Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, July 31, 2025

Episode Date: August 1, 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 dangerous life-threatening flash floods unfolding at this hour. The state of emergency across the northeast, water rescues underway as drivers are trapped in their cars, train cars inundated during rush hour, and this big rig nearly underwater. The travel meltdown at major airports were tracking the latest with millions still at risk. Also tonight, chilling murder confession. Police say this man, an elementary school teacher, admitted to killing a couple hiking with their young girls. how he was captured mid-haired after a days-long manhunt.

We'll take you inside the Delta flight that left dozens hospitalized after hitting sudden turbulence, passengers slamming into the ceiling saying the jolt came without warning. Why are we seeing more of these dangerous incidents? The Grand Canyon wildfire exploding in size,

more than a thousand firefighters on the front lines struggling to douse the flames. Horrifying video capturing a theme park ride snapping in half mid-air, riders screaming as they crashed the ground. What went wrong? Brew battle, the Chinese coffee chain taking on Starbucks, opening its first U.S. locations, the buzz over this new rivalry. And a major medical milestone, the baby boy making history after being born from a 30-year-old embryo. Plus, the tense hearing about those deadly floods in Texas, why an official said he was

asleep during those first crucial hours. Top story starts right now. We begin tonight with a state of emergency declared across the East Coast as heavy rain and rushing floodwaters slammed multiple states. New video just in showing rescues in Potomac, Maryland, just outside of Washington. And in New York, cars completely submerged on a major expressway in Queens. Look at that. Drivers climbing to the tops of their vehicles for safety. A deluge of water hitting Grand Central Station right at rush hour. A similar scene in New Jersey, cars stalled.

this raging waters rise. This New Jersey transit train pushing through window-high floodwaters, that's wild. And more rescues underway in Maryland, the heavy downpour there leaving commuters stranded. In Philly, water gushing from the ceiling at this septa station. The severe weather wreaking havoc on air travel, more than 1,200 flights delayed and nearly 400 canceled, with almost 50 million Americans under flood alerts. Our Bill Cairns is standing by to tell us how long the danger will last. But I want to start with Air Mulmological. who leads us off from the storm zone tonight. Aaron, what more can you tell us about that incredible rescue in Maryland?

Well, Tom, the video is shocking. It shows the harrowing moments. First responders rescued two children from a car submerged in water. You watch as they cautiously carry those two children to higher ground. Just a stark illustration of how dangerous these summer storms can be. A night in New York, a severe storm slamming the city with pounding rain, leading to scenes like this. Chaos on the roads in Queens, a tractor trailer and cars submerged, and in Manhattan, a major expressway underwater. I thought it was going to be like light rain because I saw the forecast yesterday, and they said, it might rain at three, it might rain at six, and oh, whatever, all right. I just didn't expect Bayside Lur station to turn into a river.

The city's trains also impacted and businesses closed. You may not be able to tell right now, but I'm completely soaked. Nearly 50 million Americans are on flood alert from Virginia to Connecticut. Came down really, really fast as rain was coming sideways. With multiple water rescues reported in Maryland, and a state of emergency declared in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. On our way, we're going to go try to see if we can get a sun pump. Parts of the subway flooded in Philly, while in Plainfield, New Jersey, water once again overtaking entire neighborhoods, even a tornado warning. Less than a month after the streets look like this.

When you heard tornado, what went through your mind? That we had to evacuate, that we had to live. I mean, my husband loves the house. I love the house, but I love my life better. Two weeks ago, rushing water swept through Alexandra Esparza's North Plainfield home. Now she's terrified, it could happen again. Yeah, I just want this to be over. I want to sell the house and I want to move on.

Meanwhile, at airports up and down the East Coast, stormy weather. spelled flight delays and cancellations. In Florida, the latest SpaceX launch scrumped. Hold, hold, hold. We are standing down for a violation of weather rules. All right. With that, Aaron joins us tonight from downtown Manhattan. So, Aaron, we got really slammed this afternoon and evening. Where do things stand at this hour? Well, we understand, Tom, that the flood threat for New York City is over. This main expressway you see here was once flooded. now completely clear, although other cities are currently being impacted. Tom. Aaron McLaughlin, leading us off tonight. Let's get right over to NBC News meteorologist, Bill Karens.

Bill, talk to us what you're tracking right now. Tom, this has been the summer of flash flooding, and it's no surprise. This July is going to go down as one of the most humid julys ever east of the Mississippi. And that's why we just so much moisture available for these thunderstorms to produce epic rainfall amounts. We still have storms that are ongoing. As we mentioned, New York City has since cleared out, but to the south, we still have many issues. Almost all of the southern half of New Jersey is still under flash flood warnings. We've had a band of very heavy rain just north of Baltimore, and that continues to have caused problems with flash flooding and one flash flood warning out on areas of Long Island. But things

will gradually improve this evening. At one point with that storm that produced those pictures that you saw with the car stuck and the semi truck with those water up to the roof, and that was in Queens. That was this area right here. That's where we had reports of five inch rainfall rates per hour. Didn't mean it rained that hard the whole hour. They ended up with about three and a half inches of rain in an hour. And the infrastructure just can't absorb all that water and kick it out. So it just starts to build up. And that's the problems we saw.

We've also had just east of ice lip areas around three to four inches of rain. I mentioned that's troubling spot where we still have flash flood warnings right along the 695 loop outside of Baltimore all the way to Abington done. That's the area that's had a wide spread about three inches of rainfall. So what else do we have to worry about as we head through the rest of this evening from areas from just outside. of D.C., especially through Maryland and Delaware, we still have some pretty strong thunderstorms, isolated flash flooding is possible here. You still see all the lightning strikes, especially around Salisbury, southern portions of New Jersey, around Atlantic City. The water levels are pretty high. Baltimore, you should be seeing improvements in about the next 15 or 20 minutes

or so. And as we mentioned, the airports are still just a huge mess. Liguardia, 90 minutes, Newark, 74, down the 30 minutes at JFK, that's a big improvement. 44 minutes in Philadelphia, but D.C. is still looking about two hours worth of delays. A lot of people probably are not going to get to their destinations later on tonight. For tomorrow, the whole region begins to improve. So overnight, the rain exits. All of the rain threat, Tom, tomorrow will be in areas of the south. It'll also be a lot cooler for millions of people on the East Coast.

Yes, it came with out of price with all this heavy rain, but I think we all need a break from that heat and humidity. All right, Bill, Karen,'s wrapping it all up for that, Sarah. Bill, we appreciate it. Turning now to a major break in the shocking double murder of a couple out hiking with their daughters in Arkansas. Police say an elementary school teacher has confessed to the crime after cops nabbed him mid-haired cut. NBC Sam Brock spoke to the mother of one of his former students. Tonight, police say the man responsible for a brutal double murder in Arkansas is an elementary school teacher. The suspect indicated that he did commit these murders.

After a sweeping five-day manhunt, Andrew James McGahn was captured at a barbershop where the stylist said he declined to sign in. As I was cutting his hair, I noticed he had very dry scalps and how matted his hair was. And then it just turned out that, you know, it was him. Within minutes, law enforcement is through your door. Yes. The arrest, a mere 25 miles from Devil's Den State Park, where Clinton and Kristen Brink were violently stabbed to death, according to investigators. They believe Clinton was attacked first as his wife fled with their daughters. We believe that the mother took them to safety and then returned to to help her, to help her husband.

The girls made it to the Parks Visitor Center. They advised that their parents were assaulted. Police say there's no known connection between the family and McGahn. Both had recently moved to the area, McGahn, for a teaching job. He broke down crying and told me that he had seen some things in class that made him really uncomfortable. Sierra Markham says McGahn was her son, Jacks's, fourth grade teacher, Texas. Here he is in the yearbook. It was the first of four teaching stops he would make in four years. What kind of things did your son see that made him so upset? So he told me that him and several classmates had noticed Mr. McGahn paying extra attention

to certain girls in class. When it was recess, he would keep certain girls back for just like one-on-one in the classroom. And when they would come back from recess, he would have the little girl on his lap. The district says they found no evidence of inappropriate behavior but did place McGahn on administrative leave for classroom management and judgment issues. Tonight, police say they haven't determined a motive while the Brink family says Clinton and Kristen died heroes, protecting their little girls. Sam Brock joins us in studio. Sam, so many parents are going to be watching this going, you know, this is totally crazy. How was this guy able to bounce around from school to school? Yeah, so here's what the schools we

spoke to said that they ran a full background check on him and nothing turned up. But they also said, importantly here, that he had resigned from his position, were left to go to a position in another state. It's not clear, Tom, what friction he received, if any, and I spoke with an administrator earlier today who reached out to me that said, in years of doing this, he's seen examples where if schools don't file formal complaints,

people with questionable behavioral tax or tracks, can just jump around around without ever being checked. Many parents, to your point, will find that concerning. Wild story. Okay, Sam Brock, we thank you for all the reporting there. We're also following this major story tonight in the Texas Hill country, and emotional hearing today, with residents sharing heartbreaking stories of loss and local officials grilled over their response to the devastating flooding on the 4th of July. Embassy's Ryan Chandler was there.

The river that we've loved so much killed them. I'm sorry. We climbed into cedar trees, and I had to help my 66-year-old mom. In Kerrville tonight, grief and anger boiling over at a hearing on the response to the catastrophic flood. on July 4th. State officials grilling local leaders, pointing out one top county official was out of town. Everyone was here that day working their ass off and you were nowhere to be found. While two other key officials admitted they were asleep when the flood waters began to rapidly rise, including the Kerr County Emergency Coordinator who said he was sick that week.

I was awakened around 5.30 a.m. on July the 4th by my wife following a call from the city of Kerrville, EMC, Jeremy Hughes, requesting that I mobilize. I reported immediately to the sheriff's office. Should he keep his job? Those decisions we've made at the local level, what I can tell you is somebody has to have the authority that's present in the moment to basically call a code red. More than 130 people lost their lives. And you knew a lot of people who died. 27. For Bud Bolton, the loss is still so raw. It's just stories after stories after stories after stories of My friends telling me we lost my son-in-law. We can't find my daughter.

Bud's son Ashton told us he found a girl's body, retrieving it in a kayak. That must stick with you. Absolutely. Sticks with me when I close my eyes and lay my head down that night. They say the government response was too little, too late. Nothing was done. Nothing was done. They chose not to do it.

Chose not to do it. It all comes back to that right there. Still so much emotion, as you would expect there in Kerrville, Texas. Ryan joins us live tonight. Ryan, do we know what is next for these Kerrville officials? Will they face any disciplinary actions? Obviously, there's several investigations ongoing. So Tom, that was the House Speaker.

I asked him a similar question there in that story. He insisted that any kind of disciplinary action or if anybody's going to lose their jobs, that's going to happen at the local level, didn't want to get into that at the state level. We do know from the chairman. of this committee that the legislature is going to implement more requirements on these local officials. For example, that kind of full-scale joint training for evacuations between the city and the county that did not happen before this flood is going to have to happen in the future, Tom. All right, Ryan Chandler for us tonight. Ryan, we thank you. Tonight, the FAA says it will investigate

a case of severe turbulence that forced a Delta Airlines flight headed to Europe to make an emergency landing in Minneapolis. More than two dozen people had to be rushed to hospitals. Tom Costello is following this one for us. Minneapolis Airport Plainspotters streamed the emergency landing live. Delta 56 was bound for Amsterdam. Skipple departed Salt Lake City a few hours ago. Ambulances lined up for dozens of patients after the Delta Jumbo jet hit extreme turbulence over Wyoming.

The heavy airbus in that they do have a medical emergency on board. Photos showed the aftermath, food, bottles, backpacks, and service cards. 25 passengers and crew members taken to area hospitals. Leanne Nash on board with her husband says everything went flying. Literally without absolutely any warning, we just, we hit what, you know, appears to be like a brick wall. We really thought that this was going to tear the plane apart. So for a brief moment, we thought we were going to die. In a statement, Delta says all seven crew members who were taken to area hospitals,

were treated and released. Aviation experts say summer heat can supercharge violent clear air turbulence. Flights over mountain ranges can be especially vulnerable. If you imagine the airflow over this wing experiencing a southern updraft, this wing will be pushed up violently and instantaneously and the airplane will tilt to the left. Invisible to radar, pilots rely on fellow pilots' radio reports to avoid it, as we saw at the American Airlines Command Center. When you get into bad turbulence, what are your options? Either rise above it or dip under it. Most of the time, when you're in it, you have to write through it.

5,000 cases a year. Flight attendants suffer 78% of the injuries. Climate researchers and many aviation experts believe climate change has led to more severe turbulence. A good reminder to always wear your seat belt. Tom? That is a good reminder. Okay, Tom Costello for us. We want to turn to politics where the Trump administration's trade agreement deadly.

line is just hours away. The president preparing to impose new tariff rates on countries who don't strike a deal before Friday at 12.01 a.m. Several nations making agreements just in the last few days. Pakistan is the latest with an unspecified rate alongside South Korea, the EU, Japan, and others. For the latest on trade deals, I want to get right over to our senior White House correspondent, Gabe Gutierrez. Gabe, there's a lot of countries on the clock to make a deal right now, but we learned today that Mexico, one of the most important, has been given an extension. Yeah, that's right, Tom. That's Mexico is the U.S. largest trading partner.

And the president spoke with Mexico's president, Claudia Scheinbaum, earlier today, and gave her this 90-day extension. And the president said that this was because of a variety of reasons. Mexico is a very complex situation, that it shares a border with the U.S. And the White House press secretary said today that one of the key things was that Mexico actually decided to drop some of its non-tariff trade base. barriers. And that's part of the reason, Tom, that the president decided to give them that 90-day extension. But as you mentioned, many countries are scrambling over the next couple of hours

the White House has to strike a trade deal before that self-imposed midnight deadline. So, Gay, we've been hitting people with all the tariff news, right, ever since the inauguration. So I do want to ask you, I mean, how is the economy responding to these tariffs? Are people already feeling them yet? Well, the White House says that there's been many benefits. There's been a lot of tariff revenue that has come into the United States. But today we got an indication that inflation is ticking up a little bit. Some new numbers say that the consumer prices rose about 2.6% since this time last year. So consumers may be feeling this a little bit.

Now, today we did get some indication that the stock market is dealing with this as well late today. stock slid ahead of this tariff deadline. The Dow was down about some 330 points or so. But again, inflation is ticking up, although the White House is dismissing that time. Okay, Gabe Lutier, there's a lot of reporting there for us, Gabe. We appreciate it. Now to our emotional interview with the family of Virginia Joufrey, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most focal accusers, responding to President Trump after he spoke out about her overnight,

saying Epstein, quote, stole her, hiring her away from Amar Lago. spa decades ago. Here's Hallie Jackson. The family of one of Jeffrey Epstein's most vocal accusers speaking out publicly tonight. She wasn't an object. They're responding to this moment this week when the president suggested Epstein stole Virginia Joufrey from his Mar-a-Lago club decades ago when she worked there. He stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, as you know, none whatsoever. What went through your mind when you heard that? I think we were shocked by it, especially to use the term stolen, because she's not an object.

She's a person. The White House press secretary says President Trump was directly responding to a question posed by a reporter about Ms. Jouffray. He did not bring her up. President Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein's wrongdoing and said he kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep. President Trump today. Did you know why he was taking those young women, including Virginia? No, I didn't know. I don't know really why. But I said if he's taken anybody from Maralago, he's hiring or whatever he's doing, I didn't like it. And we threw him out. Jeffre, who died by suicide in April, said it was Epstein's convicted accomplice,

Gillane Maxwell, who recruited and trafficked her. Her family now urging the administration and the president not to pardon Maxwell. would have been mortified if she were let out of prison. I think the word that comes to mind is it would be an abomination. A senior administration official tells NBC News, no leniency is being given or discussed. But President Trump has not publicly ruled it out. There's more to be said and there's more to be done for these survivors. They deserve justice. We deserve to know.

Sky, will you keep fighting on behalf of your sister, on behalf of other survivors? Every day. Maxwell's attorney did not comment today, but previously, when asked about a pardon, said Maxwell would welcome any relief. Tom? Hallie Jackson, with that powerful interview tonight for us. Also tonight, NFL Commissioner Roger Godell speaking out for the first time since a gunman stormed a midtown Manhattan office building, killing four people inside, allegedly attempting to tar.

target NFL headquarters. Here's what he told NBC sports Mike Tariko about how the organization was affected as they get ready to put on the league's Hall of Fame game tonight. Well, you can see the pain, Mike, in all of their faces. I think it's a time for us to lift one another up. And that was a beginning of that process, hopefully. It will be a process. It will be painful at times. There are hundreds of our employees there tonight in Canton, Ohio, helping make this game happen. We are incredibly grateful and proud of them for their resilience. And it reflects, I think, the resilience of our employees in general.

I couldn't be proud of the people we have working for us and their commitment to the National Football League, but also to each other. Roger Godell there talking to Mike Tariko. We're just getting new information about the shooting. Our law enforcement sources telling us the gunmen had more than 800 live rounds, on him firing about 50 bullets. The investigation is still ongoing. We're back in a moment with the terrifying moments at a theme park. Look at this. Riders trapped as the attraction they were on

breaks apart, sending riders crashing to the ground, the dramatic video, more of it, and what happened to those riders. Plus, a modern day miracle decades in the making, a healthy baby born from a 30-year-old embryo. How was it possible? Plus, Justin Timberlake revealing a new diagnosis, he says, impacted his latest tour. What We Know, coming up. We're back now with more of that terrifying incident at an amusement park. The ride in Saudi Arabia has seen snapping apart and plummeting to the ground. The carnage reported, reportedly prompting a state of emergency as victims were rushed to safety. NBC's Keir Simmons with more. Screams of glee.

turned to terror as a fairground ride in Saudi Arabia snapped in two. Local media reporting 23 people were injured, four of them in critical condition, adding one victim had to have a limb amputated. Cell phone videos show the ride which state media calls 360 big pendulum swinging back and forth while spinning before snapping, lurching and collapsing, sending shoes flying, And riders shrieking. The horrifying incident unfolding at Green Mountain Resort, a theme park two hours east of Jeddah. The area, a popular destination in the region, the Saudi tourism website advertising cable cars,

lush parks and neon lights by night. Videos from years past show the ride making the full 360 degree rotation. A stark contrast to the sirens blaring across the night sky, as patients received first aid on site, later being transferred to local hospitals, which declared a state of emergency, according to a local outlet. Jakob Val is the president and CEO of the International Association of Amusement Parks and attractions. To see something like this, it is so well that it surprises as well, because we have never

seen anything like this happening. But if these numbers prove to be true, we would obviously say that it is one of the worst accidents which we have had in the past. In addition to those injured on impact when the ride hit the ground. One local report says some riders were hit when the ride's pole bounced back at high speed, swinging down like a hammer on the riders below. I can tell you that we have the leading experts in engineering around the table. And as we speak, they are talking about, you know, what could have caused this incident.

Until that investigation is closed, we obviously highly recommend not to operate. officials saying they've ordered the closure of the resort and an investigation into the circumstances of the incident. Keir Simmons, NBC News. All right, we thank here for that. Still ahead on top story. They're back. The push-ups, the sit-ups, the dreaded mile run. President Trump announcing he's reinstating the presidential fitness test. But will it really make America school children healthy again? Plus, a coffee clash is brewing. Can the $2 Chinese chain Luckin bring down Starbucks. But first, top story's top moment and a proposal photo bomb you have to see to believe. Kevin Arieta planned the perfect way to pop the question to his girlfriend of four

years, Natalie in Santorini Greece. He set up his phone to capture the once-in-a-lifetime moment and captured a very different moment. So here it is. You can see Kevin get down there on one knee to ask Natalie to marry him. So beautiful. And just when he waits for her to response, another couple walks directly in front of the camera, taking into the sights and eating a snicker Natalie did say yes to Kevin's proposal and telling top story that they didn't expect their special moment to become a candy bar ad, but they think it's hilarious. And they're off to a good start with a great story. Stay with us. We're back in a moment. All right, we're back now with the urgent manhunt underway in Tennessee for a suspected killer.

Officials say four people were found dead in a car Tuesday, including the parents of a baby who was located by authorities just hours before. The child had been abandoned in a random front yard in a neighboring county. I want to bring in NBC's Jesse Kirsch, who's been following this for us. Jesse, this one is just so tragic. Police IDed a suspect today. What more do we know about him? They identified the suspect. They released photos of him, Tom, but they say he is still at large and should be considered dangerous. This is the image of the suspect that we are now getting into the newsroom. Authorities identifying him as Austin Robert Drummond, 28 years old. Again, he is considered armed and dangerous, according to authorities.

He should be considered armed and dangerous and remains at large. He is now facing four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated kidnapping, and several firearms possessions-related crimes as well. And again, authorities have released photos of the suspect. They've also released a photo of this vehicle. I believe we have that photo as well. There is an image they released of an Audi that may be the getaway vehicle involved in this incident as well, Tom. There's that image right there.

So they've released these photos. Clearly, authorities trying to get help from the public to track down someone they say is responsible for these murders. And then we also have some more details about the victims. That's right. And as you mentioned, Tom, this was an infant that authorities say someone discovered in a car seat on a front lawn. and these are what we are learning, the images of that infant's family members. James Wilson, 21, the father of that baby, Adrianna Williams, 20 years old, the mother, Courtney Rose, 38 years old, the grandmother, and then Braden Williams 15, the uncle.

All four of those people are now deceased victims, and again, their alleged killer, Tom, remains on the run, according to authorities. Okay, Jesse, we thank you for that report. Not at Top Stories News Feed, starting with the Grand Canyon Wildfire in Arizona, exploding in size, the blaze burning 105,000 acres across the Grand Canyon's north rim, making it the 10th largest wildfire in Arizona state history. Right now, firefighters are up against brutal conditions, triple-digit heat, and dry air. Officials say a lightning strike sparked the initial fire, which is only 9% contained.

And terrifying video capturing the moment a toddler is allegedly abducted from a Virginia mall. Surveillance footage released by a Fairfax County police officer shows the moment a girl, wandered away from a play area and is later picked up by a man. The parents reportedly confronting that man on another floor of the mall, safely recovering their daughter. 26-year-old Andres Canceres Jaldine was later arrested in charge with abduction of a minor. And a missing Missouri boy found alive after being trapped in a ravine for four days. County officials say the 13-year-old was last seen on Sunday,

riding a skateboard when he fell 240 feet. The boy went days without food or water before a canine rescue team discovered him. The team was later airlifted to St. Louis Hospital for treatment after suffering a brain injury. Glad they found him. Singer Justin Timberlake revealing he's been diagnosed with Lyme disease just after wrapping up his world tour. The star saying the diagnosis came as a shock, adding that his experiences, quote, relentlessly debilitating. He said he felt nerve pain, sickness, and fatigue while he was performing. Timberlake is the latest musician to share a Lyme disease diagnosis.

Shania Twain, Avril Levine, and Justin Bieber have also discussed their struggles with the illness. Okay, now at Top Stories Health Check and a record-breaking medical miracle 30 years in the making. This baby, Thaddeus, Daniel Pierce, was born from an embryo. You see it right there, what a cutie. But the embryo was fertilized weight for it in 1994, three decades ago. The baby initially, one of four healthy embryos belonging to an Ohio couple who had a daughter and later separated. The three embryos left over remained frozen until their biological mother, Linda Archer, donated to a Christian embryo adoption agent. In November of 24, another couple. Lindsay and Tim Pierce matched with Archer and had a successful embryo transfer, then gave birth to a healthy baby. Thaddeus, now believed to be the oldest baby born from an embryo frozen. For more on this fascinating story, I want to bring in our good friend Rehema, Ellis, Rahima. Let's just explain this again. The embryo is 30 years old, and now baby Thadius comes into this world.

Yeah, this is a story that brings a smile to your face because we don't hear about it. As you said, it's one of the oldest embryos. that we've ever known to be successfully transferred into a woman and give birth to a baby. So how did it all happen? As you point out, this mother, the biological mother, Linda Archer, after she had one baby and she divorced from her husband, she had three more embryos.

She thought at some point that she would use them herself, but she didn't. But she also decided that she didn't want to give the embryos to science and she didn't want the embryos to be given to an adoptive family, that she had no connection with, because she's very religious. So she connected, as you mentioned in the intro, with a Christian embryo agency. And lo and behold, she found what she feels is the perfect family for the baby.

And that's Lindsay and Tim Pierce from Ohio. And meeting them in what might be called an open adoption, she was able to make certain that they shared the same religious beliefs that she has. And she also wanted to make certain that this little baby knows that he is a biological sister, who's 30 years old and has a 10-year-old daughter. of her own. Oh, my gosh. So it's just the perfect little story.

So his aunt is even older than him. Okay, that's wild. Do we know how long these embryos can stay viable? We don't know. And I think this might be telling us something, but one of the reasons, and this is very rare, one of the reasons it's so rare, is because most agencies are very skeptical about the viability of an embryo in terms of lasting this long, because they don't know how it's been stored, how it's been cared for.

There are a lot of questions around it. In this particular case, this embryo was transferred. As you mentioned, she had three left. One did not grow. The other two were transferred into the adoptive mother, Lindsay. One didn't develop, but the other one did. Now they have little Thaddeus. And by all accounts, he's doing just fine.

And he is going to have a good relationship with his big sister. An incredible story to tell. And Rahamah, you just wonder what this story. is going to do to the debate about just about fertility, about embryos, and about sort of the longevity of these embryos and how long they could last? It certainly is a question because there are millions of embryos stored in chambers all around the world, and people are asking questions about what do they do with them, what is the viability of them, how do you transfer them? This may help to answer some of those questions. All right. Rahima, we thank you so much for joining us. That is a great story.

Okay, now to that other major health headline we're following tonight. The presidential fitness test is back. Remember that? Late today, President Trump signing an executive order reinstating the national fitness assessment. A public school program started in the 1950s that asked students to perform a combination of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and running. Those with high enough fitness scores eligible to receive the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, you may remember. In 1985, that included running a 3.30-half-mile for 8-year-old boys and just under a 4-minute half-mile for girls. For more, Dr. Jordan Metzl joins us now. He's a primary sports medicine doctor at the hospital for special surgery. Doctor, I like your headphones there.

Thank you for joining Top Story tonight. So today, the White House and the health secretary, RFK, recalling the way his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, advocated for youth fitness in the early 60s. You might know this phrase he coined the Soft American. Let's take a quick look at the JFK-era program right now. heard that American kids are getting soft. The marshmallow generation, some people call them. Overstuffed and over-indulged.

They supposedly are incapable of hard work or response to challenge. In the early 60s, a primary concern was television now with phones and screens and video games. As a doctor, how concerned are you today about kids' fitness? Because you look at that video and that could seem, you know, we understand the philosophy behind it, but it could also seem incredibly insensitive. Evening, Tom, and great to see you, and it's absolutely right that American kids are overweight and inactive. We have about 25% of our population under the age 18 is overweight. About 80% do not meet CDC recommended levels of activity for general fitness.

I am all in with getting kids to move more. It's great for their health. Now, the question is whether a physical fitness test will inspire that. That's a different discussion, but definitely that video from JFK era is still true today, probably more so. Yeah, I do want to ask you, though, what about the messaging, though, right? Because, I mean, the presidential physical fitness test was hard. I can remember it. I mean, I remember, you know, I went to an all-boys school, and a handful of the kids would get it, even in our grade. And there was a lot of athletes in the grade. It's great to test yourself,

right? Great to get in shape. But nowadays, we've learned so much about sort of mental health, right? And I'm not saying you have to be soft on kids or you have to be soft in general, but I do get concerned about maybe sending the wrong message to kids, especially when they're growing up, and weight can be an issue. For sure, we want to figure out how we can get everybody more active. I think one of the big problems we have is we have kind of a hyper-specialized upper echelon of very active kids that are the elite level soccer players, baseball players, a lot of resources for those kids. The bottom part of the iceberg, the people who are less active or inactive,

we have a much bigger problem with that part of our population. So we want to figure out how we get those people active. I'm not certain whether the presidential physical fitness test is going to be, you know, the hill I want to put my flag on to say, if we do this or don't do this, it's going to make a difference. We definitely need to think about how we get our population more active, particularly our kids more active. One thing we definitely know is that active kids become active teens, active kids, active kids become active adults. And the number one factor in terms of kids staying active across their lifespan is enjoyment and community. So whatever that means in terms of what they do, whether or not they play NBA or Major League Baseball or

NFL, just getting them active and getting them going is a key. And we need to keep thinking about ways to make sure we're doing that for everyone. Yeah, I want to take you back to the great 1980s. And I don't know if I remember this moment or if I saw it, but President George H.W. Bush, in 19, it's actually 1991, inviting Arnold Schwarzenegger to come out to sort of be the spokesperson, if you will, and that model of fitness. He invited, into the White House to promote what he called the great American workout. What would it take do you think today with all the screens, all the apps, all the video games to get kids excited about staying healthy? Well, I think the downside is that people are less active because of those

things. But there's also an opportunity, you know, thinking about the way we get, you know, why do some fitness brands succeed online and others have had a big problem. And we have a capacity to think about gamification. Look at Arnold there and all these kids. They're smiling. One thing we've learned is that either in person or even virtual gamification increases compliance in any activity. That's why people are doing TikTok because it's fun. So how do we think about combining physical activity and fun and community and fun? You know, we can make virtual communities in different ways than we can make them before. So it's not all bad news.

We just have to be creative about how we do it, what kind of reward systems we set up. There's a lot of, I think, really exciting things that can be part of this discussion as well. I think the focus, though, needs to be the human body is the same body. It needs to move. It needs to be active. It needs to be well fed. And we need to lay off some of the junky foods, which is another part of the problem as well.

Yeah, a lot of those processed foods can be a danger. Doctor, what tips do you give to parents out there with kids to set a good example, right? To make sure their kids do stay somewhat active? No, I think very active. I think the key we know is that fit families make a big difference. So parents finding activities to do with their kids, activities that they can all do together going for a walk. I remember growing up, we used to do like Wednesday nights.

We would go to the local track with my brothers and parents, and we'd have like evening night at the track. It was fun at the time. And I used to look forward to that a lot. So figure out what kind of activities you can do. These kids seem to be having a great time playing with those hula hoops. But figure out what kind of activities you can do all together as a group. But making communities, making fit families,

making fit activities that people like doing. Those are all great things to think about. Evening night at the track. Okay, I'm going to write that one down. I'm going to see what my kids say tonight. When I proposed that one, I think it sounds like a great idea. Doctor, thanks so much for joining Top Story. My pleasure. Great to see you.

All right, coming up on the broadcast, Starbucks new competition, meet the Chinese coffee chain taking on the coffee giant here in the U.S. And it's called Walking Talking Men, a simple stroll through the park that's helping break the silence around male loneliness. Our Joe Fryer explains it all coming up. Stay with us. Now to a fight brewing between coffee giant Starbucks and arrival. from overseas. Newcomer Luckin Coffee, a Chinese company, opening its first two stores here

in New York City trying to offer an alternative with cheaper drinks and fast mobile service at a time when Starbucks is trying to recover from a difficult year. Stephen Romo looks into the battle over the beans. Starbucks, the once unrivaled global coffee shop king, now facing some tough competition from Luckin, a nimble Chinese startup breaking into the U.S. market this summer with its first two stores in New York City. Founded by Chinese tech entrepreneurs in 2017, Luckin lures in customers with cheap, often colorful drinks and coupons galore. Every time you order a coffee, you get another promo for like 40, 50% off. So it makes you want to keep coming back. So I've been coming. This is my second day in a row. Another key part of the

Luckin experience, an ultra efficient mobile ordering system. I like the convenience of just being able to put in order and pick it up right away. The new Luckin stores coming online, just as Starbucks finishes out another tough quarter. The company hiring CEO Brian Nicol away from Chipotle last September to help turn around slumping sales. But just this week saying they will close all their pickup only stores, which operate on a similar mobile centric concept to Luckin. Starbucks also posting lower than expected earnings. While Luckin focuses on a cashierless experience, Starbucks CEO saying the company found the pickup only stores to be, quote, overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand.

There's same store sales declined 2% globally year over year, in its latest quarter. Luckins actually saw 13.4% year-over-year increase in same store sales. So you can see that in terms of growth. Luckin has its Starbucks doesn't. Luckin's prices also making waves. It's great coffee at a great price point. That's good. It's very affordable, quick. It's really cheaper than, you know, compared to the other coffee shop. Back in China, those price points helping Luckin gain traction.

Starbucks was largely credited with popularizing U.S. coffee house culture over the last two decades, opening 7,700 stores in China. But Luckin rapidly overtaking Starbucks in just the last eight years. there hitting 10,000 stores in China in 2023. That growth fueled by investors that have included the country's partially state-owned China International Capital Corp and U.S. Private Equity Fund BlackRock. Now it's NYC stores already making a splash on the city's coffee scene. And Tom, something I found interesting about these two luck in stores here in New York City. They're not labeled stores one and two, their labeled stores 0-0-0-0-0-1 and 0-0-0-0-2.

Just maybe a glimpse at the future they're planning for expansion in the United States. Tom? Now to Top Stories Global Watch, starting with a disturbing arrest in the U.K., a suspect detained for poisoning children at a summer camp. Police in England taking a 76-year-old man into custody after eight kids fell sick and were rush to the hospital. There's no word on what connection the suspect had with the camp. All of the children have since been discharged. And measles cases in Canada are quickly outpacing the U.S. Canadian health officials sounding the alarm after recording 4,200 cases so far this year,

that's three times as many in the U.S. Outbreaks in Alberta alone surpassing the number of cases reported across our country. Canada has reported a significant drop in vaccination rates among children. Okay, in Sotheby's auction house, returning gems linked to Buddha after a fight over the ancient relics. The Indian government threatened to take legal action over a planned auctions for the precious stones. They were scheduled to be sold on behalf of the descendants of a British man who took them back in 1898. We're going to stay overseas with the latest on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The White House announcing special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Whitkoff, and U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee will survey aid distribution sites. This as President Trump reveals what he thinks will take to end the dire situation in the region.

NBC's Matt Bradley has the story tonight. Tonight, in the midst of growing criticism of Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, President Trump's envoy Steve Whitkoff, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. President Trump has described some conditions in Gaza as starvation. Those are kids that are starving. They've got to get them food, and we're going to get them food. While the president today, calling out Hamas. Posting, the fastest way to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is for Hamas to surrender

and release the hostages. The U.S. and Israel blame Hamas for blocking a ceasefire deal. The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says the death toll from hunger in Gaza has risen to nearly 160 people, more than half of them children. Since Sunday, Israel has been allowing more aid drops from the air. Hundreds of desperate Gazans carrying away sacks of food today. What we're seeing here is a crime scene. These American doctors in Gaza warn, for the most vulnerable, help may be too late, inviting

Whitkoff to visit their hospital when he comes to Gaza tomorrow. It's not unusual to see five, seven-year-old children just pass out and be disoriented from lack of food. And for the first time today, several Arab and Muslim countries issued a joint call for Hamas to disarm and relinquish power in Gaza. Tom? All eyes will be on Gaza with both Ambassador Huckabee and Whitkoff there to mark. tomorrow. Matt, we thank you for that. Now to that other major international story we're following,

the clock is ticking on President Trump's new deadline for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He says Russian President Vladimir Putin has until the end of next week to make a deal or face new sanctions. But so far, Russia is stepping up its attacks. NBC's Ralph Sanchez reports on a deadly attack overnight. With President Trump's deadline looming, Vladimir Putin's response so far, waves of missiles and drones aimed at Kyiv. This apartment block ripped open. Rescue teams digging through the wreckage after the massive overnight attack

killed 16 people across the city according to Ukrainian authorities, wounding more than 140. A six-year-old boy was pulled from the rubble, only to die hours later, the Interior Ministry said. His name was Matvi Marchenko, and he loved karate. His club calling him a little.

little dreamer, a future champion. This woman says her family's apartment was destroyed. Just as her soldier husband heads back to the front line. President Trump says Putin has until next Friday to halt his attacks or face new sanctions aimed at cutting off Russian oil sales. I think it's disgusting what they're doing. I think it's disgusting. Yeah, we're going to put sanctions. I don't know that sanctions bother him. I don't know if that has any effect, but we're going to do it. Formerer president, Dmitri Medvedev, calling the ultimatum a threat and a step towards war between the U.S. and Russia. Trump responding today on Truth Social, telling him to watch his words.

He's entering very dangerous territory. And all the while, Russia making grinding progress on the battlefield, claiming tonight to have captured a key town in the east, a claim Ukraine denies, even as it struggles to hold back the tide. And with that, Raff Sanchez joins us tonight from London. Raff, a lot of timelines here and a lot of people looking at what's going to happen with Russia and Ukraine. President Trump has said he will supply Ukraine with more air defense missiles. We know that, but where do things actually stand on them getting those weapons? So, Tom, the U.S. and Germany reached an agreement to supply Ukraine with five Patriot missile batteries. For operational reasons, neither government

is saying exactly how, when those weapons will be sent. But what seems most like is that the Germans will provide the Ukrainians with weapons currently in use by their own military, and then the U.S. will backfill them with new patriots right off the production line. Ralph Sanchez for us covering this important story, Raf, we thank you for that. Good to see you on the broadcast. When Top Story continues, breaking the bro code, it's a quiet crisis affecting millions of American men, loneliness. Experts saying it's more than just an emotional struggle, it can also have serious health consequences. Tonight, meet the men stepping outside.

and opening up to change that. Finally, tonight, we're taking a closer look at a growing crisis in America, loneliness and social isolation. It impacts all groups, but especially men, harming not only their mental health, but their physical health as well. NBC's Joe Fryer reports on this search for solutions. I feel like all of the best people I've met in my adult life

have been here in New York. The name of this group strolling through Central Park is quite fitting, walking, talking men. I'm trying to get better at finding time for myself. Twice a week, that's exactly what they do, candidly chatting about their lives. They're getting the kind of connection that they need and that they haven't had in their life.

It used to make me uncomfortable to be around other men. Trying to be a friend. I wasn't sure how to do it. Mark Green co-founded the group last year, finding no shortage of interest. We have huge numbers of social isolation for men, for everyone, but for men specific Show of hands before this, who here was feeling lonely. It's not easy to admit, but they're far from alone. One study finds just 27% of men have at least six close friends, 15% report having no close friends.

I thought I had a lot of friends and I did, but when I really looked at the connections I had with them, I realized that something was missing a little bit. In 2023, the Surgeon General issued an advisory about loneliness, saying it increased the risk of premature death by 26% on par with smoking 15 cigarettes a day. If I have a busy day, I'd never have a problem with loneliness. Matt Ritter and Aaron Carroll created a podcast, man of the year, to address the issue. In high school, you learned sex ed, but you never learned friend ed, especially for men. We need tools.

They tell men, find your third place, not home, not work, but someplace you can find guys with similar interests. And when you make that connection, plan something. People are afraid, oh, if I text Jim, Jim's not going to like it. Trust us. He's waiting for you to text them. Their advice, TCS, text weekly, call monthly, see each other quarterly. These walking, talking men have learned the benefits of face-to-face meetups.

I got a little bit of exercise for my body and for my brain and my heart, too. It's only been a few months, but is it fair to call this life-changing? Yes, it's changed my life. I think the thing that I want to communicate to men is that anyone can do this. Just walk the walk and talk the talk. Joe Fryer, NBC News, New York. We thank Joe for that insightful story. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight.

I'm Tom Yamas in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.