Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, May 25, 2026

Episode Date: May 26, 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 treacherous trip home for millions this Memorial Day as powerful storms turned deadly. At least one woman killed with the threat far from over. Dramatic video of officers rescuing a baby trapped in a car surrounded by rising water. Look at that. A funnel cloud illuminated in flashes of lightning, violent wind sending that bounce house flying, and cars crushed by this tree in New York. The holiday weekend washout, upending travel at major airports where the storms are headed next. Also breaking tonight, toxic emergency in California, the risk of a catastrophic explosion at a chemical tank eliminated now, but the threat is not over yet.

Why people who've been evacuated still cannot go home. Iran deal or no deal, the potential agreement to end the war taking shape, but what is actually in it? Our new reporting as dozens of ships remain blocked in the strait of Hormuz. Ebola outbreak crisis, the death toll climbing overseas. what's now being done here in the U.S. to prevent the spread. Plus, the new Haanta virus case in somebody else who is on that cruise ship. Honoring fallen heroes. We speak with Medal of Honor recipients who carry on the legacy of their fellow service members,

their powerful message on this Memorial Day. The paraglider hit by a plane in midair now speaking out what she's saying about these terrifying moments. Inside the enhanced games, the controversial competition where athletes can take performance-enhancing drugs, making its big debut, so how'd they do? And could it change sports as we know it? Plus, the weekend box office testing the force of the Star Wars franchise, what it could mean for the rest of the summer.

Top story starts right now. Good evening, I'm Hallie Jackson in for Tom, and we begin tonight with the holiday weekend washout and this dangerous wet weather, creating a real mess across the country. It has turned deadly now, too, with at least one person killed in South Carolina, and the threat is far from over.

Take a look at this, flooding in Texas, Texas, trapping one family in this car. So then you have the urgent rescue. First responders racing there, grabbing, look at this, a car seat with a baby inside. In New York City, you saw cars crushed when tree came crashing down, pulling up some of the concrete sidewalk with it. And then new graduates in Tennessee left soaking wet after walking the stage during this downpour. High wind sending a bounce house flying across a yard in Florida as well. You see it there. And from the road to the skies, the severe weather affecting the rush. to get home this Memorial Day with more storms on the way.

We're going to have a forecast coming up in just a minute, but we started off tonight with Priscilla Thompson in Houston. Got a baby. It's be advised the car's going towards the creek. We got an infant in the car. A hard-stopping rescue in South Texas as a vehicle is swept toward a Russian creek. Yeah, give me the baby. First responders racing into the fast-moving water after this sedan became trapped in flood waters with a baby inside.

officer then grabbing the infant in a carrier another quickly draping his coat over the baby in the pouring rain the vehicle has slipped and she is submerged currently submerged in water in Mississippi officials say one person has died after this car was swept away the deluge stretching from the gulf coast to the northeast i'm almost to my knees in water now this woman's home surrounded by water look at this flood waters inundating this gas station in Alabama. Heavy rain and wind toppling a massive tree in New York City, crushing multiple cars.

It sounded like a bomb going off. In Texas, a menacing funnel cloud, illuminated by repeated flashes of lightning. The weather turning deadly in South Carolina, where officials say strong winds ripped a patio umbrella from a table, killing a woman. Across the country, a Memorial Day weekend washout. Parades canceled.

Bounce houses blown away. Anderson. Graduates receiving degrees in downpours in Tennessee. And now a travel nightmare. Have you had any delays, we got a lot of rain. I just saw that my flight is delayed. There have been more than 4,000 delays and 170 cancellations. On the roads, even under sunny skies,

there's no escaping the holiday gridlock. Traffic bumper to bumper headed into Yosemite National Park. Priscilla is joining us now from Houston's Hobby Airport. And Priscilla, we know that this domino effect from all these travel delays and cancellations could be us right into tomorrow's travel day. And Halley, right now there are ground stops in both Dallas and Denver. And AAA is saying that tomorrow is going to be the busiest airport travel day for folks who are returning home. So you can see how these issues might start to compound, especially with that severe weather not letting up. Hallie.

Priscilla Thompson. Thank you. Let's get to our NBC New York meteorologist Dave Price to walk us through the forecast here. Dave, walk us through the timing. As we head through the next 24 hours, we are looking at more strong storms from the Gulf states all the way up through the eastern seaboard.

As we are going to see 14 million people potentially impacted by this heavy rain. Flood watches, flash flood warnings in effect as we head through the southeast. And we could see upwards of five inches of rain as we make our way to the Florida panhandle and up through sections of Georgia. So we'll continue to keep an eye on that.

That flood risk continues. and strong to severe storms are going to be popping up all the way from Lubbock down to Brownsville. We'll keep an eye on what is developing there, but very large and destructive hail. Gusty winds as well, and even the possibility of our tornado, that's in store as we head through tomorrow. Soggy holiday, though, that's what we're going to be dealing with. West Coast looks fine, but residual effects of these storms are going to actually ripple over to the airports across the country for the rest of the evening. We'll send it back to you. Thank you. Now to the race against time in Southern California to stop a tank of toxic chemicals from exploding there.

And it looks like, at least on that front, there may be good news with a major disaster averted. A crack in the tank has released some of the pressure. But 50,000 people have been evacuated and they are not out of the woods yet. Or Steve Patterson is there. Tonight, a major mission accomplished. The risk of a catastrophic vapor explosion eliminated after a late-night operation. As authorities confirm a crack in this chemical tank relieved the mounting pressure in. A significant reduction in the magnitude of a possible blast, temperatures inside, now cooling. We still have a fire concern or a small explosion concern, and we have a leak concern. Officials say the risk to residents is ongoing. What you guys are working on as far as getting people back into their homes?

Our priority is life safety. We cannot allow them to come back if we don't deem this safe. This incident is still dynamic. Inside the tank, thousands of gallons of methyl methacrylate, a colorless, highly volatile liquid chemical used to make plastics. An explosion could release plumes of toxic vapor, known to cause symptoms like dizziness, headaches, fatigue, severe skin irritation, even lung distress. Evacuations for 50,000 people tonight are still in place. Literally, it was like, okay, grab our cats, grab my mom, and let's go. We found Andrea Luna camping in the parking lot of an overcrowded shelter.

I don't feel safe going back until we know for sure that it's okay that we can go home. We don't know the long-term effects. That's what I'm really worried about. The threat zone, very close to major attractions like Disneyland, which is still operating. Disneyland officials say there's no impact to the resort and they're still monitoring the situation. Tonight, a community's collective sigh of relief, the worst case scenario averted. But officials warned we're not out of the woods yet. Steve is joining us now from near the scene.

So what is the timeline, Steve? Do we have any sense of when it might be safe enough to get these folks back in? You know, Hallie, we know for a fact that they're talking about it, officials confirming that they're reevaluating those evacuation orders. But look here. I mean, the barriers are still up. Those schools are still closed. Businesses shuttered. Part of it is the fact that the chief is telling me that the temperature inside that tank is still about 40 degrees higher than it should be in the 90s.

It should be in the 50s. So this is something that those officials, the authorities, the experts on the ground, they all want to get this right before they start letting people back in. It is so crucial to moving forward. Halie. Lots to watch there. Steve Patterson, thank you very much. Here in Washington, some new questions over just how close the U.S. really is to a deal with Iran. As President Trump, who's working to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, says those negotiations are proceeding nicely.

Garrett Haake has new reporting about what is in the potential agreement. Tonight, in the 13th week of the U.S. war with Iran, President Trump at a Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery, paying tribute to the 13 American lives lost in the conflict. These incredible men and women gave their lives to ensure that the world's number one state sponsor of terror will never have a nuclear weapon. Oh, and they won't. All while tonight, the weight in the straight drags on with ships seen still bottled up in this new video. As the U.S. and Iran appear to inch towards a possible deal to open the strategic waterway and end the war. President Trump posting that negotiations with Iran are, quote, proceeding nicely, and at the end result will be a great deal for all or no deal at all. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged patience as the world awaits Tehran's response to the latest proposal.

And it takes the Iranian system a little while longer to get back. So, look, the president's not going to make a bad deal. He's just not. The president's plan calls for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a senior administration official, and the start of a 60-day clock for talks on Iran's nuclear program and its enriched uranium, buried by last summer's U.S. strikes. Iran's foreign ministry tonight claiming the country at this stage is, quote,

not discussing the details of the nuclear issue and that the agreement leaves open-ended how the strait will be managed. Democrats blasting the president's handling of the conflict. This weak nation has put America in a stalemate and Donald Trump is being played as a fool that he is for getting us into this in the first place. While Republicans somewhat divided have largely defended the president's strategy. President Trump just being himself differentiates this. He does not do token deals. If he wanted a token deal, he could have done that months ago. Let me bring in, Garrett, who's joining us now from the North Lawn. And literally, Garrett, as you were probably walking out to the North Lawn, we got some new details in,

some new developments from our Pentagon team, some reporting here about self-defense strikes in Iran conducted by U.S. forces, not far from the Strait of Hormuz. What's going on? Yeah, that's right. That's what Sentcom is calling these strikes against what they say were missile launch sites and small boats used to emplace mines near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran. Sencom revealing these strikes today. Hallie, I think it's a very much an open question. What effect this could have both on the ceasefire and on the talks right now to end the war? It begs the question

why Iran might have been laying mines as there's an offer in front of them to demine the straight and reopen it. We're just hearing about this from Sentcom. No response yet from the president, but obviously another complicating factor in an already complex situation there as both sides weigh this opportunity to ratchet down tensions potentially. And certainly another reason, as if you needed more to keep an eye on the president's truth social posts tonight, considering he may or may not talk about this. There's also another headline as we look ahead to tomorrow, Garrett, because we're learning more about the president's schedule. He's actually headed over to Walter Reed Hospital for a checkup, right? Yeah, that's right. The checkup itself is not terribly unusual.

The White House says it's a medical and dental check like presidents typically get. But this would be the president's third visit to Walter Reed in 13 months, which is somewhat unusual. Obviously, the president has had some minor but visible health issues now during his second term, the bruising on his hand, the swelling of his feet and ankles. He will turn 80 years old next month. Hallie, he's told Tom Yamas that he feels 50 years younger, but he's certainly getting medical care, perhaps more appropriate to his actual calendar age. Planted to watch on multiple fronts there from the White House.

Garrett Haig, our chief White House correspondent. Thank you. It's a top story health check now in some of the new moves here. at home in response to that Ebola outbreak in Africa that is getting worse. With some 900 suspected cases and nearly 200 deaths reported in the DRC, according to the World Health Organization, they have just one doctor per 10,000 patients. That's one of the lowest ratios in the world. They're trying to deal with this outbreak amid widespread political violence and with deep-seated suspicion there, the health care system among many residents. Isolation tents like these have been

repeatedly burnt to the ground, sending sick patients running back into the community. News medical reporter Erica Edwards is following this and is joining us now. We know of at least a couple such fires at these medical facilities in the DRC. The threat level is now considered very high. All of it as the WHO says that the epidemic is outpacing the response. What happens from here? Yeah, Halle, good evening. You know, the situation in Congo remains critical and based on reports from the region still just out of control. Among the dead, three red crossworkers who were in Congo, they were infected in late March, long before anyone knew Ebola was circulating, complicating matters. As you said, this is also a region with longstanding deep mistrust of aid workers, as well as

a tremendous amount of violence, often targeted towards health facilities. And what happens when there's violence in your backyard? You want to leave. People are fleeing these areas risking further spread. Howley? What about these Ebola screenings at Atlanta's airport, which is the busiest in the country? I mean, not far from where I am, you know, down in Virginia. Dulles is screening passengers from the region, too. I think health officials, as you point out,

Erica, have tried to say here in the U.S., the risk remains low. What are they doing, though, especially when you look at the way that there has been a gutting in the eyes of some critics of top health officials here in this country? Yeah, so here in the U.S., those to Atlanta and at Dulles right outside of Washington, D.C. And we expect at Bush Airport in Houston this week, CDC officials are taking passengers' temperatures as they come in, giving them a brief, questionnaire telling them what to watch for for the next 21 days. Now, we saw this scenario play out during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. A man from Liberia flew to Dallas. He sadly died, but if you recall, two nurses got sick caring for him. So while it's possible that an infected person could

come to the U.S. on an airplane, it's important to remember that the virus itself is not airborne. It's not like flu or COVID. People become infected with direct contact with a sick person. Their bodily fluids are contaminated or soiled linens or other surfaces. That's why really healthcare workers and their caregivers and caregivers are the ones at highest risk, Halley. Can I ask you, Erica, can we pivot for a second to a different virus? That's Haanta virus. People remember that is that very rare, basically rodent disease that broke out on that cruise ship there.

There's now a new case. We knew that incubation period was what? 42 days. There is now a new case from somebody in Spain, right? That's right. This latest person to test positive for Haunted virus is a Spanish national who had been in isolation in a Madrid hospital since getting off that cruise ship earlier this month. The Spanish health ministry says the risk to the general population again remains very low. Meanwhile, the 18 U.S. passengers still quarantined here in Nebraska, all reportedly doing well physically. No signs or symptoms of the virus just yet.

Hallie. Erica Edwards, thank you very much. More to come here on Top Story. We're back in a moment with the sporting event, unlike any other athletes, yes, allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs. We'll tell you how that competition unfolded. Plus, the emotional tributes for Kyle Bush, as we're learning more about the NASCAR legend's sudden death. And the scary scene in the sky, a plane crashing into a paraglider, what she is now saying about that mid-air collision. Stay with us.

Back now with the paraglider speaking out after a terrifying collision. captured on camera, narrowly escaping death. I mean, that's not an exaggeration after what you're about to see, this plane slicing through her parachute thousands of feet above the Austrian Alps. Our Emily Aketa has these details. Hours after this harrowing collision with a small plane over the Alps, the paraglider who posted this heart-stopping video is speaking out. Writing on Instagram today, which we've translated from German,

the biggest thanks to my lifesaver, my reserve parachute. which the 44-year-old identifying herself as Sabrina deployed while spiraling out of control thousands of feet in the air this weekend alongside several pictures showing before, during, and after the mid-air scare. Sabrina, who did not respond to our request for comment, added, I wasn't anywhere I wasn't supposed to be, and that as a paraglider, you can't avoid a small plane. Police in Austria didn't name the paraglider or the 28-year-old pilot who told police he was unable to avoid the collision in time. But investigators say a motorized aircraft should give way to an unmotorized one and have charged the pilot with causing bodily harm through negligence according to local reports. Sabrina tonight discouraging people online from bad-mouthing either of them. While an experienced paraglider who regularly shares her adventures, she says now back on solid ground, it won't get any more exciting on this channel, so don't expect another stunt like this. My goodness, for more on that, I want to bring in Max Marion, a trained paragliding pilot and owner of Max Acro Paragliding in San Diego, California.

We're so going to have you with this, Max. I have to assume that this has been all over your algorithm. Like, was this suggestion all your group chats this video when it happened? Oh, yeah, absolutely. I only saw it for the first time last night, but it was an incredible event that took place. And this kind of thing is just incredibly rare. In my history in the sport, this is the first time I've ever heard of this happening. Wow. So can you walk us through it playing the video now? It seems like she did a lot of things right. There's one part in the video where you can almost see her head turn. It's almost like she hears the plane. And then obviously she's got that rescue shoot with her. Walk us through what you're seeing. Absolutely. So from this angle, it's most likely mounted in her lap, the camera angle, or could be on her head. Anyways, it's a 360 camera, so it's a dilated or a fish-eye perspective. The lines of the paraglider are about 25 feet long. So that means that this plane came in about 10 feet, maybe 15 above her head.

And she was just incredibly lucky that there was no contact with the aircraft, just with that. the paraguiter and that it didn't catch her and hold her. It just broke free. It wasn't just luck though, right, Max? I mean, she was ready to go with that emergency backup parachute. She kept her wits about her. She didn't freak out as far as we could tell. Oh yeah. In terms of luck, I'm just speaking about the initial collision. Sure. After the collision occurred, she did exactly the right thing. She went for her emergency parachute and it worked very quickly for her. So that's... That was a great save.

And do you, Max, do you train for something like this? Like, I can't do you train? Oh, if a plane hits your shoot, here's what you do? Or is this just like one of those freak things? Well, we usually don't train for this specific scenario, but we do maneuvers training and simulated incidence training where we do use our parachutes intentionally, typically over our fresh body of water to practice the sequence of extracting

and deploying the reserve parachute. It's basically just a hand. tossed a round squared parachute in that little pouch. And you can see her extract it and then the parachute actually came out. Believe it or not, she made a little mistake here. And you can see it on camera in the deployment. She didn't release the handle. But the parachute still managed to come out of the bag and deploy success. Which is just huge. You know, I wonder, Max, when you're looking at something like this, and I'll use an analogy of like if you're boating on a lake, let's say, and somebody's kayaking and somebody's in like a speedboat or whatever.

Talk about the right-of-way or talk about the way that people, you know, share the sky, if you will, when it comes to these recreational activities. Great question. Well, this is a classic operation in open airspace. So in open airspace, we're not near an airport. We're not under control tower observation. So the rule of the sky is see and avoid. whichever aircraft sees the collision hazard has a duty to avoid it. And in this scenario, neither saw the collision hazard with enough time to respond.

Max Marion, we're so glad to have you walking us through. It's incredible, right? I mean, this whole thing has been amazing. Oh, yeah, absolutely. And, you know, being a surfer from San Diego, this is on far with if you were out surfing and got hit by a speedboat. It's an incredibly rare occurrence. We usually don't share the same areas, but we do cross through each other's paths once in a while.

It's a big sky, even bigger than the ocean. So collisions like this are incredibly rare, and I'm just so grateful that nobody was injured. There was no damage, really, aside to the paraglider, it seems. And that all parties walked away is an incredible success story for a mid-air collision. Yeah, I'll tell you what, Max, you and me both grateful for that. and none more so than perhaps Sabrina. Thank you, Max Mary. We really appreciate you being on with this tonight.

Thanks. Coming up here on the show, a lot more ahead, including the Star Wars franchise, back on the big screen for the first time in years, but was the force strong enough to bring in those big numbers to the box office? Plus, Lino Messies scare on the field, the soccer legend, leaving a game hurt.

So what does it mean for his World Cup hopes? But first, top stories, top moment, and the special soldier surprise for one sibling. Army private Antoine Walker has been stationed in Texas since January, but he did not want to miss the prom of his sister, Deona, in North Carolina. So he coordinated with his mom to make that dream a reality. Watch. Some understandable emotion there. We're so glad Private Walker was able to be there at this milestone for his sister. We thank him for his service. Stay with us. We've got more top

story on the way. We are back with a health warning ahead of tick season. New data shows visits to the ER because of tick bites are starting to hit record highs. Our Dana Griffin has the details on the reasons behind it and how to protect yourself. Yeah, I start with her head first. Chelsea and Jameson Latco have been battling ticks for months. Tick season started a little bit earlier this year than last year. Pretty much the second the weather got nice. We let the dog out and she came back in with a tick.

The Northport New York couple take the job very seriously. Spraying their property with repellent, cutting their grass weekly and regularly weeding. We're taking smarter approaches to minimize our exposure. Both say they have already been bitten by ticks multiple times this year. My biggest concerns are that one of us are going to get sick or that our dog is going to get sick. They're not alone. Data shows a record high spike in ER visits for tick bites last month, with states in the Northeast seeing the highest rates.

According to the CDC, Lyme disease is the most common tick-related illness with nearly half a million Americans diagnosed each year. Dr. Peter Griffin is an emergency medicine physician in West Virginia. The milder winters and earlier springs contribute to there being more ticks around and more animals harboring diseases like Lyme disease. There's no vaccine yet. To prevent contracting a possible disease, experts say wear appropriate clothing, use insect repellent, check for ticks and remove them.

Sit. For the Lacos, their fight against ticks is just getting started. Good dog. I think ticks will be part of our lives for a long time or as long as we're still here. A reminder this season, Yeah, bring it pull. Small bites carry serious risks. Dana Griffin, NBC News.

Now to Top Storage News feed and a union for rideshare drivers who say they're the first in the nation to be certified by a state. App Drivers Union just announced it's been officially recognized by Massachusetts. It's expected to represent nearly 70,000 drivers and will be able to bargain. on their behalf to try to get a contract with rideshare companies. In New York City, police releasing new video of people breaking into a building belonging to the Church of Scientology, part of a viral trend called speed running. We've talked about it on top story. In this particular incident, police say more than 30 people broke in earlier this month, causing about $10,000 in damage.

A worker was also heard. They're now asking for help to identify the suspects. In Florida, a dramatic boat crash caught on camera outside a waterfront restaurant. Earth cam video shows the boat pulling away. Look at this, turning, slam it into the other boats. It goes across the front of that one, ends up on the dock in Fort Lauderdale. Somebody goes flying there. Officials say at least two people were hurt.

Nobody's been arrested. NBC Miami reports, it looks like the driver put it in forward instead of in reverse. And some growing questions tonight over whether one of the world's biggest soccer stars will play at all in the World Cup. Lino Messy was forced out of his game for Inter Miami last night. He seemed to be grabbing at his thigh. Now, ESPN at Argentina is reporting he had a little bit of a hamstring strain and could miss up to two weeks. Now, that means he could still have some time to recover for the World Cup. Argentina's first game is set for June 16th.

Also tonight, we are learning more about the stunning death of NASCAR legend Kyle Bush, his family, sharing he died of sepsis caused by severe pneumonia with tributes pouring in this weekend from all across the racing world. Our Kali Hartung has more. We formed the missing man formation to honor. Kyle Busch. NASCAR's longest race, becoming a heartfelt memorial for Kyle Bush. You and your children are NASCAR family forever. His wife Samantha and their children, Brexton and Lennox, overcome with emotion as the crowd at the Coca-Cola 600 honored the man they called Rowdy.

Make you be proud. Kyle's brother, NASCAR star Kurt Busch, laying down flowers at the painted number eight in the infield. The community embracing the family. In a heart-wrenching moment, fellow driver Kyle Larson's son consoling 11-year-old Brexton and Bush's friend Bubba Wallace paying tribute yesterday and opening up about Kyle's support for other drivers. To know that a person that helped mold who you were is paying attention even though you're running against each other is super empowering. At the Indy 500. On lap 18, we run. remember Kyle Busch. A moment of silence on lap 18, one of Bush's racing numbers, as the pylon was

lit in his honor. It all comes days after Bush's family revealed the 41-year-old died because severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications. He's awake. He's on the bathroom floor right now. NBC News obtained a 911 call made the day before Bush's death when he was rushed to the hospital. Dr. said, it's possible his rapid decline was the result of a lingering infection. What happens with any sort of infection is if you don't catch it with enough time, it can turn into sepsis. Two weeks ago, he radioed for a doctor just after finishing a race. I'm going to need a shot. And later said he was dealing with a substantial cough. You can kind of still hear it. I'm still not great. The winningish

driver in NASCAR history leaves behind an indelible legacy. Last year, showing no desire to slow down when he stop by today. I still got plenty in the tank. I'm ready to go. Former teammate Denny Hamlin, calling Bush larger than life. I just think Kyle and his influence in the sport were just now starting to see it. And it was certainly an emotional weekend with so many honoring Kyle Bush and his family. But one of the most touching gestures comes from his racing team, RCR, saying it will retire Bush's number eight car until his 11-year-old son, Brexton, is ready to compete and take over his father's lasting legacy. Back to you. Kaylee, thank you. Now to the hill country

of Texas and a community resolved to rebuild after catastrophic floods killed more than a hundred people last July. One family, purchasing and restoring a summer camp that was devastated by the floods. And as they told our Ryan Chandler, safety is top of mind as they look to welcome campers back. It's the sound of hope in the hill country. As the race to reopen is on.

What do you see when you look around at your new camp? Magic? Does feel like a miraculous task at hand for John and Elizabeth Hay. Rebuilding the girls' camp their daughter has loved for years from the ground up after it was destroyed last summer. The heart of the hills was among the many summer camps devastated. Its longtime director died when the floodwaters took her from the camp grounds. One of more than a hundred killed across the region. The search and recovery that we did really refined our perspective on our future.

The day after the flood, John and Elizabeth were on the ground helping first responders. In their search for survivors, they found a new purpose. The things that we were doing with our daily life didn't matter the same way that they did before the flood. We want to do the right thing for the future. And this is doing the right thing right now. The right thing isn't always easy. They decided they would buy the camp and give their own land and resources to build it again. With safety top of mind, 100 feet above the floodplain.

The new location is designed to keep kids safe and parents at ease. Our vision for it is just going to make it a fantastic property for the girls. But it's an around-the-clock sprint to finish before they welcome back the first session of girls this week, hoping to make the same memories in a changing environment. Did the tragedy in the hill country last summer change the way we will view summer camps forever? It will never be forgotten the tragedy of last summer. The respect for the river is important and the respect for Mother Nature. It's critical that we, as we went into this project, that young people, in our case, young ladies, come to camp.

They have a wonderful time and do so in a safe and welcoming environment. But we ended our day down on the banks where the water once rose 34. We're excited to hear the sounds echoing off of this of young ladies, cannonballs, and just the laughter. An excitement to reclaim a river that took so much, but still promises so much more. Camp is a spirit and it is moving here. You see the girls tell me again and again, camp is my favorite place in the world. And what I tell them is we've got a new home. A new home with the same.

with the same heart. In the Texas Hill country, Ryan Chandler and BC News. Coming up, the new warning from Pope Leo, why he says AI is fueling conflict around the world and what he wants leaders to do about it. Plus, crews racing to rescue a group of people trapped inside a cave overseas, how a new team of experts is working to get them out.

That's next. We are back now with a new warning from Pope Leo, tackling the issue of artificial intelligence in a sweeping new document in it, The Pope, cautioning AI, could become a tool of what he calls domination, exclusion, and death, calling for the technology to be disarmed for humanity's sake. Here's Ann Thompson. Today, Pope Leo, leader of the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church, taking on a modern and urgent issue,

artificial intelligence. Let's not fear artificial intelligence, but constantly keep the question of the human in play. Living in the age of AI is the subject of his first and sense. cyclical, magnificent humanity. The Chicago-born pontiff doing what no Pope had done in recent memory, attending the presentation of this teaching letter to the church underscoring its significance. Artificial intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion, and death.

This is not about rejecting technology, the Pope writes, but preventing it from reducing people to data, taking jobs and the dignity of work, and being a power that stays in the hands of a few. He calls for government regulation, and while warning against what he says is a new type of slavery in the digital world, Leo criticizes the delay both society and the church came to denounce the scourge of slavery, writing, for this in the name of the church, I sincerely ask for pardon. Getting attention, the presence of AI giant Anthropics co-founder Christopher Ola, asking for help. We need informed critics who will tell the labs when we are failing. An offer Leo embraced.

I accept your invitation to walk together. Anne is joining us now. Anne, it's so good to see you. So let's talk more about this, the idea that even as the Pope is in some ways calling out AI companies, saying he wants to work with them in other ways. You've got the co-founder of Anthropic alongside him. Kind of controversial here. And I think there's some concerns that it's almost like, you know, God's voice on earth

picked a favorite AI company, right? Walk us through that piece of it because it's really unusual. Yeah, that would be a total misinterpretation of this event. The Pope makes very clear in this encyclical that he does not know how, you know, the technical qualities of AI, what he is concerned is about the impact of AI. And they have been having conversations with Silicon Valley. Some go back as long as 10 years about this very subject. And I think what you saw here today was Christopher Ola, who was the co-founder of Anthropic. He has been thinking about these issues, and that is why he was invited today. But this is by no means of Vatican endorsement of one AI company over the other. The Vatican never wants to get in that space.

what the Pope is looking for is someone to work with him, this culture of encounter that he speaks a lot about Hallie. And I think what you saw there today was you saw Olaas say, look, we need moral voices here. We need help because we don't have all the answers. And the Pope accepted that invitation. And it is a big deal, Anna, feels significant that this is the topic that the Pope decided to do this first encyclical on, right? Symbolically. It is. It is. But it's It's not a surprise, Halley. I mean, from the day after he was elected in addressing the College of Cardinals, he brought up the issue of artificial intelligence and its impact on people, on work, on justice. And he made it very clear this was going to be a focus of his papacy. In fact, it's part of the reason why he chose the name Leo the 14th. Leo the 13th wrote the encyclical in the wake of the Industrial Revolution that called for a living wage and called for trade unions.

Now you see Leo the 14th addressing the revolution of our time, this revolution of artificial intelligence, and calling for people to be at the center of it, for technology, not to forget people, and to make sure that their dignity is preserved in as we go forward. Which is fascinating. Ann Thompson, thank you very much for that. It's the top story's Global Watch now, starting in Southeast Asia, where rescuers are racing. facing against time trying to reach seven people trapped in a cave. Take a look here. Crews in central Laos say they went inside last week looking for gold before flash flooding blocked the exit. One person managing to escape and tip off officials. Now you've

got experts from Thailand joining the rescue effort who also reportedly helped save a young Thai soccer team who got stuck in a cave back in 2018. And China launching three astronauts on a mission to space. Look at the blast off here. This spacecraft is headed to the Chinese space station. One of the astronauts on board is expected to stay up there for an entire year, which would make it among the world's longest single stays in space. It comes as China is looking to make its first moon landing by 2030. And not even a record-breaking heat wave could stop Britain's annual cheese-rolling competition, as one does. Dozens of people look at this racing down this hill today chasing after a big wheel of cheese. It was a German YouTuber taking home the top spot for the third year in a row.

one could say. The temperature got to near 90, the hottest on record there for the month of May. The competition dates back to the early 1800s and is meant to mark the return of spring. Now to the billionaire-backed sporting event making its controversial debut in Vegas this weekend. We first told you about the enhanced games last week. Dozens of athletes competing in tracks, swimming, weightlifting, allowed to compete using performance-enhancing drugs. So how do the athletes actually do? Our Shaq Brewster takes a closer look. Greek swimmer Christian Colomew racing across the pool, finishing the 50-meter freestyle faster than the official world record time. Colombees, Colombeck, proud world record!

His victory earning him over a million dollars in prize money. He's going to change my life to do the good for sure. But despite the fanfare and celebrations, the official world record will go untouched. Colomiev's winning time yesterday, unofficial because it's at the enhanced games. It's time to meet our athletes. It's the highly controversial sporting event, backed by the likes of Donald Trump Jr. and tech billionaire Peter Thiel. This is life-changing, no? That's life when you enhance, baby.

That allows swimming, weightlifting, and track athletes to take FDA-approved performance-enhancing drugs like steroids, blood boosters and testosterone under medical supervision. Now the people at home can also get enhanced and become the best they've ever been. Tom spoke with the game's chief sporting officer last week. The very simple question. Why? Well, I think the main reason is that, you know, we're interested in athletes pursuing their human potential and their limits and doing it in a medically rigorous fashion. The organization loosening the rulebook on doping, even selling injectables and supplements on its website. Also permitting long band apparel like the synthetic super suit for swimming. The super suit is crazy.

But despite the drug-fueled boost, only one world. record was topped. And in the 100-meter sprint, Olympian Fred Curley won. He says, without using performance-enhancing drugs, beating out several athletes who did. I'm not a judgeer, so everybody came here to do their own responsibility to show the case their talent to the world. The event widely condemned by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency. So I decided to out-cheed him the right way. And mocked by several Olympic swimmers, including Dutch Olympian Niels Kirstangey. who posted this video swimming faster than the world record, wearing flippers and a plastic shark fin.

What's the biggest fear that you have with what you're seeing? I'm just really scared that something like this would almost poison the idea of sport, where all of a sudden it's the science experiment that you can win by spending the most money. But event leaders say pushing boundaries is the point. I'm incredibly proud and worked six Olympic games and have enormous respect. But what we're doing is something different. Enhanced scrutiny for the enhanced games, raising new questions about the bounds of athletic competition. Shack is joining us now.

Okay, Shaq, let's talk results because it seems like kind of a mixed bag for organizers. You had one athlete crack a world record. Dozens of others put up PRs, right? That's a great point, especially considering the talk that you had coming into this weekend. We were told that multiple world records would be broken. There was one sprinter who said he was going after Yusine Bolt's record. He said it would be shattered, and he did not even come close. But, Halley, when you look at the overall athletes that were competing,

these were many Olympians that were competing, but arguably many of them were past their prime. So for them to achieve those personal bests, that does show something about the potential of what this league could ultimately do. The tone that you heard from many of them, Halley, is that this was just their first time coming up, that they're going to go home, they're going to train harder, They're still going to use those performance-enhancing drugs,

and that they will be back, they say, to knock out some more world records in the future and win the million-dollar prize that comes with accomplishing that, Halley. All right, we'll see. Shaft Brewster, thank you very much. Turning now to the weekend box office, and the force of the Star Wars franchise may not be quite so strong on the big screen.

You know, the latest movie The Mandalorian and Grogu grossed $81 million domestically this opening weekend. That sounds like a lot. But remember the budget, $165 million. To talk more about this, I want to bring in Eric Davis, managing editor for Fandango. Eric, I'm glad to have you with us. Thanks for being here. Thank you for having me.

I am not one to sniff at $81 million, friend. Okay, that's maybe respectable. But when you compare it to the other sort of Star Wars, Disney-owned Star Wars movie releases, you look at $200 million for the other ones, right? Like, you see the scale, you see the numbers here. What happened? Yeah, I mean, context matters here, Halley. The theatrical marketplace today is fundamentally different than when Disney's earlier Star Wars films launched. So comparing directly to pre-pandemic peak franchise openings isn't exactly apples to apples. And even with that comparison, the film still opened at Blockbuster scale, demonstrated that Star Wars remains one of the few brands capable of driving a true global event release. Keep in mind, this is the first theatrical Star Wars movie in years. So reestablishing the franchise cadence in cinemas is also part of the story here.

But, Hallie, the audience loved it. 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The only Star Wars films with a higher audience score than that are the three original Star Wars movies. So lower box office, but the audience that's showing up is really enjoying it. Could it be because Grogu is so cute? I mean, that could be part of it. I don't know. But let me, you talk about context, Eric.

There's part of this, too, because the Mandalorian was a story. was a streamer on Disney Plus. And so I wonder if there are any lessons that you think, you know, these executives are taking of trying to move something from streaming to the big screen here with the Mandalorian. Yeah, well, I mean, the lesson here is that it did good. You know, the other, the last spinoff that they had, the Han Solo movie. This performed, I think, slightly under that film. It's gotten to over 100 million domestically, 163 million worldwide.

So it performs. I think it's showing Disney that audience is still. love Star Wars and it matters and that there is a pathway to bring these streaming characters onto the big screen. And I think a lot of TV shows are doing that. We saw Stranger Things do that over New Year's. We just saw the boys do it for its finale. So I think audiences are wanting more in theaters. And I think transitioning some of these TV shows onto the big screen is a pathway to do that. Well, they're going to get more this summer as we sort of turn the corner into the unofficial start for summer here. And what experts say could be the biggest summer season.

for blockbusters for like Hollywood in years, really. I mean, since the pandemic, you got the Odyssey from Christopher Nolan, you got Disclosure Day, you got some big franchises out. Give us the landscape as you see it from now through like Labor Day here. Yeah, I mean, you just mentioned it. We have a Steven Spielberg movie and a Christopher Nolan movie in the same summer, which I, you know, fans are going to be feeding off of that. We have a new Toy Story movie. I expect that to be one of the biggest movies of the summer. It was rated the most anticipated in the survey at Fandango. You have a new minions movie. The minions always crush at the global box office.

And of course, Spider-Man is swinging into theaters and a Supergirl movie as well as a He-Man movie. So there's just a lot of variety. And that's not even talking about the horror movies. We have a horror movie in theaters right now that's going to be one of the biggest success stories of the year. It's called Obsession.

So some of that original stuff is popping through, the franchises and the nostalgia. I think it's got a great recipe for success. So can we say it? Movies are back, theaters are back, this is it? I look, movies have been back. I think theaters have been back. There's always going to be peaks and valleys at the theatrical box office. But right now, it's been a great year so far. Audiences are showing up. The younger audiences are showing up. And it's going to be a great summer.

Eric Davis, appreciate you. Thank you for coming on today. When we come back, we've got much more here on Top Story, including a salute to those who serve and the touching tributes for all the fallen heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Stay with us. Finally, tonight on this Memorial Day, we honor and remember those who serve, including two Medal of Honor recipients, ordinary Americans who took extraordinary action in the service of others. Two of those heroes sat down with our Aaron Gilchrist. A somber observance to honor all of those who fought and died for their country. Memorial Day is a day in which we can express our love for those who have sacrificed their lives for this great country. Pat Brady and Jim McLuhan both served in Vietnam. Brady, a helicopter ambulance pilot, McLuhan, a combat medic, each a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the military's highest distinction for valor. If you think about the safety of another person, then that takes your thought away from any kind of danger.

Today they joined fellow Medal of Honor recipients at Arlington National Cemetery, all of them intimately aware of the cost of war. I held 18, 19, and 20-year-old boys in my arms. I heard their last words, and I saw the last breath of life come out of their body. In 1969, private McLuhan ran into a hail of gunfire and grenades, saving nearly a dozen lives. The best part of my ceremony was when President Trump turned to 10 men that I invited that was in that battle. Where are you? And he asked them to stand up. They got their due recognition.

Pat Brady wears the same honor, given to him by President Nixon, for a day in Vietnam when he battled fog and smoke on four helicopter flights across hostile territory, narrowly surviving as he evacuated more than 50 severely wounded men. Fear is an emotion. Courage is a decision. At least my faith was a substitute for fear. For the 64 living Medal of Honor recipients, the mission continues, telling the story. stories of the courageous, of the patriotic. There were 89 of us went in. Eighty-eight other guys owned this metal right here. This wouldn't be around my neck if it wasn't for them. It's so important that we remember that we are grateful. Grateful for American heroes and the last full measure of devotion. Aaron Gilchrist, NBC News, Arlington, Virginia. Our thanks to Aaron for that. And our thanks to you for watching Top Story on this Memorial Day. Tom will be back

tomorrow. I'm Hallie Jackson in Washington. Stay right there. We've got more news on the way.