Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, July 17, 2025

Episode Date: July 18, 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 White House revealing President Trump's new medical diagnosis. The president evaluated after experiencing swelling on his legs, later diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. Officials also explaining this bruising on his hand appearing to be covered in makeup. We'll show you the letter from his doctor, assuring he remains in excellent health. Also tonight, the life-threatening flood threat for the Gulf Coast as tropical rains move in. A man speaking out after being struck by lightning in New Jersey and the dangerous heat for millions of Americans were tracking it all. An experimental breakthrough babies born using DNA from three people spared from certain fatal genetic diseases will speak with a doctor about the groundbreaking technique. Inside the desperate race to save those trapped inside an assisted living facility as a fire broke out.

The body cameras as first responders pulled residents out of harm's way. Roblox rolling out new safeguards for teens after facing scrutiny, the new age estimation tool powered by AI, asking users to upload selfie videos on the popular gaming platform. And one man on the hunt to break an unusual record, how many birthday freebies can he score will show you the giveaways he stacked up. Plus, the UK announcing plans to lower the voting age to 16 for dramatic shift in elections overseas. And could the U.S. follow suit? Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with that surprise announcement from the White House. President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency after noticing swelling in his legs.

The condition is very common, especially in older Americans, causing blood to pull in the legs as a result of damage to the veins. Patients can experience swelling and pain as well as discolored skin and other symptoms. But experts say the condition is not life-threatening. These recent images of the president at a soccer match appearing to show swollen lower legs, a telltale sign of that condition. Despite these new developments, the president's physician insisting Trump is in excellent health, and the White House confirming tonight, he is not in any kind of discomfort. The White House physician also addressing concerns about pictures like these, the president's hand-bearing bruises, as in this one in February, and some of those images what appears to be makeup on the back of his hand. Trump's doctors saying it's caused by shaking so many hands as well as the aspirin Trump takes regularly. Our Garrett Hake has been following this announcement from the White House.

He leads us off tonight. Tonight with recent photos showing what appear to be swelling in President Trump's ankles and bruises on his hands, this announcement from the White House. In the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt reading a letter from the president's doctor, revealing he's been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common swelling of the legs caused by blood pooling in the veins. In recent weeks, President Trump noted mild swelling in his lower legs. Bilateral lower extremity venous doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign in common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70. Importantly, there was no evidence

of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. That physician letter, which the White House released, noting an echocardiogram was also performed and confirmed normal cardiac structure and function. No signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified. Adding, the president remains in excellent health. The White House says the president, whose 79, is not experiencing pain or discomfort. Chronic venous insufficiency, it's actually quite common. It occurs in about 40 to 50 percent of adults older than the age of 70.

We spoke to vascular surgeon, Dr. Lee Kirksey, at the Cleveland Clinic. What are the symptoms typically? Those patients with mild symptoms may simply have occasional leg swelling. The most severe instances, patients may experience discoloration or even skin ulceration. As for the bruising on his hand, seen here during a meeting with French President Macron in February, and appearing to be covered by makeup earlier this week, The White House physician saying it's consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,

taken as a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. Trump has repeatedly joked about the amount of handshaking his role requires, including after this lengthy receiving line during his recent trip to the Middle East. I shook more hands than any human being is capable of doing. That was a long deal, and they were big people. Gary joins us tonight from the White House. Garrett, how is this diagnosis expected to affect the president going forward, if it is at all? Yeah, Tom, the White House insists that it won't.

They say there'll be no changes to the president's schedule, to his lifestyle, or to his clothing, no compression socks, which is something some doctors recommend for this. The White House is bottom-lining this as something they're sharing based on transparency, not any particular medical concern. Tom. All right, Garrett, leading us off tonight from the White House. Thank you. To break down what the president's diagnosis means for his health, I want to bring an NBC News medical contributor. Dr. Natalie Azar. So Dr. Azar, thanks for being here. Let's start with the diagnosis. How common is this? How worried should the country be? It's extraordinarily common, just like the

vascular surgeon mentioned. I think about one in 20 adults, especially over the age of 50, can experience this. It's not a life-threatening condition. The only time that it can become a little bit more serious is if there is this prolonged edema and swelling in the legs. You can actually get a superficial infection there if you scratch or something like that. And people can also develop ulcers, which can be quite uncomfortable and take a long time to heal, but again, not a life-threatening condition. So our NBC's medical unit tells us blood clots are a common cause of this condition, but the president's doctor saying doesn't have blood clots, so you can still get it even though you don't have blood clots? You sure can. So a deep vein thrombosis or a blood clot

in the leg is the most common cause for venous insufficiency. But otherwise, sometimes people are born with what we call insufficient valves. This whole process is because, Tom, the blood is pooling in the leg and the valves that are supposed to keep blood going up to the heart are a little bit weak. That can happen also from distension or a little expansion of the vein size. Let's move on to the hands now. You see the bruising. It appears to look like makeup is covering some of the bruises. They're saying it's from taking aspirin and shaking hands. Is that normal? Is that? Of all the things that concern me in the world, this is probably the last thing in the world that would concern me. As we get older, our skin becomes more fragile. Our capillaries

become more fragile. They burst more easily. So we know that skin as we get older is more likely to become bruised, even just a little bump or something like that, plus the aspirin on top of it all. And we know he has a very vigorous handshake. So not something that I'd be concerned about as long as his blood counts are normal. But that's something that could happen just from shaking a lot of hands and taking aspirin. Yeah, technically. To me, honestly, I think it's more that he probably did bump a little bit too. And the skin is so fragile there that that can happen. Okay. Dr. Eazar, we thank you for explaining this. And again, no life-threatening emergency here. It sounds like. Dr. Jerry's, great to have you. Okay, we want to turn to the weather now and the life-threatening floods for parts of the Gulf Coast as tropical rains move in. It comes after days of relentless and deadly summer storms. NBC's George Solis is in New Orleans bracing for a deluge.

Heavy rain and gusting winds slamming southwest Florida. In Missouri, dramatic flash flooding. This roadway completely washed out. Kansas City seeing a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours. In New Jersey, officials say a deadly lightning strike at this archery club injured more than a dozen people, including a seven-year-old. But Thomas, the club's treasurer, surviving, and is now recovering from first-degree burns on his body. How lucky do you feel to be alive? I'm pretty lucky to be alive. Thomas and other witnesses at the range say there was no rain or thunder before the bolt struck, which authorities say killed 61-year-old Robert Montgomery.

He was a really good guy. When I reached out for help, he's the first one at answered. This week, a string of summer wild weather wreaking havoc across the country. Holy molly! Wisconsin slammed with at least seven reported tornadoes yesterday. Now, southern Louisiana and Mississippi brace for a bout of tropical turbulent weather that may dump as much as 10 inches of rain over several days. Okay, George Sulees joins us tonight from New Orleans.

George doesn't look too bad there. It doesn't look like it's raining at all, actually. Looks like a nice day there. There's still a threat, though, of some floods, possibly? Yeah, that's right, Tom. The intermittent rain here in New Orleans has stopped, but just west of us in two parishes near the river, we are hearing reports of a new flash flood warning

with reports of people actually reporting some high-standing water. So it's a condition that we're going to keep monitoring very closely as more people are saying that that water there is starting to rise. This is a system that is stalled over there. So the potential for that flash flooding certainly increasing by the hour. Tom? George Solis, thank you. An update tonight on that tragic death in Maine.

Police today arresting a teenager in connection with the homicide of a 48-year-old paddle border whose body was found earlier this month. NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has the latest on the investigation. Tonight, a shocking development in the killing of sunshine. Stewart. A 17-year-old male is now in custody in connection with her homicide. The much-loved local was found dead near a campsite in the quiet town of Union, Maine. Police also confirming the 48-year-old was killed by strangulation and blunt force trauma. The news leaving close friend Chloe Keller stunned. That's inconceivable. I can't imagine being that age and making that choice to harm another human being. Police say the 17-year-old was arrested without incident in Union late

last night. They've yet to release his identity, pointing to his status as a minor, saying in a statement that the teen has been transported to a youth development center in South Portland. For Stewart's purposes, she is a very experienced on the water with a paddleboard. According to police, Stewart's body was located during a search of Crawford Pond on July 3rd, last seen paddleboarding the evening before. A public safety official told local newspaper Mid Coast Villager, Stewart's paddleboard was found by drone on an island called 100-acre. Her body was next to it where the water met the shore. When a community that's been safe for time immemorial has its innocence robbed of it,

it does shake the foundation of comfort and safety. What do you want to see happen next? I think everyone, all of us who knew and loved her, need to gather and be together and celebrate her. She was beloved, profoundly beloved, by everyone I knew who knew her. Aaron McLaughlin joins me now in studio. And Aaron, this is very strange. There's a lot still we don't know. Has the 17-year-old been charged? At this point, it does not seem that the 17-year-old has been charged. Authorities throughout this case have been extraordinarily tight-lipped. Today, the police put out this press conference announcing that this arrest of the 17-year-old was made in connection with the homicide, but no mention of charges, no mention of an arraignment. They also have not named him. They have not named him as a suspect. A lot of questions still outstanding. Okay, Aaron, we thank you for that.

In Massachusetts, tonight, authorities confirming a 10th person has died after that massive fire and assisted living facility in the city of Fall River. Police now releasing dramatic new body cam video of rescues. NBC Sam Brock has this report. Newly released body camera footage. Everybody! Police! Tonight, revealing the heroism of Fall River, Massachusetts police and firefighters.

casting down doors, breaking through windows, and grabbing shaken residents by their hands and walkers. Hold on to me in the railing, okay? As they rescued dozens of residents from a raging fire at an assisted living facility earlier this week. The blaze now claiming a 10th life, according to Fall River's fire chief, the worst in Massachusetts in four decades, and an emergency that placed police officers directly in harm's way. That was absolutely amazing what I watched them do.

That's not their job. That's not their comfort zone. More than 30 people had to be taken to area hospitals, with the cause of the fire still under investigation. Those fatalities almost certainly would have been higher. If not for the quick action and profound bravery of the officers and 50 firefighters, 30 of whom were off-duty, according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, putting their lives on the line. We got you, sir.

To save those who needed every ounce of those Herculean efforts. Sam Brock, NBC News. And we are back in a moment with the MAGA backlash over the Jeffrey Epstein files, showing no signs of letting up. Tonight, Vice President Mike Pence wane in and what the White House is saying about appointing a special prosecutor. Roblox now rolling out new features to make sure the popular social gaming platform is safe for teens, including AI to scan video selfies. Will it work? Plus, a major new IVF breakthrough in the UK

doctors confirming the births of eight healthy babies conceived using DNA from three parents what it could mean for the future of IVF worldwide. We're back now with a growing divide between President Trump and his MAGA base over the release of the Epstein files. The White House today saying the president will not recommend a special prosecutor

to review the handling of the case against Jeffrey Epstein, a request from influential far-right voices. Listen to what press secretary Caroline Levitt had to say in today's White House briefing. The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels. The Democrats had control of this building, the White House, for four years, and they didn't do a dang thing when it came to transparency in regards to Jeffrey Epstein in his heinous crimes.

And now former Vice President Mike Pence is making his thoughts on the issue known. Pence in an interview to CBS News saying, Time has come for the release of all records related to Jeffrey Epstein. I want to bring in Mark Caputo, Axios White House reporter who has the latest. Mark, as you know, Mike Pence has no reason to support or say anything great about President Trump. Still some bad blood there. You've done a lot of reporting on President Trump and the MAGA movement. According to your sources, I mean, what gives here, right?

Is it because of what the president and Pam Bondi had said on the record? Is this what it is? And it's such a huge issue for the MAGA base? I think what gives here is eventually there's going to be some sort of independent outside or quasi-inside outside group or person or counsel who's going to look at these documents and is going to do a review. Notably what Caroline Levitt in that clip you just played said, there's going to be no special prosecutor. Well, that doesn't mean there's not going to be a special counsel or there's not going to be a special master or some sort of special review. I think that's being left open. The president, his messaging hasn't been firmly consistent on saying, we're done, case closed.

Instead, he's saying, well, maybe Bondi should release files if they're credible. The door has been left open. The pressure is so intense that I imagine eventually something's going to give. Yeah, something gives, though, but will that be enough, some type of independent review versus releasing the documents? I mean, they've released everything they can on the JFK thing, and people are still like. It's not enough. The conspiracy is still there. Well, number one, you can't release everything. Let's remember that some of the documentation is grand jury testimony and evidence.

And in grand juries, these are deliberations and discussions that happen behind closed doors. And they're not rebuttable. What does that mean if someone were accusing you of a crime and said that, oh, Tom robbed a grocery store and did all of these terrible things, your lawyers, your defense counsel, your people are not in there to deny it. And if that stuff were just released to the public, well, people would think that you might be a robber. And that's just not how grand jury works, how grand juries work. And so all of that stuff can't be released. All of the files can't be released.

Now, as for the JFK records, which I've done extensive reporting on, you know, 62 years later, that stuff is still coming out. But I think to your point, what you're raising is there is a disconnect so far in the White House's messaging. On one hand, Donald Trump's administration gets credit for what it has done, which is demand that all of these JFK records finally be released after a process, but nevertheless released. And on the other hand, it's not really doing that with the Epstein files. Now, yes, they're different cases. However, I just have reason to believe listening to what they're saying and listening to how they're saying it, that eventually something more is going to happen. But Mark, what's like what that's going to happen? I don't know. Yeah, what I was getting,

at to is that if the crowd is conspiracy theory minded, regardless of how much you give them, they want to believe the conspiracy, some of them. You could give them everything. They're still going to believe that something was left out. I just, I don't know if this is a battle the White House can win. Oh, probably not. Understand that the Epstein case has tied into these sort of religious archetypes that surfaced in the Q&on conspiracy theory about a cabal of global pedophile vampires who rape children and harvest their blood. And so the likelihood that those folks are going to believe that all the truth is being told is pretty slim. Nevertheless, I think it's a false choice to have to decide between, okay, the people who are going to believe that

sort of thing and then sort of the average rational man or rational person standard. There is still more information to be gone through and to be released, and it's in that space that the White House is going to try to operate. But again, this has released or reach the level of sort of religious belief. If you took a time machine back to ancient Greece and you told people that Zeus didn't exist or that Helios doesn't really carry a chariot of the sun across the sky, they wouldn't believe you. But nevertheless, the truth matters and the full truth or a semblance of it hasn't come out yet. And I do think that an effort to do that is going to be coming relatively soon, just judging by what they're saying. Yeah, no, I hear you. I hear you. How

How much, and do you have any reporting on this, or it might have just been coincidence, but I know you're a good reporter. The release of the health information today at sort of the top of that news briefing, it took a lot of people by surprise. Were you surprised by this? To a degree, the other day when I was at the alligator alcatraz event, I don't know, lost track of time with this White House because of the speed with which it moves, I noticed that the president's hand was covered with this odd substance. I wanted to if it was some sort of skin graft, it turns out it was makeup, and in the process of reporting that out and other people recently seeing the same thing, questions were raised, and then there

were a number of reports that came out showing you had swollen ankles, and the volume of complaints and the volume of criticism and the volume of coverage and questions that reporters were asking finally essentially forced the White House to say, okay, here's the story with that. Now it is a little rare for a White House to sort of proactively, especially the Trump White House, say, here's the story about the president's health. But from what I'm told, they decided to sort of nip this in the ankles, so to speak, pardon the pun, and just come out and say, here's what we know so far. Mark Aputo, always great to have you on. Always great to talk to you.

We thank you for coming on tonight. We want to move on out of the gaming update designed to protect teams online, Roblox, launching a slew of safety features on their platform, including an AI-powered age verification system. The announcement coming three months after a 27-year-old kidnapped a 10-year-old that he met on the platform, according to police. NBC's Priya Shrether with this one. Tonight, the online gaming giant Roblox announcing new measures designed to keep kids and teenagers on its platform safe, driven by AI. The massively popular platform draws approximately 100 million daily users who play games created by themselves. and others. According to the company, more than half of those players are children under the age of 16. A group that CEO Dave Bazuki tells NBC News the company is focusing on keeping safe.

We have zero tolerance on Roblox for any content that is not age appropriate. Our vision really is to go way beyond government or legislation and also go beyond an area that most social platforms aren't delving into. And that's this vulnerable teenage of 13 through 17. Roblox rolling out a new age estimation technology, which requires users to either take a selfie video, which is analyzed by AI to estimate their age or to go through ID verification. Roblox's new trusted connections with age estimation allows teens to unlock more open and engaging communication. If a player is verified as older than 13, they will be allowed to utilize a trusted connections feature to communicate with other verified teens. Roblocks has come under fire this year for child safety concerns, including in April when a 27-year-old California man was accused of kidnapping and unlawful sexual conduct with a 10-year-old girl he met on Roblox. He spoke exclusively to NBC affiliate KGET in Bakersfield from behind bars.

I should have been more careful, yeah. I should have been more questioning when it came to having that person. involved. The company says the new trusted connection chats will always be monitored for critical harm like grooming and parents will have the ability to see who their kids have listed as trusted connections and how much time they're spending on the platform. Child internet safety experts like Farida Shaheed says these measures are important to keeping the chats on the platforms where they can be monitored. If communication is not allowed on roadblocks and they don't have age verification and monitoring systems, they will be moving to less secure and safe platforms. Priya Streeter joins us tonight. Priya, how do those features compare to those offered on

different gaming platforms? Yeah, Tom, so another really popular online video game, Minecraft, has very similar safety measures in place. They actually require all of their users below the age of 16 to have an account that's linked to a Microsoft account that belongs to an adult. So that basically allows parents or guardians to see what their kids are doing in that online game a little bit more clearly. It also allows the parents to basically force their kids to play in single-player mode instead of multiplayer mode, and it gives them the option to make their kids play in a mode where they're exposed to a little bit less violence, Tom. Okay, Priya, we thank you for that.

When Top Story returns, will the Rock reopen? The Trump administration taking new steps to potentially reopened the notorious prison Alcatraz, but doing so may be easier said than done will take you inside its storied past. In our series, the cost of denial how a North Carolina couple denied over and over by their insurance company finally turned to AI to write their appeal letter and got their cancer medications approved. But first, top story's top moment and a heartwarming surprise for one mom out for a breakfast with her eight-year-old daughter, Lonnie. The routine outing turned into a moment that Mom Jenny will never forget. Take a look. What?

What? What? Is this even enough? Yes. Jenny tells top story that the gesture by her daughter meant so much she did pick up the tip for her daughter. Stay with us. We are back in such in a moment. Such a great moment. Back now with Top Stories News Feed, President Trump's Justice Department, seeking no prison time for a former Louisville, Kentucky police officer involved in the botched raid of Brianna Taylor's home in 2020.

A DOJ memo sent Wednesday request time already served for Officer Brett Hankinson, who is convicted for violating Taylor's civil rights. Hankison is currently facing a sentence of life in prison. In the raid, he fired 10 shots that did not hit anyone in the home. Sentencing for Hankinson is set for July 21st. A sad update to a story we brought you earlier this month. A body found in Turks and Caicos was identified as a New York man who went missing two weeks ago. Forensic analysis confirming the body found July 5th is 51 years. old Patrick Terrence. An autopsy found no signs of trauma to his body and police do not suspect foul play. Terrence was reported missing June 25th, lasting on security footage, leaving his condo at night. And the Food and Drug Administration saying today, Jewel Labs can continue selling e-cigarettes. This decision ending the multi-year review that left the products in limbo,

and FDA spokesperson saying this does not equate to the products being safe or FDA-approved. Juul has faced controversy for its early marketing practices, which critics say intentionally targeted younger consumers. An update on WNBA superstar Kately Clark now officially out for this week's All-Star game. The Indiana Fever point card left Tuesday's game against the Connecticut Sun in pain, re-aggravating a groin injury. Missing last night's game against the Liberty, this is Clark's fourth injury in three months. In a statement saying, I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can't participate in the three-point contest or the All-Star. game. And police in Brunswick, Maine in pursuit of an unusual escapee, dash cam video capturing an emu on the run. Officers responding to reports of a large bird sighting. That's a big boy.

Earlier this week, the local police department saying the emu ran into the roadway and then into a parking lot where he was caught and where they waited for the owners who took him home. The police calling the situation, wait for it, amusing. I wonder where Doug is. Okay, next tonight, White House officials touring Alcatraz today as the administration hopes to reopen the notorious prison. But how feasible is it to reopen the closed federal facility turn tourist attraction back into a functioning prison? NBC's Kelly O'Donnell has that report tonight. Alcatraz, a mystique around its history and future. Once considered the most notorious federal prison in America, its doors may reopen.

This is a terrific facility, needs a lot of work. Today, the Attorney General and Interior Secretary, who oversees Alcatraz as part of the National Park System, toured the site as part of the president's call for restoring its function as a working prison. Welcome to the Rock. The prison, a character on film, perched on an island off San Francisco, a fortress with a reputation for being impossible to escape. Opened in the 1930s, no more than 275 inmates. at any time. In its day, the Federal Bureau of Prison said inmates at Alcatraz had only four rights, food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Everything else was a privilege that had to be earned. Over the

years, the maximum security prison held some of the most recognizable names in criminal history. Al Capone, George Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud, the so-called Birdman of Alcatraz. In the 29 years that it operated, escapes were attempted and documented 14 times. But none was successful, though some did get close, as dramatized in the 1979 Clint Eastwood classic, Escape from Alcatraz. I may have found a way out of here. Officially, the government stance is that anyone who got off the island drowned, though bodies were never found. But maintaining Alcatraz was especially expensive. So in 1963, it closed. at least as a prison. Ten years later, the once terrifying fortress became a tourist destination run by

the National Park Service. Big House of B-movies, now a very popular tourist spot. Now, attracting more than one million global visitors each year. At times, the backdrop for private events. It was the first nighttime party on Alcatraz, but probably not the last. But President Trump sees a different purpose, a return to criminal detention. It's a symbol of law and order. However, significant and costly renovations would be required, and there's still the issue that all supplies to run a prison would need to be shipped to the island. San Francisco officials dismiss the idea. There's no realistic plan to make Alcatraz reopen. And Speaker Emerita, Nancy Pelosi called the plan, quote, the Trump administration's stupidest initiative yet. It's just a waste. It's silly.

It's foolish. But the Federal Bureau of Prison said this spring they're working on it. We absolutely think we can get it done. We've got engineering teams out there now that are doing some assessments. As top Trump officials tour the site, the president's idea is, for the moment, just doing time. All right, Kelly O'Donnell joins us from the White House tonight. Kelly, you know, in the age of Doge, this sort of contradicts everything they've been saying, at least the administration, you would think. And the move also requires congressional approval before they can move forward?

It would. And right now, as a tourist attraction, it brings much. into the Treasury as tourists and so forth visit this national park. Congress would need to do a couple of things. First of all, it's designated as a historic site in a national park. That would have to be unwound. They would have to appropriate the money for significant renovations to bring this up to a modern day standard. And as the piece indicated, there were only 275 inmates in its day, and just the physical location is small. So the cost benefit for how many, inmates could you have versus what it would cost and the exceptional extra burden of having to put

stuff on a boat to get it to feed and care for inmates and staff. All of that has made this more a relic of history than perhaps an answer for the future. We'll see Tom. All right, Kelly O'Donnell, great story tonight. We thank you for that. Now to Top Story's health check and a breakthrough form of IVF, eight healthy babies were born in the UK through a groundbreaking technique which uses the DNA from three different people to prevent the passing down of deadly diseases. Here's a very simplified look at what's involved, a fertilized egg that includes the DNA of the mother and father and a separate fertilized egg from a donor. The mom and dad's genetic material is then injected into the donor's egg. The new method prevents babies from being born with devastating diseases while it's still in its early experimental phases

and currently banned in the U.S. experts say it marks a huge step in the field. I want to bring in Dr. Lucky C-Con. She's a double board certified OBGYN and fertility doctor. Dr. Lucky, thanks so much for being here. I know you're going to kind of walk us through this in a very simple manner. So this sounds like an incredible breakthrough. It really is.

It's a miracle. And it's specifically used to treat a very devastating category of hereditary diseases called mitochondrial disorders. Now, without getting too technical, I want to take you back to high school biology. Remember hearing the mitochondria as the powerhouse the cell. The mitochondria is in all of our cells and it generates energy. And it's really

important for all of our vital organs to function. And a lot of people don't realize this, but mitochondria is outside of the nucleus of the cell that has DNA that determines our personal traits that we get from our moms and our dads, right? And outside of that, we have the mitochondria that makes the energy and it has its own DNA. Very small number of genes are encoded by that DNA. And what's interesting is we always get our mitochondrial DNA passed down from our moms. So if a mother carries a mutation in her mitochondrial DNA, and she may have disease manifestations, she may be asymptomatic, but she will pass this onto 100% of her children. And it can be very severe in certain forms. It can affect your heart, your brain, your kidney, your liver,

all of the major organs. And so this is the first time that we are able to now prevent this illness from being passed on without having to rely on a mother saying, I'm not going to use my own DNA. I'm going to use a donor egg. So I got to ask you here, and I could be way off, but I'm sure some viewers have the same question. You have three parents now. Are there any traits from that third parent that will carry over to the child? No, I think three parent is actually a misnomer. Yeah. Because you're really using the nuclear DNA from the intended parents, the mom and the dad who just want to do this procedure to have a healthy child. Only 1% of the DNA is actually coming from the donor when it comes to what...

But it's that energy DNA you were just talking about, right? It's the mitochondrial DNA. But there's no traits there? It does not represent anything that will determine traits. So why hasn't it... Why has it not been approved in the U.S. yet? Well, there's a ban here, and this has been longstanding because everyone is very concerned about the ethics of any sort of technology that involves being able to modify the genetics

in a way that can be passed down to future generations. And obviously, there have been concerns about could this be a slippery slope and lead to designer babies? But I think it's really important to not conflate this amazing breakthrough with the concept of designer babies because this is a very specific use case and it's been ethically vetted. When something like this comes through and it's a breakthrough and then you're a doctor, say it were to be approved in the U.S. Would you have to be trained on this? How would doctors here in the U.S. even learn about this technology? Well, it would start in the embryology lab.

A lot of people don't realize that IVF doctors aren't the ones actually performing these measurements. microsurgical procedures on eggs and sperm and creating embryos. So we rely on a team of embryologists. And these are highly skilled trained individuals that would learn from the experts overseas that are already pioneering this technique. And we would be able to bring it here as long as we had the regulatory oversight and approval. Fascinating. Dr. Lucky, we want to thank you so much for being here and explaining that. You did a good job. I was able to fall along. So thank you for that. Okay, now to our series, the cost of denial and the technique more people are using to fight back against the insurance companies that deny coverage or claims.

Our Brian Chung looked into artificial intelligence, producing very real results. I basically avoided stairs. Yeah. If I could. That's because every step was grueling for Stephanie Nixdorf. In Davidson, North Carolina, her morning routine nearly impossible to get through without pain. She had to ask for help just to open a juice container. So even that was something you couldn't do six months ago.

Oh, yeah, no, no, no. In 2022, Stephanie was diagnosed with stage four skin cancer. Luckily, she responded well to immunotherapy. But the flip side of that is that there are side effects. For Stephanie, that meant excruciating joint pain. Two doctors recommended the infusion medication in Fliximab, but her insurance denied coverage. I remember getting on the phone and yelling at the insurance company. You yelled at the insurance.

Stephanie's husband, Jason, furious when he saw the denial letter from Pramara Blue Cross, which had covered her cancer care. saying the services requested don't meet guidelines for coverage and called the use of infliximab experimental. Two appeals were also denied. Did you feel like you were being treated as human beings? Absolutely not. Just a number of things.

Yeah, no name, no face kind of thing. Gmail. Desperate, Jason turned to artificial intelligence. You get to the point of where, okay, this is our last hope. He had come across a doctor developing an AI tool to take on insurance companies. That doctor helped him use AI. to generate an appeal letter for Stephanie more than 20 pages long.

Within 48 hours of sending in that version, along with copies to public officials, right up top, your appeal was approved. Despite the three previous denials for Stephanie, Pramara Blue Cross now tells NBC News that the denial of service came from a Pramara processing error involving a misapplication of policy. There was no intent to deny care. The ultimate approval letter from Pramara said, I want to apologize that you have been waiting to receive treatment for nine months. Now, there are AI services specifically designed for insurance denials.

Introducing Claimable. One of them, Claimable, says it can generate appeal letters for coverage of 70 medications for a cost of about $40. Climbing stairs and stuff like that. Climbing stairs are hard. We tested it with Jason, plugging in insurance information and using drop-down menus to explain symptoms and the deny claim. So I will hit Continue. In about 15 minutes, I had an expansive appeals letter, complete. with scientific references and personal stories.

These are things I would never have thought of. The Nick Storpe's credit AI with Stephanie finally getting the drugs she needed, but they're left frustrated it took so much time. If you could talk to the CEO of the insurance company, what would you say? I would say, what if this was your wife? Yeah. And this was happening to you. Yeah, or your daughter or your sister.

That message from a couple that says they had to use artificial intelligence to be treated. like real people. Okay, Brian Chung joins us. So, Brian, talk to me about the SAI, because some people at home may be thinking, you know, I've just used ChatGPT. I've never written a letter with artificial intelligence. Is it easy to use?

Yeah, and shout out to Gretchen Morgensen, who helped out without reporting. But Tom, if you're trying to put together a letter to dispute a denied claim from an insurance company, most people wouldn't know where to begin. So I think that the utility of this artificial intelligence tool, which kind of operates almost like a tax filing software. You just answer a bunch of questions about your condition,

about why you need that certain drug, but then it'll do the research of figuring out what medical studies reinforce that you need that drug. And also describes, I can't play tennis and use human language to make that a very sympathetic letter and make it the length that would work and be successful with an insurance company. So that's kind of the formula.

And again, I mean, I tried to, I demoed it. You saw it in the piece. It's so simple. Yeah, but you're Brian Chung, you know, you're like a smart young guy, you know? I'm quick on the keyboards. You know, good with the clothes, good with the reporting.

So I mean, Brian, but I have to ask you, if people can use AI, to write these claim letters? Can the insurance companies use AI to read the letters? Well, see, and this is the question. And there have been concerns that insurance companies are using AI to basically deny these claims in the first place. So that is very much part of the conversation here.

Might these insurance companies just use AI to defend themselves from other people using AI to submit their appeals? So, again, this is kind of a battle, but I want to point out that there have been a number of states that have been trying to clamp down on insurance companies and trying to make it illegal for them to screen these. request letters from clients that are trying to submit other letters. With the AI, when you were looking at it, was it just perfectly written? Like, just the arguments were so precise?

It really feels like filing your taxes. I know that that sounds really boring and really arcane, but you answer... No, I know what you mean. Yeah, there's all these questions, and it just breaks it down into a simple questionnaire. And then when you hit enter, within 15 minutes, it writes a letter. Any more shotouts? Are you good? Okay, Brian, thank you. Appreciate it. Some breaking news here in the entertainment world.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ending next year with CBS retiring. night franchise. Colbert taking a social media to announce it. Here it is. I want to let you know something that I found out just last night. Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the late show in May. CBS said the decision was purely financial, quote, against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount. It's worth noting Colbert has been critical of CBS's parent company, Paramount's decision to settle a lawsuit with President Trump. The show topped the ratings for the 1130 slot.

Stephen Colbert has hosted the late short for nine years now. All right, up next on Top Story, dramatic change to voting in the UK. 16-year-olds in that country will soon be able to vote. Could it happen in the U.S.? Plus the Battle of the Band? Remember, members of the rock band Jane's Addiction suing each other over that on-stage fight that led them to canceling the reunion tour. Accusations of abuse and bullying in those doing.

Huling lawsuits. Stay with us. We are back now with Top Story's Global Watch. At least 60 people are dead and 11 are missing after a fire tore through a shopping center in eastern Iraq. Video showing the building in flames and its charred remains. Civil defense teams rescued 45 people who were trapped when the fire broke out. The cause of this incident was not immediately known. Spanish search and rescue teams are frantically.

searching the Pyrenees Mountains for an American hiker missing for more than a week. The missing hiker believed to be 27-year-old Cole Henderson set out for a solo hike on July 9th, telling a friend he was putting his phone on airplane mode, that according to family members and social media posts. The Spanish Civil Guard, who did not confirm the hiker's name, said their search started Monday with teams finding a parked car at a trail entrance. Rescue teams are working to free students from a 70-seat bus after a major crash in Somerset in the United States. Kingdom. Police say the bus was returning to a local school after a day trip, carrying a number of adults and children when it overturned. There are multiple casualties, including one child has been killed. According to Somerset police, the cause of this crash in England is still under

investigation. Staying in the UK now in a major change in Britain's elections. The government announcing today they're lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 or 17. A change proponents are praising as a landmark move for democracy. The first major in age reduction in 50 years. I'm joined now by NBC's Daniel Hamamgen from London. So Danielle, walk us through the decision what it means for future elections. Yeah, the last time something like this happened, Tom, was back in 1969, and they reduced the voting age from 21 to 18. So this is the biggest reform to the electoral system in decades. The governing Labor Party following through on a campaign pledge and allowing all young people to vote. But

In certain parts of the UK, 16 and 17-year-olds already have that right, but this makes it official all across the board, not just at the local level, but in general elections as well. How big of an impact is this going to have? Listen, they make up just under 3% of the population of all 16 and over, so not a big impact if they all turn up to vote, of course. How are people who are in politics taking this news, right? Because people who are younger tend to be sometimes a bit more liberal than their older counterparts. Yeah, absolutely. Interestingly enough, a poll was conducted in the hours after the announcement was made and it showed that a majority of British people, 57% disapproved of this decision. Critics said, as you just said, that young people tend to vote for left-leaning parties, so this is going to favor the governing Labor Party. One conservative member of parliament said, this makes no sense. 16-year-olds can't buy alcohol, they can't buy a lottery ticket, can't stand in the elections that they're going to. to be voting in. Now, the deputy prime minister put it this way, speaking to the BBC here, she said she was a mom at 16 years old. She was working, paying taxes. There is no reason a 16-year-old cannot vote. The next general election, Tom, has to be held by 2029. Could be held earlier. Okay, Danielle. Good story. We thank you for joining us tonight.

Back here at home now to the Battle of the Band, members of the Alt Rock group Jane's Addiction suing each other after getting to a physical fight on stage. mid-concert in front of their fans. NBC Stephen Romo has this one. Tonight, this on-stage fight between members of the legendary alt-rock band Jane's Addiction escalating into an all-out legal feud. During this September show in Boston, frontman Perry Farrell appears to shove and then try to punch guitarist Dave Navarro before others on stage step in to restrain it. in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Ferrell says that moment came after a years-long bullying campaign that included slights like attempting to undermine him by playing their instruments

at a high volume so that he could not hear himself sing. But Navarro drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery firing back with their own lawsuit and version of events. Their attorney writing in a statement in part with the attack on Dave Navarro seen around the world, Farrell abruptly and unilaterally ended all the plans for a Jane's Addiction Revival. That on-stage scuffle abruptly ending the reunion tour for the band, which had been touring on and off together for four decades. Farrell often referred to as the godfather of alternative music for his influential work with the band, which formed in 1985.

Jane's addiction has broken up and gotten back together many times in its tumultuous history. The now massive Lollapalooza Music Festival was first conceived by Farrell in 1991 as a farewell tour for the band. Tattoo number one is the winner. Navarro breaking out beyond the band as well. The guitarist hosting tattoo artist competition show Inkmaster. Step inside the world of Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra. And getting a reality TV show called Till Death Do Us Part. documenting his path to a marriage with actress Carmen Electra.

The tour last year intended to be a major reuniting for the band, which hadn't hit the road together in more than a decade. The path forward, now difficult to imagine. Do they usually end up settling, or will this go to trial? Farrell's lawsuit is likely not long for this world. It may not get thrown out right away, but as soon as discovery begins, and people just look at the video that he described,

in his complaint, they're going to know that this is a difficult lawsuit for Farrell to win. All right, Stephen Romo joins us now in studio. So, Stephen, it looks like it's going to be sort of he said versus they said. That video's going to play a huge role in this case, I would think. Yeah, just reading through the lawsuits, there are similar allegations on each part of it, but that video seems to really make the difference. That's what our Danny Savalos is saying. He also saying how unusual it is to have these assault allegations in a civil lawsuit. He said that usually only happens when the players involved have some finances behind them, which of course seems to be the case here. Do we know what Jane says? No, that's a great question. We'll find out.

All right, Stephen, thank you for that. If you like music, you hopefully got that joke. Up next here on Top Story, how far would you go for a birthday freebie? We spoke with one man who went the extra mile, literally hitting up dozens of stores and restaurants to get his birthday treats. So how many did he get? You're not going to believe this. That's coming up next. Finally tonight, if you've ever taken advantage of a birthday freebie from your favorite business, well, you'll want to see this. One California man taking that practice to the extreme, trying to scoop up as many giveaways as possible on his special day. NBC's Camilla Bernal met with him today. Let me show you everyone getting free food today on my birthday.

Full price is for quitters. Free pretzel at wettles, pretzels, apple pie from Popeyes. A bah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-blast, freeze at Taco Bell. We got a small orange chicken this year. Because there's always a deal, Clint Savados can help you find. I only paid $1 for the $6 taco. Especially on your birthday. I'm always looking for a deal.

I'm always looking to save money. Six lemon pepper wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. As the Wall Street Journal reported, this trend is on the rise. He's one of many on social media competing for free treats and even meals. This thing is ginormous. Free whopper at Bergk. The preparation takes months, and when others are making wish list, Clint is making spreadsheets. And there's no way I could get it all done without being organized.

For this year's birthday, more than 38 stops, 18,000 steps, and less than $25 spent. But impossible to do a loan. I had to call him to help for these birthday rewards. Is it fun or does it feel like work? I think it's a lot of fun. Getting free guacamole is fantastic. Clint's goal for next year. year is more than 40 freebies. But in the meantime, free coffee.

Oh, I'm so excited. He's still cashing in the deals. It's better when it's free. Oh, everything is better when it's free. Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Kamila Bernal, NBC News, Los Angeles. Taking some notes on how to really maximize your birthday. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.