Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, October 22, 2026

Episode Date: October 23, 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.

Tonight, severe storms targeting the West, millions on high alert. The rescues in the middle of Los Angeles, people pull from raging waters, violent winds tossing debris in California, flooding, swamping roads in Utah and devastation, Arizona, after a likely tornado ripped through giant hail, smashing into windchills. And the battle for the midterms is getting ugly. Punch is thrown at President Trump's rally as the president backs this controversial ad in Ohio, featuring the mother of the Democratic candidate that even many Republicans say goes, far. Plus, developing now why the Justice Department is investigating allegations against Corey Lewandowski, a longtime confidant of President Trump. Emergency landing on a highway, this small

plane falling from the sky onto a busy road and smashing into a guardrail, how the pilots do it tonight. And looks maxing influencer, clavicular in court today, the polarizing social media figure pleading not guilty to rape the latest from that case. Are AI agents accessing U.S. bank accounts, new reports sparking concerns over the tack. And the heartwarming moment between Miley and a fan, how the singer granted this woman's wish as she fights breast cancer. Plus, Airbnb's game-changing decision why guests won't have to do significant chores anymore. Top story starts right now. Good evening. I'm Yasmin Vasugian in for Tom. As we come on the air, dangerous storms threaten millions out west. The powerful system triggering rare

tornado watches for the region and the possibility for life-threatening floods in Southern California. Intense wind, whip and debris into the air so powerful, it sent massive tree branches, signs, and even a trash can flying. Emergency teams mobilizing in Los Angeles after the raging L.A. River swept multiple people away. This helicopter pulling one person to safety. And then in Utah, muddy water pouring into neighborhood streets, submerging cars on this. this farm, you can see that truck bag disappearing into the brown water. Right now, Arizona, on alert for twisters after violent storms ripped through overnight, power lines and trees taken down and these homes torn to pieces. Those storms, even launching golf ball-sized chunks

to hail shattering this car windshield. Our Liz Kreutz is tracking it all and starts us off tonight. Tonight, the dramatic rescues in Southern California, first responders pulling multiple people from the waters of the raging L.A. River, a powerful storm system bringing heavy rain and severe thunderstorms across the southwest. In southern Utah, dramatic flash flooding. In this neighborhood, homes and cars partially submerged. This, after a likely tornado touched down northeast of Phoenix in Navajo County, Arizona Wednesday night. That is a massive tree snapped off right there. Images of the aftermath show fallen trees and twisted power. lines. As I say, it sounded like a freight train. This man says he hungered down in his bathroom as it tore through his neighborhood.

Down the carports, it's gone. It pulled the anchors right out of the ground. Daylight revealing the scope of the destruction, at least 20 structures damaged, sheds, flipped and tossed into homes. The storm also bringing golf ball-sized hail around Phoenix Wednesday. Here you can hear those powerful wind gusts reaching around 70 miles per hour in the Flagstaff area. The storm making for dangerous conditions on the roads. West of Flagstaff, first responders rescuing a woman and seven dogs after officials say her car got trapped in four feet of fast-moving water. Back here in California, crews building these massive sand berms along L.A. County beaches hoping to protect beach facilities. They're doing it some six weeks earlier than normal because of the looming threat of storms in the months ahead.

And Liz Kreuz is joining us now from Playa del Rey, California. What about the efforts they're taking, Liz, there to try and mitigate any coastal erosion? Hey, Asman, well, this is one of many sand berms as being built up and down the Southern California coast here. This is about 200 feet so far, and the city says they plan to extend it by more than four football fields as they try to protect the infrastructure here along the coast. You'll remember the images we've seen over the past month as storms have just battered the coastline leading to flooding here. And there's concerns because of the Al Nino that a lot more rain could be on the way. We're grateful right now. It is dry here on the coast.

I will say that in Arizona and New Mexico, a tornado watch remains in effect through tonight. And from here to Colorado, parts of the area have millions of people bracing for the threat still of flash flooding. So a long night ahead, Yasmin. Liz, Chris Morris. Thank you, Liz. I want to get right to meteorologist Bill Kieran, to stand in by force. This is a rare situation that they're dealing with. out west. Give us kind of the lay of the land and what you're watching. And El Niño is a piece of this, too.

Unusually warm water is fueling this storm. Some areas in New Mexico under their first tornado watch in almost 30 years. So, yeah, it's not a normal event. We have numerous very strong thunderstorms in areas of eastern portions of Arizona on the border of New Mexico. That's where all the worst of it is. Phoenix and Tucson, you're doing okay. So the tornado watch will extend until about eight o'clock local time here. And we are watching a few strong storms. This is the Apache National Forest. Stafford, Arizona has been hit pretty hard. As we slide over to Silver City and New Mexico, we got a severe thunderstorm warning. That tornado warning just to your west has been discontinued.

The flood warnings are coming more widespread with the heavy rainfall. Everywhere you see these maroon boxes, a couple in southern Utah, even one now in California. This one near Gallup, New Mexico. Here's Albuquerque, by the way. So if you're driving on Interstate 40 heading towards Arizona, you're going to have to go through two areas with high water. There's the flash flood warning for the Gallup area. If you've ever been to beautiful Sedona, just south of Flagstaff, north of Phoenix. This is the Oak Creek Canyon. This is under a flash flood warning, considerable threat. The water, when the thunderstorm went through rose six feet in a hurry.

So that's Slide Rock State Park. Have you ever been there, a gorgeous spot. And these are all other canyons, too, that we're worried about. Hopefully everyone knew about this storm and can stay out of the canyons. We won't have any tragedies. As far as additional rainfall, we start to get a break tonight in areas of Arizona. New Mexico, a little bit left. We'll have to watch the San Juan Mountain region.

This is southwest portions Durango towards Tellerite. If we get significant flash flooding, that's the location that it could happen in. And by the time we get towards Friday, Saturday, and going into Sunday, we still watch some flood risk from the storm, but we push it out into the plains. We'll get a break in the mountainous areas in the deserts who aren't used to this sort of thing. Thank you for watching that, Bill. We appreciate you. And tonight we got new lows and physical blows as the battle for the midterm reaches a fever pitch with just 12 days to go. You got President Trump shorn up Republican support in Iowa.

as campaigns enter that final sprint. Maggie Vespa has this one. Tonight with 12 days till the midterms, tensions boiling over. Punch is thrown at a protester tossed from the president's rally in South Carolina. Who's the guy that threw that punch? Now this from Vice President Vance. We have a party of people who talk about men and women's sports. We have a party of people who look down on the Mary Joes and the billy bobs of this state. This Democrat Party, ladies and gentlemen, it needs an ass kicking.

Excuse my language. And in Ohio, Republican Vivek Ramoswamy, facing bipartisan backlash. It's just wrong. Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, calling on him to take down this attack ad, featuring the estranged mother of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton. Amy has a serious problem. She is a liar. Acton's campaign condemning the ad as despicable, saying Acton's birth mother stayed married to the man who sexually abused her.

I'd hoped he wouldn't sink this low, but of course he did. But President Trump tonight backing the ad. If my mother said that about me, it would be, you would have hit gold. You would have been very happy about it. If it's even a little bit true, you don't want her as governor. While in Michigan, a fiery Senate debate between Democrat Abdul al-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers, With the New York Times reporting, Al-Sayed signed a 2012 open letter to the Muslim Brotherhood politician elected president of Egypt asking him to purge the media and police. Al-Said says he has no connections to the group.

We need to know, are you for America or are you for these terrorist groups overseas? It's really quite beneath you. To call into question, my loyalty to the Constitution, I'm talking. I'm talking. Here in Iowa, voters telling us the toxic campaigns have become too much. I don't even want to vote. I don't care. You're over it. Yeah, I'm over it.

A lot of fiery moments there to say, at least. Maggie Vespas joining us now from the president's rally in Iowa. Maggie, I want to go back to that controversial ad for the governor's race because you even have a top Republican there in Iowa where you are condemning it. Right. Yasmin, this is touching races nationwide. Like, it's rippling that far. current GOP Senate candidate and current U.S. representative, Ashley Hinson, today, calling that ad absolutely terrible from outside this rally here in Iowa and calling on Ramoswami to take it down. Now, there's a sign that his campaign is going to do that. But again, those comments, which most interesting to us, dropped around the same time President Trump today backed the ad. And Hinson is getting ready to welcome Trump to this stage here in Iowa. So it's kind of one more example, Yasmin, of Canada's sort of walking. that tight rope of trying to distance themselves from some of his more controversial policies

while pulling from the enthusiasm of his face. Yeah, it also just shows how critical it seems for both sides this election will be just a few days from now. Maggie Best of For us. Thank you. And by the way, you can dive deeper into the midterms with NBC News's polling page, early vote data, expert analysis, and more subscriber-only content. Scan the QR code on your screen to subscribe now. All right, now to Western Nevada, where a small plane crashed onto a busy highway, just outside of Reno during the height of rush hour. The entire ordeal caught on camera and the pilot somehow surviving are Andres Gutierrez has that video. Tonight, a stunning scene on a busy Nevada interstate, a plane crash landing in the middle of the morning rush hour.

Captured here falling from the sky and hitting the ground. Oh my God, we didn't see that. Its nose smashed against a guardrail, one of its wings mangled. There's negative flames. It appears that the pilot is out of the plane. The dramatic scene unfolding on Interstate 80 outside of Reno just as drivers were heading to work. You're too low for radar coverage, radar contact loss. Flight tracking data shows the plane took off from Reno at 742 this morning. Just seven minutes later, it landed.

Despite the damage, authorities say no one was hurt, including the pilot who the FAA was the only one on board. The aircraft hoisted away today is a sea wind 3,000. It can carry up to four people and can land on both runways and water. Andres Godierrez is joining us now from L.A. I mean, it's an unbelievable sight to see an airplane on a highway. I know we're getting an update now from the fire chief tonight about the moments leading up to the crash. What have we learned? Yeah, yeah, Jasmine. So he ended up getting back to us just a short time ago. The fire chief telling us that this plane had actually just been purchased and it was heading from Reno to Philadelphia. But shortly after takeoff, the pilot ended up running into a fuel problem. He tried to turn back.

Then the plane lost power. The chief says that the pilot radioed the tower, saying that he was going to land right there on that interstate. Somehow he managed to avoid clipping several power lines, but he did clip a car as he came down. But incredibly, both the pilot and that driver ended up walking away without any injuries. So very surprising. Again, really a miracle that this all happened. Yeah, certainly is. Andres, thank you. Let's turn now to a new report tonight of a deadly collision

between a Tesla car said to be operating in full self-driving autonomous mode and a pedestrian on a California freeway early this morning. Air McLaughlin has this story. Tonight, at least two dangerous accidents involving Tesla vehicles in self-driving mode. Video shows the moment a Tesla slams into the back of. of a patrol vehicle earlier this month on Interstate 80 in Salano County, California, seriously injuring two officers, despite flares, cones, and flashing emergency lights. According to California Highway Patrol, the driver said he fell asleep while the Tesla was in

driver-assist mode. Footage from the officer's body camera shows the moment of impact and the officer scrambling to get out of the vehicle. Also in Salano County, California, overnight a 71-year-old pedestrian was killed, according to the CHP, after being struck by a 26-year-old driving a Tesla. The driver stated the vehicle was being operated in full self-driving autonomous mode at the time of the crash, according to the CHP statement. The CHP says preliminary review of video from the Tesla's dashboard camera shows the vehicle had been traveling at 70 miles per hour when the pedestrian entered the freeway and stepped directly into the path of the Tesla. According to the statement, video showed the Tesla's brakes being applied as the vehicle steered to the left in an effort to avoid the pedestrian, but struck the pedestrian anyway.

Tesla did not respond to our request for comment on either incident but says in its owner's manual, full self-driving requires a fully attentive driver. You must remain attentive and be ready to take over at all times while full self-driving is engaged. Authorities tonight reminding drivers, technology does not relieve them of their responsibility on the road. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. Thank you to Aaron for that. Let's get to the developing news at Washington. We're now learning that the Justice Department is looking into a longtime member. of President Trump's orbit. His former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, our chief White House correspondent, Garrett Haig, pressing the president tonight about that investigation. Tonight, a person familiar with the investigation tells NBC News the Department of Justice is

investigating allegations against Corey Lewandowski, a former senior Homeland Security official and Trump campaign manager. Another source telling us the Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security had been reviewing Lewandowski's handling of contracts, including the awarding of a $220 million advertising campaign featuring former Secretary Christie Noem, for whom Lewandowski was the top advisor, recently referring their findings to the DOJ. Lewandowski rose to political prominence as candidate Trump's first campaign manager, and long remained in the president's orbit. Corey Lewandowski, great guy, tremendous guy, tremendous help.

Lewandowski left the Department of Homeland Security after Noam's ouster, in March. Tonight, I pressed the president about the investigation. Do you have any reaction to the reports that the DOJ is looking at Cory Lewandowski now? No, I don't know about it. I mean, I heard something about it, but I don't know exactly what it is. All I know is I want my people to be honest, and if they're not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted. I don't know about specifically, but because I view if people are not honest, they're stealing from me as president, they're stealing from me. So I want my people to be honest. And if they're not honest, I'll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do.

Lewandowski's attorney telling NBC News, he, quote, denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity and has not been contacted by the DOJ. Garrett Hake has joined us now from the White House. Usually, Garrett, the president, is quick to defend folks that have worked in his cabinet and or close to his inner circle. it didn't necessarily seem there as if the president was willing to do that for his former campaign manager. Yeah, that was my read, too, Yasmin.

The president did say that he's not been fully briefed on this, so it may simply be having a lack of details. But he had several opportunities to defend Corey Lewandowski, and he really didn't take them, insisting only that if somebody was making money or doing something that they shouldn't have been, that they should have been prosecuted, that they should face consequences. He even mused at one point in response to one of my questions. that he could order the DOJ to stop an investigation, but said that that's not something he's interested in doing here. So we'll see how far this goes. And if his answers change after he gets more information from his DOJ.

Garrett Hake from the White House for us. Thank you, Garrett. Let's get now to a passing of note. Emmy-winning actor Tom Scarritt has died. Scarrett starred in Hollywood hits, including Top Gun, Alien, and MASH. Our Ann Thompson will take a look back at his remarkable life. and his career. There always seemed to be a twinkle in actor Tom Scarratt's eye. You, you are a fine fisherman. An extraordinarily versatile actor for seven decades. Gentlemen, this school is about combat.

There are no points for second place. Born in Detroit, America first came to know him in the movie MASH. Well, where the hell do you think you are, man? He captained the doomed ship in Alien. Look, I just want to get the hell out of here, all right? was husband to Shirley MacLean in the turning point and Sally Field in steel magnolias. My new grandbaby. May he be as good look at his eye.

Described as a character actor trapped in a leading man's body. Scarrett won an Emmy for lead actor in the TV drama Pickett Fences. I'm so afraid I'm going to see the wrong thing. And I could lose it forever. And created an indelible presence. We can love completely. in a river runs through it. I'd say the Lord is blessed us all today.

It's just that he's been particularly good to me. Tom Scarrett was 93. Ann Thompson, NBC News. Such a talent, so many incredible films. All right, we are back in a moment with an update on the controversial influencer, clavicular, facing criminal charges related to an alleged sexual assault. The new D-Defs tonight from inside the courtroom. Plus, it's the end of the road for one of Central Park's most iconic traditions, those horse-drawn carriage rides.

They're set to be banned. The reaction pouring in from the Washington all the way to New York. And a police officer arrested for allegedly stealing a dead man's identity and then living inside his home for years, how the scam came crumbling down ahead on Top Story. We are back with an update in the criminal case against looks maxing influencer clavicular. He was arraigned in a Massachusetts courtroom today on charges related to an alleged sexual assault. Tonight, his legal team pushing to get those charges dismissed. George Solis has the details. So the court will enter police not guilty on behalf of the defendant.

The influencer known as clavicular, making his first appearance in a Massachusetts courtroom this morning. If you commit a new offense, whether it be state or federal, I could hold you without bail for up to 90 days. understand that? Yes, Your Honor. Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, showing up to court this morning, walking a dog before posting a $10,000 bail, pleading not guilty to charges stemming from an alleged May 2025 incident at his family's Cape Cod home. Everyone knows what Luxemaxing is. Peters was charged last month with rape, drugging someone for sexual intercourse, and procuring liquor for someone under 21 years old. The accuser, an 18-year-old influencer who alleges that last May,

when she was 17, Peters called her an Uber to his family's Cape Cod home. According to the criminal complaint, she alleges Peters got her drunk with vodka during a Twitch live stream and then raped her while she was asleep. A representative and Peter's lawyers declined to comment ahead of today's arraignment. The accuser's lawyer also declined to comment. Peters has previously denied any wrongdoing. The criminal charges follow a civil suit filed in Miami last year, which was refiled earlier this month and is ongoing. In a memo filed by his defense team in the criminal case on Wednesday. Lawyers argue that the alleged victim willingly created social media content with Peters and also says she continued to hang out with Peters and profit from

their relationship after the alleged Cape Cod incident in May 2025. They say the civil suit only came after her brand deals were drying up. This is not Peters first run in with the law. He and another person pleaded no contest to unlawfully discharging a firearm in public after a shooting involving an alligator in April. And just today after that hearing, his legal team filing a motion to dismiss all of the criminal charges, quote, due to a presentation of insufficient evidence. Peters is due back in court next month. Gasmin? Thank you to George Solis for that. All right, just ahead. The new Atlanta Falcons logo spark an outrage online, why it's stirring controversy. And the TV crew jumping into action, rescuing a man from a sinking car. We're going to show you that video. Up first, though,

top story's top moment and the special moment Miley Cyrus shared with a fan battling cancer. Good? Go, girl. All right, we're doing it. Let's do it. Sorry to be holding you so tiny. Here's a good news. This is going to be better than where we're at right now.

My head is small. Your head's small. And you have cute ears. That is fan Cash Jacobs backstage at the Hollywood Bowl. She made a viral TikTok asking Cyrus to help shave her head after she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer. Jacob says the Grammy winner's music has already helped her through hard moments. Cyrus herself helping her through this one. Stay with us.

More tough story after this. We are back now with more on the countdown to the midterms. And with just 12 days out, pressure is heating up in key battleground states with control of Congress on the line right now. Democrats are looking to flip at least four seats blue to secure the Senate as Republicans push to keep their majority in the chamber. Are Steve Patterson traveled up to Alaska, a state that has. not elected a Democrat to the Senate in decades and spoke to voters about the main issues that are driving their ballots in a neck and neck race. This is what many consider real Alaska, some 400 miles away from Anchorage. The city of Bethel

is home to some 6,000 residents on the western tundra and a hub for many Alaska native families living along the Cuscaquim River. Here, everything from gas to groceries to just Just staying warm is costly. Is this normal for gas? 764. It usually isn't this high, but we're pretty used to high prices. Gas is so expensive, food is so expensive, just like everything. Here in the heart of rural Alaska, the only way in is by plane or by boat.

Fuel comes in on barges just a few times a year. Now, residents say already high prices keep going up. It just went up from 671. you know, to eight for unleaded. $8. $8.00. And that's Bethel. They were my elders.

Community advocate Beverly Hoffman's family has lived here for generations. Fish, moose, berries, birds, growing gardens, all those things help me live here. But we need gas money to go out there. We, of course, need boats. And we need, you know, snow machines. Alaska should be a reliably red state. A place President Trump is carried by double digits the last three times his name was on the ballot. Thank you, Mr. President.

It's an honor that you're back in Alaska. But Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan finished over 13,000 votes behind Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska's all-party primary. Now he's fighting to keep his seat. Alaska first. Alaska always. Democrats see Peltola as a strong challenger. a former congresswoman with deep roots in Alaska native from Bethel's backyard, while Sullivan, born and raised in Ohio, has served as senator here since 2015,

Republicans touting his legislative record, military service, and close relationship with President Trump. Whoever is going to be against opposing the war and whoever is going to be focusing more on fixing our cost of living in the United States, that's who we'll be voting for. Bethel firefighter EMT, Lieutenant Buster Hansen, says living here is just too expensive. Last election, he voted for Trump. Now he's unsure which party will get his vote. Everything's gone up and the cost of electricity just from our power plant, which is run off of burning fuel, creates the energy. And so our electricity bill's gone up. That's right. Even electrical power runs on diesel. Now nearly $9 a gallon here. It's funneled into

these generators responsible for lighting. every home and business in town. That same fuel is also used to heat homes. You see those tanks, it's heating oil, another expense at $8 a gallon. I don't want to vote for anybody who has never run out of stove oil at three in the morning in February. I have. Grandmas out in the village have.

City council member Mark Springer says he's still undecided, but once a senator who understands the pain rural Alaskans are facing. A guy like Dan Sullivan cannot relate to the lives of, I think, a very large majority of Alaska's. A lot of us are burning wood. Beverly says traditions like burning wood, fishing and hunting are now a necessity more than ever. I'm so worried that if we don't get a change and relief, that some of our villages are going to disappear. Steve Patterson has joined us now. That's a fascinating piece, Steve.

And obviously, the economy is certainly on the mind of a lot of those Alaskans. I mean, those gas prices, eight bucks a gallon for unleaded? That is unbelievable. Did any of them tell you which way they're voting come November? Yasmin, you know, we say it all the time, but I think it is not any more true than in the state of Alaska that people there truly vote the issues. We spoke to maybe more than a dozen voters across the entire state of Alaska. almost all of them said they were still undecided. Even people that knew personally the candidates,

nobody said they identified with a particular party. They don't really see themselves as Democrats or Republicans. They truly are focused on the issues because those issues really matter in their everyday lives. Of course, affordability is number one. And as many people told us, it's the reason why the race is so close in the first place. Yes, man.

Steve Patterson, thank you for that. Appreciate you. All right. Let's get to Top Stories News Feed, starting off with a massive. massive earthquake rocking China's Tibet region. Video capturing the moment it hit, sending people scrambling into the streets, causing hundreds of buildings to collapse. So far, authorities have confirmed at least 16 people are dead. 30 others injured, according to Chinese state media,

the 7.0 magnitude quake is the biggest to hit the region in the last five years. And then here in New York, investigators are searching for a woman accused of stabbing a man with a syringe. It happened in broad daylight in the middle of Manhattan. Security video blurring. heard by a neighborhood watch group shows a woman approaching the 26-year-old man before allegedly stabbing him with a syringe. The suspect is still at large tonight, law enforcement sources saying police are looking into the attack as a possible hate crime. And the NFL's Atlanta Falcons sparking outrage online with our latest profile photo launch. This post went viral with tens of millions of views and some online commentators comparing it to Nazi imagery. Here you can see it side by side with the current logo.

It's apparently a retro colorway that the team wore decades ago. The team declined to comment on the latest backlash. A new video out of Australia showing a journalist racing to save a driver trapped in a flood. Will Murray from Australia's public broadcaster ABC was reporting on the severe weather. When a man drove into the water and then started to sink, that is when Murray and another person jumped in rescuing the driver just as that truck completely disappeared. appeared under the water. All right, now to a bizarre case of identity theft out of Florida. A police officer accused of finding a dead man, taking possession of his home and using his

identity for years. Kim Wynne with our NBC Miami station has this one. And UC running wearing a green shirt is Lauder Hill police officer Brian Segueros. He ran out of Broward jail, dodging reporters after posting bond Wednesday afternoon. At some point, he slows down and takes off. his shirt as he heads to a public's on Andrews Avenue where a car picked him up. Good morning, Mrs. Seguros. The 35-year-old is charged with using false documents to take over the home of a man who he found dead inside his home while performing a welfare check with other officers.

And he saw the man had passed away and his body was decomposing. Investigators say the home on Northwest 12th Street and Lutter Hill belonged to 71-year-old Dennis West, who died from natural causes. in 2020. Video shows West's body being removed from the home that day. Broward County tax appraiser Marty Care says that's when Segueros started his plan to take over the home, which he had no legal rights to. He called of the medical examiner and said, you know what? He has no heirs. Just give me the body. And the remains were given to him. Officials say the officer paid taxes and utilities at the home in West's name and used his ID to make it look like the homeowner was still alive. These pictures show a fake building permit and the driver's license of the deceased

homeowner that investigators say were used to fix up the property. Officials also say Segros filed a lawsuit claiming he spent more than $200,000 fixing up the home after West's death and later tried to own it. Truly the scope and the individual suspected of perpetrating this fraud is truly shocking. In court, the judge gave the officer strict orders to stay away from the home. have any contact with the family that's involved in this matter at all. Cannot return to the subject property to retrieve anything or to in any way visit that area. For now, Segros remained on administrative leave. A judge ordered him to stay away from the property. Gasmin, back to you.

All right, thanks to Kim Wynne for that one. And here in New York, a major change to a tradition dating back to the 1800s. The City Council banning horse-drawn carriages in Manhattan over safety and animal abuse concerns. Valerie Castro has this one. New York City's horse-drawn carriage rides are soon to be no more. The City Council today passing a ban on the attraction

popular with visitors in Central Park. Romanticized on television. Buggy ride in Central Park. Very corny. Nope. Last week. That's from Hodges. The bill named for Romance Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist, killed in June when he was thrown from a carriage.

This isn't just a piece of legislation. This is a sacred vow written in the tears of a family whose world was shattered in a million pieces. President Trump weighing in, posting the carriage is a quintessential New York experience, so sad that for political reasons, we will see it go. The deadly crash following years of high-profile incidents, dramatic video capturing horses collapsing in extreme heat. prompting animal rights groups to call for an end to the practice. Opponents also argued times have changed and the park is just too crowded with pedestrians, cyclists, and petty cabs to safely accommodate the carriage rides. But the union representing drivers says the attraction provides a critical livelihood. This is not simply just an attack on carriage horses.

This is an attack on the working class of New York. The ban now scheduled to go into effect in June of 28. The union representing drivers and owners previously said it would immediately file a lawsuit calling the ban unconstitutional, leaving drivers and carriage workers financially crushed. Back to you. Thank you to Valerie Castor for that. All right, still to come tonight on Top Story. Growing concerns over AI agents getting into bank accounts.

The new report raising questions about the security of America's financial system. Plus, changing the House rules, Airbnb rolling out some new guidelines that could save you from doing chores. before checking out what you need to know next. Back now with the growing security concerns for U.S. banks and the age AI. Exclusive reporting from Axios revealing that unvetted AI agents are accessing U.S. bank accounts. A bank executive telling Axios, quote, the industry has grave concerns about agents gaining customer accounts and taking steps that could impact user finances. It's coming as major banks work shore up their defenses against the quickly evolving technology.

I want to bring in the Axios reporter behind that scoop. Madison Mills. Madison, thanks for joining us on this. I appreciate it. So what does this actually mean for customers? Could AI agents actually drain your bank account without permission? Well, I want to be really clear that in our reporting, we are not talking about AI agents going rogue, a cyber attack,

something like that hugging face that we were all talking about a couple of months ago. What we are very specifically talking about is unvetted AI agents. These are third-party AI agents that in some cases in our reporting involved customers unknowingly granting access to their bank account with an AI agent that the customer didn't know the bank didn't allow. That's one bucket in our reporting. Another is that in our sourcing and reporting, there did appear to be instances in which agents that were granted that access took actions that were not granted by that customer in the first place. One of the examples we note in the story is an agent calling the bank on behalf of the user without checking with the user first. So that's what the activity that we refer to as the agent doing something without the user's permission could refer to. This is in no way meant to be something that makes people think that an AI agent is going to hack their account and bring it to zero.

What this really illustrates is that the banks are very concerned and struggling to keep up with the pace of change. fear that these AI agents could potentially be a bigger problem for them. How are these kind of unvetted AI agents actually getting through the vetting process of these banks when one would potentially call up and say, hey, this is what I want to do? Usually there are security questions that are asked. How would the AI agents actually know those answers? That's exactly right. So one of the big problems here is a question of like, who is in charge of that vetting and what does the liability look like if something goes wrong in that process? So right now you think the most, you know, famous, you know,

third-party AI agent right now is Muse. A lot of the banks are working with a third-party software provider to make sure that Muse is read-only on your bank account. So it can only see things like how much money you're spending on restaurants, for example, but it can't take actions on your behalf. But as an AI reporter, I am getting pitched on new third-party AI agents by the dozens every single day. Not all of those new agents are going through the vetting process, are going to banks and making sure that they are getting that clarity to be able to let users use them to access these bank accounts. And you can really use any AI agent to be able to log into your bank account through a web browser. So it's difficult to ensure that every single AI agent that is coming out again at this record pace is actually getting vetted by financial institutions.

So the response to your article has actually been pretty polarizing. I want to talk about both sides here. You got David Sacks, right, who is President of, who is President Trump's main advisor on AI dismissing your reporting as fear mongering because it's, quote, blurring the line between user authorized agent behavior and cyber attacks. And then on the other hand of this, you got Florida Governor Ronda Stantis who's saying you might not even be able to get your money back from AI companies of, quote, rogue agents liquidate hundreds of billions across millions of accounts. How, how concern should people actually be about what's happening with these AI agents? And what do you mean by kind of these. rogue unauthorized agents? Yeah, so I point people to a line we had in the story about sourcing we have regarding banks preparing for this day after scenario. The idea that obviously banks are investing in making sure that nothing bad ever happens, but we've gotten to a point where banks are also investing in making sure that they can

fix it right away if the worst case scenario were to happen. Axis reported last month that the AI companies are also investing in a day after. scenario where there is an example of a rogue attack so that they can fix it if and when that does happen as soon as possible. We're seeing the AI companies doing this. We're seeing Wall Street do it. It's not yet clear that Washington has a strategy for that day after scenario yet. And one thing that we saw in the reaction to this story today is Democrats and Republicans actually agreeing and saying that somebody needs to do something to make the regulatory response to AI a little bit more clear, given that there hasn't been that clarity yet on what the day after

scenario planning would look like in Washington's response. Yeah, there comes that keyword. There are regulations when it comes to AI, which is very much still in the unknown space. Madison Mills, thank you. Let's get to the new rule changes coming to Airbnb, the company announcing a new policy to curb checkout chores after years of customer complaints. But as Vicki Wynn reports, some hosts worry the changes will leave their heart. homes a mess. It's long been a complaint from Airbnb guests. The last thing I want to do is ever do this pile of dishes again. Why would I want to stay somewhere where they want me to clean up after the fact? Nope. Unlike a hotel stay with housekeeping, Airbnb hosts often require guests to

complete household chores before checking out, from putting sheets in the washing machine to loading the dishwasher, even taking out the trash. So what they wanted us to do was gather all the trash in the house, put it in our car, and take it several miles down. the road and put it in the dumpster. This on top of cleaning fees that can commonly range from 50 to $150 per stay. The fees climb even higher for large and luxury properties. Now Airbnb posting new policies to curb checkout chores, saying for reservations starting after November 20th, hosts are generally not allowed to ask guests to complete

tasks that require significant effort or time or would typically be performed by a cleaner, including stripping the bed, taking trash off-site, or washing and putting away dishes. Somebody at Airbnb finally took a look at their hosts and said, enough is enough. It brings me so much joy to know that somewhere out there, the crazy Airbnb host I had five years ago is punching the air. In a statement, Airbnb said house rules help guests understand what hosts expect,

but we've heard from our community that they can be confusing, onerous and hard to manage. So we've redesigned them to make them easier to discover and clearer to set. But not everyone is celebrating. Ew, I don't want to be touching people's sheets. Hosts Laura and Gabriel Valk rent out two properties near Greenville, South Carolina. They say their checkout list is based on common courtesy. We asked for guests if they are staying there on a Thursday, if they could roll the bins out to the curb.

We asked for guests to place their dishes in the dishwasher, place the towels and the sheets like in a pile. The couple says they don't plan to change their $99 cleaning fee for now. I think some of the pushback comes from guests wondering, why are we paying a cleaning fee if we've got to strip the sheets and take the trash out and do all of these chores? What do you say as hosts? Yeah, that 100% makes sense. We're not asking them to do hours worth of work. It's literally five minutes on the way out. My reaction is more like I, we all have parts of our job that are not our favorite.

Do I want to take off the sheets after someone? Not really, but it's a part of the job. So I got to do it. New rules for Airbnb users looking to relax without the same responsibilities they have at home. Vicki Wynn, NBC News. And a reminder, you can access more exclusive NBC News, extended interviews, and more subscriber-only content by scanning the QR code on your screen and subscribing now. All right, when we come back, still in the show.

Meet the woman going viral after showing up on Conan O'Brien's episode of Subway Takes. She joins us here on Top Story. You were my happiest marriage. That was the best year and a half of my life. I'm trying to tell you. I've heard that from my other three husbands, too. You were my happiest marriage. That was the best year and a half of my life.

I'm trying to tell you. I've heard that from my other three husbands, too. So you just saw it there. Conan O'Brien may have met his match on Subway Takes, the online series where celebrities and communters alike share their hot takes and in Conan's episode, one New York City woman stole the show. You can go ahead, go ahead. Sorry about that. Don't worry. Good to see you. How are you? Hi, I'm good.

You guys know each other? Yes, we go way back. We were married a long time ago. We got two kids. How are they, by the way? I haven't visited. One's in medical school, the other one's in jail, but I'm sorry I haven't sent any money. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. I'm what's called. I love you. Do they really? I've never visited and I never paid for their education. and the kids we had together are still, they still love me? Pictures are everywhere in the house. Don't worry.

That's all they needed was pictures. Do they have my hair or your hair? They have your hair. Oh my God, I'm so sorry. That's okay. I'm so sorry. And what we don't like, we just draw in, you're my mustache.

You were my happiest marriage. That was the best year and a half of my life. I'm trying to tell you. I've heard that from my other three husbands, too. You're amazing. What's your name? What's your name? Debbie.

And joining me now is the woman of the moment, the last three days, the year maybe, Debbie Shields, who was on that subway with Karim and Conan. Did you recognize Conan immediately when you saw him? Like when you were walking by them, were you like, that's Conan O'Brien. Or were you actually looking for a seat? I was looking for a seat. Anytime I get on the subway, I'm looking for a seat. Seats are very important to me. Of course they are. But when you walked by him and you saw him, what did you think to yourself? Well, my friend spotted him. I saw the camera crew, and my friend, Tony, is my best friend. He saw him, and he's like, oh, that's Conan O'Brien. I said, well, I'll tell you what, you save my seat, and I'm going to go speak to him.

So I walked over, and the camera crew was filming. So I put my hand up, like, is it okay? And they said, go ahead, go ahead. And they thought you were just going to pass by. Yeah. Yeah. But instead you sat down. And you, like, leaned into the bit, right?

Yeah. Like, he started, and then you picked it up, and you read. ran with it. Is this something that like you do a lot or you considered a comedian amidst your friends and like and your colleague? You own a bar? Yes. Right? Confessions bar in Brooklyn. Confessions bar. There it is like a little plug for confessions bar in Brooklyn. Yeah. Do you turn it on at confessions? Oh yes. This type of thing. Oh yes. And is it is it is it expected of you? Yes. Now it is when people come in they don't really know in the beginning and they're thrown by it sometimes and then

they're just right in it and they're telling all them or their friends, oh you got to go to karaoke night because I really, really get off on karaoke night with them. Okay. And comedy nights are Friday nights. And so I get on the stage before the comics come on. Oh, you do? And I just introduced them. That's it. I just may make a few jokes. Yeah. But this is, I am definitely not a comedian. Well, I didn't think I was. Well, I think you are now. I think you are now. And Conan's actually singing your praises. I want you to take a little bit of a listen of what Conan's been saying about you.

This amazing woman sat down next to me and suddenly she's throwing improv comeback. I'll do a sitcom with her. Okay. You know, or open a restaurant, or we can just hit the road and do a two-person show. Are you open to collabing with your, what is he your fourth ex-husband you said in that bit? Yes. Are you open to collabing? Yes. He needs my baby's dad that left me. No child support, nothing. He just walked out. And what do those children look like that you one looks like him. He's tall. That's the one that's in jail. So he's on his way home soon. And the other One's in medical school. He looks more like me.

You know? I love the hair comment, too, that you actually mentioned that your kids have Conan's hair. One of them, the one that's in jail. That's not very lucky for that child, though, I got to say. We're working with it. We are working with it. You know what I love about New York and riding on the subway is like every time you ride in New York City subway, you get to have a different unique experience.

Did you ever expect to have this type of experience on a New York City subway? No way. No. Never crossed my mind. Yeah. I've seen some crazy things on the subway, but this was really the craziest for me. Yeah.

I never expected to, this was never planned. I had no idea. I've never even seen the show. I've know, I've know, I knew who Conan was because of his other show. Yeah. But this subway take, no, I had no idea. I didn't even know who he was when I was sitting next to him.

So he was laughing at you and you're like, I don't know who you are, buddy. I know who that guy is. Yeah. So when he called me today, I was like, okay, I guess I'll know you. Okay. you know, but I did look him up and see who he was.

How has your life changed over the past few days since this thing has gone viral? I mean, you're looking at millions of views. When something like that happens, people everywhere recognize you, especially here in New York City. Well, people are yelling at me out of cars. Right.

And I'm used to that anyway, like, get out of the way, but they're not saying that anymore. Now they're like, hey, I know I saw you on television. They're like, say something. Yes, they're asking for pictures. Okay. They're coming into the bar. They're saying that's the reason they're coming to the bar now.

They're telling me how funny. Oh, wait, you have people coming to the bar already and looking for you? Yes. Really? Yes. Okay. People came from Ireland.

When you're making money off it, then that's a good thing. Oh, yeah, they're buying drinks, definitely buying drinks. But they came from Ireland. I have people calling me from Australia. Come on. England. They are calling me from everywhere. People from Long Island, little old ladies, hi, I like you.

You're really funny. I'm like, who is this? Oh, this is Katie. Okay. Katie. That's kind of awkward, though, the random people call. Where are they getting your number from? I have no idea.

Has Conan given you a call? Yes. His office reached out today. And he told me how funny I was and how thankful he was. And thanks for being on the show with him and just making him laugh. And he said, it is really good. And he threw his plug-in that he's going to come to Confessions Bar. No way.

He's going to sing karaoke. And that he knows how to clear room when he's singing very quickly. Well, also, if you're having comedy night on Friday night, You should invite him for comedy night for stand-up, right? Definitely, definitely. Well, Dream said that he's going to come by on comedy night, which is tomorrow night. So we'll see if he makes it. And I'm just happy.

I am so happy to be in their company and to be able to keep up with them and laugh and joke. And we've even named the drink after him now at the bar. Oh, you have. What's the drink name? It's called Baby Daddy O'Brien. And what's in this baby daddy, Daddy? drink whiskey straight whiskey we got some blood red orange in there okay got some lemon lime okay and a little bit of simple syrup that'll make you silly oh yeah

oh yeah so he's got to do any phone calls from lorne micha because there's some folks out there on the internet that are looking at that video and saying lord michael's take a look at debby shields well that would be a beautiful like a little SNL debut for debby shields a host work with that I definitely can make it work now don't come for me if you don't want me to come for you because I'm going to be ready. Now that you know what subway takes is, what is your subway take? Do you have one? Well,

I'm looking at it like this. I enjoy doing this, and I enjoy people seeing it because I want people to know that if this could happen to a woman at my age, out of the middle of Bedford-Stuyvesant, and I worked very hard. Yeah, I can tell. And to walk on a subway

in one minute and 29 seconds can change your entire life, then they can just imagine what they can do with their lives. So I hope it's an encouragement to be able to do things that they're looking forward to doing. Debbie Shields, we're so thankful to have you on. A celebrity in our midst. Yeah, and tell Conan, I said, send that child's support. Send that child support, Conan O'Brien. Send that child support, Conan O'Brien. To Debbie Shields at Confessions Bart. Thank you, Debbie. And thank you so much for watching Top Story for Tommy Amis. I'm Yasm. See you here in New York. Stay right there. More News

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