Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Episode Date: July 8, 2026

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

Breaking news tonight, ceasefire broken. The U.S. launching a series of new strikes on Iran. The new retaliatory strikes after Iran attacked three commercial ships in the strait of Hormuz in just 24 hours. The U.S. calling it a ceasefire violation. The president in nearby Turkey for meetings with NATO, so is this peace deal over for now? Also breaking the search underway after a Boeing cargo jet, a 737 with five people on board, suddenly disappeared from over international waters. A high rise at risk of collapse in the heart of New York City, alarming video of support beams inside the 37-story building, buckling, several floors sagging,

the dangerous situation triggering massive evacuations near Grand Central. Extreme weather wreaking havoc, powerful wind sending this trampoline flying. Flood stranding drivers, a lightning strike, sparking an apartment building fire. We're tracking it all. New twist in that Monaco bombing attack reportedly targeting a Ukrainian tycoon, the fugitive suspect now found dead. A former police officer in custody, the alleged torture chamber discovered in his home. Also tonight raging wildfires forcing tourists to evacuate from this popular vacation spot.

And Argentina's stunning World Cup comeback, the historic rally keeping star Lionel Messi's tournament dreams in play. Plus, jet fuel prices are plummeting. So why won't airlines lower ticket prices? We'll explain. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We come on the air with breaking news right now. The U.S. moments ago launching new strikes on Iran

in retaliation for Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. The fragile ceasefire between the two nations now on the brink. And these new images just coming in showing smoke and flames at Iran's main naval base after an apparent U.S. strike. U.S. Central Command announcing the series of, quote, powerful strikes, saying Iran violated the ceasefire agreement when they attacked commercial ships, I should say, in the Strait of Hormuz. That critical waterway has been a sticking point in negotiations for weeks, as Iran insists it has the right to charge fees to ships passing through. The new strikes coming as President Trump attends that high-stakes NATO summit in Turkey,

not far from Iran's borders, and as millions gather inside of Iran to mourn their late Supreme leader killed in the U.S. attack at the start of this war, Chief White House, correspondent Garrett Hake is in Turkey with the president and starts us off. Tonight, President Trump ordering air strikes against Iran. Retaliation for the Iranian regime attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. What U.S. Central Command calls Iran's, quote, clear violation of the ceasefire. Saying the U.S. is launching powerful strikes to impose heavy costs on Iran for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.

A U.S. official earlier telling NBC News the Iranian regime violated the preliminary peace deal it signed by targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles and a drone. All as President Trump is just hundreds of miles away from the Iranian border, greeted with an elaborate ceremonial welcome at the NATO summit in Turkey. From an escort on horseback to a stunning fighter jet flyover, including red, white and blue smoke. President Trump in a meeting with Turkish President Erdogan praising the country for its rule in the U.S. war with Iran. Turkey has been a great ally for us. I don't think he wants to see them have a nuclear weapon either. And blasting European allies for their relative lack of support.

You would think that they'd be very willing to do something to help us, and they really weren't. And now the Trump administration going after Iran's economy for attacking those ships in the the state, revoking a waiver that the U.S. had granted as part of the preliminary peace deal that allowed Iran to sell its oil on the open market. The administration has said it would only give financial rewards to the Iranian regime if it abided by the deal. You're welcome to be re-invited into the world economy, but only if you honor the commitments that you make in this agreement. Gary joins us now live from Turkey and Garrett, these escalations overseas obviously going to impact the oil market and prices. What do we know right now?

Yeah, Tom, and they already have. Oil prices have risen about 6% just since this morning when the first Iranian strikes were reported on those boats going through the Strait of Hormuz. The end of those sanctions waivers has about a 10-day wind-down time. That could soften the blow of that effect a little bit. But if Iran decides to try to fully close the strait again, we could see oil prices and then gas prices to follow continue to climb back up after about a two-week-long slide since this preliminary peace deal was first announced. Okay, Garrett Hake, leading us off tonight. Garrett, thank you. I want to bring in our Courtney and QB now, who covers the military for us. She's got some new reporting on these strikes. Courtney, we're getting these images from Iran and now reports of injuries on the ground. Walk our viewers through what we know and we can report at this hour. Yeah, so far all the reports of injuries are coming from Iranian state media,

and we don't have any confirmation of that from the U.S. side. But we do know a little bit more about these strikes, the U.S. official telling me that these are much more extensive and larger than previous U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iran, and that includes just ones in recent weeks on June 26, the U.S. military carrying out strikes inside Iran primarily down along the Strait of Hormuz and in the sort of coastal region that was also in response to Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the region. Now, we know that these strikes so far tonight, which are ongoing at this hour, Tom, we know that they include strikes targeting things like Iranian air defenses, some of their coastal surveillance sites, Iranian drone facilities and launch facilities, anti-ship cruise missile

sites, and areas along the ports. And we are starting to get some reports out of Iran and some video on social media that appears to be consistent with that. It appears to show explosions along port sites. The big question right now is how much longer will this back and forth go? Remember, this started with Iran carrying out strikes against at least two commercial ships last night using missiles, and then using drones today, the U.S. military striking back today, taking out several Iranian drones as they were trying to strike commercial ships

in the southern Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military, of course, responding. Now the question is, will Iran respond? And Tom, keep in mind, there has been this back and forth that has continued now for weeks, and in the most recent past, Iran has responded to these sorts of U.S. military. strikes by targeting U.S. allies in the region. And Courtney, before we let you go here, I do think it's important to sort of go back and circle back to how we got here, right? Because we've been talking about this memorandum of understanding

this peace deal, whatever you want to call it. And then we saw Richard Engels reporting from Tehran during the funeral of the late Ayatollah. And so many people telling him they're vowing revenge. Is this all connected? Yeah. Officials who we're speaking to are saying that They believe the timing of, again, what's kicked this all off, Iran firing missiles at two commercial ships last night near the Strait of Hormuz. The belief is that was timed to these ongoing memorial events that are for the Ayatollah. So they've been going on for several days now. Members and senior leaders from all around the world have traveled to Iran for them.

And this is expected to, according to officials, expected to be projecting power by Iran. Iran is on the world stage right now. You can see some of the funeral procession there on screen. Iran is projecting power, and they are doing so now against the U.S. and potentially against U.S. allies with this ongoing back and forth militarily. All right, Courtney Cubey doing a lot of the reporting for us here at NBC News on these news strikes. Courtney, we thank you. We are tracking more breaking news overseas, a cargo plane with five crew members has gone missing off Pakistan's coast.

NBC's Tom Gostello is following this one for us. Tom, the aircraft was observed on raid. are descending, and then communication was just lost, walk our viewers through what we know. So this was a Boeing, a cargo, Boeing 737 cargo plane. It was flying from the United Arab Emirates to Karachi, Pakistan, when it suddenly went missing off the port of Karachi in the Arabian Sea. Now, the cargo airline is called K2. Pakistani air traffic control says the plane reported navigational issues at about 9.27 p.m. local time, then descended rapidly, making a very sharp a change in its heading. Radar and radio contact lost about 178 miles west of Karachi.

Controllers have launched search and rescue teams. Five controllers, make the five crew members, sorry, are thought to be on board, five crew members. It's not at all clear what might have happened here. You know, Tom, typically, if a plane loses an engine, it doesn't just drop out of the sky. It can glide for a time. So this plane seemed to have dropped like a rock. And we're going to be watching this very closely, looking for any close. Tom? Yeah, you know, Tom, we've been talking about the escalating strikes in the Strait of Hormuz and in Iran.

This is, you know, it's in the region, not necessarily near where all this has happened, but we've covered a lot of plane aviation disasters where war was involved and it was sort of a false flag operation. Do we have any idea what's happened here if there's any connection whatsoever? We've been asking exactly that question. I mean, this happened beyond the Strait of Hormuz, and the plane would have had to fly over that area as it flew on to Karachi. We have Courtney Kuby, who's been checking with the Pentagon and other sources to see if there's any hint at all that this plane may have been brought down by hostile action.

We simply don't know right now, Tom. Okay, and I'm sure we'll stay on top of it. Tom Costello on that breaking news. Now to the emergency situation developing in the heart of New York City, a high-rise building under construction at risk of collapse. Video taken by a construction worker inside that building shows the beams buckling the floors cracked and sagging. hundreds of first responders swarming the scene nearby schools, hotels, and businesses. Imagine all those people here in Manhattan, all forced to evacuate. Here's NBC's Emily Aketa on the race to stabilize that skyscraper. Tonight, alarming images from inside a New York City high rise at risk of partial collapse,

with buckling beams and sinking floors. You can see how the building appears to have a slight lean. construction workers calling in concerns just before 8 a.m. It's not supposed to happen. Columns are not supposed to bend like that. The building, formerly home to Pfizer's global headquarters, is being converted to a 1600 unit apartment complex. As part of a pioneering project, now at the center of what city officials are calling a dangerous situation. Since arriving on scene, we have witnessed additional movement in one of the compromised columns. 150 fire and EMS personnel swarming the scene and evacuating nine buildings near Grand Central Terminal, according to officials.

Schools, hotels, restaurants cleared out. Even a local news station forced to move their broadcast outside. Fortunately, there have been no injuries reported. What's going through your mind as you were evacuating the building? Well, that, okay, this is for real. I need to get out here really quick because I don't know if the neighborhood building is collapsing or not. There are no Department of Buildings records that indicate prior concern about the structure.

As tonight, the buildings developer saying safety is our number one priority. Adding the affected area is a small section of one of the two buildings on this site as the race to stabilize this high rise ramps up. All right, Emily Akeda joins us now live from the scene as close as she can get to it, because police have moved them pretty far.

We understand some crew has been able to get inside back into the building. building. Show our viewers exactly where this is happening, Emily. Yeah, Tom, well, an unusual and quite frankly an eerie sight behind me, a very quiet second avenue in Midtown East here for several blocks, and that's because that impacted building, that high rise, is about a block from where I'm standing. And that's where inspection crews have been able to go floor by floor assessing the damage. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any further movement to that building. And that's allowing the crews now to begin their emergency stabilization efforts, Tom. That officials say,

will go into the night and likely the coming day. So this is not going to be a quick fix. Okay, Emily Aketa out there in Manhattan for us. Emily, we thank you. Joining us here on set is Troy Morgan. He's a principal engineer at Exponent, an engineering consulting firm. Troy, thanks so much for being here.

From your experience, from the images you've seen so far, how serious of a situation is this? Well, I think at the initial parts of this investigation, the situation was serious. It's not clear how stable this building was, if this collapse was, in fact, localized, or if it might spread and become something more progressive. I understand that, you know, members of the Department of Buildings are there and maybe FDNY.

So the fact that there are people in the building right now, I think it's a good sign and evidence that at least some of the initial concerns are... How do these things happen usually? And I know you have an investigator inspected this building, but usually how do these things happen? Well, you know, structural failures are typically a combination of either there being some overload, that is the load being higher than anticipated or the structural members being weaker than anticipated. And so, you know, if there was additional floors, for example, above this level, that could have added axial load to these columns. But then that doesn't tell us exactly the cause because either the columns may have been strong enough to begin with or they were strengthened as part of the elevation work. I'm going to ask our director, Brett Holy to stay on this image right here.

So, Troy, I've never built a building. I actually don't know if I've ever built anything. But I look at that image that we just had there before, that first image where the building looks like a little bit crooked, if you will. that cannot be a good thing. I mean, that's got to cause a lot of concern. Well, I think it causes concern to the structure above in terms of damage that needs to be repaired or maybe even demolished and replaced.

Yeah. But the fact that... Do these things happen a lot? And we still hear about them? No, and thankfully, they don't. Okay. In a city like ours, with as many people we have, as many buildings we have, this type of thing is exceedingly rare,

which is... Okay. So, exceedingly rare, exceedingly dangerous than what we're seeing here? I think it certainly has a potential to be dangerous. If that damage progressed and there was a collapse that was a little more global that threatened the surrounding area. But again, the fact that the measurements have been monitored and there's personnel inside is a good sign. If one floor collapses, is it likely that other floors will collapse too or not necessarily? It's not necessarily true.

Structures are redundant. They can spread out the load. Even if damage happens in one place, it doesn't necessarily propagate everywhere. But it certainly is something that investigators will be monitored. With the amount of regulation, the amount of insurance, the amount of law, lawyers in New York City. Do you think that this is going to continue or do you think this building's coming down? That's a question that can't be answered at this stage because really we need to examine what the extent of damage is and how extensive it is and that were really informed

the type of repairs. But the building's gotten all this publicity. There's been all this news. I mean, who's going to want to move into that building? I'm just saying maybe they fix it. I'm just asking these questions, you know? It's a good question. Lula Beyond my pay grade as an engineer. Yeah. Certainly that's going to be a story. But you're saying these types of things are fixable. without taking down the entire structure? I would say yes. These are fixable, and the question is whether it will be repaired or replaced in some fashion.

It's impossible to see it. In New York City, they built so tight, you know, they built so high. You're saying, again, though, this is very rare, and mistakes happen, but to this magnitude, not that you're familiar with. And we don't even know if mistakes were made, where they were made. Was it part of the design, part of the construction, something else that was unforeseen?

But no, there's a lot of renovation work happening all of the city and things like this simply don't happen hardly at all. Got it. Troy, we hope they figured out and they fix it. We thank you for being here on Top Story. We're going to turn out of the extreme weather we've been covering all week. It's been wreaking havoc all across the country. Violent storms unleashing intense floods and destructive lightning. George Release has the video. Tonight, millions across the Northeast, cleaning up after a potent one-two punch of severe weather systems slam the region. New videos showing the power of those winds.

Look at this. A trampoline sent sailing through the air outside Baltimore. The systems toppling trees and knocking out power to thousands. Outside New York City, some families in the dark. They said next week, but hopefully we'll get it in the next few days. And this dramatic rescue effort in Long Branch. Home security video capturing neighbors rushing to a submerged vehicle, checking to make sure no one was trapped inside. In the Upper Midwest, severe storms ripping.

off roofs and collapsing structures overnight in western Minnesota. Multiple tornado reports in the area. And in the south, fire officials in Chattanooga, Tennessee confirming a lightning strikes sparking this fire at an apartment complex, destroying more than 40 units Sunday. Thankfully, no one was hurt. While in the west, illegal fireworks being blamed for igniting this fire southwest of Portland. Eight people now facing criminal charges there. And the Babylon on fire in Utah, now scorching more than 150 square miles, extreme weather testing communities from coast to coast. All right, George Salyse joins us tonight. George, I'm going to have you put on your weather had even more. This severe weather may not be the end of it. Other places

across the country may be seen more of it. Yeah, that's right, Tom. We're looking at a system around the mid-Atlantic right now, which could produce some severe weather, particularly some flash flooding. Tomorrow, looking ahead, we're looking at the Midwest, where some severe storms could also potentially rip up some weather there, maybe a tornado or two to keep an eye out. And out west, unfortunately, the scorcher continues. It's going to be a similar story down south here in Florida, where some of the triple-digit temperatures that we've been feeling could continue into the day. Tom? Okay, George, release for us. George, thank you. Now to the growing calls for Maine Democratic Senate candidate, Graham Platner, to drop out of the race after a woman accused

him of rape, something he has denied. Sources tell NBC News tonight. He's He may, he has not yet made up his mind about his political future. NBC's Ryan Nobles has more. Tonight, the pressure is mounting on embattled Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, with a growing chorus of prominent Democrats demanding he stepped down. I think Graham Platner needs to get out of the race. Including voters that once supported him. Oh, tell him, nice try, buddy, but get out.

All after a former romantic partner of Platteners accused him of rape, saying he forced himself on her five years ago. Did Grant Plattenor rape you? By definition, yes. Absolutely. Plattner denies her allegation. Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false. But a source familiar with his thinking telling NBC News he's still undecided about

whether to step down. Even before the rape allegations, Plattner faced a slew of scandals, including online posts where he said a Purple Heart veteran who was shot by the Taliban didn't deserve to live. And Plattner had a tattoo, widely recognized as a Nazi SS symbol, covered up after backlash, saying he did not know its meaning. Still, top Democrats were supporting him. And I said to myself, that's my kind of man. You like Graham Platinum. You like Graham Plattenham?

But tonight, both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders releasing statements saying it's time for Plattner to step aside. Okay, Ryan, I have a few questions for you tonight. First, reminder of viewers, and I know we've talked about this before, how long do Democrats and really Platner have to decide whether he drops out of the race? Well, Tom, you're right. At this stage, it is Graham Platner's decision and it's Graham Platner's timeline. He has until July 13th, and it's important to keep in mind he is the only one that can decide that it's time for him to exit this race. There's no lawsuit that can be filed. There's no effort by the Democratic Executive Committee in Maine that could push him out of the race. Every Democrat in the world could tell him that it's time for him to step aside. But until Plattner himself decides that it's time for him to go, he remains the Democratic nominee in Maine. You keep saying July 13th, and it's like, oh, July 13th, but that's Monday, right? That's Monday, yes, that's right. So what happens, what happens with the Democrats? How would they, if he decides to drop out, replace him? Yeah, it's really going to lead to an unprecedented situation in Maine, one they've never really had to deal with.

And all that the rules in the state, the laws in the state say is that the state Democratic Party will decide who that replacement will be. They don't offer any parameters or a mechanism to actually pick a nominee. What we're hearing is that the party committee is already starting to have conversations about a process that would be as transparent as possible and would include feedback from actual voters. One thing that the Democratic Party does not want to do is make it seem as though Platner's replacement was picked in some smoke-filled-back room. They want the voters to have a say. So there could be a series of town halls, maybe even debates. They could try to put together some sort of makeshift caucus or convention to try and pick the nominee.

But of course, none of that matters until Plattner decides to exit the race. If he does it before Monday, then it's only a two-week period of time before the Democrats have to pick his replacement. So there's a lot on the line here and not a lot of time to fix this problem. All right, Ryan Nobles. Ryan, we thank you. As always, still ahead on top story, the epic comeback on the field. Did you see this? Messy in Argentina pulling off a stuner. to keep their World Cup dreams alive.

Plus the Columbia Switzerland game just ending, so who will move ahead? Plus more trouble for travelers. Jet fuel prices finally starting to drop. So why aren't ticket costs coming down? We'll explain. And a major announcement from Dolly Parton, what we're learning about her musical.

Headed to Broadway, the details. Stay with us. We are back now with Argentina's stunning World Cup comeback. Soccer star, René L. Messi, leading his team in an unexpected, from behind wind against Egypt. That victory keeping Argentina's pursuit for back-to-back World Cup wins alive tonight.

Here's NBC's Jesse Kirsch. Tonight, somehow, Lionel Messi in Argentina, finding a way to beat Egypt in a soccer match for the agents. Egypt striking first before the World Cup's all-time leading goal score had a chance to tie it up with this penalty kick. But Messi missed, and Egypt went up 2-0.

Then just when it looked like his World Cup career might be over, the man often considered soccer's greatest ever sent this ball toward the neck. Messi rocketing in the equalizer. And the reigning World Cup champions had even more in the tank, three goals in under 15 minutes, sealing victory. 39-year-old Messi still has a shot at winning back-to-back World Cups before his career winds down. Pleasure to meet you.

Last year, Messy telling Tom about lifting that trophy. You held that trophy up and you were on the shoulders of your teammates. What was going through your mind? Well, everything I went through and everything I did to achieve that. It was the dream of my life. Meanwhile, last night, the American co-hosts overpowered by Belgium, losing 4-1 in the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history. for 40 million people witnessing a blowout.

Everyone saw from the beginning, we didn't connect with the game. The Americans will have to wait four years as the team still standing, race toward the finish. All right, Jesse Kirsch joins us now live from Miami. Jesse's World Cup dreams are still alive, and we've just found out who Argentina will face off against the match between Colombia and Switzerland just finished, and it came down to the very end. literally down to the last kick, Tom. We were looking at penalty shootout drama between these two teams. Switzerland coming out on top, I can tell you a lot of our colleagues here at the Telemundo Center. We're not happy as that was playing out here in the office.

This now means we're looking at Switzerland up against Argentina this weekend in Kansas City. And I got to tell you, just from the perspective of someone who doesn't have allegiance to either team, I think a lot of people would have been looking to see Argentina up against Colombia because that would have been a rematch of the Copa America Final from 2024, two teams with very passionate fan bases. It would have been exciting, but no question. Anytime Messi's playing, it's going to be thrilling. And the Swiss fans surely are excited about this one.

Oh, yeah, and everybody in Kansas City who has tickets to that one, it's going to be great. Jesse, we thank you for that for more in Argentina's stunning World Cup comeback and other major moments. Let's bring in Brianna Scurry, soccer commentator and former goalkeeper for the U.S. U.S. women's national team. Brianna, thanks so much. As Jesse mentioned, their Switzerland-Colombia match coming down to those pivotal penalty kicks. What did you think of that match?

Oh, my goodness, Tom. That game was amazing. The Switzerland goalkeeper clearly was the man in the moment. He had fantastic saves that entire game. And I really don't think a lot of people had Switzerland on their bingo card for this. So it was an absolutely amazing game. They fought to the very end, and they pulled it out. It's amazing.

Yeah, it is amazing. So what do you think, Argentina? beats Egypt an incredible game. I mean, scoring all those goals. I think it was in less than 15 minutes. How do they stack up against Switzerland as we talk about Kansas City in that next big match? I mean, obviously Argentina is a fan favorite, but I tell you what, they've had some battles, this World Cup. They've been battle tested. That game against Cape Verde and then today against Egypt having to come back from two goals down, I mean, holy mackerel. So Messi is relieved and also excited, I'm sure. But Switzerland has a chance.

I mean, if they go into that game and they keep fired up the way they've been, you never know. Upsets can happen, but I feel like in the end of the day, Messi will probably find a way. Yeah, I'd love to see what happens here. It's going to be interesting to see, but I agree with you. I'm sort of rooting for Argentina, but they definitely have been some nail biters. Looking ahead to the other sort of quarterfinal games with the teams matched up, who do you think is the teams that are left to watch as we wrap up this week? I tell you what, it's amazing.

We have fantastic teams, but you also have fantastic. players on those teams. Norway, for example, with Erling Holland, I mean, he has been absolutely fantastic for his country, basically taking that team on his shoulders and scoring two goals in that last game. And of course, France is a perennial favorite as well with Mambapé and a lot of different players on that team that can score. It's just going to be really exciting. You just really don't know who's going to come through in this World Cup. It's been a fan favorite of everyone, I think. And whether you're neutral or you have a team in mind that you want to win, all these games are nail biters to the very end.

Yeah, and then you have, of course, Spain and Belgium and so many people rooting for Spain. I do want to ask you, speaking of Belgium, Team USA's loss yesterday was so tough. The entire country was rooting for Team USA, of course. I mean, we had so many hopes that they could go the farthest ever. What do you think happened last night? Were they just outplayed, outmatched, or was it a bad day? It was all of those things, I think, Tom. You know, Belgium had a chip on their shoulder because of what happened with the red card being overturned.

And unfortunately, our guys had an opportunity getting their star player back, but they just really didn't seem like they were engaged from the very beginning. And Belgium just basically ran over them and just kept going. And I was heartbroken about that loss because I just felt like, you know, when you're playing in a World Cup, you basically got to go out on your shield. You know, you've got to fight to the very end. And these other teams have been able to do that. But it was just really sad because the entire of America was behind them. And I know we're absolutely heartbroken today and so are they. But they did the best they could.

They had a great run. And there's always next time, but it was a real, real heartbreaker last night. Looking big picture here, right? This World Cup is breaking all types of ratings records, both for Telemundo and for Fox. So many people are tuning in. We always talk about the moment that USA finally buys into soccer. I think it's maybe the best it's ever been. I think people are playing.

Kids are playing. They're into it. Do you think this is the World Cup that changes everything? I sure hope so, Tom. I mean, soccer has always been considered number. number four and number five on the totem pole of sports in America. But I think it's had a very, very good showing in this World Cup. And a lot of folks who don't know anything about it have been interested in it, tuned into it. And I really think we have an opportunity now to take

this game and have it be our own. You have a lot more opportunity. You have people who've watched this game, having these amazing teams in their backyards to see and feel the real passion of the game, the beautiful game that it is. And so I really feel like this could be the start of something absolutely outstanding for soccer in this country. Going forward, you know, women's team and the men's team, I think, can be America's sweethearts. We'll see. Brianna Scurry, so great to have you.

Thanks for being on the show. And for all the World Cup action, you can watch the games in Spanish exclusively on Telemundo and Peacock. They've been so great to watch. Coming up, a college football player dead after collapsing during training. Why is coach is now facing charges. Plus the terrifying close call caught on camera of face. family's dog rushing to save a young child from a bear.

We're going to show you more of that video. But first, top story's top moment and the impromptu porch performance when it started to rain in the Chicago area this 4th of July. Six friends took cover under the entrance to the Music Conservatory of Illinois, making the most of the situation, they decided to put on a little concert. Take a look. All right, they're pretty good, I guess. That was fun video, though, to watch.

They did great. They certainly did not let it rain on their parade. Oh, we love that. Stay with us. More top story on the way. We're back down with the criminal case against a former Bucknell University football coach. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office announcing several charges in connection to the death of a freshman football player who collapsed during a training practice back in July of 2024. Stephen Romo has been following this one for us.

Steve, us walk us through what prosecutors say happened here. What were the exercises and the backstory? Yeah, some troubling allegations and some strong words from the attorney. Attorney General saying that the former coach at Bucknell, Mark Colbus, he's charged in connection with the death of this 18-year-old player, Calvin Dickie Jr. prosecutors are calling the workouts on that first day of practice back in 2024 hazing. And they alleged that Colbus knew Dickie had sickle cell trait at the time, but he did not get help until he lost consciousness. Now, the Pennsylvania Attorney General saying the workouts were not appropriate and that Dickie was

visibly struggling during them. Colvis allegedly made students do 100 up-down exercises, which are similar to burpees, along with full-body planks. Dickie ended up hospitalized and died just two days after this incident, with the exercises and sickle cell trait playing a role in his death, according to the medical examiner there. Now, Colbus is charged with felony aggravated hazing misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, as well as those hazing charges. This is so terrible. It's so sad. This happened in 2024, though. It seems like a very long investigation. And what is the former coach's legal team saying? Yeah, we did hear back from Colbus's attorney today.

She released a statement to us saying, while the death of Calvin Dickey is tragic, Mark Colbus did not contribute and is not responsible for it. The strength and conditioning program that was implemented was appropriate in accordance with the training Mr. Colbus received and within applicable standards. And it goes on to say, we intend to vigorously defend the charges. So Colbus attorney here clearly pushing back on the idea that these exercises were hazing. She says that she doesn't like to try these things in the press, but with all the attention this has received, she does want to get Colbus's side out there. Okay. Stephen Romo for us, Stephen, we thank you for that. And out of Top Stories News Feed and an update on Marshawn Neeland.

He's the former Dallas Cowboys player who died by suicide last year after a high-speed chase with police. His family now revealing he had a... early stage CTE, a disease connected to repeated concussions. It's known to cause violent mood swings, impulsive behavior, and depression. It can only be diagnosed, though, after death. A reminder, if you or someone you know is in crisis, call their text 9888.8.org or go to 988 lifeline.org to reach the suicide and crisis lifeline. We're also following some dramatic new video we're getting into our newsroom at Georgia, showing crews responding to a house fire over the weekend. You can see firefighters smashing holes into the ceiling.

This is crazy, trying to make room to spray water on the flames. The fire department there says crews were able to quickly get the fire under control and that everyone inside made it out safely. And in Connecticut, the moment a family's husky rushes to protect the little boy, watches the dog charges at a bear, the bear than ducks under a boat. The husky keeps at it until the bear takes off. Pretty incredible. And Dolly Parton is heading to Broadway.

The country music legend announcing today a new musical about her life. will premiere this winter. Organizers say it will include some of her biggest hits, as well as new music written specifically just for the show. Pre-sale tickets roll out tomorrow with the opening night set for her 81st birthday, January 19th right here in New York City. Okay, now to the price you'll pay for summer flights. If you haven't bought airline tickets just yet, while jet fuel prices have dropped in recent weeks, ticket prices have not. They're up 27%. Here's Tom Costello once again for us tonight. Mid-summer and vacation season is in full swing.

But just getting there is costing a lot more this year. Have y'all seen these flight prices? Has anyone else noticed how expensive travel has got lately? So far this year, airfares have jumped nearly 27 percent after the war with Iran sent jet fuel prices soaring. But while those fuel prices have fallen back to pre-war levels, airline ticket prices haven't. Airlines no longer have to compete with low-cost carrier spirit now out of business. And Americans are willing to pay more, traveling for the World Cup, concerts, and America 250. Southwest CEO Bob Jordan told investors in May will certainly not attempt to give some of those fair increases back.

People are really prioritizing domestic trips first and foremost. If you haven't already booked your tickets, be prepared. Domestic airfares now average 517 round trip, up from 428 last summer, while flights to Western Europe are roughly $100 more than last year. Delta CEO at Bastian. We've had to raise prices because of the high fuel prices, but that has not impacted bookings at all because people want to go. Tom Costello joins us now. Tom, for people who haven't bought their airline tickets just yet, any suggestions on how to save money? say there is no longer a best day to buy your tickets because prices can change by the hour, by the minute, based on the immediate demand. But Expedia says Fridays are usually the cheapest, and Sundays are usually the most expensive days to fly. Now, a few airfare examples for you that I

pulled from going.com today. Right now, Chicago to Orlando is operating at about $507. L-AX to Denver at $379 round trip, Seattle to New York City right now, averaging about $5.00 to New York City right now, averaging about 676, Tom. Real quick, before we go, you mentioned going.com. Travel a lot, not familiar with that website, or that website. What exactly is it? It's a travel destination, and

they do a very good job of kind of analyzing prices across the entire spectrum, to get you a sense of how much tickets are going to cost you from any destination to wherever you're starting from. We shop around, so I like to know those new sites. All right, Tom, we appreciate it. Thank you.

Now, to our series, the cost of denial, tonight, our focus is not on an insurance company, but a state government budget cuts are set to take effect in Maryland tomorrow, slashing critical Medicaid programs, and some people with disabilities are likely to pay the price. Gabe Gutierrez has this one. Ready start our day? For Alexia Flory, even just getting out of bed each morning, can be a struggle. The 33-year-old has cerebral palsy. and it requires her mom's constant attention.

It affects my muscles. It affects my leg muscles. What is the hardest part of your day? The hardest part of my day is waiting for someone to help me get things done because there's so much I want to do that I can't do myself. But for more than a decade, Alexia says she's been thriving in the Baltimore suburbs, getting a college degree and studying at a local seminary. Thanks to a Medicaid program that helps pay for two aides.

They're doing a great job, Lex. They are family in every sense of the word. All right, what do you want for breakfast? There we have. And also pays her parents funding designed to keep people with disabilities out of institutions by allowing family members to care for them at home. But following a budget shortfall in Maryland, $126 million were slashed from the state.

these programs. Wages for family caregivers and external aides were set to be cut on the first of this month. But after NBC News began asking about the changes, at the last minute, the state postponed the cuts by up to 90 days. I lose my life if these services go away. Let me put your head on it because it's hot out of here. My aides who are helping me do all these things will go away because they need to find other jobs. If all the proposed cuts take effect, Alexia's parents say they could lose at least $60,000 per year, money that helps keep her living at home. What does that mean for your family? It means that we're going to have to tap into our 401.

We're going to have to either sell this home and get something smaller. They say Alexia's overnight caregiving hours have already been denied. I bite my fingers every single night. I just, I get anxiety. I cry out to God. God has got to end, you know. She qualified for everything for five years straight, and then this year she doesn't qualify for overnight services. But she's still the same Lexi.

In a statement, Maryland's Department of Health said costs for these programs skyrocketed by 144% over the last five years, adding the state needed to avoid overspending or risk violating federal guidelines, which could jeopardize all of its funding. Alexia feels she and people like her are being unfairly sacrificed to balance the state's budget. People with disabilities or people too were not objects. We're people first. Yes, Tom, disability advocates say that with President Trump's so-called

one big, beautiful bill set to slash Medicaid funding by about a trillion dollars over the next decade, this could soon be an issue facing people with disabilities nationwide. Tom. Our Gabe Gutierrez for us tonight, Gabe, we thank you for that. Still will come here on Top Story, the new twist after that bombing in Monaco, the suspect at the center of it just found dead herself, the deepening mystery, plus the fast-moving wildfire forcing people to evacuate from a tourist hotspot overseas.

We'll show you that scene. That's next. We're back now with the latest twist in an international mystery. Last week, we told you about a package bomb that exploded in Monaco, injuring a family. Well, now the woman wanted in connection with that attack has been found dead herself. Ralph Sanchez has followed it all and has the latest. A week after an alleged assassination attempt by parcel bomb in the exclusive enclave of Monaco, the investigation tonight taking a dark and unexpected turn.

The main suspect in the bombing, a Ukrainian woman named Anastasia Berezovska, found murdered back in Ukraine, according to authorities there. They say she was shot multiple times in the head, and they've detained two men on suspicion of the killing. one, a serving member of Ukraine's military intelligence, who prosecutors say confess to killing Berezovska with another man, a former law enforcement officer. And at his home, investigators making a chilling discovery, finding what they describe as a basement room resembling a torture chamber. You can see what appears to be a pair of hatchets, what looks like a pickaxe, as well as a green tarp. This pink mat has an unidentified red stain.

The explosion in Monaco on June 29 ripped through the luxury apartment of Ukrainian-born tycoon Vadim Irmelyev, according to French media. The blast injuring him, a woman, and a child. It isn't clear why he appears to have been targeted. But in 2023, he was sanctioned by Ukraine for alleged ties to Russia, which he's denied. Authorities say the bombing suspect fled on foot over Monaco's open border with France, sparking an international manhunt across Europe. arrived back in Ukraine, two days later, prosecutors say, where she met her own gruesome end.

Ralph Sanchez joins us now. Raf, you mentioned those two suspects. What do we know about their links to the woman killed? And is there any indication that the Ukrainian government was somehow also involved in this bombing? So, Tom, Ukrainian investigators are saying they looked into this woman's movements in the days before she was killed. And she was not only in touch with both of these suspects, But both of them were making payments to her, into her bank account, and also into her crypto account. So that raises the question, given that one of these suspects is a serving member of Ukraine's military intelligence, was she being paid as part of some kind of covert Ukrainian operation? According to prosecutors, the intelligence official who is in custody is saying he acted alone.

He says his superiors didn't know about these payments. And the agency that he works for is saying that they will. fully cooperate with this criminal investigation. But Tom, there are still an awful lot of unanswered questions about exactly what happens here. Tom. Okay, Ralph Sanchez for us. Raf, thank you. Then at Top Stories, Global Watch and a check on what else is happening around the world. In Syria, explosions rocking the country's capital of Damascus. It happened earlier near a hotel where France's president Emmanuel Macron was reportedly stained during a landmark visit.

He's the first major Western leader to travel to Syria since last. longtime dictator Bashar Assad was ousted in 2024. Officials say at least 18 people were hurt in today's attack. So far, no group has claimed responsibility. And dramatic new video of a landslide in southwest India, you can see the surge of mud and debris rushing down the road, crowd scrambling to get out of the way as a big truck nearly slams into some people. According to local media, heavy rains triggered the disaster that killed at least three people

and left multiple others missing. And we have an update on those European wildfires. we've been telling you about. In Spain, one of them forcing people to evacuate from this popular tourist destination. Video shows a cloud of smoke billowing behind that hotel swimming pool. Authorities ordered nearly 200 people to leave the area. So far, the fire has burned more than 500 acres, but local officials say crews are now getting control of it and that people can return to their homes and to their hotels. In China, state media says powerful storms have killed at least 11 people, hundreds more hurt, and rare tornadoes sweeping through that country.

One man reportedly swept from his 12th floor apartment building. Are Janice Mackey Freyer is in Beijing with the details. Storms in severe weather are hitting different parts of China, causing wide-scale destruction affecting tens of thousands, with Chinese leader Xi Jinping urging all-out efforts to rescue people. In central Hubei province, thunderstorms and gale force winds have lashed up communities, including reports of a rare tornado. The wind's so strong that one man was swept.

from his apartment, along with some furniture. Local media say he's in intensive care. At least 11 people were killed, 5,000 houses damaged, according to Shinwa News Agency. In southern Guansi, heavy rains from Typhoon Masek have triggered flooding and caused a reservoir dam near Naning to burst. Rescue teams at one point used a drone to pull a man from the muddy water and carry him to safety.

And in the northwest, in Gansu Province, reports that a landslide buried at least 33 people. With the death toll rising and hundreds injured by severe weather, the government here is urging rescuers to work quickly. Even the people's daily, the main Communist Party newspaper, is appealing for volunteers with dinghies and boats to help out. Summer weather is getting wilder. You can hear the thunder here.

It's more intense and more frequent. Something scientists say is linked to climate change. Flood alerts across the south have been raised to the highest level of emergency, and there is more severe weather in the forecast. Okay, Janice, thank you. When we come back, the long-shot wedding request, how an NFL team stepped up to make a bride's big day come true.

That's next. Story is coming to you live from Juarez, Mexico, reporting over the skies of Mejana. Every weeknight, it's your news playlist. Top story with Tom Yamas, streaming weeknights at 7 on NBC News Now. Finally tonight, when an upcoming NFL game looked like it might disrupt wedding plans of a bride to be. She sent a Hail Mary email and got an unexpected response. Liz Croyd has a story of how the team's owner stepped up ahead of her big day.

When soon-to-be bride, Olivia Coppelletti fired off this email to the Arizona Cardinals, she knew it was an unusual request. I know this is probably the longest shot, but I'm desperate. Olivia and her fiancé John are getting married this October in New Jersey, but the couple faced one small obstacle. The only suite large enough at the hotel for Olivia to get ready with her bridal party was already booked, reserved in advance for whichever team would be playing the Giants that weekend at nearby MetLife Stadium. So I very kindly but persistently followed up with them month after month. Finally, the NFL schedule came out. The team would be the Cardinals. Olivia says she sees it now as a sign. My dad passed away unfortunately about three years ago now.

And he was just the best. We always look for Cardinals as signs of a lost loved one. I know a lot of people do that. We definitely do that, my family. And so she threw a Hail Mary, hoping her bold but polite request would reach the right person. And it did. I'm Michael Bidwell from the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, that's the Cardinals owner telling Live the good news.

I'm happy to give it up to you and your bridesmaise to use during your wedding weekend. Did you expect to get a response? Never a million years. snow. It was like so surreal. A small gesture, but one that means more than Olivia could have ever expected. He absolutely is watching over me. It's definitely a sign from dad. Liz Croyce, NBC News. That does it for us. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamason, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.