Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Episode Date: March 25, 2026

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

Tonight, the new details in the deadly LaGuardia plane crash what investigators just revealed about the multiple failures that led to the fatal catastrophe. The wreckage of the plane being moved from the runway right now as we learn more about the flight's final moments. The fire truck hit did not have a transponder on it that could have warned air traffic control. And what we just learned about control room staffing that night. Also, a potential breakthrough to fund the TSA as hours-long lines create chaos at airports. what we know about the deal just emerging. More troops to the Middle East,

the president approving more than 1,000 soldiers for deployment as bombs continue to blast Iran. Plus our new reporting about what the Saudi Crown Prince told President Trump couldn't lead to a prolonged war. Taking a stand, the wife of a doctor, on trial in Hawaii for allegedly trying to kill her, testifying about how he attacked her with a rock and a syringe, a former professional pornollole player

and quadruple amputee arrested for murder, a stunning turn for an athlete once praised as an inspiration. The landmark verdict just in meta held liable for endangering children on its platforms. What will change now on Facebook and Instagram? And one major airline laid it all out, letting passengers turn a whole economy row into a bed. But is it really worth it? Plus, America's pastime moving into the future will preview the robo umpire stepping up to the place. this baseball season. Top story. It starts right now.

And good evening. We begin tonight with the new details in that deadly collision at LaGuardia. Investigators focusing on a key tracking system that they say did not sound an alarm before the crash. Here's that moment when the Air Canada jet slams into the airport fire truck, killing the two pilots on board and injuring dozens of others. Six people still hospitalized. Investigators on the scene today collecting evidence, as tonight were learning last year, a pilot warned about dangerous conditions at LaGuardia. The mangled plane still on the runway tonight, as debris is slowly removed from the scene,

a process that could take days. We're also hearing stunning stories of survival tonight. Passengers opening the emergency exits themselves because the flight crew was injured. It all comes as the entire air travel system faces enormous strain, long lines at TSA checkpoints across the country amid the partial government shutdown.

But could a potential deal take shape on Capitol Hill put an end to this travel nightmare. Our San Brock is on the ground at LaGuardia and leads us off. Fresh off the horror of this Air Canada jet landing at LaGuardia and plowing into a fire truck responding to an emergency call. Today, investigators circled the wreckage and peered inside the aircraft in search of answers. There are multiple, multiple layers of defense built in to prevent an accident. So when something goes wrong, that means many, many things.

went wrong. In this case, one was a safety net ground radar system that alerts controllers of impending danger, but in this case never issued an alert, potentially because the fire truck didn't have a transponder. If this truck would have had a transponder, it very well could have provided that alert that the controller could have used. NTSB chair Jennifer Homandy also revealing what the agency's learning about tower staffing Sunday night. For the midnight shift, it is standard operating procedure that they only have to on duty. Certainly I can tell you that our air traffic control team has stated this is a problem, that this is a concern for them for years. These questions coming as the country faces a chronic shortage of controllers and comments like this surfacing on NASA's anonymous aviation reporting system.

With a pilot writing in August of last year about LaGuardia, the controllers are pushing the line. On thunderstorm days, LGA is starting to feel like DCA did before the accident there. Please do something. What is your margin for error when you're on the job? Zero error. You have to be perfect every single time. David Riley spent 22 years as an FAA controller and says even two controllers in a tower at night doesn't leave much wiggle room for breaks or fatigue.

When you don't have that extra body there to help out when things happen, it could have tragic results. The realities of the traumatizing crash that killed pilots Antoine Foray and McKenzie Gumpur, whose Canadian College lowered its flags today, still sinking in for the passengers, too. You just heard the loudest boom. Rebecca LaCoree said she was surprised she survived in getting off the plane proved a true team effort. There was no slide because the flight crew in the front was heard. We just took it upon ourselves. I opened the emergency exit on the left. A gentleman opened the emergency exit on the right, and everyone got out. All right, with that, Sam, Brock, joins us tonight from LaGuardia.

Sam, we could still see the crews out there. The NTSB chair also mentioned something else that was interesting, that the controller who gave the clearance, stayed on the job even after the accident? That's right, Tom. And to be very clear, the FAA's protocol in this case is to remove that person from the job immediately. Today, the NTSB chair, Jennifer Homandy, said they have not identified, or at least they're not announcing which of the two controllers gave the clearance.

but either way, she said she had a lot of questions about why that didn't happen. 1138 is the listed time of the incident. There was not a shift change until midnight. And the reason they have to come off is for the controllers to be tested for things like drugs or alcohol or their overall health. Apparently, that did not happen. What is very active right now over my scene, Tom, as you mentioned, is the fact that there are still bulldozers out here, a truck bed filled with pieces of equipment, wrapped in plastic.

We have been watching for the last several hours as some of these. investigators, specialists as they're called, sift through all of this debris. And we do, I believe, have some video from just earlier when there was a cherry picker out there and a gentleman at the very top of that removing debris from the plane. Perhaps we don't have it at this moment. But this continues to be just a lot of activity out here. Allegedly, here it is, from literally, it's gotten darker. That was only about 30 or 40 minutes ago. The runway is supposed to open on Friday, according to the FAA. Perhaps there's going to be a deconstruction or a removal of this plane in the fire truck. It's only about 50 or 70 feet away from that. But there are no signs so far of movement. All that we're

seeing right now is just more investigation, more people on the ground outside behind me. A lot of work there behind you. All right, Sam, we thank you. We are also watching a possible deal to fund DHS and end the partial government shutdown driving those long lines at TSA checkpoints across the country. Here's Tom Costello. word of a potential breakthrough that could solve those hours-long TSA lines choking critical airports. Got up at like some ungodly hour to get an 815 flight. Four sources familiar with the negotiations tell NBC News of a potential deal in the works between the White House and Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security. President Trump with newly sworn in DHS Secretary Mark Wayne

Mullen. We're going to take a good hard look at it. I want to support Republicans. Under the Proposal from Senate Republicans, DHS, including TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA would be fully funded, as would portions of ICE that combat drug trafficking, but not immigration enforcement, which would be negotiated later. Democrats have been demanding such a compromise while insisting on ICE policing reforms. Among travelers, mixed reviews to ICE agents now in airports as unpaid TSA officers called out sick. Just pay the TSA workers and get those people to come back. to do the job that they've been trained for. A deal to end the partial shutdown would mean TSA officers would again be paid as they're

set to miss a third paycheck this week. It's hard to come to work every day and not get paid and bills piling up, creditors not understanding. The good news, TSA lines were shorter at many airports on this typically slower Tuesday. NBC's Aaron Gilchrist is in Atlanta. Atlanta's airport was jam-packed with travelers on Monday. these TSA lines have been significantly shorter since the morning rush. Tonight, hope that this latest government shutdown could soon come to an end.

As for when any proposal might come up for a vote, no timeline on that, but the clock is ticking because next week the House and the Senate are both out on recess. And again, oh, by the way, TSA officers missed yet another paycheck this coming Friday. Delta Airlines also turning up the heat on Congress, suspending specialty service perks here at RISC. Reagan National Airport for members of Congress. Tom? Everyone fed up with this defunding. All right, we thank you for that. Breaking late tonight, a New Mexico jury reaching a verdict in a major social media trial. Jurors holding meta liable for endangering children by misleading them about the safety of its platforms like Facebook and

Instagram. I want to bring in NBC's Laura Jared with the latest. She's been following it for us. So explain to our viewers, how big of a blow is this to Mark Zuckerberg and meta? This is massive, Tom. This is the first time we have seen meta ever heard. liable in this way by a state for essentially failing to protect kids online. In this case, it's about failing to protect them from predators. They're facing other claims in LA where the jury is deliberating at this hour time. But we're talking about $375 million in damages now awarded to the state. And it could be even more, as the judge is going to hold another hearing later this spring to determine what other penalties, including what changes, what tangible changes

the platform actually has to be. Because that's the big question. We don't know, right? Yeah, and the state says, look, we want more robust age verification, but the judge could go further than that. The judge could say, for instance, we want you to slap a warning label on this, like a pack of cigarettes, right? So that's what's going to happen coming up next. But this is a massive blow. The company is saying tonight they plan to appeal. Zuckerberg had a lot on the line here, Tom. He came.

He testified in the LA case. He came by deposition in this case. The head of Instagram also testifying here. So there was a lot on the line for the company. So before those changes happened and the appeal process takes place, Talk to us about the timeline here. They're going to say they're going to appeal. What happens then?

This could take years, right, for it to work its way up. This was just a trial court, but judges are loath to disturb a jury verdict. That's why they matter so much. That's why oftentimes you see companies settle, right? TikTok, snap, they have settled some of these cases before, but Meta decided we've got to take this one to trial, probably knowing there are literally thousands of other cases just like this pending. And so they wanted to make sure there wasn't a bad precedent on the books like this. And so they're now going to have to contend with this as it works.

way up on the field. Laura, Jerry, for us. Laura, we thank you for all that. Yeah. We're also tracking breaking news on the war with Iran. President Trump approving the deployment of another 1,000 troops to the region, even as President Trump tonight, suggests the war could soon end. NBC's Richard Engel reports. More American troops we're learning tonight are heading to the Middle East to join the war with Iran. More than 1,000 from the 82nd Airborne Division, two sources familiar with the matter, tell NBC News. They will soon deploy to the Gulf.

This, as President Trump just tonight, appeared to be already declaring victory. This war has been won. At the exact time he was speaking, we filmed this. An Iranian cluster bomb exploding over Tel Aviv. We're actually talking to the right people, and they want to make a deal so badly. For now, the war is intensifying.

Israel today announced new, massive strikes on what it described as Iran's main production site for explosive material. U.S. air strikes aren't slowing down either, hitting around 500 targets a day. And Iran is still firing on Israel around the clock. Some missiles getting past air defenses, this one destroying a residential building in Tel Aviv. You can see behind me in the scene, we have a scene of a missile attack. The missile hit the asphalt, making a large crater. But back channel diplomacy does appear to be taking shape. Pakistan, today offered to mediate between the U.S. and Iran.

Two sources telling NBC News, in-person negotiations could happen in the coming days. But not everyone wants a quick exit. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says Israel will keep attacking Iran and Lebanon until Israel's aims are achieved. And Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has told President Trump that Riyadh is concerned about leaving Iran angry and capable of continuing. to strike its neighbors in the region, according to a senior Saudi official. I want to pick up on that Saudi news in a second.

Richard Engel joins us from Tel Aviv. Richard, first. We're also seeing the injuries to U.S. service members climb. We are. So 13 American service members have been killed so far in this war, Tom. And now a U.S. official says that around 290 have been wounded. Most of them were able to return to service. And then, Richard, on that bit of news about Saudi,

Arabia. Explain to our viewers exactly what's at play here because there are so many countries across the world that are asking for peace or at least a ceasefire and at least some of the reporting on Saudi Arabia. It's a different story. They sort of want the U.S. and Israel to finish what they've started. Explain that. So Israel has its motivation for continuing this war. Israel has an old score to settle, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has said that he's going to keep his foot on the gas. And Saudi Arabia also has an ancient rivalry with Iran. Right now it is called the Persian Gulf.

The Persian Gulf leads to the Strait of Hormuz. That's this critical passageway for the world's oil and gas, 20% of it. Well, Saudi Arabia considers that its backyard. It would rather the Persian Gulf become the Arabian Gulf dominated by Saudi Arabia. So Saudi Arabia's, they would like to see Iran not only weakened but potentially destroyed or replaced with an amenable government. They don't want to see an angry, perhaps even more violent, wounded but not killed Iran. Richard Engel, we thank you for that great analysis. We want to continue this conversation for more of the diplomatic efforts to end the war with Iran.

I want to bring in our panel of experts tonight. Colonel Steve Warren is an NBC News military analyst, and Aaron Dave Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment. for international peace and a former Arab-Israeli negotiator. I thank you both for being here. Aaron, you worked as a negotiator, as we mentioned, for six secretaries of state. So you know the dynamics at play here. Do you think a deal is on the horizon?

And I asked that because we threw a lot of things at our viewers there, right? You have the president saying one thing when he's here at the White House. You have Israel whispering something in his ear, the Saudis whispering something else, and the world, many countries may be hoping for peace. What's going to happen?

First of all, thanks for having me. It's great to be here with Steve. I don't think we're close to a deal. I don't think we're close to ending the war. I think the Iranian price for opening the straits will be prohibitive. I'm not sure the Trump administration is prepared to pay it. And that would leave the alternative. I'll leave it to Steve to talk about the implications of what would happen if the United States

tried to open the straits? What sort of force deployment would that involve? What are the prospects for casualties? Look, I think right now, if the war ended today, the Americans and the Israelis have achieved all kinds of tactical successes, destroying ballistic missile production facilities, planetary mixers to make solid fuel, command and control, air defense. But the reality is strategically, Right now, I think the Iranians are the winners. They've demonstrated that they retain horizontal escalation, the capacity to make the Gulf States miserable, and to undermine their future of security and stability.

And more important, they've done something that they've never done. The strait is not closed. It's just open to tankers that they want to let pass. We never had a situation like this. And opening the straits is clearly, turn this into a war of choice in my judgment, to war of necessity. And I think we're in for a very long struggle ahead. Colonel, do you agree with that assessment? Yeah, it's tough to know exactly where we are.

I've long said that this is a test of wills. How much punishment can the Iranian side take against how much economic pain the West is willing to endure? And right now, it does not seem like either side has reached that limit yet. So I think there's still some fighting to go on. I think the United States of America and the Israelis still have a few tricks up their sleeve, so to speak. We've started to see ground troops begin to move towards the region. So that tells us that there are still a few things the Americans and the Israelis can do to apply more pressure. But Colonel Warren, isn't there a military strategy to keep your enemy confused?

Do you think the Iranians are confused right now? Well, I think the Iranians are somewhat in disarray right now. They've had a lot of losses to their leadership. They are seeing multiple dilemmas at the same time. They're being struck from all sides. So I think the Iranians are struggling. However, the Iranians, I think, are tougher maybe than we thought. You know, they've lived under sanctions for 40 years.

They've endured a lot. They've withstood a bloody, traumatic war with the Iraqis for many years. They're tough. They have learned to live under hardship. And I think that's where maybe we weren't quite ready for that. Aaron, Trump, the president, has said that Iran offered a very significant prize related to the Strait of Hormuzzi negotiations. If he is telling the truth, based on your experience, what could that be? Look, yeah, I worked and voted for Republicans and Democrats. I can't read this president. Every time he said something on social media, he tends toward the hyperbolic, toward exaggerating. In fact, he has a very strange relationship to say, the least with the truth. There's reporting that the Iraqis have decided to let an Iraqi

tanker through, which would be the first in weeks, since they, quote, unquote, closed the straits with a lot of oil in that tanker. That would be good for the Iraqis. I had no idea, frankly. It's related to oil and gas what the president is talking about. Colonel, you see the troops moving to the Middle East, that they're moving them more towards the region, thousands at a time? What can we draw from that? Well, we can draw two things. Number one, Tom, the commander there, wants options, right? Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander, U.S. Central Command, he wants options. He's got all the aircraft and ships that I think that anyone could want, but he doesn't have, you know, to put it plainly, guys with guns. And they always can make a difference of some sort. So that's the first thing he's got is simply options. More specifically, we understand that the Strait of Hormuz is going to be more increasingly difficult to get that to a place where all ships have. feel free and safe to transit. In order to do that, you've got to be able to push back the threats that are both ashore and at sea. And the only way to push back those threats and know that they're

pushed back is to have people there who can look, and that's boots on the ground. Aaron, how do you know who exactly is in control in Iran? And I asked that because, you know, at the start of this segment, you felt that Iran maybe has the advantage, and you laid out all the points for that, and the colonel agreed with you. But I can remember a time only a few weeks ago when the president of Iran came out with a statement, apologizing to the Gulf states, and then that quickly was shut down by the hardliners, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Anytime anyone in Iran in leadership pops up their head, pops up their head, a missile hits them immediately. They're striking 500 targets a day there in Iran. And I understand where you're coming from, and the colonel is well saying that they have suffered for decades. They are sort of used to this, if you will. But if there is no communication, if you will, between leadership, it's unclear who's in charge.

Does that lead to disarray and maybe to mistakes? I mean, it could, but I think what you've seen is a regime under enormous pressure that basically has cohered the security establishment, the IRGC in particular. And look, to rule Iran, you need access to three things, money, guns, and oil. And frankly, the only capable force in the wake of what the Israelis and the Americans are doing in terms of disrupting ban of control is the security establishment and the Iran revolutionary guide corps. By all accounts, I talked to Irani, the best experts on Iran in the United States, and it's a black box to them. My colleague at Carnegie Kareem Sajapur said that Trump was looking for an Iranian Delsi Rodriguez, all of Venezuela. But what he got and what he may get is an Iranian Kim Jong-un or maybe more than one Iranian Kim Jong-un. So right now, headlines don't necessarily mean the trend lines.

But right now, this regime is demonstrating that it can cohere and is doing more than surviving. It's actually making decisions. Who's in charge? Who actually has the legitimacy to make decisions? That's a core question. Aaron, David Miller, Colonel Steve Warren, a great conversation. I'm sure we're going to have it in the days ahead. We thank you for being on Top Story tonight.

We're back in a moment with the trial of a Maui doctor, accused of trying to kill his Hawaii fall on a hiking trail. What she just said on the stand, you'll hear it from her as cameras were in court about the situation and when it took a violent turn. Plus, the explosion at an oil refinery in Texas flames and smoke. You see it here erupting from the plant, forcing people to shelter in place. What caused it? And a new level of comfort in the sky. Look at this, how one airline is looking to turn a whole row of seats into a bed in economy. We'll explain ahead on top story. We're back now with the dramatic testimony in a Hawaii the wife of a doctor accused of attempted murder taking the stand today, detailing how she says he tried to kill her during a hike.

NBC Steve Patterson is at the trial. Yes, I do. A stoic Ariel Konig taking the stand tonight in her husband's attempted murder trial. I'm screaming and he's telling me, shut the fuck up. Nobody's going to hear you out here. Nobody's coming to save you. Her testimony, haunting, at times harrowing. I was screaming and so he's covering my mouth and stuff.

And then we had this moment of like, he seems like he takes a deep breath. And then he just starts hitting my face and my head with a rock. Exactly one year ago, on her birthday, she says her own husband tried to push her off a cliff. She was on a hike in Oahu with her husband, Hawaii anesthesiologist Dr. Gerhardt Koenig, when she says his mood suddenly changed. He's on top of me. And he had a syringe in his hand. And he says, hold still. Ariel says she swatted the syringe away as a pair of hikers looked at. done in horror. There's a man trying to kill her. She's blood all over her face.

Sarah Bucksbaum placed that 911 call. Can you describe seeing the defendant's eyes? It's like a cold, emotionless stare. Unfaithful, unwilling, and untrue. His attorneys say Ariel was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a man she worked with. You described it to the detective simply as some flirty text messages with a co-worker, correct? That's what it was, sir.

They say she first attacked Koneg. She attacked him, pushed him, and they ended up in a scuff on the ground. He never tried to throw off the cliff. And with that, Steve Patterson joins us tonight from Honolulu, Hawaii. Steve, that testimony that we were hearing there pretty dramatic. Are we expecting the same in the days ahead? We are, yeah, Ariel Koneg, by the way, still on the stand as we speak, being pressed about that relationship as we seek.

something that may last at least until tomorrow. And then we'll see, of course, what happens next. All right, Steve Patterson for us there in Honolulu. Steve, thank you. For more on the trial, I want to bring in NBC News legal analyst, Misty Maris. Missy, first, can you break down for our viewers the charges of attempted murder and what the prosecution ultimately needs to prove? Yeah, so it's an intentional or knowing attempt to kill another person. And in order to prove an attempt crime, there has to be an overt act towards actually completing the crime. but it does not require a showing of premeditation just that there was intent. Yeah, I want to go back to that cross-examination of Ariel Konig today. The defense seeming to try to paint, I guess, her character, you know, saying that maybe she cheated on him, maybe she even attacked him.

What are they trying to do there? So here's where it fits into the defense strategy. So the defense has said that this was actually an act of self-defense, that she actually engaged in a physical altercation with him first, and he was merely defending himself. And this stem from, according to the defense, her speaking about an affair and her husband, the defendant, saying, well, you know what? I'm going to break up the marriage. I'm going to disclose that you're having an affair. And that triggered her to actually attack him. So that's all part of the defense case. And that's why you're seeing so much of that on cross-examination to lay out that narrative for the jury. All right. So if you're watching this case, how did she do on the stand? Her story was incredibly compelling. And then you have the witness, the other hiker there, who saw this and talked about the dead stare. in the husband's eyes. Yeah, so watching her testimony, it was really emotional, Tom. And I really think you could feel her emotion on the stand when she is talking about the moments where she says

her husband came after her, told her, no one's going to hear you now, tried to push her off the cliff, and then attacked her with the rock. And so, you know, all of that came off very, very credible. Ultimately, the jury decides credibility. But coupled that with those hikers who have no horse in the race, right? They just are test. about what they observed. That is what the prosecution is using to put together that case that this was not a self-defense act.

This was an attack and an attempt to kill. Real quick, do you think the husband takes a stand? I don't, but I do think jury would like to hear from him, self-defense. It's good to hear the other side of the coin, but I doubt it'll take it. It's too risky. Misty Maris, we thank you so much, appreciate it. Coming up on top story tonight,

the troubling allegations against a quadruple amputee who looked to inspire others through cornhole. Yes, that game, how he went from one of the sports's brightest star to an accused killer. Plus, the new concerns about prediction markets as questions grow about potential insider trading. How bedders are cashing in on the war with Iran? We're going to explain this and what's being done to rain in the sights. Stay with us. We're back now with the red flags being raised tonight over suspicious trades involving the war with Iran and huge amounts of cash

of financial times investigation, finding traders bet half a billion dollars on future oil prices, just 15 minutes before President Trump shook up the market by posting on Truth Social that there was progress on peace talks with Iran. A similar pattern emerging on prediction market betting sites. This graph shows bets on a ceasefire deal being reached on March 31st, according to Gaming America. Eight Polly Market accounts bet $70,000 back on March 21st when that likelihood was just 6%. On March 23rd, President Trump bakes the Truth Social Post about talks with Iran,

and a few hours later, the likelihood of a deal by March 31st peaks at 26 percent, those accounts that got in early poised to win hundreds of thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, CNN reporting one singular user has made almost a million dollars on Iran bets on polymarket, while frequent traders have a success rate of about 50 percent. This individual has won 93 percent of bets on Iran since 2024. Now, amid growing scrutiny and pressure from lawmakers, both Polly Market and its competitor, Calhese say they have tightened restrictions on insider trading on their sites. In a statement to NBC News, Polly Market saying in part, it sets, maintains, and enforces the highest standards of market integrity.

For more on this, I'm joined by Kate Nibb. She's a senior writer at Wired who covers prediction markets. Kate, what are the telltale signs of insider trading and what alarm bells do these cases ring? But I have a better question than that. My question is this. How can these platforms know if there's insider training? They have no investigative bodies. So the platforms have announced, you know, new procedures for investigating insider trading and market manipulation. Kalshi, for example, is proactively banning accounts that seem to be associated with members of Congress, for example. Polymarket just today came out with this whole spiel about how it's beefing up its investigations. But right now we're not seeing a lot of enforcement.

happening beyond them saying, you know, we're beefing up investigations. I was actually talking to Polymarket earlier today, asking specifically, have you investigated the wallets that people are currently eyeing as suspected insider trading accounts? And they are not willing to comment on individual instances, but they were stressing that they are proactively looking into this sort of thing. So we don't have a lot of answers about exactly how they're handling this. And how can Congress be the ones to sort of look into this or even make a difference when they are accused by many Americans of doing insider trading themselves? Yeah, I mean, there are, I think, five or six different bills that have just been introduced in the past few weeks, attempting to put guardrails on the prediction market industry.

And a few of the bills do specifically attempt to prohibit government officials, including members of Congress, from insider trading on these platforms. But I think it's a very fair question to ask when, you know, members of Congress do have a history of making suspicious trades. Yeah. Whether, you know, how serious they are about it. But, yeah, we have seen this big push to attempt to put guardrails up in legislation. So, Kate, I want to ask you, a lot of people are watching this. They may not even know how this works. Can any American go on these sites and place a bet on whether there'll be a ceasefire today and or tomorrow?

And who are you betting against? Are you betting against other people on the platform, or is Polly Market the house? So Polly Market is not the house. And right now, there's actually, like, CaliChi and Polly Market are the two major players in this industry, but there's a major distinction between them. So Cali is U.S.-based. People in the United States are legally allowed to sign up for an account and buy event contracts to basically guess what's going to happen in the future, including event contracts,

on geopolitical events, like whether there's a ceasefire. Now, Polymarket does have a small U.S. market, but most of Polymarket is actually offshore, and people use crypto wallets to trade, and people in the United States are not supposed to be participating in those markets. Now, people are, they're getting around it by signing up for virtual private networks. Yeah. Yeah.

So people are doing this, but they're not legally allowed to be doing. And most of the instances of insider trading that people are looking into right now, that's happening on the offshore polymarket platform. And, you know, there are research groups that are able to analyze what these crypto wallets are doing and make assumptions and point to suspicious fact patterns, even though they can't actually unmask exactly who is behind it. And we're talking about millions or billions with these platforms. as far as money that they have to back these bets? I'm sorry. Can you hear me? Did you lose me? You just cut out. Yeah, no, it's okay. Do these platforms have millions of dollars, billions of dollars to back these bets? Oh, yeah. The trade volume is huge. Some individual traders are making millions of dollars just on the Iran market.

So it's wild to watch, and it's big money and only getting bigger. Kate Nibbs, we thank you so much for joining us. That's a really fascinating report. to Maryland now where a celebrated cornhole player and quadruple amputee is facing murder charges, accused of shooting and killing a passenger in his car. NBC's Emily Aketa has this bizarre one. Dayton Weber, who is a quadruple amputee, first gained attention as a professional cornhole player. And the crowd loves it here in Milwaukee. But tonight is back in the spotlight as a murder suspect, accused of shooting and killing passenger Bradrick Wells while driving Sunday. According to the Charles County Sheriff's Office in Maryland. Apparently the driver and the front seat passenger were

involved in some kind of an argument. The sheriff says Weber asked his two backseat passengers to help pull the victim out of the car. When they refused and got out, authorities say Weber allegedly drove off with the victim still in the car. About two hours later, we did get a call. They indicated that there was a body in their yard. Police in Virginia eventually apprehending Weber, who now faces charges of first and second degree murder. It was not. immediately clear if Weber has an attorney and the public defender's office did not respond to a request for comment. Investigators did not explain why they believe the 27-year-old amputee was allegedly able to shoot a gun while driving. Weber's social media shows him conquering challenges from shooting a rifle with captions like no hands, no feet,

to climbing a ladder and shooting a 9-millimeter handgun. Weber's rise in athletics from a young age has been spotlighted in the media, exploring wrestling, dirt bikes, and eventually cornhole. I just always enjoy a challenge. I think it's my biggest thing. I enjoy conquering things that I maybe thought I couldn't do or maybe there would be a struggle to me. But in the wake of this week's stunning twist, tonight, the American Cornhole League saying in a statement, this is an extremely serious matter. and our thoughts are with all those impacted. Okay, Emily and Keda joins us. Emily, like we said, this was sort of a bizarre story. Do we know what the motive was here? Still a lot of unanswered questions, but authorities say that Weber had been friends with the victim but did not elaborate further beyond that. He had picked up two people from work. They had sat in the backseat of the car who told investigators that Wells the victim had already been in the vehicle and the pair was in a heated argument when Weber pulled out a gun.

Okay, Emily Akeda, we thank you for that one. All right, time for Top Stories News Feed tonight. We start in D.C. where police officer was shot and wounded in what investigators are calling a targeted attack. They say he was driving in an unmarked car when two gunmen approached and fired dozens of shots. The officer was rushed to the hospital and has now been released. Authorities arrested two suspects today who are both facing charges. Police say it's possible that gunmen knew he was an officer even though he was in plain clothes. And an American academic freed by the Taliban after being held in Afghanistan for more than a year.

Dennis Coyle was detained in January of last year. Afghan authorities accused him of violating laws without giving any other details. The country's foreign ministry says the release came after an appeal from Coil's family. Here you can see him on a plane heading back to the U.S. And a surprising move from OpenAI, the company announcing it's shutting down SORA, the AI video-making app that went viral. It's all in an effort to shift focus to Cody. and other business tools. According to Variety, Disney is dropping its $1 billion investment in the app.

The official Sora account also posting a video of an AI-generated crab saying goodbye and thanks for the memories. Wow. And police in Georgia finding an alleged burglar hiding in a strange place. They said they went to an apartment building that was being renovated after neighbors reported hearing some banging inside. And when officers showed up, they found the suspect tucked inside this refrigerator. Look at that. He apparently told him he broke in to get out of cold, police say he pulled down electrical wires and caused around $2,000 damage that suspect is now facing a series of charges. Okay, to Texas now, we're a massive fire at a major oil refinery could lead to even higher

gas prices already surging because of the war in Iran. NBC's Priscilla Thompson has this one. Look at the flares. Look at the flare. Bright orange flames seen here raging at one of the largest oil refineries in the U.S. Huge explosion just happened in the Valero. It shook my whole truck. Thick black clouds of smoke filling the sky over Port Arthur, Texas.

The thought that came to mind was someone may have dropped a bomb. That's what it felt like. As a massive inferno engulfed part of this Valero plant Monday night. Supervisor hearing dispatch is called. He advised that it was a heater. It was a heater at explode. A shelter in place has been lifted. Port Arthur's mayor trying to reassure a community on edge.

It wasn't a terrorist threat. It was nothing. One of the units just exploded. Valero saying all personnel are accounted for, and there are no recordable injuries, but not saying when the plant will be fully operational. Analysts tell NBC News if it remains offline for weeks, gas prices could soar even higher. A gallon of regular gas now up a full dollar since the war with Iran began. Some resorting to theft. A man caught on camera appearing to flee after stealing gas from Diamond Learning Center in California staffed their say.

The CEO of United Airlines warning with oil prices where they are, airfare could be next to take off. That would require prices to be up 20 percent to break even. And Tom, this plant processes 435,000 barrels of oil per day for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Getting it back online now essential to prevent further disruption in an already rattled energy market. Tom? Yeah, we hope so. Okay, Priscilla, thank you. Not a potential game changer for travel.

We've talked about the reclining plane. seat debate extensively here on Top Story, but an update from United Airlines is bringing new meaning to sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight. Look at this, United Unvailing Relax Row, three economy seats next to each other with adjustable legrests that can create a flat space to lay down. You also get a mattress pad, a blanket, and two pillows. Joining me now to talk about this new era of air travel is Clint Henderson, managing editor of the Points Guy and a good friend of Top Story. Clint, so great to see you here. So my notes here tell you. me that you guys actually had a chance to see these up close? What did you learn?

Well, it's really interesting. It's a really exciting new development. And it's strange because Air New Zealand and A&A have had this product for a decade. And so this is the first U.S. carrier to get it, though. But talk about luxury for a family or a couple. The question remains, though, how much is it going to cost? That's a very key. Well, tell us how it works. So this is going to be a whole separate row. It'll be the front of the economy cabin. They're still consider an economy seats, but the lower leg lift lifts up and it turns into a sort of a twin-sized bed. Okay. And all, you have all three seats that lie flat. You get a mattress bat on top. Yeah. Blankets, special pillows, special teddy bear even. Okay. If you're, if you're, if you're,

four to five feet tall, probably comfortable, what if you're like in the six foot range? Are you hanging over the edge or do you? I don't know how long it is. So if you're, it's a standard coach row. Yeah. So imagine that, but you get to. But how long? I have no idea. Like, is it, is it's, because it seems like it could be a little cramped. It's wider. Okay, it's wider. So you have more space. I got it. I got it.

But if you're a single person, it's great. If you're a family, I don't know how all three of you're going to squeeze in there. No, I hear you. And also, how many people will let you squeeze in there? I mean, how do they let you sit with a child? I don't know. So the average cost to think of an economy flight last year was like $380. Do we know what this would cost?

Would you have to buy all three seats? Yes, you would. You would essentially. So they're being very cagey about what they're going to price it at. But I would expect, based on what Air New Zealand charges, it'll be anywhere from 400 as an upsell all the way up to like $2,000, depending on... For a row or 400 plus your coach fare. So plus your coach fare.

So it can actually work out if you're saving money by booking the couch instead of paying for three separate tickets. Yeah. But you've got to really do the math because it's going to depend on life. You're the points guy. I mean, you should know this. I mean, so is it cheaper than a first class? It will be cheaper. It will be cheaper than a first class.

Cheaper than business class. Okay. We expect, but we don't know for sure, and I guess it will depend on the route. So maybe if a family really wants those seats, they might... But not two adults. They can't put two adults on that sucker, right? Yes, they can't. Two adults on the...

Potentially, yeah, the twin bed. Cuddle class, we call that. Cuddle class? Okay. Not a real thing. Yeah. This is what we call it. No, no, no, but you really think they'll allow two adults on there?

I do think so, yeah, yeah. Okay, and it's safe. I just saw like the long seatbelt thing, too. Yeah, they've got an extend her. This person's got three, a mom and two kids. You think they're going to allow that? Yes, I do. Because I guess it's three seats. Yeah. Okay. And the airlines will be okay with this.

Yes, we've had reporters at the Points Guy actually tried this out on Air New Zealand. Absolutely loved it. It was comfortable? Yeah. Okay. Anything to look out for it to worry about? I think pricing is the big worry for me. And, you know, how fast this is going to get rolled out, how many planes it'll be on, that kind of thing. It's interesting, though. You say it's been out there for a decade on these carriers in Australia, New Zealand. You would think all the carriers here studied that have looked into it. But who knows? I mean, maybe it could be a lot idea. You should be worried right now, Delta. Why?

Because the United is nipping at their heels in every premium cabin, every configuration out there. It's a real arms race now for premium cabins. That's the next segment. I want to know about that. All right. Clint, we thank you so much. Still to come tonight here. Countdown to opening day.

Baseball returns tomorrow with those robot umpires taking the calls and checking the balls, how the challenge system works and what fans can expect. Plus, from dugout to the auction block, how much team Italy's famous espresso. The Russell machine just sold for. That's next. We're back now with Top Stories Global Watch and an update on that military plane crash in Colombia. The head of the country's armed forces confirming at least 66 people died. About half of everyone on board. Dozens of others were hurt and four are still missing.

The plane was carrying mostly soldiers when it crashed yesterday shortly after takeoff. It's unclear what happened, but officials say it does not appear the aircraft was attacked. And dramatic video of a Russian drone strike in Ukraine. Look at this. The Ukrainian Prime Minister says the daylight attack targeted 17th century church, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This happened in the western city of Lviv, where Russian forces launched a barrage of strikes today. Ukraine claims that those strikes have injured dozens. And rescue teams in Germany are racing against the clock to try and save this beached whale.

You can see the top of the humpback whale just off the coast of the beach. Experts say the animal cannot be dragged into deeper water without risking injury, so they came up with a plan to play. push it using different boats and even drones. And remember the viral espresso machine that Team Italy kept in its dug out during the World Baseball Classic? Well, it did more than just give the Italians a caffeine boost. The machine sold at an MLB auction last night for more than $16,000. Italy's captain who plays for the Kansas City Royal says the money is going to a charity supporting autism research. And speaking of baseball, opening day for Major League Baseball is almost here and stepping up to the plate for the first.

time is the robo umpire officially called the automated ball strike challenge system it gives players the chance to overrule a human umpires call on the field and it's already being tested during spring training here to break it all down for us one of our good friends the front office sports host baker machado baker so great to see you here so for people who don't watch baseball who don't maybe love baseball this is a big deal and explain why this is a very big deal tom this has been years of testing in the making in the minor leagues and as you mentioned this has been going on in spring training as well. And now, starting on Wednesday for opening day,

we'll get our first full experience of the robo umpires. And walk us through how it works. OK, so basically this is what will happen. Is any time you see on the field, one of the, see right here, you see the pitcher, the catcher, or the batter. And the batter, this case, touches the top of their head. That is the clue after the pitch has been thrown

to the umpire that they are challenging wherever that ball was thrown. And again, only three people on the diamond can do this. And you have to do it very, very quick, because the umpire is going to want to keep the pace of the game going. So basically what will happen here is each team gets two challenges per game. If you win the challenge, you keep challenging.

If you lose, if you lose those two specifically, you're out of challenges for the rest of the game. Again, you have to just tap the helmet and only the pitchers, the catchers and the batters can do this. Nobody else in the dugout, the managers, the fielders, anybody else can do this. I'm going to ask Brett Holi to go back to that video that we're just showing of how it works and sort of the strike zone. because we have that sort of that box that we were just showing there. So Baker, if the ball is out of the box, what does that mean? So this would be, for instance, depending upon where that umpire called that play, this clearly is a ball.

But what you see right here, which is interesting, is this is the same technology we see in tennis games, where they do this in the Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, that you'll see almost intentaneously for everybody to know where that pitch was at. So anyway, this is interesting. Last night I was watching the Dodgers exhibition game, and this happened where the catcher didn't like the placement of where the umpire called a ball. So the umpire then says they're challenging and then literally 15 seconds later

this is going so fast. You see everybody sees on TV where the ball actually was and it turns out it was a strike and the call got overturned. What happens if it just touches the box? Do you know? I mean if it touches the box, it's still considered a strike as long as it's there in the strike zone. It's anywhere. But this is interesting also. The ABS technology had to do measurements of all the players during spring training. So that way every player now has a frame of what their automated ball strike. system would look like. So if you're a tall player like Cody Bellinger who doesn't squat at all, you have a really big strike zone. But if you're somebody that squats or crouches a lot, you're going to have a little more of an interesting time on this. Yes. You got a different

strike zone. Okay, so how did it work out in spring training? Like give us some of the data here because they used it throughout spring training and we sort of added it up. Yeah, so there was about 1,800 times that this was used over the course of spring training. And interestingly, that meant this was actually successful about 52% of the time. This was on about 4.9% of eligible pitches. And let's show you guys the success rate on a lot of these, because this is where it gets interested. Right, it gets a little crazy. So basically pitchers and catchers, as I mentioned, can call this, and they had a 60% success rate of over turning the call. They were good. Yes, and you would think catchers know exactly where the placement of everything is going, so they have an advantage. Batters, on the other hand, not as good. You have a less than 50% chance of getting that call overturned, at least so far from spring training. Now, again, this is only through spring training. This is the first time these players have ever used this. So it might take them,

just a little bit more time to sort of get used to all this, but that might... And again, you can use it twice, but if you're right, you get to keep using it. Yes, so that's going to be a new strategy now for a lot of baseball, for managers and players. When do you use this? Do you use it early on in the game? Do you hold it to the very end of the game? If you've lost it, do you wait until the ninth inning to use your challenge again? So it adds a whole other layer of strategy for players. What happens in extra innings, do you know? If you have them, you get to keep it for the extra innings, but you don't get another one for

Baker, you're good. I can't stop you. Let's talk about the teams here. Talk about the teams here. Who actually did well and who did it? So I did think this was really interesting. Again, this is only a sample from spring training. And spring trading, to be honest with you, a lot of those guys are staying in the minor leagues. They're not going to make it up to their majors.

But let's take a look. Okay, so this, by the way, is just the batting team. So these are the batters who, by the way, only had a 45% success rate of getting these done. But if you play for the Cubs, you clearly had a lot more success. Interestingly here, except for the Cardinals, these teams are all playoff contenders. Yeah. And these are teams coming up against my Yankees. Exactly. Also, and then you see the bottom teams, at least from the batterers perspective, the Astros, the Royal.

Trial's not good. Tried heart. What about on the pitching side? All right. So this is also interesting. You're going to see some similarities here as well. The Cardinals, you see the Mariners, the Marlins and the Marlins and the Reds all doing really well. Okay. The Cardinals specifically have always had really good catchers, which is probably why that number has been really high. And then you see this teams like the Dodgers and the White Sox and the Mets and the Mets too. All on the lower end of that so far. But again, this is only spring training. Players just getting used to this system. A lot of things could still change. It's all about data, so I'm sure they're going to be crunching all these numbers. It'll be fun. It's going to make the game a little bit more interesting. It only added 15 seconds per time, so it's not like this is going to be something that takes a lot of extra time.

Okay. Baker Machado, always great to have you, man. Thank you for being here. When we come back tonight, the special surprise for a fixture at one Texas school, the dads who came together to give a beloved crossing guard a gift she'll never forget. That moment next. Finally, tonight, the Dallas community that came together to surprise a school crossing guard who keeps kids safe and smiling every day. Take a look. This is the moment beloved elementary school crossing guard Tricia Crawford is surprised with an SUV all her own. She's used to cars arriving at Moss Haven Elementary in Dallas, but when this white SUV pulled up, little did she know she'd be the one driving at home. A surprise from a group of school dads who jumped in to help her out when car car car car car.

Trouble meant she couldn't easily get to work. Everybody knows and sees her every single morning. She brings a smile to everyone's face. Several months ago, she had needed car repair work on her vehicle. It turns out her car needed tons of repairs and what she really needed was another vehicle. We're like, promise you, we're going to help you out. We're going to get figured out. And figured out they did, raising thousands of dollars and working with a local car dealership to fix up this SUV.

All the dad. Teaming up to surprise her with the keys to her new rock. It's so special. I mean, it can be freezing cold, pouring rain. She's always there. For us to be able to do something to give a gesture of our appreciation for everything she does for us. It was really rewarding. All right, that does it for us.

Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yammis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.