Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, June 12, 2025

Episode Date: June 13, 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.

And tonight we are tracking several breaking stories, a senator from California, tackled and handcuffed in his home state and also that air disaster in India. We're following all those breaking stories here on Top Story. First tonight, those new surveillance images, the Air India jet going down just moments after takeoff, exploding into a massive fireball. Miraculously, one man making it out, Sky News speaking to his brother. Also, Senator Alex Padilla pulled from a press conference with DHS Secretary Christine Noem taken out and handcuffed. What happened here and why President Trump says his immigration rates could be hurting farmers?

Plus, the search for survivors, floodwaters, crippling areas of San Antonio right now, as they are still searching for two people. At least five others are dead. We speak to a woman still looking for her husband. The mobile mistrial, the sex crimes retrial of Harvey Weinstein, ending in a moment. mistrial on one of the rape charges, why the jury foreman refused to return to deliberations. The apparent home explosion in Illinois, video capturing the moments after the blast, the neighborhood showered with debris. Meta's crackdown, the social media giant going after apps allowing users to make fake nude images of other people using AI. And the MTV star Amanda Lewis losing

her battle with breast cancer after refusing a double mastectomy in favor of holistic treatments. her warning to others to avoid the same fate. And in our new series, the cost of denial, the stage four cancer patient refused an experimental treatment for months. Was it finally approved? Too late? Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are coming on the air with multiple breaking headlines tonight.

In a moment, we'll take you to Los Angeles after a sitting U.S. Senator was handcuffed at a news conference with the DHS Secretary. But we begin in India tonight after a passenger jet fell out of the sky with hundreds on board. This surveillance image from the runway showing the plane going down just seconds after takeoff. You're going to see it here. Its landing gear still deployed for some reason crashed and engulfed in a massive fireball. The plane slamming into a medical school hostel where students were having lunch, firefighters racing to the scene,

dousing the flames as officials are saying tonight, others on the ground may have been killed. Air India confirming tonight there were 242 people aboard Flight 171 when it crashed. All of them initially presumed dead, but tonight we've now learned one of them has survived. And this is him. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national who was sitting in seat 11A of that plane, walking away from the crash, visibly battered and bruised, but very much alive. The Boeing 787 taking off bound for London before going down in a western city there, Ahmed Ubad.

the former commercial airline pilots standing by to walk us through what may have brought this doomed flight down. But we want to begin tonight with NBC News Aviation Correspondent Tom Costello and the search through the wreckage for answers. Caught on camera the moment Air India Flight 171 lifted off from Amabad in Western India, headed for London-Gatwick Airport. But only 600 feet off the ground, it quickly lost altitude and crashed in a horrific ball of fire. Dark black smoke billowing from the nearby neighborhood. Video captured the immediate aftermath as firefighters rushed in. Overhead this striking image. The plane's tail sticking out of the side of a building as rescue teams frantically searched for victims. Very tragic and very, very horrific. And even till now,

I have to say I'm in a state of shock. Local authorities say the plane crashed into a medical college hostel just as students were eating lunch. Dozens injured at least five thought to have died. Out of the 242 people on board the plane, the local police say only a single passenger was able to walk away. This wash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, sitting in Exit Row window seat 11A and traveling with a brother who is still missing. Another brother in the UK spoke to Sky News. He video called my dad as he crashed. He said our planes crashed, all of that. I don't know what my brother is. I don't see any other passengers.

I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane. On board, passengers from India, the UK, Portugal, and Canada. The first crash ever involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a plane with a stellar reputation and 1100 in service worldwide. Already, veteran investigators are looking at this video of the plane taking off and noticing that the flaps on the back of the wings do not appear to be extended. Without flaps and slats extended, the wing cannot produce enough lift at low speeds. The nose of the plane is pointed up, indicating a possible aerodynamic stall, and the landing gear remains down well past the point it should have been retracted. Air India says the captain had 8,200 hours of flight experience, the first officer 1100 hours. One of them radioed a May Day, but it's not clear who was piloting the plane.

This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families, and loved ones. While Indian investigators will be in charge, British and American NTSB and FAA investigators will assist. Boeing says it is cooperating with the investigation. Of critical importance, the plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders may provide the clues into what went wrong. And Tom Costello joins us now.

Tom, tonight everyone is asking the same question. Are there any theories on why this one passenger survived? Yeah, and it may be hard. to know right now. This is where he was. Seat 11A. This is the emergency exit. And this is business class. Was he catapulted out of the plane when it hit that building? We don't know. But experts say there is not one single seat that is always the safest because it depends where the plane impacts with the terrain, Tom. And we know the investigation is still very fresh right now. But what can we expect to get from the black boxes when it comes to this accident? Yeah, the black boxes are going

to be critical. The flight data recorder is going to hopefully give them information about why the flaps were not down. In fact, had they been pulled up too soon? What about the landing gear? Why was it still down? Why was it not retracted? So in other words, did the pilots confuse the controls and instead of pulling up the landing gear, pull up the flaps? Maybe the FDR will tell them that. And separately, the cockpit voice recorder will have all the cockpit conversations between the pilots and the noises and the alarms in the cockpit. All of that is going to be critical for the investigation. So many questions. Tom Costello, we thank you for leading us off. And joining us now is Les Ben. He's a retired American Airlines pilot and captain of the

Boeing 777. He's also contributing editor to Flying Magazine. Les, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. First, let's start with the crash, right? When you look at that video, I want to play it again. Very hard to watch. We talked about some of those flops, about the landing gear. What do you think happened here? Well, there's a lot of disturbing things, Tom, about that. The landing gear is certainly one of them. I mean, that's the first thing once you get airborne. You see a positive rate, and you actually call for it verbally in the cockpit.

Whoever is flying, whoever's not flying, will actually bring up the gear. Tom Costello brought up an interesting point. However, I disputed it a little bit because confusing landing gear with the flaps is really difficult to do, especially on this airplane because they're in very different locations. so it would really take a brain freeze for that to happen. But we were talking about the flaps on takeoff. There is a certain flap setting depending upon what the weight of the airplane is and other performance issues.

So there should have been some flaps down. Whether they were raised during the process of the climbout, it's hard to say. But we've got to remember, it's difficult in the CCTV video to really look at that wing. And the 787 is like a seagull. It's just a gorgeous, well-designed aerodynamic wing. And it may have been hard. Maybe the flaps were down slightly for takeoff. It's hard to say we're kind of speculating.

Could you think of any other reason to watch a plane of that size? Could you think of any other reason a plane of that size to just come down the way it did? It almost looks like it, and I know it didn't lose power, but that's the way it seems like it just stopped flying. No, it's a great point, Tom, and I don't see that because if the airplane lost, say, one engine, it would still be able to climb. What it says to me is that there's a potential that both engines were not operating, which disturbs me is why. Is it possible that there was a bird strike to both engines? I have a problem with that theory from the standpoint of they'd have to be really big birds or a big, flock because that's a big, those are two big engines out there to do that to both engines.

What I would lead toward is fuel, and that's something that they will be checking immediately if there was some form of fuel contamination, which would have shut down both engines, because that airplane hit the ground in almost a stable flight condition. It didn't come down as rapidly as what's being told. It came down in a stable condition that doesn't indicate necessarily an aerodynamic stall to me. And then finally, before I let you go, I want to ask you the same question. I ask Tom, everyone's asking this question. Do you have any theories on how that one passenger survived sitting there in C-11A?

That's an amazing miracle. I think the best one is what Tom brought up is that maybe he was catapulted out through the side, through an opening that because of the crash or managed to get that emergency exit open. It doesn't look like that maybe happen. But I just think it's an absolute miracle, Tom, that passenger survived. A miracle is right. Lessa, Ben, we thank you so much for joining Top Story tonight. Now to the other big story we're following here, outrage, bipartisan outrage, really, after Democratic California, Senator Alex Badia was forcibly removed from Homeland Security Secretary,

Christy Noam's press conference in Los Angeles. Noam's saying tonight that Padilla chose disrespectful political theater and lunged at her. Padilla is saying he was just trying to get answers. It comes as ICE protests in Los Angeles stretch into another night. NBC's Liz Croix is on the ground there. Liz, what is the latest? Hey, Tom, well, we're back at the federal building here downtown.

You can see protesters, day seven now of them here out protesting, facing off with National Guard. But, yeah, the most stunning moment of the day happened at the other federal building here in L.A. just west of here when a sitting senator, California Senator Alex Padilla, was briefly detained when he tried to interrupt a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Christy Knoem. We were there and able to ask the Secretary about what happened. Tonight, chaotic moments during a press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Knoem in L.A. To every single person that has been able to do this, it all began when California's

Democratic Senator Alex Padilla started interrupting her from the back of the room. I have questions for the secretaries because the fact of the matter is a half a dozen criminal criminals that should put me on the room by security and handcuffed in the hallway. Later, he spoke outside. I began to ask a question. I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room. I was not arrested. I was not detained. We pressed Noam when she walked out. Why did you detain him? Why was that the action you decided to take?

I'll let the law enforcement speak to how this was situation was handled, but I will say that people need to identify themselves before they start lunging at people during press conference. Is it appropriate to handcuff a sitting senator in that way? Padilla's Democratic colleagues outraged. I just saw something that sickened my stomach. The manhandling of a United States senator, we need immediate. it answers to what the hell went on. Well, tonight, the White House saying Padilla stormed a press conference that he wanted attention and blasting it as an immature theater kid stunt. Noam saying

she later met with Padilla. We sat down for 10 to 15 minutes and talked about the fact that nobody knew who he was. If he had requested a meeting, I would have loved to have sat down and had a conversation with him that coming into a press conference like this is political theater. If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, You can only imagine what they're doing to farm workers. And tonight, just 24 hours after video showing ICE agents tracking down a farm worker in a field, President Trump acknowledging his crackdown on illegal immigration can impact businesses like farms and hotels. You go into a farm and you look and people don't, they've been there for 20, 25 years and they've worked great.

And the owner of the farm loves them and everything else. and then you're supposed to throw them out. And you know what happens? They end up hiring the people, the criminals that have come in. So we're going to have an order on that pretty soon, I think. We can't do that to our farmers and leisure, too, hotels. All after protesters opposed to ICE immigration enforcement operations clash with police in L.A., mounted police at one point appearing to nearly trample people,

while a curfew and state of emergency were declared in Spokane. All right, Liz, joins us again tonight. Liz, I want to start first. There's some sort of mixed reporting, and both sides are saying different things. We heard Christine Nome there, the Homeland Security Secretary, basically say she didn't know who he was. Senator Padilla is saying he did identify himself. Do we know what the truth is? Yeah, so what we know is that you can see clearly on video that the senator did identify himself and that he said, I'm Alex Padilla, I'm a senator. But that moment appears to be as Secret Service agents are already surrounding him and kind of beginning to pull him. him away. And so what the Homeland Security Secretary is saying and other agencies are saying

is that he didn't initially identify himself before he began interrupting, Tom. And then, Liz, before you go, I know you have some new reporting. The FBI is now commenting on this as well? Yeah. So the FBI, they put out a statement. They said that their agents assisted Secret Service and briefly detaining Padilla, who they say was disruptive. And they say that he didn't identify himself and that he wasn't wearing his Senate security pin. And then they say that once he did identify himself and he was positively identified, he was released, Tom. All right, Liz, Croyd's for us. Liz, we thank you for that. For more from Washington on the reaction to Senator Badiah's apprehension and President Trump's

comments on his immigration crackdown and farmers. I want to get right to NBC News Chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander. So Peter, it's interesting, right? Both sides are sort of complaining about what happened there. Walk us through what Democrats and Republicans are saying tonight. Well, let's start with what we're hearing for the Republican House speaker. That is Mike Johnson, who's been speaking out tonight. He said that the actions he saw by Padilla there were, in his words, wildly and appropriate. He is urging now the Senate to consider censoring him.

That's something that has not happened in 35 years. We've also heard from Republican Lindsey Graham. He's dismissing this incident saying Padilla got what he wanted. But listen to Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski. She said what she saw is horrible, not the America. She says she knows. Democrats, Tom, they're arguing as a Senator Padilla had every right to try to question the Homeland Security Secretary, Secretary known there.

Former Vice President, Kamala Harris, she also had that Senate seat in Padilla Field. She's defending him saying he was representing his constituents, calling Padilla's brief detention, a shameful and stunning abuse of power. Clearly, this episode really is the latest escalation, though, in this immigration battle, Tom. And then, Peter, I do want to ask you about what we heard from President Trump there, the comments about farmers and sort of how he might be cherry-picking different industries and his immigration policies. Do you expect to see any big changes? I mean, I don't know how businesses are going to sort of interpret all of this.

Well, we've been reaching out to the White House. I was upstairs talking to folks in the West Wing. And let's just frame it the way the president does right now. He says that he plans to make these changes to his administration's aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration to protect migrant farmers, hotel workers, others in the leisure industry. He said we'll focus on leisure too, all of whom have been among those deported. The president first promised those changes in a post. That was this morning. He acknowledged ICE officers have broadened those arresting. those they've been arresting beyond migrants convicted of violent crimes who White House officials say were the primary targets of their raids.

Here's the DHS Secretary, Kristen, Christy Noem reaching, speaking out. Listen. The president and I will continue to look at that and evaluate what we can do as far as individuals and facilitating a workforce in this country that we know are people who want to be here legally. Noam said that they need to face consequences. but notably she opened the door, Tom, to facilitate, in her words, making sure those who love America have the opportunity at some point to stay here. What does that mean? It sounds like a significant pivot, as you were indicating. President Trump didn't specify what changes he was planning to address worker shortages caused by his immigration crackdown. Some of the President's fiercest critics, as you know, have argued migrants who generally provide cheap labor are crucial to the country's workforce, especially in industries like agriculture. Yeah, Tom. All right, Peter Alexander, we thank you for all of that.

We do want to go to another big headline. We're following the South bracing for severe weather as deadly storms sweep across the region. Flood waters devastating San Antonio. The death toll rising to five tonight. And authorities frantically searching for survivors with millions still under flood alerts. Meteorologist Bill Cairns is standing by with the latest on the forecast. But first, Jesse Kirsch from the storm zone. Tonight, San Antonio, Texas is reeling.

Authorities desperately searching for survivors after police, A series of slow-moving storms left at least five people dead. Overnight floodwaters overtaking the highway, rescuers moving in. Some areas getting over six inches of rain by dawn. This is like, this not for real. It's like make-believe. Angel Richards says her husband, Stevie, was driving to work around 5 a.m. when he called her from the car.

So it happened like really, really fast. The time he called him said the car was stalled, and now it's floating. hear these things hitting up against the car. She eventually made her way to this creek. Right by the orange. Even though it was flipped over and still partially submerged, Richards telling us she's confident that's her car. But she did not know what had happened to her husband.

They were searching the car and said, this is a Cadillac. And I'm like, my heart just dropped because that's my car. The city's fire department says there were at least 65 water rescues. Authorities tell us a dozen people who managed to escape from vehicles that were in that creek wound up clinging for their lives high up in those trees. freeze. There have been other floods here in the last couple weeks. What made this worse? Well, we've had a lot of rainfall in the last week and probably two to three separate events. So the ground was saturated. So I think that just compounded the flooding. Jesse Kirsch, if you can give us the latest on what's happening with those rescues.

Yes, so Tom, at this point, we know there are at least two people believed to be missing. But authorities believe that could be a higher number because beyond who they know to potentially be missing from the vehicles, they say there's also a homeless community that lives in this area. And when those waters rose by an estimated 30 feet, according to the fire chief, some of those people may have also been swept away. That's all so sad. Okay, Jesse Kirsch first. Jesse, stay safe out there. NBC news meteorologist Bill Kerrins. He joins us now. Bill, I know you're monitoring those flood threats as well. Who's at risk tonight because you look at what happened in San Diego and you're reminded of just how dangerous flash flooding is? Yeah, flash flooding is our second leading.

killer in this country, as far as weather events. Only heat waves kill more people each and every year. That's why you always hear that, you know, turn around, don't drown. Don't drive through flooded roads. It can be extremely dangerous. The storm's over. Texas, finally, you get to recover. But all of this wet weather's now heading through Louisiana, and it's eventually going to be heading up here into Arkansas. That's why we have flood watches continuing. Texark, Canada, Shreveport, to Lufkin. Some of these will be dropped tonight. An additional maybe one to two inches, any isolated areas that could get a little more than that. Memphis down the Mississippi River, that maybe possibly around two to three.

So the timing of this storm heading to the East Coast, of course, for another weekend. Father's Day weekend, too. So tomorrow scattered storms many places, not really expecting severe weather or flash flooding threats. There's just a chance of more rain, especially Saturday morning from New York to Boston, Southern New England. That'll make it like 30 weekends in a row for areas like Burlington and Albany. And then as we head through Father's Day, we continue to watch scattered storms east of the Mississippi, not as concentrated. I wouldn't go canceling a lot of plans for anything outdoors.

Just keep an eye to this guy, Tom, in the afternoon. And, of course, we'll update that Father's Day forecast for you tomorrow. We will keep an eye on all that. All right, Bill, thank you. To Manhattan now in a court where the trial of Harvey Weinstein has ended in a mistrial. Jurors reached a partial verdict yesterday finding the 73-year-old guilty of sexually assaulting one woman and not guilty of assaulting another. But today, the jury could not agree on the third-degree rape charge, forcing a retrial. To help us understand what this all means, I'm joined now by NBC News Legal Analyst, Danny Savalas.

So, Danny, walk us through what happened here? What does this mean for his other convictions? We have almost every possibility in one case. You have a conviction, you have an acquittal, and you have a mistrial. And that means that on the mistrial, the alleged rape, he can be tried again. And the Manhattan DA's office has indicated that's exactly what they planned to do. And then what happens with the other convictions, though, from prior years? The other can...

Yeah, that... Why he's still in jail, essentially. Right, exactly. Well, he's got a case in California. He's convicted in this case as to one count, acquitted on the other. That goes away forever. The mistrial, he can be constitutionally retribed. again without offending double jeopardy.

Where do you think it goes from here? The Manhattan DA's office is going to retry them, and they should schedule that relatively soon, a matter of months. Okay. Danny Stavallis, we thank you so much. And we're back at 60 seconds with an NBC News exclusive, those apps that can erase clothes from the photos of real people using AI, a top executive at Meta tells us

what they're doing to crack down on it. And the death of a beloved MTV Vijay, raising new questions about alternative treatments for breast cancer, what experts are saying tonight. Stay with us. We're back down with an NBC News exclusive. Meta's global head of safety talking to our Savannah sellers about how they're fighting back against apps that generate fake sexually explicit images. Here's that report.

Meta announcing it is cracking down on apps that use AI to undress people in photos. We're taking legal action against a company that has been trying to advertise these apps on our platform. Meta writing in a lawsuit against Joy Timeline, a company marketing these apps that it was violating meta policy by displaying ads consisting of nudity and or non-consensual intimate imagery with captions like erase any clothes on girls and click the button for the nudie version. Here's how some of these apps work. Easily upload a normal photo like someone at prom or graduation or like this photo of me. Some apps allow you to easily make edits, changing colors or pieces of clothing or removing them into. entirely creating a realistic-looking nude AI image. One of the things that we're doing to try to address this

is to actually work with other members of industry. Is taking this step, this action, an admission, essentially, that you don't have a handle on this on your platform? It's not an admission that we don't have a handle. What it is is in a recognition that this is an adversarial space. NBC News reached out to Joy Timeline for comment and has not heard back. Even after today's announcement, NBC News, found dozens of ads on meta platforms. Elliston Berry says an AI-generated nude photo was created

of her by a classmate using a nudify app. Do you remember seeing the photo? Yes, and these photos looked completely real to someone that doesn't know me. You wouldn't be able to tell if it was real or not. Meta says in addition to the lawsuit, it's also developing advanced technology that can and help detect more bad actors. For families who might say this is too little, too late, what do you say? What I would like to say to them is we are on their side. We want our community to be a safe place for them.

We're going to be taking action. We're going to file lawsuits. We're going to continue to develop technology. Savannah Sellers joins us now, Savannah. I mean, this really is every parent's nightmare. Talk to me more about the Take It Down Act, and how does it apply here? So the Take It Down Act is a big deal, and I'll tell you why.

What it's going after is anyone, like, for example, the classmate of Elliston's there who made that picture, anyone who creates them and then also circulates these non-consensual images. And that is a big deal because prior to this, they were really trying to go after big tech. And all of these companies are hidden behind shell companies. They change their name. They change their different handles on the apps. And then obviously you have the big platforms like Meta, like Snap, that are fighting these things, but difficult to really pin them down on.

This now puts it on those individuals, on citizens who decide to do something like this. All right, Savannah Seller. Savannah, we thank you for bringing us that story. Up next on Top Story, Marathon Testimony Ends, the ex-girlfriend of Sean Diddy Combs taking the stand for a sixth and final day, what she said on cross-examination at his trial. Plus, the largest great white shark ever recorded in the Atlantic is on the move and heading towards a popular resort where it was last-sighted.

Stay with us. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed. We start with a house explosion in Illinois. Firefighters dowsing the flames of the burning wreckage in Crestwood, roughly an hour south of Chicago. The entire house ripped apart, debris scattered across the neighborhood, plumes of smoke can be seen from a nearby baseball field. Officials say a 76-year-old man inside died.

The cause appears to be a natural gas leak. And Houston Texan safety, Jimmy Ward, was arrested on felony assault charges. According to jail records, the assault charge is described as family-related. The Texans releasing a statement saying they are aware of the report. Ward is being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail. 33-year-old signed a two-year-old $13 million contract with the Texans back in 2023. And tonight, the biggest great white shark ever recorded in the Atlantic is swimming just off the coast of a popular U.S. vacation destination. Contender, the nearly 14-foot shark that was tagged back in January, is now located off the shores of the Atlantic.

North Carolina. The shark fell off radar for a few weeks, but is now swimming in a hot spot for beachgoers along the Pamlico Sound. And get a load of this, one man taking police on a slow speed chase after taking off in an excavator. Video showing the tractor crawling down the highway in Charleston, South Carolina. Police saying they got a burglary call from a business that was heavily damaged and spotted the man using the excavator to get away. The pursuit, look at that. That is actually real time. We're not slowing this down. It reached three miles per hour. That's how fast he was going.

The driver was later apprehended and faces several charges. Okay, now to the sixth and final day of testimony for the ex-girlfriend of Sean Diddy Combs, the woman known as Jane, grilled by the defense about her relationship with the media mogul, calling into question her allegations of violence and abuse. NBC's Chloe Belas joins us tonight from outside that courtroom. And Chloe, walk us through what happened today. Tom, today marked Jane's last day on the stand. It was several days of emotional and at times contentious.

testimony. And really, it leaves the jurors with maybe some confusion. She says that she still has feelings for Combs. She still loves him. Remember, he's still paying her legal fees right now and her $10,000 a month home in Los Angeles. And they only broke up just a few months ago. And at times, Combs even seemed emotional during her testimony today in which she talked about the end of their relationship and a final phone call they had. And it appeared as though he put some tissues to his eyes. But again, earlier in the day, I noticed him blowing his nose. So maybe he He's just sick. I also do want to point out, though, that the prosecution, they have a couple other witnesses that they are going to call before they rest and hand things over to Diddy's

team. But there is an issue right now with juror number six. We can see this go down as early as next week. Prosecution wants to remove this juror because they wrote in a letter to the judge that he is lacking candor. Now, we don't know exactly what the issues are. But remember, that's why you have alternates. They have six alternates right now, and this man could be replaced as early as next week. And again, the irony is he doesn't even know what's going on or these discussions are being had because he's not supposed to be paying attention to the news, reading anything about the case. And these are all private conversations that are happening when the jury is not in the room. So again, we are inching closer, but still, Tom, we have about halfway more to go,

several weeks left. Okay, Chloe Malas covering that trial for us. Chloe, thank you. We want to turn out our Cost of Denial series, our ongoing look at the insurance industry. A West Virginia man with stage four cancer denied coverage by a state insurer multiple times for a treatment recommended by his doctor. But after a K-AF health news reporter and then NBC News started to press the insurer for answers, the decision suddenly reversed. NBC News correspondent Eric McLaughlin has this one. So, welcome home. We first met Eric Tennant at his West Virginia home. You all right? Yeah, I'm good. Arriving back from the hospital, exhausted due to serious complications from his stage four cancer. Are you feeling okay?

bit rough right now but Eric his wife Rebecca and his doctor had all hoped to get a break from chemo and by time by getting a treatment called histotripsy which would use ultrasound waves to target the tumor in his liver. What does time mean to you right now? It means everything just for my family's sake more than anything. Approved by the FDA to treat liver tumors in 2003, early studies showed histotripsy to have a success rate of 85 to 95 percent. But Eric's insurance, said, said no. Denying coverage for histotripsy, calling it experimental and not medically necessary. Well, it was actually scheduled for the 14th, but then we'll have to cancel it. A father of two and a coal mine safety instructor for West Virginia, Eric has insurance through

a state plan known as P-E-I-A. And then you got the second denial. Yes, in the third, and the fourth. What does the word deny mean to you? Deny means we don't value a, doctor's opinion and we don't really care if you live or die. Rebecca appealed and fought for months turning to state lawmakers and the media including KFF health news reporter Lauren Saucer who contacted P.EIA said I'm a reporter working on the story. They wanted me to submit questions in writing. We hear nothing for a really long time. Then NBC News joined in to try to get answers. One week after NBC News asked about Eric's denial, a stunning reversal.

PEIA approved coverage for the treatment, saying it requested a second opinion through an external independent review, calling the situation rare and exceptional. Rebecca's feeling? They only approved it because of NBC stepping in. It's discouraging because I have the time and the patients to do this. A lot of people don't. I think patients who have navigated this process would say that it feels like the of it all is to simply drag it out for as long as possible until you run out of treatment options.

PEIA told NBC News, difficult decisions regarding medical necessity are made by medical professionals for every appeal of a denial coverage and not in a manner that is arbitrary. Do you wonder what could have been? Yes. If we would have got this four or five months ago, then, you know, where would I be at now? I'm just fighting for another day. Just fighting for another day. Aaron joins us now live in studio. he's covered now, but he may have run out of time? Yeah, that's right. There's more delays for Eric Tenant. He has to wait until July for new scans to see if he's medically qualified now for

the histotripsy treatment. Remember, he was medically qualified back in January. Worth noting that histotripsy is covered by Medicare and some private insurance plans. Now, when it comes to prior authorization, if you are faced with a denial, the limited data that we do have on this, indicates that there could be a good chance that your insurer will overturn that decision if you appeal. Okay, no, that's good advice. All right, we thank you for that.

Next tonight to the devastating loss of an MTV star, Ananda Lewis, you may remember her, who began her career as a VJ and talk show host, was open about her battle with breast cancer. At times speaking candidly about the things she wishes she had done differently. NBC's Priya Shrether has more on her legacy and the messages she leaves behind for women

going through that same fight. Ananda Lewis, a former MTV Vijay and pop culture force of the 1990s and 2000s, passing away at the age of 52 after a long battle with breast cancer. Her sister, posting on Facebook, she's free and in his heavenly arms. Lewis leaves behind a storied career, her first big break on BET's Teen Summit talk show. Welcome back to Teen Summit. We're honored to have First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton with us. Immediately pulling in notable guests. Have you ever thought about becoming president or maybe running?

No, I haven't. But I'd encourage you to think so. Ananda was just that voice that was speaking for all of us. She was young, she was fresh, she was irreverent. She didn't miss words. She had that swag. Then in 1997, she burst onto the MTV scene, sharing the era's coolest music over the airwaves

and interviewing young mega-celebs in the mainstream. making. Spending with you, Brittany's years. How you doing? Okay. The New York Times calling her the hip-hop generation's reigning it girl. And by 2001, she launched her own namesake talk show. And please welcome back.

And please welcome back. The members of in-sync, Chris, Joey Lance, J.C. and Justin. The star, vocal on social media in the years since, grabbing headlines in 2020 when she announced she had breast cancer. I have been fighting to get cancer out of my body for almost two years. For a really long time, I have refused mammograms. Lewis at the time admitting she didn't do yearly mammograms because she was afraid of radiation exposure. Millions of women undergo breast cancer screening yearly, and there has been no evidence that that minor exposure to radiation increases their risk of breast cancer or any other cancer.

and that that small risk is far outweighed by the potential benefit of early diagnosis and treatment. Lewis later saying she refused the double mastectomy doctors recommended. Instead, according to her 2025 Essence op-ed, focused on more holistic treatments like cutting out alcohol and sugar, doing monthly ultrasounds, taking high-dose vitamin C-IVs, and doing hyperbaric chamber sessions. in addition to conventional treatments like low-dose chemotherapy and radiation. She opened up about her journey during a CNN roundtable in 2024. My plan at first was to get out the excessive toxins in my body. I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way.

Ultimately acknowledging she regretted her treatment choices. Looking back on it, I go, Maybe I shouldn't. Later writing in that essence op-ed, do everything in your power to avoid my story becoming yours. Priya Shrether joins us now, and Priya, such an important message, right? Especially given the dangers for black women in particular when it comes to breast cancer. Yeah, that's absolutely right, Tom. You know, even though black and white women are diagnosed with breast cancer at the same rate,

according to the American Cancer Society, black women are 40% more likely to die, from breast cancer, then white women. It really highlights the inequities in our health care system. Medical experts say that black women are not getting mammograms as routinely as white women. Ananda Lewis has said that part of the reason for that was she was afraid of radiation exposure, but obviously in the final months of her life, she became pretty outspoken, encouraging other women to go get mammograms.

And her friends and family are really hoping that that can be a positive part of her legacy. Such a devastating stat you gave our viewers there. All right, Priya Shrether for us. We thank you for the report. When Top Story returns, New Orleans is controversial pushed to authorize real-time facial recognition, surveillance. We'll talk with the city's police superintendent to get her take. But first, Top Story's top moment, one young fan with the catch of a lifetime last night

at City Field here in New York, as Met Superstar Juan Soda smashed a home run into the right field seats. Take a look. The curve ball hit in the air in a deep right field. back near the wall and it's out of here and did you see the catch by the kid in the stand I did I mean what a great graph looking over the railing what a catch the Mets went on to beat the nationals that young kid might just have a big league future of his own all right stay with us we're back in just a moment we're back now with the latest on the situation in the Middle East. President Trump saying today that Israel may be planning a strike

on Iran soon. It comes as U.S. officials attempt to close a nuclear deal with Iran. NBC News international correspondent Matt Bradley has our top story in Global Watch. President Trump warning that Israel could strike Iran soon. Well, I don't want to say eminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen. Look, it's very simple, not complicated. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Following State Department orders to evacuate non-essential persons, from the embassy in Baghdad and allowing non-essential personnel and military families to lead embassies in Bahrain and Kuwait. Five people with knowledge of the matter told NBC News that Israel may attack Iran within days without U.S. support. There's a chance of massive conflict. We have

a lot of American people in this area, and I said, we got to tell them to get out because something could happen soon. But the U.S. is negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran that Israel opposes. Suma Shain spent years working in Iran for Israeli intelligence. The question, of course, is whether the Iranians will retaliate only on Israel or they will also retaliate on American presence. I think it will be suicidal from the Iranian point of view because that brings the U.S. completely into the war. Well, American diplomats are going to be attending that sixth round of negotiations over that Iran nuclear deal on Sunday. But President Trump said in an interview that was released yesterday that he's less confident. that America could reach a deal with Iran. Tom?

Okay, Matt Bradley, for us. We want to bring it back here at home to a new proposal in New Orleans involving AI facial recognition and how it's used by police. A new ordinance under consideration would make the city the first in the nation to formally authorize real-time facial surveillance, a process in New Orleans that involves using roughly 200 high-tech cameras that can scan faces and send automated alerts to police immediately when they find a possible match.

In some cases, a suspect or a missing person. Those real-time alerts were in effect previously, but paused in April after the Washington Post requested public records related to their use. This proposal could possibly bring them back. Joining me now, Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department and Kirkpatrick, and it's good to speak to you again, spoke to you at the beginning of the year, that horrible terror attack. First, I want to ask you if you can clarify how this facial recognition technology was used by the New Orleans Police Department in the past before this pause went into effect. Yes, and so a lot of people had thought that we had a total ban on facial recognition technology, and that's not actually accurate. We did have the ability to use facial recognition technology, but there were a lot of safeguards in place and too many steps. And so it was not fully within the boundaries of the ordinance for real-time access to facial recognition technology, and that is what the amendment to the ordinance.

is all about. Okay. So let's talk about the reality here, right? Went to school in New Orleans. My wife is from New Orleans. I spent a lot of time there. I know you have a serious problem with crime in New Orleans. That is not a secret.

You also have a problem trying to find officers and retain officers. It has been so difficult in that great American city. I know your job is incredibly hard. Talk to me and our viewers on how this is going to help New Orleans, the city of New Orleans, fight crime. Sure. So technology in every aspect, we were specifically speaking about about this particular technology, but technology is a way to leverage staffing issues,

leverages are tools to be able to prevent crime, as well as to get the people responsible if need be after a crime has occurred. So it's a tool that is effective and has been effective in the city. And the use of facial technology through a private person has really been a plus for us through a private enterprise. Was it used to chase down the inmates that escaped? Yes. I mean, that technology has proven to be effective and helpful to us, the state police, and the state.

But how does it work? How will it work? Like we're showing this image right now of somebody who's wearing a hood or maybe they're wearing a mask because they're worried about COVID or they're just trying to conceal their identity? How does it work in that situation?

So the technology is able to, as you probably know, it's been around for a while, but it is able to match characteristic traits. And that's what is what also makes it a controversial topic for people. But that is a system that is how it basically works. You know, New Orleans is a very laid-back city. A lot of people like that lifestyle there. What do you say to people who say, stop spying on me. I just want to live in the city. Why are you tracking my face, tracking everything

I'm doing? You know, that's a great segue to some brand new information. Our community every year, our city every year, does a community survey. And one of the specific questions asked up our community and the survey was their support or lack of support for facial recognition technology. And those results were shared with me and the city. two days ago, 78% of our African-American community supports facial recognition technology. 57% of our white community supported the city moving to allowing NOPD using the facial recognition technology. So there's been a big shift of attitude. We thank you for the stats, and we thank you for coming on and talk to us.

I hope to see you the next time. I'm in New Orleans. Coming up tonight, the mom's surprise. We showed you the moment earlier this week, a mother finally finding a permanent place to live, handing her kids the keys. Tonight, that mom telling us how she worked multiple jobs to make that moment happen. Stay with us. We're back now with a new trend. We've been seen in entertainment smoking, back in a big way, from television to movies to music. It seems to be appearing everywhere, but why the resurgence? NBC Stephen Romo has this story for us. They've long been a staple of the silver screen.

Thanks. Cigarettes, dangling from the hands and mouths of some of the world's biggest stars used by filmmakers to represent maturity. My husband will be back quite late. Toughness. And even nonchalance. I'm hungry. Let's get a tackle. Despite decades of well-documented health risks, Hollywood has been unable to fully shake its nicotine addiction.

Just be yourself. You're a freaking prince. And in 2025, smoking for the cameras appears to be making a comeback in a major way. I missed you. Citing, among others, Dakota Johnson's character in the new rom-com materialists. New York Times entertainment writer Esther Zuckerman declaring pop culture takes up smoking again. There is maybe a feeling in culture right now. That's a little bit the world is burning around us.

Let's like party while we are still here type of situation that I think maybe smoking. is a part of. Yeah, there's definitely, I feel like, an element of YOLO entering the current Zite guys. Chef. Some stars taking the trend off screen as well. This photo of Jeremy Allen White, just one of hundreds,

posted on the Instagram account, Syncfluencers, run by Jared Oviot. Every day, there's at least one, you know, new one that pops up. I would say over the last year, though, it's really taken a big jump. Research from Truth Initiative, a nonprofit tobacco,

control organization reports the number of tobacco depictions in music videos and streaming more than double from 2021 to 22 some of the biggest names in music lighting up from biance to charlie xx and addison ray it's a stark contrast to star appearances in anti-smoking ads that were common in previous decades before he died from like him And a concern for some medical professionals. Teens who may be seeing these videos, their favorite characters on their TV shows or their movies picking up a cigarette and maybe not know the health effects of smoking. The National Institute of Health says studies indicate 30 to 50 percent of smoking initiation

among adolescents may be attributed to movie exposure. While studies say smoking decreases globally year after year, the uptick and representation could pose a problem down the line. So if we start to see an increase in smoking today in terms of movies and TV shows leaving our young Americans sort of impressionable to that and starting to pick up smoking, there will be damage. It just will take time to see those downstream effects. Stephen Romo joins us now in studio, Stephen, it really is fascinating. And those stats, I couldn't believe. So what is the reason? Do we know why it's popping up more if people are smoking less?

Yeah, it seems so much to have to do with style and trying to seem like a rebel. Dating back to the 1950s, James Dean, the same thing. but what's old is new again because the number of smokers has dropped so much. One thing that does not come across in the screen is the smell. I told you before, my grandparents smoked, so many people in my family smoked. That smell's not coming across. Something is not carrying through to the young generation because those numbers are not up. That's true.

All right, Stephen Romo, we appreciate that. Finally tonight, we're going to switch gears a little bit. We have an update on a story we brought you this week. Our top moment, our last week, I should say, was about a family in Virginia and the special moment when one mother surprised her children with a gift they'd never forget. We talked to mom now. I want a key. A new home means new keys.

Wait, what? Yes! And this priceless memory. Yes! This is our house? My God! Oh my God! They were like thinking, okay, Mom, you did it.

Like, we had been praying for this every night. Virginia mom, Andrea Cokes, surprising her three kids, Willie, Paige, and Haven with their new home. I mean Paige, you're going to have our own rooms? No. For years, the family struggled to find a home. At one point, even sleeping in her car. But last year, Andrea says she managed to turn it around, finally giving her kids a permanent home. Worked two jobs to try to stay in a home.

And like holidays and birth. and different things like that being a single mom. It was hard. But I did it. Andrea recently posting this video on TikTok, marking one year since moving in. The clip going viral, leading to strangers donating furniture and bikes for the kids. We as a people truly have the power in our hand to support each other. You know, it's that simple. Such a beautiful story. We thank you for watching top story tonight. I'm Tom Yamous in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.