Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, November 20, 2025

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

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

Tonight, the dangerous weather threatening millions of Americans and the Thanksgiving storm that could upend your holiday travel plans. The dust storm blasting through Texas, blinding drivers, a rare flash flood emergency issued as downpours inundate streets, and the cross-country storm set to hit during the busiest travel week of the year. Bill Cairns in the house, timing it all out. Also tonight, the new details about that fatal UPS plane crash, frame by frame images of the moment the engine. broke off and flew over the top of the plane just before the aircraft explodes in a fireball. The NTSB finding cracks in a key piece of the plane. Federal agents storming into an apartment, pulling their guns on a mother and her four kids. Why officials say they forced their way into the apartment.

The disturbing images of a former congressional staffer zip tied, injured, and left outside in the woods. Now prosecutors say it was all an elaborate hoax. A massive inferno breaking out at a climate conference in Brazil. inside the convention hall thousands racing to get out a more accurate female crash test dummy endorsed by federal regulators finally for the first time could it improve safety for women on the roads and the zipper of the future yes it is here for the first time in a century the world's largest zipper manufacturer is redesigning the overlooked piece of fashion we yes we got a first-hand look at the new

technology. Plus, if you don't have a real ID, it could soon cost you an extra 18 bucks to fly. We'll explain why. Top story starts right now. Good evening. Tonight, 10 million Americans across the South facing storm threats, flash floods and a massive dust storm creating dangerous conditions, and we are tracking another major system set to hit right in the middle of next week's busy holiday travel rush. This new time lapse showing tonight the dust storm rolling into Wolford, Texas, just outside of Lubbock. You can see the massive cloud, and if you look closely, you'll see that dust. Another time lapse capturing the chilling view in Lubbock, that wall of dust tearing across the landscape there.

And for Texas and Menard, this could have been the view out of your window. Look at all that water. Flood waters rushing through the streets. Officials issuing a rare flash flood emergency, a sign of just how dangerous the situation is there. And as Americans prepare to head home for the Thanksgiving holiday, look at this. A cross-country storm is brewing that could cause some travel chaos. I want to bring in NBC News meteorologist Bill Cairns. Bill, I know Thanksgiving is so far away, but we are tracking this big boy, right? Yeah, so we're dealing with what we're having tonight, the problems in Texas, and then we're going to have to go from California all the way to the East Coast as we approach Thanksgiving Day. So first off, the biggest issues are in the Dallas area.

We had a lot of heavy rain earlier today. The heavy rain has returned. I was just seeing there's a ground stop at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. They're saying the delays are between two to three hours. They were still trying to catch up from this morning, and now these thunderstorms are moving right over the area again. So 10 million people are included in this. You notice we have had some flooding reports.

There's those little dots there near the Dallas area. Give it about another half hour or so, and the rain should let up there in the Dallas area. Fort Worth, you're already seeing some improvements, but you can just see. It's just a mess there as we head throughout your early evening. Now for the storm that's going to come into California. We're going to deal with a flood threat, Los Angeles,

and some of the desert areas of California tonight into tomorrow. Then we get a little bit of a break as we go through Saturday and Sundays. The storm is kind of weak through Arizona and Mexico. By the time we get to Monday, the storm intensifies. It pulls moisture out of the Gulf. And once again, the Dallas area is going to deal with some heavy rain and possible thunderstorm. So Monday air travel, it's kind of the first day that we could see some significant problems at a major hub there at Dallas, Fort Worth, maybe minor problems, Denver and St. Louis,

East Coast is fine, West Coast is fine. Then by the time we get to Tuesday, the storm intensifies, heads up to the Great Lakes. The backside, the blue is snow. So rain, the snow for our friends in the Dakotas, Minnesota. By the time we get to Wednesday, we're going to watch that going over to snow in areas of Wisconsin. For the East Coast, it's going to kind of be mild, very cloudy, on and off periods of rain Tuesday and Wednesday. So not the best for driving on the roads. Tom, I think everyone will get to their destinations.

May just be a little slower and a little unfavorable driving conditions. All right, Bill, we hope you are right. Next tonight, we're going to go to the dramatic new images of that deadly UPS cargo plane crash released by the NTSB. They appear to show the engine cracked and then flying above the plane before it caught on fire. NBC's Tom Costello has those images. The NTSB photos released today show the left engine and the pylon holding it to the UPS plane's wing, coming off the plane as it began to take off. Then a mass of fire as the engine exploded up and over the fuselage,

dooming the three pilots on board and killing 11 people on the ground. mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters, husbands and wives. This might be the toughest Thanksgiving that their families have ever been through. In the planes remains, the NTSB says investigators found fatigue fractures in the pylon structure holding the engine to the wing, there and there with green arrows. As the NTSB notes haunting similarities to a 1979 crash involving the previous model of the same plane that killed everyone on board. This is all that was left of American Airlines Flight 191, as far as it got on its way to Los Angeles.

Investigators later determined the engine and pylon came off that plane after being damaged during maintenance. The FAA quickly ordered regular inspections of similar planes. The UPS plane that crashed in Louisville built in 1994 went through routine maintenance in October, but wasn't yet due for a heavy, detailed pylon inspection. The similarity of the engine and pylon coming off the wing is too obvious just to ignore. But the details of how that happened, well, that's something the NTSB is going to be challenged with. The MD-11 being grounded has affected both FedEx and UPS. They rely on it for cross-country cargo runs, and that is impacting their operations now as we go into the holidays.

Both have had to use smaller planes, lean on partner airlines, and ground transport options. to carry their packages. That's already delaying some shipping, but they do hope to be operating normally as to get closer to Christmas. Tom. Okay, Tom Costello. Now to the outrage from Democrats after President Trump lashed out, saying some of them should be arrested and even put to death. The White House defending the president tonight. NBC's Garrett Hake explains what's going on. President Trump facing outrage from Democrats tonight after demanding the arrest of a half-dozen Democratic lawmakers, suggesting they be executed for posting this video.

We want to speak directly to members of the military, where six Democrats, all with national security backgrounds, urge members of the military to disobey any illegal orders from President Trump. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. Referring to the video, President Trump writing, seditious behavior from traitors, lock them up, and seditious behavior punishable by death. Later, reposting a comment in which someone wrote, quote,

hang them, George Washington would. Democrats condemning the comments, calling for extra security for the members involved. This is perhaps the most reckless, irresponsible thing that he has done all Congress, and it's going to get a lot of us killed. We've kids. The president want to execute members of Congress. No. The White House firing back. They're suggesting Nancy that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not. And to suggest and encourage that the White House firing back. that active duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do. And they should be held accountable. And that's what the president wants to see. All right, Garrett Higg joins us tonight from the White House.

Garrett, I have a few questions for you. First, do we know what the genesis of the Democrats' response video was as far as it Venezuela? Was it far as the National Guard? I mean, was it everything? Yeah, we don't know. I think it could be all of the above. These are all Democrats who have national security background. Slotkin was a CIA analyst. So they're messes. was crafted to members of the military, but also to the intelligence community. We have some great reporting here at NBC News about concerns about the legality of the strikes in Venezuela. That could be the most proximate cause. But Democrats have raised concerns about a number of the steps that presidents taken so far this second term. And I think any one of them could have been

a trigger point for this. And then those lawmakers are saying they're receiving death threats? Yeah, that's right. Elisa Slotkin, the Michigan Democrat, who you saw several times in the course of that talk to members of our Capitol Hill team tonight, said she'd received hundreds and hundreds approaching a thousand threats so far. She's already been assigned a 24-7 Capitol Police security detail just since this story really took off today. And then before you go, we know that the president has a big meeting set for tomorrow in the Oval Office. Yeah, that's right. New York mayor-elect Zoran Mamdami's coming here tomorrow. Tom, some of the hype around this feels like what you'd see for a W-W-E match, not surprising for the wrestling Hall of Famer in the White.

White House. The White House calls Mamdami a communist. He's a Democratic socialist. They occupy opposite ends of any political spectrum you might draw, but both love New York City. And at least, I think, to some degree, view each other as very capable communicators. The president loves having a foil, loves having a worthy political opponent. I think it's possible he sees Mondami as that figure, at least for now in the Democratic Party. A lot of eyes will be on that meeting tomorrow, Tom. Yeah, Garrett, before you go, you mentioned pay-per-view. Luckily in America, it's all going to be free. Will there be any kind of pool press spray? Is there a press conference? Anything like that with the president and Mundami? The White House won't confirm that, Tom, but I would be shocked if this is not

live on television tomorrow. All right, we're sure you'll be there. We thank you so much for that, Garrett. All right, we want to turn out to some new polling and some troubling signs for President Trump, even within his own party. His approval sinking, as more and more Americans disagree with his handling of one of his signature issues, the economy. So what impact could that have on voters in the midterms now less than a year away? Our NBC News chief data analysts, you know him. Steve Kornacki is live tonight with us at the big board. Steve, let's start with the approval ratings. Zoom out and tell us what's going on. Yeah, Tom, we've gotten a bunch of polling, really just in the last day or two. Put it all up for you here, four different polls that have

just come out looking. This is the big picture question. Do you approve of how Trump is handling his job as president. And look, it sort of have convergence here. Not good for Trump. The low end, 39% approval, the high end, only 43% approval. We've talked about Trump as president. He's kind of operated in a very narrow range. This is getting to the low end in either Trump term of what we've seen for his job approval. He can't run again. He is a lame duck president. But this matters for the midterms, especially the economy, right? Because voters are voting their pocketbooks almost always. How is he doing on the economy? Yeah, and that's it. We've seen this number coming down in the last couple of months, and I think it's directly related to this.

Three of these polls asked specifically about Trump's handling of the economy. And look, the numbers are even worse here. 36, 38, 34 percent approve. One of the problems for Trump right here is that somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of Republicans are saying they disapprove of how he's handling the economy. And I think this finding from the Fox News poll, I really wanted to show you, because I think it gets to the heart of it. They asked overall voters, do you think Trump's economic policies have helped only 15% hurt, 46% or no different. Compare this to the last president, Joe Biden. The numbers almost identical. You saw what the economy did to Biden. Trump in the same category right now with these numbers. And I don't know if we have sort of other polls that can

explain what it is. Is it still that stubborn inflation, right? Because there have been some positive signs on the economy, but it doesn't feel like it's breaking through to voters. Yeah, well, we can show you. I think interestingly, we mentioned the midterm elections here. One of the things we is Democrats opening up a lead on what we call the generic ballot, which party you want to control. But how about this? When we asked in this poll, which part of you do you prefer a range of affordability issues here? Broadly making things more affordable. That's flipped, yeah. Ten point advantage for Dems, reducing health care costs, creating jobs. That's a Democratic advantage. We haven't often seen that. Raising wages. This is from the Fox poll, a double-digit

Democratic advantage. So sort of across the board on these issues, the political thermometer moving against Republican. And it's interesting, right, because his first year in his presidency focused on a lot of issues overseas, traveling the world. Next year, we hear he's going to be doing a lot of stuff in the states to talk about affordability. We're going to have to see what happens. So great to have you here, Steve, as always. Not a Capitol Hill, a Democratic Congresswoman from Florida tonight, indicted by a grand jury. On charges, she stole more than $5 million in COVID relief funds meant for FEMA, one of her colleagues now filing a resolution to expel her if she doesn't resign. NBC's Ryan Noble's all over this one for us tonight. Democratic Florida Congresswoman Sheila Sherf Lewis McCormick, facing more than 50 years in prison.

After she was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges she stole more than $5 million of taxpayer money meant for FEMA. Charges she denies. Well, it's an unjust indictment, and it seems like these intimidation tactics have been pervasive. According to the indictment, Sheriff Lewis McCormick and her brother illegally stole FEMA money given to her family's health care company for COVID vaccinations. Now, some of her colleagues. are demanding she stepped down. As a Floridian, it's appalling that somebody would defraud FEMA. My district's been hit by six hurricanes in two years.

Greg Stuby, a Florida Republican, has followed a resolution to expel Shurf Lewis McCormick if she does not resign. I can guarantee you, regardless of political affiliation, if I poll this in my district, it's like 99% thinks she shouldn't be a member of Congress. Sherf Lewis McCormick is already facing a House Ethics Committee investigation. Tonight, she's pushing back on calls to say. step down. What do you say to your colleagues that are calling for you to step down or be expelled? They did not elect me and this is between my constituents. Thank you so much. The top Democrat says

she deserves her day in court. She's innocent until proven guilty. All right, Ryan Nobles joins us tonight from Washington. And Ryan, do we have any sense if that resolution to expel the Congresswoman, the one you were just talking about there, would it pass? Well, Congressman Greg Stuby said that he's going to wait and see what happens when the Ethics Committee completes their investigation into Sheriff Phyllis McCormick, he believes that once that evidence is presented to the rest of his colleagues, that the response will be overwhelming, and they will move to expel her much like the Congress did with former Congressman George Santos. You'll remember that there was a long effort to get him to be expelled, but there wasn't a majority of members of

Congress willing to do so until they saw the results of that ethics investigation. We expect that ethics investigation to be revealed pretty soon. And Stuby believes that once it gets to that point, there could be a move to expel her as a result. Okay, Ryan Nobles for us. Ryan, we appreciate it. Next tonight to the former congressional staffer at the center of an elaborate hoax. This is such a crazy story. Prosecutors say she faked a violent and politically motivated attack on herself. And some of the graphic images showing the lengths she allegedly went to are disturbing.

NBC's Aaron McLaughlin has the details. These images show a then-Republican congressional staffer lying face. down in a New Jersey nature reserve. Her hands zip tied behind her back. Her body lacerated with Trump and a profane word written across her stomach. Tonight, federal prosecutors alleged 26-year-old Natalie Green did this to herself. Part of an elaborate hoax meant to look like a politically motivated attack. According to the criminal complaint at around 10.30 p.m. on July 23rd,

an unnamed co-conspirator called 911, telling dispatch that she and Green had been walking the trail. when three guys just attacked us, talking politics and stuff, calling Green a racist. Police say they found Green crying loudly and yelling, he has a gun, he has a gun. Investigators later found duct tape and black zip ties inside Green's Maserati. They also alleged Green paid an artist $500 to cut her body just hours before the hoax attack. The court documents noting the cuts made to Green's skin at her request followed the exact same pattern as the lacerations observed. when she was lying on the ground. Green is now charged with conspiracy

to convey false information and hoaxes and with making false statements. In a statement, her lawyer writing under the law, she is presumed innocent. Today, the congressman she used to work for, Jeff Van Drew, said he hopes she's getting the care she needs. I don't know any more than you all do,

and we never would interfere with an investigation or a criminal process. All right, Aaron joins us now on set. Aaron, you know, people will be watching this. They will think of what happened with Jesse Smallette in Chicago. ago. Do we know the motive here? You know, that is the key outstanding question. At this point, it's unclear. Lots of speculation.

Was she doing this for attention? We just don't know. And we may not know exactly why for some time. She waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Both the prosecution and defense have paused all court proceedings until the end of January. She's out on a $200,000 bond. So it could be a while till we know the full answers here. Okay, Aaron, thank you for that. Now, to an update on a story we brought you last night of funeral health today for the teen found dead on a carnival cruise ship. It comes as we learn new details about her stepbrother, who's a suspect in the case, reportedly sharing a room on the ship with her. Here's Jesse Kirsch.

In Titusville, Florida, family and friends gathering tonight to remember Anna Kepner. The 18-year-old was on this carnival cruise ship with her father, stepmother, and siblings when she died suddenly on November 7th. And tonight, new details about the investigation emerging in a custody hearing. Kepner's 16-year-old stepbrother, now a suspect in the case, according to his father's attorney, who also said the step-siblings shared a cabin on the ship. So we're very concerned with those circumstances. His mother, Kepner's stepmother, saying the FBI has cleared her of any wrongdoing. She says her 16-year-old son was hospitalized after the cruise and is now in counseling and living with a relative.

Kepner's body was found by a house. housekeeper under a bed in her state room, according to multiple reports citing law enforcement sources. The medical examiner has not yet released Kepner's cause of death. Today, mourners asked to dress in vivid colors to honor what Kepner's family called her bright and beautiful soul. All right, Jesse joins us tonight from Florida. Jesse, I know just moments ago you were able to speak to some of Anna's family. What do they tell you? Yeah, Tom, these are some young people who identify themselves as part of Anna. Kepner's extended family. They say this is someone who wanted to help people, someone who cared

immensely about her family and looked after her siblings closely. And when we're just talking about at the end of that piece there, that people were told to dress in vivid color. They specifically were asked if they would dress in blue because that was Anna's favorite color, according to her family. And I can tell you that after that church service wrapped up here, several people left in Tom. Okay. Jesse, thank you. Now to the funeral today in Washington for former vice president Dick Cheney. He was a powerful but also polarizing figure remembered today by former presidents and his family. Here's Andrea Mitchell. At the National Cathedral, a bipartisan farewell for Dick Cheney, perhaps the most powerful vice president of modern times and also controversial.

Chosen by George W. Bush to select a running mate in 2000, he then got the job. I realized the best choice for the vice president was a man sitting right in front of me. His last act, uniting two former presidents and four former vice presidents from opposing parties, including Kamala Harris, whom Cheney endorsed over President Trump. Neither President Trump nor Vice President Vance were invited. Trump has not commented this from Vance. We certainly wish his family all the best in this moment of grieving. Cheney's daughter, Liz, who lost her congressional seat after investigating the attack on the Capitol,

said her dad always put country over party. For him, a choice between defense of the Constitution and defense of your political party was no choice at all. After 9-11, Cheney faced fierce backlash for supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The belief that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction proved wrong. This was a vice president totally devoted to protecting the United States and its interests.

There was never any agenda or angle beyond that. The Cheney's Pentagon spokesman, our former colleague, Pete Williams, described how Cheney treated his AIDS. When the boss that you serve cleans up after your mistakes, you can bet that inspires loyalty. Both from Wyoming, Pete also recalled that if he went fishing with Cheney and said 10 words all day, Cheney would say he talked too much. Tom? Okay, Andrea. We are back at a moment with the growing concerns tonight about pregnancy-related health care, particularly for black women. We'll hear from two families who say they were delayed the hospital treatment they needed.

Plus, the terrifying scene here in New York, federal agents storming into an apartment, pulling a gun on a mother and her kids will explain what happened. And check your email because Amazon is now shelling out refunds to prime members. We'll tell you whether you're eligible. Ahead on Top Story. We're back now with two incidents raising questions and sparking frustration about the treatment of black women in hospital.

just moments before giving birth. Zinclai SMY has the disturbing videos drawing attention tonight. Tonight mounting concerns over this video that appears to show Carrie Jones in active labor at Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite, Texas, last week. Y'all treat all your patients like this or just the black ones. Jones's mother posting the video on social media. I said, can we get her into labor and delivery? She said, no. know, we have to fill out all this paperwork. The family alleges hospital staff delay Jones's care for more than half an hour.

In a statement to NBC News, the medical center says in part that we are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care to every person who comes through our doors, and we are reviewing this situation to understand what occurred. In the U.S., black women report facing disproportionate levels of unfair treatment in health care settings and are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. In Crown Point, Indiana, another alarming video. Mercedes-Well says she sought care from Franciscan Health Crown Point Sunday. She says they sent her up to triage where she labored for six hours and a nurse gave her a checkup. After she finished,

she said, well, if you're not further along and we're not past three centimeters in the next two hours, then we're going to discharge you. Well says she never saw a doctor. And minutes after being discharged, she gave birth in the car. How did it feel after you gave birth, not at the hospital, but in your car? I felt like I was put out on the street. Did you think you could lose them? I did.

I did. And that's that's what. That's what messing me up. me up. The Indiana Hospital telling NBC News in part, the video is just one part of the information we are reviewing as part of a thorough investigation into this alleged incident. As tonight, two families demand accountability and answers. Zinclai Smois, NBC News. Okay, still ahead on top story tonight, the new technology aimed at keeping women safer in cars are exclusive look at the advanced crash test dummies, now recommended by federal regulators. And if you don't have your

real ID yet why you could soon be paying a fee to get through security at the airport. But first, Top Story's top moment and the wicked surprise for a group of students in London. Actress Cynthia Revo, who stars as Alpha Bun, the hit movie franchise, returning to her high school, where she first began singing and giving a group of students a moment they will never forget. Yeah, Cynthia, we fooled them. Arrivo sticking around to join the choir rehearsal and sing for good with the group of girls. So, so, so cool.

All right, stay with us. More news on the way. with an update to a story we brought you earlier this year. Tonight, the Department of Transportation announcing new requirements for female crash test dummies that more accurately represent women. This new dummy could help reduce the staggering number of injuries women suffer in car crashes. NBC's Julie Circon has the exclusive details. A major announcement tonight on the future of car safety for women.

We're releasing design specifications for this, the first ever advanced female crash test dummy. Nearly five decades since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first released car safety standards for drivers and passengers. Hey, thanks to these airbags here. This job is now a piece okay, Claire. A dummy, they say, is truly representative of female anatomy known as the Thor Fifth is finally being endorsed by the regulatory agency. I was stunned to find out that women are 73% more likely than men to get seriously injured

and head-on car crashes. It really is a bit of a shot. The data is showing more and more that there are crash risks that are unique to women that are different from men. Without the tools to really measure the differences, it's tough to account for that when you're designing a vehicle to protect people. Even NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison admits it has taken far too long. Now, science takes time, but really it's a matter of a sense of urgency. The sense of urgency is exactly what Maria Weston Kuhn has been begging for. It's long overdue.

Since she was in a car accident that changed her life. My mom and I both suffered severe injuries. I had to have emergency surgery and take a semester off from college to heal. And we found out afterwards that the injuries that we suffered were not unique. In fact, they're among the most common for women to suffer in car crashes because cars are not safety tested for female drivers and passengers. So are car companies required to use this new dummy, or what does that timeline look like? It's not a legal requirement, but we expect just based on how the automakers generally react,

they will buy this and they'll start using it. The CEO of Humanetics, the company behind the Thor Fifth's, doesn't buy that argument. The regulation says you only have to use the old standard, which is from 40, 50 years ago. So why are the car companies still using this? Because it's available and it's easy. Maria thinks Congress should step in and pass it bipartisan bill to require it now. We are so glad that there will be an approved female crash test dummy. If this dummy is just going to live in the storage closet, it's not really going to save any lives.

We need it in the cars and in the car safety testing. By 2028, NHTSA's goal is to update its regulation to require the use of the new dummies, which are not only more anatomically correct, but have three times the number of sensors. Why does this process take so long? Well, science takes time, and it's really been relatively recently that we understand the true differences that crash forces have on women anatomy versus men. anatomy. Okay, Julie Sirkin joins us live tonight here in Top Story. And Julie, I understand that you've got the new crash test dummy right there next to the old one. How much closer is the

new model in representing the average woman? I know it's a tough question, but maybe you can walk us through it. Yeah. Yeah, let me show you Tom, because we're at the Department of Transportation where they have both dummies side by side. This is the new one. This is the Thor fifth. Let me just show you what it has here. If you look under, you see this is all full of sensors. It's gotten it through the legs. It has it even here by the rib cage. And you see a rib cage. That is not what you see in the model that has been used since the 1980s. That model is sitting right next to it. That's the hybrid three. This guy over here has been used since the 1980s. So to be clear, this is still being used today. This is the new model that they unveiled today, hoping to put in

use by 2028. What's so important, and you can't see underneath, but I got a chance to spend time at the Humanetics Factory earlier this year, this doesn't have any sensors in the abdomen region. This whole entire dummy just has 66 sensors compared to 166 in this dummy through the legs, the lower extremities, and the abdomen is exactly where women are more likely to suffer from serious injuries. That's where Maria was injured right here in this abdomen region when the seatbelt kind of snacked back at her. One of the things that she said that was so important is to make sure that this advanced model is tested not only in the front passenger seat, but also in the driver's seat. That's something I asked administrator about of NHTSA and he said

That is definitely something that is on their radar. That's what they hope to do. It's not being done currently. But again, this is a long process. He said signs take time. One other thing I want to point out to you, Tom, if you look at this nameplate over here, you see 411, 108 pounds. Same exact thing on the old model.

If I could show you this here. I don't know about you, but I don't know many women average size to our 411 108 pounds. The Nitz administrator and the team here says it's because they still use a 50th percentile male in conjunction. conjunction, they hope, with the Thor fifth. And that kind of gives them a broad range, broad coverage, they say, of women in the driver's seat, in the passenger seat that can sustain some of these injuries. Again, though, a major work in progress. And still a monumental step that happened here today for the first time in five decades. Okay, Julie, thank you. A lot of

information there. We appreciate it. Okay, we're going to turn out to Top Stories News Feed. A CDC webpage has now been updated to suggest health authorities ignore possible links between vaccines and autism. The site also notes the Department of Health and Human Services has launched what it calls a comprehensive assessment to examine the causes of autism. To be clear, there's no credible research showing a link between vaccines and autism. And security camera videos show neighbors rushing to save a driver after a fiery crash in Michigan. You see the car lose control and roll into a front yard. Wow. Multiple people come running out of their homes to help rescue the driver and help put out the flames. The homeowner who gave us this video says the driver was taken to a

hospital, but no official word yet on their condition. Rap star Megan DeStalian appearing in Miami court today testifying against a woman, she says has been harassing her online for years. The rapper says the woman has been spreading falsehoods about a 2020 incident when she was shot in the foot by fellow rapper Tori Lanes. She says the woman claimed it never happened and has caused her emotional distress. That woman, Milagro Cooper, has said she was not stating facts and that she may have just been trying to be funny.

Okay, Amazon is now issuing refunds to some prime members. It's all part of the $2.5 billion settlement with the FTC. The tech giant accused of misleading customers and making it hard for them to cancel memberships. Eligible prime members who signed up by 2019 will be notified before Christmas. If you're getting a refund, it will be up to $51, and you can get it through PayPal or Venmo. And in New York City, terrifying moments captured on camera, newly released video appearing to show federal agents, forcing their way into an apartment in Queens drawing and pointing their guns at a mother

and her children. Homeland security officials say they were trying to arrest the woman's cousin, but her attorney says he hasn't lived there in years. Here's NBC New York's Chris Jose with more. Dramatic video of a frantic mother in a bedroom, her children by her side. I'm my baby.

Come out here. I help my baby, no. The confrontation with a man who appears to be a federal agent took place last Thursday at East Elmhurst, Queens. Ron Kuby is a civil rights attorney representing the family. They break down the door with a battering ram. They hold the entire family at gunpoint. Surveillance video shows the group and tactical gear forced their way into the home. One man noticing a camera flipping it around.

Kubi says the agents were looking for his client's cousin who wasn't lived there in years. She had his phone number. They forced her to call him. Cooby tells us his client, Jennifer, who doesn't want us a user last name has lawful status. Her kids were born in the United States. They terrorized her. They terrorized the children. There was no warrant displayed, no display of any authority. Video shows an NYPD patrol car arriving after neighbors thought a robbery was in progress, according to Kuby. The man believed to be a federal agent approached the officer's window. After a brief conversation, the officer drove away. The NYPD is prohibited by city law from engaging in civil immigration enforcement. They pulled a woman out of her bed. The New York

Immigration Coalition shared portions of the incident with us. They say the woman and her children ages 2, 6, 10, and 13 are terrified. We are truly outraged at the way that this family has been treated. We don't think that any family should be treated this way. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security says officers knocked on the door for 20 minutes, adding, ICE and U.S. Marshals attempted to serve a criminal arrest warrant for Ramundo Grebio Herrera-Benton Court. His criminal history includes assault, reckless driving, and illegal re-entry. The woman's attorney says she has lawful status here under DACA. It remains unclear when her cousin plans to surrender. Tom? All right, we thank you for that. Coming up, a new era for

zippers, how some small changes could have a big impact on your clothes. Plus, another strange moment for robots in Russia, this one involving President Putin. We'll show you the humanoid's dance moves next. One piece of propaganda that I'm not falling for is the real ID. Can someone please explain to me the necessity of this real ID? I'm just annoyed. Like the real ID requirements and regulations, I'm just complaining. Those are my people right there. Those right there were just a few of the many Americans, like myself, who have been frustrated by the creation of the real ID. But now the TSA could be saying, no real ID, no problem.

The administration proposing a new rule which would involve charging flyers an $18 fee to get through security at airports if they don't have the already approved type of identification. That would mean there would be four ways you can meet the requirements for domestic travel. Here they are. A real ID, enhanced ID, passport, or that fee. The TSA says the money would cover the use of biometric kiosk to verify your identity. There's no timeline, though, yet for this to go into effect. So to help us make sense of this all, let's bring in Clint Henderson, managing editor for the points guy. Clint, I should preface this by saying, I always travel with my passport, so I don't really have a problem.

But I, like many Americans don't like to be forced to have to do something when you have a driver's license, you have a passport. And in some cases, you want to have a real ID to travel domestically. Explain to me what's going on here. Yeah, so basically they have been letting people through checkpoints without Real ID, but it's been a manual screening process. They ask you a bunch of questions. You're in a separate line. So this is a way for them to get more people to enroll in Real ID,

to get the last people sort of over the line. I just, it's going to be complicated, the rollout of it. I can't see TSA workers swiping your credit card at a separate line in the TSA. but, you know, we'll have to see the details of it as it rolls out. But this is to pay for the infrastructure to support people who don't have real ID, I guess, is the idea. But some people haven't gotten real ID because they don't like the idea of another bureaucracy having their information. So biometric screening is not going to be an answer for them. For me, it's just, it's been hard to get an appointment and you have to take a day off work and get in there with all the documents.

And it's just been a little bit of a headache, at least for me personally. I'm sure it is for other people as well. But I have a question for you. So once you pay this $18 fee, is that a fee you pay every time? Or that's it. After that, you get a real ID or you're in the real ID system? No, that's a one-time fee that you pay. It's good for 10 days.

So it will cover your return trip, most likely, as long as you're traveling within 10 days. But every time you go through and you don't have a real ID, you'll need to pay this again. So I guess it's a way for the government to recap some of the money they're losing. on extra screening. I can see both sides of the argument for and against. It'll be interesting to see. They're going to take comments now, so it's going to take a while for this to go into effect

at the earliest January, so past the holiday season at least. Another trick, apparently, or another thing you can use global entry, right? If you have global entry and you have that little global entry card, I just learned this from our colleague Brian Chung, who told me they'll take that as well. TSA takes that.

But I have a question, and explain this to our viewers, because I've been ranting about this, talk to Tom Costello about this, why the real ID? And he was explaining to me that this sort of came out of after 9-11, but it just took 20 years to put into effect. Yeah, essentially, they want to have some oversight at the federal government level, because each state has slightly different requirements for how you get a driver's license. So this is instituting some uniform standards that's seen as better security for airports. So that's the idea behind it. They have our safety in mind, at least that's the idea.

But they are collecting a lot of information. A lot of information. So I want to ask you, this $18 fee, do we think this will be in perpetuity? Or will this have some sort of endpoint? It'll be sunsetted. And you physically have to get that real ID. I think this is permanent unless everyone gets real ID. That's the goal here, right?

Everyone 100% compliance with real ID. So, yeah. I know I'm in the minority here. I know it's a very small minority. The people don't have real IDs. But if you're out there, you don't have a real ID, I am with you. Okay? There are other ways to fly.

This is the last 10%. The last, the last bitter 10%. Clint, great to see you as always. OK, we're going to move on out of Top Stories Global Watch. We're going to start with a bizarre moment in Russia as President Vladimir Putin comes face to face with a dancing robot. The humanoid putting on a performance at an AI conference in Moscow, Putin called the dancing, quote, very beautiful.

This comes after a separate incident we told you about last week where a Russian robot fell flat on its face after walking out on stage. Okay, a massive fire erupting at a UN climate conference in Brazil known as COP 30. The flames tearing through pavilions, forcing people to evacuate. Here you can see crowds running as the fire spreads. Organizers say it's now under control on that nobody was seriously hurt. The cause is still under investigation. And Israel's military launching a new wave of air strikes on Gaza.

Hospital officials say at least 33 people have been killed over the past 24 hours or so. These are some of the deadliest attacks since early last month, When a U.S. brokered ceasefire took effect, Israel says it carried out the strikes after its soldiers came under fire, but Hamas denies that claim. Next to an investigation by NBC News Digital Docs and Bloomberg Law into pregnancy in jail, which revealed several cases of alleged medical neglect with inmates going to labor unmedicated and alone. Some ending in miscarriages, stillbirths, and even the death of the mother. NBC's Yasmin Basuvian shares some of the stories chronicled in her documentary, pregnant in custody. We do want to warn you that some of the footage you're about to see is graphic and disturbing. I am watching videos of my daughter, Elisa, dying. She was in custody for

five days. Paloma Cerna's 24-year-old daughter died in a San Diego jail cell after being arrested for shoplifting alcohol. When did you realize that she was pregnant during the autopsy report? You know, I watch these every day, and it's stirred. that anger. This deputy never does anything for Elisa. She doesn't call 911. She doesn't get medical, nothing. Paloma's accusations were part of a wrongful death lawsuit. Medical experts hired by the family's attorney found that Elisa died just minutes after staff left herself. The cause of death, substance abuse withdrawal, further complicated by her pregnancy. When they called to tell me that she died. I couldn't talk. I didn't want to hear anymore, so I just

started running around in the house. I was saying she's dead, she's dead. But Elisa's story is one of many, with experts saying tragedies like this happen nationwide, though it's impossible to know the full extent of the crisis. There is no comprehensive data on pregnancy while incarcerated. At least 22 states do not track pregnancy outcomes in jail, with some telling us since newborns are not considered to be in custody, their deaths don't need to be recorded. So NBC News in Bloomberg law combed through more than 50 lawsuits, alleging the medical neglect and mistreatment of pregnant women in jail. We found women who were left to deliver their babies alone, often giving birth into toilets or onto jail cell floors, while begging and screaming for help.

This is a horrific scene. Kelsey Love was eight months pregnant when arrested on charges of driving under the influence. On her third day in a Kentucky jail, she began screaming for help. With what? Kelsey was naked, isolated in a jail cell for observation, having been deemed a suicide risk while detoxing from meth. Can you say me? Well, I need to know what's the matter.

She says she was left to labor alone, forced to use whatever was available to deliver her baby. I've bid it twice. You bit the umbilical cord. Yes, ma'am. Hey, grab some gloves. Kelsey ripped apart a mattress in her cell to keep herself and her newborn son Zaden warm. Are you angry? I was angry.

Forgiving them is the easy part, but forgiving myself is always the hardest part. What do you mean? I was the reason that we were in jail. After Zayden's birth, Kentucky passed a bill to protect the rights of incarcerated pregnant women, allowing for adequate nutrition and banning solitary confinement. Franklin County Jail, where Kelsey was held, declined to comment for this story. But changes like this are rare and on a case-by-case basis. In San Diego County, Elisa's family received a financial settlement,

which included jail policy reforms like compassion training and better medical care for inmates. But no admission of wrongdoing. It's been five and a half years. And these people, to this day, they're out free. There's no one convicted. Paloma is now raising Elisa's daughter, who was just a toddler when her mom died. She goes everywhere with me. At least a named her Serenity.

I see her and it gives me my second chance. Franklin County Regional Jail declined a comment on Kelsey's case, but in court filings, the county denied any allegations of wrongdoing. Tom. And a big thanks to Yasmin for covering this and bringing us those stories. You can watch the full NBC News Digital Doc pregnant in custody on NBCNews.com. Okay, stay with us. We're going to be right back.

We're back now with a zipper redesign that's snagging the fashion world's attention. One of the most prominent zipper makers is rethinking its hardware, and the tiny update could have big implications for the future of clothing. Our Valley Castro got a firsthand look. It's the most overlooked part of your clothing until it gets stuck. I don't want to break it, guys. We're all familiar with the jam, the snag. How does this happen?

It's not budging. And the panic pull. I don't think I can get it all off. Now, the world's largest zipper company says it's time for a makeover. You've probably seen YKK's logo hiding on your clothing. The 90-year-old Japanese company makes more than 100 million zippers a year. The way zippers are designed has remained unchanged for about the last 100 years. This new design is a lot sleeker, but it has that same satisfying sound.

This new innovation, we're stripping away the tape. So it only has a teeth. So it's quite revolutionary that now it doesn't have any tape. So it will be directly sold on the fabric. Christine Chen, manager of the brand's New York Marketing Office, says the new tapeless zippers operate much more smoothly than classic zippers on the market. They will be sewing directly to the tape. So you can feel it's very flexible compared to the traditional one that has tape.

She also says they're less bulky, lighter and more sustainable. When this gets sewn in, is it just thread going around the individual teeth? Exactly. So you can see here directly there's a sewing thread to the fabric. It feels like it just makes everything lighter. But there is one catch. The new zipper needs specialized sewing machines to attach it. And right now that means a steeper price. Hopefully in the future, when the demand is bigger, we have more machineries. Then hopefully the cost can come down.

Still, popular outdoor clothing brand, the North Face, says the upgrade is worth it. No tape means it's lighter weight, and every bit counts when you're gearing up for adventures like climbing Mount Everest. Does this new zipper really make that much of a difference when it comes to how much the clothing weighs? It does. Really, this is sort of a game of marginal gains where a gram here, a gram there, or in this case, several grams. Actually goes a long way to reducing overall pack weight. Kyle Parker with the North Face says the company is using the zipper to outfit its mountaineering gear. Even though this seems like a small tweak, is this a game changer in a lot of ways? Having a zipper that can be applied differently and really think about how can we reduce weight without impacting performance.

That is kind of a new way of thinking about old technology. YKK hoping its small tweak will eventually have a big market pull. Valerie Castro joins us now in studio Valerie. You brought the old zippers, the new ones, and a jacket with the new one. So walk us through it and show it to us one more time. So this is the old standard kind of zipper that you've seen before, the kind that has the tape. The new zipper is this one right here. It's called the airy string, and it doesn't have the tape.

And so the manufacturer, YKK, says that just makes it a lot easier, smoother to zip. But it does come at a cost. This is about four times the cost of the original zipper. And that cost also gets passed on to the garment makers because you need a special sewing machine. Not any sewing machine can be used to attach it. But take a look. It's nicer, sleaker, a little more minimalistic. Oh, yeah. It's definitely lighter.

Yeah. One thing to keep in mind, though. It'll never get caught. That's the selling point. But one thing to keep in mind, if you do need a repair to be made, your local seamstress probably won't be carrying that specialized sewing machine that costs several thousand dollars. That's good to know, too. All right, Valerie, we appreciate it. And we thank you. We need to know about these new zippers. All right. Finally, tonight, we're going to turn out to the sweet story of two people who, as teens, survived days in comas and met each other in recovery. Years later, it's no accident that they found their way back to the hospital. where their lives changed forever.

For one more life-changing moment, Boyd Hooper from our Minneapolis affiliate, Care, has this one for us. Seven years ago, they arrived at Regents Hospital as strangers. Zach Zarembinsky in one ambulance, Isabel Richard, in another. Mine was October 27th, and yours was... November 5th. Isabel's journey started at 16 in this mangled car. Zach's at 18, making tackles for his high school football. team. I just was like praying. Both moms told their children might not survive. She had shards of

glass still in her hair, and she was unconscious. Zach spent nine days in a coma. Isabel was still in a coma. Grateful for all the support. When Zach appeared at this hospital news conference, my husband and my sister said, let's go down, they're going to give us hope. And when Zach's mom heard Isabel was out of her coma. We're going. Yeah, we're going. So the kind words to Isabel and that was it for six years. But not it for moms, Tracy and Esther. We stayed in touch on Facebook. But it took the moms getting the families together for dinner.

I asked her for a phone number. Which led to this first date, which led to this. I love you. I love you too. Which brings us back to the hospital. Excited. And two families tipped on what's about. what's about to happen around the corner.

I just want to have a question for you. Will you marry me? Yes. I love you so much. I love you too. Two lives that intersected in the worst of times are now paving the way for the best. It's just like sorrow to joy.

Yes. For NBC News, Boyd Hooper, St. Paul, Minnesota. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.