Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, May 7, 2026

Episode Date: May 8, 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, American passengers from that cruise ship plagued by a deadly virus are now back in the U.S. Are they quarantining here? As health officials around the globe raced to contain that spread, those sick passengers evacuated now, five have tested positive for the deadly disease, plus a flight attendant hospitalized with possible symptoms. Could she have contracted the virus from a plane passenger just off the ship? And we talked to an American doctor trapped on board, plus the Americans back in the U.S. being monitored. for the virus. Also tonight, hundreds of homes destroyed twisters tearing across Mississippi. Neighborhoods left unrecognizable. This woman wrote out the storm in her bathroom. When it was all over,

her home was gone. New U.S. strikes on Iranian targets near the street of Hormuz. Will it throw off any progress on a possible peace deal? L.A.'s mayor race heating up reality TV star Spencer Pratt, and incumbent mayor Karen Bass sparring on the debate stage, how he's shaking up the election. AI Data Center Showdown, a controversial project backed by Shark Tank Star Kevin O'Leary facing outrage and protest by the community is pushing back. A rare look at life inside Cuba, the Cuban mothers taking to social media showing their everyday lives with chronic blackouts and fuel shortages, all while living under a communist government. And shocking video of a jet skier, unexpectedly hitting a whale and sent flying. What happened next? Plus, does Apple owe you some cash?

a slice of the multi-million dollar iPhone settlement. Top story starts right now. Good evening tonight, the world watching that cruise ship hit by the deadly hauntavirus. It's currently off the coast of West Africa, moving towards land. Officials say no one on board is showing symptoms, but tonight there are growing concerns about passengers who already left and returned home. They're in these five U.S. states tonight, you see it here. And according to local health officials, not showing any symptoms. They disembarked before the full scale of the outbreak was. clear. As a reminder, the virus has an incubation period of up to six weeks, meaning more infections

are possible, not just in the U.S., but in as many as 12 countries where passengers have returned, you see them here. Normally only spread by rodents, this rare strain is likely spreading from person to person. You'll hear from experts tonight who say this is not another COVID pandemic, and that this virus is not easily spread. So how do we get here? Let's take a look. On April 1st, the ship left Argentina. That's where health officials. suspect the first people contracted the virus before the cruise began. On April 11th, according to cruise operators, the first passenger dies. Nearly two weeks later, the ship docks at St. Helena. The body of that man is removed and dozens of passengers disembark. The ship continues

its journey then, and others suddenly start to show symptoms. In that time, a second passenger who left the ship dies, as well as a third person on board. They make it to Cape Verde where three sick people are then removed. And now tonight, the ship is making its way to the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco. Its final stop. Now, the big question, once they get there, where will those passengers go?

Danielle Hamamajan has fallen in all and leads us off from the Canary Islands. Tonight, as the ship at the center of the deadly Hanta virus outbreak sails towards the Canary Islands, the World Health Organization confirming five of the eight suspected cases have tested positive.

The patients are being treated in hospitals in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and South Africa. Experts want to reassure the public, though, the risk of infection is low. This is not coronavirus. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. On board the ship, Dr. Stephen Cornfeld, who spoke with NBC affiliate KTVZ in Oregon. He says when the ship's doctor became ill, he had to step in. As things deteriorated and more people got sick and more got seriously ill, I ended up just taking over and trying to keep everybody going. Dr. Cornfield says after three people who'd been on the ship died and others had to be evacuated, those who remain are now okay. Fortunately, nobody else has got sick in the last six to seven days.

We now have two World Health Organization epidemiologists on the boat. We have two Dutch infectious disease people on the boat, so there's a lot of medical coverage now. All part of a global race to stop the virus from spreading beyond that ship. Dutch authorities today announced that a flight attendant has been hospitalized with possible symptoms. She was on the same flight as one of the cruise passengers with Hanta virus. that patient was removed before takeoff and later died, according to Dutch media. What's unknown, the extent of the interaction

between that flight attendant and the passenger. Those still on the ship finding relief to be moving forward. Dr. Cornfeld, among the 17 Americans on board, says he's been in touch with the State Department but is awaiting details on getting back to the U.S. I assume in a couple of days there'll be a plan. So that plan is quite variable. And I really don't know what it will be.

Danielle joins us tonight from the Canary Islands. The cruise ship company says the boat is expected to arrive where you are on Sunday. How will those people get off? Yeah, Tom, so the ship will not dock here, but it will anchor nearby. And from there, the passengers will be evacuated by boat to the port. from here in a cordoned off area to another cordoned off area at the airport, about 20 minutes from here. So no direct contact with the public. But despite and even with those precautions in place,

there have been protests across the Canary Islands, as well as opposition by political leaders to this decision by the Spanish government to welcome this ship in the Canary Islands. Tom. Okay. Danielle, Hamamgen, leaning us off tonight. Danielle, thank you. Tonight health officials here in the U.S. are closely monitoring the passengers who were on that cruise ship and who have now returned home.

They're across five states and right now none are showing symptoms. Here's Camila Bernal with that side of the story. Tonight, confirmation from five states that passengers who were aboard the cruise ship with the deadly haunt of virus outbreak are back in the U.S. One person in Virginia, two in Georgia, two in Texas, another in Arizona and an undisclosed number of people in California. Health departments in all of these states telling NBC News that the former passengers whose identities are being withheld are not showing any symptoms. Texas explaining that the passengers have agreed to monitor themselves for symptoms with daily temperature checks.

The other states declining to share how the passengers are being monitored. We asked each state if those passengers are quarantining, four would not answer that question. Arizona saying the person there is not isolating. Should the passengers back in the U.S. be quarantining? Yes, at least for the duration of the six weeks since a known exposure. Johns Hopkins microbiologist Sabra Klein says that's how long it could take for symptoms to show up if a passenger was exposed and contracted haunt a virus. The confirmed Andy's strain of the virus is usually transmitted through rodents. But in the rare cases of human-to-human transmission, Klein says there must be a high level of virus and very close.

contact. In order for human to human transmission to occur, this requires intimate contact, like sharing a bed, like sharing utensils. Unlike COVID, she says, Haunta Virus is not readily transmissible. People in the United States do not need to be worried. This is not another pandemic. This will never have pandemic potential. We hope so. Camila Bernal joins us now. Camila, what is the federal government doing to track the possible exposure in the U.S. with those Americans now in five states? So they know where these Americans are, but it's unclear if they're tracking who they've been in contact with. We know the CDC has also activated its Emergency Operations Center in Atlanta, and it's a level three activation, which is the lowest. So it's not necessarily in all hands-on-deck situation, but it does help activate experts, and it coordinates point people for this response.

And Tom, they'll be operating 24 hours a day. Tom. Okay, Camila Bernal, we thank you for that. down to the powerful tornadoes ripping across Mississippi, leaving neighborhoods unrecognizable. Residents describing the terrifying moments of taking cover. Aaron Gilcrest joins us tonight from the storm zone. And Aaron, we can see the devastation there behind you. Talk to me about what you're seeing out there. Yeah, Tom, it really is just a mind-blowing amount of devastation here.

I mean, you can see this refrigerator that's been tossed outside here. I want you to look out across this trailer park, though. There were 30 trailers parked here at one point in time. Every single one of them either severely damaged or just obliterated in the storm that came through here. And I want to show you one other thing because I think it gives you a really good idea of just how ferocious the wind was, how powerful it was when it came through this area. This, we think, is a part of a tin roof that has basically wrapped itself around this pole, like a bear hug around this pole. And we're told that there are similar scenes that have played out all across this county. Tonight in Mississippi, neighborhoods left unrecognizable, around 400 homes damaged.

Multiple tornadoes reported ripping through the state leaving miles of destruction. Car windows blown out, trees blocking roads, homes moved off their foundation. Sirens blaring last night as residents took shelter. Oh, shoot. Lightning apparently striking this house, sending it up in flames. Some residents trapped during the storm with more than 15,000 without power, across five counties. Authorities say there were at least 17 injuries but no deaths. Parts of Bougachita demolished. Judy Piat says she and her husband hid inside their shower, the only part of

their house to survive the storm. And all of a sudden, the house was rumbling and shaken. In Purvis, just before service was about to start, the dangerous weather tearing apart this church, the congregation huddling in the hallway. We just started praying and people started singing. And I was over here by the wall, and this wall was just moving back and forth. It all comes after ferocious wind and heavy rain slammed Florida and Alabama, completely flooding roads. My car's flowing right up. Communities now coming together and beginning to clean up.

All I can feel right now is just honestly thankful, just thankful for life. All right, Aaron joins us again. Aaron, there's so much destruction out there. You've been speaking to the people who lost so much. just a matter of minutes. What else are you hearing tonight? Well, we're hearing from some people who obviously are devastated because they've lost everything that they own. They've lost homes that they've lived in for decades in some cases. At the same time, we're seeing two other things, Tom. We're seeing a lot of people who are stepping up to help. We've seen folks offering food and

water. They've been offering us food in water. And we've said, no, give it to folks who really need it. We've seen contractors come out and start trying to patch roofs for people. And then the folks who've lost a lot are saying that they're grateful to be alive at this point. We talked to one extended family that was out at one particular site here. And from the great-grandparents down to the littlest great-grandkids, Tom, they were happy to just be together. Yeah, be together and to survive that. Incredible. Okay, Aaron, thank you. We are also following breaking news overseas, the U.S. striking new Iranian targets. As Iran considers the peace proposal on the table, so what's going on here with Iran and the U.S. going back-to-back with attacks? Let's get right to

Richard Engel in Jerusalem. Richard, walk our viewers through what's happening. So all day, we have been anticipating a response from Iran to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal. And then, just a few hours ago, there was this military escalation in the Strait of Hormuz with at least three U.S. warships coming under attack. And U.S. military officials tell NBC News that Iran started it, that the warships were operating in the Strait of Hormuz, when suddenly They were attacked by Iranian small boats, by drones, and by missiles. None of the American vessels were hit, no reports of any injuries. And the U.S. quickly responded, according to these officials, not only stopping the incoming

fire, but also attacking the sources of fire, the Iranian commanded control sites. Iran has a different version of events. Iran tells a similar story, but in reverse. Iran says that it was the United States that began this attack and that Iran responded and called it a ceasefire. Interestingly, the Iranians did not, however, say that the ceasefire was over. They didn't say that this was the end of diplomacy. And U.S. Central Command put out a statement saying it does not seek an escalation. Richard, while we have you here, you know the clock is ticking.

The president's going to be in Beijing next week. He wanted to put this Iran war behind him before he means. with Xi Jinping, which also has a vested interest in Iran, as you know. Is there enough time or there is no way that Iran is not going to be part of the summit now in China? It is certainly possible. And the fact that there could be a deal is what I'm saying, because the fact that both sides are kind of brushing off this incident in Iran tonight, local media are saying that the situation has resumed to calm.

They're describing it as a victory, as they've been describing all of these battles. So a flare-up doesn't mean that the peace process is over, and China in particular has been very vocal, increasingly vocal, about its desire to see an end to hostilities. So it doesn't seem that tonight's escalation would necessarily completely derail the peace process as President Trump heads to China. We're going to have to wait and see. Richard Engel, always great to have you. We thank you. Next tonight to the Vatican and the key meeting between the Pope and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, amid the war of words between the First American Pope and President Trump.

NBC News Chief White House correspondent, Garrett Haake, has that story. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tonight greeting Pope Leo at the Vatican with a gift. What to get someone who has everything. America's top diplomat now on a delicate mission to the first American pontiff, after a frosty back and forth last month between President Trump and the Pope over Iran. After the Pope criticized the war, blaming it on a quote, delusion of omnibusional. He's a man that doesn't think that we should be toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon so they can blow up the world. I'm not a fan of Pope Leo.

I have no fear. On the end of the Trump administration, nor are speaking out loudly about the message of the gospel. The Pope can say what he wants, and I want him to say what he wants, but I can disagree. The Pope describing it all as a misunderstanding over his calls for peace, while also opposing all nuclear. It was looked at as if I was trying to debate again the president, which is not my interest at all. The president asked yesterday for his message for the Pope. Whether I make him happy or I don't make him happy, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. In Italian, the pontiff responding that for years the church has spoken out against nuclear weapons.

And his gift for Rubio today, a pen made from olive wood. live wood. As of being, of course, plant of peace. Okay, and with that, Garrett Hake joins us. And Garrett, another high-stakes meeting ahead for the Secretary of State. Yeah, Tom, and I wouldn't have described it that way a few months ago. The Secretary meets with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Maloney tomorrow. Maloney has long been one of the most pro-Trump leaders in Europe.

But even that relationship has been strained by the Iran War, with the President even going so far as to recently suggest he might pull U.S. troops out of the U.S. troops out of the Iran. of Italy. So this will be another difficult meeting for the country's top diplomat. And if our viewers were listening, they may have noticed we called you Chief White House Correspondent. Garrett, so our congrats to you, well-deserved. I do have a question for you now that you're the Chief. Do you know the difference between the Chief White House correspondent and the senior White House correspondent, the main difference? Oh, boy, what's that, Tom? You have to pick up the dinner tab now. So make sure to take out that wallet. You know, that White House team

deserves it. Gary, congrats to you. We're very excited. Thanks, Tom. Yeah. Okay, we're going to switch gears here now to the release on that possible suicide note from Jeffrey Epstein. We took the letter to a handwriting expert who found similarities with other Epstein writings. Here's Stephanie Goss with what she found. Tonight, a closer look at Epstein's alleged suicide note, discovered after a failed suicide attempt in 2019. It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye, it says, in scrawled handwriting. Weeks later, Epstein would die by suicide, according to the medical examiner. The note unsealed by a federal judge after the New York Times petitioned the court.

It was sealed as part of an unrelated legal case involving Epstein's cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, who says the note fell out of a book he was reading. But the New York Times and NBC News have not authenticated the document. We asked a handwriting expert to make a comparison with another alleged Epstein note from the DOJ files. What do you make of the no fun in both notes? Well, I think that's significant syntax. The way things are written are very significant in document examination. Some of the letters are similar, too, but she says it is not conclusive.

He probably did write this, but there are limitations because we don't have enough to compare. And then there is this question, What You Want Me to Do Burst Out Cryant, which appears almost identically in two emails released by the DOJ. But back in 2019, after Epstein's death, conspiracies swirled. And as recently as last year, Epstein's convicted associate Galane Maxwell said this in a prison interview with the DOJ. I do not believe he died by suicide. All right. Stephanie, Stephanie, a lot of people are going to be curious about this. If verified, could this put the conspiracy theories to rest?

And I already know the answer to this. Yeah, yeah, probably not. But you heard Galane Maxwell herself there. But there have been a lot of people for a long time believing that there was some conspiracy, some larger network of very powerful people that wanted to silence Epstein. There has never been an ounce of proof ever that that was the case. You have a medical examiner who said that he took his own life. Now you have this note.

Maybe it'll change some people's minds. Okay. Stephanie, gosh, for us. Stephanie, thank you. We're back in a moment with the long-running legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Both sides reaching a settlement. But the Hollywood saga is not over yet. We're going to explain. And if you have an iPhone, there could be some cash coming in your... way, the new class action lawsuit, and what you need to know to get paid. Stay with us.

We're back now with the celebrity legal battle you thought was over. We told you earlier this week, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni had reached a settlement. Well, tonight is source familiar with the matter confirming to NBC News that no money exchanged hands between the end, it ends with us co-stars, and now Lively is seeking damages from Baldoni and his legal team. Here to explain what this all means NBC News legal analyst, Misty Marys. I'm confused here. I thought we had a deal. I thought there was a settlement. Yeah, it never ends, right? That should be the new name. Well, there is a deal, there is a settlement. Blake Lively has withdrawn her case. It's dismissed, but there's an open issue. If you remember, back when Blake Lively filed her lawsuit, Justin Beldoni filed a countersuit,

saying that he was defamed in her lawsuit. Judge dismissed it. Left this open issue of attorney's fees relating to her defense of that defamation case said that she can go and collect those. So that was not part of the settlement agreement. So it's the separately. issue that could really result in big bucks for Blake Lively. And looking ahead to this hearing, could details that both parties didn't want to come out actually come out? So here's the interesting part, Tom. You have the attorney's fees issue, and then you have this really new California law that hasn't really been tested that could allow Blake Lively to get additional damages relating to what she says was a motion that was made with malice, this defamation motion. So this hearing really gets to the root of some of the issues that we could have seen play out at trial. But because this law is so new, nobody really knows what the pathway is going to look like, but we could still learn

some of what they wanted to keep behind closed doors with the settlement. How much longer do you think it's going to take? I think when you're talking about a hearing, it could be a couple of days. We haven't seen it on the schedule yet. The judge hasn't scheduled it, but it's probably going to be relatively soon. But again, this is uncharted territory, because this law in California is so

new. Okay, Misty Mayeris, so great to have you. We thank you for explaining that one. We want to turn out to Utah where plans for a massive new data center move forward this week. The controversial project is backed by shark tank star Kevin O'Leary, Mr. Wonderful. But many in the community are pushing back. NBC, Shaquil Brewster has this one.

Concern and outrage in Utah. Hell Sakes, Grow up. Where hundreds of protesters this week flooded this meeting of Box Elder County Commissioners. Can you be quiet and let our citizens hear what needs to be said, please? As they voted to move forward with a controversial data center proposal backed by celebrity Canadian businessman Kevin O'Leary. Hello, sharks.

Known as Mr. Wonderful on the hit show Shark Tank. You should do this deal. You have no risk. Just saying yes. O'Leary firing back at the protesting criticism in this video posted on social media after the vote. I'm pretty aware of what these concerns are. They are around air, water use, heat. Sustainability is at the heart of what we do in terms of all these proposals.

We're not just Utah. The Stratus Project is a plan to build a 40,000. 1,000 acre development near Utah's Great Salt Lake, boosted by government tax incentives. And according to a county fact sheet, is eventually expected to generate and consume up to 9 gigawatts of power once completed. A number MITA, the state entity backing the project, says, is more than double Utah's average energy consumption. Data centers of the old have a bad reputation. They gobble up a lot of water. they use up your power, and then when they're all built, they don't employ many people.

This is not that power's usage is completely self-contained. The project's potential environmental impact sparking much of the outrage. We're losing land, we're losing water, and we're losing air quality. This has the footprint in the valley of 2,000 Walmart super centers. That's the physical footprint. If you want the energy footprint, it's 40,000. Walmart super centers in this one small valley. As plans for other large data centers proposed across the country have led to heated debate.

Remove this person that's tackling. O'Leary now casting doubt on the pushback in Utah. We think over 90% of the protesters are actually not people that live in Utah or Boxelter County. He didn't provide any evidence to support those claims. Davis, who lives 10 miles from the proposed project, was there. Nobody was bust in and nobody was paid. If they were, I missed out.

A firestorm gripping this Utah community with a celebrity businessman at the center. All right, Shaq joins us now. Shack, as we saw in the piece, tensions are obviously high in this issue. And there was an incident with a local reporter covering this? Yeah, an ABC reporter with a Salt Lake City station there, tried to and says he tried to approach a Republican state senator Jerry Stevenson. Now, Stevenson's on that state-backed board, or the board that's, backing this project and look at what happens during that interaction.

Just get your butt out of here. Wait, hold on. I understand why are you being hostile to us? Because I'm tired of you. Now reporter Brian Weng says Stevenson eventually slapped the phone out of his hand. We did to get a statement from the Utah Senate Deputy Chief of Staff who said, while we remain concerned about ABC 4's conduct, including remaining on private property after being asked to leave, Senator Stevenson apologizes for his response during the unfortunate incident. The station's news director went on to say in a different statement, ABC4 accepts the senator's

apology and it tends to respect the trespassing warning issued at the time. We should also note that we don't know what exactly preceded that video. And you just saw that report, Tom. We did just get a statement from that state entity backing the project. They clarified in the statement that while the total project is housed on about 40,000 acres, of land. They say essentially the main part of it is on 2,000 anchors, what they call the total building envelope for power generation in the data center. They say this is a project that is not only a data center, but it's something that is going to support potential military operations

and will help for data storage and defense operations, Tom. Okay, Shaq Brewster covering it all. Shaq, we thank you. Much more tonight on top story, including the new reaction to that fiery mayoral debate in Los Angeles. you hear some of the sound, does reality TV star Spencer Pratt really have a chance to run that major city? Plus March Madness getting even madder, the major changes just announced to shake up the basketball tournament. We'll tell you about it. We're back now with the race heating up for Los Angeles's next mayor, the primary election less than a month away. Our Los Angeles NBC station hosting a debate between reality TV star Spencer Pratt and incumbent mayor Karen Bass and city councilwoman Nithia Rahman.

The candidate sparring over everything from LA's devastating wildfires to homelessness to crime. Our Dana Griffin has more. Tonight, former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, touting momentum. I would have like three more hours. We got a lot of failures to talk about that these people have. So we should run it back, part two. After a fiery face-off in an L.A. mayor's debate between Pratt, incumbent Karen Bass and councilwoman Nithia Rahman.

This is a MAGA Republicans idea of what Los Angeles looks like. Like, Pratt, famous for reality show, The Hills. What I wanted to do and say to you, dear, I didn't. Now running for mayor, after he and wife Heidi Montag lost their home in the deadly palisades fire. This is where Mayor Bass lives. This is where I live. They let my home burn down. Going after Bass, who's faced fierce criticism for her leadership during the fires.

He talked about the winds. That is just completely inaccurate. If that were accurate, then the planes would have. been able to fly. And so the winds reach close to 100 miles an hour. She's an incredible liar. Everyone on their phones, Google it. 40 weather stations in the Pacific Palisades. It never went above 40 miles from. Bass apologizing for being out of the country when the fires broke out. Worst moments of my life to not be here when my city needed me. But I think that I deserve a second term and I'm going to fight for that because we have made significant progress.

in a variety of areas. The candidates also clashing over homelessness. We can find some of these people she's going to offer treatment for. She's going to get stabbed in the neck. These people do not want a bed. As Mayor Bass and Spencer Pratt attack me, because they want to run against each other. Mayor Bass and I are definitely not working together. I blame this person for burning my house.

Dana Griffin joins us. Dana, it got wild there. We know that Spencer Pratt has also grabbed some headlines this week for reposting a wild AI-generated ad. And tonight his campaign is responding? They are, Tom. A spokesperson telling us in a statement that they did not make this video. They go on to write that we've only produced one ad and it went nuclear viral.

Spencer is so popular. People all over the world are making tribute videos on their own. I think the other candidates are just upset that they are not popular enough to make fan videos like that. And that parody video also featured Mayor Bass as the Joker. and as you can see on your screen, it also has other prominent state leaders being tomatoed by residents here in L.A. Tom, that video getting millions of views online.

Watching it. Dana, thank you for that. And we are joined now by one of the moderators of that debate, one of the great local reporters in Los Angeles, Conan Nolan. He's a political reporter for our Los Angeles NBC station. Conan, thanks for joining us. That was quite the debate, right? The candidates in this race are the incumbent mayor, a city council member, and a reality TV star, I mean, you've seen a lot in politics.

Have you seen anything like this debate? Actually not, although it's sort of emblematic of what we're seeing nationally. Tom, you have a rank-and-file Democrat in the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, member of Congress for years, member of the leader in the legislature of the state of California, now mayor for one term. And then you have Spencer Pratt, who is the pro-Donald Trump, renegade from the right, very much a grievance candidate. And he has reason to be. He lost his home in the Palisades fires, 7,000 homes destroyed. His parents lost their homes.

And then you have a progressive on the left, sort of a Zoran Mamdami Democratic Socialist of America, Nithya Rahman, who believes that the establishment needs to be replaced. It's similar to overseeing the dynamic nationally. How it plays out is anybody's guess. But remember, in the California primary, the top two go on to the general election, regardless of party, although race for mayor is still not. So you may have a very conservative, pro-Donald Trump individual in Spencer Pratt. Also, like Donald Trump, a reality star, who has received national attention in his campaign

on the Joe Rogan podcast and others. And NBC, The Today Show, did a story on him. And he's getting a lot of attention from outside the city. So it was interesting to see this dynamic. Spencer Pratt did far better than we expected. We kind of anticipated he'd pull something from Mr. Trump's previous debates where he would interrupt and call names. He really didn't do that. He didn't do it at all, really.

And we expected the socialist Democrat to do, frankly, better than she did. She's very bright, Harvard undergrad, MIT graduate program. She's very much interested in urban planning. She didn't come as prepared as we expected. And then, of course, there's the mayor who is very good at defending her record. Despite the fact there's real problems with that fire, not the least of which was that she was out of the country when it took place. Yeah, I want to talk more about Spencer Pratt. As you mentioned, he's been getting so many headlines.

He rose to fame playing the villain on MTV's The Hills. Here's a clip from that hit reality TV show. I was proud of myself for not doing what I wanted to do to you, because what I wanted to do and say to you, dear, who! I didn't because I was praying. We're not friends. We're brother and sister. we're not going to be friends.

We're a brother and sister. That's it. At the end of the day, I can't change. I can't make you un my sister. That is a Spencer, a lot of America knows, but we saw a more subdued version on the debate stage, though he still went after his opponents. Here's his response when asked about bringing back Hollywood.

Even Massachusetts has better tax credits than Hollywood. We need post-production tax credits, and Councilman Rahman will tell you, my husband's a producer, blah, blah, blah, the reality she's been in power for five years. Both of these people have been the reason why there's no more Hollywood. Conan, I guess the question is, is that performance enough to give this, to give Spencer Pratt more than just sort of an online social media boost? Will this give him a boost with actual real voters?

I kind of think it might. If you were a Spencer Pratt fan going into it, there was nothing to dissuade you of that after this debate. And if you were worried about his maturity, whether you could see him in the office of the outside of New York, the chief executive of the largest city in America, then you were satisfied to a certain degree because of his deportment. And so, yeah, I think he actually did his campaign, you know, some service in this debate. Remember, it's top two, though. Clearly, the mayor of Los Angeles, that Karen Bass, a very establishment Democrat, would love nothing better than to have him as her fall opponent rather than a progressive, Zoran Mamdani's similar candidate. Because we're expecting a big progressive, right, very big progressive vote in the fall, and she doesn't want to face that.

You know, as you mentioned, Karen Bass, the mayor now is fighting for her political life in this race and taking responsibility for not being in law. Los Angeles turned the palisades fire. You mentioned that. Let's hear how she explained it. Obviously, January 7th was horrible. And as I have told you before, it was one of the worst moments of my life to not be here when my city needed me. So did Mayor Bass, you think, do enough last night to address the concerns of voters? Probably not. But I think there are plenty of people still have yet to decide whether or not she deserves a second term. And they could very well decide. At the end of it all, yes, it was really outrageous that she was out of the country. Remember, we knew there was going to be historically high winds that day, and she was still left for Africa.

But they will conclude, possibly, that there's too much at stake down the road. They need somebody at the helm who has experience. And yes, it's trial by fire, so to speak, but she's learned her lesson. I think her campaign believes that when it's all said and done, she will bring in the black, Hispanic votes, the suburban votes in the San Fernando Valley that she's been able to pull together in the first campaign, and she will ultimately prevail in this reelection. Yeah, Conan, we heard at times moderators had to remind Prattab decorum. Peel back the curtain a little bit. How was it to moderate this debate and how did you prepare for it? Well, we were, again, we were concerned that he was going to pull something out of the Donald Trump, you know, debate approach, which is to interrupt and to perhaps call her names, which he has been doing on social media.

But he didn't do it. And actually, it was, we were pleasantly surprised. The mayoral candidates were actually pretty, pretty easy to wrangle, for the most part. Nithya Rahman was fairly upset because she didn't believe she got the kind of opportunity that she needed. But I'll tell you, most people who have assessed this debate from the Los Angeles Times and elsewhere have said she just didn't seem prepared for this, which is a surprise. Because, again, she's very well-versed in urban planning and some of the very fundamental issues facing the city. So it was a bit of a surprise. In terms of getting prepared for this debate, I'll be honest, with you. It was tough to do it for both a mayoral debate and then an hour later for the race for governor of California. That was not easy. And the real problems came when you had seven candidates

running for office and they were interested. They had one last opportunity to bring down the frontrunner. And that, of course, was Javier Viserra, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services, now the leading Democrat in the race for governor. Yeah, you got two big races that you're watching there. Conan, so great to have you. We thank you as always. My pleasure. Now, to Top Stories News Feed, the man convicted in the deadly firebombing attack at a pro-Israel demonstration in Colorado last year. You may remember that story? Well, he's now been sentenced to life in prison.

Mohamed Sabri Salomon threw Molotov cocktails at a group of people, killing one and injury in a dozen others. Solomon expressed regret at today's hearing. He still faces federal hate crime charges, which he's pleaded not guilty to. Solomon could be facing the death penalty in that case, according to his attorneys. Maine Senator Susan Collins revealing she has a benumbus. essential tremor as she faces questions about her health. The 73-year-old Republican told our NBC affiliate she has had this medical condition for decades. Constituents have long-noticed trembling in her hands, in her head, sometimes in her voice.

Collins says she treats the tremor with medication and that it does not impact her cognitive ability. Collins has served 30 years in the Senate and is currently running for re-election. The next March Madness Tournament just got even bigger. The NCAA today releasing a new 76-team bracket for the men's. and women's basketball championships. It adds eight schools to both tournaments. 32 teams will now automatically qualify. This is the biggest expansion

for the men's basketball tournament since 1985. And White House Press Secretary, Caroline Levitt, announcing the birth of her daughter. Levitt posting on social media today that she gave birth to baby Viviana on Friday. Levitt, who is now on maternity leave is the first White House press secretary to have a child while on the job.

All right, now to some potentially good news for iPhone users that could put up to $95 bucks back in your pocket. Tech giant Apple agreeing to settle a class action lawsuit for a whopping $250 million. The company was accused of misleading customers by promoting some new AI features that still haven't even been rolled out yet.

I want to bring in our NBC business and economy reporter, Ali Knau, thanks so much for being here to talk to us. Who's getting paid? Yes, well, it's not every single iPhone user out there, but guess what? A significant subset of those users are going to be eligible for these payments. So here's the deal. Okay. If you purchase an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max or any iPhone 16 model in the U.S. between June 10th of 2024 and March 29th of 2025, you are eligible for these payments. And according to this settlement, about 37 million devices are covered here. Now, how much are you getting paid? That's the big question. So it's around $25 per device, although that payment can go higher or lower, depending on how many people file claims. I thought it was up to $95.

That's the cap. The cap is 95, but you might not get that. It's all dependent on the claim filings there. If you want to submit a claim, you would have to fill out a claim form, submit it through a website that is still being worked on. That's according to the law firms that brought this case. But the fact that we could be receiving any money at all from Apple, normally I'm giving money to Apple all the time. That's a win. So what should people do? Should they monitor the Apple website, or will they be notified? Yeah, they'll be notified, and you can go and find that claim website and then submit that. I think we might have had Brian Chung on here talking about these AI features, like when they first announced them. So when are those AI features coming? Well, that's been the big question here. Now, Apple, for its part, has maintained zero wrongdoing. It says that this represents a very small subset of its overall AI rollout here. And they did say in a statement that they've released dozens of Apple intelligence features, including things like the Gen Moji, visual intelligence, certain writing tools. So why settle at all? Well, in a statement, the company said that this was meant to resolve claims related to the availability of two additional features that were not yet available to users. And they were pretty vague on.

what those features were. But if you read through the settlement, this lawsuit broadly centered on these enhanced Siri capabilities. So think of Siri as sort of a personalized digital assistant that could read personal context, go between apps. Yeah, remember this. Yeah. Promise was not ultimately delivered to those users when they talked about that in 2024. So that's where this lawsuit really centers on. So we'll see it. If you're one of these eligible users, submit those claims. Might get some gas money coming your way. All right, All right, Allie, we thank you for that. Still to come tonight on top story, living under the Cuban regime, the growing number of everyday mothers, pulling back the curtain on life inside the communist country.

Plus, the chaotic collision on the water at jet ski are slamming into a whale. We'll show you that wild video right after this. We're back with the latest on the deadly haunt of virus outbreak. Tonight, the cruise ship making its way to the Canary Islands carrying nearly 150 people confined to their cabins. The virus has already killed three people who were on board that ship. An additional three people who got sick have been evacuated, including the doctor on board. Our next guest has firsthand experience in that doctor's role.

Dr. Martin Chris has worked on that specific cruise ship four times and joins us now. Doctor, we thank you so much for being here on top story. Take us inside that ship. When a patient gets sick, how closely is the doctor on board coming into contact with the passengers and what kind of equipment exists on board? Well, I mean, it's a quite small ship. We have a lot of medications on board because passengers very often forget their medicine at home. And there's some equipment, not much.

And there is a sick bay with two beds and oxygen. So we have actually a lot of oxygen on the ship. Yeah. And then do you think the doctor on board would have had specific training to deal with hauntavirus or any kind of emergency plan for a scenario like this where he got sick and other patients, had to step up. Is that even something that usually is on your radar? Yeah, well, I mean, the doctors, they don't have specific training on hunter virus because there's never been an outbreak of hunter virus on a cruise ship.

There are plans to how to handle infections on the ship in three levels. One is just to wear masks. And the third level is to isolate all the passengers like we did it during COVID. What kind of protective gear would the doctor have on that ship? Actually, not much. Masks, glasses, face shields, but that's about it. We have a blueprint of the ship's cabin. We know it holds 170 people, including a staff of 71 people across 80 cabins.

across 81 cabins, 80 cabins, I should say. How tightly has everyone packed into on this ship? And how hard would it be to fully isolate sick passengers? Yeah, well, there are some common rooms on the ship. There is a lounge where everybody gathers. And if you have 150, 170 passengers, that's quite packed. And then there is a dining room that can get quite packed as well. And then there is a lecture room.

So that's the common areas. The rest is all the cabins. Yeah, what would the protocol be for a medical emergency or outbreak scenario on the ship, especially if you're far from land? Well, you can't do much if you are far from land. I mean, you do what you can do. I mean, that's, and as a doctor, you are alone, so you don't have any nurses, you don't have any help. If a major outbreak or something happens, then you can, of course, ask if there's another doctor on the ship that can help you.

You were on board the ship during COVID. How does this moment compare? It was worse during COVID because there were more people infected, and it was total lockdown on the ship. We know that passengers on the cruise left to do a variety of expeditions. To your knowledge, are passengers briefed on possible health risks in some of the remote areas? Yes. The doctor usually get them information about that. On the trips you've done on this boat, what kind of passengers are typically on board?

Are they young people? Are they young adventurers, older people? Well, there are some, not many young adventurous people, and the rest is senior people. Which makes it even scarier. What would your message be to those passengers and crew stuck on board this cruise ship tonight? Good luck. I would say good luck because it's a terrible situation to be in because you don't know what will happen. I mean, they will probably get isolated somewhere for a couple of weeks, I would assume. Dr. Chris, we thank you for your time.

Thank you. Now to the Americas and the growing number of everyday moms in Cuba using social media to document life as they live with chronic blackouts and fuel shortages. The video is offering a rare look at life under a con. communist government where media access is otherwise tightly controlled. NBC's George Solis takes a look at this one for us. No charge or power. Cuban mom Anna Ivisate recording and posting the harsh realities of what 36 hours inside a Cuban blackout looks like, her little one, sweating from the oppressive heat.

In this post, saying her daughters need to learn how to eat whatever food is available to them. In another, she shows two girls in her community, who she says lack basic supplies, asking her followers to donate if they have anything to spare. Some of her posts include influencer-style content like Day in the Life, Get Ready With Me, and Get Ready With Me videos. Her posts, part of a growing movement of moms using social media to document daily life inside communist Cuba. A combination of communist government mismanagement and longstanding sanctions against the Cuban regime, now coupled with a U.S. fuel embargo, have the country facing its worst economic crisis in decades. The videos posted by Ivisate and other moms, notably avoid direct criticism of the Cuban government.

Cuba has a long history of imprisoning dissidents. Right now, more than 1,200 political prisoners are locked up, according to some human rights organizations. A claim the Cuban government denies. Everyone's reality is unique, she says, so I decided to show mine. We asked her if she's concerned about how audiences, including the government, might interpret her videos. I know they touch on social issues, she says, but it's my reality, and I'm not trying to hide it. Another woman, a mom and doctor who spoke to the Washington Post, which first reported on this trend, has more than 70,000 followers on Instagram. Posting about getting ready for work after 30 hours in the dark.

In this clip, laying out Cuban pastels on the table saying it's her salary, about 20 U.S. dollars a month, showing some of what she's able to purchase with her income. Another mom uploading how she cooks over coal stones as rampant power outages continued throughout the island, sharing how she charges her portable batteries when there is power. NBC News has reached out to these users and more, but have not heard back. Another user were not showing declined to be interviewed over concerns of retaliation from the government. I want them to know what an ordinary Cuban mother goes through, Evizate says, adding, I think there's an awakening to the reality many Cubans are living. George Solis, NBC News. Okay, George, we thank you for that.

Now at Top Story's Global Watch, a check of what else is happening around the world. We start with a record-setting drug bust in Europe. Spanish police using 30 tons of cocaine from a ship off the Canary Islands. That's more than 65,000 pounds and worth nearly a billion. $1 million in Coke. Investigators say they believe the drugs were supposed to be moved on to high-speed boats and then smuggle into mainland Spain. All 23 crew members are being detained without bail. And while video off the coast of Vancouver showing a jet skier crashing into a whale of all things, here you can see the collision. The gray whale breaches just as the jet skier cruises

by, sending the man flying to the water. Rescue crews say the man was hurt and taken to the hospital, but so far, the whale seems to be doing okay. And K-pop supergroup BTS greeting fans from the presidential balcony in Mexico City. Joined by Mexico's president, some of the members spoke to the crowd in Spanish, thanking their fans for support and expressing their excitement ahead of the group's sold-out concert.

Tonight, around 50,000 people are going to attend the gathering. All right, when we come back tonight, the special celebration at the ballpark and the life-saving donation that united two rival fans. Stay with us. Finally, tonight, it is not often

you see opposing teams join forces, but when one Chicago Cubs fan shared a sign saying she needed a miracle kidney donation, it was a white socks fan who stepped up to the plate, turning this windy city rivalry into a lifelong connection. In Chicago, sports allegiances are like religion. You're either socks or cubs. But recently, two crosstown rivals found good reason to put their differences aside. Bridget Coles is a diehard Cubs fan who was diagnosed with kidney disease,

and lupus in 2017. She desperately needed a kidney transplant, taking this sign to the ballpark in 2019 as a last resort, writing, this little cubby needs a kidney. Thomas Alessio, a longtime White Sox fan, saw the picture on social media and stepped up to the play. I think especially in the world today,

you should put yourself out there to help someone who's next to you. It turns out the two fans with divided loyalties were a perfect match. And six years ago, Thomas donated his kidney to Bridget. This week, the two got together to celebrate in a special way. We'll see what this kidney can do, okay, on the mound. Bridget throwing out the first pitch at a Cubs game with Thomas right by her side, celebrating on the diamond with their medical team looking on.

This is such a wonderful moment here with my donor. I'm here on the field, so the sign worked. I never thought I'd be standing here today. A hometown hero in a home run moment. I'm here because of him, so I'm thankful for him. I'll always be Cubs fan. A little organ of me will be Sox fan. All right, that does it for us.

Thanks so much for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on me.