Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, July 2, 2026

Episode Date: July 3, 2026

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

Breaking tonight the dangerous holiday heat emergency as record-breaking temperatures scorch a lot of the country. Look at these scary scenes in Pennsylvania. People collapsing, firefighters at one point having to hose folks down to try to cool them off. In Minneapolis, this young fan fainting on the field, brutal temperatures throwing a wrench in Fourth of July plans, and sharks shutting down New York's biggest beach. Plus, the holiday travel crush flight delays spiking and the police chase leading to this bumper-to-bumper back up. You see it there on the way to Cape Conchurch. God. Terrifying close call, a giant panel nearly crashing into dancers. You see it at a July 4th

rehearsal on the Washington Mall. Team USA's historic victory overshadowed by a controversial referee call that bans a star player from the next game. The team's coach speaking out. The daredevil duo caught climbing the Empire State Building, making yet another scene as they're released from jail, how they got past security at the iconic landmark. The miraculous rescue eight days after those devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, a man pulled out alive. Taylor Swift's wedding festivities happening right now, the fleet of SUVs that just pulled in. A.I.'s golden ticket, how the tech's bringing Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka back to life and some of the pushback from Hollywood. Plus, the tick bites triggering an allergy to red meat. Cases getting so bad that some restaurants

in one spot are now changing their menus. Top story starts right now. Hi there. I'm Hallie Jackson, in for Tom. And as we come on the air tonight, a dangerous and intensifying heat dome is scorching nearly half the country bringing with it record-breaking temperatures heading into this holiday weekend. New York, Philly here in Washington, they're all declaring emergencies. Take a look at this scary scene in Berks County, PA in Pennsylvania, emergency crews rushing in after people started collapsing at an America 250 celebration. Some were taken off in stretchers. You can see here firefighters were like literally, we're hosing people down to try to help them cool off. This boy, nearly fainting in the brutal heat during the national anthem at a minor league

game in Minnesota. Somebody stepping in to save the day. We're told that kiddo is okay. And for people who were looking for any relief at the beach, well, one of them, New York's biggest, had to be shut down briefly because of sharks in the water. That's what led officials to close off parts of the rockaways. All of it tonight, making for a dangerous and potentially deadly holiday weekend with the travel rush on. Tens of millions on the roads and in the air. But the heat is flowing things down there, too. You've got 165 million Americans under heat alerts, and it feels like in some places 110 degrees. In a minute, we're going to time out how long this is expected to last, but we start tonight with Stephanie Gosk in dangerously hot New York.

Tonight, a scary scene in Berks County, Pennsylvania, multiple heat-related emergencies as people gathered to watch an historic train, according to officials, EMTs racing to help people in brutal temperatures. I couldn't give you even close to an accurate count because it was that busy. We just lost count here. Heat related illness can strike fast. In upstate New York, the air conditioner broke on a bus carrying junior ROTC cadets. More than a dozen were taken to the hospital for treatment, according to the military, all now recovering at home. Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City have all declared heat emergencies. You're already seeing calls go up? Yeah, we see as soon as the heat starts to rise, so does our call volume. FDMI's chief of EMS operations says 911 calls

jumped from an average 4,300 to nearly 5,000 on Wednesday. If somebody has an altered mental status, they're confused or perhaps they're not responding. That's a real critical emergency. Central Park just hit 100 degrees, the hottest temperature in over a decade. And with this humidity, it feels like 110. Still, there are some brave sunbaters out here. The heat dome will sit over the region for days through the 4th of July. In Minnesota, a young fan nearly fainted on the field just before a minor league game, one of the players carrying him to the dugout to get help. The team later posted that he was okay. Back on the East Coast, we're now bracing for even hotter temperatures tomorrow. And no relief to be found for New York City area beachgoers,

multiple shark sightings shutting down some beaches, including the city's largest. Stephanie's joining us now from Central Park. And Steph, part of the problem for so many people, millions of people, is that it's not like it's gonna get much cooler at night. Yeah, there's no break. And that nighttime cooling off is really essential for especially people who don't have air conditioners or air conditioners that don't work that well.

Here in New York City, the temperatures are gonna drop into the 80s, but just the 80s. And then they're gonna skyrocket right back up to triple digits. Tomorrow, it's gonna be even hotter here tomorrow, Halley. How is that even possible? Stephanie Gosk, I guess you'll find out. Thank you for being out there for us. Appreciate it. Let me bring in NBC, Connecticut meteorologist Ryan Han-Rahan, who's joining

us now. Hot where you are too, Ryan. Walk us through the next few days. Sounds like Sunday things will start to cool down. Yeah, I think we eventually get some relief, but it's going to take some time. We still have 163 million people under extreme heat warnings and advisories, and those go right on through the weekend. As Stephanie mentioned, we got to 100th day in Central Park. That's the first time we've gotten to 100 in nearly 14 years in Central Park, LaGuardia Airport, today? 104. Made it to 101 in Boston, 103 in Philadelphia, 102 in Washington. And the heat is still on tomorrow. Temperatures close to triple digits across the east coast. And you move back west, not a whole lot of relief. St. Louis 93, that heat index when you combine the humidity up around

100 degrees. So a little bit of relief as we head into next week, particularly in the northern tier. I think New England's down into the 70s, Sunday Monday and Tuesday. It's going to feel pretty good. But you head down to the south, and we're still talking about a heat index up above 100. down through the Carolinas and the deep south alley. What about these severe storms that seem to be firing up right now, Ryan? What's going on with those? Yeah, so normally we get one of these big heat domes that sets up on the northern fringe. You can get some severe weather.

And that's what we've had today. We've actually had a couple tornadoes across South Dakota. And that severe weather threat continues into Wisconsin in northern Illinois through the remainder of tonight. And then tomorrow, that severe weather threat stretching from the plains all the way east toward New York City. We'll have to keep a close eye from New York down through Philadelphia and D.C. on the 4th of July because I think we may see some more severe weather popping up then.

You know we'll be watching at Ryan Hanrahan. Thank you. All of this heat is creating some real problems for travelers with delays because of it, especially today, the busiest travel day of the holiday weekend. Our Maggie Vespa reports. Tonight, a booming July 4th travel surge hitting its peak. Airport officials bracing for an estimated 3 million passengers just today. This is all Super Bowl. Problems already stacking up. Storms down south. forcing a ground stop at Houston Hobby Airport and flight delays nationwide soaring into the thousands. The record-breaking heat wave also wreaking havoc. Some trains delayed or canceled due to overheated tracks. Out east, one of two bridges to Cape Cod backed up for hours. Authorities say a driver hit a state trooper.

Chicago O'Hare bracing for record crowds. Meanwhile, in a coast-to-coast surge boosted by both World Cup fever and excitement for America's 250th birthday, estimates more than 72 million Americans will travel for the holiday. That's despite rising airfare costs with domestic tickets averaging $517. Still, for many Americans like Bunny and Steve Heftman, July 4th trips are a priority. Fourth of July has always been my favorite holiday. Your favorite holiday? After flying from Chicago to Denver, the couple plans to drive another hour. You're going to make some sacrifices to spend time with family and friends. Some 61 million people are hitting the highways, with today marking the busiest day for rental car pickups, according to Hertz. And in a boost for drivers, gas prices keep falling, now down to an average of 3.79 a gallon nationwide.

And in many southern and Midwestern states, it's even lower, with Indiana's average just $3.10 a gallon. Maggie is joining us now from a very busy Chicago O'Hare Airport. And what's interesting, Maggie, is that this heat is going to affect people in a whole lot of spots as they're trying to travel. Yeah, definitely that's right, Hallie, and really kind of in different spots across the country. We talked about the heat's impact on trains and kind of in other areas. Also today, Delta Airlines warning that the extreme heat wave out east, what you're dealing with right now, could even slow planes down at New York's LaGuardia airport, because basically temperatures that hot make it difficult for planes' engines to take off. And then you bring it back here to Chicago, more severe weather.

We're looking at potential storms here in the windy city, basically through the holiday weekend. Hally. Maggie Vespa, much to watch. Thank you. Tonight here in Washington, a former Olympian has been indicted by a grand jury now for allegedly damaging Washington's newly renovated reflecting pool. His attorney calling the charges outrageous. Gabe Gutierrez explains. Tonight, the former U.S. Olympic canoeists arrested for allegedly vandalizing the refuted for allegedly vandalizing the refleaders.

A reflecting pool outside the Lincoln Memorial has been indicted by a grand jury. This is not the way of a civilized society. It is anarchy. David Hearn now faces a felony charge of destruction of property. Our evidence further shows that the National Park Service employees observed Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands. Hearn's attorney says he's innocent, calling the charges outrageous. Hearn said this after his arrest last month. I didn't think I'd done anything wrong.

All after President Trump had the pool renovated, painting the bottom a darker shade of blue. But algae returned and the paint peeled. The president says someone used a knife to cut along gash. When did these people come up with this? And they threw a little fertilizer in the water, which is not good. U.S. Park Police released this video of an unknown woman. they're also looking for reaching into the pool. So far, no other charges have been made public. Well, tonight, a scary incident during rehearsals for this weekend's Freedom 250 celebrations.

A piece of the set falling and nearly hitting performers. An organizer telling NBC News, no one was hurt. Meanwhile, the president says this pool will be at least partially drained again for repairs after the 4th of July. Hallie? Gabe Gutierrez here in Washington, thank you. Now to the emergency dispatch audio obtained by NBC News with questions over the health of Senator Mitch McConnell. Now, in this audio, you can hear paramedics treating somebody experiencing what they call a cardiac arrest and doing CPR at a known address of the senators on June 14th. The same day, his staff says he was hospitalized. Here it is. Medicines three, a response, unconscious.

Medicare in progress. EMS2 response for cardiac arrest. And we bring in Sahel Kapoor, who's following this and joining us now. And Sahel, after several outlets reported on this audio, we are now hearing from Senator McConnell's team, right? New tonight. What are they saying? That's right, Halley. I've just gotten a new statement from a spokesperson for Senator McConnell who confirms he is still in the hospital today 18 days after he was admitted. The spokesperson says, quote, Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. the senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate

matters while the Senate is out of session, end quote. Of course, this comes in the wake of that audio from EMS officials that they performed CPR and advanced life support on an unconscious individuals at McConnell's known address. Notably, his office did not confirm he had a heart attack, but they haven't denied it either. On the day this incident occurred, McConnell's spokesperson said only that he was hospitalized and receiving excellent care. In subsequent days, the spokesperson added that he was fully engaged with his work. Now, Senator McConnell has not been seen in the Capitol since that day, June 14th. By my count, he has missed the last 21 votes. McConnell is 84 years old. He served as Senate Republican leader for 18 years through the 2024 election. He's dealt with numerous

health episodes in the last few years, and he's scheduled to retire at the end of this year. For Capitol Hill, Hallie, one big uncertainty is when McConnell will return in person. He is still the chairman of the Rules Committee. He's a senior member of the appropriation. committee, and he can be a pivotal vote in a divided chamber. And looking at the statistics of survival to discharge rates for someone his age, having cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, it's safe to say that if the senator fully recovers from that, he will be one of the lucky ones. Hally? Saha Kapoor, thank you very much for the new reporting. Appreciate that.

Let's get now to that new snapshot of the economy out today, with the jobs report out, showing fewer than expected positions added in June, although the unemployment rate did tick down a bit. Let me bring in our business and data correspondent, Brian Chung, who's posted up at the big board. Brian, make it make sense. What should our big takeaway be from this? Yeah, well, let's talk about the numbers that came in from the government. We'll kind of unpack what it means. 57,000.

That's how many jobs were added in the month of June. That was well below what economists were expecting. They were expecting 115,000. So that is less than half and also less than the previous months of job gains that we had seen. Over 100,000 for both April and May, over 200,000 in the month of. March. So if you unpack this report, we can see where we may have seen some contractions in job gains. You notice right here, leisure and hospitality. These are jobs at bars and restaurants contracting by over 60,000 in just the month, although we did see job gains in other parts of the economy like

social assistance, as well as construction. Healthcare, this has been a big driver through most of 2026. We do have an aging population. We need more doctors. We need more nurses. That is the reason why we did continue to see gains over 20,000 in the month. But Hallie, this right here is the warning sign in the interim here in the economy. That's wages. We did see average hourly earnings up 3.5% in June of this year compared to June of last year. Okay, fine. But when you compare that to inflation, where the last read on a yearly basis was 4.2%.

This is the third month in a row. You have inflation outpacing wages. That means that people are likely tapping into their savings just to make ends meet. that is certainly a red flag for where we are in this economy. Yeah, no kidding. What about the labor force itself actually getting smaller? I know this is something that you're kind of obsessed with, right? Yeah, and so the unemployment rate on a headline basis was kind of good news.

When you take a look at 4.2 percent, that is a notch down from 4.3 percent in the previous month. But you do have to remember the unemployment rate is how many people are unemployed as a percentage of the labor force, not the overall population. The problem is that our labor force is shrinking. The reason why? because we have an aging population. People are just simply too old to say they want to participate in the economy. And then secondly, you also have immigration that is slowing down. That usually plugs the hole when there is a decline in labor-first participation.

So yes, the unemployment rate is coming down, but it might not be coming down for the right reasons. This is something that we're going to be watching in the months to come. Brian Chung, thank you very much for that. We will be watching alongside you to the deadly confrontation now outside of Florida Walmart. Investigators say a woman shot and killed a man after a dispute over a report. parking space. Our Aaron Gilchrist has more. A deadly confrontation in a Florida Walmart parking lot caught on camera. The Broward County Sheriff's Office says it all began with an argument over a parking space. This dash camera recording the moments leading up to the shooting. A man can be seen

approaching a woman who appears to have a gun in one hand and a cell phone in the other. You can see her back away as the man walks toward her and follows her around a vehicle. She keeps her arm extended with what seems to be a weapon. A second angle of the incident appears to show the woman telling him to walk away before firing a single shot. The man falls to the ground,

bleeding near a stomach. The woman then sets the gun on the roof of the car and paces around him. A deputy arrives minutes later, the woman gestures to the weapon before he puts her hands behind her back. There was police officers everywhere,

and I did hear a woman screaming and crying. The shooting happened midday on two, Tuesday, authorities have not named the woman who they say told investigators she fired in self-defense. They identified the man as 62-year-old Bart de Guglielmo. He was taken to the hospital with a single gunshot wound, they add, where he later died. Oh, oh, B. The sheriff's office says once its investigation is complete, prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges in this deadly parking lot dispute. Aaron, Gilchrist is joining us now. Aaron, there's a lot there. Have we heard it all from the state's attorney's office? You know, there's a lot more of investigation that needs to happen here, too.

We haven't heard anything from the state's attorney's office, and the sheriff's office there in Broward County, Florida, is being very tight-lipped at this point as well. There's a lot for them to still look over, right? We know, obviously, we have this video that was taken by this bystander on a cell phone and as well from a car that was parked directly across from where this scene played out. So those are all the sorts of things that investigators are going to be looking for in terms of visuals of what happened here. It's a Walmart parking lot. There were likely security cameras that were rolling as this played out as well. At the same time, you may have been able to see in some of the video there that there were people walking around in this parking lot. So investigators are

going to want to talk to anybody who may have been in close proximity to this as it was playing out. And then, of course, Hallie, there is that cell phone that the woman appeared to be holding. If she was talking to someone, that person may have been able to hear something an exchange of words that happened there that may help to inform the investigation here as well, Haley. And so we'll all be watching out to see what exactly it is the prosecutor's office decides to do with this case, whether they'll file charges against this woman or not. Halley? Keep disposeded. Aaron Gilchrist, thank you very much.

To New York now. And the daredevil couple that climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, facing a judge today on several felony charges and pulling out yet another, let's call it, memorable moment in front of the cameras. Tonight, we've got some new reporting on how these two made it pass security in the first place. Here's Valerie Castro. Tonight, we're learning new details about that alarming security breach, those two climbers with a jaw-dropping, death-defying stunt at the Empire State Building. Is he proposing to her? The couple's seen leaving court this morning, apparently still wearing the same outfits they scaled the spire in. It was very cold last night. Angelina Nikolaoan and Ivan Kuznetsov now charged.

with several felonies, including reckless endangerment for trespassing overnight in a restricted area, according to the criminal complaint. Sources telling NBC News investigators are looking into whether the pair may have used a separate tenant entrance to the building to avoid security screening, and whether the pair may have been scouting the building prior and even left some tools in advance of the operation. We just need to relax now. At one point, photographers asking them to recreate their kiss more than 1,400 feet in the air.

A kiss, a kiss. A kiss. All right, all right. Their attorney speaking after their court appearance. I will say, you know, it's nice to have somebody wearing a black mask doing a message of peace. But the NYPD says their actions won't go unpunished. It's unacceptable and there's going to be consequences. After that stunt at the top of the building, the pair faces up to seven years in prison if convicted on all of the charges.

They're due back in court in late August. Callie? Valerie Cowellie. Castro, thank you. We are back in just a moment with Taylor Swift. Officially in her wedding era, what's believed to be her rehearsal dinner getting started as we speak. Our Chloe Malas is there. She's technically outside, but she's there. Plus, the new warning tonight over ticks that could trigger an allergic reaction to red meat. Why some restaurants in one vacation hotspot are now considering changing menus. Plus, a fire at Disney shutting down a popular ride. We'll tell you what

caused this next. Back now with what it feels like the celebrity wedding weekend of the decade. beginning as we speak. Folks, the rehearsal dinner. It is here. It is apparently happening for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey. Our Chloe Malas is outside Madison Square Garden with all the action. Tonight, the wedding festivities for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey officially kicking off. Black SUV seen pulling up to New York's Madison Square Garden ahead of what is expected to be their rehearsal dinner at the venue's emphasis theater, according to an NYPD memo. Right here behind me is a white tent that has been erected to protect the privacy of guests when they arrive. How are you feeling today, Ms. Kelsey?

Just hours earlier, photographers catching Kelsey's mom after landing in New York. A source at MSG telling NBC news, MSG employees are not allowed back on premises until Sunday. Also saying the couple is playing on the venue's name with a garden theme for tonight's event. Adding that inside, the space has been transformed with drapery and chandelier's house. And more than 1,000 guests are expected to attend Friday's Big Bash and enjoy performances from artists like Stevie Nix. Outside, road closures and ramped up security around the arena. For those still skeptical about the impending nuptials, earlier officers were spotted with folders marked Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey Wedding. This is normal for Taylor Swift to have people speculate because she loves keeping her fans on edge.

It's part of the thrill. It's part of the fun of being a Swifty. As you can see right here behind me is where black SUVs have been entering the wedding festivities over the last 30 minutes. I also want to point out that earlier this week, Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift, they actually made a donation of $26 million to various charities across the United States. Actually, 20 different charities. This is all according to Taylor Swift's representative.

So remember, tonight is the rehearsal dinner of sorts. It's 100 people. according to an NYPD memo inside the emphasis theater. And then tomorrow night is when you have the big bash of over a thousand individuals. And again, celebrity performances. NBC News is learning that Stevie Nix is expected to perform. So this is the place to be. If you're not indoors trying to stay cool because of the heat wave,

a lot of people are coming down to try to catch a glimpse. And I've been talking to those swifties and they don't care about the heat. They are all here and ready. for it, Hallie. All right. Chloe Malas, thank you very much. More to come on that one. Coming up here on the show,

the new allegations against the soccer star expected to play tomorrow in the World Cup. We'll tell you what we're learning. Plus, the fiery explosion ripping a building apart. We're going to show you that video and explain more behind it in just a second. But first, top stories,

top moment and an epic proposal with the help of New York's Bravest. During the FDNY's Family Day, Jason Ralph, a firefighter in training, asked his girlfriend to participate in like a mock wrestling. little did she know that save would end with him dropping to one knee take a look he's gonna pull himself into the window and grab his victim on her face she doesn't seem to be a

distressed now congratulations to Jason and Dacia proving you don't have to illegally climb at the top of the Empire State Building for memorable proposal stay with us more top story on the way back now with news out of the World Cup Cape Verde has become the tournament's underdog sensation in many ways kind of a Cinderella story in the making but tonight that team is making headlines for a very different reason. An alleged rape investigation involving the team captain. Our Jesse Kirsch reports. Tonight, an allegation looms over a key member of team Cape Verde, the World Cup's Cinderella story. A Brazilian woman accusing the team's captain, Ryan Mendez, of raping her, according to Brazilian

attorney Sinara Porto Fajardo, who says she is representing the woman. She was attacked. In March, Porto Fahardo says her client was working as a translator for Cape Verde's soccer delegation in New Zealand when Mendes entered her hotel room, raped, bit and choked her. She almost died. The health professional told her she had three, three like this. The accuser's attorney tells NBC News a police report was filed April 1st. New Zealand police told NBC News an allegation is under investigation, but would not confirm Mendez is a suspect. When NBC News asked the U.S. government if it was aware of a police investigation about Mendez,

a customs and border protection spokesperson said the U.S. is aware of the pending court case for Mr. Mendes. Still, Mendes is leading Cape Verde's underdog run in the tournament. Mendes and the Cape Verde soccer team did not reply to NBC News's repeated requests for comment. We tried asking the coach about the allegations today. There have been multiple media reports I've spoken with an attorney as well who says she represents a woman who, who was raped by your team captain Ryan Mendes. How is that impacting your team's focus on this game?

How is this impacting your focus on the game, sir? The microphone was silenced. We got no answer. Just about the game, please. New Zealand Herald reporter Michael Burgess first broke this story. FIFA did confirm they didn't know about it until the herald until I had contact. So FIFA tells NBC News it is in contact with the New Zealand authorities. All of this as Cape Verde prepares to play.

Argentina and Leonel Messi right here in the Miami area tomorrow night. Mendez has not been charged. Hallie. Jesse Kirsch, thank you. To Top Stories news feed now, starting right here in Washington, where we've just learned not long ago that public entry for the July 4th suit to America event is now being delayed. The Washington Monument Grounds were supposed to open at about one in the afternoon.

It's now pushed back about four hours to 5 p.m. Why? Well, the heat. Organizers say they're doing it to help keep crowds. volunteers and performers all safe. Now, the Great American State Fair will still open at 10 a.m. just a few blocks away. We'll be keeping an eye on this one. Plus, a fiery explosion at a building in eastern Missouri.

Take a look here, captured on security cameras from across the street. Boom, those garage doors are blown off. Part of the building ended up collapsing because of it. A local fire official says one person was hurt as investigators now work to figure out the calls. And in Canada, a bus driver crashing after police say the driver had a medical emergency behind the wheel.

You see the bus here veering off the road in North Vancouver. It's then right here cruising down the sidewalk. It ended up slamming into some parked cars and then hit a tree. People rushing to get off. Officials say the driver and one passenger were taken to the hospital. And a popular ride at Disney World had to be shut down after a phone charger caught on fire in the boarding area. Take a look, this fire extinguisher cloud there at It's a Small World. Walt Disney World says the whole thing was resolved before the fire department arrived and that no guests or employees were.

were hurt. And how about this one? An ape at a zoo in Albuquerque taken matters into her own hands when a baby bird landed in her habitat. This is Eve. She's showing off her motherly instincts here. She's holding the bird. She's trying to comfort it. At different points, she was trying to keep it away even from the other apes. She did eventually hand over the bird to Park staff who helped bring it back to its own mom. Also tonight we're tracking a big surge in ICE arrests nationwide, A source familiar with the operations. Telling NBC News, ICE has averaged about 2,000 arrests per day from Friday to Tuesday. That's really up from the previous average of about 600 a day.

Let me bring in Julia Ainsley, who's joining us now with her reporting. What's behind this, Julia, and why now? It's interesting. First, ICE is a lot more money. When they did big arrest operations last year, it's because they had the support of Border Patrol and a lot of the DOJ agencies. Now ICE is able to carry this out on their own. But you're not seeing the roving patrols that you saw in streets like Minneapolis and Chicago.

early this year and last year a lot of times these are people who they have targeted they know where they are and they're going out and arresting them okay but they're ramping this up they're putting more of their people out on the street they've hired a lot more people with this money they got through the big beautiful bill and Stephen Miller is putting more pressure on the White House there was a sense that they cooled down a little bit after Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of two Americans there in the protests that sparked around the country now there seems to be a sense that they want to get the numbers back up but not in a way that's going to

cause as much visibility and as much blowback as they had earlier this year. Well, there has been somebody that's gotten some blowback, and that's somebody who was swept up in one of these arrests, this nun in Texas, who was detained apparently on her way to church. This drew bipartisan criticism. What's her status? What's going on here? It seems like it was just a huge mistake. They released her soon after. She's known as Sister Lettie in her community. She is a Nigerian national, but she's legally in the United States. We believe she's a – DHS is not commented on this yet, but we know that she's a – a registered nurse in the health care system. She's been living in that area for a long time.

I actually know the church she was walking to. She was walking from her habit to her church. This is in McAllen, Texas, it's hard to underestimate the importance of the Catholic Church in terms of what they do for the community there in terms of holding mass often for people who have just crossed the border and would have nowhere else to go. CVP seeks out these nuns because they want them to care for migrants when they're coming across, when they're getting overwhelmed as they were just in the last few years. And so for someone like this who's so interesting, who's so a part of that community to be swept up, seemed very odd. And we have not yet heard from DHS about why she was targeted. All we know now is she's released and is not at this point on the track for

any kind of deportation. Julie Anzi, keep us posted on that one. Thank you very much, as always. Thanks. So the new report from the CDC tonight showing that more people than we first thought could be at risk for this really wild red meat allergy caused by ticks. New research finds nearly a quarter of adults in these five states you're about to see show signs that they've been bitten. could have what's called alpha-gal syndrome. That could trigger a lifelong allergic reaction to red meat and possibly dairy, too. Health and medical reporter Erica Edwards is here to break this one down. I have to tell you, Erica, this is the story that I cannot stop, like, reading about and learning about because you get bitten by a tick, and for the rest of your life, you have an

allergy to meat and or dairy that ranges from fairly mild, like indigestion to, you know, anaphylactic shock, basically. Like, it's just insane to think about. And the numbers here pretty startling. Yeah, it's really wild. The new estimate is based on samples from people who donated blood in 10 states, places that tend to have more lone star ticks like Arkansas, Missouri, had more people with alpha-gal antibodies circulating in those blood samples, meaning they've been bitten. Now, this doesn't mean that they have that red meat allergy, but it does raise the risk that they will develop it later on. And we know the ticks that cause alpha-gal are moving as our winters warm up, deer and the ticks that feed on them are moving to new places in the country farther west

and up into the Great Lakes, Halley. Can I ask you, do we know if they are simply moving or are they growing? In other words, is that tick population getting bigger or is it merely traversing to a different region now? When you have warmer winters, it means that those ticks aren't going to freeze to death, right? So they're going to survive longer. And also, it means that the deer are just spreading into more places. Got it. We know that there were, we thought that there were like 450,000 people in the country that could have this kind of thing. Do we think now based on this new research, that that number may need to be, you know, recalculated, re-estimated upward? Yeah, so even the CDC acknowledges that that number you mentioned is likely a vast undercount. Only a few state health

departments require their doctors to report alpha-gal syndrome cases. And very often people go undiagnosed because symptoms don't pop up right away like they would for a peanut allergy. example, it can take hours after eating meat because the way we digest it for people to start feeling sick. You know, Martha's Vineyard has been dealing with an outbreak at this too. You've heard of, Erica, things like, you know, going out to eat and it's vegan friendly or gluten-friendly or vegetarian-friendly. How about Alpha-Gal friendly? That's literally what they're doing at some of these places, you know, making sure that people know, this doesn't have red meat, this doesn't

have dairy, because people have to be so hyper-aware. I mean, it's really, it seems like in some places, or at least in Martha's Vineyard, changing some habits. We reached out to a few places in Martha's Vineyard actually today. One restaurant we spoke with said that as many as 25% of customers are asking for special alpha-gal-free menus. There's even a bakery. It's making alpha-gal-free cookies, brownies, zucchini bread. Because of the potential for cross-contamination, you can't just stop ordering steak. Restaurants are learning.

They need to separate cooking utensils, pots and pans from dishes with meat and dairy, like you mentioned, anything that could cause a reaction. Kelly. Erica Edwards, glad to have you with us on this one tonight. I appreciate it. Still to come on the show, the remarkable rescues in Venezuela more than a week after those powerful and deadly earthquakes. And the aid now arriving. Plus, the red card controversy, keeping one of Team USA's star strikers off the field. We're going to break down that call and what it could mean for the team's World Cup run. Stay with us. We are back now with an update from Venezuela, where a week of mourning is beginning for the more than 2,200 people who have been killed. by those deadly double earthquakes last week. And even now, even today, we are still seeing rescues more than a week after the catastrophe. Look at some of this video posted by the State Department.

It shows American rescue teams working with other teams from around the world to pull this man safely out of the rubble. He was under there, they say, for eight days. Joining us once again tonight from Caracas is Ana Vanessa Arrero. It's incredible to see some of these videos. It's almost unbelievable to think eight days later. Somebody managed to survive for more than a week. buried. It's hell it's just a miracle. I mean what what can I say and that is what really gives enough energy to all the rescue teams on the right now continue with the all the efforts to try to bring more of those stories more of those images that you just share right there let me tell you something I

recently just today I came from La Waiida again visiting ground zero And it is not a good day. I mean, the dust, it's beginning to dissipate. And now you can really see the devastation at its fullest. But those kind of images not only bring hope for, you know, the rest of the world, but also for Venezuela. Again, volunteers, nationals and international teams are, you know, keep working on the ground to bring families together while this is happening. thousands still are waiting to be reunited again with their loved ones and with many of them, many of these people surrounding the premises that were affected, waiting to hear news from the

loved ones. And how let me tell you something. I spoke with the family today that have been, they have been waiting there for at least six days to, this is hard. This is hard. There's so many stories that I hear all the time. But this is a mother who's, son is buried under one building and she said that she's going to stay there until she finds her son dead or alive and she even told me even even his call you know i just need something of his to understand what what happened and to you know bring closer to this tragedy it it's a it's a gut punch it hurts yeah to hear it and it it's it doesn't mean compared to what it what it is like to live it for these folks who are struggling.

Ana Vanessa O'rero, we're glad to have you there keeping an eye and tracking all of it for us with your reporting. Appreciate that. Let's get you over to the top stories, Global Watch Now, and disturbing video of a deadly crash in Thailand, a truck slamming into a group of monks who've been walking down the road on a pilgrimage. Officials say nine were killed, 13 others sent to the hospital. According to police, the driver was an 11-year-old boy. He's now in custody, but investigators are still trying to figure out what happened. They say, for now, it seems like the truck may have swirred.

before sliding off the road and then crashing into the group. To Russia now unleashing a huge drone and missile strike on Ukraine overnight. Officials say at least 27 people were killed, more than 90 others hurt, with explosions rocking the capital of Kiev there as thousands sheltered in subways. The strikes lasted something like 11 hours. Moscow says the attack is retaliation for Ukraine's recent attacks on Russian oil facilities. And a man in Spain stumbling kind of literally upon quite the treasure. Look at this, a painting by the well-known Spanish impressionist,

Joaquin Soroya. He apparently found a guy found it lying on the street, just sitting there. He told local media that he called police after seeing reports the piece had been stolen. Turned out a family accidentally left it outside while they were going on vacation. The Guardian newspaper reports it's valued about $170,000. So we got to talk about Team USA's biggest World Cup win in a generation. Did you watch? I hope so, because it was thrilling. The stadium out there in California erupting in tears. I mean, these people were on their feet.

Like, I got to say, the whole last half of the game, it felt like over the winning free kick of the knockout game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Team USA winning it, of course, two nothing. But got to talk about the moment of controversy, the celebration that was in some ways overshadowed by that red card, that straight red card, dealt to the team's star player, Flo Balagan, who was not only immediately pulled out of the game. He cannot play in the next game either when the U.S. hits basically the next round coming up in a couple of days. Let me bring in Brian Dunseth, former defender for the U.S. Men's National Team and MLS analysts. We're so glad to have you back on, Brian. Thanks for being here. Yeah, thank you as always. Am I safe to assume that like many other analysts who have observed this red card moment that, well, I'll put it to his way, do you think

he should have gotten that red card or not? Well, this just tells you sometimes the optical illusion that is slow motion replay as well as the pictures. Because the images you just showed certainly would lean towards Law 12, endangering the safety of the opponent and the idea of excessive force. But when you watch the play itself, it's almost just two players jostling. I mean, listen, I'm a former centerback. So in those moments where I'm trying to fight off an attacking player, I'm trying to separate him from the ball. I'm trying to clear space. I'm widening my stance. And the idea of intent, you've got to take that, like if you meant to or if he didn't mean to, Flob Balligan, that doesn't matter in the letter of the law. What VAR is looking for is kind of this idea, have you cross. You

this line. And the threshold's been so incredibly high so far in the World Cup. And now all of us as kind of Monday morning quarterbacks, we're going to social media. We're looking at all the different images. We're talking about Leonel Messi against Algeria. You could talk about flow against or sorry, excuse me, Gio Raina against Paraguay when he got cleated. Flo got cleated against Australia. So we're kind of like tit for tatting all of this. But what I would love to see is if we can maybe change the laws of the game that kind of include the word instinct. Because instinct, they're just two players battling for position. And unfortunately, Flo's foot really doesn't have anywhere to come down except the contact. Now, I understand this because Canadian and national,

Ismail Koni, had a double-tip-fit fracture and his leg was broken earlier in the tournament. And this is what we're trying to kind of keep the game away from. But unfortunately, I just have a tough time. I know a lot of people have the tough time. I'm trying to take my Americana Homer hat off right now and just look at it as an analyst. Yeah. And it just things. But credit to the U.S. men's national team, they gutted this one out. 25 minutes down a band. Great free kick from Malik Tillman. And now Marisa Pochitino has to continue this evolution of kind of next man up. This is as intrusive to his preparation as losing Christian Polisic earlier in the tournament against Australia. But this is a collective group that

has figured out ways without their quote-unquote star players to still get the results necessary to move on in this tournament. I will put my American Homer hat on. I'm not a soccer analyst. And what was, I'm sitting there immediately, I'm sure the Google spike, you know, Google Trends spike, because I'm like, can you appeal? Is there any shot that this could be rectified before Monday? It sounds like no, it sounds like it's really up to FIFA. It doesn't feel like they maybe have a ton of incentive to do anything to change this or to change the rules at this point, right? Yeah, based on the letter of the law and the application of the rule itself, this is one of those that can't be appealed. Now, that doesn't mean that those conversations won't happen behind the scenes

and try to just find the margins of like, can he be available because of this? But yeah, it's not going to happen. But Ricardo Pepe's been excellent. You got a guy named Hajie Wright, who scored in Qatar at the World Cup. He was the savior of the Nations League a couple of years ago. Christian played as a number nine against Portugal in the friendlies and the buildup back in March in that same position. So it'll look different, but I still think they can be as effective as the U.S. was without Christian Policic against Australia in that second game. And honestly, you hope they do because this whole red card thing, like the game itself, you know, Brian, I know nothing about soccer. I'm learning. I'm excited to learn.

But I was so concerned. I'm like, oh, my God, this is gutting for this team. Are they going to fall apart on the, on the pitch? You know what I mean? Is this going to be it? But it was an incredible moment for them, one of the best moments that the U.S. men's team have had in so many years, right? Yeah. And I'll remind people, you go back to last summer when there was all the conversations about kind of loyalty and commitment to the U.S. men's national team, Marisa Poitjitjitino played for Argentina. When that crest went on his chest, it was ultimate committal. You did everything because you were playing for yourself, you were playing for your family,

and you were playing for your nation. That's what's happening right now for this U.S. men's national team. All of these guys recognized 1994 and Tony Mule, Alexi Lollis, John Hark, Sarah Quinole, Taboramos. They etched their name in stone in the folklore of U.S. soccer history. All of these guys recognize that this is kind of our Olympic moment, if you will, for fans. You take, like, I don't know about ski shooting or I don't know about javelin, but when the Olympics are on, I'm like Americana 101 gold medal, let's go.

So wrap all that up together, put it on a rocket ship to the moon. I think you start the conversation of what the World Cup can do for the U.S. here. It's so cool. I cannot wait for Monday. Get ready for the booking request. Want to have you back. Come back. Set us up. You know, I know you got a busy day, but Brian, thank you. Great to see. Appreciate it.

Thank you. When we come back, could it be a golden ticket for AI? We got the new Willy Wonka-themed reality competition featuring the AI-generated voice of the late Gene Wilder. Why that's creating so much controversy. Plus, our series, Great Americans. Tonight we'll hear from astronaut Eileen Collins about her barrier-breaking mission to space. That's next. Back now with the new Willy Wonka-themed competition series coming soon to Netflix. There is a twist. You've got Netflix using AI to recreate the voice of Gene Wilder, you know, who was the original Wonka in the OG movie. It's just the latest way that AI is making some inroads in Hollywood, and not everybody's thrilled about it. Our Gotti Schwartz explains why. Come with me, and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. It's a voice that instantly transports you to a world of pure imagination.

You'd like to see? Gene Wilder brought Willy Wonka to life in the iconic 70s film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Now Wonka is back for a reality TV reboot. Netflix releasing a trailer this week for its new competition series Wonka's The Golden Ticket. A whole new generation of real-life golden ticket holders will compete for a life-changing prize. And if Wonka's voice sounds familiar, that's because it's the AI-generated voice of Wilder, who died in 2016. Marvel at the magic you remember.

Wilder's wife and estate granted permission for his voice to be recreated for the show. That tech is provided by 11 labs, a company that struck similar deals with actors like Michael Cain, whose AI audio likeness will be voicing an audiobook of Homer's The Odyssey. His name is Odysseus,

king of a small rocky island called Ithaca. With Matthew McConaughey investing. Happy Friday, everyone. But not everyone is sweet on the idea. Why? Why? Just why? It just feels so wrong. I mean, we all know Royal Dawn would have absolutely hated this.

The reality is, is we've been playing this game for a long, long time. Dominic Patton is an executive editor at deadline. And I'm talking about holograms of Tupac at Coachella. I'm talking about Humphrey Bogart and Elizabeth Taylor showing up in Pepsi or Coca-Cola commercials, like 20 years ago. Does it seem like society has a particular hang-up when it comes to combining the stout? with AI? I think so. I can't stand AI slump.

But I think there's a difference between AI slop and people trying to do something creative. The danger must be growing for- Let's admit it. There is a creepy, charming aspect to AI, like there is to Willy Wonka itself. So maybe in that sense, it's a perfect marriage. Mighty Boompa, roo-oo-a-du-Doo.

Gotti is with us now from LA. Okay, Gotti, you mentioned that Wilders just signed off on this whole thing, but there are some fans who think think it's maybe not what he would have wanted, right? Yeah, there's a lot of fans out that are kind of icked out because of the AI of it all. But, you know, it really comes down to what the artists would have wanted. We really don't know.

Gene Wilder, for example, he didn't like the Johnny Depp version of the movie. And you know who didn't like the Gene Wilder version? Raul Dahl, the man who wrote the book, who also did not seem to like television. You might remember the umpalumpa song. Well, part of that song is about how bad he thought. television was, which was the new tech at the time. So you can kind of imagine what his take might have been as we once again face a new era of technology. Hallie. Very interesting. Goddy Shorts. Thank you very much. Good to see it, Paul. Appreciate it. Finally, tonight, our series,

Great Americans. And all week ahead of, of course, America 250, the Fourth of July weekend, we've been highlighting those who have achieved so much here. Well, tonight, Tom sits down with a trailblazing astronaut, the first woman to pilot and command a spacecraft. Tonight's a great American, Eileen Collins. Long before legendary astronaut, Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a space shuttle. She dreamed of taking flight, watching gliders take off and land at this airfield near her hometown of Elmira, New York. And I always wondered what it would be like up there. But she kept those sky-high goals to herself.

I never told anyone that I wanted to be an astronaut because I knew they would say, you can't do that. You're a girl. There's no women astronauts. Collins was determined, though. She followed the blueprint of the first male astronauts who started out as daring test pilots in the Air Force. It took a decade of service in uniform, thousands of hours in the cockpit. Finally, a call from NASA. Collins was not just going to be an astronaut, but a pilot. and eventually a commander. I'm proud to be here to congratulate Colonel Eileen Collins

on becoming the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. She flew multiple missions. Then in 2005, her biggest test yet. Commanding America's return to space after the Columbia disaster took the lives of seven fellow astronauts. And why should we keep flying this spacecraft that is so dangerous is what some people thought. One of the things I learned, do not run away from your problems.

Face problems as challenges. 3 RPM start in 2, 1. During the high-stakes mission, she pulled off this bold move, a backflip in space, and a critical safety check of the heat shield to make sure the shuttle could safely return. We did something that hadn't been done before and made the program safer, but also it made the flying a little more fun. A woman who put her stamp on space by changing the spaces she was in. You think about the American spirit, I think that we are explorers.

And I think people that live in this country are descendants of explorers. And maybe that spirit has passed on. It's my hope that all children, boys and girls will see this mission and be inspired to reach for their dreams too, because dreams do come true. Thank you so much for watching Top Story. I'm Hallie Jackson in Washington. Stay right there. We've got more news on the way.