Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, June 25, 2026

Episode Date: June 26, 2026

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

Breaking news tonight, the urgent race to rescue survivors after back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela, the devastating scenes leaving hundreds dead and hurt, violent shaking, building after building, crumbling to the ground. People screaming, scrambling for cover. The airport roof collapsing in. And look at this. The rescue's happening now. This child miraculously pulled from the rubble. It's incredible. But other families are still desperately looking for loved ones. Plus, more on the Americans rushing in to help with search rescue. Also breaking tonight, plea deal talks in the works for accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione. Our new reporting just in tonight. The major Supreme Court ruling, hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers who have lived here for years stripped of their protected status. So are they set to be

deported? The ex-paster arrested decades after his wife plunged to her death in a national park. Now, on the day he was set to appear in court, found dead in police custody. Wildfires, spreading fast in Utah, with those flames threatening houses and businesses. Plus, the explosion in Arizona sparking a new brush fire. Our exclusive new reporting on that CIA officer arrested for stealing millions in gold bars from the spy agency. Was he in a relationship with his supervisor? What we've just learned now. Apple product price hike, why these popular items will now cost you hundreds more.

And might other companies raise costs next? We'll explain why. Plus, the jury at a deadlock in the Pacific Palisades fire arson. trial. We'll tell you where the case goes from here. Top story starts right now. Hi there. I'm Hallie Jackson in for Tom, and we begin tonight with the desperate search for survivors after two huge back-to-back earthquakes rocked Venezuela, killing more than 180 people and leaving more than 1,500 hurt. You hear it and you see it there, that terrifying video on the streets of Caracas, the capital city, buildings crumbling, clouds of debris filling the air. This was the scene at the

International Airport, people running for cover as the ceiling came crashing with. down around them. You see that puff of smoke and dust coming up. Just outside, a plane full of passengers rattled. Workers rushing toward open space trying to get away from the buildings. And now a race against time to try to find survivors. First responders navigating all of this debris to try to pull people to safety. Video from one rescue shows a man, you saw that child being pulled out. Here's another one. Somebody given a thumbs up as crews are carrying him out on a stretcher. And then some disturbing video, too, of a woman who rescuers said was a alive, stuck floors above inside a building. People nearby saying she could be heard yelling

for help. Just north of Caracas, whole neighborhoods reduced to just basically nothing. Look at that flattened. People standing on the piles of just stuff now, debris that used to be their homes. And photos from the scene show families in absolute anguish with Venezuela's government saying more than 150 people are still missing tonight. We've got our reporter on the ground in Caracas. She'll join us in just a moment. But we start with our George Solis. to look at the utter devastation. The massive earthquake sending this building crumbling to the ground. People holding on to each other as a growing cloud of dust fills the street.

Others scrambling to get outdoors. Mass confusion with debris pouring onto the sidewalk. And this scary scene inside the Caracas airport. Travelers running for cover as the building starts to shake. And the roof caving in. the powerful quakes devastating the terminal. While tonight, the urgent search for survivors, including this incredible rescue airing on Venezuelan State TV.

There are three of us, the girl says, as these children climb out of a pile of rubble in La Guayada. Here, a man is pulled from the rubble, giving a thumbs up as he's taken away. All of it from a rare doublet earthquake. Two earthquakes caused by tectonic plates shifting with a moments of each other. The first, a magnitude 7.2 striking in northern Venezuela at 6.4 p.m. The second and even stronger magnitude 7.5 hitting just 39 seconds later.

Sparking panic, shaking streets. Even stadiums, you can see those light poles swaying as the ground move. This woman says she was inside her apartment when the quake hit. The walls were cracking and we managed to open the door. When we got downstairs, it was like a horror movie, she says. Tonight, the destruction is staggering. Satellite images showing before and after. Many survivors who got out, also going back inside to try and rescue others. We found three bodies. My brother died in my hands, this man says. Online tonight, Venezuelans posting photos of their loved ones desperate to find the missing. Tonight we spoke to Alessia Santa Groche, who was near the epicenter and survived. My sister called me and told me like, you have to look for a safe place.

And I was telling her, like, there is no safe place here. It's burning. The buildings are burning. How lucky do you feel to be alive? I'm blessed. I'm blessed. Our house is not in a good condition. Everything is broken.

I mean, everything fell down. And now Americans are rushing to assist. Search and rescue teams from Fairfax, Virginia, prepping to deploy. The airport there is badly damaged, so we'll have to rely on the Department of War to deploy assets there. Venezuela's interim president, Delci Rodriguez, thanking President Trump and his administration, who she says has been in constant contact. President Trump posting, we will be there for our new and great friends. Early reports are not good.

Here in South Florida, they're putting together aid packages at the Global Empowerment Missions Donation Center. So many eager to help. You know, I'm a U.S. citizen, but I will always be Venezuelan. George is joining us now from that donation location in Florida. There's a lot happening there, and we know now that the Pentagon is getting involved tonight, right? Yeah, that's right, Hally. U.S. Southcom saying they plan on using the U.S. military to airlift some of that crucial must-needed supplies into Venezuela. And speaking of supplies, yes, we have seen an outposts.

of donations here at this center. Take a look at some of the essentials that this community has brought in. We're talking clothes. We're talking food. We're talking medicine. All of the essentials and volunteers here, Halle, some of them arriving for the first time today

from this very community saying they just felt compelled to help. They want to make sure that the people in Venezuela get what they need. Of course, one of the challenges that they're going to face here with these items is seeing how they get it into the country with the airport close, but that's not deterring this spirit this spirit and all of these people that want to help their fellow countrymen in their time of need. Hally?

George Solis, thank you. I want to bring in now Anna Vanessa Arirero, who's on the ground in Caracas for us tonight, where they're looking for survivors. Anna, tell me more about what's happening behind you, because I understand that responders have heard somebody at this location site where they're searching for people. They're hearing a voice? Yes, apparently they are hearing a voice, and everyone immediately moved toward one of the buildings that collabs, which is the one right by.

behind me, but now apparently they are receiving the same signal from another nearby building. So right now on the ground, what I can tell you is I have on my left family members desperate to get some kind of information out of the officials, firefighters and the first responders. And then on my right, there are not only official screens, but also volunteers who are risking their own lives to try to find someone alive. And this is just happening right now. It has been a wave of emotions for families, for officials, and also for us who are witnessing this moment

because all of these people are working with no resources, with little resources, with no machinery. They are asking bystanders and civilians to bring them, even flashlights, to continue the efforts throughout the night. It's just a gut punch to hear this, and it's just, I think it's an indication, Anna, Vanessa, of just how active this scene is where you are. Can you tell me more?

I know you've been out there since this earthquake, these double earthquakes happen, basically. Tell me more about what you've been seeing as you've made your way through the city and through some of these communities. Well, I think there is actually someone who is alive, which is just wonderful to hear because during the entire day, I have been listening to family members lose their hope that they could find their loved ones alive. So just the thought of one person trying to make it out of the concrete. It's just wonderful news for everyone, and everyone is really hopeful. Oh, my God.

This is happening all over the city, of course. This is not the only side. This is happening in other places as well. How do you know, are you hearing them? Are they saying, are the responders, I can't tell what's happening behind you? Are they saying we found somebody alive? Is that what you're here? I mean, tell me what you're hearing now. They're, they're blowing their whistles. They are bringing people in. They are applauding. Apparently, they found someone or they're listening. They're hearing someone. Yet we don't have confirmation that they have that person. But it is happening as we speak. And you can only see. be in motion in everyone. Ana, Vanessa, I'm going to let you take your camera and your team and go and go do some reporting. Thank you so much.

We are hoping and praying that it is somebody who's been found alive. Come back if and when you know more. Ana Vanessa Arrero, we're so glad to have you with us tonight. Thank you. I want to get now to Cesar Jimenez, an aid worker for Project Hope, which is an NGO operating health centers across Venezuela. He is also in Caracas. Cesar, thank you so much for being here with us tonight. Can you tell us with your team on the ground providing medical support, what condition you're seeing people come in?

Yeah, yeah. Thank you very much and thank you very much for all of the support. It's a heartbreaking scene right now. Our project hope Venezuela team is deployed in La Hira since last night. And what we've seen is just impressive. There are still hundreds of people trapped under the buildings. And local civil protection teams are out there working and nonstop literally doing everything humanly possible to pull out. survivors, kids, women, even pets. We're trying to assess all of the healthcare facilities to understand the needs in terms of medical supplies, medical equipment, and pharmacy, and we currently have prepositioned items for this emergency response. But of course, we're looking also for any national or international support. So in order that in order that in order

for us to give the aid to all the affect communities. Tell us, Cesar, what are the biggest challenges at the moment? I imagine it's comms, communication, it's trying to get around, and what do you need the most? As you ask for help, is it money, is it donations? What would be most useful? Yeah. As for now, communications in La Waiyta are totally blackout, but we're not waiting for a phone to ring.

We just, we deployed this morning and last night to La Waiira by our sense. to assess from firsthand all of the needs, okay? If people want to donate internationally or nationally, you can go to Project Hope.org, and we have special donations for Venezuela, and we are trying to assess all of the resources, not only economic resources, but tangible resources in order for us to give the aid to the Laieta people,

and of course, in the metropolitan area. as well. Yeah. Cesar Jimenez, we're so glad to have you with us tonight. Thank you for being on the ground. Thank you for the updates. So many people around the world are thinking to you and the work that you're doing and folks there in Venezuela. I appreciate you. Also tonight back here at home, we are following some dangerous weather across the country. Take a look at Beaver, Oklahoma, new images of a reported twister touching down. Our Bill Cairns is standing by with a tornado threat. But right now,

we've also got crews moving to try to figure out how they can get a handle on this fast-moving wildfire in Utah. It's incinerated 70,000 acres. It's burned dozens of buildings, with the governor warning it could become one of the state's most destructive fires of all time. I want to get to Andrew Adams from our NBC, NBC affiliate, KSL, and you're there in Beaver, Utah, Andrew. Give us a sense of what it's like on the ground. Well, it's changed minute to minute. Right now we have some nice cloud cover. A minute ago, we were baking, and so temperatures are an issue. Wind has been an issue at times, and we've even had a little bit of rain today. But the concern from firefighters, obviously, is the volatility of the wind. And as more thunderstorms

push through, that could create some issues. They're worried about really doing a direct attack when you're having fire conditions where spotting happens a mile out from the firefront, which they've seen since early on in this fire. And this plume that you're seeing over my shoulder, it's just a small fraction of this fire that's burned nearly 71,000 acres. But crews are trying to tackle it however they can. And they're even pulling in some specialized assets to deal with it. I wrote it down because it's not the most common term, but rapid extrication module support teams. Now, these are basically rescuers to the extreme. They bring in specialized equipment and they can do all kinds of rescue.

So as these firefighters move out further out from their base and try to get a little bit more aggressive with this fire, they have the medical support they need in case something goes wrong. But already a massively destructive fire from what we understand from locals, they believe, possibly dozens of cabins and condos have burned, even some primary residences. We heard from a volunteer earlier today that possibly a dozen individuals and families lost their primary homes in this fire. So tragic circumstances and extremely dangerous circumstances when it comes to firefighters here in Beaver, Utah.

Andrew, thank you very much for being out there for us, live for us on the ground from our friends at KSL. Let me bring in Bill Karens here at the latest on the tornado threat. Bill, I have to tell you, we were watching this earlier. I mean, I know you were talking with the team there in New York because we're like, hey, we're hearing us some stuff like the World Cup, I think, game in Kansas City, or at least the fan fest got delayed a little bit, concern about Twisters. You said there's a watch, I guess, in place for hours yet, right? Yeah, until at least as we go through 10 p.m. So we have a very active weather map in the middle of the country. We're in the middle of a transition across the country. The West had been very warm. The East had been, you know, relatively low humidity and not that bad, just warmish. We're about to do a big flip. And when that happens, usually you get a lot of active weather. And that's what's happening across the country. So we have that tornado watch that includes Tulsa, numerous severe thunderstorm watches, Wyoming, northern Colorado, now one for areas of Arkansas, the Pittsburgh area in Pennsylvania.

We had two tornado warnings only a half hour ago in Pennsylvania. So we got a lot of active weather. The only confirmed tornado was the one we showed you at the beginning about about five minutes ago. That was here near Beaver County, Oklahoma. That was with this complex. There is one active tornado warning. There's a lot of storm chasers out here. So if we have one on the ground, they'll let us know.

This is now radar indicated just north of Canadian, Texas. That's an area that's very common that's been hit by a lot of big tornadoes. And if that's not a bad enough, this area of storms will eventually track through areas of Kansas, Missouri, and into Illinois. This is also a flash flood season. A lot of these storms contain a lot of water in a short amount of time. That's why outside of St. Louis, a flash flood warning. Springfield, Missouri flash flood warning, just outside of Tulsa, a flash flood warning. And we'll see more of that tonight.

And the final thing, tomorrow at this time, Hallie, don't be surprised. surprise if that Utah story with the fires is one of our lead stories. We have an extremely dangerous situation tomorrow in Utah. We're going to have 60 mile per hour winds. You just saw how many fires are already burning there. And the firefighters are going to be helpless in this situation. We are expecting extreme fire behavior. So we'll watch that as we continue through Friday throughout much of the Intermountain West. As I said, and get ready in the east, Halley. We have that long duration, big heat wave coming for the eastern half of the country, next week until the 4th of July. Cool. Boy, thanks, bud. You're welcome. Appreciate you,

but I'm glad to stand on top of all of it and especially we're looking for more from you. I know tomorrow on those fires in the West. Appreciate it. Speaking of the West, we've got some separate breaking news out of California of the legal kind. The jury has now deadlocked, apparently, and the trial of the man accused of starting the devastating Palisades fire. You know that fire. Burned 23,000 acres, killed 12 people. Camilla Bernal has been following what's happening inside that courtroom. What happened here, Camilla? So it appears that the jury, Halley, essentially made a mistake, initially saying they had a verdict. And maybe what they thought was that agreeing to disagree was a verdict, but it is not. So then they sent a second note to the judge

saying that there were people on both sides of this issue who could not come to an agreement on this case. The judge then started asking questions via notes as well, sending it back to the jury, asking them if they were essentially at an impasse on all three of the federal charges. And the jury came back and said, yes, we cannot agree on any one of these three charges. And so now what's happening is that the lawyers and the judge were trying to figure out what to do next year with the jury. Because there is the possibility of an Allen charge. So the defense asked for that, which is that final ask from the judge to the jury to go back and deliberate and try to come up. with a solution. But before they do that, they may be talking to the foreman. They may be talking

to each individual juror. There is no decision exactly on how to move forward at the moment. So what the judge did was that she asked both the prosecution and the defense to study about this tonight, come up with some sort of solution. They're back in court at 8 a.m. to try to figure out how they move forward. They asked the jury to come back at 9 in the morning, and then they will be told what to do. So there is no verdict. There is no decision. It appears that the members of the jury cannot come to an agreement, but what will likely happen tomorrow is that the judge will have to ask them to try again, to try to come up with a unanimous decision on all of these three charges. At the moment, it seems like none of these jurors agree. They deliberated some time

yesterday all day today, and we'll see what happens tomorrow, Halley. Thank you very much. We'll be looking for more from you tomorrow. Appreciate it. To the major Supreme Court ruling here in Washington, clearing the way for a potential wave of mass deportations and what amounts to a win for the Trump administration's immigration agenda. Laura Jarrett explains. Tonight, immigration advocates on edge. The court's conservative majority clearing the way for the administration to now strip hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian refugees of the legal protections that have allowed them and others to live. and work in the United States for years. For many of us, this ruling is not just about policy. It is about our homes, our families, our future.

Congress created the program known as temporary protected status or TPS in 1990 to help those fleeing armed conflict or natural disasters. Over 300,000 Haitians and over 600,000 Syrians in the U.S. are estimated. currently to have TPS protection. But Homeland Security under President Trump has moved to in protections for several countries, prompting immigrant rights groups to sue, pointing to Trump's past derogatory statements about Haitian immigrants. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats.

In a divided ruling, the conservative majority today, finding the courts generally barred from second-guessing DHS's decision-making. the president's statements not overtly racial. Administration officials praising the decision. Temporary means temporary. When the condition that country gets better, they need to go home. And Halley, this wasn't the only win today in front of the high court. The justices, again, giving President Trump an enormous victory on another immigration-related

issue. This one about asylum, the whole issue there about whether someone could claim asylum if they weren't actually physically on U.S. soil. This comes up frequently, obviously, with migrants crossing between the U.S. and Mexico border. And so for those that are actually on foreign soil today, the justice is saying those individuals are allowed to be turned away. The Trump administration can turn them away, adding, obviously, to this immigration crackdown. Halley back to you. Laura Jared, thank you.

Still ahead for us tonight. The newest twist in the Luigi Mangione case, you're going to want to hear this one. Our new reporting on possible plea deal talks, what that could mean for the accused CEO killer. Plus, the NFL standout arrested, the alarming charges he now faces, and the onstage scare for music legend Lionel Richie, why he canceled his show mid-performance. Stay with us. We are back now with some breaking news about Luigi Mangione. Sources telling NBC News, Mangione's legal team has been in talks with federal prosecutors about a possible plea deal. Remember, he's facing both state and federal charges after the alleged murder of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. I want to bring in Jonathan Deans to our Chief Justice contributor who's behind this reporting.

Jonathan, walk us through what your sources are telling you. Hallie, sources familiar with the matter tell us that plea talks in the federal case appear to be getting close, but that was happening earlier this week, but then they fell apart. Mangione faces both federal and state criminal charges in the December 2024 shooting death of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. The U.S. attorney, FBI, and Manhattan DA all declined to comment about the news of these plea talks. One lawyer from Mangione telling us, in part, this information attributed to anonymous sources is part of a troubling, deliberate pattern by prosecutors and law enforcement. Every defendant in America is presumed innocent until proven guilty, including Luigi.

As you know, Mangione is due in court on Monday. Again, news of the plea talks. We are told they've now fallen apart so that the hearing on Monday likely to be about jury selection issues, as those plea talks happened earlier this week, but now apparently no deal finalized. Does that mean, can I ask you, Jonathan, does that mean that any surprise come Monday is off the table, or is that maybe always a potential possibility? Look, as explained to us, anything can happen that talks had been going on, including three. middle of this week, but as of now, that no deal was agreed upon and has somewhat fallen apart.

All right. Jonathan Deans, we're glad to have you with us. Thank you, Jonathan. Appreciate you. To the stunning developments now in an NFL star's arrest, the Detroit Lions player behind bars, accused of plotting a brutal kidnapping and armed robbery. Jesse Kirsch has this one. Detroit Lions cornerback, Terry on Arnold, appearing in a Tampa courtroom today, facing the possibility of life in prison. Police say the NFL standout plotted an attack on three teenagers, including two he suspected stole from him earlier this year, even though they were cleared by investigators.

Officials say the victims were battered, held at gunpoint, and pistol-wipped before their personal property was stolen, while one of the attackers streamed the incident to Arnold and others. Investigators also discovering a group chat, where Arnold and another defendant allegedly gave directions during the assault. Six people were arrested months ago. Two have pleaded guilty. Just days ago, Arnold was asked about the allegations. I just want to focus on football. Then Wednesday, Arnold turned himself in. His representative telling NBC News in part, he maintains his innocence, adding the government appears to be relying on testimony from people who may have substantial incentives to shift blame. Arnold faces kidnapping and armed robbery charges. Prosecutors say he will remain behind bars, at least until a pretrial detention hearing.

on Monday. Howie? Jesse Kirsch, thank you. Still ahead for us tonight, an update on that former CIA officer accused of stashing millions in gold bars at his house. Why investigators now say that wasn't the only money he took. Plus, if you heard about Ramageddon, thing that I learned about today, why it's causing the price of some of your Apple products to skyrocket as of just a few hours ago. We'll explain. But first, top story's top moment and one bride's special wedding dress reveal leading up to her wedding day.

Nurse Lily Bouse was asked nonstop by the folks at the nursing home she works at to see her dress for the big day. So she decided to go back to work after their wedding, all dressed up to get their reactions. Take a look. Lily and Jace, her new hubby, also brought all the leftover flowers from the wedding for the folks at the home to enjoy. Very sweet. Stay with us. More top story on the way. Back now with a shocking update to a story we first brought you last night.

The man accused of killing his wife 20 years ago and arrested just this week found dead in police custody on the the day he was supposed to be in court after his arrest on a first-degree murder charge. I want to show you some of the confusing moments in court this morning with the lawyers asking the judge what was going on. He'd been contacted by the family concerning case pending. Yes, and 15 minutes of clue that he's deceased. That is all the information I have. He was deceased. We learned a little bit more from police, but Liz Courts has been following this one.

And just what happened, Liz? What do we know? Yeah, hey, Hallie. Well, what we know from Las Vegas police is that an inmate that matches the description of this man, David Vandermere, was taken to the hospital with self-inflicted injuries and then later pronounced dead. We don't know the official cause of death, but it is possible it appears that he may have taken his own life while in jail. He was just arrested on Monday. And we also, you know, as you've heard, Halley, are hearing from the family of his wife at the time who died while hiking with him at Zion National Park.

And they're saying that they always suspected him, that they never trusted him. And they say that their daughter was a very experienced hiker. And so it never sat well with them that this idea that she just accidentally would have fallen off a cliff while hiking on this trail. And after these new tips came in over the past year or so that sparked more interest and reopened the case, investigators tell us that they realized there were inconsistencies in David Vandermere's story, what he had said at the time to law enforcement about that day on the hiking trail versus what he had told other people. All of that together, making him then charged with murder. Hally.

Liz, Croyd, just watching all of the forest. Liz, thank you very much. To top stories news feed now, starting in Pennsylvania with a big break. in a year's long cold case there. A married couple killed in a high-end Philly suburb back in 2022. Well, now their daughter, Michelle Zyko, is facing charges. Officials say she has ties to the Zizians. Apparently a group of AI-obsessed vegans connected to several violent deaths across the country. We've reached out to her lawyer, but haven't heard back. And in Arizona, a pretty wild video of a huge explosion on a highway. Look at this. A fireball sending

flames onto the road. Oof. The whole thing, shutting down traffic for a while. No word on any and we don't know why this explosion happened, but our local NBC station reports. Officials say it seemed to spark a wildfire that burned about 30 acres. And Lionel Richie's opening night show in Minnesota getting cut short after he told the audience he was feeling dizzy.

Look at this. He was performing, dancing on the ceiling, but then ended up sitting on stage. After the song, a little bit later, somebody walked out saying Richie wasn't feeling well and would not continue to show. This was his first stop on his tour with Earth, Wind, and Fire.

NBC's out to Richie's team for comment, but we haven't heard back yet. To new developments now in the case of the former CIA officer accused of stashing about 40 million bucks in gold bars at his house. David Rush, already behind bars tonight. He has not entered a plea. And now we're learning the CIA may have given him other money and valuables as part of his work that investigators can't seem to find. Julia Ainsley is part of the team behind this one, our new and exclusive reporting. What is up with this, Julia? This story keeps taking turns. Now there's like other stuff. Do we know if it's gold? Do we know what it is? It really does feel like we are reporting out the beginning of a Hollywood script here, Halley. But what is actually normal, or at least allowed at the CIA, is to get and request valuables,

either in the form of gold or Rolex watches or other things that are just internationally deemed valuable around the world that the CIA can use to pay operatives that are maybe carrying out covert operations, where they don't want to trace this money back to the United States or have any fingerprints on what exactly it is that they're doing. That part does happen. What happened here, and this is one of the reasons why David Rush is now under investigation, is that he was requesting money that then went unaccounted for it. Now, they found $40 million of gold bars in his home as well as 35 luxury watches, but there's more that he requested that is missing.

They believe that it could be anywhere in the world or somehow in his possession. They haven't rolled that out yet. But right now, it's missing, and the CIA is desperately looking at. desperately looking for it, Halley. They're also looking for any accomplices, right? As we're learning that he was involved in a relationship with a supervisor? Yeah, that's right. There are some CIA officials who are already on leave, as this investigation plays out.

One of those people who was on leave is his former supervisor, who allegedly he had an affair with, a romantic relationship with while they were both married. And this was before she became his supervisor. Now, we're not implying that she is under investigation as being an accomplice. But it certainly raises questions from people who have worked in the intelligence community or really in any workplace that would then be raising eyebrows about whether or not some of this behavior that was deemed later to be illegal, such as lying on his resume about even going to college, maybe was permissive or was allowed because his boss was someone he had

a relationship with. It certainly muddies the waters there on the checks and balances and may answer more questions about how this kind of activity was allowed. to go on for so long. Remember, he worked at the CIA with a false resume since 2018, and then from the fall of last year until March of this year, was involved in this money scheme that ended up with $40 million in gold bars in his house, according to the court affidavit, Sally. Julia Ainsley, we'll see what you and the team report out next. Thanks, Joel, appreciate it. To our series, now the cost of denial. In recent weeks, we brought you the story of widespread denials in the Pentagon's health care program. Well, tonight, our Aaron McLaughlin reports on how

the same program doesn't cover certain therapies for autism that most other insurance plans do. I know. 10-year-old Logan Cabiao has severe autism and is nonverbal. Close the door. Normal everyday activities are a struggle. It's okay. It's okay. Like getting dressed.

Can I do it? And using the bathroom. Even a simple trip to the grocery store can be an ordeal. You can't sit in the middle of the road. Growing up in Florida's panhandle, Logan requires constant attention from his mom, Christy. A physician turned stay-at-home parent and his dad, Mario, a retired Air Force pilot. He requires an intensive therapy called Applied Behavior Analysis. D.

Yeah. Amed at helping children with autism build essential life skills. How important are ABA services to families like ours? It's like life changing because when he started, I had a lot of like guilt because I felt like I couldn't help him and to have somebody. Sorry. You don't. Why are you emotional? Because I felt like I couldn't help him.

And then when our therapist came in, finally she's like, it's not your fault. And she helped us. But several years ago, they say TRICARE, the health care coverage program for active duty and retired military families cut back on that highly focused therapy. While Logan still receives coverage for some ABA therapy at a nearby center, the Pentagon's Defense Health Agency, which oversees TRICARE, stopped covering the therapy that teaches basic activities of daily living. They said that's babysitting.

And it was really offensive. And then they said they shouldn't be coming. coming to your medical appointments or your dental appointments. And how did your life change? So I stopped going to the grocery store. We didn't go to church for a long while. Oh, yeah. We did not go out to eat.

So all that social contact. It just stopped. NBC News found that most major health insurance plans in the U.S. cover these specialized autism treatments. But the Department of Defense said in a report to Congress, ABA services do not meet the tricare hierarchy of reliable evidence standard for proven medical care. Mom Christy founded a group to fight that decision.

This is the report? That's the report. She lobbied the U.S. Congress to commission an independent study exploring the issue. Last year, the committee found the scientific evidence supporting ABA therapy is robust and meets the Department of Defense's own criteria of reliable evidence. The report also recommended the DOD authorized coverage of ABA as a basic benefit and ensure its policies align with current generally accepted standards of care, including activities of daily living. So we wrote a letter to the defense health agency and said, these results are outstanding and we're still waiting.

The defense health agency did not reply to our request for comment. Logan's parents believe with more services, he'd have a better chance at a more independent future. For me, as a military member, you know, I take a lot of pride in what we do. I'm mad on behalf of the family, but we're an organization. that is excellence and it makes me mad that we can't be excellent in this realm it makes me mad yeah makes me emotional makes me mad I'm proud of you we don't leave other families behind not in the military Aaron is joining us now and Aaron this is something that affects a lot of

military families right yeah it certainly does Hallie according to one study one in 28 children born into military families will be diagnosed with autism That is higher than the national average. And yet, military families with TRICARE do not have access to the same kind of ABA benefits as most families with traditional and public policies. Halley. Aaron McLaughlin, thank you. Still to come for us tonight. The dangerous heat wave overseas with more people dead in parts of Europe.

Plus, for the first time, we've just learned what a British monarch pays in taxes. So how much is King Charles's bill? We've got that next. We are back with that unprecedented heat wave overseas, and tonight we're learning more people have died in connection to it. A local health institute in Spain says more than 200 deaths have been reported from heat-related causes, with these record-breaking temperatures blistering a lot of Europe. Danielle Hamamgen is in Paris for us tonight, the epicenter of this nightmare heat, Danielle. Tell us what you're seeing and hearing.

Yeah, you're right, Halley. We're seeing a sharp rise in the death toll due to the suffocating heat wave gripping west. Europe in Spain, more than 200 dead, as you say. This is being reported by a public health agency that's affiliated with the government. We're still waiting to hear from officials there, but what we do know is that the majority of the victims are over the age of 65. Now, air conditioning is a bit more common in Spain than it is here in France, but certainly not on the level that it is in the United States.

Still, there is some good news. temperatures will start to dip in the next few days. The bad news there in Spain, the temperatures will go back up. Here in France, it's been, in the words of Emmanuel Macron, the president, an unprecedented day. 51 million people under red alert that's now being lifted. But that's three quarters of the population due to this extreme temperatures. We've seen cases of cardiac arrests here in the city. and these extreme temperatures have now triggered this debate du jour now, which is to air condition or to not air condition. Only 20% of people have it at home. It's certainly rare in schools and hospitals. But as these weather phenomena become more common and more intense, people are asking,

should the government get involved and distribute these air conditioning unit? Until that's sorted, people are resorting to the public parks, which are open all night. In some cases, Holly, they're sleeping in the park. They're jumping in the canals. Now, the temperatures will start dipping, starting tomorrow in the west of the country. Here in Paris, they'll have to wait until next week before the temperatures start going down. Hali? Danielle Hammamgen, thank you very much.

Staying overseas now at Top Story's Global Watch, starting with the war between Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, says Russia is now moving a large part of its air defenses. The goal to better protect Moscow in a town where the Russian president, Vladimir Putin sometimes lives. It all comes as Ukrainian forces have been launching a barrage of drones at sites inside Russia. And in the UK, King Charles today becomes the first British monarch to publicly release how much he pays in taxes. According to a new report from Buckingham Palace, he paid nearly $40 million in personal taxes since taking the throne in 2022. The palace says this whole thing is meant to increase transparency at a time when the royal family is facing more scrutiny about its finances.

And turns out humans and apes may be more alike than scientists initially thought. A new study finds they actually laugh and giggle in kind of similar ways. Listen to this. Yes, it was somebody's job to tickle the apes. That's how they made this discovery with researchers finding they have similar rhythms and timing to our own laughs, unlike other animals. They say studying laughter can help us better understand communication and how we learned to speak. To Money Talks now, where we bring you the latest developments from the business.

business world and beyond. And tonight, Apple is hiking the prices of some of the stuff it sells. And the reason here is particularly interesting. It's the so-called Ramageddon. Have you heard about this? Maybe called the Rampocalypocalypse, a especially dramatic way of saying computer memory is getting more expensive because of those AI data centers that are expanding across the country. Let me bring in Allie Canal to join us now for more of an explanation here. It's interesting, Allie, because I think Apple is pretty explicitly linking its price hike out today with this so-called Ramageddon, right? Yeah, they are. And I mean, we're talking about very popular Apple products here, particularly those MacBooks, those iPads. So just to give you a sense of some of these increases here,

the base MacBook Pro is now $300 more expensive. The MacBook Air is up $200.00. The entry-level MacBook Neo now starts at $6.99 instead of $5.99, and the iPad Air has jumped from $599 to $749.49. Now, those new changes are already live on Apple's website, although I will note that if you go to some third-party retailers like Best Buy, for example, they might still have those old prices. And if you're in the desperate need for one of those products, it might be worth checking out those retailers instead of going directly to Apple, because once that inventory runs out, those prices will go up as well. And, you know, there's just no denying that these price increases are pretty significant, especially for products that, quite frankly, are already pretty expensive.

But wait, explain this then, Ramageddon, the Rampococalypse, right? It's a real thing, question mark? Yeah, it's not the sequel to that 90s movie with Bruce Willis. It's something that's actually happening in the tech world right now. And you can think of it like supply and demand here. So what builds those data centers? A lot of it boils down to these chips, memory chips, storage chips. But guess what?

Those chips are also the building blocks that build our laptops, our tablets, our computers, our phones. So basically what's happening is that as these tech companies and AI companies, they're building out these data centers, they're gobbling up a lot of that global supply. So when supply gets tight, what happens? Price is skyrocket. So in a statement to NBC News, Apple telling us, in part, quote, We have never seen a component price increase this much this quickly.

We have shielded our customers from these increases so far, but we have now reached a point where we need to begin raising prices. So Apple essentially saying that its hands are tied at this point, also leaving the door open for future price increases. And again, this is not just an Apple-specific problem. This is an industry-wide problem. As we continue to see this AI build-out, it's very likely that consumers will continue to see

Prices rise for some of their favorite electronics and tech gadgets out there. Unfortunately, Hallie. Well, one you'll be watching. I know, Ali Cannell. Thank you very much, Ali. Appreciate it. More to get to you here on the show. When we come back, the big summit about UFOs right here in Washington.

And guess who was there? Our own Gotti shorts. He's going to take us inside those talks. Plus, the countdown to kickoff. You ready for tonight? Team USA gearing up for their final game before moving on to the round of 32. We'll take you outside the stadium as fans get ready for it all. Back now with what you could call a real-life disclosure day here in Washington,

weeks after the government released all those files on UFOs and UAPs. You've got experts and lawmakers meeting for this first of its kind conference. And the big question, are we any closer to learning about what's out there? One of the moderators of that thing, guess who? Resident Space Freak and Geek Gotti Shorts, who's joining us now. Biggest takeaways here. I mean, this was a conversation, but obviously it was the sort of smartest people on this topic in one room. trying to shed some light on all this.

And then there's me. Biggest takeaway for me is like, I am just as confused as I was going into this. I know that there's going to be some more videos that are coming out, hopefully this week, possibly next week. So maybe we'll get some clarity from them. Very unlikely, though. But for me, the question, the big question that I had for all these panelists, and anybody that I talked to was, is this, it seems as though there's something flying around in our skies that we don't really understand. And then there are allegations of a big cover-up.

And that cover-up seems to be either the government knows a whole lot about what's happening and the nature of what this is, or the government doesn't know anything about it, and it is covering its ignorance. So either they're covering a lot of knowledge or covering ignorance. Either way, the American public is left in the dark. The videos that we've seen, I know we'll show a couple here, like of just strange things flying around, things that really can't be accounted for, for, you know, things that could be the military or whatever. What is not been released after this big file drop? What has not been released that people want to see the most?

Well, it's interesting because when you look at all those videos, they are, some of them are fascinating. Some of them look like they could be balloons. I keep asking about a very specific video that I was told about very early on when I started looking into this. It is a video that allegedly, allegedly, we don't have this one, but this one would truly move the needle. It is a video in which a some sort of pilot sees something that comes within 50 feet of their craft in high fidelity. And I've been told that when or if that video is released, then all of a sudden things change in a dramatic way. Because it's much more proof. One of the biggest criticisms that skeptics will say is like, where's the video?

In fact, I saw Tom Costello just a little while ago, and he makes a great point. Don't blow up his spot. He makes a great point. Tom was like, hey, there are billions of cell phones on planet. Earth, like, where is the great video? That's a good point. Where is the amazing video? And what we're being told is there is high fidelity video. There are, you know, artifacts out there, sensor data, those types of things that corroborate that there is something out there that just doesn't fit with the way that we understand things should fly. But then there's the question of,

like, how do you prove things that are beyond our scientific understanding? So it's interesting because, so you're talking about a piece of video that we don't have, that we haven't seen. I thought you were going to reference another piece of video that I know you're interested in, which is one of these things, things, one of these unidentified aerial phenomena, right, that's like zipping around

in ways that are so unusual that they can't be explained by what we, allegedly and supposedly, by what we know can be done? What do you say to people who go, well, it's probably just some big military secret from some country? Well, I mean, it might be a military secret

from some other country or it might be our military secret and if it was our military secret, well, that's great. Like, we should feel like our national security is well protected. But the truth is, a lot of the people that are coming forward are our military. And there are pilots that are like, hey, you know, national security are not, I almost hit one of these things when I'm flying, and it is dangerous to my person, and they're not getting answers. So what's the next shoot-a-drop, then? More of these videos and files coming out? Okay. Hopefully more videos to come. There should be, again, a drop maybe this

week, possibly next week, but it does seem like this administration is open to allowing the public to see a little bit more. Goddy Shorts. We're so glad to have you here in Washington. Come back. Come back. Come hang out. We like to have you here. Thank you, pal. Appreciate it. And finally tonight, I better know what you're watching later on. Team USA's push to try to make World Cup history in a match against Turkey. You've got the Americans hoping to break a record of winning three games in a row. But here's the thing. Maybe not so much drama because win or lose. they've already punched their ticket to the knockout round. That's critical. Morgan Chesky is in LA in the middle of the action.

I say in the middle of the action quite literally. I see it, Morgan. Yeah, Hallie, I'm here alongside Tito and Myra, just two of the countless Team USA fans here today. How's it feel? That feels great, man. Feels a day, yeah, going to watch the game here at home? Final score? For today? Yeah. 3-0?

3-0. And you, Myra? 3-0. And you, Myra? 3-0. There you go. They want a shout out here. A lot of excitement here, Halley, at the fan zone here in downtown Los Angeles at the iconic Union Station. And I have to tell you that it's pretty special to see just the turnout that we're seeing. We have tons of people, of course, going to SOFI for the game, going to be chanting for the team when they run on the pitch. But here, 20,000 people confirmed RSVP to witness this big game tonight, USA taking on Turkey. And guys, how great is it that win or lose? We're still advantage. dancing. Yeah, it's like perfect. It's like, what more can you ask for at the moment? Amen to that. Mara? Fantastic. We're so happy that USA is dancing, and hopefully we'll keep going on and on and on and on.

And on and on and on and on. You guys are amazing. So, Hallie, this is just a glimpse of the excitement and anticipation building ahead at tonight's big match. I'm just waiting for you to get your wig situation straightened out Morgan. So I assume the next time we talk, you'll have one. I promise, you can let Myron Tito go for now. Because I want to talk brass tacks a little bit, and they don't, if they want to hang out, they can. It's up to them. But like, because to your point, it's going to be good vibes only. Like, no matter what, whether they win or lose, it's going to be great.

But a win still matters, right? Like, there's good stuff that comes from a win. And then there's this big question mark about the biggest superstar on the team, too. Is he going to play? Correct. So there's a couple different ways of looking at it. If the U.S. wants to rest their story. particularly those players that have already gotten yellow cards.

They don't want to risk those players having to sit out for the next round. So we likely will be seeing some role players see more field time tonight than usual. As for Christian Polisic, yes, he is healed from that cap injury he's sustained during Paraguay. But do you want him to go into the next round having not played at all? So he may have a little playing time, check up some of the rust, then come back and get some much-deserved rest so we can keep that, you know, SHAR power fresh for whomever we play next up in the Bay Area during that knockout run. Do you get to go?

I love it. I love it. At the fan fest, Hallie. I hope you get to go to the Bay Area if that assignment is in your future, Morgan. Oh, my God. You want to be both. You and me both. All right, pal.

Go enjoy. Have fun at the game. We'll be watching Go Team USA. Appreciate you. Thanks, Morgan. I appreciate you all for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Hallie Jackson in Washington. Stick around, folks.

We've got more. news on the way.