Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Episode Date: October 29, 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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Breaking tonight, Hurricane Melissa, closing in on Jamaica, the Monster Category 5 storm set to unleash catastrophic conditions, landfall just hours away. Melissa set to plow into the island nation packing 170 mile per hour winds and up to three feet of rain. The storm projected to be the strongest to ever hit Jamaica as millions brazed for a worst-case scenario. Mandatory evacuations tonight as residents and American tourists race to safety. The storm so strong, Hurricane hunters forced to call off their mission, our team on the ground, live, as conditions quickly deteriorate. Back at home, the possible tornado charging across Florida's Gulf Coast, more than a dozen RVs flipped, a hotel roof tossed across a highway, the rare flash flood emergency leaving neighborhoods underwater. Also breaking tonight, two killed in a workplace shooting in Tennessee. SWAT teams closing in on the suspect, a shift supervisor.

the alleged TikTok murder plot targeting Attorney General Pam Bondi, the suspect offering $45,000 for Bondi to quote, for Bondi, quote, dead or alive. The false alarm at a Baltimore high school student sworn by police after AI security mistook a bag of chips for a gun. The crucial victory for Argentina's Harvier-Mille did President Trump's $20 billion bailout helped carry his party to his party to the top in the midterm election. And my exclusive sit down with the greatest soccer player on the planet, Leonel Messi, on his decision to re-sign with Inter-Maiami. And could he take the field of the 2026 World Cup?

Plus, breaking tonight, Amazon, preparing to lay off 30,000 workers as soon as tomorrow. The new details just in. Top story starts right now. Good evening. One of the most powerful hurricanes we've seen in years, on track for a direct and life-threatening hit in the Caribbean. That Cat 5 hurricane, Melissa, is a slow-moving one, but it's a monstrous storm, taking aim right at Jamaica. It could be the strongest storm the island nation has ever seen. Millions bracing for 175-mile-per-hour winds and up to three feet of rainfall.

Mandatory evacuations issued across the country, but some unable to get out. Later in the broadcast, we'll speak to an American couple stranded near Montego Bay. Officials warning of catastrophic flash floods, landslides, and storm surges that could knock out electricity for weeks, even months. Testing the island's infrastructure like never before. Sat images showing Melissa's fury, you can see it right here, lightning flashes within that powerful storm. The view from space revealing just how massive this storm is, you see it here. And this is a look inside the eye of the storm. You see a perfectly shaped eye wall there.

The system's so intense today, the plane was forced to turn around another Hurricane Hunter plane. Landfall expected in Jamaica tomorrow morning before barreling towards Cuba in the coming days. We have full team coverage tonight. Meteorologist Bill Carrings is standing by to track Melissa's bath. George Solis on the ground in Kinson, Jamaica, which is where we begin tonight as locals and tourists there, prepare for the worst. George, what are the conditions like right now? Yeah, Tom, in the last hour, conditions really starting to deteriorate. We're starting to see a lot more rain, that wind picking up.

Officials urging everyone now to hunker down and stay off the roads as we are just hours away of what could be a potential historic landfall here. Tonight, Hurricane Melissa on a collision course with Jamaica, outer bands of the monster Category 5 storm roaring ashore. We are real war because it might just rip the whole place. The island is bracing for dangerous winds up to 175 miles an hour, 30 to 40 inches of rain and life-threatening storm surge. Officials warning flash floods and landslides could be catastrophic and power outages may last weeks or even months. A dose of heavy wind and rain expected to

pummel the island. Low-lying areas expected to flood and infrastructure is expected to suffer. This stunning satellite image captured lightning flashes inside Melissa's eyes. But the storm is so powerful, a NOAA hurricane hunting aircraft reportedly had to turn back. If Melissa makes landfall as a Category 5, it will be the strongest hurricane ever in Jamaica. What is the message to the island? This is as strong and serious as storm as we've ever contemplated. Now is not the time to panic, but it is the time to complete your plans and preparations. Many tourists staying at resorts that dot the coastline race to get out before the airport's closed.

But American honeymooners, Kyle Peel and Kelsey Halotki, decided to write out the storm at their hotel. We have all the supplies we need and plenty of money in the bank account in case we get stuck here for a little longer than expected. The slow-moving storm has claimed at least four lives in the Dominican Republic in Haiti. Now high-risk neighborhoods in Jamaica are under mandatory evacuation orders, though officials say some are refusing to leave. If you are smart, we can work together. If you are not, unfortunately, you will pay the consequences. George, walk our viewers through what's going to happen there in Jamaica because they're going to lead a lot of help after this hurricane hits,

but it's going to be challenging getting there. Explain to our viewers why. Yeah, Tom, so one key thing here is the airport here in Kingston is barely above sea level. Parts of it have actually been underwater before in past hurricanes. That's problem number one. The other problem is going to be. be the infrastructure, comms, cell phone service, the roads here. Officials worried because of the catastrophic rain here, getting around places is simply

going to be too challenging once Melissa passes. You know, we see this Category 5 storm. We see it's headed right towards the Island Nation where you're reporting live from with our team there. Our viewers are going to be worried about you. And of course, everyone else in Jamaica, how do you prepare, if you can walk our viewers to that, how do you guys prepare to sort of ride this out in the coming hours? Yeah, making sure you have plenty of water. You have water that is stored, whether or not your building has a tub, just having buckets of water, having lots of food rations, lots of non-perishables, obviously trying to find a safe space within your structure, be it a stairwell, be at a corner, someplace where you can hunker down, especially if the rain starts to really take a hit to your building or some of those winds start to pick up in intensity. Our building is fortified. We have plenty.

of rations here. We have a plan and another backup plan should we need it. But Tom, rest assured, our team is taking every necessary precaution to weather this severe storm. George, that's great to hear. Please be careful tonight. You and your team will be thinking about you guys, praying for you guys, just like everyone else on Jamaica right now and in Jamaica. It's just such a devastating storm. It's going to be a sad time there for a few days, maybe a few weeks. All right, George, we thank you. I want to get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, we're not trying to hype this one up. I mean, this is a devastating storm. And when it comes to islands, we both know this.

It's just very hard. There's nowhere to run. And once the storm hits, it's hard to get in there to get helped. I mean, the National Hurricane Center has said we will have communities cut off for days, if not weeks. And now that we're pinpointing that landfill, now we're kind of getting an idea of what communities and maybe even cities are going to be needing the most help. So over the last couple of days, this center red line used to be down here through the middle of the Jamaica. It's been inching itself westward. And this is the latest forecast path.

And now it's getting close to Montego Bay, 100,000 people, and who knows how many tourists are still riding it out there in all the resorts. There's about 75 of them in Montego Bay, only 15 miles from the center line. The eye is about 10 miles wide, so this would put them on the edge of that western eye wall. The other thing to notice, the storm is moving further away from Kingston. That's great when we talk about wind, but as far as rainfall, it's not going to make a difference. So here's a look at the storm, and one interesting note, because these storms sometimes do a little strange things. This black line shows you the past path. Over the last two hours or three hours, the storm has just stalled, and it's just kind of

going up and doing a little loop to loop. We do think, and it's forecasted, to take that turn to the north and to the northeast eventually tonight, but it's kind of paused a little bit, and that's pushed back our landfill timing. It was looking earlier today to be early tomorrow morning, some time around sunrise. Now we're pushing it back, maybe even closer to noon. All of our lines here, Black River, 4,000 people, little fishing village down here on the coast. That is where our models are.

but these may even shift a little more west closer to Montego Bay later tonight. At least that's kind of like my hunch. As far as what we're dealing with with winds, orange is tropical storm. That's for Kingston. You still can lose power with that. But the devastating winds that'll look like a strong tornado went through where the eye goes through, that is going to be in western portions of Jamaica, maybe right over the top of Montego Bay. And then after midnight tomorrow, that's when we watch the storm heading into Cuba.

It's going to be far enough away from Guantanamo that it doesn't look like devastation for there, maybe just some strong gusty wind. So here's the wind forecast. Notice the Black River. Notice Montego Bay as we watch the storm making landfall. We will be watching 100 to maybe even 120 mile per hour gusts. So if you think of all the high-rise hotels and resorts in Montego Bay, you're going to see all those windows smashed out.

The concrete's not going to fall. Anything brick and, you know, built with steel will still be standing. But there'll be a lot of roofs missing when we go through that eye tomorrow. And as far as rainfall goes, Tom, this has been well advertised. And it doesn't matter, even if the storm is 70 miles away from Kempel. Kingston, with the high mountains here up to 7,000 feet, we could easily see someone getting 40 inches of rain. That's three and a half feet of rain. You can I imagine with that runoff we'll do to roads, highways, you know, whatever's in this way. Now, the stats are devastating,

175 mile per hour winds. You just think about that, and then 40 inches of rain. Do we know where it's headed, and I know it's sometimes hard to track these, especially in the Caribbean, where everything is sort of tightly packed together, especially this track? And then when could it be in the clear so aid can come in? Yeah, I mean, we may get, three, possibly even four landfalls out of this thing. So we just talked about Jamaica, and then we're definitely going to be dealing with the Cuba landfall. It has to go through the southern Bahamas, so we're going to have to wait and see exactly how that plays out. And then Bermuda, by the time we even get the Thursday, Wednesday night, Thursday is going to have a close call with the storm too, Tom.

So, yeah, a lot of, you know, it's not just Jamaica, but they're going to see the worst of it. Okay, Bill Karen, stand by for us. We appreciate everything you're doing tonight. I want to bring in Abka Fitzhenly. He's minister of the state with the office of the Jamaican prime minister. We thank you for taking the time to speak with us under all the circumstances tonight. Minister, Hurricane Melissa is expected to be the most powerful storm on record to make landfall in Jamaica. What are your biggest concerns and what do Jamaicans as well as tourists there need to know at this point?

Thank you, Tom, and hello to you and to the viewers of NBC. Well, the priority of the government of Jamaica is preservation of life. We're concerned about the possibility of loss of life. We're also concerned about preservation of property and also putting our people in a position where they're able to best navigate this natural disaster, which seems to be projected to be extensive. And therefore, a number of steps have been taken in terms of advancing those goals that are just outlined in terms of preservation of life. We have opened 881 shelters across Jamaica, where people who live in low-lying or flood-torn areas are encouraged. evacuate to safer ground. Of course, those shelters are located in places in Jamaica, which are considered reasonably safe that is significantly above sea level.

We have also issued evacuation orders in Jamaica, mandatory evacuation orders, because you know how it is across the world. Sometimes people are wedded to their property, and we don't make light of that. That's understandable. They want to protect and preserve. of their property, they've worked hard for, and they're reluctant to move. So we have put in place mandatory evacuation orders to encourage more people to move to safer ground. All of this towards achieving the objective of protecting and preserving as many lives as possible.

The government of Jamaica, in terms of preparation for the storm, has also allocated approximately $1.5 million via the constituency development for the government. to each of the over 60 members of parliament to assist people who might be considered among society's most vulnerable to get supplies, to protect themselves and their homes. Those are among the measures we have taken in terms of seeking to attend to the well-being of our citizens. Minister, can you tell me about Montego Bay, Mo Bay, as they call it over there in Jamaica, so many resorts, so many tourists that were unable to get out.

A lot of those resorts are older. decades. And I asked this question because, I mean, all of Jamaica really should be worried about this, especially people in low-line areas. But I wonder about those people who maybe don't know Jamaica, they don't know hurricanes, they're just visiting the island, and they weren't able to get out. Maybe they don't think it's going to be that bad. Are the people there at the resorts? Are they okay as well? Expect that they should be okay. A number of them have departed Jamaica in advance of the storm, of the hurricane, because we got significant notice.

This storm is unusually slow-moving, so some tourists were able to book flights out of Jamaica. For some who have remained, they are considered to be safe. Even though the infrastructure in Jamaica is not what it used to be many years ago. It is significantly improved and therefore safer. We expect as well that in the event that there are facilities, which are close the coastline. There are shelters in Montague, Montague Bay as well,

St. James is the parish in which Montague Bay. The city of Montague Bay is located. That will also be open to not only locals, but people from overseas who have come to Jamaica and found themselves in this situation. The protection of life is the conviction, the mandate of the government of Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and we are ensuring that as many lives are saved,

including those who have honored us with their presence here and come from overseas. Minister Fitzhenley, we thank you for your time. Again, we'll be praying for you, thinking about the people of your country. This is going to be a very tough storm. I hope to be able to speak to you afterwards, and if you guys need any help, we're going to make sure to report that out. But please stay safe tonight. Thank you, Tom. Thank you as well for the interest in what's happening in Jamaica. We are preparing for the worst, and we have prepared for the worst. But indeed, we're hoping for the very best. Minister Fitzhenly, again, we thank you for your time.

Back here at home in Florida, possible tornado ripping through the panhandle, sending RVs in a roof flying, dangerous flash floods creating treacherous conditions. NBC's Aaron Gilchrist is on the ground for us in that storm zone. Heavy rain and strong wind pummeling Florida's panhandle, the powerful storm ripping parts of the roof off this hotel in Mexico Beach before dawn, sending it careening into a mobile home park across the street. With the power lines down and RVs on their sides,

it could have been an awful lot worse. This couple from Athens, Georgia, tossed around inside their RV as it flipped. Rescuers had to rip out the windshield to save them. I said, we're going over, and we just went, this is the first time I've ever been, like, flipped over and messed with like this. Mother Nature got mad at me. Craig Wilbanks needed four stitches in his head. the possible tornado also sent two other people to the hospital. A cluster of thunderstorms dropping more than 14 inches of rain in some parts of Florida,

a major road collapse in Mount Dora, and dangerous flash flooding in Titusville. Staff at the Space Coast Executive Jet Center forced to move this plane to higher ground, a van nearly colliding with this fire engine. I've never seen any of these spot before. Off Louisiana's coast, look at this funnel cloud and a second forming right beside it. In Mississippi, an EF-1 tornado carving a path of destruction, sending debris flying near this restaurant. Back in Mexico Beach, Florida, drivers battling a deluge driven by ferocious wind. The remains of homes and debris strewn across streets.

I was very, very scared. I thought that this could be it. And with that, Aaron Gilchrest joins us tonight from Mexico Beach. Aaron, we were speaking earlier on nightly news. It's tough to tell what's behind you, but it was part of a home, right? Well, there's a couple of different things that have really landed behind us here, Tom. First is part of the roof from that hotel across the street. And really almost the entire roof was ripped off of that hotel and pushed across the street here by whatever came through, whether it was a tornado or straight line winds.

Some of the roof landed on some of the RVs that were parked here. We also saw many of these RVs pushed over onto their sides. This one has been righted. We've been told by the fire chief that there were three people. who were taken to the hospital after this storm came through this area. He was fairly amazed that those people only had minor injuries, given all the damage that we've seen in this area. I can tell you, there are still power crews out here,

restringing uprighting power poles and restringing the power lines. There are other parts of this small city where they have seen trees taken down, other bits of damage as well. But the fire chief said that all in all, they fared fairly well from whatever came through here, Tom. We know that the weather service will be out here tomorrow to see exactly whether it was a tornado or something else, Tom. All right. Aaron Gilcrest, for us on the ground there. Aaron, we thank you.

Now to that terrifying situation inside a plastics plant in Tennessee, police and employee opened fire, killing two of supervisors, and then barricaded himself in his home. Here's Emily Aketa. Tonight, police in Tennessee at a plastics plant following another horrific case of workplace violence. The caller said that somebody ran out of this resident screaming, saying that somebody was shot.

Investigators say an employee at Barcooplastics shot and killed two of his supervisors shortly after 10 a.m. today. The suspect who, what we understand, is an employee there who was probably in a meeting with his supervisors at that time. Police say the suspect, who they have not named, then sped off and barricaded himself about 20 minutes away in what's believed to be his home in Bradley County. This is actually Bradley County Sheriff's Office. Cleveland police captain, E.B. West, showing the neighborhood where dozens of officers from the local and federal level have descended, trying to coax him out. But they ultimately found the apparent suspect with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Tonight, investigators working to notify the victim's families, including a child who was at school when the nightmare unfolded. You've got families and daughters and, you know, wives and people that love these people that were shot and killed at a place of business.

And you think, you know, who would have thought? This is their place of business that they go every day. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. Next tonight to the arrest of a man making a disturbing threat targeting Attorney General Pam Bondi. The suspect posting a TikTok offering $45,000 to have her killed. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell has the report. Tonight, a disturbing new threat discovered by a scrolling TikTok user, a post that offered tens of thousands of dollars to kill Attorney General Pam Bondi.

A 29-year-old Minnesota man, Tyler Maxen Avalos, now faces one federal charge for transmitting that threat than investigators tracked on social media. According to the FBI, a TikTok post linked to Avalos, read in part, wanted Pam Bondi, preferably dead. And refer to a reward of $45,000. Court documents include an image which we are not showing with a photo of Bondi, with a sniper scope red, dot on Bondi's forehead. TikTok, Google, and Comcast, parent company of NBC, helped the FBI trace the suspect according to the affidavit, which also states Avalos has a criminal history, convicted of stalking and domestic battery. Bondi declined comment, but has pledged the DOJ will root out threats in this heated environment. We cannot allow this political violence to

continue any longer. This suspect was released. with a requirement to wear a GPS tracker, and he has not yet entered a plea. And Tom, in a separate case today, the judge overseeing the trial and the political assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk granted the suspect's request so that he can wear civilian clothes, not a jail uniform, for his future court appearances. Tom? Kelly O'Donnell for us, Kelly, we thank you. We're also following breaking news out of the tech world tonight that you may have heard about.

Amazon's set to announce massive layoffs. as many as 30,000 corporate job cuts. That, according to Reuters, CNBC reporting, it will be the largest cuts in the company's history. NBC's Christine Romans joins us now on set. Christine, so great to see you and talk to you. This is a huge headline, and it's sort of wild

because it's one of the biggest companies in the world. And if they're cutting 30,000 people, what does that say for other companies across the country? And they're cutting things like advertising and HR and Cloud. They're cutting white-collar jobs. 10% of their corporate office jobs here is what these reports are. Amazon, of course, not commenting, but these are supposed to start tomorrow. These pink slips will start tomorrow. And I think it shows you that using AI for

cost cutting is essentially the holy grail for these big companies. They want to use artificial intelligence to figure out how to take out layers in the office, how to make people more productive, and how to move some of this work to other functions, AI functions. And we were just talking about AWS, I think last week with your colleague Brian Chung here. Explain to our viewers, this is sort of scary. We don't want to scare people out there, but Amazon is a tech company. They're obviously invested in AI. We just had Vicky Wynn here talking about AI in the stock rooms.

This is different, though, because they have the technology to do AWS, but they're also cutting through AI. And it's kind of putting those two ideas together, right? Yeah, and it's really interesting to me. They grew like gangbusters through the pandemic, added all these workers, and then realized they had too many workers, and they cut 27,000. in 2022. They had a huge, huge downsizing. And this is on top of that. This is even bigger than that, Tom, if it's indeed 30,000 jobs. And it's your understanding it's because of AI. They're

figuring out jobs that AI can take. Some of them. They're cutting costs. Andy Jassy, the CEO this summer in a memo to employees in June, said they would do everything and they would use any technology they could to cut costs. And cutting costs is cutting HR. It's cutting advertising. It's cutting some of these places where you can do it better with technology and AI. Maybe happening faster than some people thought, okay, Christine Romans, we thank you. We're back in a moment with some moments at a high school in Baltimore that troubled parents, police officers surrounding students after an AI security system mistook a bag of chips for a gun, how the school is explaining that incident tonight. Plus, why are base jumpers running

wild at Yosemite? Videos of the thrill seekers now going viral, how authorities are cracking down. And new details tonight about convicted music mogul Sean Diddy Combs when he's expected to be released from prison. We now have the date. Stay with us. We're back now with some scary moments out of Baltimore. Police officers with guns drawn surrounding a group of high school students after an AI detection system mistook a bag of Doritos for a gun. NBC's Dana Griffin explains. You're down on the knees. Keep your hands up.

Put your hands behind your bed. With guns drawn, Baltimore County Police surround this group of high school football players. After an AI gun detection system, alerted school officials that one student had a weapon. Is this because we stay on campus as well? No, I was 13 a second. The teens handcuffed and questioned. First thing I was wondering was, am I about to die because they had guns playing at. They had guns playing at me.

It was just scary. I was scared. The Omn Alert system detected that alleged gun into Kai Allen's pocket. Did you have a gun on you? No. What? Do you have anything blue that looks like a gun? No.

Is your phone blue? Can you grab it real quick? It's what? I don't have nothing to do on me. Nothing? No, I'm on my shoes. Where does it's called come from? What?

It's the Omni Alert. Oh. Is it like a bag or something? After taking a closer look. I mean, there's bags of chips and stuff. Blue. That's what it looks like right here. Police realized it was an empty bag of Doritos.

He showed me a picture. I was just holding a Doritos bag like this. It was two hands in and one hand out and one figure out. And it was like, they said it looked like a gun. One officer's frustration over the false alert captured on his body cam. I'm not me, alerts. School and gun involved, we take it very seriously. I appreciate you guys' cooperation.

Omn Alert says the system operated as designed, detecting a possible threat, routing it for human review, and ensuring rapid informed decision making. The school district telling our Baltimore affiliate WBAL, human error in communication may be to blame, saying the school principal pushed for the police response and did it realize at the time that the alert had been canceled by the school's security team. The principal writing in a statement, they understand how upsetting this was for the individual that was searched, as well as the other students who witnessed the incident. Something's got to be done. Changes have to be made and people have to be accountable. Alan's grandfather, along with county leaders, now calling

on the school to review their policies and procedures. Nobody will want their child this to happen to their child. No one wants this to happen to their child. Dana Griffin joins us tonight from L.A. Dana, this software is used at schools across the country. Absolutely, Tom. So Omni Alert's AI detection system is in place in over 50 schools across the country. In January, that software failed to detect a gun used in that deadly Antioch high school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. The company said that's because the gun in that case was not visible to the camera and therefore not detectable. Omn Alert tells NBC News they regularly refine and update their AI models to improve accuracy. Tom. Dana Griffin for us tonight. Dana, great to see you. Still ahead on top story,

the massive fire in Portland outside the home of a city council member. White's now being investigated as possible arson. Plus the costly mistake on the tarmac after a Delta employee accidentally deployed this emergency slide. But first, top story's top moment and the elementary school principal from Buffalo, whose dream was to have all of her students and teachers at her own wedding. Her school surprising her with that moment. She'll never forget. We all love you so much that we're giving you a surprise wedding.

We're giving you a surprise wedding. This ring, I promise to love you as much as I love my students. With that, I promise to love you. And congrats to those newlyweds. They said their real I do's just a few days later. But what a great idea and what great friends and coworkers. Stay with us. More news on the way.

We're back now with our coverage of Hurricane Melissa, the Category 5 storm expected to be the worst to ever hit Jamaica. Right now, the storm slowly closing in on the island nation. Look at the size of it. It's packing catastrophic rain and destructive winds. Video showing the outer bands moving onshore, and you can see those violent waves rolling in, and this is just the beginning. At this hour, millions are hunkering down, including Americans, now stranded on the island nation. Chloe Cook and Jordan Davis couldn't get out after their flight was canceled. They joined us now live from Jamaica. Chloe and Jordan, thank you for joining us.

I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this. I'm sure it is incredibly nerve-wrecking to kind of be there tonight. You work as a wedding planner, Chloe, and it brought you to Paradise. Talk to me about how things quickly changed for you. Well, when we initially planned on coming, it was a tropical storm, and it escalated quickly. We had the wedding on Saturday, and at the wedding, people started getting text messages. that their flights were canceled. And disaster has been, we've been on the brink of a disaster since then.

We had about 85 people out here for the wedding, and we're just all trying to figure it out. Yeah. Did most of the people from the wedding have to stay like you guys did? Some people were able to get flights home, but the bride, the groom, and about 30 of her family members are still here. Airbnb. Wow. Jordan, I'm sure you've been watching the news if you can still. I mean, when we look at the size of this hurricane, it's massive. What's going through your head tonight? Just hoping for the best. You know what I mean? Here was planning on just supporting her. And then, I mean, like I said, I knew the hurricane was coming, but I didn't know how bad it was,

you know, projected to be. So really just hoping for the best right now. Yeah. Nothing really no real strong winds, anything like that. So, I mean, it's just that calm before the storm, like they say. Chloe, what's going through your head? tonight? I come to Jamaica often for work, and this is the first, I guess, traumatic experience that I've had. I'm really ready to get home to see my kids, and I'm just praying for the best. You know, there are a lot of children on this property. There are a lot of families, a lot of, you know. There are still children and families on the property? Yes. I've seen kids all day, and just my heart goes out to those parents, because I can't imagine.

and being in this and having my kids with me. What is the plan that the resort has told you? So at 9.30 in about three hours, we're going to go to the hurricane shelter here on property. I'm just a little nervous because it's only two floors. So we'll be on the top floor in like kind of a ballroom space. It's called a convention center. But I don't know how all these people from the property

are going to fit in that space because it holds about 190, 200. but I know there are well over 200 people here currently. Did the hotel tell you they have enough water, they have enough food? Because sometimes when these hurricanes happen, I've covered a lot of them. And you never know what could happen, right? But sometimes when they happen, it could be days, if not a week, where you can't get supplies in. You're on an island, which makes it even tougher. Yeah, so like all week I've been kind of saving water bottles.

And if we have water left over, I'm just kind of pouring it into an empty bottle just to have water. and I've stocked up on a few snacks from the buffet. They haven't really communicated to us. They did say that we would have food. I will say that this property, compared to others, they're eating, like, sack lunches and things like that. I was eating at the steakhouse last night, so I'm very proud of what they've done,

but I think that's now over, you know, once we get into the shelter, there are no restaurants open anymore. The bar is closed. Yeah, so we're... Everything's boarded up. Yeah. Are you guys... Do you have a plan yet on how to get out?

And I know it's very early, but what are you hoping for? We have a flight. Jordan's flight is on Southwest Airlines. They rescheduled that for Wednesday. I don't know. Rescheduled for Thursday. Now, he's a three days. It's not Thursday.

It's on, no, right now. So they canceled his flight again. But I'm currently scheduled for Thursday, and I received an email from American Airlines saying, you know, kind of like check-in to my flight. And I'm like, I don't know how that's going to go. I mean, if I could give you guys any advice, just, you know, obviously listen to the resort management. Stay safe. Stay away from windows. And if you see anybody who's having a good time and taking this way too cavalier,

make sure they understand that this is not a storm to play with. You know, this one's serious. Yeah. We're all really nervous here on property, everybody. We'll be thinking about you and we'll be praying for you and hopefully we'll be able to speak again once this thing is gone through. Again, please be careful. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we're going to turn out of the top story's news feed, and we're going to start with some dramatic testifying from a former Illinois sheriff's deputy charged in the deadly shooting of Sonia Massey. Sean Grayson taking the stand in his own defense. He told the jury he didn't use his stun gun during the encounter because he wasn't sure if it would work because of her clothing. Massey was shot and killed in her kitchen

in 2024 while she was holding a pot of boiling water. And officials in Portland are investigating a possible arson after a fire erupted outside the home of a city council member. Take a look. Cruz responded to the scene early yesterday as flames ripped through several cars and parts of the house. Luckily, nobody was heard. Police say the cause of the fire is still unclear and that no suspects have been arrested so far. We're now learning when Sean Diddy Combs could be out of prison. The music mogul is serving a 50-month sentence for interstate prostitution, but federal inmate records now show he's said to be released on May 8th, 2028.

He's been detained since his arrest last September. Combs' attorney says they expect to appeal his sentence. And a costly incident at an airport in Pittsburgh after a Delta crew member accidentally deployed an emergency slide. Look at this. The airline says it happened while the plane's door was being opened at the arrival gate. It caused passengers on the return flight to switch to later flights. The mistake could cost Delta tens of thousands of dollars. And some high-risk thrill seekers taking advantage of the government shutdown, base jumpers flocking to Yosemite with half of the staff there furloughed,

hoping to get away with illegal jumps from the park's peaks. But as NBC's Camilla Bernal reports, the park rangers are cracking down. Wow. It's the moment that took rock climber Charles Winstead by surprise. I was like, oh, wow, that's unusual. They don't usually jump in the middle of the day. That's never seen that before. Base jumpers landing in Yosemite's lush meadows in broad daylight.

Right in the middle of the meadow. The video taken in the last two weeks, as thrill seekers seemed to capitalize on the government. shutdown with the National Park Conservation Association warning 50% of park staff are furloughed. Though the park is still open, rangers no longer collecting entrance fees. Over the course of the next week, I think we saw, you know, a couple dozen altogether. And another thing rock climbers are seeing up close and personal during the shutdown. Drones. It could potentially be dangerous for a climber who was trying to focus on a

something delicate. The National Park Service announcing the recent convictions of three base jumpers who took the plunge in 2020 and 2024. Adding three more cases from this year are still under investigation. Base jumping is prohibited in all national parks, but that hasn't stopped thrill seekers from taking the plunge since the 1980s. You know, as a rock climber, I do everything I can to avoid falling off the cliff. I can't imagine the heart, you know, pounding of actually, like, jumping off the cliff on purpose.

It sounds extraordinarily thrilling. Winstead says the appeal similar to what brings rock climbers like him coming back year after year. Big wall climbers come from around the world to climb El Cap because it's such an iconic wall and it's such fantastic. climbing, and yeah, I'm sure for base jumpers, it's got to be right up there. Camila Bernal joins us now live in studio. So Camila, what kind of penalties if they get busted could they face? Yeah, Tom, so these jumpers could face up to $5,000 in fines and up to six months in jail if convicted. And there is this perception that because there's a government shutdown, you can essentially go and do whatever you want at the park. And that's not the case

because the park is fully staffed when it comes to law enforcement personnel and emergency personnel. So, yes, there are many workers that are furloughed from the parks, but you can get caught. So, Camilla, these people are just getting through. They're just somehow figuring it out. Yeah, it's free. So you just walk in. But there is people there that are keeping an eye on them. It's so massive, too.

All right, Camilla Bernal, thank you so much. Now to the Americas and to Argentina, where controversial president Javier Miele is enjoying a vote of confidence today. His party coming out on top in the midterm elections, but the victory isn't just being celebrated in Buenos Aires. The White House is also joining in. How Larry Castro explains. The people of Argentina have spoken, delivering a resounding victory for President Javier

Malé and his far-right party. The Libertad advances sweeping the midterm elections, winning 78 seats combined, guaranteeing Malay veto power and shielding him from impeachments. In his victory, speech Malay saying the Argentinians showed that they don't want to return to the failed model, to the model of inflation. One supporter saying, everything that's happening is bringing happiness to the people. The win, a sign of approval of Malay's economic policy. When he took office in 2023, inflation was well into the triple digits,

now hovering around 32 percent by simply spending less and printing less money. He stepped into a really nightmare situation economically. He ended a few facets of that nightmare, and now people are thankful to him for it. The win for Malay, also a win for President Trump, who's thrown his support behind the leader. You know, that election made a lot of money for the United States. Now, we're not in that for money per se. Malay and Trump, meaning at the White House just days before the election.

And if he wins, we're staying with him. And if he doesn't win, we're gone. After the administration announced a $20 billion crypto buyout of Argentinian pesos to help stave off a financial crisis as voters headed to the polls. This looks more like, I'm not saying a completely free gift, but an assist to a political ally. Argentina, a key ally for the U.S. in South America. If Trump was really focused on competing with China and South America, you might see him use his leverage there.

Malay always making clear his admiration for the U.S. president. Make Argentina great again. His policies usually in lockstep with Trumps, from leaving the World Health Organization to banning gender treatments for minors. I think that now there'll be even a stronger sense of loyalty, commitment, indebtedness there, if you will. All right, Valerie, joins us now in studio. Valerie, explain to our viewers.

It's a little complicated politically there because the opposition party, they're not very well loved either. Right. The opposition is largely blamed for the country's economic problems, even before Malay was brought into power, and they've really struggled to regain any support ever since, though in Buenos Aires, they have done very well in local elections just last month, but Malay won with 40% of the vote overall this time around, and he also won in Buenos Aires by a small margin as well.

All right, Valerie Castro, great to see you. Coming up on Top Story, new concerns over Russia's nuclear-powered missile. The country's military claiming it can reach anywhere in the world how President Trump is responding tonight. Plus, the breakthrough at the Louvre, two suspects arrested, two others still at large, what police are now telling us about the men in custody. Stay with us. We are back now with Top Story's Global Watch, and we're starting in Cameroon. where the world's oldest president was just re-elected at 92 years old.

The country's top court announcing the decision today that Paul Bia has led the African nation since 1982, but his re-election comes as Cameroon has faced a wave of deadly protest with opposition supporters demanding credible election results. And Russia testing a new nuclear-powered cruise missile that it says can't be stopped by air defenses and could drop atomic bombs anywhere on Earth. President Trump responded today calling the test, quote, appropriate and saying Russia should be focusing on peace talks with Ukraine. Russia's military claims the missile traveled more than 8,000 miles and was in the air for

15 hours during that test. Authorities in Greece releasing dramatic new video of a rescue operation as a boat carrying a group of migrants sank. Here you can see the Coast Guard ship approaching the vessel. Officials say they pulled seven people from the water, but at least four others are confirmed dead. It's unclear exactly how many people were on board. This is the second deadly incident this month involving migrants off the Greek island of Lesbos. Staying overseas with the major break in the Louvre Museum heist, two suspects arrested and in custody nearly a week after the stunning daytime robbery, but two others still remain

at large along with the precious jewels. NBC's Ralph Sanchez with the new details and how police were able to capture them. Tonight, we're learning dramatic new details about the arrest of two suspects in the Louvre jewel heist. Both men are in their early 30. and have criminal records for jewelry theft. One arrested at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport just 40 minutes before his flight to Algeria was due to take off. That's according to Chief Brigadier Axel Rons,

a police official and union rep. We're dealing with experienced criminals who are known to the police and the justice system, he says. Adding, there are more than 150 police officers working tirelessly 24 hours a day to recover the jewels. He told us officers from an elite unit tracked the suspects for several days after matching DNA left at the Louvre crime scene to a police database.

Somewhere inside of this vast police headquarters is an interrogation room where the suspects are being questioned by detectives. Under French law, they can be held without charge until Wednesday evening. But officials say at least two gang members, and possibly a wider network, are still at large. And so far, no sign of the stolen treasures. Are you confident you'll find the jewels before the gang chops them up? Unfortunately, in these investigations, we often find the perpetrators, but only some, of the stolen items.

But that official also says it's encouraging that the suspects were arrested here in Paris because it suggests the gang wasn't able to get abroad, and so the stolen treasures may still be here in the city. Tom. Raph Sanchez, our thanks to you. I'm joined now by Robert Whitman. He's a former FBI special agent and founder of the agency's rapid deployment art crime team. Robert, we thank you so much for joining us again. So here's what we know about the two suspects so far in the case that have been arrested. There are two men in their early 30s, right? History of robbing jewelry stores. And they were tracked down using DNA. From what you've gathered so far from obviously the news reporting, what can you sort of paint on these suspects? Well, you know, from the very beginning, I thought this was going to happen because what happened was in this case, they left so much material back. It was forensically, you know, evidentiary. In fact, one of them dropped his helmet, his motorcycle helmet, and they got DNA out of that motorcycle helmet. So we knew from the beginning this was going to happen. Now, they're going to arrest these guys, these two. They're going to take them, they're going to interrogate them, they're going to talk to them, they're going to look at their cell phones. And it's going to be just a short matter of time. They're going to find the other two that were involved.

You hope so. I want to go to the video that they've sort of released people caught of them escaping, this cell phone video of them, first breaking in and then later escaping. What did you notice from the video here? What did you see as somebody who's specialized in this kind of crime? Well, he's cutting the case using the angle cutters, and he's got the yellow vest on. That was very, very interesting. I think that's what helped it to be such an audacious crime. It could be done in daytime because people in the beginning thought that they were just construction workers. And in fact, if you see someone doing that, you might think, well, they're trying to replace the case. So it kind of makes sense to do it that way. That was not a bad plan.

Right. And then finally, I mean, the question in everyone's mind, you know, will they chop up these jewels, or will they sell them in their entirety? I mean, I got to think that these are very hard to sort of sell in their entirety because whoever's buying these, you would think would know they've been stolen. And here's some of the incredible pieces we have.

Yeah, it's, you know, throughout my 35 years doing these investigations, I've recovered more than $300 million or the stolen art and cultural property. Nine times out of 10, you get it back. And the reason for this is because you see how these are created. Yeah. Now, it's very difficult to pop everything out of everything.

The gold and the silver is not going to be that pure because it's from 300 years ago almost. So it's not the same type of situation like we have today. This is the type of material that they're going to wait for. They're going to hold on to it and use it for two things. One would be to try to make a deal with the government to get a reward through some anonymous situation or get out of jail free car.

Is there a market for people who buy stolen museum pieces and who want to have this because they're so wealthy for some reason? No. That's a, that's a wife's tale from, or a legend from the Dr. No movie in 1962, with James Bond. At the time, the producers that were doing the movie, they read about the theft of a painting by Francis Gagoya. Right. And what they did was it was stolen from the National Gallery the year before. They thought it was a cool idea.

So they took a copy of that painting and they put it on an easel next to the caverns of Dr. No. So Sean Connery walks in, looks at it, says, oh, I wondered where that went. And that was kind of a tongue-in-cheek thing. So ever since then, people have thought, well, there's this fantastic, rich villain, you know, looking at stolen property. But, I mean, then you're buying your stolen goods, and you're not to return it eventually.

Well, it's going to get to, it turns up, correct. You know, whether through inheritance when it comes to sale. Former FBI guy, Robert Witton. Robert, it's always great to have you here. Thanks so much. Tom, thanks for having me. Appreciate it. When we come back, our exclusive sit-down with the greatest soccer player on the planet,

Lonell Messi opening up about his decision to re-signal. with Intra Miami, and the question on everyone's mind, will he play in next year's World Cup? What he told me, that's next. Finally tonight, he's one of the greatest athletes of all time. Argentina's Lionel Messi, dominating the world of soccer for decades. Now, in a rare one-on-one interview, the World Cup champion opens up about what comes next.

Messi on the top, Messi in a goal. Anywhere on the planet. No matter what language you speak, one word means great. And Messi! Messy! Messy! Just three years ago, Leonel Messi held the trophy for Argentina, leading his home country to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. That moment.

And this image? Becoming one of the most like photos on Instagram with more than 74 million likes. He is the biggest soccer star in the world. rarely gives interviews. Pleasure to meet you. Sitting down with us, because he may be getting ready to surprise the world. Take me back when you won in 2022

and you held that trophy up and you were on the shoulders of your teammates. What was going through your mind? What I was going to well, everything I went through and everything I did to achieve that was the dream of my life. And it all came to mind.

Everything I went through to get there. my family, my people, and Argentina. Messi, who grew up in Rosario Argentina, was a soccer prodigy, recruited to play in Spain as a teenager, dominating for decades. Oh, it's magnificent. Playing professionally with teams in Barcelona and Paris. The best number 10 in the world, Lionel Andres, Messi. Then, in 2023, he made a bold move to America.

Similar to another star of the sport, David Beckham, who helped bring Messi to the states on the team Beckham co-owned, Inner Miami. His first game, selling out and ending with this epic goal, Messi, winning it all in the final minutes. Messi! Do you believe in signs? Do you think that was a sign? Well, I'm of the belief that God always decides and does everything. And at that moment, he had that prepared for me. And now, with his team in the MLS playoffs, Messi deciding to extend his contract, telling us first why.

Was it a tough decision to make to say yes? Honestly, it wasn't. I've always said that I base my decision on how I feel day-to-day and how I feel physically and mentally to continue playing and to continue being part of this club. What is the thing you like most about Miami? The truth is that I like everything about living here. Miami is a city that allows us to have a good life.

As you get older, you get wiser, you're the greatest player of all time. Many people believe that. What has gotten easier and what has gotten harder in soccer? Well, obviously, as you get older, you lose things that you had when you were younger, things like speed, reaction time, or seeing the game faster, making decisions. Sometimes your mind is faster than your legs. but I think I always tried to overcome those things and keep trying to be at my best

and get the most out of my physical abilities, my game, and I tried to adapt to the new circumstances. And he still has some unfinished business. What's tougher, winning a World Cup or getting soccer to be one of the largest most premier sports in the United States? Well, I think that growing soccer in the United States is possible. I think it's time to do it.

And soccer will get its biggest opportunity in front of an American audience next summer when the World Cup comes to North America. I think the United States is going to be spectacular. It sounds like something the greatest player in the world would not want to miss. Are you going to play in the World Cup? Well, the truth is that yes, it's something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup. And I would like to be there, to feel well and to be an important part of helping my national team if I am there.

And I'm going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start pre-season next year with Inter and see if I can really be 100 percent. I'm really eager because it's a World Cup. We're coming off winning the last World Cup and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it's always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions. So hopefully God will allow me to do it once again. And you can watch the MLS Cup playoffs on Apple TV.

We thank you so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yomis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.