Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, the president's high-stakes meeting in the situation room, as the conflict in the Middle East reaches a boiling point. President Trump meeting with his national security team, his administration saying that they're considering a possible U.S. strike on Iran. The discussion coming as Israel and Iran continue to launch attacks, our team on the ground in Tel Aviv surveying the damage. The bunker-busting bombs that could change the nature of this conflict, Israel ramping up their attacks on Iran's nuclear. sites, but an American plane and bomb are necessary to destroy a critical Iranian facility. Also tonight, chilling new details on that political assassination in Minnesota. Investigators still searching for a motive and any potential accomplices. The targeted attack re-igniting security concerns for elected officials across the country. Millions under severe weather threat,

extreme flooding in Pennsylvania, leaving 100 Girl Scouts stranded. You see them there. This after more than 20 tornadoes ripped through neighborhoods from Nebraska to Minnesota. Shocking ICE arrest caught on camera, a New York City mayoral candidate detained by immigration authorities outside of court for allegedly assaulting law enforcement. The arrest coming just days after Senator Padilla's detainment at a Homeland Security Press conference last week, his emotional message from the Senate floor today. R. Kelly hospitalized lawyers for the disgraced musician alleging he's the target of an ongoing assassination plot in prison.

and remembering Ann Borell, the beloved Food Network chef, passing away at age 55, plus verdict watching the Karen Reed trial how the jury's latest questions could hint at a decision soon. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We are coming on the air with breaking news tonight. Israel issuing a new evacuation warning for parts of Tehran as Israel and Iran continue to exchange missiles. And tonight we're learning that President Trump is considering a possible U.S. strike

on Iran among a range of options. New video of the explosions over Tel Aviv just tonight, Israel's Iron Dome lighting it up as intercepts in a new round of strikes. Israel's defense forces just releasing this video of what is said to be strikes on missile launch sites and storage facilities inside of Iran. Dramatic video as military bypasses in Israel's defense system striking a bus tournament just north of Tel Aviv, our Richard Engel will give us a tour of that. At least one bus completely engulfed in flames. At this hour, look at this hundreds of thousands in Tehran being told to evacuate. You can see the bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Parts of the region also unable to withdraw money after a cyber attack on a major Iranian bank. The big question tonight, will the U.S. get involved? The president posting a truth-social quote, we know exactly where the so-called Supreme Leader is hiding. He is an easy target, but it is safe there. We're not going to take him out, at least not for now. The U.S. military is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East, bolstering forces in the region as the conflict continues. And take a look right here. Israel has says it has struck more than 40 nuclear and missile facilities, but not the critical four-dose site. That's the underground facility, only the U.S. has a bomb capable of reaching. We have a lot to get

to with the situation evolving by the minute, but we want to start with NBC's Peter Alexander. Tonight with the conflict between Iran and Israel escalating, President Trump, meeting with his national security team inside the situation room, is considering a range of options, including a possible U.S. strike on Iran, according to multiple current and former administration officials. It comes as the president is amping up his warnings to Iran, calling for its, quote, unconditional surrender. And in a blunt message to Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, saying we know exactly where the so-called supreme leader is hiding. But adding, we are not going to take him out. at least not for now, but we don't want missile shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. And after abruptly leaving the G7 overnight, President Trump is pressing Iran to back down.

An end. A real end, not a ceasefire. An end. Giving up entirely. Is that okay too? All of it a significant shift in tone for the President who's repeatedly vowed he will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. But for weeks, his back diplomacy, urging the Iranians

to make a deal. Now, indicating Iran may have missed its window. I've been negotiated. They should have done the deal. I told them do the deal. So I don't know. I'm not too much in a mood to negotiate it. President Trump today also declaring we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran, though no U.S. forces or jets are participating in the Israeli strikes. Israel has damaged multiple Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, but has yet to strike the secretive Ford O facility buried deep beneath a mountain. That would likely require a U.S. war plane and an American 30,000-pound bunker-busting bomb, which Israel does not possess, a bomb that will not explode until it's underground.

The vice president today saying that President Trump may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. Later noting, the U.N. nuclear watchdog just determined Iran is not complying with its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. If you want safety, part of safety, and I think all Americans want that, is ensuring that the worst people, people in the world don't have a nuclear bomb. Peter, Alexander, joins us tonight from the White House. Peter, viewers at home are going to be watching this and asking themselves, just last week, we were talking about a potential deal with Iran and the Trump administration. Now we're considering joining the war with Israel against Iran.

How do we get here? Tom, President Trump had long opposed Israeli military action against Iran, pushing for negotiations over any bombings. But in the days before the Israeli strikes began, multiple U.S. officials tell NBC news that the president became convinced that Israel's heightened anxiety over Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities was warranted. And among the reasons for the president's change of heart were told was the declaration last week by the UN's nuclear watchdog that Iran was in breach of its nuclear nonproliferation requirements. These officials tell NBC news that President Trump was also concerned

by the sense coming, not just from Israel, from the U.S., but also from that nuclear watchdog that Iran had achieved leaps in its nuclear program, and he did not want to be the president on whose watch it was able to obtain a nuclear weapon. Tom? Peter Alexander, leading us off tonight from the White House. And just a short time ago, sirens wailing in Tel Aviv after Iran launched another barrage of missiles on Israel. Our Richard Engel is on the ground in Tel Aviv and has been following this escalating conflict closely. Richard, walk our viewers through what you and your team just witnessed.

So, Tom, just a short while ago, there were two assaults by Iran, two barrages of ballistic missile. They were only about 15 minutes apart. We saw here in Tel Aviv, the Israeli Iron Dome system in action, intercepting those incoming missiles. Appears that almost all of them were shot down, but we could definitely hear that one of the missiles got through, exploded, setting what seems to be a car. car park on fire, lighting several vehicles ablaze. There are no reports at this stage of any casualties. Israel tonight is launching new strikes inside Iran, taking out Iranian F-14 fighter jets while still on the runway and destroying ballistic missile launchers in Western Iran.

Israel now declaring the Iranian military leadership is on the run, and that it just killed Iran's most senior military commander, General Ali Shadmai. who had replaced another general Israel killed just four days ago. At a press conference tonight, Israel's foreign minister warning anyone in Iran to, quote, consider carefully before taking that job. And this from Israel's ambassador to the United States. You're going to see some surprises on Thursday, night and Friday. Overnight, images of massive traffic jams as residents rushed out of Tehran.

While we've now learned from sources on the ground, potential cyber attacks are hit, Iran's banking system, with some ATMs not working. Israel's military operation targeting Iran's nuclear program and its military leaders is now into day five. Israel saying it's killed several top Iranian generals and 10 nuclear scientists. Today, Germany's chancellor praising Israel's operations saying, this is the dirty work Israel is doing for all of us. While China's president Xi saying, all parties should work to de-escalate,

Iran has launched missiles every day against Israel, some seen streaking through the skies out of the window of a passenger jet. I heard this ballistic missile explode around 9 o'clock this morning. It caused a major bang, but nobody was killed or injured here. Instead, a lot of buses. This is a bus depot just north of Tel Aviv, and the buses were totally charred. Israel says Iran has launched 400 ballistic missiles at Israel since Friday. Air defenses have taken out most of them. Richard Engel, NBC News, Tel Aviv. And Richard joins us once again live from Tel Aviv tonight. So Richard, I do want to ask you, we saw the pictures out of Tehran,

those traffic jams, hundreds of thousands trying to flee the city. We have the President of the United States threatening Iran as well. Obviously, it's a chaotic situation there with all those bombs raining down as well. What's the temperature like in Israel? We saw the chaos in your report. as well. But what is the temperature of the people in Israel? People are nervous. They are worried that these missiles are much bigger than anything that Hamas was firing from Gaza. They're concerned that if a building that they're in, even if a

building has a reinforced room, that it might not survive a direct impact. So there's definitely more nervousness in this country than we saw when Israel was fighting against Hamas or fighting against Hezbollah. But in general, I would say, things are pretty calm. We're not seeing Israelis fleeing the city. There's no lines of traffic, people evacuating the country. In fact, if you look right now, there's almost nobody on the street. So generally, people are staying home. They're following the news, but no panic. All right, Richard Engel for us. Richard, you and your team stay safe tonight. I do want to bring in NBC News National Security Analyst Mark Polymeropoulos. He's also the CIA's former chief.

of operations in Europe and Eurasia. Mark, we thank you for joining Top Story tonight. So, Mark, obviously, these situations are always fast-moving, but this one specifically seems to be changing drastically by the minute. What do you think happened in President Trump's calculation from last week to this week? Well, Tom, I think first and foremost, the Israelis have had this spectacular operational success. You know, whether it's kind of decapitating the Iranian military and intelligence leadership,

killing nine of the top nuclear scientists, and frankly, which is really one of the most extraordinary things that I've seen in the region in some time, they enjoy air superiority over Iran. They're flying daytime missions over Iran. And so now, as they've taken out some of the nuclear sites, there's one remaining, as was noted previously, in Fordo. And frankly, the Israelis need our assist for that. So I think it's the fast pace of events. And look, President Trump probably saw this. spectacular Israeli success, and he's thinking to himself, you know, hey, maybe this is something that we have to get a part of, because at the end of the day, the dismantlement of the Iranian nuclear program has been a longstanding U.S. foreign policy goal, and it seems like we are on the verge of a decision to assist. Yeah, I hear you there, but President Trump campaigned in both of his campaigns, including his first campaigning against the war in Iraq when that war was over the weapons of mass

destruction that were never found. He has said various times he is not a war among and actually gone out after people in his cabinet that want war. The MAGA world has been pretty outspoken about this, including people like Tucker Carlson, who are saying they're very confused about what the president's doing. Again, on that calculation question, what do you think is going through his head right now? Because he's confusing a lot of his supporters.

Well, there's no doubt about that. You can watch this kind of war, this intra-party war within MAGA world. J.D. Vance came out with a statement today, which is almost trying to defend Trump from some of these criticisms. Right. One could all... Right. And one could know, look, President Trump does not have another election to worry about.

And, you know, at the end of the day, I think he does not want to be the president that did not take an opportunity to achieve a real foreign policy goal of the United States. But look, is there hypocrisy involved here? Of course there is. He really did campaign against foreign entanglements. Yet, you know, when you become president and you have these, you know, really major decisions, probably the biggest decision of his presidency, even under the Trump won. administration. He has a lot of advisors who are telling him, hey, this is something

that you have to consider. Iran is an enemy of the United States. They've killed hundreds of U.S. soldiers. This is, again, a foreign policy issue, the Iranian nuclear program that has vexed multiple administrations. He may be the, want to be the one who finally took care of this. And again, because of the situation on the ground, there's a possibility that with U.S. assistance, a lot of damage to the program can be done. Do you think he loses some of his cards, though, if we bomb Iran? and then he's trying to tell Vladimir Putin stop bombing Ukraine or trying to establish peace between Hamas and Israel? Oh, there's all sorts of inconsistencies, of course.

So, you know, we're going to come to the Israelis aid now. As, you know, many people certainly think that we should, yet he's totally, in some ways, abandoning Ukraine. Look, Vladimir Putin, almost certainly, whose ally is Iran, probably does not want him to do this. But President Trump, you know, there's no consistency really in policy here. And in some ways, I think you have Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's doing a lot of convincing to Trump as well. So is it consistent? No. You know, is it hypocritical based on the campaign? Yes. But, you know, in some ways, if we take this action, which I think many of us think should be considered,

you know, the end result being the dismantlement of the Iranian nuclear program would be a good thing for the world, as German Chancellor Mertz actually said, even if there are some inconsistencies in President Trump's approach. All right, Mark, Polymeropolis. Thank you so much for your analysis. It was great having you on Top Story. As we monitor everything that's happening right now with Israel and Iran, back here at home in Minnesota, police are revealing chilling new details in the murder of Melissa and Mark Hortman while their children are honoring their memories. NBC's Maggie Vespo reports. Tonight, a solemn procession carrying the bodies of state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. As Minnesota authorities work to determine the motive of the suspect, they say, stalked and killed them at their home early Saturday. day as part of a targeted attack on lawmakers he's nothing short of a monster Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley today sharing new details about the shootout at the Hortman's home describing this frantic call from a sergeant she

said hey chief here's the deal Senator Hoffman who lived in Champlin had been shot his wife had been shot we came over to Melissa Hartman's house and Mark her husband is dead we can't find Melissa we think she might be kidnapped and the officers got involved in shooting with the suspect it wasn't until officers went deeper into the home that they found her dead. The family dog, Gilbert, wounded. He was later euthanized. It was from here, the Hortman's home, that authorities say Belter took off on foot, sparking that historic two-day manhunt. According to court documents during that manhunt, authorities found guns, cash, and passports in Belter's wife's car. The Hortman's grown children

saying the best way to honor their parents is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better. Maggie Vespah joins us tonight from Minnesota. Maggie, I know you've been out there reporting the story. That point from the sheriff about investigators refusing to clear Belter's wife is striking. What else do we know about that? Yeah, that seemed huge, Tom. I mean, basically the police chief, they're telling us for the first time,

kind of saying more than what authorities have said thus far, which is up until now they've basically been telling us that she cooperated during that traffic stop and that she has never been detained tied to this investigation. But again, those items in the car have raised so many eyebrows. We're talking about passports, $10,000 cash, multiple weapons in the car. So today I just asked the police chief. I said, okay, what can you tell me about Jenny Belter, about Belter's wife and her potential role in this investigation? And he was really blunt.

He just said that they're going to leave no stone unturned. And then he added, and if anybody helped Vance Belter while he was on the run, quote, they will be held accountable. And that, Tom, was as far as he was willing to go right now. Yep, the investigation continues there. All right, Maggie, we thank you. The assassinations in Minnesota putting lawmakers on edge across the country. Members of Congress briefed today by Capitol Police as political violence in America seems to be on the rise. NBC's Melanie Zanona has new reaction coming in from the Hill tonight. Tonight, the aftershocks of a horrific political assassination in Minnesota, rippling on Capitol Hill,

as lawmakers now pushed to beef up their own security, worried they might be next. And all of us are worried because none of us have. any control. We're not just worried about ourselves. We're really worried about our families. Amid a tense budget battle already underway over President Trump's big beautiful bill, members of Congress now renewing calls for more money to flow to Capitol Police, charged with protecting them. There was agreement in our meeting between Democrats and Republicans that we ought to have that increased funding. Right now, only congressional leadership have 24-hour security details provided by Capitol Police, and although other members can request protection on a case-by-case

basis, outside the Capitol complex, hundreds of rank-and-file lawmakers often go completely unprotected. I have more security than most. I have a security detail, what I'm with with me right now. But most of my colleagues don't have that. Before it expand coverage for me, I hope that others would be helped too. The fears seeping into state legislatures as well. It's pain. that we now have to think about paying that ultimate price for being a public servant who tries to do the right thing and engage with the people. Without access to the resources of the federal government, funding their own security is an even tougher task. You're looking at about $200 an hour and that doesn't include equipment and that's for a single person. Some states now exploring other ways to protect their public servants.

Vermont's statehouse ramping up security and implementing a single point of entry. And in Florida, lawmakers passing a bill that would shield their home addresses from public release. The assassinations in Minnesota coming as political violence appears to be gaining momentum in American life. Two attempts on President Trump's life last year, a hammer attack on former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband in 2022, and an arson attack at the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro this April. A decade or so ago, you know, it was about 10 percent of America. said that violence was either expected or something that was legitimate means of expressing political beliefs. The last time I polled it, it was over 30%. All right, NBC News, Capitol Hill

correspondent, Melanie Zanona joins us now. Melanie, I want to get back to the assassination in Minnesota this weekend. We spoke last night here on Top Story with Minnesota Senator Tina Smith about her confrontation with Utah Senator Mike Lee after he posted a photo of the suspect on his X account along with a caption. We're learning more about that post tonight. Tell us what happened. Yeah, Tom, that post has actually been taken down as of earlier today, along with several other really insensitive social media posts about those Minnesota shootings that the senator posted on his personal account on X. This comes after a number of Democrats called on Senator Lee to not only take those posts down, but also to publicly apologize. And chief among them, of course,

as you mentioned, was Tina Smith of Minnesota. She had a private conversation. She had a private one-on-one with Senator Lee, where she explained why those posts were so hurtful and also implored him to take the post down. Now, we have not heard from Senator Lee publicly about why he took the post downs, and he's still not publicly apologized either, Tom. All right, Melanie Zanona, with a lot of new reporting there. Melanie, we thank you. Right now we want to turn to the weather because millions of Americans are under the threat of severe storms after torrential downpours and flash floods killed at least seven people in West Virginia.

wanted George Solis is on the ground again in Wheeling, West Virginia, as the region races for the next round of storms after being hit so hard. Tonight, torrential rain pounding Kansas as severe weather threatens millions. The delusioned Pennsylvania is stranding this group of 100 Girl Scouts, first responders helping the troop across a flooded roadway in north of Pittsburgh. Nearly 20 tornado reports from Nebraska to Minnesota. This massive funnel cloud seen ripping across the Cornhusker state, menacing farms and homes. for nearly an hour. The Army National Guard on the scene in West Virginia, the state reeling after major flooding took the lives of seven people, including 26-year-old Kylie Schotten and her three-year-old daughter Parker. I know I heard someone yell,

help, and I think it was him. And all he do is watch helplessly is I couldn't do anything. In Trialphia, Brian Creighton says his 19-year-old son, Travis, was with his mother, Donna. The water quickly rising, ripping their home from a its foundation, they were both swept away, Donna surviving. Travis's last words that Donna was swimming, mommy swim. I'm trying, baby. I'm trying. And then I just kept going underwater. Brian says his son died a hero. His last selfless act.

I really want my baby boy back. You feel for that father, George, incredibly sad situation there in Wheeling, West Virginia. And it's terrible because they've suffered all this trauma. They're still trying to pick up their homes, find their belongings in some cases. And now they have storms moving in there. We can see the rain. They're just behind you. What are they telling you is the biggest challenge at this point?

Yeah, Tom, there's so much heartbreak in this community. And this rain certainly not helping. A lot of people in these hard-hit communities spent the day cleaning, cleaning out muck. We spoke with one homeowner. This was his dream home with his wife. It's all gone now. And that is the challenge they face. They see this rain.

It slows them down. They know that there's help here on the ground. There's some resources like we saw the National Guard is here. But when this happens, it certainly sends that chill down the spine of residents wondering, is this storm going to be the next one? Is this going to flood again? Again, so many questions, so much doubt. And again, just so much devastation here on the ground.

Tom? You were right. George Solis again there covering that devastation in West Virginia. For more on the severe weather threat, I want to get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, talk to us about who's at risk now. Again, you know, West Virginia on our minds tonight. Yeah, we're going just north of there, just into Pennsylvania. And this area has been hit hard by numerous rounds of thunderstorms during the day today.

This is where we have life-threatening flash flooding that is underway. So you see the Pittsburgh area here. In between Pittsburgh and Altoona is where we're seeing the worst of the flash flooding. All these maroon counties colored in here are flash flood warnings. We've had estimates of maybe two to three inches of rain. So here's Al-Tuna and Pittsburgh is all the way there on the other side, and all of these storms are rotating through. And these are kind of hilly, mountainous areas.

That's where the water collects quickly. We're also watching severe storms in Colorado, but this tornado watch has our attention. We had a really strong thunderstorm go through the Wichita era. I'm sure you're doing some cleanup out there. We had high water reports. We had hail reports. We had wind reports over 50 miles per hour. That storm is now moving into areas here just east of I-35.

And then tomorrow, we're going to do this all over again. Same storm system heading through Chicago, Indianapolis. We have an enhanced risk of severe storms. We could get isolated tornadoes at this time, once again tomorrow. And then Tom, this all gets to the east coast. on Friday. Okay, Bill Cairns, we're going to be monitoring it all. We're back in a moment with breaking news. Did you hear Tyler Perry tonight accused an actor filing a lawsuit alleging sexual assault and years of harassment? What Perry's attorney is telling us tonight,

R. Kelly hospitalized the Grammy Award winning singer allegedly overdosing while serving a 30-year prison sentence. But here's the thing. His lawyers are claiming he's the victim of a murder plot and neighbor neighbor neighborhood watch a fury face off caught on camera how the 17 year old pup is just the latest to cross paths with this bear wreaking havoc in a california community neighbor watch neighborhood watch i got it all right we are back now with breaking news out of los angeles media mogul tyler perry hit with a massive 260 million dollar lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and retaliation. The suit brought by a former actor on Perry's show, The Oval. For more on this, I want to get right over to Stephen Romo. Stephen, walk us through the

allegations. Yeah, I was just going over that lawsuit, Tom. Derek Dixon, he was an actor in Tyler Perry's project, Ruthless, as well as the Oval. The lawsuit accuses Perry of using his power and influence to, quote, exploit vulnerable male actors. It starts off very general mentioning him using his power over multiple people, but then really hones in on Dickson's own allegation. accusing Perry of first sending inappropriate text as far back as 2019 before offering him a small role in the ruthless series until January 2020. That's when the lawsuit alleges that Perry sexually assaulted Dixon at his home. And the very next month, the lawsuit alleges that that is when he offered him the role in the Oval, which was a reprising role as well. What is Tyler Perry saying tonight or his lawyers? Yeah, Tyler Perry's lawyers have responded to this. They issued a statement saying in part, Dixon, quote, got close to Tyler Perry for what now appears to be nothing more than setting up a scam, but Tyler won't be shaken down, and we are confident the fabricated claims of harassment will fail.

We also reached out to Dixon's attorneys, and they say that the complaint stands for itself, just the very beginning of this process. A lot of attention on this time. Early, but getting a lot of attention. You're right. All right, Stephen, we thank you. Pop star R. Kelly making some shocking allegations from inside of a North Carolina prison. Kelly, who's currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for multiple convictions, including sex trafficking, is now accusing prison staff of taking active steps to kill him. His attorney saying Kelly was given an overdose quantity of prescription anxiety meds. NBC's Liz Crois has this complicated story.

Tonight, disgraced R&B star R. Kelly making shocking allegations from a North Carolina prison. The Grammy Award singer, known for 90s anthem, I Believe I Can Fly, accusing prison staff of taking active steps to kill him with his attorney saying the musician was deliberately given an overdose quantity of his anxiety medication while in solitary confinement causing the singer to be hospitalized the stunning claims made in multiple legal filings stating that the incident happened nearly two days after r kelly publicly accused three prison officials of plotting to have him assassinated by an inmate who's allegedly part of a white supremacist's gang Kelly's attorney saying instead of killing him, the inmate told Kelly the truth. Why is it that you believe these officers are trying to kill Mr. Kelly? Trying to kill Mr. Kelly as a means of covering up the fact that the Bureau of Prisons itself has been engaged in crimes against Robert Kelly throughout the course of the investigation of his cases. Since 2022, the 58-year-old born Robert Kelly has been serving a 30-year-s sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking. His public trial, including graphic testimony from victims, some appearing in the docu-series surviving our Kelly.

The breaking point for me was when Rob slapped me and he choked me into a blackdown. In a filing, prosecutors calling Kelly's new claims deeply unserious and theatrical and repugnant to the sentence that this court imposed for deeply disturbing offenses. All right, Liz, Chris, joins us tonight. Liz, the story gets more complicated and maybe a little stranger. Kelly is looking to the White House now for help. And has the Bureau of Prisons responded to his allegations? Yeah. So of all things, Tom, our Kelly's attorney says that they are now seeking a pardon for him from President Trump. They believe that President Trump will understand the corruption that they're alleging in the Bureau of Prisons and understand, in their opinion, that he is being unfairly targeted as a public figure. We have reached out to the Bureau of Prisons about this.

They are declining to comment on all of this, citing a member of this. medical privacy for inmates and pending litigation, Tom. All right, Liz Kroits for us, Liz, we thank you. When Top Story returns, the so-called bunker buster bombs, you've probably heard about them, but what are they? And will the U.S. deploy them to help Israel take out Iran's nuclear facilities buried deep in the earth? Plus, arrested by ICE, the New York candidate for mayor taken into custody for allegedly assaulting law enforcement, what happened and what's next in the fight over immigration as we await

a major court decision out of Los Angeles tonight? But first, Top Story's Top Moment, and we have a very special installment tonight. Our Top Story family has just gotten a little bigger. Look at that little bundle of joy. Welcome to the world Little Ashton Cole, the beautiful baby, son of our executive producer, Matt Frucci. Ashton is happy and healthy and already tuning in to the news we hear and maybe applying for a job here at Top Story. A big congratulations to Matt Brooks and their family. We will be right back.

We are back tonight with more on the breaking news out of the Middle East. As President Trump weighs in on the U.S. role in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, we're learning more about a major weapon that could be used to destroy a key Iranian nuclear site, a bunker buster bomb, a 30,000-pound bomb capable of penetrating underground. And it's likely the only weapon that could damage Fordo, an Iranian underground nuclear enrichment facility, located 300 feet under a mountain and a major hub of Iranian nuclear weapon development. I want to bring in senior NBC News correspondent covering national security for us and the Pentagon, Courtney Kubi. Courtney, so great to see you tonight.

So, Courtney, can you tell us a little more about these Iranian nuclear facilities that are being targeted and these bunker buster bombs and why it's such a big step in this war, right? Because we have them, Israel doesn't. So what happens then? Yeah, so the reason that we're hearing so much about Fordo is it is one. of the most, if not the most fortified facility, nuclear facility by Iran. As you mentioned, it's buried. The hallways underneath, there are about 300 feet underground, but they're also underneath reinforced concrete. Tom, there's really only one weapon, conventional weapon in the world that could penetrate, even come close to being able to penetrate, and it's one of

those bunker buster bombs. They're called GPU 57s. Technically, they're called a mop, a massive ordinance penetrator. But they're known, as you said, as a bunker, They have the ability to penetrate deep down into the ground. A 57 can go about 200 feet, maybe a little bit deeper, but what's really key here is they have a very strong outer shell. The 30,000 pounds you mentioned, it's really only about 5,000 or 6,000 pounds of explosives. The rest is this fortified outer shell

that allows it to penetrate deep into the ground before actually exploding. Tom, the only way that anyone could actually really get down down to really conduct a strike that would impact the facility there, not just the perimeter around it, is with one of these bombs. Yeah, but then, you know, answer my second question there, right? We have the bomb. Israel doesn't. And if a bunker buster hits that facility, we likely are involved.

Exactly. And it's not just that the U.S. is the only one to have the bomb. The U.S. has the only known way of actually dropping it. That would be a bomber, a B-2. Right now, there's no other way that we're aware of that someone could actually employ one of these bombs. And as you mentioned, the U.S. dropping a bomb like this on Iran, this goes a, it is a completely different situation from what we've seen, which is the U.S. being involved in a defensive capacity, shooting down Iranian projectiles that are threatening Israel, providing Israel with some support like intelligence, actually dropping a bomb being involved in a kinetic way. That would be a direct involvement in this conflict. And the real concern there, Tom, is that that would lead to Iran or Iranian

proxies lashing out against U.S. assets in the region, specifically U.S. military installations and assets and, of course, U.S. personnel. All right, Courtney, Q.B. explaining it all for us. Courtney, great to have you tonight. Next to another clash between a high-profile Democrat and immigration officials. This time in New York, where city comptroller and mayoral candidate, Brad Lander was arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement. According to DHS, Lander said he was placed under arrest for questioning officers while holding the arm of a man. Immigration officials were trying to detain. I want to bring in NBC's Homeland Security correspondent Julia Ainsley. So, Julia, what more

information do we have tonight about the latest incident with a Democratic elected official and these immigration officers? Well, Lander has since come out and made public comments, and he said that he's grateful to hear that charges will not be brought against him, although I guess it doesn't rule out charges possibly coming at another time. But he was arrested because I said that he interfered with an arrest. He was locking arms with an immigrant they were trying to detain. Lander went down to immigration court in New York City today where a federal or an immigration judge dismissed this man's case allowing ICE to come in and arrest him there in the courthouse. This is a common tactic we reported on it first here last week when a memo went out to immigration judges telling them to start dismissing asylum cases so that ICE could make arrest right there in the courtroom. Lander was there trying to show solidarity with this man and I said he got in the way.

And you can see they had quite a altercation there, quite a brush up. He says he only lost a button, but that he feels grateful that he has a lawyer, he's sleeping in his own bed tonight, unlike the man who he met today in court. So this is just the latest incident, Tom. We've seen others, such as a Newark mayor, a representative from New Jersey, and of course, Senator Alex Padilla, who was also taken out trying to ask questions of Secretary Nome at a press conference in L.A. last week of Democratic lawmakers. really coming to a head with ICE officials. And this is exactly what borders are. Tom Homan said would happen if local officials tried to impede ICE's immigration enforcement actions, Tom. Okay, and Julie, I know you have another bit of developing news, if you can get to it for us,

that DHS Secretary Kristy Nome was brought to the hospital today. What happened to her? Yeah, that's right. We understand that she was at a Air Force base, Bowling Air Force Base, when suddenly she began to feel ill. She was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. They say out of an abundance of caution, but that she is alert. They say this was brought on by an allergic reaction.

That's all the information we have on that incident so far, Tom. But I will say we just learned moments ago that a scheduled press conference that Nome was supposed to hold in New York City tomorrow morning has been postponed indefinitely. So it appears she needs a little more of recovery time. Okay, Julia Ainslie covering two stories for us tonight. Julia, we thank you. Time for Top Stories News Feed. Former Senator Bob Menendez is beginning his 11-year sentence on bribery. charges. The senior Democratic Senator, one-time Democratic Senator, turning himself in today at a

federal prison in Pennsylvania. Menendez was convicted of extortion, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice in July. Courts finding him guilty of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes and gold bars and cash, he is appealing that conviction. A dramatic crash at Bridgeport Speedway in South Jersey sending two sprint cars flipping through the air. Look at this. Those cars barrel rolling mid-air. Wow. As ambulances arrived on the scene, miraculously, no one was heard. The orange cars, 21-year-old driver recording the video of the moment he said felt like being pushed through a meat grinder. Wow. The cars reached top speeds of more than 100 miles per hour during that race. Okay, Hollywood icon Al Pacino met with Pope Leo at the Vatican yesterday. No, this is

not the beginning of a joke. Pacino and a film producer on his latest project presenting the new Pope with a scale model of a Maserati. The gift coming as Pacino is set to star in a new biopic about the Maserati family. The meeting marks the first official audience between a movie star and the new Pope. All right. Police were covering a second instrument

that was stolen from the rock band Heart before a performance in New Jersey last month. Top story has been all over this case. Police says this 1966 mandolin was surrendered by the man they identified as the thief. Surveillance video captured him wandering around Atlantic City allegedly trying to sell it, an offender telecaster guitar, which police recovered last week. He was charged with burglary and theft. Okay, in a courtroom just outside of Boston,

jury deliberations extending into their second full day in Karen Reid's murder retrial. Reid is accused of killing her boyfriend, a Boston police officer by backing into him with their SUV and leaving him to die on a snowy January night in 2022. Her defense arguing she's been framed as part of a vast police conspiracy. I want to bring an NBC News, correspondent, Emily Aketa. She's covering this case for us. She's outside that courthouse. And NBC News legal analyst, Danny Savalos, who covers legal cases for us and is a good friend at Top Story. Danny, great to see you. Emily, I'm going to start with you, though. The jury wrote in several questions to the judge today. Explain what happened in court and what can we sort of infer

from these questions. Hey there, Tom. So no verdict yet, but we are starting to get some insight into where the jurors' heads are at based on some of the questions that they have been asking of the judge and inside the court today, appearing to really zero in on the second charged manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and even more specifically, the subcharge, the lesser charge of driving drunk or operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. So take a look at some of the questions that they submitted. What is the time frame for the OUI charge? Are video clips of Karen's interviews evidence? Does convicting guilty on a subcharge, like drunk driving, convict the overall charge to,

which the judge made some alterations on the jury verdict slip. Another major moment from the day came when they sought clarification around what the meaning of a hung jury is. Take a look at this question. The fourth question of the day, if we find not guilty on two charges but can't agree on one charge, is it a hung jury on all three charges or just one charge? Remember last year the case ended in a mistrial? The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict. And according to the defense, some of the jurors revealed that they couldn't reach a unanimous verdict on mainly the second charge, Tom. Danny Savalos, he wants to get in on this conversation. Danny, is this a positive sign for the defense team? Can we even say that?

Oh, the danger of reading too much into jury questions. It's an exercise in astrology because you really never know what they're thinking. And some of these questions are an outright surprise because, you know, can the video be considered evidence? Of course. That's why it was played. And upon the prosecution, I'm concerned, because Because Karen reads admissions and the damaging things she said in video is some of the prosecution's best evidence. If I'm in the defense, I'm actually feeling very good about this because it tends to show. And again, this is just my thought, that they may be looking to convict on the OUI, essentially the DWI charge, and nothing else. And that would be consistent with the defense's theory that there was no collision, but there is a lot of evidence of intoxicated driving.

Yeah. And then if this is a hung jury for the second time, Will they try this a third time? Your question is interesting because it could be a hung jury on some of the charges and a conviction on others. And that's the even thornyer question. Will they re-prosecute on some of the higher charges if they don't get second-degree murder? If they don't get the involuntary manslaughter? What if they just get a DUI conviction or an OUI conviction?

Will this be the most expensive OUI prosecution in American history? I think maybe. But before I get back to Emily, what is your spotty sense telling you? My spidey sense, again, I make predictions every time. I'm usually wrong. But I do think the jury here may end up hanging their hat on an OUI conviction. And I believe the defense may have created enough reasonable doubt that there was no collision. That being said, they could also convict on everything.

Emily, before we go, you know, we know that she has been, Karen, has been very outspoken, defined after most of the court days. How did she seem today? Yeah, absolutely. When she leaves this courthouse behind me, she addresses the media. She answers some of our questions, but today she said no comment. I did ask her father, Karen Reid's father, describe the emotion inside the courtroom to which she told me you could cut it with a knife. Tom? Oh, wow. Okay. Emily Aketa, this case offering so much. We thank you for all your reporting. Danny Savalas. Always a pleasure to sit next to you and get that analysis. Now to the unexpected passing of a beloved Food Network star. Chef Anne Burrell has died at the age of 55. NBC's Ellison Barber. has this look at her career and the larger-than-life personality that made her a staple in households across America. That was really taxing, wasn't it? From coaching the worst cooks in America.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. This is like Groundhog Day over here. To competing on Iron Chef. There's nothing that is easy about this competition. This is one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Anne Burrell earned her place as one of America's most beloved chefs. And we just quickle.

It's a quick pickle. Her spiky hair, culinary talent, and charm under pressure made her unforgettable. We're making Dutch baby pancakes, which are kind of showstoppers when you see them, but quite easy to make. But tonight those who knew her best are beginning to process a world without Chef Anne. Her representatives announcing the 55-year-old passed away this morning at her home in Brooklyn, New York. They did not give any details about the cause of her death. In a statement, her family describing her as a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend whose smile lit up every room she entered, adding, quote, though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal. Burrell, who was born in Casanovia, New York, trained as a chef in Italy before becoming a teacher at the Institute of Culinary Education.

I mean, this is something good that even the worst cooks in America could do. Okay, good. We are some of the worst. She found her stride as a TV personality, becoming a staple on the Food Network. I'm going to come and apply the frozen jewel. So this acts as the ice cubes in your Bloody Mary. Appearing on shows like Chopped. I have my sauteed seafood with Mascopone.

Food Network star. You were kind of fun to watch and entertaining. And the Emmy nominated secrets of a restaurant chef. Grind them up and then give them a little sprinkie dink on my chicken. Through those shows, millions of viewers were able to see what the people closest to her already knew. Chef Anne Burrell's light was much bigger than the kitchen. Ellison Barber, NBC News, New York. And we will be right back.

We're back now with Top Stories Global Watch. At least 16 people are dead and more than 130 hurt after a Russian attack on Ukraine's capital city. A UN group saying this appears to be the deadliest attack on Kiev in almost a year. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy saying Russia deployed more than 400 drones and more than 30 missiles, declaring tomorrow a day of morning. Russia's defense ministry saying it had hit military targets. say residential buildings and critical infrastructure were targeted. A volcano erupting in south-central Indonesia today, raising the alert to the highest level and expanding the danger zone.

A mushroom-shaped cloud of ash seen billowing over the area visible for almost 100 miles. A statement from Indonesia's geological agency saying it recorded over 30,000 feet of clouds. No deaths or injuries have been reported. Residents are being warned that the heavy rain could cause lava to flow from the volcano, into nearby rivers. A man tried to make his way down Rome's Spanish steps, this time by a car. The 80-year-old in a compact luxury Mercedes-Benz, you see it there, sedan getting stuck early this morning. According to a statement by municipal police, they said the Rome resident tested negative for alcohol, also saying he was struggling to explain how this occurred. Firefighters used a crane

to remove that vehicle. Now to a show of bravery tonight from a furry friend. Crazy surveillance video capturing the moment a wild bear, waltzes right into a California home only to be confronted by the barking family dog. NBC, Los Angeles's Tracy Leong on how that encounter played out, and apparently this wasn't the pair's first offense. Surveillance footage captures a brave little dog

confronting a massive bear inside their Monrovia home on Valley View Avenue late Saturday night. The furry intruder seems unbothered by the pup, and continues to walk around the kitchen, sniffing for snacks, before making its way outside and through the yard to exit. We've seen this bear come by a couple of times now, and over the last couple of days, it not only went into our neighbor right next door,

but into the neighbor's house two doors down, and into their kitchen, eating ice cream and eating pizza, and apparently getting into the pool. Lily Martinez is not surprised. Bear sightings are very common in the neighborhood. We're prepared. You know, we have our our whistle and whatever else we need to get them out of there, but yeah, we're locking our doors at night. But they don't only appear at night. Neighbors believe this is the same bear wearing a similar tracker on its neck, walking through their street Saturday afternoon. The police and wildlife officials were called in to help redirect the mischievous beast back toward the foothills, not knowing it would return later that night.

It's part of living up here. You know, we're real close to the mountain and, you know, they're here first. But luckily, you know, knock on wood, they've all been real friendly coming through here. Austin Hart says it comes with the territory when you live this close to the mountains. But he advises all his neighbors to still be careful when they spot these wild creatures. They're not a puppy, but, you know, you see them enough. You get used to it, but you just also, you know, have to be cautious and just be aware, give them their space and don't approach them. Wildlife officials reminding people this is the time of year when California black bears will be foraging for food and often going where it's readily available.

They advise people to lock their doors and use bearproof garbage containers and most importantly, keep your distance. Tracy Lingang, NBC4 News. Up next on top story, a picture perfect surprise, a high school senior's parting gift. no one saw coming, how 110 hand-painted portraits turned one graduation into an unforgettable work of art. That's next. Finally tonight, a creative gift from a grad to her fellow classmates. The high school seniors spent months working on the perfect portrait

for more than 100 members of her class as a special surprise at graduation. She spoke to NBC Sam Brock, who has her story tonight. From all appearances, graduate, at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island looked like a normal ceremony, but salutatory in Sophia Nielsen. I've prepared a little surprise for all of my fellow graduates. Had a trick up her sleeve, or you might say, on her canvas. First, I thought I would just make a big painting of the school's campus. Then I thought, like, graduation's not about the buildings. It's about the students. The nationally recognized artists sketched classmates on an iPad, then brought them to life in water, color next to their yearbook pictures. All 110 of them. The process took months and the results

uncanny and stealth. Even her childhood friend, Kaylee, was in the dark. So your families are like family? Yeah, definitely. And you had no idea this was going on? Not a clue. Right behind my back. School leaders offering supplies and a stage for something special. I wanted everyone to cry. So you got a very clear goal on all this? Yes. You wanted tears. Yes. What unfolded. reach underneath your seats. There's something plastic taped there was a medley of emotions and ultimately a standing ovation. A graduation sure to stand the test of time for an artist who paints what she feels. I knew it was a lot of work, but I did it. Sam Brock, NBC News, Staten Island. A picture perfect graduation. We thank Sam for that story. We thank you for watching.

watching Top Story Tonight. I'm Tom Yamous in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.