Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, January 29, 2026

Episode Date: January 30, 2026

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

Breaking news tonight, the shocking attempt to bust Luigi Mangione out of jail. The new details just in about the man trying to spring the alleged CEO killer from behind bars. A man posing as an FBI agent in an attempt to break Mangione out, the bizarre items discovered on him, including a pizza cutter, how prison workers realized something was wrong. Also tonight borders are Tom Homan signaling an immigration enforcement shift in Minneapolis, raising the possibility for officers to withdraw. Plus the new image of that five-year-old boy in ice custody. New winter alerts just issued as a powerful Northeaster threatens millions, a snowplow colliding with a van carrying a hockey team. The urgent rescue after a helicopter crashed in icy waters.

This building collapsing under piles of snow, why is the power still not on for hundreds of thousands? The officer convicted of killing Sonia Massey just sentenced. The time he'll face behind bars for shooting Massey after she called 911 at her home to report an intruder. Startling video of a driver repeatedly ramming a Jewish center in New York City the charges just announced. Melania Trump's big-screen moment, the First Lady's documentary that cost $75 million to make and promote, premiering tonight, why almost no one has seen it yet?

And will Olympic gymnast Jordan Childs get her medal back, the court granting her appeal after she was stripped of that bronze? Plus, the popular snacks recalled after products at a warehouse were exposed to rhodes. waste. What you need to know. Top story starts right now. And good evening, we begin tonight with the shocking jailbreak attempt. A man arrested after trying to get accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione out of custody. The bizarre detail still coming in. The man allegedly pretending to be an FBI agent claiming to have a court order signed by a judge for Mangione's release. Court documents show what was in his backpack, a large barbecue-type fork and a round steel blade similar to a pizza cutter. At this hour, there's no evidence Mangione was working with the suspect,

but we know he has accumulated a passionate group of supporters since his arrest more than a year ago. So many questions tonight about how this high-profile jailbreak attempt unfolded. Our Emily Aketa starts us off. Tonight, Luigi Mangione, the target of a Minnesota man's bizarre plot to break him out of a federal jail in Brooklyn. 36-year-old Mark Anderson is charged with impersonating an FBI special agent. He showed up to the Metropolitan Detention Center Wednesday, according to a complaint, claiming he was an FBI agent in possession of paperwork signed by a judge, authorizing the release of a specific inmate. A law enforcement source telling NBC news that inmate was Mangione,

who is one of MDC's highest profile inmates, along with Venezuela's former autocratic leader, Nicolas Maduro. Court documents also show when asked for credentials, Anderson displayed his Minnesota driver's license, and then claimed to be in possession of weapons. In Anderson's backpack, Bureau of Prison Officials found this barbecue-type fork and round steel blade that resembled a pizza cutter. Anderson had been working at a pizzeria after a job opportunity he traveled to New York for didn't work out, according to a law enforcement source. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state charges for allegedly gunning down United Health Care's CEO. What's your name?

before fleeing to Pennsylvania, where he was arrested following a five-day manhunt. The attempted jailbreak playing out just ahead of Mangione's return to court tomorrow. All right, with that, Emily, Aketa joins us live in studio. So, Emily, what are we going to learn tomorrow in court? Okay, so this hearing is in federal court where we could learn whether evidence found in Mangione's backpack, including you probably remember some notes, a gun, whether that will be suppressed or can be included. The judge could also rule on whether this will be a death penalty. So there's a lot to watch for tomorrow.

All right, Emily, we thank you for that. Tonight we're also hearing from the first time from the new leadership on the ground in Minneapolis. Trump's borders are Tom Homan calling for a drawdown on federal agents and promising more targeted missions moving forward. But Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frye says he'll believe it when he sees it. Saying local police won't work with immigration enforcement insisting the entire ICE operation in his city must end. NBC's Camilla Bernal reports once again from Minnesota. Tonight, Borders Art Tom Holman says there will be changes to the federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota, including a drawdown of federal agents if state and local leaders cooperate and protests remain peaceful. The drawdown is going to happen based on these agreements, but the drawdown can happen even more if the hateful rhetoric and the impediment and interference will stop.

Following days of protest, President Trump sent Holman to Minneapolis earlier this week to take over from Border Patrol commander, I'm not here because the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly. Mayor Jacob Frye reiterated local police will not assist with immigration enforcement, but said he's hopeful about the prospect of a drawdown. Do I expect the conduct to immediately change? That is my expectation. That is what we are insisting upon. But again, I'll believe it when I see it.

And tonight, new angles are emerging showing a confrontation between Alex Prattie and federal agents. in two weeks before he was fatally shot. In this video, you see Prattie approach agents and shouting at that. This video from news movement shows him kicking the taillight before officers rustled him to the ground. His family confirming that's Prattie in the video, and they were aware of the altercation, saying he posed no threat. President Trump shared the video along with another user's post calling Prattie a domestic terrorist. While in Texas, there have been tense clashes outside a detention center where five-year-old Liam and his father are being held.

Congressman Joaquin Castro posting this photo of the two who were detained by immigration authorities in Minneapolis last week. His father said that Liam has been very depressed since he's been at Dilly, that he hasn't been eating well. Camila Bernal joins us tonight again from Minneapolis. So Camila, there's a national protest plan for tomorrow. What do we know about it? Hey Tom, so activists are asking people to strike and to protest both tomorrow and Saturday. So that means no work, no school, no shopping. They did that last week and thousands came out to protest the death of Renee Good.

This time around, the governor is asking people, please don't boycott the local businesses. They have been hurting and struggling for weeks now because of these two shootings. Tom. All right, Camila. We are following breaking news out of Washington right now. The White House and Senate Democrats reaching a deal to avert yet another government shutdown. I want to get right to NBC's Peter Alexander at the White House tonight. Peter, walk us through what we think has happened now with this deal and how it was negotiated. Yeah, Tom, late tonight, we heard from the president on Truth

Social announcing that lawmakers from both parties, Republicans and Democrats, have now reached a deal, he says, to avoid another extended shutdown of most of the government. The showdown here has largely focused on Democrats demanding reforms to DHS, among them ending those roving ice patrols, requiring all federal immigration agents to wear body cams and proper IDs and to no longer wear masks. They also wanted, among other things, a sort of code of conduct and accountability as it relates to immigration enforcement. And so while they try to sort that out, the Senate appears likely to keep the DHS open for several more weeks and to fund other major departments for another year. Tom?

All right. Peter Alexander, we also know that you're tracking news out of Iran as well. What's the latest there? So President Trump is threatening new military strikes against Iran. He's calling on the regime there to negotiate a deal to end its nuclear program. He warns that time is running out. You'll remember back in June, Operation Midnight Hammer, that's when the president, U.S. forces those B-2 bombers targeted Iranian nuclear nuclear. enrichment sites. The president warning any further attacks would be far worse than the last.

The Iranians, for their part, Tom, have been publicly trying to de-escalate the threat of war meeting with U.S. partners in the region. They're meeting with Turkey. Tomorrow had conversations with Saudi Arabia in recent days, so we're going to be watching very closely the way this develops going forward. Okay. Peter Alexander, for us at the White House. Peter, thank you. Right now, the death toll has been rising as brutal temperatures continue to grip much of the country. More than 155 million under cold alerts, stretching all the way down to Florida, and the race to restore power before the next storm moves in is on right now. Kathy Park is on the ground in hard hit Mississippi. Tonight, the race to restore power turning urgent by the hour for communities still in crisis across the south.

The snow, ice, and bitter cold, a dangerous combination with at least 81 deaths. We believe that the helicopter went out in the air. The extreme weather making for a daring rescue in Missouri, where officials say a helicopter crashed into the Merrimack River. Multiple people rushed to the hospital, the cause now under investigation. In Colorado, a deadly accident, a plow crashing with a sprinter van carrying a hockey team. Meanwhile, ice storms across Tennessee and Mississippi paralyzed communities for days. The conditions so severe, the Ole Miss campus is closed the rest of the week. The mayor of Oxford, Mississippi says they're still in an emergency.

How bad is situation right now in Oxford? Well, you know, it is so shocking to me every time I go down a different street. I mean, this ice storm has just crippled us, honestly. It's like a tornado went down every street in our community. We still have people five days later who are without power, without water. It was more snow than ice in Arkansas. Watch the roof of this building collapse. And the snow-packed roads in Mississippi, stranding drivers for days.

It's so cold in New York, the harbor is frozen over. The Coast Guard seen here chipping away at the ice. We've been without power here since Friday night. Back in hard-hit Oxford, Jerry Payton is entering another day without power, turning to his gas stove just to stay warm. Just keep the faith. No means raw. Kathy, those are some devastating images out of there in Oxford, Mississippi, and we're just to see them right there behind you as well. Tom, that's absolutely right. Fortunately, though,

the temperatures climbed in the 40s, so a lot of the ice and snow melted, but you can see the scope of the damages. Take a look at this. This large tree limb fell onto this car, and this is a scene that's playing out over and over in Oxford, Mississippi. Now, Tom, you heard Jerry in our story there. He's entering five days without power, and tonight they're still in the dark. Yeah, you feel for for all the people over there. All right, Kathy, we thank you. I want to bring a meteorologist, Bill. Karen's Bill, all eyes on this powerful weekend storm. What's the latest? Yeah, this is bordering from a major and historic for the Carolinas. This is not going to go up to the East Coast. It doesn't look like much, if anything, even on Cape Cod now. We're mostly focused

here in the Carolinas. Even Atlanta is in a winter storm watch. How about Hiltonhead, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington. These are all beach towns that are going to look like a winter wonderland, possibly even with power outages. So Saturday's the day. You're going to wake up. It's going to be snowing and it's going to snow all day and the winds are going to howl too. Here's our snowfall forecast. And again, bordering on historic, if we get to the higher end of these, 4 to 8 Raleigh, 4 to 8 for Charlotte. Someone in eastern North Carolina will get a foot. Wilmington, 4 to 8 inches. Notice that Atlanta, we have maybe just a little bit of light snow up to an inch, but even an inch in Atlanta would be troublesome. Same for Savannah. Charleston, one to two for you. And as far as the winds go, this is going

to be likely a blizzard in areas from about Norfolk to Virginia Beach. Not only that, the full moon is on Sunday. The high tide Sunday morning is expecting major coastal flooding. So it's going to be as ugly as it gets Sunday morning in the coast, especially in southern Virginia and out there on the Outer Banks. So we have our hands full with this one. Just because it's not hitting the northeast, this one's going to be bad enough. Yeah, and we see right there the cold weather alerts as well. Tell us how cold it's going to be. Yeah, so we're advertising tomorrow and then the next two mornings is really cold in areas, say Green Bay, Chicago. I mean, it's nothing new. We've been in it, but tomorrow's be pretty bad. Look at Buffalo. Negative 17

wind chill tomorrow morning. New York, two mornings in the row about negative two. And then behind the storm, this storm sucks all that cold air from the north, down south, record lows through Florida right along the Gulf Coast. And this is how cold it's going to be. And this gets your attention when you see Orlando, windchill

12. Imagine that. That's crazy. Miami will have a wind chill in the 20s. Miami should have two nights in the 30s. We're looking at extreme freeze warnings for the first time ever. and areas of central Florida. So this will be serious. Yes, we'll see all the iguanas falling and all that.

But for the strawberry crops outside of Tampa near Winter Haven and also for the citrus groves all around Lake Okeechobee, this could be very troublesome. Yeah, it's going to be kind of dangerous down there. We're going to keep an eye on it. Bill, we thank you. A former Illinois sheriff's deputy was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting Sonia Massey inside of her home

after she called 911 looking for help. The killing prompted protest across the country and raised new questions about racism and policing. NBC Shack Brewster reports. It was a fatal police shooting that sparked nationwide outrage, video capturing sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson killing Sonia Massey in her own home. A judge today handing Grayson the maximum sentence, 20 years behind bars. I am ecstatic. I'm happy. We did it. Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder last October for shooting and killing Massey in

24 after the mother of two called 911 about a possible prowler. Video shows Massey picking up a pot of boiling water, then ducking behind the counter and apologizing. Now, I'm fucking shoot you're your face. Okay, I'm sorry. The fuck the fuck, the cup, fuck the pot. Judge Ryan Cadigan today saying, quote,

that bit of unreasonable rage needs to be deterred. The fatal shooting prompted protests in new laws. Lachshod Grayson up. Grayson's attorney argued for probation, saying the case is not a referendum on the rest of the country, and pointed to Grayson's stage four colon and rectal cancer diagnosis. During the trial, Grayson testified he perceived Massey's behavior as a threat. But this morning, for the first time publicly, the ex-officer admitted he made a terrible decision, saying, quote, I was very unprofessional that night and apologizing, saying,

I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to bring her back. I'm very sorry. Massey's family tonight skeptical. I don't think he truly sorry. I think he's sorry because he already sick and dying and he won't forgive this. For him to be weepy-eyed and crying and saying he was sorry for what he did, but he got on the witness stand during the trial. And he doubled down with his life. Shaquille Brewster joins us tonight from our Chicago Bureau and Shaq, Massey's family says, they're pushing for federal legislation? Yeah, Tom, they want the state law that bears her name to be passed at a federal level.

The Sonia Massey Act, it requires stricter background checks for new police hires so that those checks include things like personnel records from previous departments or even non-public legal documents. Experts say that they were red flags in Grayson's personnel background that should have been known. Meanwhile, under Illinois law, it is possible that he serves that tighter sentence or shorter sentence because of good credit behavior or good behavior credit that he could receive for his time behind bars. It's possible experts say that he'll ultimately serve just about half of that 20-year sentence, Tom. All right. Shaquille Brusiefer. Shikil, thank you. Still ahead on top

story, the dramatic cross-examination in the Opaire Affair murder trial. The man accused of killing his wife back on the stand detailing his wife's final moments why prosecutors allege his story isn't adding up. Plus, a vehicle ramming into a Jewish center in New York. city the hate crime charges just filed. And the popular snacks recalled for a disturbing reason, the foods you might have on your shelf right now that could be affected. We'll explain. We're back now with a dramatic cross-examination of the man accused of murdering his wife so he could be with their opair. Brendan Banfield describing what he says were the final words his wife said to him. But protesters insist his virgin events is a lie. Here's Stephanie Gosk.

Brendan Banfield on the stand again today. I don't know that I've ever been more panicked in my life. Telling a Virginia courtroom, he didn't kill his wife, Christine Banfield. He tried to save her after discovering a man, Joseph Ryan, with a knife in the couple's bedroom. Why did you shoot John Ryan on February 24th? He was attacking Christine. He was stabbing her. Banfield testifying that the family's opair, who Banfield admits he was having an affair with,

fired a second shot at Ryan using a different gun. The former IRS agent told the jury he did what he could to stop the bleeding on Christine's neck. Christine told me that she was bleeding out and that she was sorry and that she loved me. Christine was stabbed seven times, according to the medical examiner, who testified earlier in the trial that she would have died quickly. They're all rapidly fatal injuries. Today, during the cross-examination, the prosecutor casting doubt on Christine's ability to speak following the attack. She's chatting with you with these wounds in her neck, correct?

Yes. Banfield is charged with murder, the au pair pleading guilty to manslaughter in exchange for telling a very different story, that Banfield conspired to lure Ryan to the home using a fake profile on a fetish website as part of a scheme to murder his wife. This is what the prosecution says happened in that bedroom. Brendan enters the bedroom first, shooting Joe in the head, picks up the knife that Joe had brought, and stabs Christine repeatedly in the neck. Now the jury will have to decide which version of the story they believe. Okay, let's pick it up there. Stephanie joins us now on set along with NBC News legal analyst, Misty Maris. Once again, guys, thanks so much for being here.

So taking the stand is risking, Stephanie. Do we know why Banfield did this? You wanted to tell his side of the story. Remember, the O'Pair gave her version of events, and the only way to counter it was for him to get on the stand and tell his story. But what did that do? It opened up the possibility for the prosecution to poke holes in it,

and they did that in a couple of different ways during the cross-examination. So speaking of that, Misty, he's on the stand. He's saying that his wife told him, you know, I love you at the end before she died, and then the prosecutor's like, wait a minute, she's been stabbed in the neck. How did this play out for them? Were they able to kind of prove or catch him in a lie, an alleged lie? They absolutely were. And some of that was the prosecutor locking him into his story saying, well, by virtue of what you've told us, he was, she was stabbed at least five times

when you were having these conversations. And so line that up with the medical examiner's testimony and keep in mind those autopsy photos that were part of this case. The jury saw those. We didn't see them publicly, but all of that really, really killed his credibility. So do you think they've made enough to prove their case that he's the mastermind? I do think the prosecutors did this, and it should have been a tough case because it's such a long-time scheme that requires collusion with the opair. But I really think they did it. They put together all the evidence, and then they had the O-Pair to talk about the planning,

commission, and the cover-up of the crime. So what can we expect for tomorrow, closing arguments? Well, you could expect the defense to hit on that point exactly, that the O-Pair apparently flipped, right? And she started testifying against him, and it was a plea deal. that meant that at the end of this, she gets to go free. They're going to say, well, look, her incentive is, I'll say whatever they want me to say just for the deal. And then you'll be able to see the prosecution lay out what happened today, also with some of these inconsistencies,

and again, just hit that testimony from the opair, what she said happened, and how they colluded together. All right, Stephanie Gus, Missy Maris. I'm sure we're going to be watching it tomorrow. We thank you for that. When we come back tonight here on Top Story, breaking news from Washington just moments ago, the president saying he's going to announce his Fed chair tomorrow. We'll have a live report. Plus a Waymo car hitting a child near an elementary school, the growing concerns over the safety of self-driving cars. And what do the movie's clueless, the Karate Kid, and Inception all have in common?

Think about it. Well, we'll tell you after this break. But first, Top Story's top moment and a sweet delivery at the Vatican with a little backstory. Over the summer, Pope Leo's brother told our NBC Chicago station what he would bring to Rome when he got the opportunity to visit. And here is what he said. Heaps. That's his favorite candy on earth. Okay, well, that exchange inspired Ashley from Georgia to bring a crafty version of the Pope's favorite treat on her trip with her family to the Vatican.

Take a look. Dia says it's her memory. It's a memory her and her family will cherish forever. Stay with us. More top story on the way. We're back now with breaking news out of Washington. The president making a number of major headlines at this hour, including threatening tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba.

I want to bring back NBC's Peter Alexander. Peter, I know you're tracking all these new headlines. What have we learned when it comes to Cuba first? Well, let's start with that topic of Cuba, Tom, and notably the president here escalating pressure on Cuba, that communist island right now, significant because what he's discussing doing is now putting tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.

And remember, Venezuela was the prime. primary provider of oil to Cuba. The president just a matter of weeks ago earlier this month was successful in that operation that ousted the authoritarian leader, Nicholas Maduro, who is now being held behind bars in New York City. The president, though, trying to tighten the screws again right now. This is an executive order that was done under a national emergency declaration. We're learning right now. The tariff rates, we don't know exactly what those rates would be. We don't knows specifically which countries would be targeted by it, but significantly here, the president who has had many close allies, including the Secretary of State, National Security Advisor

Marco Rubio, who viewed this as an opportunity on the backs of the success in Venezuela to try to follow up with an additional pressure point as it relates to Cuba. We're going to be watching this moving forward, Tom. Yeah, especially with Cuba taking more than 40 percent of its oil from Venezuela, and not going to be cut off to the rest of the world. You wonder what's going to happen there. This is live pictures I'm being told of President Trump on the, I'm being told it's a black carpet maybe for the Melania documentary preview tonight there in D.C. I do want to ask you, there's news about a new Fed chair as well. He announced that?

The president hasn't yet announced the new Fed chair, but he did during these conversations with reporters alongside his wife, the first lady, who is celebrating the premiere of her documentary. The president announced that he would be announcing his pick for the new Fed chair tomorrow, That was a surprise to a lot of us. The president just days ago had said the decision was likely to come next week. We know he has been considering this decision for quite some time. It's one of the biggest economic policy announcements that he will make. He's been doing it, the decision making alongside his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessand, whose name had been floated as a possible Fed chair replacement. Separately, Howard Lutnik, his Commerce Secretary has been helping out. Among the names that we've been keeping a close eye on the two Kevins, as they're described, the President's top economic

advisor here at the White House, whose name is Kevin Hassett, though the president has said he may want to stay in his post, and also a Black Rock executive, a man by the name of Kevin Warsh. So those are the names that we'll be watching. Obviously, the backdrop to this, Tom, as we've been reporting out for the course of many weeks, months, as it were, is this feud, really one-sided, frankly, President Trump directing his anger at Jerome Powell, who initially the president picked in his first term before Powell was re-upped by President Trump. has taken to calling too late because his frustration that Powell hasn't brought interest rates down quicker. Notably, just yesterday, Powell and the Fed board announced that rates would remain steady

after three consecutive rate cuts. The president is hoping by installing someone of his choosing that it will help sort of bring down those costs very quickly to affect Americans in terms of everything that they buy from their homes to the payments they make on their cars and credit cards as well. Tom. Okay, Pierre Alexander, I know we're going to stay tracking what the president is saying, but big news coming tomorrow, it sounds like. Peter, thank you. Now to the new investigation to Waymo after one of its autonomous vehicles hit a child outside an elementary school in Southern California. NBC's Dana Griffin has the details. Tonight, an NTSB investigation underway into a Waymo vehicle hitting a child outside a Santa Monica, California elementary school. No one was behind the

wheel. A neighbor's ring camera capturing a police SUV pulling up near. the Waymo after the incident. Waymo says the child suddenly entered the roadway from behind a tall SUV directly in front of the vehicle's path, which was traveling at 17 miles per hour. According to police, that child was outside of the crosswalk running towards school. Waymo says that driverless vehicle reduced its speed to under six miles per hour before it made contact and says a human driver would have made impact at more than double that speed. Police say no injuries were reported after the child was evaluated by firefighters. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also opening a separate investigation into whether the automated vehicle exercised appropriate caution given, among other things, its proximity to the elementary school during drop-off hours.

Oh my God. It comes on the heels of other notable incidents. This tent seen in Los Angeles as a waymo drives right past an active police stop. Somebody playing a joke on me? This passenger in Phoenix stuck inside a driverless car as it goes for an unwanted spin. This car is just going in circles. In this latest incident, Waymo says it plans to fully cooperate with the federal investigation, and it remains committed to road safety.

Dana Griffin joins us tonight from Santa Monica. Dana, this isn't the only ongoing investigations into Waymo's robo-taxies. That's right, Tom. So the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation late last year around the time that Waymo issued a voluntary software recall of some 3,000 vehicles after some alarming incidents involving those vehicles around school buses in Austin, Texas, one school district. They're reporting some 20 incidents and where the Waymo went around stop school buses when they had their stop arm extended.

And there were also cases reported in Atlanta, Georgia. The company Waymo at the time said that it was committed to improving and also making adjustments as needed. as this company expands across the country. Tom? Okay, Dana Griffin for us, Dana, thank you. Now back here at home to some frightening moments in New York City, a man repeatedly ramming his car into a Jewish center. He's been arrested in charge with several hate crimes. Sam Brock with the video and the story.

In the frigid cold and even more chilling sight. Video capturing a man repeatedly smashing his car into the global headquarters of the Jewish Habad movement, where thousands of people were celebrating. What's that I doing? The NYPD quickly arriving and arresting 36-year-old Dan Sohail. Amazingly, no one was injured. We all got scared because you all know what happened in Sydney.

We all know that Jews are targeted just because they're Jews. A rabbi here telling us earlier in the day, the suspect asked rabbinical students when the event was taking place. We were facing probably in my life than the worst challenge to the safety of Jews. Three law enforcement sources telling NBC. In New York, the suspect appears to have a history of emotional or mental issues. Two sources say he previously tried to convert to Judaism, even visiting this very center before. He's now being charged with several hate crimes.

Nationwide, there's been a skyrocketing level of anti-Semitism for years. We've seen nearly a 900 percent increase in the last nine years alone, and the state where the most incidents happened is New York, and the city where the most incidents happened is New York City. Okay, Sam joins us now live in CIOC. I know you've been all over this one all day. What more do we know about the suspect? He is 36 years old. He's from New Jersey. Police are saying right now there's no criminal history at all in New York City. They're checking to see if there were any fractions in New Jersey.

That said, in terms of his background, they're looking right now, Tom, to try to find out whether or not he's facing 20 charges. Currently four of them are hate crime charges, what the possible motivation might have been. Police say that after this all happened, you're going to see this video again, that he told them it was a mistake because he was wearing clunky boots. actually him in the same Khabad. Earlier this month, interacting with the members of that community. Why would he want to go in just to potentially sabotage or claim lives? As far as how close this could have been, they were celebrating the sixth passing of the Rebbe. Huge event. Thousands of people there. Where the car went into the side of the building was the entrance to the synagogue. They say, within 10 minutes, if he had gone 10 minutes earlier, it could have been a completely different story.

Many people could have been injured or killed. This would have been a major tragedy. Yeah, major tragedy. It's strange because it seemed like he had a relationship with this Habbat, right? So according to multiple sources, he wanted to convert to Judaism. He had tried to do this in New Jersey and had visited this Habaab at least once. What connection is there? There's possible mental health issues as well. I think that's what investigators are looking at right now. Sam Brock, we thank you for that. Not at Top Stories News Feed, starting with some more breaking news tonight. President Trump, his two sons and his family business, suing the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. The $10 billion lawsuit alleges their confidential tax information was leaked. It accuses a former IRS employee of leaking that information, calling them a, quote,

rogue and politically motivated operation, no word yet from the IRS. And right now, thousands of popular food items like Pringles, Cheerios, and Taki's are being recalled over unsanitary conditions at a distributor. The FDA is saying they found rodent waste and bird droppings at facilities belonging to Gold Star distribution in Minneapolis. The products were distributed to more than 50 grocery stores throughout Minnesota and Indiana. For more information, you can head to the FDA website. And a big win for Olympic gymnast Jordan Childs. Childs is a step closer to reclaiming her bronze medal after being handed a legal victory by Switzerland's highest court. The court sending her case back to the court of arbitration for sport, ordering her to rehear her case to keep that medal.

It comes more than a year after she was stripped of a medal she had appeared to rightfully win in the Paris Games, you may remember. And the Library of Congress announcing its 25 editions to the National Film Registry. Among those being preserved are the Karate Kid. What a classic. Clueless, another one, and Inception. A total of 25 films were selected for preservation due to their cultural, historic, or aesthetic importance. All films must be at least 10 years old to be considered. Apparently, the Truman Show is too.

Okay, when we come back, Melania's big-screen moment, why the First Lady's new documentary is stirring questions and some comments. controversy. Plus an up-close look at the robocops patrolling the streets of China. Could they replace real officers? That's next. We're back now with a rare glimpse into the First Lady's Life. The premiere of the Amazon-produced documentary, Melania, 20 days to history, is happening right now at the Kennedy Center in D.C. before it rolls out in theaters across the country. Here's Hallie Jackson with what we know about the film. Here we go again. A first lady first tonight. So he's There it is.

Melania Trump's new documentary, premiering at the Kennedy Center, which her husband is trying to rename. For the typically lower profile first lady, a moment that's anything but. I'm very private person and a very selective person. What I do, what I don't do, when I talk, when I don't talk. Mrs. Trump said to be deeply involved in what appears to be a careful, curated chronicling of the days leading up to her husband's second inauguration. With early word, she'd be making $28 million for the film. its high-profile launch and high-powered backers. President Trump hosting a glitzy White House screening and Amazon, led by Jeff Bezos, which acquired the dock and a related series, for $40 million

after the president's re-election, set to roll it out on 1,500 screens with a $35 million marketing push, 10 times what's been spent on other high-profile docs, with custom popcorn buckets, ads on the Vegas sphere, and during NFL playoffs. Amazon has said it licensed the dock. And, for one reason and one reason only because we think customers are going to love it. Already, backlash before the first frame has dropped. Posters vandalized in LA, theater screenshots online, fueling speculation the film could flop. Its director? Controversial. Brett Ratner, sidelined for years by allegations of sexual misconduct, which

he denies. Still, analysts say the movie could be on track to make $5 million opening weekend. For Melania Trump, maybe a marquee moment. Allie Jackson, NBC News, Washington. For more on this documentary and its rollout, I want to bring in Dominic Patton. He's executive editor at deadline. Dominic, so great to see you again. There have been critics that say the $75 million dollars Amazon spent to make and market this movie. It was a thinly veiled attempt by Jeff Bezos to curry favor with the administration. What's your take on that? Well, I think Tom is undeniable that there's some of that involved in here.

I mean, $40 million for a documentary about a woman who's just written a best-felling biography. of herself and $35 million to promote it all over the country is an absurd amount of money for a documentary. But then again, it's a very cheap price tag if you want to get up close to the administration. At the same time, it's also pretty good marketing for Amazon Prime Video, which in many ways has been the nerdyl well of the streaming wars. So there is a benefit in bad publicity, it turns out. So talk to me about this moment in time, right? Because I was sitting at my desk and I looked up and I saw the promo for it, the trailer, and it said, in theaters. And I thought to my I saw myself, wow, at a time when the movie industry is going through so much, the Melania

film is going to be in the movie industry. So who's footing the bill on this one? I mean, is it the theater owners? Is it Amazon? I mean, explain to me what it took, because you can't just get a movie in every movie theater. Well, I think the main important thing here, too, is we have to look at the geography of this. Movies are mainly made or broken in what are blue state cities, the Los Angeles, the New York,

the Chicago's, the Houstons, and what have you. But for this film, what we're seeing is it's tracking at approximately 12 theaters across the country in red states and rural America. Now, there are some good sellouts happening in some of the centers like L.A., but also sometimes people buy out theaters for movies they like, if you know what I mean. Interestingly enough, what's important here to remember in the great war between the big screen and the small screen, a lot of rural America still does not have broadband internet. So getting access to things like watching movies on Amazon Prime or others is not always as simple as we think.

So going to that audience to where the base of MAGA is is actually a pretty smart move for a documentary that actually might make about, you know, up to maybe $3 to $5 million, which in any other scheme would be great. But if you're spending $75 million, I mean, it's a blowout. You know, it's interesting. They haven't really let anybody watch the film. Explain that to our viewers. And does that draw buzz or is that a sign that maybe they don't love the film? I think it's a combination, like many things with the Trump administration. I think one thing is we now know that even tonight's screening at the Kennedy Center,

and we're going to continue to call it that at deadline, they're not allowing the press in to see it. Anyone can see the film as tomorrow when it starts opening in theaters all across the country. That is a very good way of critic-proofing this. But at the same time, of course, it opens up to the conversation. The reality is, is this is critic-proof because it is only intended for an audience of two, the president and the first lady. They are already feeling that this is a success. And so to them, for Amazon, for a long-term purpose, in both of getting closer to the administration, as we discuss, but also in getting us to all talk about Amazon Prime, that has to be a success.

You know, I had a chance to sit down with Melania. It was her first primetime network interview when she was first lady in the first term. And to this day, people stop me and they ask me about that interview. People are fascinated by her, right? She's incredibly interesting. When she is on camera and she is being interviewed, she can at times be somewhat revealing. She's a lot. also very guarded. But I think the way they're marketing this and the way she did this, she kind of did this on her own terms, and it feels like she was very much in control of this production. Is that fair? Oh, it's completely fair, Tom. This was a fully authorized, manicured, curated autobiography. Like her book, by the way, now what the period this also looks at, it's very telling. It's not the administration. It's not scandal. It's not success. It's not policy. It's that weird twilight between an election and inauguration. So there's a lot of planning. there's a lot of anticipating, especially in this case, returning to the White House.

But this is exactly what they want it to be. And when you look at that trailer, which is the most we've seen about it, you see lots of revealing little things. In many ways, I've been calling this the Real Housewives of Pennsylvania Avenue. Because there's those little asides you expect from reality TV of here we go again, or hello, Mr. President. That's in many ways what I think we're going to get to see. The first lady is very guarded. And you saw this in your interview. I remember that interview a few years back.

She's very guarded, and she knows exactly what the information. images she wants to present and how she wants to control it. You know, just yesterday on Fox News and one of the few interviews she's given about this, she said, I'm in charge of no one and no one's in charge of me. And in that is the paradox of Melania Trump. The first lady went on Fox as part of a promotional tour for this doc. Here's some of what she said about her relationship with the president. Let's listen.

I give him my advice and, you know, we talk about that, and we could see that the country it's divided and it's very hard. You know, Dominic, it's funny, so I'm watching this and I'm thinking back on my interview. I think a lot of people might be curious, you know, where is the First Lady in the second term and what her role is? Do we know if this film will answer that question? Because I feel like we haven't seen as much of her as we did in the first term, which was also not a lot. Well, we do know that she primarily does not live at the White House. We know that.

There's speculation that she lives a lot in Mar-a-Lago and sometime in New York or her. obviously Barron is going to school. You know, it's interesting when she talked on Fox News in another interview I saw, she talked about how the country was so divided, she wanted to help unify it. But when she referred to what was unifying it, she basically said, people should stop disagreeing with my husband's policies. And I feel like the First Lady maybe needs a little bit of a course in how democracy works, which is the great unifying force of America, our ability to disagree.

I think in many ways she wants to remain the enigma she is, but she wants to give a little bit more of that. But this is also clearly, it's a vanity project. And it's not the first time. And it's really important. There's a lot of people are saying this is unprecedented. I beg to differ in a quasi-presidential historian role. Jackie Kennedy gave a live television broadcast, primetime broadcast from the White House,

to show all the redecoration she had done. Many a First Lady have taken to the small screen or the big screen to talk about their endeavors, be it from Michelle Obama talking about better health, Betty Ford, talking about taking care of yourself in terms of addictions and what have you. And we're also and Carter talking about faith. These are part Nancy Reagan talking about Just Say No.

First Ladies do have a role in our country where they become personalities unto themselves. We're seeing that with this First Lady. It's a question of how much she's willing to show. Is there a chance here, and I know people are even going to, like, review sites and giving bad reviews, even though they haven't even seen the film yet? But is there a chance that this film is great, and Melania does sell, and people do like it? And maybe they don't go to the theater, but it's a success on Amazon. Prime. How will we know that? I mean, do you think Prime will release how many people are actually

watching this? I think they will. I mean, look, Prime is trying very hard to swing in a big, big league. Prime primarily comes, as we all know. We pay a little bit extra for our Amazon toilet paper and toothbrush and battery deliveries, and we get this great video service. But, you know, they've done very well with Thursday night football, with the NFL, they're trying to swing in the big leagues. This gets them up there. Regardless of how the numbers do, they're going to present a sunny face on this because they spent $75 million on it. You can't spit here in L.A. without coming across a Melania billboard or bus stop poster, et cetera, et cetera, they're everywhere. And that is part of what this is. This has become a ubiquitous event, which is unknown almost for documentaries

in America, and certainly unknown on this level. But I do think the success is already baked into this. It might not be the way you and I gauge it in terms of numbers or box office or what have you. But the fact is, once again, we're all talking about the Trumps. We're not talking about a lot of other things that are happening in this world. And we're talking about their impact on the culture. And when it comes down to it, I think the legacy of Donald and Melania Trump, it won't be so much in policies or in families that have been devastated by immigration raids or anything like that. It will be in the cultural impact they've had. And that is undeniably vast. Dominic, always so great to talk to. We thank you for your time and your analysis. And real quick,

People, they can't go to the movie theater. How quickly can they see it on Prime? That is another mystery, my friend. Amazon have not told us yet. But I would say it probably won't be very long. Okay. Dominic Patton, always great to talk to you. Thank you. All right, we're going to head overseas now with Top Story's Global Watch. We start in Columbia, where investigators are searching through the wreckage after a deadly plane crash. All 15 passengers on board, including a lawmaker, were killed when the plane went down in a remote mountainous region. The state-owned airline operating the flight said it was traveling within the country, but lost contact with air traffic control minutes into the flight. The investigation is still ongoing.

And China executing nearly a dozen people after they were found guilty of killing Chinese citizens and running a massive scam operation. The 11 people killed were members of a Myanmar-based group. Authorities say they ran a billion-dollar criminal empire that oversaw mafia-like scam centers, which included killing workers who tried to escape. China's foreign ministry says they will call. continue to prosecute those involved in widespread fraud and other crimes. And the European Union is designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.

That decision coming after the brutal and deadly crackdown on protesters in the recent weeks. The U.S. and Canada have already labeled that group a terrorist group. The EU also sanctioned more than a dozen top officials and several organizations in Iran as economic pressures on the country continue to mount. Okay, the race to advance robot technology is heating up across the globe. especially in China, where there's a major push to introduce humanoid robots into everyday life. Some cities even deploying robotic police officers. Janice Maggie Freyer explains. At nearly six feet tall, the newest police recruit on patrol in the city of Woohoo commands attention, less because of the uniform than the six high-definition cameras and advanced sensors under that hat

that allow the AI-powered robot called R-O-1 to manage the flow of traffic. and people in the streets and around the clock. It looks just like a real person at first sight, says this pedestrian. Real-life robocops like this have been rolled out in other Chinese cities too, including Chengdu, Hungzhou and Shanghai. One of the police instructors says the robots work alongside human traffic officers, or they can tap into the traffic lights to work solo. The robocops aren't designed to be particularly fast or fear.

But they are a key part of a wider strategy here to show off China's advances in robotics and to make machines more familiar to the humans whose lives they'll soon be transforming. Chinese robots have moved quickly from factory floors to daily life since 2015 when China's government declared robotics and industry to dominate. It is scaled up to produce 595,000 industrial robots and 13.5 million service robots in the first three quarters of last year. Morgan Stanley predicts China's robotics market will hit $108 billion by 2028. There are now more than 150 companies making humanoids. So how long have you worked here?

We went inside one of the leading firms called Unitri last year and met G1 EDU. The robotics industry is backed by state. funding, a lot of it, as well as venture capital. China's supply chain and talent pool help too. Describe the pace at which robots and humanoids are evolving here. Once it will work, it will go very fast. I think the unsolved problem at the moment is really still the brains. You don't want to have a robot that does a job 90% right. You need to have it to do it over 99% right. The robotics craze here is also powered by a state-sponsored public relations machine.

Videos across social media show off robots kicking and performing stunts. Last year, Beijing hosted the first ever world humanoid robot games, with robots in all shapes and sizes competing in events ranging from soccer to sorting luggage. These days, it's about accelerating embodied AI to build robot brains that can, both think and interact with humans. With China's aging population and declining birth rate, robots and humanoids will change the future of work and daily life here, leaving the trundling robocops on duty in woohoo to be only a preview of what's to come. Janice Mackeyfrae, NBC News, Beijing. And when we come back, we'll introduce you to the students on an unusual assignment for love,

how they help their teacher's boyfriend put a ring on it. Finally, tonight a sweet surprise for a Mississippi teacher whose students mean everything to her. The kids feeling the hallway not to get to class, but to help her boyfriend ask a very important question. When Andrew Pellegrino decided he wanted to ask Julia Alexander to marry him, he was a little nervous, but he knew just who to call to help him out. The students at Hernando Middle School in northern Mississippi,

Julia teaches sixth grade there. Her students lining the hallways ready with letters spelling out, will you marry me? And when Julia walked in, her smile and emotion said it all. In front of her class, Andrew dropping down onto one knee. I knew I was ready to do it, but that moment waiting until she walked down the hallway was nerve-wracking. I knew Julia was passionate about teaching and loved her kids, and I thought any way I can incorporate that into the proposal would be great. So it was a winner. With the ring on her finger, her students coming in for a hug, celebrating the answer to one of life's biggest questions. It had always kind of been like a secret dream and hope of mine that he would do it at school.

It was very special, very heartwarming, definitely the surprise of a lifetime. A lifetime, they're ready to spend together. I love Julia's passion for teaching and everything she does. She lights on my day every day. For us, thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.