Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, July 10, 2025

Episode Date: July 11, 2025

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, the tunnel collapse rescue. Officials are calling a miracle. More than two dozen workers surviving after being trapped hundreds of feet below ground in an industrial tunnel. The video of the moment they're brought to the surface, how were they able to make it out virtually unscathed? Also tonight, stranded in the Azores, the plane making an emergency landing, leaving passengers stuck on the remote island for 29 hours. The troubling bang heard midair. Heartbreak in the hill country.

Nearly a week after those catastrophic floods in Texas, more than 160 people still missing. We're on the ground with those searching for their loved ones, and are Kristen Welker speaking exclusively with President Trump why he says Texas needs a better warning system. A Georgia teen posted TikToks grieving her murdered parents. Now she's under arrest for the killings, the new twist in that chilling case. The close call caught on camera.

Two officers coming within seconds of a speeding truck, what happened next? The off-screen drama over the hit show Love Island, the star forced to exit after a video of her using a racial slur resurfaced. Her apology and the reality check for Gen Z is their digital footprint catching up to them. And the stunning upset at Wimbledon, the New Jersey native now a Grand Slam finalist after defeating the top player in the world. Her tears of joy on the court. Plus, breaking tonight, the immigration standoff in California. The federal agent swarming a farm, what we're learning. Top story starts right now.

Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, it's the great escape against all odds. 31 workers trapped after a tunnel collapse in Los Angeles, all of them making it out alive. Check out this video of the massive entrance to that underground tunnel where those workers were stuck nearly five miles from the only entry and exit point.

This is the moment they were hoisted out, first responders saving them using cranes and rescue cages. LA's mayor, Karen Bass, greeting those rescuers, saying what could have been a moment of tragedy was instead a victory. This all happened in the Wilmington neighborhood of Los Angeles. It's about 30 miles south of downtown and just

outside of Long Beach. And tonight, we're learning more about the terrifying ordeal inside the tunnel and the lengths those workers went just to get out. NBC's Liz Kroits starts us off. That tunnel collapsed, trapping all of those workers.

Tonight, new details of the desperate struggle underground. Friends and family were counting how they watched as these cranes hoisted over two dozen trap workers to safety. I thought my husband died. I love him, but I'm so glad that he's okay. And I'm not going to take another day for granted. The mayor meeting with rescued workers and firefighters after an incredible survival story

that's even shocking to the first responders. Last night was nothing sort of a miracle. L.A. Fire Captain Danny Wu was in charge of the rescue effort, but telling us the trap construction workers save themselves by climbing over 15 foot piles of debris underground. were they all able to get out? By the grace of God, they found little void spaces where the workers on the other side of the tunnel were able to crawl through, which is amazing. It all happened just before eight last night, a tunnel collapsing, trapping 27 construction workers, four others rushing into help. More than 100 first responders on the scene.

They have 28 people in the shop right now. Roughly an hour later. There they are. The escape. You see this crane here and then that yellow basket at the end of. it is bringing out these trapped miners the collapse site was five miles from the entrance 40 minutes by underground vehicle making a quick rescue by first responders all but impossible it could have been days and weeks maybe just to go in there

and to facilitate a rescue the tunnel which was under construction carries water from the wastewater treatment center south of downtown LA to the Pacific Ocean spanning seven miles 400 feet below ground everyone seems to be doing fine Maria Orozco's son was among those trapped. Thank God for an answered prayer, she said. Tonight, we were lucky. A disaster that could have been so much worse. And Liz Troids joins us now from Willington, California, near the site of that tunnel collapse. Liz, at this point, do officials know what caused the collapse? Yeah, no, Alison, that is the big question. That is something officials say they're still looking

into. And in the latest statement that was put out, they say that this area was surveyed last September, shoes were found at that time. You can see the crane, one of the cranes that was used in this rescue. Investigators are here right now, not only trying to figure out what went wrong, but also now how to fix it. And until then, this project is on pause indefinitely. Allison, NBC's Liz Croix. Thank you. We're also following an emergency landing made by a Delta flight in the Azores. Passengers stranded for 29 hours before a replacement aircraft arrived, now speaking out about the harrowing experience. Here's NBC's Tom Costello. It was supposed to be an eight-and-a-half-hour flight from Madrid to New York's JFK Airport.

But roughly a third of the way over the Atlantic, passengers reported a loud noise. Delta Airlines says an engine problem forced flight 127 and Airbus A330 to make a sharp left turn and make an emergency landing at the closest airport, an Air Force base in the Azores. Portugal's remote island chain in the middle of the Atlantic. In a statement, Delta says the flight landed safely and we sincerely apologize to our customers for their experience and delay in their travels. But it wasn't a quick stopover. The unexpected detour lasted 29 hours.

We spent the last 24 hours in these outfits because they didn't give us our bags. The pilot reassured the passengers the plane can fly on one engine. Delta says they provided the customers with meals on hotels, though some booked on their own. Ken Elder, a Delta Platinum passenger, took photos of the postcar beautiful island, but says he and others felt abandoned. The handling of all of us in what was going on was not good. I had five in my group. All of us were on the phones with Delta. We were never offered accommodations. We were never offered any help with food or anything else. A replacement aircraft arrived more than a day later to fly on to JFK.

The airline tells NBC News safety comes before all else at Delta. Alison. Tom Costello, thank you. And storms slamming the East Coast from the Carolinas to Massachusetts. Flood watchers, or floodwaters, rather, are overtaking neighborhoods and busy highways, stranding people, and forcing rescues. All of this as the mountain town of Rio Doso, New Mexico, recovers from that deadly flood emergency. NBC News correspondent Aaron McLaughlin has this way.

One. Relentless rain leading parts of the East Coast, a waterlogged mess. Over night in North Carolina, flash flood submerged entire neighborhoods. Similar scenes to the north in New Jersey and Massachusetts, where this morning's commute descended into chaos after sections of the critical I-93 interstate washed out. Some drivers rescued from nearby roads. My car's still filling up with water all the way up to the seat inside. There were three offices that I had a climbed through the window and he gave me a piggyback all this while the village of uroso new mexico is now focused on cleaning up after flash floods damaged hundreds of homes this sped up surveillance video showing how quickly waters rose in the store tonight harrowing accounts of survival they were watching the water come up they thought they were going to die we thought they were going to die jason fulcher says a wall of water tore through the trailer park his seven-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son were trapped inside their home. They said that the bed was floating, and so they got on the mattress of the bed that was

floating up, and they were holding on to the ceiling fan. There's only, you know, maybe two foot before they were out of room and they would have drowned. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. And right now, severe storms are firing up. Tornado warnings just issued in Iowa, and check out this video out of Illinois. Storms unleashing hail, pieces hitting this power line, causing sparks to fly. Let's get right to NBC News. biologist Bill Karens for the latest. Bill, what more do we know about these warnings and

what are you tracking tonight? Yeah, numerous areas have issues, but it's not as widespread as past nights. So that's the good part of this. We have been watching very heavy rain in eastern North Carolina. We do have one flash flood warning out here in the Outer Banks towards Killedvel Hills. We're waiting to see how these storms develop in North Carolina. We showed you the pictures of some of the flood water in between Raleigh and Greensboro. Thunderstorms are moving through this region. No flash flood warnings at this time. We've got these very very Very strong storms. We just showed you the pictures in areas of Illinois, and you do have a flash flood warning just issued for the Rockford area. You can see the first line of storms hit, and now the second line's coming through. So when you get multiple rounds of rain like this, you're going to get the flash flooding. None of this is heading for Chicago quite yet. You probably have at least a half hour to 45 minutes of clear skies. We do have a tornado watch that has been issued for areas of Nebraska, from Omaha up to Sioux Falls. Here's that one tornado warning just to the northwest here of Waterloo. Nothing confirmed with that. But, We will be watching isolated storms there.

And then tomorrow we'll track storms once again near Chicago, heading up towards Detroit. This area, about 24 million people at risk, including Kansas City. Then as we head towards the weekend, eyes return back on to the hard hit flooded areas of Texas. We are under a slight risk of flash flooding. We could have thunderstorms with some localized downpours. Kerrville's down here at the very bottom of it, so we're hoping that it misses that Guadalupe River basin. But other areas from San Angelo and, of course, the New Mexico, Radoso, that area. that has also a chance for getting some of those storms, Ellison.

So, you know, the concerns are trending more towards normal summer-like, but we still got some isolated issues. All right, Bill Cairns, thank you. We're going to head to Texas next, where crews are still searching tonight for those declared missing as the death toll rises one week after the devastating floods. And tonight we are hearing new audio from a volunteer firefighter who wanted to call a code red to alert residents there about flooding

an hour before they say they got alerts. NBC's Morgan Chesky is there. Family comes first. This is what we're supposed to do. Nobody, nobody goes home till both of my parents are found. Tonight in Texas, with more than 170 people still missing, searches on a river offering little closure. Robert Brake Jr. on a mission to find his beloved mother swept away alongside his father in Friday's deadly surge. I would hold him a hug and tell my lover, Thank you for being such great parents. This is what I would tell them. Amid questions about whether more could have been done to warn people.

Tonight, new dispatch audio obtained by NBC Austin affiliate KXANN, revealing a volunteer firefighter asked to send a code red alert at 422 on the morning of July 4th. Is there any way we can send a code red out to our hunt residents asking them to find our ground or stay home? 10-4 standby. We have to get that approved with our staff. supervisor. It's unclear when the first alert went out to Code Red subscribers, though the mayor says the first notification he received was at 6 a.m. 90 minutes later. Local officials have not responded to NBC news requests for comment. It was apocalyptic. Lisa Miller visiting Camp Mystic today after her three

daughters survived, sharing how a counselor saved her youngest as the waters rose. And it got up to her shoulders. So her counselor put her on her back to keep her safe. A former Mystic camper herself, Miller says her daughter linked arms with girls in her cabin to keep from floating away. Holding hands kind of in a chain. Her daughter describing the last words she heard from camp director, Dick Eastland. Okay, you girls be safe. I'm going to go help bubble in. And that's the last that they saw him. And tonight authorities say that five campers and one counselor still remain missing from Camp Mystic. In the meantime, the White House confirming that President Trump will be visiting Kerr County tomorrow, although the details are still unclear.

Nelson. Morgan, thank you. And President Trump, who's scheduled to visit Texas tomorrow, now making headlines about local officials' response to the flooding. In an exclusive interview with NBC's Meet the Press moderator, Kristen Welker, who joins us now from Washington, D.C. Kristen, you just spoke to the president by phone. What can you tell us about that call? Alison, we asked President Trump if Texas officials could have done more and if there should have been a better warning system. He told us that local officials, quote, loved those children, loved those people and nobody ever saw a thing like this coming.

This is a once-in-every-200-year deal, he said. But in retrospect, he added, after having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you'd put up alarms in some form. But he also praised Texas officials for doing what he called a great job, Ellison. And, Kristen, there's been a lot of reporting of late. in regards to the war in Ukraine, and President Trump reportedly being caught off guard by the Pentagon's decision to pause shipments of weapons to Ukraine. The president eventually reversing that decision on Monday. Did he say anything to you about the situation in Ukraine? Well, the president said he thinks that Defense Secretary Pete Hegsteth is doing a great job. He also said he's disappointed in Russia.

He told us he thinks he'll have a major statement to make about Russia on Monday, though when pressed, he did not say what that statement will be. The president also said he just made a deal today with NATO in which he says the U.S. will send weapons to Ukraine through NATO. And NATO is, quote, paying for those weapons 100%, including those Patriot Air defenses that Ukraine has been asking for and that NATO will distribute them. We did reach out to NATO tonight. No response yet, Ellison. Kristen Welker, thanks so much. Now of the Secret Service agents suspended from duty, the move following that assassination attempt on President Trump last July. You'll recall a gunman's bullet, Grace Trump's ear at a campaign rally near Butler,

Pennsylvania. Two bystanders were injured and a former fire chief was killed as he shielded his family from the gunfire. That horrific day, prompting a series of ongoing reforms within the nation's top protective agency. For more, NBC's Kelly O'Donnell joins us now from the White House. Kelly, these suspensions involve both supervisors as well as lower level agents. We've seen a lot of images from that day of Secret Service agents protecting the president. We want to be clear we don't know who is facing suspension at this point, but talk to us a little more about what we do know in terms of the discipline those agents are facing. Well, as it is standard with all of federal employers, they do not reveal the identities in this kind of an action, but we know the suspensions

have already been served, a range from two to six weeks without pay, and they deal with with individuals who were tasked with some of the planning for the event, some of them out of the Pittsburgh office. And this is part of a year-long review. And that is the reason the information is coming out now. These suspensions had already been completed. But with the anniversary this Sunday, there has been a lot of change at the Secret Service. Shortly after these events, there was a change in the leadership at the very top where the director was out, an interim director and then President Trump actually selected a new director who was one of the agents who was protecting him on that day. And there have been a number of steps that have been taken. Some of that

prompted by an internal review and some of it by the oversight from Congress that did its own study of what happened. And a lot of those steps are dealing with first acknowledging that it was a giant failure, one that can never be repeated. And it had to do with planning. It had to do with communications. It had to do with interaction with local law enforcement partners who are generally always a part of these big events. And they're making steps. Some of them already implemented and some in the process of being implemented based on the recommendations they've had both internally and from these outside groups that have looked at it. Ellison? Yeah, you mentioned that one of the independent reviews on the panel on the assassination attempt, they said this in

part, quote, the Secret Service does not perform at the elite levels needed to discharge its critical mission. The Secret Service has become bureaucratic, complacent, and static, even though risks have multiplied and technology has evolved. You spend a lot of time talking to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Is there the sense from them that they feel like enough changes have been done that they're confident in this agency moving forward? Or should we expect to see lawmakers still demanding more changes in the months and even years ahead? Well, they've provided more resources, which will help to go toward things like more access to drone technology and hiring more personnel.

One of the issues is simply the fatigue factor that agents are in so much demand, especially in a campaign year, which is what we were dealing with last year, where you have both parties and the sitting president all being protected by the Secret Service that people were really stretched then. And on the complacency issues and so forth, they're trying to institute some safeguards to improve communication and to set up and organize how they pre-plan for these events in different ways to have more redundancies. One of the critical issues was that building where the shooter who was killed by the Secret Service after the shots had already been fired and done damage,

he was on a rooftop and that rooftop had not been covered. That was one of the glaring errors. And so that kind of assessment of how can they close those gaps is part of what's going on. The test will be, and they have to prove that they have been able to incorporate these changes and use new resources to live up to the standard that everyone wants them to achieve. Ellison? NBC's Kelly O'Donnell. Thank you. Coming up on top story, coffee costs.

The price increase that could be coming if the huge tariffs on Brazil take effect in August. Plus, the fast food industry's game of chicken, why Americans are lining up at drive-thrues for a viral and inexpensive snack-wrapped sensation. And the call of a lifetime, the unforgettable reaction when an MLB pitcher told his parents he made the All-Star team. Stay with us. We're back now with the possible fallout

from President Trump's newly announced tariff on Brazil. Trump saying the U.S. will impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports come August 1st. In part, due to the charges in that country against former president and close Trump ally, Jaire Bolsonaro. Trump called Bolsonaro's prosecution for an alleged coup attempt a witch hunt and has drawn parallels to the charges he faced in the U.S. Trump also cited trade deficits as part of his reasoning behind the new tariff, despite the fact that the U.S. has a trade surplus with Brazil. It's a surplus of more than $7 billion just last year. So how could this impact prices here in the U.S.?

NBC News Business and Data Correspondent, Brian Chung, is here to walk us through all of it. Brian, we mentioned coffee as we headed into the break. Walk us through some of the products that people could see increasing here if these tariffs do go into effect. Yeah, well, the president's been sending out letters to a number of countries, but a lot of them are really small. Moldova, Kazakhstan, Laos, but Brazil is the biggest trade partner that we've likely heard from recently. And this is a country that exports a lot of goods that we will see at the house at the store on a daily basis. things like orange juice, things like coffee, beef, sugar as well, major inputs into other types of goods that are made here in the United States as well.

Now, coffee is a big one given that 22% of U.S. coffee imports come from Brazil, and about 20% of U.S. coffee imports over the last five years come from Brazil as well. Other countries and other companies, rather, are watching this as well because Dunkin' Donuts, their biggest source of coffee beans, comes from Brazil. Your coffee might get more expensive as a result of the 50% hair. So have we heard anything yet from the Brazilian government in response to this? Yeah, the Brazilian government has said that they would retaliate if they can't get a resolution by August 1st. Again, what we're talking about here is not these tariffs going into effect today.

If there is not a resolution by August 1st, then yes, in theory, that 50% tariff would take effect. If that is the case, Lula, who is the current president of Brazil, has said that they would use their authority through Congress to respond with reciprocity, which would involve very much a tariff on American goods going into their country. And before we let you go, let me ask you about some other business news that has sort of been bubbling up late this afternoon. President Trump and his administration at large has gone back and forth quite a bit for a while now with the Fed chair, Jerome Powell. But today, accusations that Jerome Powell is mismanaging the Federal Reserve, what do people need to know about that? Yeah, so we know that the President has been very unhappy with the Fed chair because the Central Bank has not been more aggressive on cutting interest rates since he's taken office. Now, the Fed has said they're not doing that because the economy doesn't need that.

this time and actually it risked more inflation. But the latest wrinkle to this is now the OMB director, the head of the office management and budget, who is appointed by Trump, is now going after Jerome Powell for, quote, grossly mismanaging the Fed. And he's citing specifically the use of a project that they're doing to upgrade their buildings down in Washington, D.C. He's accused the Federal Reserve of unduly spending money on things that they don't need, like new water fountains. But the Fed Chair, for his part, did testify to Congress about this recently. said that there is no new marble, there's no new water features at the Federal Reserve, that these are part of maintenance issues and costs that they needed to make to the buildings.

But again, these attacks on the central bank, which is independent, I want to remind our viewers, does continue. All right. NBC's Brian Chung, thank you. Next tonight, it's not every day that a fast food menu item makes news. But the buzz about today's return of the snack wrap a decade in the making was absolutely undeniable. NBC's Emily Aketa explains. In a major escalation of the fast food industry's rap battles. Snack wrap is back.

Today, McDonald's welcomes back a $2.99 chicken lettuce and cheese treat that has diehard fans rejoicing. I used to have it all the time like years and years ago. I just love it. It's been nearly a decade since the snack wrap was on the menu, yet it's cold like following has never wavered. McDonald's, if you are listening to this video, bring back the snack wrap. After a social media outcry from customers, McDonald's posting today, you won. Scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you that the snack wrap is back? Oh, 10.

Without a doubt, without a doubt. The shake-up and an addition of chicken choices comes amid slumping sales across some major food chains, fighting it out for customers tightening their budgets. It's wrapped in a flour tortilla. Chicken chain Popeye's welcoming the battle and offering its wraps for free, with a $5 purchase through the weekend. While Taco Bell and Sonic rolled out their own twists on chicken this summer. There is so much snack wrap hype right now.

Companies walking to poultry as customers are. Nearly 40% of all Grubhub restaurant orders last year included chicken. A more affordable option, experts point out, amid record high beef prices. But I've waited my entire adult life for this to come back. As McDonald's hopes, this bite of nostalgia, just as good as I remember, is the secret sauce to a successful summer. And Emily joins us now in studio. The beef fact and the prices playing a role in all of this is fascinating.

But I was so excited about this because I love snacks. Yeah, who doesn't love to just like eat as I go? And I love childhood nostalgia, which seems to be everywhere right now. Are those playing a factor? Yeah, definitely. You're looking at people, more people. They're leaning away from those three traditional meals of the day. And they're taking part of this snackification trend where they're kind of doing the smaller bite.

So this plays into that. The other thing about the nostalgia factor, it's a very very. powerful marketing tool. But what it does open up for some level of risk is now people have something to compare it to. There are slight differences in this wrap. It is the concept the same, but it's a different chicken. There's no grilled options. So we'll see ultimately what people have to say about it. Okay. So if you know the old one very well, maybe leave a little wiggle room before you try this one. All right, Emily Aketa. Thank you. Thanks. Coming up on top story, stunning upset. The American woman who just shocked the world and got to the

finals at Wimbledon. And check out this video, Kilauea erupting again in Hawaii, why it's becoming somewhat of a regular occurrence. But first, I got surprised by this, but hopefully you will be too because it's a great time for Top Story's top moment. This is the emotional call that was made by Seattle Mariner pitcher Brian Wu, sharing the news with his parents that he made the American League All-Star Team roster and inviting them to the game in Atlanta. Let's take a look. Thursday, I think Friday, we're going to go to Pete Paddy's for the weekend. Okay. Do you guys want to go to Atlanta after that? No freaking way.

Yeah. No way! Oh, wow. Lous parents, Clayton and Hillary there with that priceless reaction. We learned that they will be attending the All-Star game in Atlanta with Brian's sister. You see her in this. picture here and his parents there. The picture who's in his second season will be making his first All-Star game appearance. We wish him the best of luck. Stay with us. We'll be back in just a moment.

Back now with Top Stories News Feed, and tonight we're following some breaking news. Federal agents conducted an immigration enforcement operation at an agriculture area in Ventura County on Thursday that's led to a clash with demonstrators. We're talking about the state of California here. The operation it took place at a farm near Camarillo. At one point, federal agents formed a line blocking a street, later launching smoke canisters into the crowd. Witnesses say several people were detained.

Some of them placed on a U.S. Marshal bus. The fire department said multiple people were injured. NBC News has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to confirm details, but so far we haven't heard back. Emergency crews responding to a mass casualty event in Baltimore that saw 15 people transported to hospitals, five of them in critical condition. City, fire, and police officials saying they responded to a call in West Baltimore this morning. When paramedics arrived on the scene, they were alerted to multiple people showing signs of overdose. Authorities are investigating what substance was involved.

A stunning video captures the moment two Los Angeles police officers narrowly escape as a truck, toward them. You can see it here. The pickup truck speeding up. One officer struck with debris as both of them jump out of the way before that truck smashes into a bagel shop. Three juvenile passengers were in the car and the adult driver was arrested. We're told one police officer sustained minor injuries and is now recovery. Hawaii's Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, is at it yet again. Putting on an incredible show of force and nature, the volcano erupted for nine straight hours on Wednesday, sending lava shooting 1,200 feet into the air, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

This was the volcano's 28th episode since December 24. We're going to turn now to a disturbing story out of Georgia. A teenage girl posting TikToks grieving the death of her mom and stepdad after they were shot and killed inside the family home back in February. Now, that teen is under arrest with police there saying she was responsible for the horrific crime all along. NBC's Maggie Vespa with the details. The Post's poll at your heartstrings. One after another appearing to show Georgia teen Sarah Grace Patrick crying after authorities back in

February said someone shot and killed her mom and stepdad Kristen and James Brock in their Atlanta area home. This video showing what appears to be her mother's remains in an urn. Another includes a link to a GoFundMe. On the screen, I just want my mama. Tonight, a stunning update from Georgia investigators. We can confirm that an arrest has been made in the case. Kristen Brock's 17-year-old daughter, Sarah Grace Patrick, has been taken into custody.

Carroll County authorities confirming Patrick faces two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault. The recent Central High School graduate being charged. As an adult, authorities saying her dad brought her to turn herself in Tuesday. She turned herself in because we notified her she had warrants for arrest. Authorities remaining tight-lipped about any theories on a motive, but saying they have a mountain of physical and digital evidence and crediting collaborations with the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations Crime Lab, even private forensic laboratories. Video online shows Patrick delivering eulogies for her mom and stepdad. I was so used to you guys, always meet you, and I have a single clue with how much I need to join till now.

The Carroll County Communications Director asked by reporters if they believe she covered up the crime. Considering that she didn't just immediately tell us what happened, yes. But who knows what's going on in a young person's mind like that? It is an open, ongoing investigation. It's very possible others are involved as well. The case sparking massive interest online among true crime enthusiasts, one claiming the teen reached out in the months before her arrest looking for help catching her parents killer why would you ask me to cover a case where you are going to get arrested for taking your parents lives we spoke on the

phone and we spoke via text this woman who calls herself a family friend posting last month that Patrick didn't hear anything on the night of the murders except she did hear james's elvad machine which is his heart machine that kept his heart pumping she did hear that alarm going off throughout the night. Sarah commenting on that video that she heard the alarm 10 to 20 minutes before going to bed but said it was faint due to background noise. It's unclear tonight if she has an attorney. Her father posting this quote on Facebook Saturday saying to my daughter, never doubt your place in this world. I see you. I believe in you. And I'll always be in your corner. He told NBC News via phone, it's just how I feel about my daughter. He said he's brokenhearted, adding

it's just too early to speak without an attorney, and, quote, all I can really say is she's innocent until proven guilty. And Maggie Vespah joins us now. I mean, Maggie, listening to that Georgia investigator saying, and I'm quoting here, that this is an open, ongoing investigation. She also said possible others could be involved. I mean, what are people that live in the area saying about this seemingly stunning development? I mean, their minds are blown, Ellison. Keep in mind, this is a small rural area, a community about it. an hour west of Atlanta. This is a really tight-knit place, and suffice it to say, this is really rocking it to its core. It also kind of adds to that mystery that you're talking about that investigators didn't go into detail as to what they called it mountain of evidence was. So a lot of people really want to know how did they figure out that they had enough to arrest

her, enough to charge her. And then as you point out, they said there could be others involved. But we're also seeing people who know the family posting about this case just saying how shocking it is. One woman who said Kristen, the mom was her best friend, posted saying that her heart is shattered. She said, my mind is blown. She goes on to say, obviously, she's innocent until proven guilty, talking about Sarah, but posted, quote, we are grieving three people now with this arrest. Alison. NBC's Maggie Vespa, thank you. Now to our ongoing series, the cost of denial. Tonight's focus, a mother of two, who says she lives with debilitating pain. Her doctor suggested a procedure to help, but her insurance

company denied coverage. NBC's Steve Patterson, I'm free to say I told you so a lot of people told me that my mosaic stairs would crack over the winter and you do it yourself influencer Aurora McCausland post a lot of videos to her 300,000 followers today holiday cookie boxes okay but this one calling out a denial from her insurance provider caught our attention I got the prior authorization from my insurance company it denied today Aurora explaining she has a chronic inflammatory condition called lipidema and needs a surgery that cost $42,000 her frustration with her frustration with her the insurance she had at the time, Cigna Health Care, piercing through the screen. They just have decided that I don't need it or have it. We wanted to learn more. So we went to Utah just outside Salt Lake City to meet her. Some days are better than others, but on some days even just walking up the stairs, one fly to stairs, my legs will be really, I mean, they'll feel heavy. At first glance, the mother of two looks fit, but lipidema causes a disproportionate fat accumulation, often in the legs. And Aurora says for her it means fatigue, brain fog, blackouts,

and pain. Has this pain gotten any worse? Has it gotten different? Yeah, it's definitely gotten much worse the older I've gotten. You can have a stage one patient that has very severe and crippling symptoms of pain and swelling. Aurora's doctor, Dr. David Smart, is a board-certified dermatologic surgeon. Really only surgery helps to reverse the disease process and treat the symptoms in a more long-lasting improvement. But Cigna, the insurance company Aurora had, through her husband's job, said no to covering the recommended liposuction surgery twice. Writing, medical necessity has not been established, citing among its reasons that exam records

did not show tenderness in the affected areas. They say it doesn't look like I experienced tenderness in those areas. How do they know? Exactly. How can they tell? Because you feel that on the inside. So they said that they can tell that I don't experience tenderness and that it doesn't look like there's fat in the affected areas.

We also asked Cigna why it denied her coverage and were told Ms. McCausland's case was carefully reviewed by multiple doctors, including a plastic surgeon with expertise in lipidema. Based on the information submitted by her doctor, she did not meet the clinical criteria for liposuction. Dr. Smart left as frustrated as his patient at being unable to treat her condition. Are we talking about something that's crippling? In many instances, yes. The decrease of mobility, the pain, the swelling from lipidema can be crippling to many patients.

Aurora had hoped when her husband's workplace switched insurers earlier this month, her situation would change. But she says the new insurer already told her it typically doesn't cover the procedure. I think that it's ridiculous that we live in a country that we have health care available to us, but it's so inaccessible that none of us can afford what we need. coverage and left to live with the pain. Steve Patterson, NBC News, Salt Lake City, Utah. A sentence in federal court today for the woman accused of sneaking onto a flight from New York to Paris only discovered after the plane had taken off. The Russian National sentenced to seven months time served for what prosecutors are calling a, quote, serious offense. NBC's Ann Thompson has

the video of that woman sneaking onto the aircraft. Stowaway Svetlana Dolly is proof practice almost makes perfect. Two days before she snuck on to a New York to Paris flight, there she is trying to get by TSA at Hartford's Bradley International Airport. Seen here in a pink hat and scarf, an agent foils her first attempt. So she tries a different lane and succeeds, sneaking in behind an airport worker showing her badge. Officials say Dolly then tries to get on a jet blue flight. With no ticket, she's denied. Today, she was sentenced in federal court to seven months' time served for successfully sneaking on to that Paris flight, what prosecutors call a serious offense that endangers air passengers. You can see her blending in with a flight crew to get by TSA in a special lane for airline employees at New York's Kennedy Airport.

Then in a gray hoodie, getting past gate agents, boarding Delta Flight 264 and hiding in the bathroom, undetected until the flight was in the air. Today, the green card holder from Russia told the judge she tried to flee the U.S. to avoid unknown people, she says, are poisoning her. No word yet on when she will be tried for the Connecticut incident. Ann Thompson, NBC News. overseas now with top stories global watch the united kingdom and france forming an agreement to prevent tens of thousands of migrants from crossing the english channel on small boats the one in one out migrant deal aims to curb the dangerous crossings by sea from france to the u k under that deal migrants arriving on small boats will be returned to france in exchange for asylum seekers who have

not tried to enter the uk illegally in the last year alone at least 21 000 people made the track, 73 have died on the journey, with crossings still continuing. And in Paris today, high fashion and high stakes as the original Birkin bag sold for a record $10 million, making it the most expensive handbag ever sold at an auction. Bids for the black leather bag, which was sold at Sotheby's, started at $1 million euros and quickly rose even higher. The French design company, Hermes, created the bag for British actress and singer Jane Burkin, who used it almost every day.

from 1985 to 1994 before it became a luxury symbol. The previous auction record was held by another Hermes bag that was sold for over $500,000 back in 2021. And the Internet's favorite pygmy hippo, Mudang, is turning one. The viral sensation celebrating her birthday at an eastern Thailand zoo in style. She was given a 44-pound hippo-sized cake

as four days of birthday celebrations kick off, but in true celeb fashion, she's blissfully unaware. Last year, 20,000 people took part in a vote to choose her name, which means bouncy pork in Thai. Mudang went viral after caretakers uploaded videos like this one of her going about her day and keeping moisturized from a hose. Staying overseas and a major upset at Wimbledon. American Amanda Anisimova beating top-ranked number one seed,

Arena Sablinca. Anisimova, who was ranked number 13 in the world and came into the tournament at the 12th seed. The 23-year-old will now compete in the finals for the first time in her career this Saturday. NBC's Priya Shrether is covering this for us. Priya, help me out. I am not a tennis person,

but I was really fascinated seeing this today because it seems like people who watch this closely were stunned. This is a huge moment for this player, right? She's from New Jersey. Help us understand the significance of her win and also who she was playing and sort of how we got here.

Hey, Alison, that's right. This was an absolutely incredible match. It was two hours and 37 minutes long. It was almost 90 degrees outside. They actually had to delay the match twice because spectators in the crowd were having heat-related symptoms. So just take two of the best athletes in the world and put them under those conditions. And it was just excruciating. But just to give you some context here, she was actually ranked 189th in the world just last year. She didn't even qualify for the Wimbledon tournament at all last year. In 2023, she had to take much of the year off due to mental health concerns. She just wanted to focus on her mental health and not play professional tennis. The last time she advanced anywhere close to this bar in a Grand Slam tournament was back in 2019. That was six years ago when she was 17 years old. She made it to the semifinals in the French Open. So for her to defeat the world number. one, Arena Sabalenko was incredibly surprising. We got a chance to talk to Dan Wolkin, who is a national sports columnist for USA Today, who was able to give us some insight about just

how much of a game changer this really is for her career. Take a listen. I do think career changing for her because she's now going to be in the top 10. And I do think with her game, just sort of the natural, efficient power hitter that she is, she definitely has a chance to be, or regular contender at the grand slams. What's also really cool about this, by the way, is that there hasn't been an American in the Wimbledon final since 2019. The last time that happened was with Serena Williams. The last time an American woman won was back in 2016. That was also Serena Williams. But this year, 2025, is shaping up to be the year of the American woman when it comes to professional tennis. We had Cocoa Gough in the French Open finals last month,

Arena Sabalanka. And then earlier this year, we saw Madison Keyes, another American woman, defeat Arena Sabalanka once again in the Australian Open finals. So Arena Sabalanka is having kind of a bad year when it comes to facing off against American women. But this really just shows the depth of the American female tennis bench to have three different women make it to the finals in three different Grand Slam tennis tournament, Ellison. Priya Shreather, so glad to have you. Help us understand this. What an amazing story. Thank you so much. We appreciate you. Coming up, apologies and anticipation. The latest scandal on Love Island, as fans get ready to gather for the season finale, don't go anywhere. We'll be right back. And we're back now with the scandal rocking the Love Island fan base. One of the stars of this season kicked off after resurfaced social media posts showed her using a racial slur. She's now apologizing. But this is not the first.

time this season, someone has been kicked out of the villa for something in their past. NBC, Shaquille Brewster has more. I am deeply, truly, honestly, so sorry. A social media apology tonight from former Love Island USA contestant Sierra Ortega. I completely agree with the network's decision to remove me from the villa. On Sunday night, the 25-year-old was abruptly removed from the viral show streaming on Peacock, which is owned by the parent company of NBC. news just a week before the finale after viewers resurfaced old social media posts of her using an

anti-Asian slur as recently as 2024. Some fans celebrating the exit. I do want to hold my hands up and say that I take accountability for using the word, but I do want it to be known that I genuinely had no idea that it was a slur. The competitive dating show now in its seventh season has generated non-stop buzz on social media, so popular that some bars have been hosting watch parties. As fans vote to save their favorite couples who get the chance to walk away with a $100,000 prize. We have a match. Congratulations, Sierra, Nick. You are now a couple. But the commentary has also sometimes turned into harassment. Producers repeatedly calling out cyberbullying on screen and online, even as the contestants remain unplugged. filming in Fiji.

Ortega, who is of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, saying the backlash since he's returned home this week has been hard to deal with for her and her family. They have had ice called on them. My family doesn't feel safe in their own home. I'm receiving death threats. Like, it's, there's no need to fight hate with hate. Ortega was not the first islander removed this season. It's a growing problem for a generation that's been online since their youth.

So maybe 10 years ago, a 25-year-old could go on a show like Love Island, and they wouldn't already have this vast and intricate online history out there for the public to find and dissect versus for Jen Ziers. You've spent your entire life on Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, now X, Instagram, Facebook, and you just have a much faster digital footprint than previous generations did. Contestant Yulisa Escobar was dropped from the show on just the second day after clips of her using the N-word on a podcast resurfaced. I know what I said was wrong. Escobar quickly apologized and posted this video Tuesday before Otega's comments.

I know what she did was wrong, but we need to stop fighting hate with hate. The cyberbullying has gone to a whole other level. Now some experts noticing a potential shift from full-out cancel culture to so-called accountability culture that focuses less on de-platforming. That language shift to accountability culture. does push the lens into, you know, opportunities for growth and learning, not excusing the behavior that was objectively wrong, but, you know, being able to say, where can we go from here?

And Chuck Brewster joins us now from Chicago. I mean, check, this show is so huge right now. The UK version, incredibly popular and has been for years. The U.S. similarly popular. But it's been a topic of conversation in the past, right, that these people go from relative obscurity to all of a sudden massive stars, household names. Talk to us about that. I mean, how much public scrutiny are these fairly young contestants under when they go on a show like this?

Alison, just so much scrutiny. You mentioned some of it there, and that's partially why you have this backlash, a lot of this attention. According to Peacock, this season has broken records in terms of their streaming. It's become this season its most watched entertainment series on mobile devices. And you have fans not just tuning in, but they're engaging. They're going on in voting. Peacock also saying that after Tuesday's episode, for example, there were more than 3.5 million individual users voting

for which contestant they want to stay on the island. This is a show that the only way you can vote, you have to download the app and cast a vote on their app there. So people are engaging in this, and that leads to why you have these fans with this high level of backlash because there's that level of investment that's unique when compared to other shows, Ellis. NBC, Shaquille Brewster.

Thank you. When we come back, meeting up in Chicago. Tom is there sampling the classic sandwich having a revival thanks to a hit TV show. Finally tonight, the roast beef renaissance, long a classic of Chicago culture, the Italian beef sandwich, is having a comeback all thanks to a hit TV show. Our very own Tom Yamis had to try it out for himself. Take a look. For decades, Chicago's food scene was dominated by deep dish pizza and loaded Chicago-style hot dogs. But if you ask locals, the real favorite in town, the Italian beef.

We're firing 76 beef. And now that hot, drippy sandwich is stealing the spotlight, in part because of the hit Chicago Bay Show, The Bear. The award-winning show highlighting the passion. and pride in the Chicago original that's been satisfying cravings for nearly 100 years. Meat is so tender, so juicy, that's what I love about it. The bread, the experience, it's tradition. We went down to Mr. Beef, the legendary local shop that inspired the bear.

I'll tell you me, hot and sweet peppers. Stacked with peppers loaded into a bun and smothered with you, the sandwich is a classic part of Chicago's culture. Each place does it differently. Owner Chris Zucero serves hundreds each day. It's a sloppy sandwich. It's on the go. Everybody's working. It was created for that, for people on, you know, for guys that were working in the stockyards.

The pilot of the bear was filmed here inside his shop. The creator, his close friend, and he even has a small role on the show. When you start seeing it in like menus in small town America, you realize, okay, wow, this really did hit, like, the cultural site guys. Sandwich is so good, we had to get in on the action. Wrong. Why is the Italian beef, like, a great part of Chicago's history and culture? Because it is. It's ours.

It really is who we are as Chicagoans, and that's it. Thank you so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellis and Barber in New York for Tom Yamis. Stay right there. More news is on the way.