Top Story with Tom Llamas - Monday, September 15, 2025

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

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

Tonight, President Trump announcing another lethal strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat. Trump releasing this video appearing to show a vessel erupting into flames after a U.S. military hit. The president saying, quote, three male terrorists were killed. It comes just weeks after a deadly U.S. strike on a different Venezuelan boat what it all means for rising tensions in the region. Also tonight, new evidence linking Charlie Kirk's accused killer to the gruesome crime. revealing DNA evidence was found near the scene on a towel and a screwdriver. What the suspect's family is saying about his political ideology and the popular video game he allegedly referenced in his messages.

Disturbing new details about the 16-year-old Evergreen Colorado shooter, the violent website that may have inspired him also visited by killers at other schools. Were there any warning signs? And just breaking tonight, the president detailing plans to send the National Guard into Memphis what he just said inside the Oval Office. TikTok for sale? Both the Trump administration and the Chinese government saying there's framework for a deal. So who's in the mix to buy the popular social media app?

The president and the king massive security preps underway in the UK as President Trump prepares to meet with King Charles, the city unleashing snipers, armed speedboats, and choppers in a striking show of force. And is chat GPT your financial advisor? More and more people turning to AI to solve their money problems, why this new trend could be bad for your budget. Plus, celebrating 100 years of photo booths, how the old school tech is having a picture-perfect comeback. Top story starts right now. All right, we want to begin tonight with President Trump announcing another deadly strike against a Venezuelan boat he says was carrying drugs. The president posting this video to truth social, saying it shows the moment U.S. military forces carried out the, quote, kinetic strike in international waters, killing three people on board.

Trump describing them as, quote, narco-terrorists who were transporting illegal narcotics headed to the U.S. It's the second strike in recent weeks as tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. continued to mount. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell has been following it all, and she leads us off tonight. New tonight, another deadly U.S. military strike, a second this month against a Venezuelan target. President Trump posted this 26-second video marked unclassified, a boat bobbing at sea, suddenly a blinding flash and apparent destruction. Flames engulfed the vessel. On my orders, the president wrote, the strike resulted in three male terrorists killed in action. The White House has not made evidence public, but the president,

said the boat carried confirmed narco-terrorists who were transporting illegal narcotics and described the impact late today to reporters. We're seeing that there's like no ships, no, you know, when the first one we went, there were hundreds of boats. Now there are no boats. I wonder why, meaning no drugs are coming across, probably stopping some fishermen too. According to the Trump administration, this strike and a similar attack on another boat earlier this month happened in international waters. Certain gangs named as foreign terrorists. The president with a stark warning tonight. We're telling the cartels right now, we're going

to be stopping them too. When they come by land, we're going to be stopping them the same way we stop the boats. The White House has labeled the government of longtime leader Nicholas Maduro a, quote, narco terror cartel. Maduro has called U.S. actions against boats an embarrassment to the international community. All right. With that, Kelly O'Donnell joins us. tonight from the White House. Kelly, I also want to ask you about that other big headline. The president's crime crack down here in the U.S. He just announced plans to send the National Guard into Memphis. What do we know? Well, one of the things that stands out is Tennessee is a red state, and the governor is supportive

of this move. So are the two U.S. senators, all Republicans. And what we expect is that this will be the same kind of thing we have seen happening in Washington, D.C. as an example, although a state has different rules and so forth. That's federal agents from a variety of different agencies and departments, National Guard, there to try to support what has been a crime problem in Memphis. It's one of the cities that has stood out in the national conversation because Memphis has had notable crime but has also welcomed this approach. And that's maybe a difference. The president also talked about wanting to do this in Chicago where the Democratic governor there has said, no, they do not want that. And so the president wants to use this

authority in a place where he is welcomed by state-level leadership to avoid any potential legal fight over that and to see if they can make this plan of trying to suppress crime actually work in another place. Critics say it is not a permanent solution and it doesn't address the underlying concerns that bring about crime. But the FBI director here today also was in support of what they call Operation Summer Heat continuing into the fall. Tom? Okay, Kelly O'Donnell for us, Kelly, we thank you. Now, our other Major breaking story tonight, the new details we're learning about the suspect in the Charlie Kirk assassination. The FBI revealing two critical pieces of DNA evidence and the new reporting about an online message officials say it links him to that killing.

Morgan Chesky on the ground again for us in Utah. Tonight, a chilling portrait emerging of the suspect police say assassinated Charlie Kirk. The Washington Post reports citing two people familiar and a screenshot. He appeared to confess in an online group chat. turning himself in, writing, Hey, guys, I have bad news for you all. It was me at UVU yesterday. I'm sorry for all of this.

The FBI director revealing two pieces of evidence had the suspect's DNA. A towel wrapped around the murder weapon and a screwdriver found on the roof, saying the suspect had a hatred of Kirk. His family has collectively told investigators that he subscribed to left-wing ideology and he had a text message exchange.

he, the suspect with another individual, in which he claimed that he had an opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and he was going to do it because of his hatred for what Charlie stood for. The FBI now investigating if anyone had information before the shooting and did not tell authorities. President Trump was asked if the suspect worked alone. I don't know. I mean, I can tell you he didn't work alone on the internet because it seems that he became radicalized on the internet. Here at Utah County Jail, authorities say that Tyler Robinson is now on a special. watch status, meaning even closer supervision, adding he'll stay there until passing a mental health

evaluation. The FBI saying they're also speaking to his roommate, who authorities say he was romantically involved with. We can confirm that that roommate is a boyfriend who is transitioning from male to female, so we know that piece. I will say that that person has been very cooperative with authorities. While the arrow symbols on one of the suspects alleged inscriptions on fired rounds, which follows the message, hey, fascist catch, may be related to controller moves to drop bombs in the video game, Hell Divers 2. Kirk was married with two young children, the vice president today, hosting his podcast. Get involved. Get involved. Get involved. It's the best way to honor Charlie's legacy.

Okay, Morgan Chesky joins us tonight. Morgan, just behind you here, that's a crime scene. We can see the American flag draped over it. And tomorrow's going to be a big day in this investigation. Yeah, Tom, you're absolutely right, because tomorrow will mark the formal charges against a 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. We know that investigators have been building their case among those charges we anticipate aggravated murder and important to note here, Tom, that in the state of Utah, that does carry the potential for the death penalty, something the governor here has made it very clear, needs to remain on the table in terms of this crime. Tom. Okay, Morgan Chesky for us. Morgan, we thank you. We're also following a crackdown.

from the Trump administration targeting liberals, they say, are responsible for political violence. It comes as several employers have fired people for their comments about Charlie Kirk's death. Courtney Kubey is following that part of the story. She joins us from Washington. The Trump administration's effort to find and punish Americans who criticized Charlie Kirk intensifying. So when you see someone celebrating Charlie's murder, call them out in hell, call their employer. Some employers already firing or suspending people for their posts about Kirk. impacting teachers, commercial pilots, doctors, and even NFL staff. Today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio floated revoking critics visas.

We should not be giving visas to people who are going to come to the United States and do things like celebrate the murder, the execution, the assassination of a political figure. Two defense officials telling NBC News, Secretary Pete Hegeseth has directed his staff to look for posts from service members. Pentagon leaders quickly getting behind that policy. The Marines say they fired a recruiter for an alleged post. about Kirk's death reading, another racist man popped. Experts say expect those firings to be challenged in court. Simply saying unpleasant things or unflattering things or things you just disagree with

concerning another person who's not a public official, who was never a public official, I think it cannot be punished by any part of the government. On social media, people who've criticized Kirk are being called out. Their names and photos widely circulated. some using the hashtag revolutionaries in the ranks. One post about an army officer who allegedly shared direct quotes from Kirk has been viewed more than seven million times. They're not giving up their First Amendment rights when they swear an oath to serve in the military. Absolutely not. They may apply somewhat differently, but the principle is the same.

Courtney, let's pick up the conversation right there. You mentioned there, you're talking about the Department of Defense. Do we know that has the military had any idea yet of how many service members they've? let go. So far, Tom, there's been a handful who were fired immediately. As soon as these social media posts were exposed and their commanders found out about them, there are others who are now under investigation. In at least one case, there's an entire command that's under investigation because of what one service member allegedly posted on social media. At this point, the Pentagon is defending these policies, saying that they have a zero tolerance policy for anyone who would be

critical of Charlie Kirk and specifically the way that he died, the way that he was murdered. At this point, we are not getting any pushback to any of these firings from senior military leaders of the Pentagon. Tom. Courtney Cueby with us. Courtney, we thank you. Tonight, chilling new details are emerging after a shooting at a Colorado high school. New analysis revealing a disturbing pattern of online behavior exhibited by the suspected gunman who wounded two students at his school last week. Some of that online behavior shared with other alleged mass shooters. Dane at Griffin explains.

Disturbing new details about the Evergreen High School shooter in Colorado. 16-year-old Desmond Holly was active on a violent Gore website tied to two other recent school shooters who in the past year have used the site before carrying out attacks according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League. The organization also reporting the team may have had plans to live stream the attack. He had been on our radar, you know, since at least July. The ADL says they didn't know his name, but had social media posts that raised red flags this summer. Those posts were shared with law enforcement, according to the ADL.

This particular website is filled with the types of content that glorifies previous mass shooters, whether they're school shooters or extremist shooters. It provides an opportunity for users to signal back and interact with one another. The FBI telling NBC News, they opened an assessment in July into the social media account but could not identify its user. Therefore, there was no probable cause for an arrest or additional law enforcement action. The morning of the shooting, the ADL says Holly posted this photo of a revolver on X, the same type of gun. Officials say he used to shoot two students last week before killing himself. Right now, children are killing other children and they have these websites.

that are the common thread. The ADL says online, Holly also expressed neo-Nazi views, a law enforcement source telling NBC News, they found anti-Semitic items inside his home. As for the victims, both remain hospitalized as the entire community tries to heal. Okay, Dana, let's talk about the school there.

Any word on whenever Green High School will reopen, the one in Colorado? They haven't indicated, Tom, yet when exactly they will reopen, but they made it clear on their website that they will be, close for the rest of the week. But once they do reopen, they are going to have a full-time school resource officer at Evergreen to kind of help students as they return and just to add a little bit of extra protection. Okay, Dana Griffin for us, Dana, thank you. We want to turn to

some developing news at Salt Lake City, Utah, where authorities arrested two men in an alleged terror plot to blow up a news media vehicle last Friday. Officials say an incendiary device was left underneath a vehicle belonging to the city's Fox News affiliate station, while outlets were covering the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. For more on the investigation, I want to get right to Steve Patterson, who joins us from Utah. So, Steve, talk to us more about the explosives that were discovered. Yeah, Tom, here's what we know so far. Two men, ages 51 and 38, arrested for suspicion of placing that incendiary device under a news vehicle, as you said.

And what authorities describe is a pretty populated area next to an occupied building. Thankfully, the bomb does not go off. I want to read the exact quote to you from authorities. They said it had been lit, but failed to function. Police, of course, fire department, bomb squad, all get on seeing to diffuse the situation. The two men likely facing weapons charges and terroristic threat charges. Yeah, Steve, just so it's far as viewers know, I don't know if you can see the screen, is that video of their neighborhood where they were arrested over the weekend or what exactly is that?

I can't see the screen, but I can tell you about it. The FBI serving the search warrant where the location of the suspects are. When they serve the search warrant, they find a bevy of new material. explosives, firearms, narcotics, and two weapons described as hoax weapons of mass destruction. No word yet on, of course, the motive or the relationship of the suspects. Tom? Okay, really strange story there. Steve, we thank you for that. Okay, to major news tonight on the future of TikTok, President Trump and his Treasury Secretary announcing today that the U.S. and China have reached a framework for a deal that would keep the popular social media app running for millions of American users.

The news coming just before a deadline that could have banned TikTok in the U.S. due to national security concerns. President Trump taking a truth social, saying a deal was reached on a certain company that young people in our country very much wanted to save. Adding, he will be meeting with President Xi on Friday, but the question still remains, who's actually going to buy the massively popular app and run it to walk us through it? I'm joined tonight by NBC's Savannah seller. So, Savannah, what do you know? That is the big question, Tom, is who is this going to be? So what we know so far, we got these comments today, as you mentioned from Treasury Secretary Scott Besson, as well as the U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer.

The big news here is that this was the only news, really, out of these trade talks today. They said that we have finally come to agreement. We heard Chinese officials also echo that. One of the things that was mentioned is they said that there's something going on here between two private companies. So we're going to wait for the details to come from President Trump and President Xi. But when I heard two private companies, what I'm thinking there, right, is bite dance is one of them. And who is this other person? Also, does that mean that it is one singular person or company that's buying it rather than a group of suitors?

The big speculation right now, Tom, is could Larry Ellison be involved? Obviously, his personal net worth could potentially make that possible for him. But also, his company, Oracle, is already a major partner to TikTok. It hosts all the U.S. data here. Essentially, TikTok does not work without Oracle, so they already have that relationship. But big other companies had thrown their hat in the ring, right? Amazon, Microsoft, you see on there sort of a consortium of a couple of people that had included. Kevin O'Leary, a sharking star.

Private investors that would love to get their hands up. Absolutely, including existing U.S. investors, by the way, who had already been part of TikTok? Can they up their stakes? So what happens if an American company does take over TikTok, the security concerns that so many had about it, including a lot of Republicans and Democrats, even Trump's inner cabinet,

is cabinet in his inner circle? Will that sort of alleviate those concerns? No, it's such a good question, Tom. I mean, President Trump is actually the one who, years prior, had actually started this whole concern and said TikTok is a national security issue, issue and now obviously made it even a campaign promise to end up saving the app. The big question, right, is a couple of things.

What will the infrastructure behind the scenes look like? Those are details we're waiting on. One of the big questions that this team was asked and we did not get an answer on is, does this new buyer get to own the algorithm? The reason that that could be important, Tom, is because it's not just data concerns. Like, can Chinese officials peek in at Americans' data? It's also, can they manipulate the content shown to Americans if they have control of that algorithm. That's going to be really important here to see. It's something that China has not

wanted to give up. That would be a big concession on their part of so. Okay. Savannah Seller's breaking it down for us. We thank you for that. We're back in a moment here on Top Story. America's favorite new financial advisor, chat GPT. More than 80% of Gen Zian millennial AI users now turning to chatbots to get them out of debt, building their savings and stay on a budget. But isn't the smart money move or could it lead to more problems? Plus, heightened security in the UK, as Britain prepares for an unprecedented second state. visit from President Trump will show you what's going on. And from rap to reform, R&B star Meek Mill leading the charge on criminal justice reform are Chloe Malas. It's down exclusively with the

artist turned activist. That story ahead. Back now with Money Talks and an article in the New York Times that caught R.I. A growing number of people are turning to AI for financial advice using platforms like ChatGBT to help them cut down on debt, save for big expenses, and even invest in the stock market. A new survey out this month from Intuit Credit Karma finds that roughly two-thirds of Americans surveyed who have used generative AI have used it for financial advice, including 82% of both Gen Z and millennials. The survey also found four and five people who have acted on that advice say it's actually improved their financial situation.

But the new trend doesn't come without risks. To break this all down, I'm joined tonight by the editor-in-chief of Investopedia. friend at Top Story. Caleb, always great to have you here. So the study says people use generative AI for finance more than almost any other subject except health and wellness. What are they getting at a chat GPT? Well, we call it the rise of Finn AI and 52% of those surveyed in that survey there by Credit Karma also said they made a bad decision based on the advice that they got from AI. So people are using it for some of the basic questions, a lot of budgeting, a lot of personal finance questions. You know some people are asking it for investment advice as well and tax help.

can be very good on giving you very general information. It's the nuance. That's important, and that's what I think a lot of people are missing. But for very basic questions, it is taking content from sites like Investopedia and giving it back. Have you tried it out for stock advice? Have you seen like kind of giving it a world to see if you learn anything? Absolutely. I asked it to build me a portfolio based on my age, based on my investment income, based on my current situation. And it was pretty close to the one that I currently have, minus the nuance of taxes and task loss harvesting and a lot of the efficiencies that I get working. with a financial advisor, but it gave me a pretty good idea of how I could start. It's just

what happens in a bear market. None of these have ever been through a bear market. Oh, that's a good point. I want to put this up on the screen for our viewers, because this is another interesting piece that came up in the study. Among generative AI users who ask about finances, 75% feel like AI allows them to ask questions. They're too embarrassed to ask others. I'm sure you get this all the time. I'm sure people get this. You know, like they're confused. They don't want to seem like they don't know how to handle money. And maybe they don't want to pay somebody, too. So here comes chat GPT for free. It's all of those things. It's simpler. It's more accessible. You don't have to make an appointment. There are no fees, obviously. No, you know, no appointments necessary,

and you don't have to check in. And if you're embarrassed to ask questions about your personal finance, great way to use it so you can get to the bottom of it. When it comes to actually putting together a financial plan, there's nothing that can replace a professional. It's like being on a plane. Everything's fine until everything's not fine. Then you want that professional right next to you. Let's put this up on the screen, too, because this was interesting as well. It's the one last part of the study. Among users who say they've acted on AI's financial advice, more than half say they've either made a bad decision or mistake based on the information the bot gave them. So talk to me about the risks here because some people, I hear them talk about chat GPT like it's the gospel.

You know, they'll say it's chat GPT. Well, chat GPT says this. It has to be true. That's not the case. Not necessarily the case. You've got to look at the sourcing and all of these AI tools and all of these chatbots have sourcing or they should have sourcing of where they're getting the content from. So if you're using it, by all means, make sure you're clicking on the links to make sure it comes from a reputable source, but you can get bad information, you can get phantom information, and you can be steered in the very wrong direction if you're not asking the right questions. And then when you get confused, there's really no one to ask, no one to call when things go wrong. So let's give them the advice that you would give people

here in Top Story. ChatGPT is free. It's not perfect. Financial advisors cost money. What should people do? Yeah, I would do use it for the basics. And if you're looking to build the basics of a financial plan or get out of debt, it is going to give you solid steps to do it. But the particulars, The stuff that is very particular and nuanced to you, go to a professional for that or go to someone that really knows what they're talking about because everybody's personal finance situation is super complicated. This is something that you may not be familiar with, but if you are, I'm curious. I know in the legal field, chat GPT at times, or some of the AI bots, I should say, have created fake legal cases. They end up getting cited in court. Judges and opposing counsel are at a loss because they've never heard of these cases. And it turns out that the AI created a fake case.

could that be something that happens with financial advice, too, and should people be very careful? Absolutely. Look, it's crawling a lot of financial forums, a lot of the annual reports. It's crawling a lot of sites, including ours, to get that information. Most of the time, it's from credible sources. But at the same time, there's so much information out there that these generative AI bots are really grabbing anything that seems similar to the query that you are asking and loading it into an answer that they think is right. Again, when they're wrong, you can't call them up and say, hey, you were wrong. Let's fix this problem. You're on your own.

All right. Caleb, Silver, so great to have you, as always, man. Thank you for being here. When we come back, safety in the sky, the troubling new report about toxic fumes leaking into airplanes and making people sick what travelers need to know, we'll explain. And sinking soda truck, video capturing the moment a truck collapses into a sinkhole in Mexico, the entire cargo container falling deep underground. What happened here? But first, top story's top moment, a nursing home just outside of Cleveland, barking the end of summer with an activity you might not expect. The facility staff setting up a slip and slide for residents, pulling them on an inflatable raft down the lawn.

Take a look. Oh, wow, be careful. Woo, just got cut off. Woo! Oh, wow. Oh, God. Woo! Wow.

Wow! Right about it. Right. Those nursing home residents proving it is never too late to get in on some summer fun, and that does look fun. All right, stay with us. We're back down with an exclusive piece of reporting in the Washington Post tonight on the Trump administration's push to remove what they call corrosive ideology. from America's national parks. The Post has learned from our sources

that officials have ordered signs and exhibits relating to slavery removed from multiple parks, including this famous photograph called the Scourged Back, showing scars on the back of an escaped slave. For more on this, I'm joined tonight

by the author of the piece, Jake Spring. Jake, thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it. Let's start with that photo we just showed. What have you learned about this? And where was it? Why do they want to take it down?

How much do you know about it? Tracking the changes the Trump administration has been making at national parks very closely to scrub out this corrosive ideology. And this particular image appears at several parks. It's a pretty famous image of an escaped slave, escape to union encampment, and was photographed there, and it actually caused a big stir at the time. It really awoke people in the north to how bad slavery was. And so I've learned that at one of the parks, they plan to remove this photo at the administration's direction.

I can't specify which park because of, to protect my sources, but one of the several where it's displayed. Yeah. And then what else have you learned? Because you mentioned multiple parks in your story. What else has been removed and where exactly that you can report on? So the administration directed park staff to flag any item they thought could run a field. foul of the administration's directive, which is being interpreted to apply to historic racism, sexism, any mentions of gay rights, persecution of the indigenous. So these have been flagged all over and now we're waiting for the administration to tell them which to remove. I've learned from my sources that at the Independence National Historic Park, that's the park that includes

where the Declaration of Independence was signed on any number of sites, the president's house site there where George Washington had slaves. Those plaques, those signs that describe the conditions of slaved in, who they were, have been deemed noncompliant, and the park staff need to rectify that by either changing it, removing it, covering them. And also at Harper's Ferry in West Virginia, a whole slew of items were flagged.

That was a critical site for the Civil War. It changed hands between the North and South many times. and also was where John Brown, the abolitionist, led a raid and ultimately fail a raid that got him caught and killed. Yeah. Are you hearing that is this done sort of in hush tones or is it sort of put out, you know, to staff and done sort of in the open? Have you gotten any kind of sort of characterization of how it's happening? It's very much being done off the books. You know, a directive goes out to perhaps the head of the park, and then they won't do anything else in writing. They'll do everything else verbally with the staff. They'll tell them what they're being told by the higher-ups.

And a lot of it is being left to reading between the lines. People at parks are afraid if they don't, the staff, they'll be fired if they don't flag enough. So even if they don't agree with it, they fear they have to go along with it, and they don't really know where the line is because it's being communicated so vaguely and really not. being done out in the open. Do you know what's happening to the historical markers? Are they being stored away? Are they're being tossed?

We don't know for sure yet. Mostly they're being told they have to deal with them. And again, they're leaving it to the staff to determine what that is. But, I mean, the realm of possible is basically remove it, cover it, or change it. We're hoping to confirm more. We're expecting moves on that as soon as this week to actually carry out removals and we'll see what it looks like then. Where has the Washington Post's reporting been

sort of on the larger picture as well? So you've seen this happening in national parks. There's been a lot of talk about the Smithsonian exhibits as well and the museums. Any talk or word of removals there? It's been a while since I've followed it, but I know there was definitely talk of it.

I'm trying to recall the museums, but I think, you know, the Museum of African-American history there was another museum where they changed references to Trump's impeachment, I believe. They removed it and replaced it, and I believe it was slightly different. But again, it's not really out in the open. So since those stories came out, I can't really tell you what the latest, latest is. Jake Spring, you can read his story in the Washington Post tonight.

Jake, we thank you for being here. Thanks a lot, Tom. Yeah. We want to turn out of Top Stories News Feed. We start with a fiery crash in Phoenix after a train and a semi-truck collided. Take a look at this wild video. Look at the top right of your screen. The surveillance video shows the moment the light rail train slammed into a truck and erupted into flames. Fire officials saying the truck driver was hurt, but it's now in stable condition. All the passengers who were on that train luckily were evacuated and they're going to be okay.

Crews are still investigating the cause of the crash. Two team boys charged with breaking into a Florida elementary school and vandalizing its media center. Police body cam footage captured the destruction you can see overturned tables, graffiti on the walls, shattered glass door. The suspects who are 12 and 13 years old, get this, they were both turned in by their mothers. They allegedly caused more than $50,000 worth of damage. The daughter of former FBI director James Comey filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration after she was fired from her role as a federal prosecutor. Maureen Comey is accusing the Trump administration of providing, quote, no legitimate explanation for her firing in July after almost 10 years of

service. She worked on several high profile cases, including those related to Sean Diddy Combs and Jeffrey Epstein. In the lawsuit, Comey is asking to be reinstated to her position, receiving back pay. The DOJ declined to comment. And future Hall of Famer Tom Brady announcing tonight he's coming out of retirement and returning to the field, but he's not hitting back to the NFL. Won-Wa. He says he's on the roster to play in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. The games are set to kick off in March in Saudi Arabia. It's around Robin tournament with big names like Sequan Barclay, Christian McCaffrey, and C.D. Lamb. Brady is also calling NFL games this season, of course, as an analyst for Fox Sports.

Okay, now to concerns about the air we all breathe on passenger planes with new data reported by the Wall Street Journal showing a troubling number of flight attendants and pilots becoming seriously ill from contaminated on-board fumes. Here's Tom Costello. It can happen when a plane suddenly fills with smoke or fumes. Close, Nana. Crew members describe smelling dirty feet, a wet dog, or Cheetos. In some cases, the fumes have caused debilitating headaches, dizziness, even suspected brain injuries. I was having trouble processing memory issues and had to change my diet due to the chemicals that were making its way through my body, and that took about three years for it to,

for most of it to leave the body. University of Pittsburgh neurologist, Dr. Robert, Kinniki has treated more than 100 flight attendants and pilots, many with concussion-like symptoms. Trouble with cognition, memory, studying, word finding, problems with learning, difficulties with mood or anxiety disorders or sleep. The likely cause, oil or hydraulic fluid leaking into the plane's bleed air system, which pulls outside air through the engines and into the cabin. Common on Airbus and Boeing planes, though not the 787. A Wall Street Journal investigation reviewed more than one million FAA and NASA reports and more than 100 interviews, finding the number of fume events jumped from roughly 12 per million flights in 2014 to 108 per million last year,

with more cases involving the popular Airbus A320. Airbus tells NBC News, Airbus aircraft are designed and manufactured according to all relevant and applicable airworthiness requirements. Both Boeing and the FAA insist cabin air is safe, and fume cases are rare. The industry could fix this tomorrow by installing filters where there is cabin bleed air on almost every aircraft around the world. The FAA and health experts stress that most odors are not toxic, and while neurologists say the symptoms usually disappear within days or weeks, some can be long-term. Tom. All right, Tom Costello for us, Tom. Thanks. Next night to an NBC News exclusive, Beyonce, Kevin Hart and some of the biggest names in Hollywood, raising more than $20 million for the Reform Alliance. It's a charity led by Meek Mill, whose arrest in 2017 sparked a nationwide

conversation about parole reform. Our Chloe Malas sat down with the rapper and co-founder Michael Rubin to talk about that moment in his past that changed everything and the work still to be done. The stars out in full force this weekend, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kevin Hart and DJ Khalid, joining some of the biggest names in entertainment. not for the Emmys, but for a cause very personal to rapper Meek Mill. I never thought I would be coming like the face of reform. At a fundraiser for the Reform Alliance, a non-profit focused on changing laws around probation and parole policies across the country.

I come from the other side of America. We always talk about it, but just climbing through poverty, climbing through being sent in and out of prison. Mill, who ended up in prison for violating his probation in 2017, co-founded the charity with Jay-Z and billionaire Michael Rubin. I just told Mike to come to court. and see how the system actually operates and he left with tears in his eyes. He gets sent to prison for two to four years for not coming to a wheelie on a motorcycle.

You know, he's right. It broke my heart. Loud calls for Mills release coming from Ruben, JZ and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Free Meat! Free Mead! The hashtag Free McMill exploding on social media. I'm seeing myself for the news, saying people march for me. Five months later, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered Mills's immediate release. NBC News's Lester Holt was there. I got a lot of responsibility. I got a lot of important

people depending on me and not talking about them people, them are public officials. I'm talking about them men that's depending on me going through the same thing I'm going to. The Reform Alliance now focuses on nonviolent parole and probation violations like Mills, known as technical violations. So what is a technical violation? When you're first put on probation, the judge reads a long list of conditions. That includes not being able to be around other people with a criminal record, having to make all of your meetings with your probation officer, having to find a job, having to pay a restitution oftentimes, having a curfew imposed upon you, not being able to leave your county or your jurisdiction where the crime was committed. So we hear some

horrifying stories where all of these conditions are misconstrued and are actually holding back in their lives. Something reformed CEO Jessica Jackson says they've spent the last six years going state by state to change. We've actually passed 22 bills in 12 different states at this point. 3.7 million individuals are under community supervision in the U.S. according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, once including grandmother Marcella Soto. Because of my probation and not able to travel at a state, I unfortunately missed a birth of my grandchild, which to the day I still, live with regrets. Soto telling us a new California law passed with support from the Reform Alliance allowed her to end her probation three years early. A lot of happy tears. I was I felt

free like I could breathe and get a part of my life back that I didn't have for those fears. The Reform Alliance says 120,000 people are under federal supervision. Almost 80% of the people who come home are put on federal supervision. Last year we introduced a bipartisan bill that would create a pathway to people earning their way off of supervision. That's the Safer Supervision Act. Where does President Donald Trump come into all of this? Well, as you know, President Trump signed into law the First Step Act. First Step Act has been extremely successful.

It's actually lowered the federal recidivism from 49% to about 9% of that. 5% is technical violations. We're hoping that he is going to see the need for the safer supervise. Vision Act, and that he'll support it as well. Reform star-studded gala at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, raising $20 million for a cause, Rubin says, is overlooked in criminal justice reform. I believe in following the law. And I also believe if people commit a crime, they should pay their appropriate time for that.

But what you shouldn't have is an unfair system. I mean, what does that feel like to have a friend like, Michael? I never had friends that put their life to the side that much that did that for me. so, you know, I honored people like that high in my life. If he didn't come to see me get sent to prison that day, it probably wouldn't be a reform. A mission years in the making, but far from over. Chloe Malas, NBC News.

All right, Chloe Malas, first, Chloe, we thank you for that story. And up next right here, the vaccine divide. Now more prominent than ever as vaccination rates dropped dramatically across the country. NBC News crunched the data from every state where it's leaving the nation's most vulnerable kids. President Trump's state visit to the UK prompting the biggest security operation

since the coronation of King Charles. R. Rav Sanchez gets a look at the latest preparations just ahead. We're back now with an NBC News exclusive. For the last six months, our health and medical unit in collaboration with Stanford University has been gathering extensive data on vaccination rates in counties

across all 50 states, and what they found was striking. NBC Stephanie Gosk reports. To go to Premier Charter School in St. Louis, students have to be up to date on their vaccines. And go. School nurse Virginia Wilson make sure they are. So it's a big chunk of your job in the beginning of the school year. It is my entire job at the beginning of the school year. And she says it's getting harder.

How many kindergartners this year needed vaccines? We're probably at, for our school, around like 20 percent need them. NBC News Medical Unit and researchers at Stanford University crunched school immunization. data from every state. In St. Louis City from the 2010 school year to 2024, the number of kindergartners fully vaccinated against measles has dropped from nearly 90% to 74%. We're just in the waiting phase before measles just comes and rocks the state of Missouri. The vaccination rate is well below herd immunity and three points lower than Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of a measles outbreak earlier this year. I'm surprised and shocked and that's scary.

Emily and Ryan Pratt's nine-year-old daughter Lucy has a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. Every month she gets an infusion to slow it down, and she takes daily medications that suppress her immune system, all the while going to fourth grade in a St. Louis public school. She's doing normal elementary school kid things. Yes. Right? Yeah.

It's terrifying to have to choose and know that there's going to be risk no matter what we choose. child or adult could cause an outbreak that she potentially would have life-threatening illnesses or complications from. The vaccination rates in St. Louis City are especially low, but in a six-month analysis of counties nationwide, NBC News discovered that since 2019, 77% of American counties have seen vaccination rates decline. In low-income areas, access to vaccines is a challenge, and that is combining with growing hesitancy. It is playing Russian roulette with your babies. Often spread by vaccine skeptics on social media. I wholeheartedly believe in not vaccinating.

While in the federal government, U.S. Health Secretary RFK Jr. has publicly questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines. He also recently dismissed an entire panel of vaccine experts and ousted the CDC director. In Missouri, the law mandates children be immunized to attend school unless they have a health or religious exemption. At Nurse Wilson School, that mandate means children without required vaccination. Or vaccinations or exemptions are barred from campus by early October. Are there some parents who say to you, I worry about giving my child a vaccination? Oh, goodness, yes. Yes.

So for our school, we try to talk with every parent. Like, it's not just a harassing email, hey, become compliant or else. We try and build that relationship with them so that they're able to share that type of information with us. And all I can do is say, that's not the case. Here is some new information. Let me help you understand this information. In Missouri, school funding is tied partially to attendance. And with vaccination rates down, that puts the struggling public school system in a difficult

position. The St. Louis School District declined our request for an interview, but the district's head nurse told NBC News that schools are not strictly enforcing vaccination rules. They want kids to stay in the classroom instead. She tells us that last year, there was a school where nearly 200 students were attending who were not fully vaccinated. In a statement to NBC News, the school district says school funding is not a factor in our decision making regarding immunization policy, that it is actively working to address the issue of

low vaccination rates and their priority is the health and well-being of their students, while adding the real-world application of the vaccination policy can be challenging. The Pratt family would like to see more done. There needs to be a concerted effort to say we need the vaccination. rate to increase. And this is how we're going to do it. Sounds like what you're looking for is a plan. It would be nice to have a plan, yes. And acknowledgement of the problem.

I think to get a plan, we have to acknowledge there's a problem. And with that, Stephanie Goss, joins us now in studio. So Stephanie, we have the tool up here just behind us. How does it work? Yeah, so there may be people at home who want to know about their county. This will tell them county to county. We have two maps online. This is the measles map for the MMR vaccine, the darkest. vaccine, the darker shades you see there, Tom, are lower vaccination rates. Let's take a closer look

at Kentucky, just as an example, Jefferson County, Kentucky. The vaccination rate there, 64.9% of kindergartners are fully vaccinated. That is well below the 95% you need for herd immunity. But let's also take a look at Maryland, at Baltimore County. You see the rate there is 97.7% of kindergartners fully vaccinated. This is live. It is on our website, NBCNews.com. com forward slash vaccine divide. All right, great tool to have. Stephanie, we thank you for that. Okay, we're going to head overseas now with Top Story's Global Watch, a soda delivery truck in Mexico City finding itself in a not-so sweet spot. Video capturing the moment it fell into a sinkhole over the weekend. The local mayor posting to social media saying they think it happened after

a drainage system collapsed. So far, no reports of any injuries. And South Korea is saying it plans to investigate whether workers suffered any human rights violations during that recent rate at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. More than 300 workers are now back in South Korea after being arrested in the operation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say they were detained for either working illegally or overstained their visas. In a post yesterday, President Trump insisted that the foreign workers are welcome in America and that he doesn't want to frighten off foreign investment. China is gearing up to open the world's tallest bridge. You can see it here. It stands. More than 2,000 feet high, almost twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower. The bridge is also more than 4,600 feet

long. We're told it has safety tracks and rubberized pavement to help make it more stable. The bridge is set to open later this month. Okay, this week, President Trump will make his second state visit to the U.K., and the country is preparing with the largest security operation since the coronation of King Charles. The country on heightened alert after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. We get the latest tonight from Ralph Sanchez. Tonight, the UK preparing to welcome President Trump with full military honours and a protective ring of steel thrown around Windsor Castle, where he'll stay as a guest of King Charles,

the first American president to make two state visits to Britain. Police say hundreds of armed officers and snipers will be deployed, a striking show of force in a country where police are rarely armed. Residents of Windsor and visitors to Windsor are used to seeing a fairly high police presence, including armed police. However, for this state visit, they will see an increase in those numbers. With military helicopters above London and police speedboats patrolling the River Thames. There's going to be a no-fly zone imposed here. Officers are especially concerned about somebody trying to fly a drone over the castle walls and into the grounds. That's because Buckingham Palace

says President Trump and the First Lady are scheduled to ride with the Royals in an open carriage, similar to when the French president visited earlier this year. But for security reasons, the Trump's carriage ride will be kept inside the castle grounds and hidden from the public. An unprecedented presidential visit secured by one of the biggest police operations Britain has ever seen. And Tom, authorities here say they haven't changed their security plans in response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, but they are certainly very aware of the heightened political tensions in the United States and the fact that President Trump survived two attempted assassinations last year. So they are leaving nothing to chance.

Police say that they have been working with the Secret Service for months ahead of this visit. And it's worth noting that Windsor Castle is used to hosting high-profile security events, including the wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle here back in 2018. Tom. All right, we thank Ralph for that. Still ahead on Top Story. it was the earliest form of the selfie. As the photo booth turns 100 years old,

a new generation is lining up to take photos with an old friend. We'll explain. Stay with us. Finally tonight, we're marking 100 years of the analog photo booth. Joe Fryer has this look at how a new generation is ditching social media filters and striking a pose with an old friend. On the streets of New York, a new generation is discovering an old friend. Oh, that was so cute. Old friend is the name of this analog photo booth with a young fan base. So you got a digital phone in your hand. Why do you need a photo booth? Because those

pictures turn out really cool. Madeline Ruska insisted on spending her 13th birthday here. How did you hear about this photo booth? On TikTok. Fitting when you consider this revitalized relic is owned by a Gen Z couple. Hearing people laugh, hearing people smile. There's nothing like it. Brandon, Minton and Zoe Lazarson say on a busy day wait times for an $8 session can reach an hour. What does that say that people are willing to wait 30 to 60 minutes for an analog photo? I think it's special, but I also have no idea why. I know why. People don't get to experience a tangible photo. And that's why these antiques are growing in popularity with about 200 now in circulation around the world.

Everything makes a comeback. Brianna Conley-Saxon is actually opening a photo booth gallery and museum in Manhattan called Auto Photo. What do you hope they get out of it? A photo to document a memory that they'll never forget. She also wants visitors to understand this is truly a labor of love. It's just been a lot of hard work. I'm just really excited about everybody to see it and experience it. Museum celebrates exactly a hundred years since a man named.

named Anatole Josepho invented the technology. Conley Saxon recently organized a convention in honor of that anniversary, giving enthusiasts a sneak peek at the museum's photo booths, which are decades old. These days, a lot of analog photo booths are inside bars, which means not everyone can access them. But here, at Auto Photo, anyone can flash a smile

and get a strip of picks. These aging icons are not easy to keep running. Each one houses what's basically a mini dark room that uses a chemical developing process and rare paper. How hard are these to maintain? They're very hard. They require a lot of love and a lot of patience. A lot of maintenance.

A lot of maintenance. Constant life of fixing and maintaining these things. It's worth it? Yeah. For them, this is more than a snapshot. It's a century-long tradition that's still developing. Joe Fryer, NBC News. Thanks so much for watching Top Story.

I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.