Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, December 8, 2022

Episode Date: December 9, 2022

Brittney Griner is released from a Russian prison and is on her way back to the U.S., detained American Paul Whelan's family speaks out, the car Idaho authorities are looking for in connection to the quadruple college murder, Celine Dion reveals her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis and the puppy who made a miraculous swim across the Hudson River.

Tonight breaking news, Brittany Griner, free on her way back to the U.S. The WNBA star boarding a plane in Russia on her way home after more than nine months in custody overseas. Griner swapped with a convicted Russian arms dealer known as the Merchant of Death, this video, showing the two crossing paths on the tarmac. Griner's wife with Biden at the White House this morning, their emotional call from the Oval Office, and their reactions coming in from her teammates tonight. but American Paul Wheeland still in Russian custody. The former Marine arrested on espionage charges in 2018.

His sister is going to join Top Story Live in just moments. Her message to President Biden and to her brother tonight. Also breaking the massive explosion at a soybean plant in Iowa, dozens of workers inside the time of the blast. The evacuations now underway. Have you seen this car the possible new lead in those horrific murders at the University of Idaho? why police think the occupants of this white Hyundai Yelantra

might have information about the four students who were killed. Surviving the triple-demic are Gabe Gutierrez inside a Boston hospital overwhelmed by the surge of respiratory infections. The story tonight of one little boy sickened by RSV, COVID, and the flu all in the same month. Plus, grand theft auto, car thefts skyrocketing to the highest level in a decade. Thieves taking their stolen goods on dangerous, joy rides. What's driving this troubling trend? And Celine's tearful revelation, the emotional message posted to the Grammy winner's Instagram, the private health battle she's opening up about,

and her emotional message to her fans. Top story starts right now. Hey, good evening, 294 days after Brittany Griner was taken into Russian custody. Tonight, the WNBA star finally getting her long-awaited homecoming. The two-time Olympian released in a high-stakes prisoner swap between the U.S. and Moscow, expected to land on American soil later tonight. New video showing Griner boarding a plane in Russia after she was removed from a penal colony, 300 miles from Moscow. Griner all smiles as she headed toward the United Arab Emirates,

who, along with Saudi Arabia, helped facilitate this swap. On the tarmac in Abu Dhabi, Griner, you see her there in the red, crossing paths with the man who's in the man who's in the United Arab Emirates, who, served as her ticket home. You can see him there holding that envelope. That man, convicted arms dealer Victor Bout, known as the Merchant of Death, sent back to Russia to complete the swap. Griner, of course, detained back in February for carrying cannabis oil through a Moscow airport, sentenced to nine years in prison. Early this morning, President Biden, along with Griner's wife, calling her from the Oval Office. Biden joined by Griner's wife saying she is safe,

she's on a plane, and she is on her way home. Still detained, though, in Russia tonight, American Paul Wheelan, a former Marine who has been held on espionage charges since 2018. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken explaining the decision to bring Griner home first, saying, quote, this was not a choice of which American to bring home. The choice was one or none. That likely little comfort to Wheelan's loved ones. Paul's sister, Elizabeth Weillan, joins us live in just moments with the family's reaction tonight. But we begin first with Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent, Andrea Mitchell. Tonight, after 10 months behind bars in Russia, WNBA star Brittany Griner is coming home, seen

here on Russian state video. Do you know where I'm heading to? No. No? No. No. You fly back home. She's safe.

She's on a plane. She's on her way home. After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances. Brittany will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all long. President Biden, alongside Greiner's wife, Shirel, after both talked to Brittany from the Oval office. And so today I'm just standing here, overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration. Griner was exchanged on the tarmac in the United Arab Emirates for a notorious

Russian arms dealer, Victor Boot. Boot also seen on state TV flying back to Russia. He says they took me right out of my cell. Widely known as the Merchant of Death, he had served 11 years of a 25-year sentence in the U.S. He also has deep relations with intelligence officers, and don't forget Vladimir Putin is an intelligence officer. Griner's family said she was dejected after losing her final appeal in October. This has been a very traumatic experience waiting for this day. And spending the last month in a harsh penal colony. Now she's on route to a military hospital in San Antonio, where she will be reunited with her wife.

Her teammates are already celebrating. Brianna, what is your reaction to the news that she's on her way to Texas? I'm just so excited. It was the best news to wake up to, especially during the holiday season. But left behind, another American the U.S. says, is wrongfully detained in Russia. Businessman and former Marine Paul Whelan, who's already served four years of a 16-year sentence, charged with spying. which the U.S. strongly denies. Wheelan's speaking from prison to CNN. I don't understand why I'm still sitting here.

I'm greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release. Actually, as the four-year anniversary of my arrest, is coming up. The president says they will never give up trying to get Whelan home. What do you say to the Whelan family who says this is a catastrophe for Paul, Mr. President?

We're speaking to do that. How soon will he be home? The U.S. says Russia demanded the U.S. return one of their spies, but the U.S. says it has none in custody to trade. The deal that we got with Ms. Griner was the only deal we could get, and now was the only moment we could get it. Andrea Mitchell joins us now from Washington. Andrea, we're going to speak with the Wheelan family in just a moment. So I want to ask you about the optics and the politics of all of this. No innocent American should ever be left to rot in a foreign prison, right?

But what type of precedent does this set for other rogue regimes who might hold the military, or think about detaining some to force President Biden's hands into more prisoner swaps? Well, the terrible fact is it's not really a precedent. It has happened before. There's always criticism. But this is the kind of thing, tough decisions that have to be made. And in this one was particularly tough because Paul Wheeland has been there for four years. The family is devastated. Yet they have the grace today so far to praise President Biden for at least bringing one person home rather than leaving two people because the Russians absolutely made it clear that they were not going to get Paul Wheelan out unless a Russian spy was traded for him. And the U.S.

says we simply don't have a Russian spy in our custody. So it wasn't going to happen. That's what stretched this out. And finally, the Biden decision, the president's decision really was that it was better to at least get one person home. But it's a terrible choice. All right, Andrea Mitchell, leading us off tonight here on Top Story. bring in now Elizabeth Wheelan. She's the sister of that other American who was not part of the prisoner swap. Paul Wheelan, a former Marine who remains imprisoned in Russia tonight. Elizabeth, you and your family likely saw that moment when our Kristen Welker asked the president when Paul would come home and the president walked out of the room. I have to imagine today

you're happy for the Griner family, but this has to also sting a bit, especially that last bit there from the president. No, no, that's not true at all. It doesn't sting. I'm very angry with the Russians playing around like this. They've created a fairy tale about Paul being a spy, and they're trying to put America in a difficult position, put Biden in a difficult position, rather than giving him the win of bringing two people home. We're very pleased to see Shirel celebrating today

with the president in the White House and waiting for Brittany to come back. It will be Paul that we're celebrating. before too long, I certainly hope. But, you know, there's no timeline asking the president when Paul will come home. The Russians are in charge of that timeline, and it's our job now to force the situation so that the Russians negotiate in good faith, which they are not doing at the moment, so that we can get Paul released.

Elizabeth, I got to be honest with you, you sound very optimistic, and that's obviously incredibly positive. Do you have reason to be optimistic? Well, not in terms of any factual information that's been laid before me that makes me think Paul's coming home very soon. But what I do know is that there are countless people throughout all levels of government who have been working to try to get Paul released for months, actually for years, but definitely in recent time, that has just, that effort has just built. I believe that there's a high level of commitment. And I don't think the administration is any happier with being messed around by Russia than the Wheelan family is. So you sound positive, you sound optimistic.

Your brother did not sound that way from prison. He sounded dejected, and he sounds confused. Do you have any idea how he's doing tonight? I think he's perhaps more resilient than you're reading into that message. He's very courageous. But, of course, anybody stuck in that situation. is going to wonder what the heck comes next. And, of course, he's not getting,

he doesn't have the play-by-play that we have, the interactions with the U.S. government, to understand how things have been unfolding over months. But, you know, my optimism isn't sort of something I'm papering on. A situation has happened, and we have to deal with it. One person came home, one person did not. We can only look to the future and make plans to try to force the situation forward so that the Russians don't have the opportunity to have this drag out

and so that we can get Paul back. If you could talk to your brother tonight, what would you tell him? We're never giving up, ever, and we have not given up from the minute that we found out what had happened. And he may not ever really appreciate that until he gets back because of the limited amount of information that can be shared with him. But we are not going to relent. And what would you tell the president?

Well, I had the fortune of speaking with him this afternoon and sharing my concerns and my hopes for the future. But I think it's important for everyone to remember the president included that, you know, Paul's not going to be able to last forever under this circumstance. You know, he's doing okay so far, but, you know, he isn't getting any younger. The prison is a very dangerous place to be. He is in a forced labor camp in Mordovia, which is in a remote part of Rochester. This is unheated, very Dickensian sort of set up, not a good place to be. And just because he's lasted this long does not mean he can go on forever. We have to find a solution.

Elizabeth, I have one more question for you, and I appreciate if you can be as frank as possible. After you spoke with the president this afternoon, were you more optimistic or were you the same in the sense of your feelings for the future? I think I was the same because I already had a sense of the level of commitment that everyone felt and the devastation of being sort of forced by Russia into a situation like this. I think if I had been in the president's position, I would have had to make the same choice, bring home an American that we can get out. But it's not the optimal, of course.

And, you know, I just hope to goodness that next time it is Paul and that, you know, I'm on here telling you the good news rather than the not so good news. Elizabeth, we will definitely call you up if that's the case, and we hope that is the case in the very near future. Elizabeth Wheelan, we thank you so much tonight for joining Top Story. The other big story we are following tonight, an explosion at a biofuel plant in Iowa. It happened about 25 miles west of Cedar Rapids.

We're learning multiple people are hospitalized at this hour, and residents have been urged to stay indoors. I want to bring in Jesse Kirsch, who joins us now live from Chicago with the late breaking details. Jesse, we're looking at these images right now that are coming in, huge plumes of black smoke entering the sky right now. What have you learned? Yeah, Tom, thankfully, despite those images, authorities say no one is dead. But again, you can see the devastation to this facility.

Officials say roughly 30 people were in this Iowa facility when they got a call for an explosion and fire. All of the people inside were told are accounted for and no one has died, Tom. Good news, especially considering the state of that building right now. That is good news. We're talking about biofuel here. What does that mean for the environment and the air quality? Yeah, obviously that raises some concerns for officials. They evacuated several areas nearby because they tell us they had wind, chemical, and fire concerns. And at this point, there's no word on when people who have been evacuated will be able to go home. Here's what state police told reporters on the ground earlier. The arson chemicals in the building, that was our concern. We looked at hazmatts. different type of chemicals that would be in that building that we knew about.

And we didn't even prepare for something that we don't know about. And so that's why we have so many people here with fire. With that, also, we are looking at air quality. We're looking at any consideration of runoff because when you have that involved, you put that much water, it can run into the ground. So all those things are being monitored at this time. So again, Tom, clearly this is still an active investigation, something authorities are going to continue to look into,

and you can see there was smoke billowing behind authorities at that press conference. And, Jesse, I'm getting a note here. You have some new reporting on people who were injured? That's right, Tom. There are several injuries, we're told, that have been reported, including some that could be, quote, more life-threatening. According to police, that's how it was characterized to us by authorities. One local hospital says they are treating people for injuries, including cuts, scrapes, and burns, Tom. Okay, Jesse curse for us on that breaking news tonight, Jesse, we appreciate it.

There is a new development tonight in the brutal murder of four college students in Idaho. Take a look at this photo. police are now asking the public for help in finding the occupants of a white Hyundai Yolantra. Police believe a car just like this was near the scene that night. The owner or license plate, though, still unknown. Steve Patterson has the latest from the ground in Moscow. Tonight in Moscow, Idaho, the mystery continues to grow in the search for the killer of four slain college students last month. Investigators now asking for the public's help finding a particular person or people,

releasing generic photos of a 2011 to 2013 white Hyundai Allantra with an unknown license plate saying it was in the vicinity of the home that tragic morning of November 13th telling us this afternoon. Thanks to these tips and leads, we know that vehicle was there. So the occupants or occupant naturally is someone we want to talk to. They might have critical information that can help us solve the case. Investigators saying it is to protect the integrity of the investigation that they have not released information on a suspect, a potential motive, or whether they've located the murder weapon, which they believe to be a knife. The tip line is now going to an FBI call center. That's so they can handle all the volume of tips and also categorize them and help us. What they have released is that all four students, Kaylee, Madison, Zana and Ethan,

turned home after a night out at different locations across town, and were found dead by another roommate and officers later that day. This case is absolutely not going close. Experts tell NBC News it can take weeks to analyze all the evidence, blood, fingerprints, and more, especially in a house with lots of roommates and visitors. If you do not precisely collect, you will not have good results at the end. Also, hair and fibers. They heard looking through this house, which wasn't small and was a party house, to collect all the hair. I was thinking about that it must be so voluminous with all these girls living there. In town, things aren't quite the same.

It's felt like colder for sure. People just seem more on edge. People are like talking about it a lot and slower. A lot of people left. And so it just got pretty slow and dead around here. All right, Steve Patterson joins us now live from Moscow, Idaho, outside the police station there. So, Steve, I know there's a big question about an unknown timeline, right? And I know you ask police about it.

Please walk our viewers through that timeline and who's involved there. Yeah, there's about a five-hour gap that police are looking into where two of the victims were going from a frat party at a nearby frat house, just about a block away to, of course, that rental home where the fatal stabbing occurred. In all, it takes about a two-minute walk, but again, they're looking at a five-hour timeline, so they're trying to piece together what happened. I asked the officer that question, the officer responding by saying no update, it's under investigation, and just another piece to this puzzle that investigators are trying to put together. Meanwhile, this community remains in mourning. As we speak, there is a memorial and vigil being held in town. That's a huge gap in time. I know investigators are trying to get to the bottom of that.

Steve, we appreciate your report. We want to stay on top of this case tonight. I want to bring in Jim Kavanaugh, retired ATF special agent in charge, an NBC news contributor who has been our go-to expert on this investigation. So, Jim, when you heard the headlines about this car, and we should point out, it is a very popular car. It's not unique in any sense of the word. What did you think when they decided to put this out?

Well, that's a good lead to put out. I've done this many times, Tom, on big cases and urban centers and in rural areas. And they can locate this car. They will absolutely. You take all those cars, the state police are experts on cars. So in the databases, you'll sweep every one of those cars from 2011, 12 and 13, get every VIN number, every tag number. It'll be a long list. You start in the county you're in.

You go to all the collar counties. And you go, I've done it as far as 40 counties and hundreds of cars, even thousands of cars. But you need investigators to run those leads down. But eventually they're going to get to the car that was in the area that night to get whatever critical information they can get. They will get to that car. We've talked about how much time it's taken, right? Weeks to get to this point right now. Do you think it's taken too long for somebody who might be an eyewitness or somebody who was maybe at the party or somebody in the vicinity to remember seeing that car or

are we still pretty fresh? Well, we're fresh, really, because when we talk about a cold case, Tom, sometimes we're trying to recreate things that happened years ago. So what the commanders really need to think about is what I would say to him is think big and think bigger. The more horses, agents, detectives you can get on this, even more than you have now, think way bigger because you can run down the leads that much faster. You can find this car that much faster. Instead of taking weeks to find the car, you could find the car in a couple of days,

enough agents to do it. You can get those people interviewed all those students at the frat party like we talked about the other night, all these neighbors, get them interviewed as fast as you can and you forced a break in it. Just as one example, I saw where the police had put out trying to sweep cameras from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. in the morning. Well, that's an assumption that the killer entered the house after the students returned. But we don't know that. We know that a lot of the students left the house some by 9 p.m. and some by 11 p.m., the killer could have been in the house waiting for them to return. So if you're only sweeping the cameras from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.,

and the killer arrived at the house at 11 p.m. or 11.30 right after everybody was gone, and it was vacant, and sat in the closet of the attic and waited, you don't get that information. So you've got to think big, get more agents, get it now while it's fresh. The chief of police has a lot of power right now, to ask the governor, to ask the Attorney General of the United States to give me more people. I want more people. I want to press on every lead for the next 60 days while things are fresh. You know, Steve reported there, and we heard from police, that the tip line is now growing directly to the FBI because of the volume.

Is that a good sign, or does that show that maybe the FBI is worried that the police there in Idaho couldn't handle this type of investigation? No, it's a very good sign, Tom. We use the FBI tip lines all the time. information. The FBI will be using their computerized lead tracking software. We had that in ATF as well. I mean, a case like this, you get thousands of lead in there and you need a computer to track it, and the tip line will do that. But what happens is the tips come into the command post, the longer they sit, being unfollowed up on, that's not good for the case and good

for memories and good to stop the next killing. Think of all the investigators you're going to have to bring in here if this killer or killer kills again. Just think how. that will be. No, we have unbelievable, monumental. Yeah, we hope that doesn't happen, obviously. Okay, Jim Kavanaugh for us here on Top Story, Jim, thank you for your analysis. I want to turn out of the triple-demic threat we've been telling you about all week. Hospitals struggling to keep up with a surgeon, flu, COVID, and RSV cases.

Some are being forced to compound their own medications. As supplies run dry, our Gabe Gutierrez has had a hospital in Boston tonight where the ER is so packed, they're having to care for patients in the hallways. At Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, on weekdays, the ER is usually at or near capacity. Are these beds in the hallway typical? Unfortunately, they are these days. You know, when we design this department, we did not anticipate using these on a regular basis. Juan Potter has been here sick with the flu for two days.

The toughest part is the not breathing, the loss of breath. Over the past month, the Mass General Brigham system has seen flu cases jump by more than a 1,100 percent. Across the country, the CDC says flu hospitalizations this season are up to 78,000. We have not yet seen a reprieve cases and hospitalizations are continuing to go up. At Mass General for Children, RSV cases have leveled off, but... We've never had this amount of patients, this sick for an extended period of time. Georgia Orlowski's five-year-old son, Jack, who was a rare genetic disorder, has been sick with COVID, R.SV and the flu all within the past month.

It's terrifying. It's definitely not something you want anybody to go through, let alone your children. There's also a shortage of the pediatric medication albuterol, so workers here are compounding their own. How long does that take? So it took us four and a half hours just to make 15 syringes. Four and a half hours. So it's quite labor intensive, yes.

A painstaking but necessary process, as the tripledemic. takes hold. If a patient can't breathe, then we can't give them this drug, then it's a life or death scenario. And so far this season in the U.S., only a quarter of adults and 40% of children have received their flu shot. Tom? All right, Gabe, thank you for that. Still ahead tonight, the wild hit and run arrest in Texas. The suspect, get this, just 12 years old. The surveillance video, police say, shows the child running from the scene. Plus, the scathing house report on the NFL's Washington commanders, the shocking allegations made against the team's owner. And Celine Dion's health battle, why the singer is now canceling or postponing all of her shows

in 2023. Stay with us. Top story. Just getting started on this Thursday. We're back now with a tearful update from legendary singer Celine Dion, the global superstar, revealing that she's been suffering from a rare health condition that causes daily muscle spasms and is now targeting her powerful voice. Friar has the latest.

As you know, I've always been an open book. And I wasn't ready to say anything before. But I'm ready now. It's an emotional message from a music icon to her fans. I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time. In an Instagram video, Celine Dion revealed she's been suffering from a rare and debilitating medical condition. I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome.

Stiff person's syndrome, often called SPS, targets a person's central nervous system. No cure is known, and it's unclear what causes it, and people may experience muscle spasms. We now know this is what's been causing all of the spasms that I've been having. Holding back tears, the five-time Grammy Award-winning singer announced she's postponing the rest of her courage world tour. Unfortunately, these pasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to. Thank you so much, everybody.

It's a painful setback for the artist who sang the soundtrack of our hearts and heart breaks with songs like all by myself and record breaking hits like my heart will go on I know that my heart will go

I always give 100% when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now. But throughout her decades-long career, it's her fans who have always taken center stage. I want to thank you so much for your encouraging wishes of love and support. Tonight, those messages of optimism are like medicine to the artist, and she works with a team of doctors to build back her strength and get back on stage. I love you guys so much. And I really hope

I can see you again real soon. Joe Fryer, NBC News. All right, so concerning. There are thanks to Joe Fryer, and as Celine Dion mentioned in that emotional video, this is a very, very rare disease. Only about one or two in a million people are diagnosed with stiff person syndrome. I want to bring in tonight Dr. Rajiv Maggi, he's the assistant attending neurologist at New York.

Presbyterian Hospital. Doctor, thanks so much for joining us. So explain to us this sort of rare condition. Why is it called, what it's called, and how does it really affect people? Yeah, thanks for having me. I can only imagine how scary it is for Ms. Dion as well as her family and friends and fans. So stiff person syndrome is characterized by that significant stiffness. Initially, it's fluctuating mostly in the trunk, the lower back, as well as subsequently

the legs, as well as spasms, like painful spasms. So that can be very debilitating. And do we know how people contract this? You're just unlucky, or is it something in the genes? So it's such a rare disease, as you said, one to two cases per million. So we don't really know everything about the disease. There's a lot to learn. It seems like it's most likely an autoimmune disease,

and that means when the own body's immune system is attacking healthy cells. So it seems to go along with other autoimmune diseases, especially type 1 diabetes. What is treatment like? So treatment is mostly targeted first at the symptoms, including benzodiazepines to help with the stiffness and the spasms, other antispasmodic medications. And if you have severe cases, even using immune medications to bring down the immune system to decrease that attack on those healthy cells. And how do you know that it's stiff person syndrome and it's not something else that affects the central nervous system? Yeah, that's a great question.

Stiff person syndrome is often hard to diagnose. And that's why it's often underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. So it's really a clinical diagnosis. There are some lab tests that we can order to see if they indicate stiff person syndrome. But generally speaking, there's no absolutes with regards to testing findings. I know you haven't examined Celine Dion. What do you think her fans can expect? What could she expect going forward?

Will she ever perform again? You know, it's hard to say, you know, these stiff person syndrome is often slowly progressive. So a lot of folks can be well-treated, have their symptoms under good control, and still go along with a lot of their normal activities, hopefully including performing. Is there treatments that help? Is there a cure? So there's no known cure, but the treatments do help with those symptoms of the stiffness, the spasms, and help people go on with their activities of daily living, especially walking, getting dressed, and even bending over to tie their shoes.

Okay, Dr. Rajiv Maghay, thank you so much for joining top of stories. And I know it's a complicated topic, but you definitely put it in a way that we could understand. So thank you for that. When we come back, history in the House, the bill just passed and on the way to President Biden's desk that will protect same-sex and interracial marriage. Stay with us. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we begin with the manhunt underway in Washington, D.C. after a triple shooting at a train station. Authorities say one of the suspects, open fire during a fight. Three people were shot, including one teenager who has life-threatening injuries.

It's the second shooting on the rail system in less than 24 hours. On Wednesday, an off-duty FBI agent shot and killed another person at the busy downtown metro center station. A 12-year-old has been arrested in charge with murder for a deadly hit and run in Texas. Home security footage from Dallas shows that 12-year-old driver and several other passengers fleeing the scene. Police say 82-year-old Florence Kelly driving through an intersection, when she was hit by a speeding car, a 13-year-old was also hospitalized with serious injuries. Now to the scathing report on the NFL's Washington commanders and team owner Daniel Snyder, an investigation by the House Oversight Committee found dozens of employees suffered sexual harassment,

bullying, and other toxic behavior while working for the team over the last two decades. The report also says Snyder intimidated witnesses who cooperated with that investigation. And the House has passed the Respect for Marriage Act. The legislation enshrines federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriages. The Senate passed the same bill last week. And now it's to President Biden's desk where he is expected to sign it into law. Okay, we turn out to a story we've been following out of Texas. Tonight, a grieving mother is speaking out after her seven-year-old daughter was allegedly kidnapped

and killed by a FedEx driver who was delivering a package to their house. NBC's Priscilla Thompson has this heartbreaking story. It was hard. I don't think I've ever met a single person that didn't love. I love Athena. Tonight, Maitland Gandy is still reeling from a nightmare. Her seven-year-old daughter, Athena, found dead after being abducted from her own driveway. I prayed until the moment that I finally saw her.

Athena was kidnapped and killed last week, police say, by a contract driver for FedEx who had just dropped off a package while Athena was standing outside. Her stepmother was inside the house. Police have arrested 31-year-old Tanner Horner. Late today in a court filing, investigators saying Horner told them he accidentally hit Athena with the truck and that she was not seriously injured, but he panicked and put Athena in the van. He then killed her, Horner told authorities, because he believed she was going to tell her dad about the accident. On Friday, police found Athena's body, just 10 miles from her Texas home. Now her mom is preparing for one final goodbye before returning home to a Christmas tree still full of gifts for a Thursday.

What will this Christmas be like for you? Inside that FedEx package was one more gift, Barbie dolls for her little girl. Um, I don't know. And tonight, FedEx says they are cooperating fully with the investigation. If convicted, the suspect could face the death penalty. Tom? Not at Top Story's Global Watch into the latest in Iran

where the government says they've carried out their first execution related to the recent unrest. The U.S. and other Western countries fear it could be the first of many. Iran continues to violently crack down on protests following the death of a woman arrested by the country's morality police.

At least 11 demonstrators so far have been sentenced to death. Heavy rains in Portugal triggering massive flooding overnight. The new video shows floodwaters, washing cars down the streets of the capital, Lisbon, water streaming from the ceiling also of a shopping mall that this video was shot inside the shopping mall. Authorities say at least one woman was killed after getting trapped in her basement, officials

telling residents to stay in their homes and avoid low-level areas. And the wife of a U.S. intelligence officer sentenced today for killing a British teenager in a 2019 car crash. You may remember this case. Well, Anne Sikoulas receiving a suspended sentence of eight months in prison in London. However, that means she will only serve time if she commits another crime in the next year and only if she actually returns to the UK. She admitted to killing 19-year-old Harry Dunn while driving on the wrong side of the road

outside an airbase in England. And now Royal Revelations, those first three episodes of the Harry and Megan docus series dropping on Netflix early this morning, the Duke and Duchess diving deep into their relationship and unveiling never-before-seen insight on life as a royal. NBC's Keir Simmons has more on how the public is reacting to the... controversies in the new series. The Majesty, if you want to the documentary. Even the King couldn't avoid that question today,

Netflix's intimate portrayal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's private lives released overnight, with scathing criticism and behind-the-scenes emotion. The level of hate that has been stirred up in the last three years, especially against my wife and my son. As is my mom outside with Archie? I'm generally concerned for the safety of my family. Stay, stay. I just really want to get to the other side of all of this.

Um... tonight social media reaction inevitably divided we watched with two British writer broadcasters essentially is what he's saying that there's parts of the royal family that run well and there's parts that don't Netflix paid millions of dollars for this docu-series intimate moments revealed how would you describe it Archie like it's all beautiful it's so beautiful leaving some confused I think it's very hard for them to ask for privacy after this, after you've let the cameras in, after you've shown so much. There is also the first ever interview with Megan's mom. I'm ready to have my

voice heard, that's for sure. A little bit of my experience, you know, as her mom. Harry blasting the establishment for what he sees as history repeating itself. Royal palaces failing to protect the couple from the headlines, with at times a racial prejudice. As far as a lot of the family were concerned. Everything that she was being put through, they had been put through as well. So it was almost like a right of passage. And some of the members of the family was like, right, but my wife had to go through that. So why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected? And I said, the difference here is the race element. No bombshells yet, but Harry did suggest some royals are unconsciously biased. My son, my daughter,

of my children are mixed race. And I'm really proud of that. And while the royal family may be breathing a sigh of relief tonight, there are three more episodes to come. And then Harry's book in January. All right, Keir Simmons joins us tonight from London. And Keir, I want you to take off your reporter hat for a moment. I want you to take off your hat of a royal watcher.

How is the Netflix documentary series? I mean, is it entertaining? Is it good television? You know something, Tom? My wife was watching it tonight. Of course, I watched it this morning, all three episodes in a hurry, in the kind of blaze of journalism and trying to get a report out. My wife was watching it tonight. I asked her what she thought. She kind of went, ah. So that's an interesting perspective. There isn't that much in this docu-series. That's new. Now, there are images that new. We hear from Archie. We see him. We have these intimate pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but no great revelations. So I'll let people watching decide for themselves

whether it was worth the millions that Netflix has paid for it. I tell you one group of people who may be breathing a sigh of relief tonight. The senior royals. Okay, there's more to come, but so far they appear to have, if you like, dodged a bullet. Tom? Keir Simmons, top story media critic at large. Kier, we appreciate your perspective and that of your wife's as well. Thank her as well for us.

All right, coming up, the car theft warning, nearly one million cars stolen across the country this year. And police say the crimes are getting more advanced. We'll show you. And also, we'll tell you how to protect your set of wheels. That's next. News is more than a headline. It informs, it inspires, and it still matters.

To cover it, you have to be in it. And that's what we're going to do. Every night, we take you to the front lines of the story where it's actually happening. With NBC News Journalists on the ground from all over the world, we cover what you need to know and bring your news feed to life. In primetime and streaming live, it's your news playlist every night. Top Story with Tom Yamas, weeknights at 7 on NBC News Now. We're back now with a new concerning trend across the country. Experts now predicting 2022 will have the high.

highest rate of car thefts in more than a decade, expecting more than a million stolen before the new year. NBC News is Vicki Winnis here now with what's behind the spike and ways you can protect your property. Hey, Vicki. Hey, Tom. Well, these thieves, they're looking for any way possible to steal your car and they're getting better at it. These thieves, police say range from joyriding teens to advance criminal networks who are patrolling neighborhoods looking for vulnerabilities. Tonight, tricks of the trade so you can reduce the risk of having your of wheels taken. Caught on camera, a joy ride in a stolen car in Milwaukee.

These criminals in Chicago stealing 10 luxury cars right from a dealership. In Washington, D.C., this suspect captured right on the car's dash cam. And in Glendale, Wisconsin, thieves leave police on a dangerous chase through the streets off road, finally coming to an end. Scenes like these playing out coast to coast with thieves, even taking cars right from driveways. Already in 2022, 745,000 cars stolen with experts predicting this year we'll see the most car thefts in 14 years. Since 2008, we have not seen numbers like this. We are going to approach 1.1 million cars stolen, and that's a 24% increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.

David Gallowi is the president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. He says last year, Bakersfield, California, Denver, Colorado, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Portland, Oregon, had the highest rates of car thefts, with Kia and Hyundai, the most popular cars targeted by thieves. The price of used cars and car parts are up astronomically. Used cars are up almost 40%. The value is what's driving the criminal enterprises. They're worth a lot of money. To learn how to make it harder for thieves to steal your car. I team up with Mike Zapricone, former NYPD detective and now president of squad security.

So, Mike, here's the thing. How are these thieves making off with so many people's cars these days? You know, big kids, because we're lazy. We leave the key inside. We leave the fob inside. Always taken with you, even if it's for a second. You have to run back in the house. Remember, let's not make it easy for them. Take the key, lock your door. Police warned luxury cars with folding mirrors are especially vulnerable. When the mirrors are open like this, it usually means the car is always. and your key fob might be inside the car. Oh.

So by closing them, what you're doing is you're telling the bad guys, this car's locked and there's no fob in there. And they're going to just walk away and go to another car an easier target. If you have a garage, put your car, not your stuff in it. You put into your garage. What's the first thing you should do? Close the door. Close the door.

Wait till you hear the girl, go down, and you see the door down. Then you can turn if your car and exit your vehicle. Why do you want your garage door to be closed before you get out? So nobody can run in behind you. Okay, and then, then all you. sudden if someone gets in behind you, now they have a shot of taking your car, taking your phone, taking everything, possibly even burglarizing your house. What's your advice for the code when it comes

to your garage keypad? Be creative. Don't use one, two, three, four, zero, zero, zero, zero, zero. Don't use your address. Come up with something new and different. As for parking in the driveway? I like to pull in those first. Okay. Every second counts, it takes longer to back it out than to pull out. What about these GPS tags? Tile makes one, Apple, makes one Samsung, too. Do you think you should put one of these in the car? I think it's a great. great idea, any advantage we can. But always keep in mind, the police know how to do their job. Let them track these, not you personally. And hide the tracker where a thief won't look. Security cameras can be a good way to keep your property safe, so consider installing one and park

your car in its field of view. What if your only option is to park your car on the street? Well, you want to park as close as you can to the other vehicle. You want to turn your wheels to the curb, so it makes it more difficult than to tow your car away. Thieves are actually towing people's cars away? No, without a doubt. Of course they are. Get this. Thieves can even strike while you're driving. It's called a bump and rob, okay, where someone's going to come up in front of your stage a fake accident. You're going to run into them, and then someone may come up behind you. But the whole purpose is to get you out of the car so someone could jump in and take your car.

They'll steal your car. In a second, that's right. So you need to know, don't ever get out of the car. Okay. Make sure your doors are locked. Call 911, okay. Wait for the police to come. And Tom, get this, the National Insurance Crime Bureau says most insurance plans don't cover you if your car gets stolen.

So they recommend adding what's called comprehensive coverage on top of the collision coverage. That costs anywhere from about $100 to $300 more per year, but it will reimburse you in case your car gets stolen. As far as those doorbell cams, you don't have to spend a fortune. Basic models are only $60. Tom? You've got to make sure you have those cameras. All right, Vicki, we thank you for that. When we come back, move over Air Bud. We'll introduce you to the New York City dog

who swam across the Hudson River after getting away from his owner where he was found after more than two days. This is a wild one. Stay with us. Finally tonight, if there was an Olympics for dogs, this dog we're going to tell you about. His name is bear would probably win the gold medal

for the doggy paddle. His epic swim even, crossing state lines. Stephen Romo with this really almost unbelievable tale. Here it is. Meet Bear, a Leon Berger, Bernie's Mountain Dog Mix, originally from Montana. He's training to be a service dog with the Wolpen family on New York's Upper West Side. But that training was put on hold this weekend. He took off, ran down the block. Somebody else tried to grab him. Ellen Wolpen was walking the pup to get a new harness on Saturday when Bear said, slipped out of his loose-fitting collar.

We're thinking the worst. So all weekend, we were depressed. My son kept asking, where's bear? Where's bear? I didn't know what to tell him. Well, Bear ended up running about 30 blocks north, ending up here in the area of 110th Street where someone actually saw him plunge into the Hudson and disappear. I didn't even know the dog could swim. So I ran home, I googled, I called 911.

They had patrol boats out looking for him for hours on Saturday. They couldn't find him. But after two and a half days, and just when the Wolpen family had given up hope, this radio call came in. All members of the Edward Fire Department, the fireboat is needed in the south pier of Independence Harbor for a dog that is stuck under the pier. Bear spotted by first responders a half a mile across the river in Edgewater, New Jersey. In the area where we're here in the parking, there is mud, but I think you'll be able to access the end of the pier and get high. underneath. I thought somebody was joking with me because there's no way, but he was out there for two and a half days by himself. Firefighters with the Edgewater Volunteer Fire Department

posting this photo of Bear, cold and wet, but alive. I cannot thank the fire department and the police department enough. From my understanding, they were out there for about five hours trying to get him out from underneath the pier. The Wolpen family, happy to have Bear back home after a long journey. I was telling people. He did his own little duathlon. He ran a mile and a half and then swam across, which I think is about a mile. Now hoping his paws stay on dry land. Hopefully his swimming days are over and definitely hopefully swimming in the Hudson is over because when he came back, he was very stinky.

Glad bears back home, but I have a feeling there is a lot in store for his family. We thank you so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamus in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.