Top Story with Tom Llamas - Thursday, October 8, 2026

Episode Date: October 9, 2026

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

Breaking news tonight, the powerful hurricane upgraded to a cat two. Now closing in on the Gulf, mandatory evacuations just ordered. Right now, the hurricane growing stronger. Highways backed up for miles as families rushed to get out, businesses boarding up, grocery store shelves empty, alert stretching from Louisiana to Georgia, and now the threat it may spin off tornadoes. The mayor of Pensacola joins us live. This just did Defense Secretary Pete Higgson, vowing to live stream the first firing squad. execution in decades of the man who killed 13 at Fort Hood.

The growing scandal prompting calls for President Trump to fire his ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoil. Why did she allegedly ask a top Trump donor to pay off her $100,000 Amex bill? New violent clashes in Paris as thousands protest, conditions in schools, officers firing water cannons, our Richard Engel is there as tear gas fills the streets. All eyes on the battle for Michigan, a Senate race that has drawn the fury of President Trump.

Right now, the candidates squaring off in their first debate as Republicans fight to flip the sea. Wild video capturing an officer clinging to the roof of a speeding car, how this chase came to an end. And extreme exploration, millions watching this TikTok are riding an inflatable kayak through the Congo Basin, one of the world's most deadliest jungles, will show you the dangers he could face. Plus, how well does Amazon know you? The About You section, summing up your shopping personality, leaving some customers stunned. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We're coming on the air as Hurricane Isayas intensifies into a dangerous

tattoo charging towards the Gulf Coast. Right now, tens of millions are under alerts as the region braces for landfall. Here's a look at the first Atlantic hurricane of the season already packing. Get this 100 mile per hour winds as it closes in. At this hour, evacuation orders are stretching from Alabama to Florida. This highway in Alabama completely backed up as people are racing to get out of the storm's path before it's too late, really. Empty shelves seen in Florida grocery stores as people rush to stock up on food and water. Some gas stations completely out of fuel and empty pumps are wrapped up as drivers are forced to turn away. Residents doing whatever they can, though, to prevent the damage, you know, boarding up their businesses, filling up hundreds of sandbags to prevent flooding. Right now, rescue teams are being deployed throughout the panhandle, bringing highly trained crews, dogs and life-saving equipment. Tonight, 28 million are under flood watches with some areas

bracing for up to 15 inches of rain and even the possibility for dangerous nighttime tornadoes. We've got full coverage. Bill Cairns is standing by to track at all, but we start with, and we have the mayor of Pensacola, we should mention as well as the city braces for the possibility of a direct hit. But we begin with Jesse Kirsch on the ground of Florida. Tonight, the race to get ready. On Florida's Gulf Coast residents filling sandbags stocking up on supplies and some even ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Isayas charges toward land. And in Alabama, all non-residents in parts of two counties being told to leave immediately. The storm rapidly intensifying its maximum sustained wind speeds doubling in just 24 hours.

So I think people should take it seriously. There will be impacts all across the Florida panhandle. Hurricane Isayas is going to act like a bulldozer pushing seawater onto shore as it makes its way toward the coast. line. And here in Pensacola Beach, that storm surge could be over my head. Across the Pensacola area, residents racing to protect their homes. What are you most worried about with this storm? Flooding and trees. So I'm mostly flooding right now. Some grocery store shelves nearly empty. Even bread shelves are becoming empty. Gas also running low. Even the military securing or evacuating aircraft at Air Force bases across the storm zone.

You have any of your large duffel bags, put them in the rope packs. This is multiple urban search and rescue teams are now moving in. These teams deploying from South Florida. We're anxious, but we're ready. We've prepared for this. All right, Jesse Kirsch, she's out there on the beach live for us waiting for this storm to hit. Jesse, you're on one of those barrier islands there and people are being asked to evacuate there. That's right, Tom.

Officials say they're even pulling their firefighters off of the barrier. islands tomorrow. And when conditions get bad enough, the bridges will shut down. That means people who choose to ride out the storm will be on their own until conditions improve it. You can see right now here in Pensacola Beach that there are some people still out here, but by and large, this place is getting awful quiet, and that is something officials will want to see. Tom. Yeah, it looks like you have the beach to yourself there. Okay, Jesse, that's a good sign. I want to bring an NBC meteorologist Bill Carrance now. Bill, walk us through the latest track, what you're watching. And is there anything different about this?

storm our viewers should know. Yeah, not a lot of surprises. And that's good. It helps people prepare for the storm. Hurricane Center forecast have been pretty spot on. They said it would be a category two. It is a category two. The million dollar question is what will that intensity be at landfall and just over 24 hours from right now? It could be as strong as a category two. We're hoping that it weakens considerably right before landfall. It's possible. I mean, if we get really lucky, maybe it would just be a tropical storm. Then we'll have a lot less wind damage. But we have to prepare for a two because that's kind of worst case. So here's the forecast from the hurricane center.

Man, these are every six hours. The new one will be at 11 o'clock this evening. 7 to 11 p.m. landfall somewhere just to the east side here of Pensacola. If you remember over the last couple of days, this has been shifting ever so slightly to the east. So the forecast keeps improving from New Orleans. You may not have even any rain. But Luxey, your forecast is improving.

Mobile, you're still on the edge of like power outages and wind damage. If we can get a little more to the east, it's better for you. But then the flip side of that is everyone to the east side, the east side, your forecast has been getting worse. That includes Destin. That includes Fort Walton Beach and now towards Panama City. This is where the worst storm surge will be, too, to the east of that center. And that's where we're expecting that five to seven foot. This is worst case scenario, but that's high enough for considerable damage with wave action on top of that. As far as the winds go, now that we're thinking that the eye or whatever's left of it will be heading towards the Pensacola area, look at the forecast from the weather service. A hundred and two mile power wind gusts is possible. That would be,

considerable wind damage to roofs, down trees all over the place. And even far inland, look at Monroeville. Could gust it 84, Montgomery, 52. So we have a lot of dense forest in these regions, and it hasn't been hit by a storm in a while like this. So we could see power outages for days. And that's why our power outage map, and the red is widespread, orange shows you scattered. That possibly even includes areas all the way to Atlanta. And that's going to be because we're going to get some severe weather out of this, maybe even thunderstorms with isolated tornadoes. And that's going to be along the Alabama, Georgia border all the way through the Florida Panhandle. This will be during the night.

So we could have tornadoes out there after people lose power. So that's scary. And you may not even get your alerts on your phone anymore. The cell towers go down. So just be aware of that. If you have your weather radio is handy, make sure they have batteries in them. And you can get those alerts in the middle of the night tomorrow. As far as flooding goes, this storm is moving fast enough that we're not going to see widespread flooding.

But this area down near where landfall is, That's the best chance. That's where we could see isolated 10-inch totals, Tom. Okay, Bill Cairns, thanks for that. Tonight, Pensacola, Florida, bracing for what could be a direct hit. And joining Top Story live tonight, the mayor of that great city, D.C. Reeves. Mayor Reeves, we thank you for coming on Top Story. I was getting a little interference there. Glad you could be with us. What's your biggest concern right now? Really, it's preparation for our citizens. What we can absolutely control here at the city is making sure police and fires ready to go.

We can make sure the stormwater ponds are down. What we can't control is wind speed. We can't control cone of uncertainty. We can't control when it gets here and what kind of damage is going to be here. But we can darn sure control those things to make sure our citizens are safe. And all we're really asking and, frankly, imploring

is that our citizens do the same, that they do the same for their families, that they do the same for their neighbors, and that they heed these warnings, They listen to these evacuations and these protocols that we put in front of them and that they're taking action right now. Yeah, that's my next question. Do you think people are listening to you? Yeah, unfortunately and fortunately, this is an area that's used to this. Unfortunately, because of the damage.

And fortunately because I think we do heed these warnings. And people have asked a lot about first-time residents, maybe people who haven't been through this. I was born and raised here. I've been through many. but actually we're seeing from a lot of first-time Florida residents that it's not that they are complacent, it's that they're actually overly concerned, which frankly is a good thing. We want people to be asking questions about what they should be doing. And that's what we're getting right now.

We're getting significant support. Senator Scott was here today trying to really drum up that awareness. We have our state federal partners at the ready. We've got significant resources coming in. And most importantly, we have decades of experience in our, emergency operation center at this city in this county that has dealt with this both here and throughout Florida. So we're ready to go. Yeah, so much of your beautiful city is surrounded by water. Should your entire city be evacuated, or do you think there are sections that are going to be

okay? Yeah, I mean, listen, obviously zone A's and B, those are going to be your Pensacola Beach, your coastal areas, waterfront homes, things like that. Obviously, we follow that science and we follow all of those decades of experience of who should or shouldn't go. But ultimately, when it's when you're not in those mandatory areas, it's a personal decision. I'll tell you, even when I've ridden out many storms in this community where there wasn't a mandatory evacuation, but I'll be frank with you. It's not the most fun thing to do to be out without power and to go through that. So frankly, if there's not a necessity for you to be here for many reasons, and there are reasons to want to stay,

then if you have the opportunity to evacuate, obviously that's the safest thing you can do. Speaking of evacuation, right, your residents can't really go north because the storm may still affect them there for a few days, and you don't want to go too far west because you may run into the storm as well. Are people kind of going further up the east coast

or down into Florida other parts? Listen, there's evacuations. It doesn't have to be hundreds of miles. If you live on Pensacola Beach and you go 20 miles, inland, you're in a better situation than you are on the beach. So we think of evacuations as these large scale where you get out of the way of every band of rain. That isn't necessary, but getting further inland, getting to a safer place, and again,

following those protocols, especially if you're in those mandatory evacuation zones, that's not a tomorrow thing. That's not a Friday thing. That's a Thursday thing. So we know that the interstates have been very, very saturated, getting out of town. and potentially that's a good thing because that means people are heating those warnings. Yeah. Were you surprised that a day ago

the president wasn't even aware of this hurricane? I certainly can't speak to what the president has on his plate. But what I can certainly tell you, I do know that Senator Scott spoke with the president. He made that clear he spoke with him yesterday and that we will have the full weight of those federal resources like FEMA, like Congressman Petronus, Senator Scott,

to go to bat for us. And so I fully suspect that we have the entire support of the state of Florida and the federal government. Mayor, good luck tomorrow night. I'm sure you're going to need it. And we would love to talk to you if possible tomorrow. So we'll check in with you and we'll be thinking and praying for your community there. Absolutely. We're here.

We're ready. And looking forward to chatting with you. And we appreciate you getting that awareness out there. Thank you, Mayor. We're also following breaking news out of Washington tonight. The Pentagon announcing it will live stream the execution of the gunman convicted of killing 13. people at Fort Hood. Kelly O'Donnell joins us now live from the White House. Kelly, a lot of questions here. This comes after President Trump ordered the execution to be done by firing squad.

Pick up the new developments we learned today. Well, first of all, a military execution is a rare event. It hasn't happened since the 1960s. And if you consider another firing squad, military execution, that goes all the way back to World War II. And it was Secretary Hegeseth who went to the president and recommended the use of a firing squad with this particular individual who carried out a mass casualty event against fellow soldiers. This is Nadal Hassan, a medical doctor. He was a psychiatrist in the Army and is no longer, of course, in the Army. He's been incarcerated since this event and was convicted in 2013. But making this even more unusual, Secretary Heggsat said that the public should be able to see this. And he said,

that's important to know the consequences of what happened. So when Hassan carried out this attack, he went into the Fort Hood, Texas community, killed 13, wounded more than 30. He was wounded and remains in a wheelchair since, in return fire. And this was a devastating blow to fellow soldiers. And he was motivated by radical ideology, according to the evidence that was presented in his case, had ties to al-Qaeda and so forth. And so this is the kind of case where apparently the Secretary of Defense wants to make this an example. And so not only using a method that has not been done in decades, but also making it public. Now, military executions and frankly state executions typically have a witness component

where there are individuals who observe it as a public act. But broadcasting it with live streaming is really at a new level, something we've never heard of, never seen before. Tom? And then, Kelly, you know, there's... this question, and I don't know if it applies here, but cruel and unusual punishment, right? Does this constitute that? Does he have a case? Can he appeal this? Or is it over? It is not over. Once the execution order is signed by the president, and that has been done, he has the opportunity to appeal to federal court. So outside the military justice system,

it's important to point out that Hassan represented himself. I mentioned he was a medical doctor, but he acted as his own lawyer during his trial. So we don't know if he has any intention to appeal. And certainly the courts have allowed for firing squad and other methods, not in violation of the, I believe it's the Eighth Amendment for protection against cruel and unusual punishment. But there are interesting circumstances here. We'll have to see if he appeals. The date for his execution is currently scheduled December 3rd, so there's a little bit of time

for other developments to take place. Tom? Yeah, and I was actually asking more for the live stream part of it, because that would be something new, but I'm sure they'll look at that. Kelly, we thank you for your reporting, as always. Now to a growing demand for President Trump to fire his ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, following allegations from a Trump donor that she asked for $100,000 to pay off her credit card debt. Garrett Hake has been following this one. Tonight, new demands for President Trump's ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Gilfoyle,

to be fired over growing ethics questions. A star in the MAGA world for years, she's the ex-fiance of his son, Don Jr. Donald Trump will never stop fighting for you. Tonight, a top Trump donor alleging she asked him to pay off her $100,000 American Express balance, days before her 2025 confirmation hearing, offering to help the donor access senior administration officials. She said to me, she would be my ride or die. I mean, she was begging. She was pleading.

that I pay that $100,000. Legal consultant Eric Dieters said he had offered her a million dollars for help drawing the administration's attention to a legal case he was involved in. Deeters shared hundreds of text and signal messages with NBC News that he says were with Gilfoyle. He says in this message Gilfoyle sent payment instructions, writing, it won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express, but that he did not send it. She was so desperate for that $100,000. GILFILFILS attorney has not responded to a request for comment from NBC News, but told the Wall Street Journal the ambassador, quote, disputed the authenticity of the messages without providing specifics.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on a diplomatic visit to Athens, where he spent the day with Gilfoyle dodging questions about her conduct. I don't even know what you're reporting is true. You guys somehow walk around thinking that because some source told you something and you reported it, it's the gospel. It's not the gospel. But Democrats demanding Gilfoyle be fired. She is not qualified to be ambassador to Greece, and she should be removed. And it comes amid ethics concerns surrounding others in the president's orbit. A Russian oligarch with ties to Vladimir Putin's inner circle,

saying this week Donald Trump Jr. paid him back after backlash following a report that the Russian had bankrolled Don Jr.'s wedding party in the Bahamas. And the New York Times, citing two sources familiar, reporting the president's top two campaign advisors, were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to travel to and advise a pro-Russian regional government in the Balkans last weekend. Garrett Hake joins us now. Garrett, the president trying to distance himself from all of this?

He's tried, Tom, but it'll be difficult in the case of Las Vita and James Blair, those two political advisors. One of them ran his campaign for president. The other runs his super PAC, basically in charge of $400 million of the president's campaign funds. The president has said, these guys. Those are political consultants, and they're allowed to do this. It's legal.

And that is true. They're not being accused of any kind of crime here. Their sins seem to be political ones. And I think it tells you something about the way Republicans are viewing these midterms. A source told me today that these men were just gone for the weekend for this trip to Europe to advise on technical issues here. But a lot of Republicans want them locked in on these midterms with less than a month to go and their hands, if you will, writing so many of the big checks.

that so many Republicans need in this final stretch. All right, Gary Hig, we thank you. Overseas now to that mysterious death in Russia at a lab that studies the plague. Authorities in Siberia now saying they've lifted emergency measures despite global concerns about a potential spread. Here's Ralph Sanchez. Tonight, as President Trump prepares to speak to Vladimir Putin about the mysterious death of an employee at a plague research lab in Russia,

authorities in Siberia say they're lifting the emergency. measures imposed after the worrying incident. 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at a remote anti-plague institute there, died suddenly last week. Initial Russian media reports said she may have been infected after an accident at the lab, while teams in hazmat suits put the facility in quarantine and placed hundreds of people under medical observation. The regional governor now says she died of pneumonia, and that 5,000 tests have found no

presence of dangerous pathogenic microorganisms in the area. But six years on from the outbreak of COVID in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the death in Russia is causing global concern. China didn't say much, and Russia's not saying much either, but they do say they have it very much under control. The head of the CDC says it's monitoring travelers from the area, but noting the plague can easily be treated. It's a treatable, highly treatable bacterial disease with common antibiotics that most physicians within the United States can utilize. We are very confident that the threat to the United States is extremely low. Russia is also strongly denying reports that a second employee at that lab is now seriously sick,

calling those reports fake information. Tom? The Raf Sanchez with that update, Raf, thank you. We're going to stay overseas in the mounting anger boiling over in France. Thousands taking to the streets clashing with police officers over conditions in schools. Our Richard Engel was in the middle of the chaos as officers deployed. deploy tear gas. French students aren't giving up, demanding their government spend more on their education. Thousands of protesters are here in Bastille Square, where the French revolution began

in 1789. And people here say they are continuing that same spirit of resistance and revolution. Where do you think this is going? I don't know. I mean, honestly, I think like all the students want to get like heard. Demonstrators say the only response they've seen so far is a heavy-handed police crackdown. The police here have now just given what they say is their last warning for people to clear out of this entire area. Many didn't budge.

The police charges were quick and violent. Officers swinging clubs with full force and knocking demonstrators to the ground. Tear gas is now just falling right around us. falling right around us. Some of the demonstrators, some of the demonstrators are trying to kick it away, to throw it away. This is the heaviest volume of tear gas that we've seen so far today. The gas kept coming, making the air feel like it was on fire. As we moved away, a police stun grenade exploded next to us.

The crowds ultimately dispersed, but they vow to keep coming out until the government fixes what they say. What they say are France's broken schools. The French government says more than 70,000 people turned out at today's demonstrations, and the French public is deeply divided over them, mostly along political lines, with right-wing groups calling them juvenile delinquents who must be stopped, and left-wing groups fully supporting them. Okay, Richard Engel, when we come back, is there a serial killer in Michigan? Police there looking into a string of deaths, what we're learning tonight, plus the San Diego

a chef arrested after more than a decade on the run, why he's accused of living a double life. And outrage on a frontier flight without air conditioning. Passengers left on board in the sweltering heat with some trying to rush the exit. Stay with us. We're back with the investigation to a possible serial killer in Michigan after five men were killed in similar circumstances all along the same trail in the last year. Shaquille Brewster has the details. Tonight, police are urgently investigating the possible connection between five deaths along

this river trail in Lansing, Michigan. One question that we are being asked is, do we have a serial killer in Lansing? The string of deaths all in the last year targeting men who were homeless. Most of the victims, they say, suffering blunt force trauma to the head. We believe that our victims in this case were lying down, potentially even sleeping. Last October, police finding 54-year-old Gino-Chanard, months later on July 9th, 70-year-old Dennis Dunaback. Just was four days later, 57-year-old Robert Smith also found injured and unresponsive. Then in August, 22-year-old Daniel Lusk. Ten days later, 57-year-old Louis Woodruff, all attacked along the same trail.

But unlike the others, Lusk was stabbed to death, police identifying Edward Smith as the suspect in his death and charging Smith with murder. And I'll tell you, the difference between the solved case is camera surveillance. Police say they're still investigating if there's a connection, recently started a tip line for the public and deploying cameras and overnight patrols. It was a nice person. He was a great athlete. A move coming a year too late for Gino Schenard's family. Somebody needs to pay for this crime that he did not deserve.

Nobody, none of those people really deserve it. As they and the Lansing community ask who's behind these troubling deaths. All right, with that, Shaq joins us. And Shaq, there's another pattern police are looking into that these attacks may have happen at the same time of day? That's exactly right, Tom. Police saying that most of these attacks took place in the overnight hours, and that's what's made it so difficult as they've tried to investigate.

There are sued and no witnesses. There's very little video surveillance cameras except for that one stabbing that we talked about in the piece. And police also say they're now working with advocacy groups to move the homeless population to other areas, saying that once they started raising flags about these killings, They saw a 50% reduction in the homeless population around those trails. But one thing that Gino's family told me is that he had collapsed lungs, but no other injuries below his waist. They believe this was an ambush, and that's why they're hoping that they can get to the bottom of this, and they don't want his death connected to any more in the future, Tom.

Yeah, we hope they can get to the bottom of it as well. Okay, Shaquille Bhrushcheek, thank you. Now to the wanted fugitive found more than a decade after police say he went on the run. but he wasn't exactly hiding instead of working as a head chef in San Diego, even making TV appearances. Are Liz Kreuz with how police caught up to him leaving that double life? Tonight, a stunning case of double identity. Authorities say this man, a popular San Diego chef who went by the name Troy Williams,

is actually a wanted fugitive from Iowa, 50-year-old Brian Anthony Williams. The U.S. Marshal Service says he's been living a secret life for nearly 15 years after going on the run following his involvement in a violent kidnapping. This is so wild. Like a Netflix style wild. Eddie Gerado is William's former roommate and the general manager of Miss Bees Coconut Club. The restaurant where Williams is head chef and has worked for more than a decade. Troy's always popping off.

It's where authorities arrested Williams this week. Troy, we knew was a vegan, straight edge. He was a good guy here. Loved by everybody. Authorities say, Williams has been wanted since 2012 when he and co-conspirators allegedly kidnapped, assaulted, and shot a woman, then left her in a field outside Davenport, Iowa. According to the U.S. Marshals, in September, officials determined he was living in San Diego under the identity Troy

Williams, where he worked as a chef and was appearing in TV segments like this one. We're just like family. All of us are really good friends. Williams was even the subject of this local Black History Month profile earlier this year and described growing up poor in the projects of New York. Clearly not from New York. There's a whole other person that we don't know. And that's what's, honestly, that scares me a little bit, man, or a lot. Authorities tell NBC News, his media appearances and interviews help lead them to Williams,

who was now expected to be extradited back to Iowa. Okay, Liz, Coydz joins us tonight. Liz, this is a strange one. It's interesting. He started doing TV appearances and putting himself out there. Do we know where he is tonight and what kind of charges he's still facing? Yeah, Tom, I mean, it makes you think that he just started getting a little too comfortable, a little too relaxed in his new life in San Diego as he put himself out there,

and that's what authorities say help them identify him. We do know that he faces very serious charges, unlawful, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree arson, assault. These charges, if convicted, he could face life in prison. He's currently right now in custody in San Diego. has a first hearing tomorrow, as we mentioned. It's expected he could be extradited to Iowa. But Tom, you saw the general manager, his friends there, they are shocked. They say they never could have imagined this. And he said they have really mixed emotions because on one hand,

they are angry at him for lying to them. They're upset by these horrible allegations. But also, this is their friend. And they said he was a really good guy. So a really complicated one, Tom. Yeah, two really distinct lives. Okay, thank you, Liz. Coming up on top story, a major update on Sean Diddy Combs. Following our report, you'll remember, about his VIP lifestyle in prison. Remember the massages? What we just learned about his release date.

Plus, the wild police pursuit overseas an officer ending up on the roof of this car while trying to chase down some suspects, how it happened. But first, Top Story's Top Moment and an incredible athlete who just smashed a world record holding a plank for five hours

and get this, she's a grandma. Take a look. That 61-year-old Donna Jean Wilde, Guinness World Record Holder for the longest plank by a woman breaking her own previous time at the World Senior Games. What a champion. She's got to be so strong. All right, stay with us. More top story after this.

I'm going to hold a plank during the commercial break. We're back now and monitoring the first debate in a race that could make or break Democrats bid for Senate control. Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed fighting to maintain the seat left open by a retiring Democrat there in the state of Michigan. He's trying to pull moderate Democrats into his coalition after a fierce primary contest, campaigning today with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. His opponent, Republican Mike Rogers, making his second bid for the Senate in just two years. He lost a Democrat at Lisa Slotkin in 2024, even as President Trump won the state. And now he's trailing El-Said in the polls. NBC senior national politics reporter Jonathan Allen, a good friend of Top Story.

He's been watching this debate closely for us. John El Sayed has been trying to get Rogers on the debate stage for several months. He got his wish tonight. How are both candidates looking early on? Yeah, Tom, it's British, nasty, and long so far. Very, very vituperative. These guys are really going after each other on a personal level. El Sayed has said that Mike Rogers is bought off by corporations. Rogers has said that Al Sajat has said that Alps said that Alist said that Alist as a con man. There are some areas of agreement, though. They both want to pause gas taxes because the economy's been so hurt, and they both think that some tariffs, but not all of them are good. All right now, gas prices in Michigan, about 439 per gallon. That's up $1.39 from a year ago. Here's some of what each candidate has said tonight about the economy. Let's listen.

And I know how much it costs me to fill up my gas tank. It is insane. $80, $80 to fill up your gas tank. And yes, I would support pausing the federal gas tax. But there is one thing that is actually causing this. It's the war in Iran, a war that has been cheer-led by my opponent since the beginning. Called it a win, win, win. So I've called for a diesel rebate, number one, and a pause on exports of diesel to give a temporary break. We can resume that. Once the war comes to an end, I do believe it's going to come to an end.

We need it to come to an end. John, talk to us about how cost of living is playing into this race because it's playing everywhere across the country. Yeah, I mean, prices are everything. You named it. Unless you live in Martha's Vineyard or Jackson Hole, you are feeling prices. And even a lot of the people who live in those places are feeling the increase in prices. So that's gas, that's groceries. If you're a farmer, that's fertilizer, it's diesel fuel. No matter where you live in this country, you're feeling it. And at the same time, we're seeing interest rates go up about seven and a half. percent on home mortgages right now. Yeah, President Trump has been attacking El-Said online. He and other Republicans have tried to paint him as a radical. What is he doing to sort of push back on that narrative tonight and on the trail? Well, I think what he's done on the trail and tonight is to talk about Michigan voters

and to focus on the economy as much as possible. He has said repeatedly tonight that this isn't about the personalities of him and Rogers, even though they're both attacking each other's personalities, but it's about Michigan voters. And so that's been his main shield is simply to divert back to the economy. Now, Rogers is accusing El-Sayed of supporting policies that would raise taxes, so the Medicare for All plan, and El-Syed is accusing Rogers of supporting the policies that are currently keeping prices high, including the Iran War. Do we know how voters feel about Rogers?

He's sort of had an interesting relationship with President Trump. He's kind of been back and forth a few times, right? Yeah, I mean, I think we're going to find out a little bit on Alexia Day about that, of course, Tom, how they feel about Rogers. But it's interesting. He's one of a couple of candidates across the country this year. John Sununu is another one, Senator from New Hampshire, who are old enough and in Congress early enough to have been there for George W. Bush and supported his wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And now are also having to deal with President Trump's foreign policy. So having essentially to run away from or at least balance their positions a little bit, against presidents of their own party.

All right, John, always great to see you, and I'm sure we're going to see you more in the lead-up to the midterm elections. Thank you, my friend. Now to Top Stories News Feed, starting with a developing situation here in New York City. Police say a person was shot by an ICE officer during an Operation Upper Manhattan.

That person was apparently in a vehicle when at least one officer opened fire. New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani says a five-year-old was also in the car but was unharmed. We're told the shot individual is expected to survive. It's unclear right now what caused this shooting. Governor Holco is calling on federal authorities to provide a full report of this incident. New criminal charges against former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in an updated indictment,

a U.S. prosecutor accused Maduro and his wife of conspiring to torture political opponents, as well as some Americans. It all comes after the U.S. military seized the couple from their home in Caracas to face drug trafficking charges in New York. Their attorneys have yet to comment publicly on the new allegations. and a wild ride for one officer during a dangerous police pursuit in Western India. Look at this. That officer clinging to the roof of an SUV as it speeds down the highways. Authorities say it happened when they tried to pull over three people suspected of smuggling tobacco.

Eventually, police got to the car and they got it to stop and they took the suspects into custody. Also tonight, passengers physically fighting back after they were stuck on our frontier airlines plane in Atlanta, leaving everyone on board sweltering without air conditioning. Tom Costello has this one. Frustration and anger boiling over on a Frontier Airlines plane stuck at the gate in Atlanta, as passengers tried to rush the exit, blocked by a flight attendant. Passengers claimed they were stuck on board for an hour with no AC after the jet bridge failed and the electricity went out.

Flight attendants worried that without the jet bridge, someone could have fallen 15 feet to the airport ramp below. Frontier tells NBC News it's looking into how long passengers were stuck, but a mechanical issue caused the jet bridge to become misaligned with the cabin door, thus precluding a full deplaining until maintenance personnel could address the issue. Meanwhile, in California, cell phone video captured the moment that John Wayne Airport police say a Delta airline passenger tried to steal an airline tug, driving erratically before crashing into another airport vehicle. Pilots on the ground forced to sit and wait. Security breach of the airport. Someone stole a tug, so they pretty much shut down to ground south of an effect.

The airport says the suspect also tried to drive off in a truck that empties aircraft toilets. The Orange County Sheriff's Department says deputies arrested 26-year-old Skyler J. Barr of Everett, Washington. On charges of vehicle theft, trespassing, and vandalism, he was taken to a hospital for evaluation. The airport says Barr walked through a door at Gate 12, then made his way down to the ramp. If the door was also a fire door, it could not be deadbolted. Tom? We have a big update tonight on Sean Diddy Combs. Tonight, the rapper's prison release date has been pushed back following our NBC News reporting about the VIP lifestyle he was living behind bars, getting access to a contraband phone, which you can see here, as well as premium liquor,

and paying several inmates to do his chores, cook him, these special meals, and even give him massages in prison. Those details, according to four men who served time with Combs. We reported earlier this month that Combs had been placed in solitary confinement after that reporting. NBC's Chloe Mloss joins us now. She's been breaking a lot of stories on this. So, Chloe, you have new reporting about how did he was sanctioned after your reports came out? Sure, that's right. So the Bureau of Prisons, Tom, launched an investigation.

As we previously told you, Combs was put in something called the shoe, the special housing unit, also known as solitary confinement. He was supposed to be released in January, 28. Now he is officially going to be released in March of 2028. So as a result of our NBC News exclusive reporting, Sean Combs has lost 41 days of good conduct time. So as you are an inmate in federal prison, if you participate in certain types of programs, you can earn up to 54 days a year off of your sentence.

So we had actually seen his release date moved up a little earlier. And then because of our story, now he has another 41 days on top of his current sentence that he has to serve. We're hearing from Dady's team tonight? Yeah, so the Bureau of Prisons is not commenting on the record, but I do want to tell you we just got a statement from his publicist who says, we have not been provided with any official findings or explanation of the disciplinary action you described. So I am not going to speculate about its basis or consequences.

Sean remains focused on serving his sentence and returning to his family. Okay, Chloe Malas. Again, a lot of new reporting on this. We thank you for that. Still to come tonight here on Top Story, meet the TikToker on a journey through one of the most dangerous places on earth, navigating the Congo Basin in nothing but inflatable kayak. You heard me right. Plus, how much does Amazon know about you?

The new page revealing observations the company has made about shoppers, things like has a bad father and is antisocial. We'll show you where to find it right after this. Back down with a man taking over so many TikTok feeds. He's a Welsh explorer setting off on a 400-mile journey through the Congo basin, and he's doing in all in an inflatable kayak. Millions have tuned in as he's documented his preps. And today he's setting off.

Ryan Chandler takes a closer look. Day one, let's go. The daring farewell before one of the most dangerous journeys on earth. This is the Sangha River. For the next month or so, Welsh adventurer Ash Dikes plans to float more than 400 miles from the Central African Republic to the Democratic Republic of Congo by way of the Sangha River. and it's flowing fast. Along the way, potentially dangerous obstacles, like hippos, crocodiles, river rapids and parasites.

All these little smiles in the water I'm like. What is that? And he's planning to face them all in his inflatable kayak. Yes, boys. Yes, yes, yes. He won't be alone. He says he's bringing a guide and a photographer with him. And he's taking his millions of followers along for the ride too.

Posting, he says, using Starlight. Send up the Starlink. Amazing if that happens. Many of Dykes's prep videos going viral before his kayak even left the banks. In here, we've got a tent sleeping bag, sleeping mats, inspiring spin-offs. We've just been dropped in the Congo basin. Support and skepticism. Let's leave that part of the world alone.

Parasites and things are pretty nasty in there. Adventurer John Bowermaster has kayaked in the Congo. Red ants. pretty viral all over. I'm sure Dash would become very unfortunately familiar with those. Why do you think people all over the world have connected with Ash's adventure? You know, well, despite the fact that a lot of us are glued to our chairs and our devices, et cetera, I think there still is an incredible lust for adventure and for getting out there.

Set up the three tents. Tonight, Ash showing off the first campsite of a long journey ahead. Yeah, it's so good. Ryan joins us now. Ryan, I have two questions for you. First, you know, hearing about the story, one of the things I wanted to know was, do they have any weapons? Does he have any weapons? Well, you know, Tom, we were talking with that adventure in our piece, and he actually said when he goes out, he doesn't recommend you to take a weapon like a gun to defend yourself. He said hippos are a big danger, but you don't want to cause a situation where you could cause damage to the environment around you. He said, there's a big danger. He said, there are a big danger, but you don't want to cause a situation where you could cause damage to the environment around you. He said, there are savvy ways to make sure you don't get in any danger like that. We just don't know, though, what kind of equipment he's taking to keep himself safe on this journey, Tom. We know why he's doing this. Is it all about the thrill, or is it to learn something?

It's about the thrill and the notoriety. You know, he's kind of made a career after being, out of being something of an adventurer-influencer. This is not the first time he's done this. He actually claims five world records under his belt. Most recently, back in 2019, he walked 4,000 miles along the Yangtze River. It took him almost a year. Back in 2016, he traversed the entire length of Madagascar. He actually contracted malaria while he did that. So this has been a thing that he's really built a reputation off of,

and this is not the first adventure that he's doing in the near future. He's going to do five more adventures in a project he's calling Project Six, a total of six staring adventures throughout the next year, Tom. Okay, Ryan Chandler for us, Ryan, we thank you. Now to the Amazon AI feature that's getting quite the reaction online. It's called About You. And it's essentially a customer profile that highlights your preferences and trends and shopping. But some people online are calling attention to the bizarre, inaccurate

and sometimes two accurate descriptions. The family is scared of mantises. Like praying mantises? Why am I such a loser? Has a cat. Consistently maintains cat supplies. Forget the hinge profiles. I want to see your Amazon Prime Insights.

We asked Amazon about why the feature is giving these descriptions, and they pointed us to their website, which says about you, lets you view and edit the personal details that shape your shopping recommendations. So what does Amazon really know about you? Joining me now is Olivia Tauber, a digital culture editor at Mashable.

Olivia, thanks for being here on Top Story. Appreciate it. So I want to read you a few of the words. wild ones that we have that have come out here so far. Let's put these up on the screen for our viewers. One woman's home and family category wrote, quote, has a bad father. Another person's product preference wrote, has flat buttocks. One woman's interests and hobby said used to like Ryan Reynolds, but not so much anymore. And another woman's home and family category said, husband has skinny legs. I will note most of the descriptions are a bit more tame and a bit more accurate. But how is Amazon

sort of finding all this data? Yeah. So, Amazon, Amazon scrapes data from a few different places. First of all, it's what I found more surprising from Amazon Alexa, so a lot of information is coming from that. And then also just normal things that you would expect, like your search history and your reviews, if you place any reviews online, it can take information from there too. You know, a lot of people, I know our family, there's multiple people on the account. So how accurate does it become when you start mixing in, like, different people in the family?

Yeah, I mean, I think that definitely convolutes it a little bit. I have two sisters and also my mom and we're all on the same Amazon account. So it said some things about, like, beauty supplies that I don't have or certain things that it was getting confused about. But at the end of the day, a lot of people are finding these to be pretty accurate. So when it says something like a flat buttox, like how do you get, how does Amazon get to that point? I mean, I don't know. But I think from what Amazon says on their privacy details, it does say that. it takes information for anything that you're searching up.

So maybe if you looked up a pair of pants that are like can fit. Okay. That type of shape or, but I don't know. Or you looked up like a butt pad or something for a chair. Like anything, it can start to make assumptions about you. And I mean, the scraping is being used through AI. So as we know, sometimes AI can get things wrong or it can pick up on a tracker that like doesn't exist. So yeah, you should take everything with a grain of salt.

Yeah. Let's show our viewers how this works. So we have an Amazon Prime account set up on this laptop that you're going to see behind us here. Our brave producer, Haley, has allowed us to use her family's account here. So walk me through this. So you go into the three bars here in the left, which usually says all. Yes. And then you're going to go down to...

Scroll to the very bottom. To the bottom your account. To your account. Okay, there we go. And then you'll see right there on the bottom left. About you. So if you press that, it'll be able to pull up. Oh, and here it is.

There it is. This is, again, this is Haley's family. She told me there's nothing too bad here. So, you know, it says she lives in New York. That's fine. She prioritizes organic and premium food ingredients, cooks regularly at home, maintains steady grocery shopping rhythm.

Okay, let's see what else. Anything else interesting here? Likely owns a laptop. Probably has a neutral bullet blender. All right. Let's see what else. Interested hobbies, cooks at home, reads business and self-improvement books.

All right. Grocery shopping, product preferences. plant-based protein supplements. All right, nothing too scandalous there. And she says it's pretty much on the money, at least when it comes to this. So most people's profiles is closer to that. I think so. I mean, it was for me personally, but when I was discussing this with my editors this morning and our morning call,

we were all giving our examples. And some people's were a little bit more outrageous. Like one of my colleagues said that hers said prefers one-armed bathing suits, even though she said she's never worn one-arm. So I don't know. What is a one-arm bathing suit? Like goes across the chest. Oh, okay, okay, okay.

All right. So, yeah, I think that it can probably take assumptions that from information that isn't. Maybe, yeah. But at the end of the day, we don't know. I asked Amazon for a comment. They didn't reply. So we're just kind of making assumptions on what it knows about us, which has been a conversation for a while with data sharing.

So one of the ways it pulls information is from what you ask Alexa to and or if you're shopping through Alexa. How does that work? Yes. So actually, Alexa does have data sharing setting on in your settings. So if you go into your settings, you can turn that off. And that's a way for them not to be able to share like any of the information that you're talking to Alexa about.

Now that doesn't clarify if everything you're saying around the Alexa is being monitored, but there is a way to turn off any sort of data sharing if you want to. You can also mute your Amazon Alexa if you're ever concerned about that. Yeah. Olivia Talber, you can read her in Mashable. Thanks so much for coming on. Thank you for having me. It was great.

Appreciate it. When we come back tonight, returning home, thousands of sailors aboard the USS Lincoln finally pulling into port after more than 300 days at sea coming up, those emotional reunions, including the dads getting to meet their newborn babies for the very first time. Stay with us. Finally, tonight, the long-waded homecoming, the USS Abraham Lincoln, Arriving back on American shores after a record-breaking deployment,

sailors and Marines hugging their loved ones for the first time in nearly a year, and some new fathers on board meeting their babies for the first time. Our Courtney Cubey was there. These are the moments. These families have waited nearly a year for. Homecoming for the USS Abraham Lincoln. We were on board as the ship dock near San Diego today after a historic deployment 322 days away from home.

Their time at sea was brutal, the conditions often challenging amid an ongoing war. On board, as they pulled in today, the excitement was palpable, especially for sailor Brent Ledbetter. Just days after he deployed last November, his wife Jessica gave birth to their first child.

And he's about to meet his 10-month-old baby Nathan for the first time. Really, I just want to hold him, play with him. You know, he's crawling around now, so I'm excited to chase him around the house and, you know, just get him. them all the love. On land, tears of joy as the anticipation builds. Jessica waits with baby

Nathan as the ship pulls in. Just seeing the ship from the bridge, it's like I'm almost in tears. Then finally, this incredible moment. Their family of three together for the first time. It's surreal, yeah. It's unreal. It hit me that like we're family. A reunion 10 months in the the making and a family ready to begin a new chapter together. Courtney Cubey, NBC News, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. So great to see those families together again. That does it for us here at Top Story. I'm Tom Yamis in New York.

Stay right there. More news on the way.