Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Episode Date: June 24, 2026

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

Tonight, the dangerous triple weather threat, fires, floods, and deadly heat affecting millions. The flash flood emergency here at home, fast-moving water, trapping drivers and washing out roads, wildfires, exploding out west. Look at that. Plus, overseas, a record-shattering heat wave in Europe leaving dozens dead. Our reporters in London as brutal temperatures scorch the region. Just in tonight, the transcript of the Bill Gates' testimony in the Jeffrey Epstein Inventyne, investigation now released what Gates told lawmakers about Epstein's alleged plot to blackmail him. Also tonight, Savannah's emotional plea after new reporting on that second note from when her mom went

missing. New details about what was in that letter. Terrifying carjacking spree, an armed man using his car as a weapon. Watch this ramming at least eight people and ripping out a gas pump, how he was stopped. Disneyland Ridescare, new video capturing a team taking a terrifying plunge down one of the park's most popular rides. The pizza delivery in the middle of an armed robbery, this unsuspecting driver handing over the slices to a suspect in a mask. We'll tell you what happened next. And Scotland's Tartan Army taking over Miami. These fans are boosting spirits in the 305 after apparently drinking Boston dry. Plus, the AI stock sell-off rattling Wall Street. We'll talk about what it means for your money when top story starts right now.

Hi there. I'm Hallie Jackson, in for Tom. And we begin tonight with that severe summer weather, now becoming an international emergency. Tens of millions of people around the world facing dangerous and deadly temperatures, with flash floods and wildfires creating a lot of damage here at home. Look at this video from Oklahoma. Roads just overtaken by the water here. Cars submerged up past their tires. We've seen some first responders trying to push these cars through flooded intersections. Look at that. And then in Virginia? What in the world? This car fell in a sinkhole. Sure did. That sinkhole partially swallowing up that car after days of unrelenting weather there. In the West, dozens of wildfires. Crews are trying to get a handle on it, but these hot temperatures are not helping. One in Utah has incinerated something like 10,000 acres already. And in the south, they are melting under these historically high temperatures, extreme heat. postponing some World Cup events. All as overseas in Europe, they are battling their own deadly heat wave.

Millions of Americans, of course, vacationing there. Cities and towns are under these maximum heat warnings, with temperatures up over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. People flock into the beaches to cool off, but there is a danger there. At least 40 drownings have been reported since the start of this heat wave. France recording the hottest day it's ever had. So hot, in fact, so hot. They had to shut down the Eiffel Tower.

That gives you a sense of it. Over in the U.K., they're telling people don't go on public transportation right now, and it's also possible that some of these popular tourist spots may have to shut down. We've got team coverage on this, as our Bill Cairns times out where the heat is headed next. But we start tonight with George Solis in Miami, tracking this triple threat. Tonight, heavy rains and dangerous flash flooding, overwhelming parts of Oklahoma. Watch as cars try navigating the hazardous conditions on the roads. Oh, my God.

The rain so intense, visibility is almost zero. Out west, firefighters urgently battling multiple raging wildfires, from Utah to Nevada. Down south, brutal soaring temperatures sweltering the region. It's getting worse as the day goes by. In Miami, the heat is so intense, the city's World Cup FIFA fan fest was postponed temporarily. How brutal was today's heat? Earlier today it was incredibly bad. Extreme heat also impacting millions across Europe, where air conditioning isn't widespread.

Officials in France say at least 40 people, most of them young, have drowned while trying to escape the high temps since the start of the heat wave last week. The country has issued a red heat alert, the highest level possible. Local outlets reporting two children died there, likely due to the severe heat. The soaring temperatures impacting iconic landmarks. The Eiffel Tower closing early and the Louvre, expect to adjust hours starting tomorrow. NBC News' Danielle Hemangin is in London.

If and when the temperature hits 104, the iconic London eye will close. Thousands are expected to flock to beaches, pools, and the River Thames, with authorities urging people not to underestimate the dangers of swimming in open water. Today, these city and far beyond are experiencing the hottest day of the year

with higher temperatures to come. Back here at home in the U.S. Yes, Americans doing their best to survive the early summer scorcher. George is joining us now from South Florida. And George, they are really making a big push to try to make sure that people who are going to these World Cup events are staying safe in this heat. Yeah, that's absolutely right, Halle. So as soon as you walk into this particular event, you'll notice all of these fans blowing. And they want to make sure organizers that nothing here compromises safety.

They're also handing out these mechanical fans for all of these people here. And even with this cloud cover, we know that these fans are likely going to be working overtime because the heat indices are still expected to be in the triple digit. So it's going to feel well above 100 degrees here in the next coming days. Hallie. Really intense. George Solis, thank you. Let me bring in now our friend and colleague, Bill Kieran, who's got a lot to watch, Bill because you've got 30 million Americans under these heat alerts. and it's only going to get worse for some of those folks. Yeah, and there's a difference.

Like, we're setting some daily records. We're not setting like national all-time records like they are in Europe. So let's get to who's the hottest right now. And we're thinking that Phoenix had a chance to get up to 110 today. It's close. 109, Vegas 106. But these are the areas, they're used to it. Their bodies are starting to adjust.

But, you know, Portland, Oregon is at 90 degrees. And only about 60% of the households there have air conditioning. So for that other 40%, that's a very difficult evening. And during the overnight, it's going to be very difficult to sleep, too. So 31 million people. We do have the excessive heat warnings from Phoenix to Tucson because this is a long-duration event for you. You have one more day of the heat in the Pacific Northwest and then we'll cool you off. So tomorrow, Eugene's in 90, Boise 95, Seattle, right around 85.

That's about 15 degrees warmer than it should be. Also, we will get up to 110 in Phoenix tomorrow. And likely as due that Thursday, Friday. Many areas, though, will cool off by the time we get to the weekend. The exception, Halley, some of that heat heading towards the middle of the middle of the the country, Denver, near 100 by the weekend. And you look overseas, Bill, when you talk about Europe, I mean, it is boiling right now. And it's only going to gores like tomorrow Paris may set a record at 102.

It's not just the intensity, it's the duration. And the longer heatways go, the more deadly they are, because people just can't recover at night if they're not in air conditioning, you know, without being able to sleep well or even hydrate well. So as far as what we're dealing with in Europe the next two days, look at these temperatures, Paris, 103, 104, interior, sections where we hit that 112 for the all-time hottest temperature ever recorded in France today. They're going to have a chance to even beat that or equal that in the days ahead. It will cool off

by the time we get to about Friday, Hallie. All right, Bill Cairns, keeping an eye on all of it. Thank you, Bill. Appreciate it. Back here at home now to the deadly attack inside a public library in Northern California, an 18-year-old accused of killing two people and plotting what police called a Columbine-style massacre. Aaron McLaughlin has the dramatic moment he was taken into custody. A new video shows a teenage suspect face down. Being dragged and pinned by police, minutes after authorities say a gunman fired eight rounds inside this public library in Chico, California, killing two adults and wounding a young girl. Identified as 18-year-old Bradley Scott Sayer, authorities say he'd walked through the library prior to the attack before returning with a shotgun

to attempt a Columbine-style massacre. The suspect was a fan and a fan for some time of social media involving Columbine-type shootings, the kind of school shootings, and had unfortunately made a deep dive into that social media community. Shortly after the shooting Monday night, the city police chief described the desperate call for help. We had an open 911 line that you could hear. gunshots and people screaming. Officials say within four minutes police flooded the neighborhood and made the arrest. As they made entry, the suspect fled out the back of the library where Chico police officers had already set a perimeter. Social media post show the suspect graduating from the local high school earlier this month, now expected to be charged with two

counts of murder in the first degree. Authorities say they believe he was acting alone and have found no connection to the victims. Identified tonight as 74-year-old Robert Johnson and 46-year-old Jacob Hull. Hull died protecting the injured child who is yet to be named, according to her family. The suspect is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Thursday.

His parents have not replied to a request for comment from NBC News, but have spoken with law enforcement. The suspect is scheduled for an initial court appearance on Thursday. His parents have not responded to NBC News's request to comment, but they have spoken to law enforcement. Back to you. Aaron McLaughlin, thank you.

Here in Washington, a rare rebuke in Congress with the Senate voting to stop President Trump from restarting war against Iran. Symbolic, but a message nonetheless, coming as the president hits the road to point to falling oil and gas prices in the wake of that preliminary peace deal. Our Garrett Haig has the latest developments.

President Trump tonight at the massive Pennsylvania plant that makes Mack trucks, touting the U.S. economy with himself in the driver's seat. Oil is going to come charging down, and with oil comes everything else. Pointing to falling oil and gas prices after the preliminary peace deal with Iran. Ship tracking data showing crossings through the Strait of Hormuz nearly tripling this week, but with traffic still below pre-war levels.

And now a new flashpoint has emerged in the negotiations. The U.S. say Iran has agreed to allow U.N. nuclear inspectors in. But the Iranian regime claims it made no new commitments. The president was asked about those denials today. They're wrong. They know they're wrong. They told us inside and we have it down 100% inspections. And if they were right, I'd cancel the meetings right now.

The president set to speak with Republican senators, largely skeptical of the initial deal, behind closed doors tomorrow. I think we've got to give the president an opportunity to get his work done, while at the same time making clear that none of us trust. the Iranians. I think anybody that's been critical of it has to be educated, even if they're friends of mine. Because we have Iran in a position that nobody's ever had. Everything's been wiped out. But tonight, the Senate with a rare rebuke of the president's war effort in Iran, joining the House in voting to direct the president to end it or seek congressional approval. For Republicans joining nearly all Democrats to pass the symbolic resolution, which does not have the force of law.

Garrett is joining us now from the North Lawn. And Garrett, you're just hearing from the White House in response to the Senate vote, right? What's up? That's right, Hallie. We've yet to hear from the president directly, but a White House official tells NBC news that this vote, really, in their view, has no significance. The resolution itself doesn't even go to the president's desk where it would otherwise get vetoed. They argue that Democrats have pushed this effort to end a war that they believe now is already fully over. Hallie. Garrett, Hayek, live for us here in Washington. Garrett, thank you. You heard Garrett talk about the president. on this midterm campaign blitz. Well, tonight, some key primaries in the state of New York, where they are still voting even tonight in a batch of key elections, testing in some ways the strength

of the newly elected mayors, O'Ramemdani, and his sway on the party, and President Trump's hold on Republicans. Our own Steve Kornacki, guess what? It's Kornacki Kamm night, folks. He's ready to rock at the big board. Our Julie Serkin is keeping up with all the key candidates, too. Julie, I want to start with you. A couple of key primaries in New York, specifically on the Democratic side. A member of the Kennedy family is on ballots in New York for the first time in decades. Walk us through that race and some of the other key ones tonight. Yeah, Halley, Jack Schlossberg, who is the only grandson of John F. Kennedy. He is on the ballot, but he's not polling too well.

So if he does defeat the other candidates in a crowded field to replace Jerry Nadler, who's stepping down after more than 30 years in this more affluent, politically engaged Westside Manhattan district, that would be a huge shock to a lot of people. You've got other frontrunners in that race, though. So for example, Alex Boris, who's really made AI and tech the central message of his campaign. He said he didn't think that he would. But after hearing from voters, they're concerned over those data centers popping up. They're concerned that AI will take their jobs.

That's what he turned to. He worked to pass some state legislation. So that'll be really interesting because there's a ton of money floating in that race, both for and against AI, four and against crypto and tech. And if voters do end up picking him, he's an assemblyman, that'll send a message that maybe they want something on the federal level. So a lot of dynamics to watch in that race that is really completely different. different from the rest of the primaries in the state. We talked about the way that this is in some ways, you know, in the city of New York,

a bit of a test of the Mamdani factor, maybe. I don't know if that's overstating it, but he's made some endorsements here, too. No, absolutely. Especially in New York 7 and New York 13. Mandani really trying to throw his weight behind those insurgent candidates that are more the vibes of the Democratic Socialist wing of the party. In 13, for example, he threw his weight behind somebody that's going against Anthony Espaelot.

He is the chair of the Hispanic caucus. He's served in Congress in more than a decade, has the backing of the establishment of the Democratic leaders. A similar story in New York 7, where the outgoing Congresswoman Nidea Velasquez, she put her backing behind Antonia Rinozo, who's been in city government versus somebody, Claire Vasquez, who arrived a decade ago, is seen as an insurgent candidate. I'm dining through his weight behind. The situation is a little bit different in New York 10, Halle, where we are right now. This is Dan Goldman's district. He's going up against Brad Lander. I talked to Goldman today.

He said Israel has certainly been in New York. issue in their race. A lot of the supporters, though, in Brooklyn are saying, listen, we feel like we'd be better represented by somebody in Lander who lives here, who talks to us, who we see at community events. They don't really credit Mamdani endorsement as a big decision factor there. But certainly, Halley, the results tonight will show us whether it's the Democratic establishment, the leaders taking control of the future of the party, or whether Mamdani has some success in this really risky gambit he made by throwing his political capital behind so many of those insurgent candidates. Hallie.

So flip over to the other side of the aisle, Jules. Talk to us about some of these key primary races. President Trump made some endorsements there, too. He did. The most high-profile one that we're watching is actually at least Stefanix district. She's not going to present that area anymore. There's other Republicans vying to do just that tonight. There's somebody called Robert Smullen. He's in the assembly. He's been endorsed by the state party. He's somebody that Republicans here want to see elected. This is a district that is actually in the top corner of New York border in Canada. But here's the thing. President Trump actually likes his opponent. Anthony Constantino, relatively unknown, had no prior political.

or government experience, but he's gotten the president's attention. Not only his, Jim Jordan came out to rural New York, Rudy Giuliani, threw his support behind that race. So that'll be a really interesting one to watch. Trump also endorsed Blake Blakman again to run against Kathy Hochle for governor. Of course, though, this is a blue state. So the president is certainly watching other primaries that I'm sure you'll talk to Steve about in Utah, in Maryland, the runoff in South Carolina as well. But a tale of two endorsement battles and two endorsements from Amdani and Trump,

both of them endorsing candidates and bucking who their party leaders picked in this state. Hally. Julie Sirkin, thank you very much. Julie called it, Steve. We're talking about all the races. I mean, my God, how long do you have? I've got three hours. I know the Kornanke Cam is firing up later on, but walk us through it.

We're not getting results in New York really until after 9 Eastern, right? Yeah, although the way things went in New York the last year, it was like 901 Eastern. We suddenly had half the vote. So it could come real fast there in New York, and we could actually get. get some clarity pretty quickly in some of these races. You know, there's been some scant polling here. But certainly one of the, as you're talking about there, one of the endangered incumbents tonight, one of the big question marks, for instance, would be right here in the 13th district, Adriana Espiotte, being challenged by Darya Liza Avila Chevali, endorsed by Zoran Mamdani.

One of the things going to be looking for right here. This is northern Manhattan. This is Harlem, extends a bit into the Bronx. One of the interesting areas to look at in this district that might decide it is Harlem-at-stel. itself. Still a heavily black area. This district used to be sort of the capital of a political capital of black America. Adam Clayton Powell, Charlie Rangel. It was a majority black district. The population changed this century, became more Hispanic. Espeot actually sort of rode the wave of that demographic change into Congress. I think if he's going to hold on tonight, one of the things he's going to need is the black political establishment in Harlem, which he was at odds with

when he got this seat. You know, it was at war with them politically. he's going to need that black political establishment to help him get the vote there in Harlem in that part of the district. So it's an interesting dynamic if he's going to hold on here. Get us out of New York. What all is watching around the country? Because there's a couple of other races, too. Yeah, let's go all the way out to Utah here. A couple of interesting Republican primaries here. Remember, Utah, they have a new map just for this year. A court drew it. So these are new district lines. It's a pretty dramatic change in that state. So here's one incumbent, Republican incumbent, Celeste Maloy. was elected in a special election back in 2023. When she ran for the full term in 2024,

she was challenged in the Republican primary from the right, and she won by just 176 votes. So it's a real question here. Her hold on this base, she's getting another challenge, you know, from a sort of a conservative activist, populist-style candidate here, Phil Lyman. I think this is an interesting one to look at, given that Malloy did not win convincingly in her party two years ago, And again, these lines have changed here in Utah. Also worth keeping an eye on Utah up here. This is now the second district, Blake Moore. He's a member of Republican leadership in Congress,

vice chair of the House Republican Conference. He did not get. He lost the endorsement of the Utah State Republican Convention being challenged by a state legislator here. Now, Moore has been in this situation before. This is actually the third straight election that Moore has lost at the state convention. He's been able to petition his way onto the primary ballot. He was able to win the last.

two times. See if he can do it again a third time here. This issue of redistricting actually is in this, part of this campaign here. Lizenby running against him has been saying that Moore, who had supported sort of gerrymandering reform efforts in the past, she's trying to say, hey, Utah, Republicans, this new map that's in place in Utah, this new map that's probably going to give Democrats a seat out of Utah that they didn't have before. She's trying to pin that on more. We'll see if there's broad discontent in the party base when it comes to that. If so, he could be in some trouble there. Super interesting. Steve, give us your best plug for Kronaki Cam tonight. Go.

YouTube, NBCNews.com, assorted places. If you go to my Twitter thing, I've got the link, click on it, watch it. 8 p.m. and it's good stuff. 8 Eastern. Steve, thank you. What Steve failed to mention. Forgot, I should say, because he's got so much on his plate. He's also answering your questions. It's not just me that gets to ask Steve questions. You can also. It starts right after Kornacki Cam in an exclusive Q&A session for subscribers. Head to NBCNews.com or our NBC News app to subscribe and see it all.

You can scan right there to get your question in. We've got some other news tonight to get to as well, including, of course, that ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie and this emotional plea from our dear friend, our colleague Savannah, about that new reporting on what may have happened to her 84-year-old mom. Our Liz Croyd says more. Tonight, Savannah's speaking out following new reporting about the contents of a second note sent to media outlets shortly after the abduction of her beloved mom, Nancy Croyd's. Nancy Guthrie. This is unusual and unprecedented to say the least to be sitting here.

But, you know, I don't have any comment on this story and I'm not involved in our coverage. But I can't pretend I'm not here. And so since I am, I want to just take the opportunity to ask people, to really to beg people to come forward. Somebody knows something. This is a new story today that is on your radar, but this is the life that my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day. And we are in agony. We cannot be at peace. So now how much I try to come out here every day and smile and find that joy. And I will. I promise I will. This is a moment to tell you that we need your help. We're begging for your help. Three sources familiar with the matter

say the no from Nancy's purported kidnapper indicated that Nancy had died. While it did not include an apology for taking her, the sources say it did express regret over her passing. Officials have not confirmed the validity of the note or an earlier alleged ransom note also sent to media outlets but are investigating both as potentially credible. Today, Savannah, renewing her plea for anyone who knows anything to come forward. And so please, if you're watching, no matter how small, the reward is there, you can tell us, it can be anonymous. Please do the right thing for us, for our family, for our children. And we're We love our mom and we'll never stop looking for her, never.

Liz is joining us from Los Angeles. It is obviously so emotional for Savannah for the people who love her and who she loves. We are also hearing about this as we have from the beginning, really, from the highest levels here in Washington. And that's from President Trump, right? Yeah, Hallie, that's right. President Trump, who, you'll remember, sent resources to Tucson in the days after Nancy's abduction was asked about the case today. And he reiterated how horrible this has been for Savannah and her family and said that they hope He hopes they find Nancy, but there's been no real development in terms of the investigative front in this case.

142 days now since Nancy went missing. There's still no suspect or person of interest. Hallie. Liz Kreutz, thank you. So many of us, of course, thinking about Savannah and her family. And a reminder, we'll put up the number again. If you have any information about Nancy, FBI tip line, 1-800 call FBI. We are back in a moment with much more here on top story, including the urgent search for.

for a little boy swept away in Lake Michigan, the warning for swimmers this summer. Plus, the new transcript from Bill Gates's testimony to Congress about Jeffrey Epstein just released what it reveals about his ties to the convicted sex offender. And the scary moment at one of Disneyland's most iconic rides. We'll tell you what happened just ahead on Top Story.

Back now with a new warning about dangerous conditions for swimmers this summer, just days into the season, and some very scary stories of drownings and near-drawnings already stacking up coast to coast. Maggie Vespa has been following a case in Indiana. You've made your way there to the lake shore, Maggie, where officials are looking for a 13-year-old who went missing. Yeah, Hallie, that's right. This is Lake Michigan behind me. And officially, the search is still on, but we should point out pragmatically. Searcher's

not actually out there right now because you can see the water behind me. It's incredibly choppy, incredibly they say hazardous. They also say four divers because of that have already been injured in these rescue efforts since yesterday afternoon when this boy, they say, went into the water and no one's seen him since. They're not naming him at this time. His family's not speaking out, but I talked to families on the beach earlier. This is really rattling everyone.

Take a listen. You said you're not letting your kids swim today. No, no, definitely not. We let them dip their toes in the water and knows about it. They come to the beach, playing the same. In the water, no. Absolutely not. Go to the day of the beach and lose a child.

I mean, I don't think it gets any worse than that. Yeah, really scary for people. And you point out a coast-to-coast examples, Hallie. We're seeing recent drownings and near drownings all the way from New York out to California, San Francisco, and in particular Santa Cruz. Two college students killed there earlier this month when a tide just came in when they were sleeping on the beach and dragged them out to sea. So officials are warning people to keep their eye on the water, especially when they're on beaches like this. And especially given that CDC data shows July is the worst month historically for drownings nationwide. So the threat, Halley, is really only growing.

Yeah, and it's very real. Maggie Vespa, live for us on that. Maggie, thank you. Let's talk about that terrifying scene at Disneyland. A boy falling off one of the most popular rides at the park at Disneyland, falling down the waterfall, all of it captured on camera and some video we're just getting into us tonight. Let me bring in Aaron Gilchrist, who has more on those images and some new reporting. It's tough to watch, Aaron. I mean, this boy, Disneyland officials say, I guess, he exited the ride before the ride was over, and then he see him take this fall. It sounds like he's okay tonight? Yeah, as far as we know, he was checked out and he is okay. But I've been watching this video that TMZ obtained over and over again, trying to understand exactly what happened here. And you'll see it here in a second.

My monitor has a little bit of a delay here, but you see this figure near the top of that log flume. You're familiar with these log flume rides. And you see someone come out of the ride and then seem to slide down this. It's a 50-foot plus drop right here in this part of the Tiana. Bayou Adventure ride there at Disneyland. So what we've heard from Disney officials is that the 13-year-old boy on Sunday evening got out of that ride vehicle somehow as the ride was going there, and they say that he was checked out, taken to the hospital and checked out, and that he's okay.

But witnesses there, and obviously you can see from the video here, say that the boy went down that hill in this section of the ride, whether he slid down or sort of fell, or fell down. Obviously, there's a lot of water right there. The accounts sort of vary a little bit. But the good news here is that he is okay. I can tell you, this is a ride that has been there at Disneyland just outside L.A. for a long time. Part of the ride, most of it seems to be on this sort of a conveyor belt, right? So if you've ever been on one of these log-flume rides, you kind of move through the attraction. And then a lot of times they have an area where there's a big drop. That's supposed to be the big highlight for this ride. Nobody appeared to be strapped in in any way.

Again, if you've been in one of these log flume rides, you're just sort of in there, right? And this particular ride, people are in single file in a row on the ride moving through these parts of the attraction before you get to this drop that's near the end of the ride, not quite the end of the ride. We were told by Disney officials that one of the workers there was able to stop the ride. So that meant no more logs were coming behind where this boy fell. And so they were able to stop it for a time, get some security. medical folks there on the scene to check him out, Hallie. They eventually took him to the hospital. We understand that ride reopened yesterday, and it's been business as usual for Disney. But as you can imagine, a lot of folks seeing that video and who were there when this happened, Hallie, just really

rattled by what happened here. No kidding. What quick thinking by that worker to stop the ride. Such good news that that boy appears okay. Aaron Gilchrist, thank you for bringing that to us. Appreciate it. Coming up, more to get to you on the show, including former U.S. Olympic ski legend Bode Miller now arrested. The charges he's now facing and what we're learning about the drugs he was accused of carrying. Plus, how a pizza delivery driver ended up caught in the middle of an armed robbery. Look at him carrying in this bag. We'll show you what happened next. Stay with us. We are back with some new developments in the Congress's Jeffrey Epstein investigation, specifically the one led by the House Oversight Committee. We now have the transcripts of Bill Gates's

closed-door testimony, of course, the Microsoft co-founder about his relationship with the convicted sex offender. Melanie Zanona has been digging through that testimony and has more tonight. Well, one of the biggest takeaways from this testimony is about an apparent plot by Epstein to potentially blackmail Bill Gates, though it was never actually followed through on. Gates said he pursued a relationship with Epstein in hopes of raising more money for the Bill Gates Foundation, but he ended that relationship once it became clear Epstein was never going to fall through. However, at that point, Epstein at least considered trying to blackmail Gates as a way to sort of and pressure him to re-engage in their relationship.

With Gates telling lawmakers, I was not blackmailed, but you know, as you look at these emails, it looks like Mr. Epstein's brainstorming was going in that direction. It appears that in many cases, he, at least in emails to himself, was sort of rehearsing how either he or he coaching someone else might choose to blackmail me, but none of those messages were ever sent to me. Some of the Epstein files did contain draft emails or emails sent to Epstein himself that detailed salacious and unverified allegations about Gates, which Gates said were absolutely false. Gates also said Epstein learned about some of the affairs that Gates had during his marriage,

but Gates testified that none of those affairs had any connection to Epstein. Another key takeaway is that Gates actually acknowledged she was indeed aware of Epstein's pleading guilty to some, quote, sexually related crime in 2008. But Gates told lawmakers, he regrets not digging into those legal issues further before starting a relationship with Epstein, calling it a big mistake and a big regret. Hallie. Mel Zunona, thank you very much for that. Turning now to Money Talks, and tonight, Wall Street, kind of sounding an alarm with tech stocks taking a tumble.

We've seen a sell-off and some concerns over some of the top companies in AI and chip manufacturing. Is the bubble bursting? It feels like a question we keep asking. Let's get to Alley Canal for a reality check. What's interesting here, Allie, is we were kind of watching this during the day. Markets open, and it was like, uh-oh, big sell. off, kind of recoverer, dropped again. What does it mean? Like, what is the inference we're supposed to draw from it when it comes to some of these tech stocks? Right, Hallie. Well, a lot of this has to do

with valuation, because remember over the past few years, those AI companies, those chip companies, they've been fueling a lot of the stock market gains. But what happened today is investors started questioning, okay, are we getting a little too ahead of our skis here, particularly because there are concerns that inflation could remain elevated, and that could possibly force the Fed to hike It's something that the markets are pricing in at the moment. And that's important because these AI companies, they're spending billions of dollars, building data centers, buying chips, expanding that AI infrastructure. So investors are looking at these sky-high valuations and asking, can these companies

really grow fast enough to justify these high valuations, particularly if borrowing costs remain elevated? Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that the AI boom is over. A lot of Wall Street analysts are calling this a gut check. If we look to the start of the year, the tech-heavy NASDAQ composite is still up around 10%, even with the sell-off that we saw today. But it's just a good reminder that we tend to see these volatile puts and starts within the stock market. And that's why a lot of financial professionals say it's important to stay invested. That's it.

What about SpaceX? We've got so much attention when it went for its IPO kind of dipped. It's since recovered? Well, take a look at a stock chart because it's been a pretty wild ride here. I love looking at stock charts. I do it just in my spare time. I mean, look at this, right? I mean, we are trading below where the stock finished out that debut day. We saw a big surge following that. But over the past few days, we saw a bit of a dip here. And that's really, you know, the story here at SpaceX has become a symbol of the AI trade. So it's not immune to all these valuation concerns. The stock is valued at nearly $2 trillion. It's still an unprofitable company. And there are many on Wall Street that say, you know, it's not justified at this point in time. So even these big hot IPO names, these stocks that we talk about often, they can get caught up in some of these valuation traps on

Wall Street. So just important to keep in mind, especially if you're choosing to invest in some of these more volatile names. Allie Canal, thank you very much. Appreciate you. Let's get you over to Top Stories News Feed, starting with former U.S. Olympic ski legend, Bodeemiller, now facing drug charges in Idaho. We've learned he was arrested earlier this month on two misdemears. Court records show he had so-called magic mushrooms on him, psilocybin. He's pleaded not guilty. Miller retired in 2017 after competing in five Olympics. He won six medals. NBC News reached out to his attorney for comment, but we haven't heard back.

And in Arizona, a delivery robot taking a dangerous turn. Watch this. Getting caught in the middle of a crime scene surrounded by SWAT. Police say they told the DoorDash robot, get on out of there. Didn't happen. The company had to come and pick it up and take it away in like a box truck. Wrong place, wrong time. And with the NBA drafts, that's a tip off tonight.

Tonight in New York, a blockbuster trade is kind of sending shockwaves around the league. Janice Antitacumpo, one of the biggest basketball stars on the planet, now headed to the Miami Heat, according to multiple reports. The Milwaukee Bucks, he's been there for more than a decade, apparently trading him for a handful of players and draft picks. He's a two-time NBA MVP and a 10-time all-star. For basketball fans, that's pretty big news. To California now, in the carjacking chaos unfolding on the streets of Los Angeles. some newly released video shows the chilling moments, an armed suspect rammed a stolen car into multiple people

during this high-speed chase with police. Here's Ryan Chandler with that new video, and a warning, some of it is disturbing. Call to police. Tonight, new video tracking a violent spree of attacks on the streets of Southern California. Police say 45-year-old Juan Estrada stole this white sedan at knife point, then crashed at random into innocent bystanders,

causing multiple hit-and-run collision. across Culver City last week. Approaching right. Stand by. Watch the car care toward a pedestrian in the middle of the road. This clip shows the car

running over another person's legs. At this gas station, several people targeted. A motorcyclist thrown from his bike as the sedan clides into him, ripping off the gas pump. Another man dodging as the driver accelerates toward him from feet away.

Culver City Police releasing the new look at the chaos Monday. The suspect displayed completely completely sporadic behavior, striking any victims that he was able to spot on the street, on foot or on bikes. The spree of destruction ending at this McDonald's, the suspect crashing into a car and then fleeing on foot past the drive-through as police rammed the sedan. Culver City Police arresting Estrada. He's now charged with 10 counts of attempted murder. The victims injured were between 15 and 70 years old. One is still in the hospital tonight with

serious injuries. Ryan is joining us now. Okay, Ryan, how did police manage to track this guy down? You can imagine how frantic of a chase this was. Police told us that they were getting multiple 911 calls for multiple locations at the same time as this attack continued. They say they were ultimately able to track this guy down using automated license plate reader technology tracking that car in real time. They say before they apprehended him, the suspect was yelling at police. to shoot him, saying that he was dead set on causing harm to not only other people, but maybe himself, but they say they did the best they can to mitigate the damage on that chase, Halley.

Ryan Chandler, thank you very much for that. Next tonight to a serious warning over air travel safety with concerns now about more close calls in the skies than what's been reported even after all those near misses we've covered here on Top Story. Let me bring in Tom Costello, who's been tracking all of the new division. developments today and is joining us now. Pretty alarming testimony, Tom. Fair to say, coming out of the Hill this morning. This was a Senate hearing. Senators looking into what they believe clearly would seem to be an increase in closed calls. And then when we heard from Chris Sununu,

he represents airlines for America, the industry trade group representing all airlines. Take a listen to what he said when asked whether there is, where there are, in fact, more close calls than we know about. There are many more. There are many more. Thank you. There are many more thousands of more of near misses than are probably out there in the public and that, you know, get the headlines. There are hundreds of them every single day. Yeah, hundreds of them every single day. I think the context here is important. I don't think he's suggesting that there is a hidden number.

In other words, that the FAA has a hidden database. I think what he's saying is, just like when you may have a close call driving down the highway, you don't call the state patrol and self-report. that a lot of times this stuff just, you know, nobody, no harm, no foul, they move on. They don't necessarily report it to air traffic control or to anybody else. But the point being, there are a lot of close calls. I still don't know that people who fly a lot love to hear that, right, Tom? What's the cause of this? Do we know what's the root issue?

I think it's very concerning. I think it has to do, if you talk to the experts, it has to do with congestion, just a tremendous amount of aircraft in the skies right now, antiquated air traffic control technology and capability and few to few controllers. There's an awful lot of focus right now on this ADSB. Now, you probably read about it, heard about it, what is that? It's essentially GPS tracking in cockpits so that pilots can see other pilots, other planes. It's called ADSB in, in other words, receiving the data. Most planes, most commercial planes, and even general aviation, they don't have it. And the airlines and the NTSS

and the pilots want Congress to mandate it. The Senate is in for that. It says, yeah, we agree. We should mandate it. But the House doesn't want to overburden the airlines with regulation. Can't the a airlines just do it voluntarily, put them in the planes? They could. It costs an awful lot of money.

And there's a whole long, you know, long list of certifications you got to go through. I see. I see. OK. Tom Costello, super interesting. Thank you for keeping his posted on those new developments today. Appreciate that. You bet.

A wild scene now outside of Pittsburgh with surveillance video showing mass robbers holding up an employee and customer at gunpoint at a dispensary when a pizza delivery driver walks right in. Seems like he doesn't know what was going on. Frederick Price from our Pittsburgh affiliate, WPXI, has this one. Dramatic video of a brazen robbery in the middle of the day. Just have a look. You see two of the three maskemen walk up, pointing their guns at an employee and a customer in the back, ordering both to the ground. Nicodemus Sabo is that dispensary employee. I mean, another customer, were laid down and faced down on the ground for about 20 minutes while they ransacked the place and took all of our product. Sabo tells me the men tied him and the

customer up and locked them in a back room. The entire ordeal lasting nearly 30 minutes, he says. Even more shocking, a pizza delivery driver walks in the middle of the act, seemingly completely oblivious to what's happening. You hear one of the men on video asking Sabo if he's paid for the pizza. She asked the guy behind the counter holding a firearm. She was like, is it normal to wear masks in 80 degree weather? And he laughed and was like, it's 2026. You're coasting. Eventually the men leave and about three minutes later, table tells me his brother comes back,

unties them and calls the police. Since Thursday's incident, the dispensary has enhanced security. Upon entrance, you need an ID to even get through that front door. We have an entry room with a buzzer. You'll look into a camera. Grateful no one was hurt, he still can't help but think just how badly things could have ended. Whether it was air around the trigger or the fact that it was just able to stay in a calm enough environment that no one was injured. That's the only thing we can do is just thank God that, you know, we're here to live and breathe another day.

Frederick Price, Channel 11th News. Frederick, thanks. Still to come tonight, the latest from the Middle East and the new round of fighting testing that fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Plus, an apocalyptic-esque scene overseas. Look at this. The sky is turning blood red. We'll tell you why. Next. We are back now with more coverage of the fighting in the Middle East.

And today, two people in southern Lebanon killed by Israeli gunfire, according to the Lebanese civil defense ministry. Iran-backed Hezbollah now accusing Israel of violating a fragile ceasefire that has held so far since Sunday. That ongoing war has been a sticking point in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. But today, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, insisting peace talks between Israel and Lebanon are, in his words, a separate process. Here's more of what he said. There's an Iranian issue with regards to Lebanon, and that is their support and sponsorship of Hezbollah. And so that factor will be discussed as part of our conversations with the Iranians.

But as far as the future of Lebanon, the future of Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese people through their sovereign elected government. fighting flares up once again. Our Matt Bradley has an inside look at the technology the Israeli military is using to defend against Hezbollah's drones. Tiny drones like this one are causing some very big problems for American diplomacy. Israel's military says Hezbollah has been using these cheap, store-bought contraptions to penetrate Israeli air defenses in Lebanon, where Israel's continuing war with the Iran-backed group has repeatedly threatened President Trump's ceasefire with Iran and raise the president's ire. I'm not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah.

It throws a negative light on the big deal, and that's the deal with Iran. Israel's war in Lebanon has killed nearly 4,200 people there since early March. When Hezbollah started attacking Israel, it said in solidarity with its patron Iran. Now Iran appears to be rewarding Hezbollah's loyalty. demanding that unless Israel leaves Lebanon, Iran will leave negotiations with the U.S. Rima Fahri has been a member of Hezbollah's political council for more than 20 years. Iran is an ally for us. They were friends. That's why they are helping us. And this is, in Lebanon, we are the one that take our decisions, not Iran.

Israel has said it's not a party to the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran. Lebanon. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel's soldiers will remain in Lebanon with full freedom of movement to fight, despite three ceasefires declared by both sides over the past few months. At the IDF's experimentation and testing centers, the research follows the reality on the battlefield. They're trying new methods like scattershot bullets to cut drones down and stronger defenses. This is the IDF's low-tech solution to their low-tech drone problem. A net. It's cumbersome. But many IDF vehicles in Lebanon are now covered with this heavy netting.

Colonel V commands this experimentation center. IDF policy states that he covers his face. Why is it so hard to get a high-tech solution to such a low-tech problem? I think, you know, historically, once the challenge is low-tech, the solution usually is low-tech as well. Hezbollahs-sysse, they've observed the ceasefires and are only firing back at Israeli-violet. But with this simple weapon and a powerful patron, they say they're ready to keep fighting. They are continuing with war. We believe that only the Americans will oblige Israelis to withdraw from Lebanon. Otherwise, we will continue our resistant movement.

Matt Bradley, NBC News, Tel Aviv. Thanks to Matt for that reporting. The top story is Global Watch now. starting in Kenya, where construction on a U.S.-backed Ebola Center has officially been suspended. You probably remember the controversy over this. The country's health minister ordered this pause today, this suspension. The site was supposed to be a quarantine facility for Americans who were exposed to Ebola while abroad. This is the same center that sparked those huge protests we've told you about, which left three people dead. And in the UK, Stubhub is facing a big fine for allegedly hiding fees from fans.

Regulators there say the ticket resale platform broke the law. law by forcing people to pay these delivery and service fees that were not included in their initial ticket prices. So now the company has to pay something like $1.2 million and refunds something like 50,000 customers. In a statement to NBC News, Stubhubhub, UK, says it is cooperating with the investigation. And in Russia, a scene that looks straight out of the apocalypse, or at least a movie about the apocalypse, with the clouds turning bright, bright red. This is a look at the skies over the resort city of Mias in the west central part. of the country. Officials there say this happened over the weekend as the region was under a

severe storm warning. When we come back, the soccer superstar in rare form, Cristiano Ronaldo snapping out of his scoreless streak and making World Cup history. We'll take you to the stadium in Houston where thousands of Portuguese fans have flooded the streets. That's next. We are back tonight with history made yet again at the World Cup, this time with soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his way into the record books. Two goals today. He now becomes the first player to score in six different World Cups. It's very exciting, as Nick Mantis from our NBC affiliate, KPRC, knows. He is outside the stadium in Houston where that Portugal game just wrapped.

Big deal, five nothing against Uzbekistan. But everybody was why, I feel like this was the big storyline today. What's Ronaldo going to do? Is he going to be able to snap his scoreless streak? And he did, right? And a big way, too. I mean, we were all thinking that there was a possibility that he was going to try do maybe some Lionel Messi type stuff.

and maybe go for a hatcherick today after having a frustrating first game against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Right over here at Houston Stadium, not only did he make a statement in the first couple of minutes of the game, but he did so in a big way, breaking that scoreless streak like you mentioned, and then getting another goal with two goals today. And then as he's walking off the match, he kind of looked at one of the cameras that made sure they knew that he's back. And he's doing so in a big way, scoring in six World Cups now, breaking a record, being coming to the first person ever to score in six World Cups. And Haley, when you think about what this means, not just for him, but for Portugal. This was a big moment for his career and really kind of put a little bit more confidence into Portugal fans and Christiana Ronaldo fans as well, getting to see what he was able to do today.

I can only imagine that people have gone bananas there. I realize the parking lot has largely emptied out. Not your fault. You're there after the game, but like, was it just totally packed? Because the crowds, that's been one thing. You know, people will say, I say this. I'm not necessarily, haven't always been like a soccer fan, but I'm a fan. fan of soccer fans. It's been fun to watch.

Absolutely. I mean, the energy that they've been bringing to the United States, a lot of us have been really basking in that and really enjoying that. A lot of people who have friends back home in the Boston area have told me that they cannot believe what Scotland has done for them out there here. The Portugal fans have decided that they were going to make this their hub, even though this is not exactly where they're training, they're training mostly out in the Miami area. But right here for these two games that have been playing these last two weeks, We had a Portugal fan walk this morning where there had to be at least 2,000 fans who were out there at 9 o'clock in the morning, ready to walk through this about 94% Houston humidity. That by itself is brave in order to make sure that they were beating drums and singing songs and getting everybody fired up for this game three hours ahead of the game before it even started at noon our time here at Houston.

And it was really, really exciting to see how this place was packed. Sure, there's about maybe two to 300, used Bekistan fans, but 68,000 packed Houston Stadium right here behind me, Haley. When you think about all of those fans, a majority, I would say maybe 90% of them are have Christiano red jerseys on and they could not be more thankful. When we talked to a couple of them as they're coming out of Houston Stadium, they could not be more thankful to have experience what they experienced today, seeing Christiana Ronaldo score two goals, making sure that he was able to break history

and to bask in it and to really enjoy it. Now as they're spilling out behind us and kind of walking through here and making their way to the parking lots of two fan fest around this area as well. You can sense that this area downtown, east of downtown Houston, where all the kind of the fan fest and the party area is going to be, it's going to be bumping the next couple of hours. Not just with this game, but England comes and plays after that. And there's a whole bunch of fun that going down here in Houston.

So it's a lot. It's a lot going down in this area. Do not let me keep you from the party. Off to the fan fest you go. Nick Montes, thank you very much for being with us. I appreciate it. Thank you for the live reporting there. I'm jealous.

I wish we could trade. Thanks. And you heard Nick mentioned Scotland, right? After kind of drinking Boston Dry, the Tartan Army, as they call the Scottish fans, are now soaking up the sun in Miami, bringing their joyful celebrations to the 305 and even raising money for some good causes while they're at it.

That's the sound of World Cup fever for fans of Scotland. The bagpipes The cheers The glee And now it's Miami's turn to welcome the Tartan Army Scotland's famous soccer fan base Known for rallying behind their team

And winning over just about everyone they meet In Miami where the team's playing next Tartan's taking over already from a Marlins baseball game, thousands packing the stands, to the streets of Little Havana, the fun so contagious, that after the Tartan Army's whirlwind visit to Boston,

the New England Patriots are now looking into playing a game in Scotland, and Sam Adams' parent company, reporting it had to schedule an emergency delivery after the Scottish fans drained their Boston tap room. But maybe the most memorable stop came away from the crowds. At a Providence Children's Hospital, where they joined in a nightly tradition, shining lights from outside to say good night, raising thousands of dollars for the patients there. You've came to Providence.

They've put up a lot with us for the past week, and it's coming back to the community. Proof that sometimes the best part of the competition is not always the trophy, although these fans would happily take that too. Like I said, you got to be a fan of soccer fans. It's been so fun to watch. And fun to have you join us here on Top Story. For Tom, I'm Hallie Jackson in Washington. Stay right there.

We've got more news now on the way.