout, people have been spilling out to the streets. here for hours. Fortunately, some cloud cover to keep them from this blistering heat. It's been three months since a drop of oil has reached the country. Highways are empty because there's no gas. Women are delivering babies in dark hospitals with no electricity.

Conditions are deteriorating. I sat down exclusively with Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Peres Oliva Fraga, considered by many to be Cuba's economic czar, his plan to attract more foreign investors, including large companies from the United States. He says Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with U.S. companies, with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants. This person tells me it would be a breath of fresh air. And while there are people in the United States who legally do business with Cuba, Washington's trade embargo restricts many companies from doing authorized business there.

Today President Trump was asked about taking Cuba. Taking Cuba, I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it. What a relationship would look like, though, remains to be seen, particularly since Congress has to vote, and many in Congress are skeptical. I would ask and advise any Cuban that lives here or any Cuban in exile. Please don't invest in Cuba. You're wasting your time.

Today, Cuban American activists in Miami came together to send a message. If we don't have any change in political rights, if we don't have any political guarantees, there's no economic change. that's possible. Freedom is to be able to choose your destiny. It's about Cuban sovereignty, not about business. I want to bring a George Solis, who is joining us now live from Havana. And to have you on the ground there, George, is significant. Can you give us a sense of what your experience has been like there? Yeah, Hallie. So for the lucky few that actually have generators that are running, you're able to have power, which is how we're able to transmit to you right now.

Other people are obviously doing what they can to salvage and use their resources wisely. We spent some time on the streets of Havana today throughout all the darkness, some light. We've talked to residents, neighbors in a community who in the dark were standing by their neighbor, making sure that he was accompanied. And on the streets of central Havana, we saw people spilling out onto the streets. Later tonight, many will head out to the iconic seawall here to just cool off and also take a break from the reality of this situation. Halley. George Solis, live for us there in Cuba. Thank you.

We are back in a moment with Verdict Watch in the murder trial of a Utah. mom accused of killing her husband, then writing a children's book about grief. Plus, chaos erupting in beach towns, leaving multiple people hurt what officers are doing to try to get spring break crowds under control. Then Steve Kornacki joins us with what you should know to try to win your March Madness Brackett. That's just ahead on top story. We are back now with an update in a murder trial out of Utah. A jury now set to decide the fate of a mother of three accused of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl and later writing a children's book about dealing with grief. Camila Brunall explains.

The case against Corey Richens now in a jury's hands. She intended to kill him with the illicit street drugs. In closing arguments today, the prosecution said Richens killed her husband Eric by giving him a Moscow mule and possibly a lemon drop laced with fentanyl, also claiming that she wanted his money and to be with another man. She was unhappy. She wanted to leave Eric Richens, but did not want to leave his money. After her husband's death, Richens wrote a children's book about grief. She is also facing fraud charges. The state said she was millions in debt and wanted Eric's life insurance money. She had a plan on how she was spending Eric's money and didn't realize it was trust money.

Is he not breathing? Prosecutors replayed the 911 call, arguing that it took Richens six minutes to administer CPR while she was on the phone with the dispatcher. The first minute is the sound of a wife becoming a black widow. The defense, who rested without calling a single witness, pointed in closing to the lack of evidence linking Richens to the fentanyl. They waited until closing to tell you, oh, she put it in a drink without any evidence. They also heard from the man Richens was in a relationship with and were shown their text messages. Corey is ready for Josh to be her husband. The defense pointed to a tainted investigation and witness credibility.

Corey Richens did not kill Eric Richards. The state did not prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt and you have the courage, have the courage to tell them this and find Corey Richens not guilty. Legal experts say getting a conviction won't be easy. for prosecutors. There is no evidence of where the fentanyl came from or how it got into Eric Richens' body. So the jury is going to have to look at all of the evidence together and decide whether or not it's enough to convict. And we have some breaking news.

The jury has reached a verdict. It was read a short time ago. The jurors have found Corey Richens guilty on all five counts, including aggravated murder and fraud. The case was handed over to the jury late this afternoon. They deliberated for less than three hours. This comes after a full day of closing arguments from the prosecution and defense. Sentencing has been set for May 13th. And again, the jury has found Corey Richens guilty on all five charges in connection to the death of her husband.

Hallie. Camilla, Brunall in L.A. for us. Camilla, thank you. Still to come tonight, the new warning from the FDA about a dangerous e-coli outbreak linked to cheddar cheese, we've got that. Plus, a dramatic mountain rescue, an 80-year-old hiker left stranded overnight in the wild. How Cruz managed to finally get him to safety. Stay with us. We are back with another shake-up in the Trump administration. Greg Bovino, who was once the face of the president's immigration crackdown, is set to retire at the end of the month,

according to two officials with customs and border protection. Bovino was the commander in charge of ICE operations during those controversial crackdowns in Minneapolis, when ICE officers and agents shot and killed American citizens Renee Good and Alex Preti. Babino was removed from his commander role by President Trump some months ago, and now it sounds like he could be leaving for good. I want to bring in Julia Ainsley, who's been tracking all of it here. Talk to us about this. Very visible face of the administration, now on his way out in an ostensible retirement.

Talk us through what happened here. Well, first thing to know is DHS is saying he has not yet filed the required paperwork to retire, but the buzz throughout CBP today and multiple officials I've spoken to, say they do hear that he plans to retire by the end of the month. Now, that would coincide with the departure of Secretary Kristi Nome, who Trump has asked to leave. And what this means, and it's indicative of, a larger about-face when it comes to immigration policy from this administration. We know that after those fatal shootings that you mentioned in Minneapolis, Greg Bovino was pulled out. He was sent back to El Centro, California, where he has previously

been the sector chief. And they sit in Tom Homan, someone who's told in B.C. News that he thinks that if they kept making these widespread immigration arrest rather than targeting criminals, they could lose the faith of the American people. And so his retirement is coming on that news, and it coincides with Noam's departure. He reported to Noam, who was a close ally of Nooms and her advisor, Corey Lewandowski. But I should also mention that before Bovino was sent to Los Angeles, Charlotte, Chicago, all these cities that eventually did in Minneapolis, he was already nearing retirement age. So it's almost not surprising he would be considering retirement at this point. It's a mandatory 57 retirement age in CBP. He'll be 57 in March of next year. But in this

case, it does, of course, coincide. And it is indicative of just how much of an about-face in just 2026 this administration has done when it comes to immigration. No kidding. And a new potential new Secretary of Homeland Security on the way to. Julia Ainsley, thank you very much. Now to Top Stories News Feed and a big setback for the health sector. and his overhaul of vaccine guidelines for kids. A federal judge has now blocked those big changes, arguing that what Kennedy, the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wanted to do violated federal law.

The ruling today stems from a suit brought by major medical organizations. A spokesperson for HHS says they're going to push for this ruling to be overturned. A consumer alert tonight, a raw cheese producer is declining to issue a recall after two of its products were linked to a dangerous e-coli outbreak. The FDA is investigating raw cheddar cheese. from the brand Raw Farms. Health officials say it's connected to seven infections across California, Florida, and Texas. Four of those cases in young kids, two patients were sent to the hospital. The company has yet to respond to our request for comment. And just outside Las Vegas search teams

rescuing an 80-year-old hiker who was stranded alone overnight. Crews say the man was lost after getting separated from his group on Friday afternoon. They didn't find him until the next day, but when they did, he was airlifted off the mountain. He was apparently behind. hydrated and cold, but otherwise in good shape and expected to be fine. Plus, a historic clean sweep for Team USA hockey. The Americans beat Canada yesterday, 6 to 2, to win Paralympic gold. Remember, the men's and women's Olympic gold medal teams also took home the top spot, beating Canada. So this is, gang, we got to call it a hat trick.

That's what this is, and it is epic. It's amazing, a clean sweep for the U.S. hockey tournaments of both the Olympics and the Paralympics in the same year. Hats off to all the athletes in Milan. Spring break, too, is in full swing right now with visitors packing beach town. But one's popular Florida spot is now under scrutiny after what police call a beachfront stampede. All of it captured on camera. Jesse Kirsch has the video.

This is the moment chaos erupts in Daytona Beach, Florida. Hundreds of people running across the beach Saturday after what appeared to be gunshy. There were zero gunshots on the beach because what they were doing was crushing a water bottle to make it sound like a gunshot to stampede the crowd. The Volusia County Sheriff says it happened even with dozens of law enforcement officers in the crowd. Later adding at least one weekend shooting was also spring break related. And in Port Oranzas, Texas, police say a 17-year-old shot and wounded five people on a beach late Saturday night. No one's running from gunshots. But in Miami Beach, Florida, an iconic party town has worked on a spring break rebrand in recent years.

And it seems to be working. Police say this weekend arrests plummeted almost 21% year over year. The city's surging resources, more police, DUI and license plate checks, but also parking and getting towed are more expensive. The strategy that we implemented was in all hands on deck and a collective strategy involving not in the police department, but you. different city entities that made it very clear. We welcome you to our city. But if you decide to break the rules and break the law, you'll be dealt with accordingly. Racing a new strategy to avoid scenes like this. Jesse Kirsch is joining us now from Miami Beach. So Jesse, what else are they doing there to try to keep things in check? Yeah, so Hallie, as of now, nothing additional

has been added from the city's plan so far. But if they need it, they can add things. like barricades along much of this historic stretch of Ocean Drive, one of the most famous stretches in America, of course. They can also shut down the beach at 6 p.m. at night, but the hope is that you can keep the party relatively tame because it's Miami Beach. It's never really quiet here. With stuff like this in place, a visible police presence, among the other measures we're talking about here.

Bottom line, as much as anything, they just want people before they even get here to have a different perspective on what spring break is here now, and the city believes that it is starting to work, Hallie. Jesse Kirsch right there in the middle of it all. Jesse, thanks. And if it's March, it means it is madness. And plenty of bracket busters in the mix this year with some big storylines for the NCAA tournament

like the freshman set to dominate and a real potential Cinderella story when it comes to one team that hasn't won a postseason game in 50 years. Guess who's here? Guess who's at a special basketball big board? Steve Kornackett, as you shall be known, for the next several weeks.

I'm so excited to have you here, especially because you know, I'm relying on you to fill out my bracket. I'm doing my Steve picks only. Let's start with the women. Yukon, right? I should just put him right in all the way through. Well, God help you, Halley, if you're going on my picks. It's the busted cornacket is what it was last year. But yes, on the women's side, there was talk a couple of years ago of a changing of the guard, South Carolina, supplanting Yukon as the premier power. Well, the guard has changed back. Yukon romped to the title last year. They are the number one overall seed this year. They have not even lost this year. come into this tournament, 34 and 0.

If you went to Vegas and tried to better them, it'd be very, very short odds. Yukon, there's favorites, and then there are overwhelming favorites. That is Yukon in this tournament. Okay, so let's talk men's, because this one is super interesting. I know that while St. John's is the number one seed in your heart, it is Duke that has the number one seed overall, right? Yeah, take a look here, the four number ones, the Duke Blue Devils, who you just mentioned. Florida, the defending champions, Arizona, powerful. long time, though, they have not made it back to the final four in a quarter century. So is this the

year for them and the Michigan Wolverines out of the Big Ten? Those are the four top seeds here on the men's side, Halley. Okay, but so then get us into it. Like if we're going to do a bracket, which yes, we'll do again this year. I'll do one. There's always like an interesting, you know, when they do the five seats, I think isn't it the five seats and the 12 seeds? Like those places where you tend to get some interesting upsets, the Cinderella stories. I'm fascinated by Nebraska who hasn't won a March Madness game in like decades. Ever. They're in it. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Like, who, give me like my favorite, what are my favorite stories going to be this year? Let's go through there.

Four regions here. Let's take them through quickly here. Duke, they are the number one seed in East. The committee did Duke no favors. It is loaded here in the East. Take a look at Yukon, big powerhouse there, Michigan State. St. John's is the fifth seed in the East region. They just demolished number two, Yukon, by 20 points in the conference championship game.

So if Duke gets through this thing here, they will have earned it in the East region to get to the final four. go down south. That is where Florida, the defending national champion is. But yeah, Halie, you're talking about could there be some upsets here? So Nebraska, it's a great story. Never have they won a tournament game ever. They're seated for. They're supposed to win this one. But look out for the Troy Trojans who earlier this year went out west. They knocked off San Diego State. They took USC to the wire. They can play with the big boys. Could they spoil Nebraska's bid there? How about VCU? The Rams playing North Carolina who is missing. Thanks to injury, a key player. could pull the upset over North Carolina. Are we looking for an upset here in the West?

Arizona here, I think it's going to be very tough to beat coming out of this region. They have five, their top five, their five starters, I should say, Hally, all average double digits, the best team from the best conference. Here's where I think you might have a little more luck with some underdogs. Michigan, the number one seed in the Midwest. Could we find an upset special here? How about the Zips? How about Akron against Texas Tech, Texas Tech, Beliegered, with a key injury as well. The Zips, look out for the 12 seat over to five, as you just called. I'll take any team calling the Zips. Can I ask you just a real question, Steve? When do you have time to obsess over this? We're in the middle of midterm primaries. How do you have

the ability? We, I'll tell you what, this is like, this is kind of what keeps me young, I think. I fell in love with this tournament decades ago. And it's just like, I love it. That's Sunday night, six o'clock, get the paper and pen out, write the bracket out, and here we go. I'm obsessed with you. Thank you, Steve. We'll look for your official Cornacket. I know in the days to You got to help. Thanks, pal. Coming up next on Top Story, Breaking Barriers at the Oscars. You're going to meet the cinematographer who brought all the women in the room to their feet during her powerful acceptance speech. Plus, a record-shattering moment in Mexico City while these people got together to make history. That's next. Back now with our coverage of the war in the Middle East, tens of thousands of flights now canceled.

It has some big airports in the region come under fire from direct strikes and ones nearby. That's all led to the biggest air travel disruption in the world since. the pandemic. Our Raf Sanchez is in Beirut tonight with that. Tonight, an Iranian strike on the world's busiest international airport, underscoring the threat to air travel across the Middle East. Two drones hitting near Dubai International. One of several attacks since the war began. Punishment, Iran says, for the UAE hosting U.S. troops, while Israel has repeatedly hit Tehran's main domestic airport, saying it's being used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

And in Kuwait, terror, as part of the terminal ceiling collapsed. The result? The biggest disruption to global air travel since the pandemic, with tens of thousands of flights canceled. While in Beirut, there's nothing strange about flights taking off amid towers of smoke. As Israel attacks what it says are Hezbollah strongholds near the airport. We made the journey on Wednesday. So we're coming into land in Beirut, and from the air, you can really clearly see the city's southern suburb. which Israel has been targeting intensively.

And minutes after we landed, So we're in the airport parking lot, and we can hear the sounds of strikes nearby. Israelis are targeting an area only about a mile from here. We headed above ground. So you can see probably less than a mile from where we are now west of the airport, that big cloud of black smoke.

While the airport is quiet, it's still open and still running. Faya's Resumni is Lebanon's transport minister. How do you keep an international airport open when bombs are falling all around it? It's very difficult, very complicated. There was a Middle East airlines coming from Paris and trying to land at around midnight. And they couldn't land for 40 minutes because there were fighter jets in the area. You have a bit of supply of fuel, but you need to take a decision fast. Should I go to cyclists?

Should I wait and land? and he took the right decision. He landed in Beirut after 40, 50 minutes of uncertainties. Lebanon has only one international airport. And in 2006, during another war with Hezbollah, Israel struck it directly. Has the United States given you any assurances that Israel will not target the airport? They gave us assurances, and I'm in direct contact with the American ambassador. Lebanese passengers we met were unfazed arriving home.

We just saw an air strike. So you just saw an airstrike and you weren't worried? No, you're used to it. As Lebanon's portal to the outside world remains defiantly open. Raf is joining us now from Beirut. So, Ralph, help us contextualize to a degree what this disruption to air travel means in the region and around the world. Yeah, Halley, so air traffic in the Gulf is down by about 75% from before the war. But it would really be a mistake to think that that only impacts people in the Middle East.

A lot of flights from the U.S. to Asia go via Dubai, New York to Bangkok, for example. And a lot of those flights are being canceled. So there are going to be many people who have no connections to the Middle East at all who are going to find their plans totally upended. Raff Sanchez, thank you for that. To top stories, Global Watch, starting in Japan now, where two people are dead, two others heard after a pair of boats capsized. That happened today near a controversial relocation site for an American military base

off the country's southern island of Okinawa. Japanese officials say 21 people were on those boats. Most of them, high school students on a field trip. Investigators are now trying to figure out what exactly caused that accident. Also tonight, the BBC is asking a court to dismiss President Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against a broadcaster.

The president's suing for defamation, remember, over the way a BBC documentary edited a speech he gave back on January 6th, which made it appear he directly encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol. The broadcaster is pushing to have the case thrown out. They see the documentary never even aired in the U.S. In a statement to NBC News, the president's legal team says they'll keep working to hold

the BBC accountable. And as Mexico gets ready for the World Cup this summer, as North America prepares, a huge crowd just turned out in that country's capital to shatter the Guinness World record for the biggest soccer class ever recorded. Look at that. Some 9,000 people packing into the public square there to kick off this 40-minute training session. The mayor of Mexico City says this record sends a message to the world that soccer is the universal language of peace that, quote, needs no translation. Back here at home to Hollywood's biggest night. Yes, the Oscars, did you watch? Let me catch you up super quickly. Sean Penn won best supporting actor for his role in one battle after another. Amy Madigan of weapons got best supporting actress. That was her first win.

Same for Jesse Buckley, who got best actress for Hamlet. And then best actor, this was a battle royale. ended up going to Michael B. Jordan for sinners. And he celebrated, where do you go when you're out west? You go to In and Out, obviously, for a burger afterwards. Of course, he was not the only big winner for sinners. NBC's Chloe Malas has more on the film's cinematographer who made history. And the Oscar goes to a historic win. Sinners, Autumn, Girl.

A highly skilled and sought after director of photography, now the first ever woman and first ever woman of color to win best cinematography for her work in the Oscar nominated film sinners, a recognition that was not lost on the newly minted Oscar winner. I really want all the women in the room to stand up because I feel like I don't get here without you guys. Only three other women had been nominated for the category of best cinematography. I have felt so much love from all the women on this whole campaign. and gotten to meet so many people. And I just feel like moments like this happened because of you guys.

It's a win that's resonating heavily across the industry and what's normally a male-dominated field. Since 2018, there have been four different women nominated. And we kind of thought that this glass ceiling was going to be shattered before. Now it finally has been. Hopefully it will inspire another generation. Arquapaw and Sinner's director Ryan Cooghler previously worked together on Black Panther Wakonda Forever. And Arquipa recently.

recently worked on the 2024 film, The Last Showgirl. The iconic American showgirl. But it's not just the win that was historic. It's what went into it. Sinners, the first ever film to be shot in two completely different formats. IMAX and Ultra Panavision 70, weaving the two together to create the final product. That culminating in the pivotal scene in the movie, featuring dancers and singers. It's not rooted in the technical.

It's, you know, at the end of the day, it needs to feel, you know, soulful and cinematic. And so that's really the core because that's what's on the page. It was a big night for sinners all around with Ryan Cooghler accepting the win for best screenplay. The night capped off with

best picture given to the critically acclaimed film, one battle after another. Chloe Malas is joining us from L.A. What an interesting situation. What an interesting night. Interesting tie moment too when you look at the Oscars big picture there.

That hasn't happened in a very long time. It's super rare. No, so the last time was 2012, Halle. But it is the seventh time in Oscar's history that it has happened. And I was really shocked by this. I was Googling, like, immediately on my phone. I pulled it out. I was at Elton John's Academy Awards viewing party. And we were all sort of looking at each other being like, what is going on?

So it was the singers and two people exchanging saliva were the movies that were, one in this category. But the filmmakers, they handled it like pros. And I do want to point out that this also happened upon my research and my Googling in 1969 in the Best Actress category, Catherine Hepburn and Barbara Streisand tied for Best Actress. What do you know? And I went back and I watched that moment and it was wild. Yes. I'm obsessed with that. I'm also, you're the only person I know that can casually work in a Elton John viewing party reference. So kudos to you. And I'll text you about that later. Chloe, thank you very much. Appreciate it. come back. Unravelling the mystery of Banksy, has the artist's real identity finally been shared?

We're going to hear from a reporter who went looking for answers and ended up tracking down much more than a name. We've got that investigation up next. Finally tonight, for years, the actual identity of Banksy, the street artist, has been shrouded in mystery. Instead, his work speaking for itself. You probably recognize some of what we're about to show you here, flower thrower here. That was painted on a wall in the occupied West Bank. Many others. appearing on structures, on buildings in Kiev, in Ukraine, and on buildings all across the UK, of course, which is where what you're about to see happened, a copy of his work, Girl with Balloon. Do you remember this? It was sold at auction, and then seconds later shredded,

price tag on that $1.4 million. Now, the person behind the art has tried to stay a secret. That has added to the mystique of Banksy. Some of his fans like it that way. And if you're one of them, I'm going to give you a second to mute the TV here. To mute however you're watching, joining us now as a journalist from Reuters who, along with his colleagues, says they've determined the true identity of Banksy. So then with that spoiler alert that we've laid out here, talk us through then. Who and what is Banksy? We're about to show him, the person that Reuters says is Banksy.

We have to note here that NBC News has not independently verified some of the documents that you and the team have reviewed. With that being said, talk us through it because he's gone by some other names, including one currently now, right? Yeah, yeah. And meantime, we were taking a look at everything in any. that's ever been written about Banksy. And there's been a lot.

And if you go online, there are tons of rumors about him. Could be this guy, could be this guy. The common feeling was that it was an artist from Bristol named Robin Gunningham, who himself had been sort of a protege, if you will, of Robert Del Naja, the person who we had reason to believe was in Ukraine when those murals went up. We had no record that we could find that Robin Gunningham, the man suspected to be Banksy, was anywhere near Ukraine. In fact, there are no records from our sources

that show Robin Gunningham has ever set foot in Ukraine. So it threw us a bit because things were pointing toward this musician. But then once we started looking at what we had collected about Banksy, including some works that had just come out from Banksy's former manager, we were able to use geolocation techniques on a photo that was included in one of the books called Banksy Captured. And it shows a building in the meatpacking Hacking District in New York, and we were able to date a billboard there back to Fashion Week, spring fashion week, I think it was, in 2002. I'm sorry, 2000. And from there, we were able to

go back and unearth police and court documents. And in those court documents, there's a handwritten confession from Banksy himself before the police even knew that it was Banksy they had arrested. who is now, who you believe, right, has changed his name to a very common British name. Yeah, he has. So what we found out in taking a look at what became of him was that he essentially had disappeared. He got off the grid probably in 2008, 2009, around the time that a British tabloid had put together that name with a photo and said, we believe this is probably Banksy. What I was able to find and, through,

working with our other reporters who are great in open source work was that his former manager said, look, one of the last things I did for him was help him change his name. And it's a name you're not going to find if you look for Robin Gunningham. So can I ask you because here's what some of what Banksi's lawyer told you in response to the reporting, that working anonymously protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution, especially when addressing sensitive issues such as politics, religion, or social justice. I know that revealing Banksy's name was not a decision that Reuters came upon lightly, right? Talk us through how you made that determination and some of the potential backlash

year, too. Sure. I mean, one of the things we do all the time is we do a balancing test. Essentially, we look at, like, what is the privacy intrusion going to be against what are we telling people? And one of the things that had become increasingly clear about Banksy was that anonymity or pseudonymity started out as a means for him to essentially evade prosecution. But it has evolved that has become part of his brand, part of the mystique. People sell Banksy things like flip phones or cell phones at auction that he used, not his artwork, just things he used. But part of what was very intriguing to us was in September, he put up a mural. on the Royal Courts of Justice Complex in London. And it's not exactly like the Supreme Court building in America, but it's a big deal.

And from what we were able to gather, it's cost British taxpayers something like 23,000 pounds to have it partially removed, but there's really no effort underway to prosecute him or treat him like he did something wrong. And other street artists there, fans of Banksy, are saying, You know, there's a totally different treatment for this guy. He was anti-establishment before, and now it seems like what's going on. Blake, thank you so much for being with us and for talking us through all of it. It's a heck of a piece. I commend folks to check it out from Reuters.

Thank you very much. Thanks, Halley. And thank you so much for watching Top Story. For Tom, I'm Hallie Jackson in Washington. Stay right there. We've got more news on the way.