Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Episode Date: June 25, 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 ceasefire between Israel and Iran holding and our new reporting just in, just how successful was the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear sites. A leaked damage assessment finding the U.S. bombing was not as effective as President Trump previously claimed. The White House furious blasting the report as flat out wrong. Trump earlier accusing Israel and Iran of violating the troops and the missiles falling over Israel just before that ceasefire went into effect. Also, tonight, the dangerous heat wave turning deadly, more than 150 million Americans sweltering under triple-digit attempts, firefighters hospitalized due to heat exhaustion, power outages knocking out, air conditioning, when things will cool off. Who will be New York City's next mayor, the heated battle on the Democratic side, now a neck-and-neck race between former Governor Andrew Cuomo, an emerging progressive Zorhan Mamdani.

Today's primary, a major test for the Democratic Party. Alligator Alcatraz, the new detention center, set to house 5,000 migrants in Florida's Everglades. Immigration advocates blasting the proposed project. The Cobra Kayactor accused of biting his female co-star, new body cam footage showing the moment police arrived on the scene. Terrifying video capturing a truck delivering truck driver dangling off the edge of a collapsed bridge, what caused the overpass to give way? And foul language, the bird up for adoption and going viral for its R-rated. vocabulary, you'll hear from the potty mouth parent himself. Plus, take emergency. Why this year

could be particularly bad for bites and how you can stay safe. Top story. Starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with President Trump on the world stage as new questions emerge about the impact of those U.S. airstrikes on Iran. At this hour, we're learning the historic attack this weekend may not have been as destructive as the president led us to believe. Trump said his bombing completely obliterated three key Iranian nuclear facilities. But NBC News has now learned a preliminary intelligence assessment found the attack only set the country's nuclear program back three to six months, the White House slamming that initial damage assessment. This, as new polling from CNN, finds a majority of American adults

disapprove of those strikes. Tonight, Trump sees fire between Israel and Iran, is holding despite last-minute attacks by both sides before the ceasefire, threatening to derail that ceasefire, Israel hitting this missile launcher in Iran. And this video capturing Iran's deadly response bombing an apartment building in Bersheva, leaving at least four people dead. As the conflict threatened to escalate further, the president this morning, lashing out at both countries from the White House. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't. know what the f*** they're doing. President Trump getting Israel to call off a counterattack and preserving the peace before touching down in the Netherlands for a summit with NATO leaders.

The alliance rolling out at the red carpet, you see it right there for the president as he faces one of the biggest diplomatic tests of his presidency. Richard Engel is standing by in Tel Aviv for us to walk us through how the ceasefire nearly came apart. But we want to begin tonight with Kelly O'Donnell traveling with the president in the Netherlands. Tonight, President Trump in the Netherlands for the NATO summit, wielding a diplomatic win on the world stage, with the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran still holding. The ceasefire is very much in effect, and I think we're going to keep it there for a long time.

The president projected more confidence that the U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, which included B-2 bombers, 14 bunker buster bombs, delivered a fateful blow. Photos before and after appear to show significant destruction at the sites. However, in a new development tonight, a preliminary assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency estimates that the Iranian nuclear program has been delayed by three to six months, according to three people with knowledge of the report. The White House disputes that initial assessment, calling it flat out wrong. Iran will never rebuild its nuclear. From there, absolutely not. That place is under rock. That place is demolished. The beat two pilots did their job. And this tonight from the director of the UN's nuclear watchdog.

What we see is a very important degree of damage. The Iranian nuclear program has been set back significantly. Still, his all-capped style of diplomacy understressed tonight. The red carpet European welcome quite a contrast to the blunt and profane way he left Washington today. Furious over additional strikes by both Israel and Iran after he outlined his ceasefire plan. We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f*** they're doing. In flight on Air Force One, he recounted a tense call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

There was going to be a retaliation this morning. It was going to go back. They did. It did. Behind the scenes, a senior White House official says the president, over the past 48 hours, had cold Netanyahu with a clear demand, no more war. Then a trio of top officials, Vance, Rubio, and Whitkoff were directed to reach out to Iran to deliver the message that a ceasefire was expected. And here at the NATO summit, the president shifts to a broader agenda of diplomacy.

Kelly O'Donnell joins us live tonight from the Netherlands where she's traveling with the president tonight. Kelly, let's go back to that preliminary damage assessment from the U.S. strike this week. you're getting more reaction from the White House? Well, certainly, Tom, the White House is deeply invested in the success of this mission. The president used a lot of his capital to carry that out. And what they are saying is that the Pentagon is still analyzing the consequence of the strikes.

Also important to note that there are lawmakers who have been eager for any kind of classified briefing about what happened and what the future path may be. And we're told tonight that some lawmakers have been given some access to initial reports, and they were able to view that in a classified setting. Tom? All right, Kelly O'Donnell for us. Kelly, we thank you. All of this, as there were tense moments on the ground before President Trump's fragile ceasefire plan took effect.

NBC's Richard Engel is on the ground in Tel Aviv, where residents are quickly returning to everyday life. Around 5.20 a.m. in Israel this morning, it did not look like peace had a chance. President Trump announced his ceasefire just a few hours ago, but these sirens mean that Iranian missiles are inbound. By 540, one of those Iranian missiles slammed into an apartment building in Bersheva in southern Israel. It was one of the deadliest attacks of the war against civilians. And this is where the missile exploded, destroying this entire floor of an apartment building,

killing at least four people, and maybe killing the sea. ceasefire before it even takes hold. As recovery efforts were underway, Iran fired more missiles. This time after the ceasefire was in effect. Israel quickly vowed revenge for both attacks, scrambling its jets, until President Trump publicly rebuked both sides. I'm not happy with Iran either, but I'm really unhappy if Israel's going out this morning because of one rocket that didn't land that was shot, perhaps by mistake that didn't land.

Israeli jets dropped a bomb on a radar station outside Tehran and turned back. Just a few hours later, President Trump's ceasefire began to hold. The streets of Tel Aviv sprung back to life. A partial state of emergency banning school, work and gatherings was lifted. And in Tehran, while Iran's military and nuclear program have been severely damaged, people poured into the streets for celebrations, cheering that Iran stood up to the U.S. and Israel remain standing. All right, Richard, let's pick up right where you left off there.

This may be a positive sign, right, for the ceasefire. You have Iran, Israel, and the U.S., all declaring victory. And that's what you want for a ceasefire to hold, at least in the short term. Prime Minister Netanyahu got what he has long wanted the United States to join him in an attack on Iran's nuclear program. President Trump didn't get sucked into an open-ended war in the Middle East, and Iran. is still standing, but much weaker. Tom. Okay, Richard Engel and his team from Tel Aviv tonight. Richard, we thank you.

I do want to bring in Jason Rezion. He's the director of press freedom initiatives for the Washington Post. He previously served as the Post's correspondent in Tehran. It was unjustly imprisoned by Iranian authorities for 544 days and released in January of 2016. He's also a good friend to Top Story.

Jason, it's been a while, but it is good to see you tonight. Talk to me about this ceasefire first. Do you think it holds from what you've seen so far? Well, look, I think, Tom, it'll hold for the time being. I have a hard time imagining that Benjamin Netanyahu will be comfortable with his longtime enemy standing, right? He made it very clear just last week that the Supreme Leader, Ali Khomeini, can exist. I don't know how you square those two things together, and I assume that there will be a longer-term confrontation

that we'll be dealing with as we have for decades. But in the short term, I think this is a good sign and an opportunity for diplomacy to kind of do some of its magic if all sides are willing to partake in that. So the initial damage report, if you will, that has been leaked and first reported by CNN, the New York Times

and now NBC News, that the nuclear program was not completely obliterated, rather it was set back three to six months. Still a massive strike. Where does Iran go from here, think with that information? If it's true. Well, I think that the, yeah, well, first of all, when President Trump announced on Saturday night that he had, you know, made this order and that it was so successful in Iran's nuclear program was never coming back, we all had to take that

with some skepticism because it's far too early to make those kinds of assessments. Now that we know that they've been set back several months, I think the question is, what other capabilities does Iran have to defend itself, doesn't have the same missile capabilities that it started this war with. Its air defenses have been destroyed over the last year or so. So I don't think that they necessarily want to risk running towards producing a bomb, although that's certainly a concern and something that people are looking at very closely. This program has existed above ground and underground for years and years. But I think all eyes will be on Iran

over the next six to eight months to see what they do. And I just don't see them wanting to risk another round of conflict in this way. So you have reporting that the Ayatollah was hiding out in a bunker. He had sort of had his succession set up already with three people in line in case everybody was killed.

And then you had both Netanyahu and Trump calling on the people of Iran, essentially, to rise up, to ask for a new government, to demand a new government. What do you think happens with the people of Iran? Does anything change? Well, I appreciate you asking that, Tom, because I think that's the part of the conversation that we don't hear enough about. The vast majority of Iranian people do not like their leadership, do not want to live in a

theocratic authoritarian state, and would like to see some major changes. Many aspire to a secular democracy. That's not the sort of thing that you can. bomb into existence. At the same time, these bombs, the conflict, the lingering anxiety makes it really hard for people to spill out into the street when they're just trying to stay alive. So I think that the U.S. in particular has to look at this long-term and do the kind of civil society, democracy support that we've done in so many places, not in recent years, but throughout our history. Iran is ripe for that. People are.

or desirous of a freer liberal society, and we should help them get there. All right. Jason, we thank you so much for coming on Top Story. I'm sure we'll have you booked again here very soon. We do want to bring it back here at home now to the U.S. sweltering under a record-smashing heat dome. More than 150 million people remain under excessive heat alerts with officials in Missouri confirming one heat-related death after another. High temperature is also triggering power outages out east. Sam Brock tonight with the latest. hammering people in some of the nation's largest cities from New York. We left Florida. We came north to get away from the heat.

And it's worse here. And it's worse here. To the nation's capital, where the Washington monument remains closed for a second straight day. It's the feeling of like walking into an oven. It is really hot. The summer's first blistering stretch, also prompting a very high heat risk at the Grand Canyon and turning deadly. Officials in St. Ann, Missouri, confirming a woman dying in her house due to the dangerous heat after having. no water or air conditioning for at least three days. While in Massachusetts, two firefighters hospitalized after suffering heat exhaustion battling flames. As many parts of the East Coast have had to cope with power outages. At its peak, tens of thousands in the region losing

access to AC. A second ago, you pulled up your phone. What did it show? 100 degrees. So we have hit triple digits here. Yes. Yes. And you guys have what right now, or what don't you have at this hour? No electricity. Donna Masucci and her Rizel Park, New Jersey neighbor Jay Boff are relying on a generator with no power since midnight. At the same time, they can handle the electricity limbo. The more elderly, older people that have medical conditions, the ones that need to run equipment for their health. That would be top of mind in a situation. Concern elevated in public spaces, too.

At least five people needed treatment from heat-related injuries after a K-pop concert in D.C. and a Northeast Transportation Bedrock, Amtrak, announcing temperature-related speed restrictions from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Some speed bumps, as some relief could be in store later in the week, though it's little comfort to those suffering through the suffocating heat now. Sam Brock joins us tonight. Sam, I know you have some new reporting tonight about New York's power grid. Yeah, Tom, that's right. New York ISO, which is the quasi-state agency that oversees the grid raised its alert level to an orange. What does that mean for those watching at home? It means they're not comfortable with the margins. They're asking consumers to be more judicious when it comes to energy usage.

Now, Tom, it's not a red alert, which means that some customers would temporarily be taken off of the grid. It's the stage before that. But obviously, we've hit the peak already today. Things are expected to improve tomorrow. But it really does provide a framework for the fact that these were records that we saw today. Belvedere Castle, which is in Central Park, is the official weather station for New York City. Clock the 99. The last time that happened was 2012.

and it is a record breaker for this day, June 24th. All right, Sam Brock, a lot of details there. We appreciate it. Let's get right to NBC News meteorologist, Bill, Karen's Bill. It's a scorcher out there, right? What areas are breaking records? And when could things finally cool off? Sam alluded to it a little bit there.

Yeah, we still worry about, even at night, I mean, the temperatures are so baked in right now that we're not going to get a lot of relief in the overnight hours. And that's why we still have this extreme heat warnings that are still up through many of the regions. So as far as our record heat, all the red dots on your show you, where we had records broken, from Georgia all the way to Maine to northern portions of Vermont, 70 plus, and they're still coming in. And some of the more impressive records, Boston,

hitting about 101 to 102 degrees. That hasn't happened in about 13 years. Hottest temperature ever in June. And Boston records go back to like the late 1800s. So the period of record is really long. So as far as the extreme heat warnings go from Maine all the way down to North Carolina, we're going to get relief tonight and tomorrow in areas of the Ohio Valley, but not in the Mid-Atlantic region. We're still going to have record-breaking heat tomorrow. Philadelphia is going to be near 100 once again, same with D.C. to Richmond. Hartford will be a little bit cooler. Boston, you'll be cooler, too. The big relief sets in by the time we get the Thursday, Tom, that's when we'll be seeing temperatures in the 70s in northern and central

New England and only, only I say, low 90s in the mid-Atlantic. Yeah, we know it's the start of hurricane season and we already have our first-name storm out in the Atlantic. Yeah, Andrea popped up. It was a really small, brief system out in the middle of the Atlantic, but it counted because It had winds that were over 30, you know, nine miles per hour, and we did see it spinning out here, but all the thunderstorms are gone. It's just a reminder that hurricane season is here, and as we start heading towards July and August, the busier months, we'll get more storms. But Barry will be the next name storm.

We were done with our A-name storm. Andrea, falling apart tonight. Glad it's Barry and not Bill. Okay, Bill, well, thank you for that one. We'll check back with you a little later. In Washington today, the head of the NTSB saying failures on the part of Boeing and the FAA led to that door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight last year, adding it was a miracle. No one died. But now there are questions over whether enough is being done to make sure this never happens again. Here's

NBC's Tom Costello with more. It was a terrifying emergency, a hole in the side of an Alaska Airline 737 after a door plug blew out midair. One passenger feared her baby would be pulled from her arms. Frankly, it's nothing short of a miracle that no one died or sustained serious physical injuries. At an NTSB hearing today, investigators detailed a systematic breakdown in Boeing's quality control, noting Boeing still has no record of when the plane's door plug covering an unused emergency exit was removed on the assembly line to fix bad rivets. NTSB video released today shows how the plug should have been reinstalled. But the one employee who knew how to do it was on vacation at the time. The plug was reinstalled without the bolts to hold

in place. Alaska's CEO showed us firsthand. It makes me angry, Tom. Boeing is better than this. Boeing has since designed a new system to prevent the door plug from moving, but the NTSB also found that FAA inspectors on site had failed to properly audit Boeing. Your experts testified that the FAA really wasn't conducting the oversight that they were supposed to be conducting. They were not. Is that shocking? Yes, because the regulator is the last line of defense, when it comes to safety. So the Department of Transportation and the FAA say that they have now fundamentally changed how they oversee Boeing.

More staff on hand at Boeing plants, more audits. For its part, Boeing says it continues to regret this accident and it is strengthening quality and safety and the entire assembly line process. But the NTSB is warning, listen, a mindset change in the executive suite. It doesn't always filter down right there to the assembly line. Tom? Tom Costello for us. Tom, we thank you. When Top Story returns tonight, an update on the Texas teen accused of fatally stabbing another teen at a tract mean, now formerly indicted for murder.

And its primary day here in New York City with the mayoral election in the country's largest city could mean on the national stage. Plus, on a wing and a swear, the potty-mouth parrot that went viral for dropping F-bombs and the lengths one animal shelter went to find him a new home. Wait till you meet this parrot. We are back now with power and politics as voters in the country's largest city lineup at the polls today to take part in New York City's mayoral primary election, a race that could have national implications as Democrats try to take on President Trump. Here's a look at the Democratic candidates running in this race, political veteran and former governor of New York, of course, Andrew Cuomo, leading the PAC, but two other progressive underdogs,

Zorham Amdani and Brad Lander, gaining some serious momentum in these final weeks. Notably not on this list, current mayor, Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent after federal corruption charges were dropped. For more on this contentious race, I'm joined now by NBC's Vaughan Hilliard,

a good friend of ours, who has been out there at the polls all day and Jeff Colton from Politico's New York City playbook, who's been following this race closely four months. Thank you both for being here. So, Vaugh, I want to start with you. You were out talking to voters today.

You even talk to Andrew Cuomo. What did you hear? This is in a lot of ways a race that is more than about New York City, but it's very reflective at the Democratic Party. And I asked Andrew Cuomo very specifically, right? Three-term governor. His dad served three terms as governor. Everybody knows the Cuomo's in New York. And they said, why do you want to return to power? You're 67 years old. The other guy is half your age, and Zoran Amdani. And he said that we need experience to leave a city like this. He says, Donald Trump is going to target like he did LA, New York next, and you need somebody who has shown. can stand up to Donald Trump and is ready to do that again.

And I want to perhaps listen to a little bit of that sound here because I think there's quite a contrast between the two candidates in terms of what they're offering. Take a listen. I trust his experience level. He's never had a real job. He's been a two-term assemblyman who only passed three bills. He's never really been. interested in government at all, right? He's interested in public relations.

If you win, what does this say about the city, but also the country? That we're ready for a new generation of leadership, that we're ready for a city we can afford, and that we're ready to actually vote for something, because that's what I've heard, a hunger, to actually have a vision for what these five boroughs could be, not just a fear of what it is today. Look, Mum Donnie is endorsed by AOC and Bernie Sanders on the other side. You have Cuomo endorsed by Bill Clinton and Michael Bloomberg. I talked to you. to one voter and I said, who did you select as your first choice? And she said, Cuomo. And I said, so you trust him? And she goes, no. She goes, but he's done this before.

But before you go, we saw you there in the interviews. Everyone's sweating. It was hot today. Do you think that had any impact on turnout? 100 degrees. I saw one man actually difficult, but he went down on his knees because of the heat there. But I was talking to some poll workers that said they had several older folks that came out there and they were determined to vote here. So we saw a steady stream. Yeah. I'm going to ask our great director, Brett Holi, to put up that full screen of all the candidates running. And Jeff, I want to show this to our viewers because there's a lot of people running. It can fracture the vote. There was a guy named Bill de Blasio that sort of emerged out of

nowhere. I remember in a race just like this, a primary race. Andrew Cuomo doesn't have this locked up, right? He does not. He, for the past five months, he led every single poll. He was the heavy favorite. He had 99% name recognition, whereas Zeran Mamdani, he had something like one out of every three voters knew who he was. But he just kept on climbing, climbing, climbing. Now, Everybody knows him, and this is basically a toss-up. I mean, we do not know what's going to happen tonight. Jeff, you get to play civics professor tonight. Okay, so explain the rank-voting, that ranked choice voting that happens here in New York City.

That's right. So Democratic voters can pick up to five candidates, rank them one, two, three, four, five. Tonight, we're going to know everybody's first choice. But next week, we're going to find out who was ranked two, three, four, five. They're going to redistribute the votes. They get rid of the candidates that don't have many votes. and the lower rankings get redistributed up to the leading candidates. It's a way to basically, instead of just having you vote with, you know,

it's a way to let you vote with your heart kind of, you know, vote for who you actually want. People say it's a better style, and it would definitely affect the race tonight. This is a great graphic. Let's leave it up here so viewers can understand this. And Jeff, I want to ask you, who does this help then in this race, do you think? In this case, it helps Zoran Mamdani. He has done a real ranked strategy. Him and Brad Lander, the number three candidate in the polls, have been campaigning together constantly.

Folks like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they've been saying rank these candidates do not rank Cuomo. And Andrew Cuomo, he's basically just been running a solo campaign. Only himself today he voted. We asked him, who did you rank? He said, only me, one person. If you're a Republican strategist and you're watching this and you're working with Donald Trump, you might be a little happy. And let me explain why. If Andrew Cuomo wins, right?

Right. Vaughn, you're going to have a candidate who wins that goes in the face of the Me Too movement, that goes into the face of those prosecutions of Donald Trump in the civil lawsuits. What does that say about Democrats and the Democratic Party? Do they really care about those things? And also kind of like in 2020, right? People ended up going for Joe Biden. Right. And the more centrist candidate, older generation. And in this case, you could very well have that happen again. And Alexandria Ocasco Cortez, Bernie Sanders, they're making the case that thousands, tens of thousands of people are coming out for their rallies across the country to take on Donald Trump. But ultimately, when it comes down to the ballot box, are they for that type of Democratic Party, the Democratic Socialist, sort of new generation? Or are they continuing?

Is the Democratic Party, that electorate, still behind your more centrist, older generation? Jeff, we've got 30 seconds if Mamdani wins. What message is that sent? Well, yeah, Mom Donny is 33 years old. I mean, he, as AOC said at one of those rallies, this is the gerontocracy of the Democratic Party against new energy, that sort of thing. So this is a rejection of the establishment, which we've seen in many elections across the country, across the world, and it's an embrace of a younger, untested democratic socialist, leftist candidate. We really ran at time, but I have one more question. If Adams does run against whoever wins here, is the winner of the Democratic primary, you think the next mayor of New York City, or does Adams have a chance?

There's still a shot. We are going to have a competitive November. I think. All right. Jeff, Fawn, so great to have you guys both here. Appreciate it. When Top Story returns Alligator Alcatraz, inside the new migrant detention center, being built deep in the wilds of the Everglades, Florida's Attorney General saying gators and pythons will greet anyone who escapes. And in tonight's health check, a warning for anyone heading outdoors, the danger from ticks is growing this summer, and some are carrying more than just Lyme disease, the new risks and how to protect yourself. But first,

Here's top stories, top moment, a heartwarming scene with one great grandmother was inspired to jump on a trampoline for the first time with her two-year-old great-grandson, and the video is priceless. Take a look. Our feet would sway to a voice in breeze. That's so great. That great grandmother. That great grandfather might be more brave. It looks like he's got him in a good neck hold there. But what an incredible moment there. That was 84-year-old Claire Quimby, who says she decided to take the leap after making the decision to say yes to more new experiences. We love that philosophy. Stay with us. We're back in a moment. Okay, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we start with an update on that accident. In Lake Tahoe involving the boat, police identifying all eight victims who were on board when the boat flipped in stormy weather. DoorDash Executive Joshua Pickles, his parents and uncle were among the people who died, according to a family spokesperson. The group was out on the boat as part of a birthday celebration. And another update, a teen accused of fatally stabbing his peer at a track meet in Texas has been indicted for murder by a grand jury.

18-year-old Carmelo Anthony claims he was defending himself when he stabbed Austin Metcalfe. April. Anthony was released from jail on house arrest. If convicted, he could face life in prison. The former Minnesota House Speaker and her husband who were gunned down earlier this month will lie in state on Friday at the state Capitol Rotunda. Melissa Hortman will be the first woman afforded that honor ahead of her funeral on Saturday. Hortman and her husband, Marip, were fatally shot near Minneapolis home and what authorities say was a politically motivated killing. The accused gunman will make his next court appearance on Friday on charges of murder. Officials at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina reporting a likely shark bite for the second time in less than a week.

Take a look at this. Two sharks jumping out of the water near the island's busy beaches and fins picking out between the waves. The second possible incident happened Sunday on a public beach. The victim, a teenager, was taken to the hospital. Officials saying their leg injury looks like a shark bite. Big jumps there. Okay, a patch of land in South Florida work is being done on a new facility being called Alligator Alcatraz. purpose, a detention center for migrants who enter the country illegally.

Florida's Attorney General says the swampy location will stop people from trying to escape, but immigrant advocates worry conditions will be inhumane. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, construction is underway, deep in the Florida Everglades on a massive migrant detention camp that state officials are calling alligator alcatraz. Starting next month, 5,000 migrants will be housed in trailers and heavy-duty tents at this remote abandoned an airfield. As I call it, alligator alcatraz. In a promotional video set to music, Florida's Attorney General lays out what he considers

a deterrent for any potential escapees. People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. But some local officials warned the environmental impact could be devastating. We have environmental and fiscal stewardship and safety concerns. The Trump administration has said it wants to get up to 100,000 beds at detention centers across the country to facilitate mass deportations. A lot of bad people were led into our country. We're getting them out.

We're getting them out fast. The Department of Homeland Security says the new facility will cost about $450 million a year and will be reimbursed in large part by a FEMA program previously used to shelter migrants in places like this hotel in New York City. Do you think that this is a good idea for your home state? Well, I 100 percent support the president's deportation efforts. It's the president's priority to get those individuals out of our country. But immigrant advocates argue the money has not been set aside by Congress and...

The biggest concern is the grave inhumanity that seems to be at stake in terms of sending people to incredibly inhumane, brutal conditions. Okay, Gabe Gutierrez joins Top Story tonight. So Gabe, the state AG says this facility could be open as early as next month. The first question, is that realistic? and the second is DHS sort of needs this facility open, right? Because many of these detention centers had been getting full to capacity? Yeah, that's right, Tom. According to the DHS, yes, the plan is for this to be operational within several days.

You know, July is just a week away. And at first, the facilities will have 500 to 1,000 beds at that location. Now, the plan is then to expand capacity in 500 bed increments. Some 5,000 beds will be online soon. Now, DHS says soft-sided temporary facilities will initially be constructed, and then it's possible hardened buildings could be built at a later date. And an administration official tells us that right now across the country, ICE has nearly 60,000 detainees in custody. It's only budgeted for about 41,500, top. All right, Gabe Gutierrez first, Gabe, we thank you.

That is some exclusive NBC news reporting concerning the FBI. The agency is reassigning some agents, pulling them off. immigration cases and focusing them on issues of national security in case of a potential threat from Iran. This is according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter. But here's the situation. Some of them were already reassigned before that. For more on what all this means, I'm joined now by NBC News, Justice Corresponding, Ken Delaney. Ken, explain to us the back and forth here and why this is sort of a problem for the FBI. So Tom, under the Trump administration, there's been a massive redeployment of FBI resources

towards immigration cases, which is not typically an FBI priority. But FBI agents have been tasked with accompanying ICE agents on raids, trying to track down undocumented immigrants, and many of them have been complaining, including to me, that they feel like this was taking their eye off the ball of some very important threats. After all, after 9-11, the FBI's top priority has been to stop terrorist attacks in the United States. Well, over the weekend, a memo went out from the director of counterterrorism at the FBI to field offices saying,

we're going to pull some of these people back and put them on Iran-related counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, and cyber threats because the belief is that in the wake of this U.S. attack on Iran, the country is at greater risk from Iranian proxies, Iranian-sponsored terror threats. What some of my FBI sources would say is the country was already at risk

from ISIS-related terror threats and domestic terrorism, and only now is the Trump administration sort of reorienting these resources better late than never, they would say. The Trump administration, The FBI said in the statement to us that the FBI is continually reassessing the threat picture and realigning resources as needed, Tom. All right, Ken, and I do want to also ask you here, since we have you on the show, the other headline regarding the Trump administration's mass deportations of Venezuelans to El Salvador in March.

A whistleblower says a top DOJ official suggested ignoring court orders on deportations, alleging that email Beau of that Trump's former personal lawyers said the DOJ would need to consider telling the courts to FU. So, Ken, talk to us about these claims and what we know about the players involved here. Yes, so the whistleblower is Erez-Ruvini. He was a longtime DOJ prosecutor who was fired after he told the judge that, remember Armand Abrago Garcia, the man who was taken to that prison in El Salvador, now brought back in charge. This prosecutor told the judge that this man was improperly deported, which was factual, but got him crosswise with the Trump administration. So he was fired.

Now he's written a whistleblower complaint to the Inspector General. lawmakers alleging that behind closed doors, the number three official of the Justice Department, Amy L. Bovi, mused about potentially violating court orders in the context of taking these immigrants to El Salvador. Because remember, judges were trying to stop that. And one federal judge has already said that there's probable cause to believe the Trump administration violated his orders. Now, the Trump administration, the Justice Department, in fact, is disputing this. Todd Blanche, the Deputy Attorney General, says he was in those meetings, and no one suggested violating court orders. Tomorrow, there's a hearing because Emo Boewe has been nominated to be

an appeals court judge, so he will be under oath and he will be asked about this matter, Tom. Could be quite the moment. All right, Ken Delanyan first. Ken, we love having you on the show. Next tonight to Top Stories Health Check and a major warning tonight when it comes to ticks this summer. Researchers at Fordham University setting the tick risk at 10 out of 10 in the New York region, meaning people should use extreme caution when outside. The scale advising people who are thinking of going on a hike outside to go to the movies instead. Health officials bracing for an increase in tick-borne infections, including more cases of Lyme disease.

A trend the CDC has been tracking. Cases have been more concentrated in the Northeast since the tracking began in the 1990s. You can see how they increased almost a decade later in 2010, and then in 2023, the most amount of people impacted by the disease, most cases spread by a tick bite. For more on what you can do to protect yourself from the growing tick population,

I want to bring in Dr. Eric Asher, He's a family medicine physician at North Wales Lenox Hill Hospital here in Manhattan. Dr. Asher, thanks so much for coming here. Do we know why they're spreading like that so crazy? Is it better detection or are there more ticks? So it's a combination. For sure, better detection. We have a lot better lab testing now than we did a couple of years ago.

But we know a lot of folks through COVID are spending a lot more time outdoors and maintain those habits going camping and hiking. But we also know about climate change. And what used to be a tick season that started in mid-April is now, starting, sorry, what's started in mid-April, mid-May is now starting in mid-April. So the length of the tick season has been extended. Yeah. Are you seeing more 10 out of 10? That's kind of wild. Are you seeing more tick bites in your practice? Yeah, we're seeing a lot more tick bites. And, you know, what's really

interesting about a tick bite, you could be exposed and start showing symptoms anywhere from three days to 30 days later. So it's really important if you do develop symptoms, which could be a rash, a headache, body aches, fatigue, even a mild flu-like illness or anything. any sort of rash that you're talking to your doctor and you're telling them about your travel history. Is there any way if a kid gets a tick bite, you don't, you can't detect it? Or are the symptoms pretty strong? Symptoms are the same. You know, it's a very varied symptomology, which makes diagnosing this very difficult. Ticks could be the size of a poppy seed all the way up to small peppercorn. So oftentimes it can get missed as well. What do you tell parents and people in general?

I mean, come on. Like, if you want to go for a hike, go for a hike, you only live once here. And you're You're going to let the ticks ruin your summer. Going to the movies is great, but, I mean, what should you look out for? How can you protect yourself? So there are a couple of things that I recommend my patients. You want to cover up all your extremities where long clothing, light colored clothing, don't forget a hat. You want to make sure if you are going to go hiking or camping, you're tucking your pants into your sock, and you're buying insect repellents specifically for ticks.

Yeah. And when the tick bites, I know there's certain tips that doctors recommend to make sure, I mean, there's the right way and a wrong way to do this. us through both scenarios. So you want to make sure that you're going to, if you are going to remove it yourself, you get some tweezers, you try and find where the mouth or the insertion is, and you lift it up and you take the entire thing out. What you don't want to do is you don't want to burn the tick. It is a way of killing the tick, but it could also open a wound on your skin, and then that could make the infection worse. And you want to make sure that after you do remove the tick and you're

ensure you remove the entire tick, soap and water over the site, and then an antiseptic. But when you're pulling it off with the tweezers, I mean, you're going from the back. You're not going from the front, right? You want to make sure that you're going from the back all the way to the front, so you're getting the height, taking the whole thing out. And then what is the first sort of telltale sign of Lyme disease? So if you have a rash, for sure you want to go check in with your doctor, because that is oftentimes the first, but sometimes people don't develop that rash.

So if you have any mild flu-like illness and you have been camping or you've been outdoors, you want to go check in with your doctor. Dr. Asher, great tips here. Thanks for coming on the show tonight. Up next here on Top Story, the new warning in Europe, the deadly virus. That's sickening thousands of people at a popular tourist destination. And Cobra Kai Confrontation, a karate kid actor, accused of biting and then kissing his co-star's arm. What?

This all happened at a fan convention. Tonight, her reaction, his apology, and the moments police responded to the scene. Stay with us. We're back now with Top Stories Global Watch. We start with European health officials issuing a warning to travelers about an increase in hepatitis A infections. They say it's happening in four popular destinations, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. Nine people have died so far. More than 2,000 others have gotten sick.

Hepatitis A spreads primarily through contaminated food and water, most commonly when an infected person, doesn't wash their hands after using the restroom. Okay, a man was rescued from the cab of a truck that was hanging over a collapsed bridge in China. Look at this. You can see him there talking to the person who shot this video, a statement from the local department of transportation saying the collapse was due to a landslide. Three other cars were found at the bottom under the bridge,

but no people were found. This collapse is under investigation. And once one of London's best-kept secrets set to become one of its most highly anticipated attractions, here's what we mean, a series of underground tunnels dating back to World War II will transform into an intelligence museum, interactive World War II memorial, and one of the world's deepest underground bars. Literally, dug in the 1940s, the tunnels were made in secret out of fear of a Nazi invasion

and later acted as a government communication center. The London tunnels are planned to open in 2028. And staying overseas in Venice, Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez are throwing one of the most lavish and highly anticipated weddings of the year, maybe of the century. The guest list and itinerary under wraps, but some notable guests like Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have already been spotted arriving in the floating city. Not everyone is happy about the upcoming events with activists and some locals organizing protests. Here's NBC's Molly Hunter. It's one of the most romantic cities in the world.

So it's no wonder why Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lowe's. Lawrence Sanchez chose the Italian Lagoon City for their mega wedding. But when the star-studded celebrations kick off in Venice this week, not everyone in the city is so supportive. Greenpeace activists displayed a large banner in the famous St. Mark Square on Monday, while a group of frustrated locals have threatened to disrupt the couple's big day any way they can. But Deputy Mayor Simone Valentini says the floating city is ready.

is another wedding for the city, very important one, of course, but without any kind of negative impact to the city. And not only that, they're working with the Bezos-Sanchez team to make sure it all runs smoothly. The city is in contact with the organization of events, and we are trying to have all the information in advance to deal with them. But the happy couple and their bikini-clad friends don't seem all that worried, kicking off the big week with a rowdy foam party on Bezos's yacht, the Coru. But the finer details of the multi-day events are closely guarded, and the couple reportedly making last-minute venue changes.

Now moving one of the lavish parties to the city's old port shipyard, the Arsenaille, more discreet and much harder to access, unless, of course, you're in a super yacht. And they've taken over the iconic San Giorgio Maggiore, a stunning separate island that offers even more privacy. Once they are coming in, here is going to be a different world. because it's quiet, lovely, relaxing. But the billionaire's extravaganza is more celebration than ceremony. We are in the city hall of Venice and George Clooney got married here.

Bezos is not doing a civil wedding under Italian law. The city won't provide official wedding ceremony. The city still remains open for business during the height of tourist season. And in just a few days, Bezos and his estimated 200 guests will be among them. Tom, that's right. So 200 of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's nearest and dearest, a very high profile guest list to be sure, but also pretty mysterious. We do have some hints about who might be joining based on the celeb studded bachelorette Lauren had back in Paris. But city officials say this is a city used to hosting major events. You heard that in the piece with lots of people, including VIP weddings. Of course, we'll all remember the Clooney wedding. And officials say that some guests have already arrived. A city officials also say that there are backup venues, two. the backup venues just in case so they can avoid protesters and also the swarms of paparazzi descending on the city. Tom? Back here at home to the real-life confrontation between two stars of the karate kid's

spinoff, Cobra Kai. One of the stars accused of biting his co-star during a fan convention, then seen on police body cam footage trying to explain why he did it. Here's NBC Steve Patterson with that video. Tonight, newly released police body camera video, show. showing the very real confrontation between two Cobra Chi co-stars. Buddy, you may not fight me. It's a hug. Actor Martin Cove, seen here in the black jacket after he was escorted out of a fan event

where he allegedly bit and then kissed his co-star's arm. I apologize. I was just playing because we're very playful together, and I bit down too hard. She's got a mouthmark on her. I know. No, we do not play like that. Kove, who is now 78 years old, made famous for his role as John Crease in the Karate Kid films. Ha! Ha! You lose concentration of fighting your dead meat.

Yes, that's it. And the Emmy-nominated Netflix show, Cobra Kai, where he reprises his role as the villainous Vietnam War veteran turned Karate Sensei. Must have had it coming. Now admitting to sinking his teeth into Alicia Roche's arm at the summer con event at the Washington State Fairgrounds Sunday. The cast seen in good spirits on the way to the event. But later, 37-year-old Roche telling police she had just been assaulted at her booth. Fighting sense. The star, who goes by the stage name Alicia Hannah Kim, named Cove as her assailant,

saying he suddenly grabbed her arm and bit her upper arm so hard it nearly drew blood, and she yelled out in pain. Do you want me to hit you, too? The only reason I don't, sir, is because you are a senior citizen and I respect the elderly. I will not cross that line, but trust me, if you were 50, I would have decked you. Kim turning to police when she said Kove exploded after she and her husband confronted him. Honestly, I'm ashamed of your dignity as an 80-year-old man to scream at a lady that you just bit. Cove arguing that they play fight all the time on the set of Cobra Kai.

She's a female sense. I'm the nail sense. We have all our scenes together, and we have a lot of fun. You say that we're friends and that we play. Sir, we work together. We shake hands. We do photo off. We get along. When have I ever bit you? Eventually apologizing for the assault and subsequent conflict. I'm ashamed that I did something like that. NBC reached out to the representatives for both parties and Netflix. We did not receive official responses back. Kim telling police, she did not want to pursue charges, but did want the report filed in case this continues.

And Steve Patterson joins us tonight from Los Angeles. Steve, the show might be wrap. But as we know, these are. there are conventions and panels all the time. Are they going to have to see each other again? Yeah, filming has wrapped, but there are several conventions lined up, including one in August in Chicago, another fan meet. We're not sure. We've reached out to the stars to find out if they will be together again, but it's certainly on the schedule, Tom. We'll see. All right, Steve Patterson for us with that really bizarre exchange there. When Top Story returns, the pottymouth parrot that's colorful in more ways than one, why a Massachusetts animal shelter says the bird should come with a warm, morning label and the request to find him a new home.

Trust me, this is one story you won't want to miss. Stay with us. Finally tonight, the feathered friend with a foul mouth, a Massachusetts animal shelter warning that one animal up for adoption should come with a parental advisory sticker. NBC Stephanie Goss introduces us to the R-rated parrot, now going viral. Hendricks the Macaw could use some love. He was being fed, human cereal, white bread. That's why he was. missing most of his feathers. It's malnutrition. A Massachusetts animal shelter hoping to find the bird a new home. He whistles and he talks. Cracker. If you call him a pretty bird, he'll say

thank you. He'll say good morning baby. But Hendrix is no show pony. Let's slow that down. Mother is the first half. The second half has to be bleeped for propriety. Hendrix is a pretty bird with a truck driver mouth. The first time I heard him drop the MFER word, it was the first thing I thought it was snakes on a plane. Animal shelter employee Chantelle Rogers was not specific on which scene, but we are nearly certain she means this one. Enough is enough.

I have had it with these motherfuck snakes on this mother fucking plane. Not a movie for kids, and neither is this bird. The shelter warning potential owners that Hendricks is rated. and you're basically adopting Samuel L. Jackson. We didn't want somebody to bring him home and then all of a sudden he starts throwing slurs around and you had no idea you were getting into this. Along with the F bombs, they say there is the occasional what the hell used in the correct context. One can only imagine what that may mean. Perhaps not surprisingly, the unique pet on offer generated lots of interest. We were getting applications from Kansas. You were getting emails from people in Canada that want to adopt him.

Hendricks was dropped off by his previous owner who had him for 20 years. Maybe the profanity just became too much. So the staff is doing its best to model gentility, but it's hard. We try not to react because we don't want to encourage it. But there's times we have to leave the room to laugh. Tonight, the animal shelter says they have found a new owner, a woman in southern Maine, promising to take good care of him. She'll likely get a few good laughs in return.

Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. He's like, yeah, I'm done. And we are so glad that parrot found an effing home. And we want to thank our affiliate, WJAR, for their help with that story. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.