Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Episode Date: June 4, 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 dangerous tornadoes and flooding firing up right now and the major airport that had a full ground stop. Suspected twisters touching down in Missouri and Kansas, while heavy rains flood part of the state. Highways and parking lots underwater, the water rescues right now, plus Bill Karen standing by on where it's headed next. Trespassing at Mara Lago, the man charged with jumping the fence at President Trump's Florida home, trying to find the president's granddaughter, and it's not the first time he's done it. Revealing new testimony in the Diddy Trial, how the music mogul tried to keep this chilling video from the hotel hallway hidden, it involved the paper bag stuffed with $100,000 in cash. The daring bridge attack, another major move by Ukraine, blowing up parts of this bridge,

just a day after this brazen drone attack, Russia's response tonight. On the run and online, one of the escaped prisoners from New Orleans posting this video on Instagram, saying he didn't escape, he was let out, who he's pleading with for help. Dangerous door-dasher, the delivery man who returned to the house with a gun, asking for a better tip how this grandfather took him down. And racing stripes, the escape zebra on the run in Tennessee, galloping down highways and through neighborhoods, why haven't authorities found him? It's not so black and white. Plus, the new and easy-weight thieves are getting cash for stolen iPhones,

and how and when our correspondent had her stolen, she managed. to get it back. Top story. Starts right now. And good evening. We do come on tonight with breaking news. Dangerous weather is on the move threatening millions of Americans. Tornado warnings going off just as we come on the air and parts of Kansas underwater, triggering not one but two flash flood emergencies. You hear the sirens right there. This new video just in a potential tornado. sweeping across Independence, Missouri. The storm already knocking out power to thousands

and a similar scene in Olatha, Kansas. What looks like a funnel cloud, you see it there, bearing down on that densely packed neighborhood. One woman forced to seek shelter inside a whole foods with nearly a dozen other customers as tornado sirens rang out. And this tractor trailer caught in the crosshairs of destructive winds on a major highway near Kansas City,

no word on if anyone there was injured. Early this afternoon, urgent water rescues. them here unfolding in Wichita, dramatic video as this driver has pulled from a sedan just before rushing waters reached the roof of that car. A number of vehicles in the area almost completely submerged as several inches of rain slammed the region in just a matter of hours. Meteorologist Bill Cairns, he's standing by for us tonight with that forecast, but first we want to get to NBC Shack Brewster on the state of emergency in Kansas. Fire departments here. Tonight extreme flooding in the Midwest, leading to urgent water rescues.

Water is just pouring over that car. In Wichita, Kansas, firefighters rushing to the submerged car with a driver trapped inside, eventually pulling her out to safety and onto a nearby lawn. Colin Fee and Danielle Hart live on the street. But what did you see when you saw the firefighters rescuing her in that moment? She just seemed like just happy to be a lot. And I think you can see it in her face, too. Just one of 77 rescue calls reported by the Wichita.

fire department this morning, the worst of it east of I-35. It was terrifying today. Today was crazy. Cards being rushed down the streets. 18 million people under flash flood alerts today. Meanwhile, sirens sounding outside Kansas City. Heavy rain and wind blowing through Kaufman Stadium where the Royals play, with tornado warnings issued across the area.

One woman posting on TikTok, she was shopping out of Whole Foods when Sirens went off, and they moved customers into a freezer. Elsewhere in the Kansas City Metro, this semi-overturning, blocking multiple lanes of traffic. A city spokeswoman says they're not aware of any injuries. Thousands in the city without power tonight. And earlier today, there was a ground stop at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. The FAA saying departing flights were held back because of windy conditions, and that's in advance of the expected thunderstorms we're expecting in the area later today.

By the way, we're learning that Indiana-Payers. who were on their way to Oklahoma City for game one of the NBA finals, they were diverted to Tulsa because of the weather. Tom? All right, Shaq, Brewster, with that new update for us, Shaq, thank you. This severe weather far from over. Let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, those images, Shaq, were showing us there pretty severe. Tom, four straight hours of life-threatening weather conditions,

starting in Wichita with that historic flash flooding up to eight inches of rain. Then we had tornado warnings in Kansas City with that possible tornado right near Coffman Stadium and right near Arrowhead with the Chiefs play. Then we've been watching new storms heading up here through Iowa. Burlington, Iowa, you're under a tornado warning. But to the south, over the last hour, all eyes have been on Oklahoma. Oklahoma City was under a tornado warning. The storms have cleared.

Now everyone's coming outside to see what the wind damage did to the region and hopefully getting power back on for those that don't have it. But we still have one, two, three active tornado warnings. This one further down to the south here had a possible tornado with it over the last half hour. If you're in Shawnee, this little hook right here, it's south of you. So you're probably safe. you could get a little hail, but we do have a possible tornado right there. And the other one to the south of that that had a reported tornado with it. This one is right over the top of

Windwood, Oklahoma. So those are some of the hot spots that we're watching right now, that we still have a chance of isolated tornadoes right through about 10 p.m. from Kansas City southwards all the way down to about Joplin under flash flood warnings. You had about three to four inches of rain. That's finally going to start to recede here slowly. But outside of Wichita there, some area is six to eight inches on the east side of town. That's where all the worst flooding was. And our final stop, we do have a flash flood watch still up for Miami and South Florida. We're going to watch torrential rain time heading that way over the next couple hours, too. Okay, Bill, I know you'll be standing by for us in case anything else pops up.

We thank you for that. Our other major headline tonight, that horrific attack on Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado. Immigration officials saying today they've detained the wife and the children of the suspect. And they try to learn what they may have known about the attack before it happened. Morgan Chesky is on the ground in Boulder again for us tonight. Tonight, as terror suspect Mohamed Solomon sits in a Colorado jail cell, his wife and five children are now in ICE custody, according to the Secretary of Homeland Security. We're also investigating to what extent his family knew about this horrific attack, if they had any knowledge of it, or if they provided support. Ice agents taking the family into custody just days after the FBI searched Solomon's Colorado Springs home.

After moving to the state three years ago, federal officials say the Egyptian National had overstated turretsy. visa, but did have a pending asylum claim. Authorities have not confirmed his family's immigration status. On Sunday, video captured the 45-year-old attacking a rally for Israeli hostages, armed with Molotov cocktails, and a makeshift flamethrower. It's shocking. It's disgusting. I mean, literally seeing this man throwing Molotov cocktails onto human beings. We spoke to Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfern, who told us once officers took Solomon to the ground,

he continued his rant. The quick response of our officers, community members, the fact that he had 16 other Molotov cocktails there and wasn't able to use those, that is somewhat of a win for us. At his synagogue where private securities now backed up by Boulder Police, Rabbi Mark Soloway shared, this is where six of the 12 victims come to worship. How would you describe the last 36 hours? It's been brutal, horrifying, exhausting, so many emotions. incredible sadness and grief and tremendous anger, too. He tells us two victims, airlifted to Denver, remain hospitalized. As for the man behind this attack, tonight he has this message.

Look at the humanity of these people. I would want him to just see that he just saw lovely, beautiful human beings and destroyed their lives for no reason. Morgan Chesky joins us tonight live from Boulder, Colorado. Morgan let's get back to the wife and children of this suspect now in custody and we're hearing from the White House tonight tell us about your new reporting yeah Tom we are in fact they shared a post online saying that they have six one-way tickets for Muhammad's wife and his five children saying they could be

deported as early as tonight and that kind of echoes the sentiment shared by the State Department as well Tom who said if you are a family member or a terrorist sympathizer here in the United States on a visa you will be found and that visa will be revoked. Tom? Okay. Morgan Chesky for us. All right, we want to turn to politics now and head to D.C. Elon Musk today unleashing a blistering attack on President Trump's big, beautiful bill, currently making its way through Congress. The world's richest man taking to X to torch his old boss's signature spending initiative. Writing, look at this. I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those

who voted for it, you know you did wrong. Musk's statements come just days after he left the Trump administration at the end of his time as a special government employee. But he's also been ramping up his criticism of the bill and other Trump policies in recent days. Tonight, White House press secretary

Carolyn Levitt responding to Mustis' attack. Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn't change the president's opinion. This is one big, beautiful bill, and he's sticking to it. Stick into it. You heard it there. Joining us now, live with more reporting on the MAGA world feud as NBC News, Chief Justice and National Affairs correspondent Kelly, O'Donnell Kelly. Just like last week, we saw the warm send-off there for Musk

by Trump in the Oval Office. Trump has also been personally lobbying Republican lawmakers to get the bill passed. Did Musk do damage to that relationship? I mean, he has to. Well, certainly their relationship has been unconventional from the beginning to billionaires, both powerful, and they have very different views on this. So Musk is someone who really just let it fly on his social media platform. And sources we've been talking to say they believe there are a couple of reasons for this. When it comes to his own interest, things like the electric vehicle credits, those are not in the bill. His desire to see Starlink, one of his satellite systems used by the FAA, that's not going forward. Also, he made a recommendation for the head of NASA.

That nomination has now been withdrawn. And you referenced his time as a special government employee ending at the statutory 130 days. There are those who believe Musk wanted to stay informally over time. The White House couldn't make that happen. So are those the reasons? Musk's team has not responded, but certainly there was a lot percolating there, and he has talked about the bill could be big, or it could be beautiful, it could not be both. This could damage their relationship if you just look at the fact that the president is so deeply invested, making phone calls, trying to get Republicans to pass this with limited time, and a very small margin. At the same time, we've often seen how these two come back together,

even when they disagree. Yeah, and Kelly, while I do have you tonight, I do want to ask you about the arrest today of a man allegedly found trespassing at Mar-a-Lago. What more do we know here and how is the president's granddaughter involved? Well, the Secret Service says that they were able to detain a man who was over the fence at the Mar-a-Lago property. Palm Beach police arrested him and took him into custody, charging him with trespassing. He had made comments about the president's eldest granddaughter, Kai, and also there are now orders that he can have no contact with Trump properties or any members of the family. And the timing is important because there were no members of the president's family at the Mar-a-Lago Club and Complex when this

took place. So Secret Service Acted, now local authorities are involved. Okay, good to know. back here in New York, explosive testimony today in the Sean Diddy Combs trial about that disturbing 2016 hotel video involving Combs and his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Stephanie Goss now on the effort to keep the video from emerging that including a brown paper bag and $100,000 in cash. In federal court today, focus on the shocking 2016 video of Sean Combs hitting and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in an L.A. hotel. On the witness stand of former security guard at the hotel Eddie Garcia. He says Combs knew the video would be damaging. Combs' assistant

calling Garcia after the incident asking for a copy, according to testimony. When Garcia said no, the assistant showed up in person at the hotel. Garcia testified that he told her to contact his manager at the security company. But then Combs himself called multiple times, sounding nervous according to Garcia and telling him the video would ruin his career. Garcia says he's and his manager cut a deal to turn it over in exchange for money. He hand delivered it himself to Combs. He asked if this was the only copy, Garcia told the jury, and I said, I believe so. Garcia says he signed an NDA. Then Combs handed him a brown paper bag with $100,000 in cash. Combs pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Among the federal government's

accusations, the hip-hop tycoon used his business, including search. certain employees to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his acts of violence. Even with the lurid accusations, Combs still has fans. A woman standing up in court today screaming profanities and yelling, it's not right what they are doing to him. The judge had her quickly removed. All right, with that Stephanie Gossk and Danny Savalas are both here. Great to have you guys both on set.

Stephanie, I'm going to start with you. You're reporting on this for us today. So besides what we saw happened there in the trial, also know that the CFO for Bad Boy also testified. What do we learn? Yeah, you know, it's interesting. He was talking about the scope of the business, which actually goes to a lot of the charges in this case. He was there as CFO from 1998 until about 2012, which is when Bad Boy Entertainment exploded in size. He talks about the multiple properties that Combs had, the bank accounts, the fact that they did a lot of their stuff, a lot of their business

in cash. And it really just talks about the power of that. that company and the scope of its influence. So we're hearing about cash from the CFO. We're hearing about cash in this brown paper bag, allegedly, to buy that hotel video. Danny, what are they trying to do here? What are prosecutors doing? The core of a racketeering charge, and Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, is essentially that Combs, as the leader of this organization, including his companies,

corrupted it and used it to carry out unlawful objectives. So the financial stuff to me comes as very much foundational. The government's going to use it to establish that there was an enterprise, there were financial transactions, and the testimony about cash is helpful to the government because we are going to hear, and I've already heard testimony, that the cash was not exactly used for legitimate business purposes, allegedly. You talked about financial records here. We also know in court today was introduced that there was a wire transfer from Cassie Ventura's father for $25,000, I believe, or maybe it was $20,000. What exactly is that for? What does that signify? According to the government, that was a payment demanded by Combs in order to remain silent or not release video damaging information about Cassie Ventura, and that's money that was actually paid to him in an alleged extortion. Now, he's not charged specifically with extortion, but this goes a long way. So, did he was getting the money? Yeah, so this goes a long way to showing that Combs was using his business enterprise for things that were not legitimate business purposes.

So that is going to be very helpful to the government. And then, Stephanie, who else are we expect on the trial in the coming days? It's going to shift away from the money, Tom, and go back to the victims in this case. We may hear from Brianna Bangolan, who is a friend of Cassie Ventura's. There was a night where she said she was spending the night at her friend's house, and Diddy came in and assaulted her and actually threatened to throw her off of a balcony. So you can expect that to be riveting and disturbing testimony from her, potentially tomorrow. And then, Danny, the way you see it, are prosecutors sort of building, are they sort of building to a crescendo, if you will, with these witnesses and the evidence that they're introducing?

No, this is more classic federal overkill from day one. I mean, they are loading on the evidence. And in my view, they've at least made out enough evidence to sustain a verdict. Whether or not they will get it, whether or not the jury finds the witnesses credible, that's another issue. But at least on to counts like the Mann Act, which requires basically prostitution and interstate travel. they alleged enough or adduced enough in this case, arguably yes. Okay. Danny and Stephanie, so great to have you on top story tonight. We really do appreciate it. Overseas now where Ukraine is on the offense, once again, Ukrainian forces blowing up

a key bridge that connects Crimea to Russia just days after their unprecedented drone attack inside Russia. Kier Simmons has that video in this report. Tonight, another stunning Ukrainian operation against Russia. An explosion striking pillars of the Church Bridge, connecting Russia to Crimea. And again, video of the attack released by Ukrainian security forces. The blast sparked by almost 2,500 pounds of underwater explosives, the Ukrainian say, and it comes two days after Ukraine targeted Russia's long-range bombers in another astonishing covert operation. Drones full of explosives launched remotely to attack the jets. You can see one leaving this truck parked near a Russian military base. Both attacks

were months in the planning, Ukraine says. Russian President Vladimir Putin commissioned the bridge and personally opened it in 2018. Today is the third time it's been struck. In 2022, a massive blast ripped it apart, closing the crucial military supply and civilian road and rail line. We were there when it reopened two years ago.

This is where that explosion hit this bridge at around this time in the morning. This latest strike, more evidence Ukraine is going on the offensive. aiming to pressure Putin to compromise. Kier Simmons joins Top Story once again. Kier, I feel every day, every week, we're asking you the same type of question, but in a different way we see these attacks in Russia in Ukraine. How can peace talks be happening if these violent attacks are happening almost daily?

Yeah, Tom, it does feel like Groundhog Day, doesn't it? And today, the former Russian president, Dmitri Medvedev, vowing that retaliation for those attacks is inevitable, even while those peace talks were underway, which, by the way, Tom, lasted less than an hour and included demands from the Russians that will be unconscionable to the Ukrainians and involve really no compromise by the Russians,

including things like that Ukraine should be neutral, that it should disarm, that Russia should have more territory than it already has, and overnight just today, there were more strikes on both sides that left a number of Ukrainians dead. Tom, one Western official with knowledge of the negotiations had a quote for us today that is frankly chilling, telling NBC news the Russians will try to kill their way to victory, Tom. That is chilling.

Keir Simmons for us, Keir, we thank you. We're back in just 60 seconds with the new phone theft warning. What happened when our correspondent had her iPhone stolen? She uncovered a whole new way thieves were cashing in on your stolen phones. Plus, the armed door dash driver who came back demanding a bigger tip. The standoff all caught on camera, and the Olympic track star heckled and harassed during her latest race. How it was all a plan to bet against her and win money? Stay with us. We're back now with a troubling warning about phone theft and the new servicemen to help out regular consumers, but it's making it all too easy for thieves to cash in.

Our own Ellis and Barbara detailing her journey to track down her stolen iPhone here in. in New York City. Ellison joins us live now on set. And Ellison, where you found your phone is only where the story begins. Yeah, we started with this one experience of mine, and then I started going down a rabbit hole, seeing other people had similar experiences, and it ultimately led us to this. That is the NYPD with me, trying to get my stolen phone out of an eco-atm automated kiosk. I'll help you price and sell your device. says it has more than 6,500 of these machines across the country where people can sell and recycle

old devices for cash, possibly earning hundreds of dollars on the spot. The condition of your device will affect the price. But let's rewind. For me, this ordeal started on the subway on May 7. Personal phone was sitting, I guess, kind of where somebody could easily grab it and somebody did. Using my work phone, I texted my partner to check, find my phone, and lock it. I could see it went from a subway stop near the office to 29th Street, and it seemed like it wasn't moving. So the next day, we followed it and wound up at a Czech caching store. I find my iPhone paints to this machine where I guess they sold it for cash and somehow didn't have to prove they actually owned the phone they were selling because it was

accepted. It's been in here since yesterday. The kiosks are supposed to offer a home for unwanted cell phones, but in my case, it was a stolen phone. And when I very much wanted So now we had to call a police to have an NYPD officer out working right now come here so I can file a stolen phone report with them. The company says to get money for a phone, the seller has to appear on camera, scan their state issued ID, and submit a fingerprint, which in the event of a theft is information that's shared with police. And EcoATM says 99.8% of sales are from a phone's rightful owner. But in the case of a stolen phone like mine, the company has to give police access to the machine, which thankfully for me, since my phone was still in there, led to a sweet reunion. All right, Alison Barber with us again live.

I'm glad you got your phone back there. So the person, whoever had your phone, allegedly put that into the machine, then got hundreds of dollars out of it. But the company is adamant that they don't incentivize stealing iPhones. Right. Yes. Yes, they say, and you heard in the piece, that they require an ID, a state-issued ID that is scanned. They take a photo of the person selling it. They also get a fingerprint, and they say, if police want it, they will provide that information to them.

In my case, that's what happened. But ultimately, what happens from there? That would be up to local authorities. So we saw on your report there. The police opened the machine. I guess the company walked them through, where to find the phones. There's that basket. You said there were about 40 phones in that basket.

What happens if your phone would have gotten shipped out if it would have left the machine? So they send it from the machine to one of their locations, a storage warehouse they have in Louisville, Kentucky. And they have what they call a 30-day soaking period where they will not recycle or refurbish and resell your phone. In the event it was lost or stolen, you can file a police report, file a report with them, contact your carrier, and then they'll work with you to get your phone back and ship it to you. We reached out to some people we'd seen on Reddit who had similar stories. And a few people told us they did follow it through that process. But for them, it took about a month, a month and a half to actually get their phone back.

Some said they just gave up and claimed insurance on the phone and left it where it was. Had never heard about this, Alison, great story. And thanks for walking us through your experience. We appreciate it. Okay, when Top Story returns, a fugitive's message, the escaped New Orleans prisoner posting this video while on the run. Will it help police track him down? And sticking the landing, how this delivery man flipped over a car, landed and got right back up, uninjured, the amazing video coming up. We're back with Top Story's News Feed,

and the judge in the retrial of Karen Reid denying the defense's motion for a mistrial. It came as prosecutors were cross-examining a dog bite expert for the defense and questioning her credibility. The judge overruling the request, allowing testimony to continue. A mistrial had been declared in Reed's first trial. She's accused of hitting her boyfriend, a Boston police officer, with her SUV back in 2022 and leaving him to die. Her lawyers arguing she's the victim of a police conspiracy

and that her boyfriend was beaten by another cop. Former Real Housewives' husband, Tom Gerardi, sentenced today to just over seven years in prison. The 86-year-old former lawyer found guilty last year of stealing millions of dollars from clients. He will also pay more than $2 million in restitution. Gerardi is known for his role in the 1993 lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric,

which inspired the movement. you may remember, Aaron Brockovich. He was also married to Real Housewives of Beverly Hill star, Erica Jane. McDonald's announcing the return of a fan favorite. Get ready. The snack wrap, back by popular demand. Beginning July 10th, the fast food chain

discontinued the chicken wrap at most locations in 2016 because it was complicated to assemble. The move expected to help McDonald's compete with chains like Popeyes and Chick-fil-A, as experts say more fast food consumers are opting for chicken meals. Good to know.

Tom Fibodeau, who just took the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals, is out. The team making that announcement late today. Fibodeau had coached the Knicks for five seasons this year, taking the team to its farthest point in 25 years, but I guess it wasn't far enough. In a statement, the Knicks president writing, our organization is focused on winning a championship for our fans. Okay, and body cam footage, showing a man running through traffic, attempting to get away from police, hot on his heels. Look at this. This all went down in New Jersey, about 30 minutes from Philly. You can see the ban running across the highway and hopping over the median, weaving around cars,

then doubling back through traffic for a second time, eventually appearing to get tired, and he just stopped running. The cop catching up and putting him in handcuffs. They say he was wanted on a previous warning. Okay, we want to make a tough turn now to a big story that's happening overseas with the war in Gaza. Another day of violence, leaving dozens killed and hundreds injured after the Israeli defense forces opened fire at a group of civilians. The attacks focused near food distribution by the controversial U.S.-backed aid group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. NBC's Matt Bradley joins us tonight.

Matt, tell us what happened today. Yeah, Tom, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, said that 27 people at least had been killed in this attack this morning, and that more than 160 had been injured. Now, the IDF released a statement earlier today. They said that their soldiers had fired warning shots at individuals who had deviated from the prescribed route to one of these new aid stations, and then they followed up with additional shots into the crowd after these individual suspects had approached their soldiers' positions.

Now, the IDF did say that they were aware of reports of casualties, and they said they're looking into the matter, but this is just the latest bloody confrontation for Palestinians who have simply been waiting in line for food after a months-long blockade of all aid that had been forced by the Israelis. Now, it's been eight days since the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started distributing food, and we've seen some bloody consequences. This has been dogged by controversy.

Other aid organizations have criticized this U.S.-backed effort. Now, Hamas and the government in the Gaza Strip have said that these new aid stations amount to death traps. Tom. Okay, Matt Bradley for us, Matt, we thank you. An update tonight in the manhunt back here at home for the escaped New Orleans inmates. New video appearing to show one of the men,

still on the run, telling followers on social media He didn't break out, but he was let out, and that the charges he's facing are false. Here's Priya Shriather with the video and the details. Tonight, a new video circulating of one of the two New Orleans inmates still on the run. They see that I broke out. I didn't break out. I was let out. My name is Antoine Massey.

The social media post appears to show 32-year-old Antoine Massey, who escaped from the Orleans Parish prison with nine other inmates on May 16th. Massey faces charges in multiple parishes. he's now claiming that many of those charges are false. All allegations have not verified the authenticity of the video, but Massey's mother and pastor confirmed to NBC News that it's him on camera. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office says they're aware of the post and in a statement wrote, quote, if the individual depicted in the video is indeed Antoine Massey, we strongly urge him to come forward and turn himself into the proper authorities.

Pastor Robert Brown says he's close with the family. We're extremely happy that he's alive, and we are sure that at some point he's going to reach out to one of us to turn himself in. Antoine's mother, Shakita Massey. Let me get her on the line. Telling us through Pastor Brown that she's begging her son to turn himself in. If you do nothing else, do this for mom, and I promise you with every breath in my body that God give me, we're going to fight this out the right one.

All right, Priya Shrether joins us now from Atlanta. Priya, just wild that they're able to tape these videos. Besides that video, do authorities have any more leads on these two remaining fugitives? Yeah, Tom, you can expect that law enforcement officers will be scrutinizing the video very closely, looking at the backdrop to see if there are any clues about where exactly that video could have been filmed. They're also likely going to analyze the metadata there and see if that could lead them any closer to Massey. But really, they're soliciting information from the public and offering a really. reward of up to $50,000 for any information for either of the two inmates who remain on the

run that could lead to their arrest. Tom? All right, Priya Shreither for us tonight with that video. Priya, we thank you. A grandfather in Washington State wrestling a gun away from a door dash delivery driver who showed up at his daughter's home demanding a cash tip and their struggle all caught on camera. Here's Sime Brock. In a quiet suburb of Washington State Thursday morning, a knock on the door and a side of chaos with breakfast. I put up my hand and I said, hey, you know, stop. You know, you're too close. Anthony Velino confronting, then ripping a firearm away from his daughter's door dash delivery

driver from the previous day, who he says returned to demand a cash tip. Police say the driver was arrested for harassment, DUI, and assault. The altercation captured on video from Volino's home. In the house at the time, I had four kids under the age of four. As the grandfather emptied bullets from the cartridge, he told his daughter to call for help. My three-year-old granddad, I could hear in the back of my head yelling, Papa, Papa. Worried the weapon could have been fired at his grandchildren or daughter, who he says ordered roughly $100 worth of groceries the day before and did tip on her phone. It's just the latest run-in involving app-based deliveries that have ranged from the impolite.

It's a nice house for a $5 tip. A Texas man cursing out a $5 tip on a $20 pizza order. to the disgusting to even violent incidents like a Florida woman arrested for stabbing a pregnant customer. With the Washington confrontation, DoorDash telling NBC News, the company has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind. What happened was unacceptable, and the Dasher involved was immediately deactivated. Thankfully, no one was injured, but nerves certainly shaken. All right, wild video there. Sam Brock joins us.

Now, this whole incident is sort of crazy, but we were just talking when your report was running, were telling me that actually the history shows a lot of times the DoorDash drivers, Uber Eat's drivers, they're the ones getting assaulted. Yes, so this works both ways, Tom CUNY, which is the City University of New York, looked at 1,650 food delivery drivers, what we'd call gig drivers, back at the end of 2021, and pulled them and found out that more than one in five so they'd been assaulted, more than one in five so they had been injured, right? These are really high numbers. Then they dug deeper. If it was their primary source of income or main source of income or only source of income on the app. Then it turns out that goes up significantly to

like 36 percent who said that they were assaulted. So that's a huge disparity. And it just shows you that the system itself is not flawless. There is a risk associated, even though we all use it on a regular basis. Yeah, no, it is. And then do we know what the background checks are like for these delivery drivers? DoorDash on its website, much like the Uber Eats of the world and many other companies that provide these services that they use an accredited third party to run background which is to say that they should definitely have caught something if there was a flag in his background or criminal history that would have come up. Again, not a perfect system, but certainly the efforts are there to safeguard customers when they make those calls. I will also add about Anthony Valvino. So do have a law enforcement background or a military background? How did you disarm this guy in real time? And what he said was no, but I do watch a lot of YouTube videos. So whether that necessarily empowers someone to be able to do that so proficiently, but it was incredible to see him so calmly, take the weapon away, tell his daughter, to call police and somehow managed to just keep this man away, he returns, but by the time he returns, the police have arrived. That's one tough grandpa. I love your line, by the way, and then you

mess with grandpa. And then you mess with grandpa. All right, Sam Brock, we thank you. Okay, next to the verbal harassment aimed at track star Gabby Thomas, an Olympian caught on camera. The Olympic gold medalist had been the target of aggressive behavior and even stalking in the past, but in this incident, the heckler possibly motivated by money, trying to make her lose so that he could win a bet. NBC's Marissa Parra explains. Don't choke Gabby like you did yesterday, Gabby. This is what American track superstar Gabby Thomas heard as she studied

for a women's 100 meter dash over the weekend. Melissa got married this year, got a black husband. Gabby got a white guy. I want Melissa to win. This video from a Philadelphia competition posted on X, the user posting, quote, I made Gabby lose by heckling her

and it made my parlay win. The user who hasn't been publicly identified, also posting screenshots of his fan duel parlay winnings, showing he made nearly $700 in part by betting on Thomas's competitor, Melissa Jefferson Wooden. A second post shows a confrontation at the event between him and Thomas. You know what I'm doing here? I support. I support track and field. You're going down, Gabby. Thomas firing back at the heckler on X, saying, quote, this grown man followed me around the track.

as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans, mostly children, shouting personal insults, something the poster denies. What she said on the tweet was an absolute lie. It was done for sympathy. Also posting this video showing him doing the same heckling at the men's event. The biggest hatred in tracking fields, remember that. The person who posted these videos claims that his heckling led to him winning a bet. He's not legal.

There's no exact law that prevents a fan from interference. in a way to make it criminal, right? But likely whatever platform that he's making the bet on in contractually in their terms of service does not allow you to interfere and then bet on it. So that is likely a civil violation. Sports betting in the U.S. has seen rapid growth, reaching a record $13.7 billion in total revenue in 2024. That's up from 11 billion the year before. But some athletes say bettors are taking things too far. Threatening to find my kids and murder is a little bit tough to deal with. Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCuller says his family received online death threats after a loss last month.

Houston police now say those threats came from an overseas better who lost money on the game. And last year, a study from multiple tennis organizations found that angry gamblers were behind 12,000 abusive social media posts against tennis players. There is a difference between what is criminal and what is legal and then what different stadiums or associations might allow. Former Olympian Michael Johnson, who founded the Track League, lent his public support for Thomas on X, adding, quote, we are working to identify the individual involved and will take appropriate action as necessary. Despicable behavior like this will not be tolerated, while Grand Slam Track promises a full investigation. Marissa Parra joins us tonight here on Top Story. So Marissa, look, people may be upset with what they saw and heard in that story.

But technically, heckling is a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment. But in this case, that spectator could still face consequences. Why? Absolutely. So it could potentially come in different ways, Tom. Depending on that investigation that we talked about at the very end of that piece there, we're very unaware that Grand Slam is going to be looking into any and all possible avenues here to take appropriate action as necessary.

But we also are curious to hear back from Fandul, who we did reach out to, Tom, to get a sense of, Did this violate the terms of service? What kind of action would they take? And we reached out to them. We haven't heard back yet. But we do know according to the terms of service, they say you can't attempt to influence the play in any way, especially if you're involved in betting. So Tom remains to be seen. Does this fall into that criteria? We hope to hear back with an answer soon. All right, Marissa, Marissa, we appreciate it. When Top Story returns, the new leads in one of the most famous cold cases in the world. What happened? to Madeline McCann. Police searching new areas today, are they closing in on a possible suspect? Plus, back here at home, the great zebra escape on the run in Tennessee, shutting down major highways and showing its true stripes as a fugitive why authorities still can't catch him. That is all coming up right here on Top Story. We're back now with Global Watch, and we begin in Portugal, where this week police are re-igniting searches for Madeline McCann, the three-year-old British girl who disappeared without a trace more than 18 years ago.

The chilling case captivating people around the globe, sparking backlash against her parents, you'll remember. But with no definitive answers, officials hope new clues will help them finally crack this case. NBC's Molly Hunter has the latest twist in this story. Tonight, investigators are returning to southern Portugal to the cold case that has haunted European authorities for nearly two decades. Back in 2007, the disappearance of British toddler Madeline McCann captured the world's attention. And today, Portuguese and German police were seen near the Portuguese resort where the three-year-old disappeared. In a brief statement, German police announcing the renewed search saying criminal proceedings are

currently underway in Portugal. The reason the Madeline McCann case, missing child case, still is in the minds of the worldwide public, even 18 years later, is simply the nature of the facts around her disappearance. It is every parent's worst nightmare. While on vacation with her family and pride to lose, the three-year-old disappeared from her bed without a trace. Her parents, Kate and Gary McCann, were dining out in a nearby restaurant and had left Madeline sleeping in the hotel room with her younger twin siblings.

The case sparked a media firestorm, and parents across the globe criticized the McCanns for leaving their children unattended. Throughout the years, officials releasing photos of what an older Madeline might look like. And finally, in 2020, a main suspect was announced. We know the identity of this male. We have nominated him as a suspect. German police took the lead on the case, naming German citizen Christian Bruckner as a suspect in the murder of the British toddler. but he's never been charged. Bruckner spent years around southern Portugal,

and he's currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal in 2005. He's denied any involvement in Madeline's disappearance. This week's search comes two years after German and Portuguese authorities searched the Bergam de Aradé Reservoir. About 30 miles from the resort, they searched the area for three days without any breakthroughs.

Last month, Madeline's family vowed to keep searching, leaving no stone unturned as they marked 18 years since her disappearance. The problem is that without a confession or the recovery of Madeline's remains, we will never know the answer. The resurgence in the interest in this case in the search by police in Portugal, it really does show that they want to get those answers and bring the family some peace. Portuguese police said today that this new search will include a range of investigations as how they're describing it, namely search warrants, and it's expected to last until Friday. Tom. Our Molly Hunter tonight, Molly, thank you. Now to the other international headlines beginning

in Pakistan, where the search is on, forget this, more than 100 escaped inmates. Officials say the prisoners broke free while being transferred to another area for security during a series of earthquakes amid the chaos when inmate was killed and 22 injured, including including prison and police personnel. So far, at least 80 of those escaped prisoners have been re-arrested. A tornado sweeping across northeast China, damaging villages.

Take a look. Eyewitness video capturing the twister, ripping through fields, leaving a trail of debris. Roofs were ripped off, and dozens of people lost power. No deaths or injuries, though, report it. And wild video out of Argentina

showing a food delivery driver flipping over the top of a car. Look how crazy this is. Traffic cameras capturing the moment the man on the motorcycle hits the car, goes up and over, hits the ground, but then gets right back up. City officials say the motorcyclist failed to hit the brakes when he saw the car. They say he avoided serious injury because he was wearing a helmet. Incredible.

And back here at home to the fugitive still on the run. The escapee caught on camera running through neighborhoods and even shutting down a Tennessee highway. But the story, not as black and white as it may seem. The suspect at large, you guess. it. A zebra. Kathy Park has this one. Tonight, the search is on for this escape zebra, caught on camera in backyards, on sidewalks, even heading straight down this cul-de-sac just outside Murphy'sboro, Tennessee. Well, I just can't believe that we were right next to a zebra like that.

Danielle Petrie was in the backseat of her parents' car on Saturday when she saw the roadside surprise capturing the wild ride on her cell phone as the animal ran alongside. them. What were you thinking when you saw the zebra on the road? We're in the country and we see lots of animals. Never a zebra. It was just cutting through yards and running. There's a tag on him too. Oh, no. The striped escape be then making a bold dash for the interstate. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office briefly shutting down a portion of I-24 on Saturday and snapping this photo. I am surprised that they still have not. caught it. I mean, I imagine it would be a pretty hard thing to capture. That rogue zebra, it turns out, is someone's pet. Its owner telling NBC affiliate WSMV, he got the zebra from a breeder in Texas on Friday, just one day before it got loose. The sheriff's office says several groups and a canine unit are searching the area today. But with the trail going cold, some online are turning to AI, joking about where the zebra may have ended up. The city of Franklin, Tennessee,

posting this generated image of the black and white animal in the back of a black and white patrol car. And businesses in the area are running with it too, pretending to see the animal earning its stripes in construction and beauty. One hair salon writing, she came for the chaos, stayed for the curls. But Danielle says none of that compares to seeing the real thing. To me, it was a really unique, just like a zebra experience. You know, I was a. I was a. trying to catch footage of a running scared zebra. The zebra just happened to be outside my window. And yeah, I caught the footage.

It was cool. Kathy Park joins us tonight with this wild story. So, Kathy, the video is hysterical. But this is a serious question. Is it legal to own a zebra in Tennessee? Yeah, Tom, so in the state of Tennessee, if you want to own a zebra as a pet, you're actually allowed to have one.

It is legal. So zebras are listed as Class 3 wildlife and does not require a permit except those required by the Department of Agriculture and other animals on that list. If you're wondering, they also include camels and giraffes. So you can have a whole zoo in your backyard if you wanted one.

But going back to the zebras, according to the experts, these animals are unpredictable, hard to tame, and known to avoid capture. So that's probably why we haven't seen this Tennessee zebra since his past weekend. So the search continues, Tom. All right, we're going to have to check if he makes it there onto Broadway

or somewhere in Nashville. Maybe he's cutting a new country music record. Kathy, we thank you so much for that. Up next, speaking of music, can you name that tune? The pretty little song on everyone's feed topping the charts more than 60 years after it was recorded, how the 87-year-old singer is reacting to its success.

That's next. That's next. Pretty little, baby. I'm so in love with you. Finally tonight, it's a hit six decades, in the making, a forgotten song from singer Connie Francis called Pretty Little Baby, now finding new life on TikTok. Take a listen. You can ask the flowers, I sit for hours. More than 60 years ago, singer Connie Francis

walked into the studio and recorded enough songs to fill three albums. Bared on the backside of one of those records was the song Pretty Little Baby. Back then, her other hits, like Stupid Cupid, were much more popular. But in the last few weeks, It's pretty little, pretty little, baby, I'm so in love with you. The Forgotten Track has found a new life on TikTok. The 60s song striking an unexpected course. More than a million videos have been made using the track from some of the app's youngest users to the Kardashians

The song is charting for the first time ever. France is posting about her now viral hit writing my thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful and oh so unexpected reception The now 87-year-old singer says she was clearly out of touch because when she found out that the song was trending on TikTok, her initial response was to ask, what's that? But she isn't so out of touch anymore. Francis recently joined TikTok herself, a song bridging generations and breathing new life into an old tune.

It is a catchy tune, and congrats to Connie Francis on that newfound success. We thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamison, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. You can ask the flowers. I sit for hours telling all the bluebirds, the bill and coo birds. Pretty little, baby, I'm so in love with you.