Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Episode Date: October 4, 2023

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, more on that breaking news out of Washington. Kevin McCarthy ousted as Speaker of the House. In an unprecedented move, Republicans voting McCarthy out of the top job. His removal coming just days after he struck a deal to keep the government open, infuriating the far right wing of his party. The shortlist of candidates now in the running to replace him, or will he live on to fight another day? Our team is live on the hill. Silencing Trump, the judge overseeing the former president.

fraud trial issuing a gag order. What Trump posted on social media that led to that stunning rebuke and the punishment he could be facing if he violates the order. Market shock. Stocks tumbling, sending the Dow into the red for the year will break down what's driving this plunge and what it means for your bottom line tonight. Overseas a catastrophic crash involving tourists, a city bus plunging off a cliff in a suburb of Venice, Italy, then slamming into Trump. train tracks below catching on fire. At least 20 people killed. The mayor describing the scene as apocalyptic. What we're learning about the victims and how this happened. Plus, to catch a kidnapper, the nine-year-old who was snatched from a park in upstate New York back with her family

tonight, the critical clue left on the ransom note that led police to her alleged abductor. And mom fights back the shocking video showing a biker, kicking in the windshield of a family's car with two young children inside. Their mother jumping out to confront him even as he pointed a gun and headbutted her. Why she says she had to defend herself and her family and the urgent manhunt for that suspect tonight. Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin top story tonight with that historic moment in the nation's capital, the infighting that has been brewing within the Republican Party on full display as GOP law may in the House voted to oust the leader of their own party, and tonight there is big

breaking news. Kevin McCarthy tonight becoming the first Speaker of the House to be voted out of the top spot in the history of the United States by a tally of 216 to 210. All Democrats, President, and eight Republicans voting to vacate the speakership just nine months after the California Republican took the job. And NBC News, just learning, this is breaking right now. Speaker McCarthy will not run again for that position. The push to strip McCarthy of his gavel spearheaded by Representative Matt Gates of Florida and the far-right sect of the GOP. Days after McCarthy reached across the aisle bringing in Democrats to avoid a government shutdown, a move that infuriated hardline Republicans. The speakers see tonight temporarily

filled by North Carolina Representative Patrick McKenry, but now a new battle brewing to see who will permanently step into that role. You can see the short list of names already emerging here. We will dive much deeper into that list in a moment, as the future of the Republican Party really hangs in the balance. Senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake leads us off with the latest. Tonight, after an historic vote in the U.S. House, now former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, returning to an office that is no longer his. I can continue to fight maybe in a different manner. I will not run for Speaker again. The Office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby

declared vacant. Acting on a motion by Florida Republican Matt Gates, eight Republicans joining with Democrats in voting to vacate the position of Speaker for the first time ever, following an impassioned floor debate. It's disgusting. It's what's disgusting about Washington.

It's selfish. Bad for conservative policies and bad for America. That's why I strongly support Speaker Kevin McCarthy. There's nothing selfish about wanting a Speaker of the House who tells the truth. a Republican Patrick McHenry taking over as temporary speaker. The chair declares the House in recess, subject to the call of the chair. Gates declaring victory.

It's the benefit of this country that we have a better Speaker of the House than Kevin McCarthy. Kevin McCarthy couldn't keep his word. While McCarthy's allies heaped scorn on the Republican rebels for dividing the party. Matt Gates wants to wreak havoc in chaos within the Republican Party, and he's doing just that. And unfortunately, the American people are pawns in his narcissistic game of charades. The seed for Gates' challenge to McCarthy was planted in January when the Florida Firebrand was the last Republican holdout to oppose making McCarthy speaker, eventually switching his vote to present on the 15th ballot. After McCarthy worked with Democrats to temporarily delay a government shutdown this weekend, Gates vowed to try to remove him,

with McCarthy saying today, I think Matt has planned this. all along. It didn't matter what we transpired. Projecting confidence even as he arrived for the vote. Look, I'm an optimist because I think there's no point of being anything else. The narrowly divided House left Democrats in opening. Would they intervene to save a leader, many despise? But just nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy? Nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy. Nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy.

And why should we? After a two-hour meeting, the Democratic leader announcing they'd stay out of the GOP's civil war, but vote against McCarthy. All right, and we continue to cover this breaking news out of Capitol Hill right now. We just received the breaking news that former Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, has decided not to run for the position again. So Republicans are now in the game of trying to find a new speaker, trying to name a new speaker.

There have been several names thrown around. People are talking about possibly Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise as the leading candidate. The problem with that right now, at least for the time being, is that he's fighting cancer at the moment. For now, Representative Patrick McHenry is the temporary Speaker of the House until Republicans get their act together, get their votes together, and figure out who's going to lead their party. Garrett Hake joins us now on this breaking news. Garrett, I know all of this is sort of happening very quickly. We've just confirmed the news that Speaker McCarthy's not going to run again.

I had a conversation with Congressman Jimenez just about an hour ago, and he was sounding like he was supporting McCarthy, that McCarthy was going to live to fight another day. Clearly, that's not the case. Tom, McCarthy has told us hundreds of times probably that he is a fighter and that he does not give up. But I think he took a look at the vote today and realized the math was simply not going to be there for him in the short term or that he would face these challenges continually in the long term. Now, he's going to speak a little bit later tonight. We might get a little bit more information about his thinking. But with McCarthy out of the way, McCarthy had really a stranglehold on maybe 200 votes within the conference. there was a ton of loyalty to him within the majority of the conference.

If McCarthy steps aside here, it clears the way for any number of other members to try to make a push to become speaker. My eye falls immediately on his top deputies, Steve Scalise, Tom Ever, at least DeFonic, the other senior members of his leadership team. But any of them, Tom, would have a lot of the same problems that McCarthy had. They have to make impossible math work with intractable elements of their conference who won't take the fact that the other two branches, of government are controlled by Democrats as an acceptable answer. Scalise, among them, probably has the best conservative bona fides, but he's also fighting cancer right now. He may not be physically up to the job or willing to take it on, whether someone like Patrick McHenry, who's now in the

temporary role, holds on to the job longer until Scalise is healthier. I mean, there's a number of ways to game this out. I don't know that we'll get an answer tonight, but with McCarthy stepping aside, those other pieces can start falling into place. You know, Gary, I like to talk about his thinking because do you think he reached a point where he said I'm not going to get there with the Republican votes and you would think he could try something and I don't know if I want to call it courageous because other people might say it'd be political suicide but could he have reached over to the Democrats and say can I get any of you to vote for me to keep me a speaker to keep some stability and I'll

work with you or would that would have been the end of him right there well look we know there were some back channel efforts to do exactly that today my colleague Ali Vitale. Ryan Nobles and I reporting on the fact that there was outreach at the member level from individual Republicans to individual Democrats saying you should do this for the good of the country. We could work together, support Kevin McCarthy to get us through this and we could work together. But I have to tell you, Tom, I spent a lot of time talking to House Democrats today. And there is just no trust there with McCarthy. And it's not just McCarthy as speaker, by the way.

This goes all the way back to how he handled the aftermath of January 6th, how he undercut the idea of a bipartisan commission to look. into the 6th, remember that before we even have the January 6th committee. They just don't believe that that outreach would be genuine and that any deal with McCarthy would be worth the handshake or the paper it was written on. And so I think the time for that is long since passed. I don't think there was any path for that kind of coalition-style government for this particular Republican. Some critics of Representative Matt Gates who spearheaded the effort to get Speaker McCarthy

out have pointed to the fact that they don't remember hearing Matt Gates a lot during the Trump years complaining about spending, complaining about the deficit. And now this became the breaking point when Speaker McCarthy was there and President Biden was in power. Do you think this was about spending? Do you think this was about bills being passed forward? Or do you think this was about personalities? I think it could be about both, Tom. I mean, look, you know, a lot of Republicans, not just Matt Gates, suddenly found religion again about spending when there was a Democrat back in the White House. I mean, that's a sort of a Washington staple that when your party's in charge, you

kind of looked the other way on spending, but when the other guy's in the Oval Office, all of a sudden it's a huge problem. So Gates would not be alone and being hypocritical there. He also does have personal issue with McCarthy. I mean, the two have been antagonists for years, and especially recently, there's been a lot of reporting around the idea that Gates holds McCarthy responsible for his ethics investigation. McCarthy has denied that. There's been no communication between the two since, I think, the beginning of this Congress. So separating the purely personal from the purely political here may be impossible. But look, Gates set a trap here essentially for McCarthy and even seeing it from a distance, there was very little McCarthy could do

to avoid it other than kind of keep plowing ahead and hope the votes would be there. Today, they weren't. Garrett, as you work on your book, Civics for Beginners, explain to our viewers who right now is the speaker. You mentioned him earlier, Representative McKenry. Talk to us about the process, what happens from here? So, Tom, this is a law that was put in place after 9-11, where there was continuity of government issues here and the realization that should something happen to the speaker, you can't risk that office second in line to the presidency being vacant for some protracted period of time. The rules were changed so that the speaker, when he or she takes that office, basically submits a secret list to the clerk of people who would be acceptable members to be speaker pro tem, someone who could take over the job on a temporary basis. learned only today after McCarthy's ouster that the top of his list was Patrick McHenry. McHenry is the chairman of the Financial Services Committee. So a fairly senior member in that

regard, he's served for nine terms. But what's more important to know about him is he's one of McCarthy's best friends and closest political allies in Congress. The two have worked together on a number of issues, including most recently the debt ceiling deal. So he has, you know, sort of McCarthy-like instincts politically on a lot of issues. But he's also somebody who, by the way, you know, chose the path to being a committee chair rather than being in party leadership, in large part to avoid these kinds of messy, intra-party fights. This is not somebody who had a lot of interest in this. So I don't think he'll want to hold this job for long, although I think he does have pretty

broad respects within the Republican conference. Yeah, no desire to be the speaker, according to a lot of reporting. But now he's the man in charge, at least for now. Gary Hake, terrific reporting, we appreciate it. I want to know, go to Ali Vitale, who's live on Capitol Hill just outside that Republican conference. She was part of our team at NBC News who helped break that monster news, which we've just reported that Speaker McCarthy, former Speaker McCarthy, is not going to run for the position just again. Ali, this is so surprising because just before you broke that news, I was speaking with Congressman Jimenez, who was basically saying so many Republicans stand by Kevin, we're going to push Kevin. They thought he could live to see another day, but clearly that's not the case.

Do you have any more reporting on what went into that decision for former Speaker McCarthy? Well, a lot of these members, Tom, also thought that McCarthy would continue to fight. This is a man who, back in January, to get this job, which, by the way, he has wanted for a very long time serving in leadership here in Congress and working his way up through the ranks. Many people thought he did 15 rounds in January. Certainly, he'd get back into it again today. it's entirely possible that the history of this moment was enough for him to recognize that these eight Republicans within his conference were so steadfastly against him that people like Congressman Matt Gates had promised that if it didn't succeed this time

they would call a motion to vacate again it's entirely possible he saw the writing on the wall but I have to tell you most of the members that I've spoken to in the hallway here as they've been leaving this conference have told me that they're surprised that this is an embarrassing day for their party and that they are generally dejected. There's so much frustration and negative energy that I have heard from my Republican sources today. So many members texting me live from the floor explaining how frustrated they are at the way that their majority is now being made into, frankly, a farce into something that's just a referendum on one person as opposed to a push for policy that they put in front of the American people last November.

So this may be the end of McCarthy. We'll hear from him in the next 15 or so minutes when he talks to reporters. But it's striking because I, frankly, asked the speaker today around noon when he walked to the floor, was that his last time that he would open the floor as speaker? He ignored the question, smile on his face, and continued walking ahead. But it now seems that that was the right question because, frankly, it was. Yeah, with ultimately the question of who's going to hold the gavel in the future up in the air, Can you explain to our viewers why this is so important?

This is not just about ego and not just about politics, but about the business of passing bills, getting legislation done, getting funding done, getting people who need help, the help they need. And this all sort of, it almost feels like a mini shutdown, if you will. I'm so glad you asked that question because I think to some viewers, it might seem esoteric or out of their life and it doesn't have an impact. but who runs the House is actually very impactful. The House is a majority-run business, in effect, Tom. Whoever the majority party is gets to run the show on policy priorities, and more than that, whoever's the speaker controls what gets to the floor. That means that while there's no speaker, this is effectively a rudderless Congress.

Republicans aren't able to enact anything, but neither are Democrats. And it's not just policy priorities that are partisan. We're talking about things like future disaster aid and relief to all of these different places that have been battered by storms and hurricanes and tornadoes. We're also talking about future aid to Ukraine. All of these issues that are actually nonpartisan or bipartisan in fashion up here on Capitol Hill, when you don't have a speaker, you don't have the ability to push that legislation anywhere on the floor. And so technically there is a speaker there in Patrick McHenry, who is a close ally of the former Speaker McCarthy. That's why he's in this position temporarily. But when you look to see the people who may come to the four as the next person who wants

to be speaker, A, what a thankless job when you see the way that McCarthy was treated throughout this, and B, we're already starting to hear from people who say they're not running. People like the number three House Republican, Elise Stefanik, saying in just the last few minutes to our team that she doesn't want to be speaker. She's not going to be running. We've heard others throughout this time say, while McCarthy was going to be. as an active candidate, that they would not challenge him. It's going to be interesting to see

if any of those people actually change their mind. People like Tom Cole, who's a veteran appropriator within the House Republican conference. The number two Republicans, Steve Scalise, who is currently dealing with cancer treatment, but may find his name thrust into the fray, and he'll decide how to handle that. All of these names have sort of swirled in the pot, and it's for Republicans to decide, because Democrats made very clear today they're standing together, and that means they're not helping Republicans sort this out. This is a majority rule house, and the majority is going to figure out who leads them. Ali Vitale, before we let you go, I do want you to update us. We expect to hear from

Speaker McCarthy at around 730. Is that still what your understanding from speaking of your sources? That's still my understanding. And what he says, I think, is going to have the attention of everybody, because, again, his conference is dejected. There are open questions about if McCarthy himself will continue to serve in Congress as now a deposed speaker. That was the same question that we asked when Pelosi said she was stepping down from the speakership. Now McCarthy, obviously being ousted, but taking his name out of consideration for future speaker balloting rounds, it's unclear that he's going to stay in Congress. That might be a pretty awkward thing to do, especially depending on who the next speaker is.

But all of those are going to be questions here. And of course, the other thing I'm interested in is if McCarthy would push his own allies to replace him in this speakership role. Would he want someone like Patrick McHenry or Garrett Graves, some of his closest and most trusted allies who have been with him at each inflection point of this speakership during every major battle, every major negotiation, many times they were the ones in the room negotiating in McCarthy's name. McCarthy trusts them deeply. They're some of the names that are in the mix here, And so it's unclear if McCarthy's going to support one of them or, again, even continue to stay in Congress. All of that is up in the air right now.

And when you mention people like Representative McKenry, Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the big question is, do they really want the job? Because whoever wants this job is going to have to fight for it as you've been reporting. Okay, Ali, stand by for us. We appreciate all your reporting. Sahil Kapoor also joins us from Capitol Hill. He was also part of our NBC News team that helped break that news, that Speaker McCarthy was not going to run for the position once again. Sahil, I know you just spoke with Senator Lindsey Graham and the other body of Congress there over in Washington. Talk to us about what he told you, what this means for the Republican Party, and what you're reporting and your sources have been telling you about the thought process for Speaker McCarthy, former Speaker McCarthy, have to get used to stay in that, and why he decided not to run for the position again.

That's right, Tom. Well, I did speak to Senator Lindsey Graham moments after that vote to oust Speaker McCarthy, and he was shocked by it. He said it's a self-inflicted wound by it. by Republicans. He called it an unforced error that would be bad for their policy goals, that would be bad politics for the Republicans, makes them look chaotic. He said it would be good for President Biden because it helps him, you know, make the case against the opposition party, being in turmoil, failing to focus on policy goals. He also said he has no idea how things work in the House of Representatives right now in the midst of a Speaker pro tem with Patrick McKenry. Are they allowed to put bills on the floor and pass them? Can committees function? If they put a bill on the floor, can it be challenged in court?

Senator Dick Durbin, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also told me he doesn't know if the House is even able to pass bills. And all of this comes as we have in about six weeks, another major deadline coming up for government funding to pass an appropriations bill or face a shutdown. Now, that's just the Senate side. In the last couple of minutes, I spoke to Congressman Ralph Norman, who is from South Carolina, who he was one of McCarthy's original detractors, part of that group of 20 or 21. who tried to prevent him from becoming speaker in the first place, a very conservative member in the House Freedom Caucus. He actually voted to save McCarthy's job today. He told me a couple minutes ago that he surprised. McCarthy told the conference that he will not run for Speaker again. He said after 15 ballots, I expected him to run again. One other thing he said, which I thought was really important. Norman said that McCarthy told the conference that the next time this happens, Republicans should settle on one alternative.

They should call less around someone and not do this again, not do these multiple ballots again, not do this intra-party acrimony again. Who that candidate is is far from clear. That is going to be the next big question we try to figure out, as our colleague, Rebecca Kaplan, reports that next Tuesday Republicans are expected to hold a candidate forum for speaker. And an election could be as early as next Wednesday to crown a new speaker of the House. Until then, the chamber will be in paralysis. This is an unprecedented moment in American.

history, Tom. We have never before seen a Speaker of the House ousted in the middle of a session. It's Bedlam. Sahil, I appreciate you. Add to another major headline, a New York judge placing a gag order on former President Trump in the civil fraud lawsuit against him. The move coming after a social media post attacking a court clerk came from the former president's social media account. NBC's Laura Jarrett has late details.

Tonight, Donald Trump back in a Manhattan courtroom for the second day of the $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against him, revealing he plans to take the stand. Well, on your appropriate time, I will be. But it was his comments on social media that prompted a dramatic ruling from the judge after Mr. Trump posted a photo of the judge's law clerk posing with top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer. The judge ordering the post on truth social removed, saying, personal attacks on any member of my court staff are unacceptable. Consider this a gag order. Republican frontrunner again going after the Democratic Attorney General who brought the lawsuit.

Judge Engorren has been given false and extremely misleading information about my net worth. Private company, nobody's supposed to know my net worth. A net worth, the state says, was deliberately inflated to get more favorable loan rates from lenders, while Mr. Trump's legal team says real estate valuations are subjective. Attorney General Letitia James also in the courtroom, once again, her team calling Mr. Trump's longtime accountant to the witness stand. His firm preparing the disputed financial statements at the heart of the case. Forced to admit today that he learned the Trump organization didn't provide the firm with all of the necessary records.

As for that gag order time, the judge making it crystal clear that he is not tolerating any violations by Mr. Trump, and he is prepared to impose sanctions. if necessary. Back to you. Okay, Laura, Jared, for us tonight. Laura, thank you for that. We want to turn out of Delaware where the president's son, Hunter Biden, pleading not guilty to federal gun charges at his arraignment. This says he also faces separate tax charges. NBC's Ryan Nobles has more.

Tonight, Hunter Biden back in a Delaware courthouse, the son of a sitting president now facing a criminal trial. Biden pleading not guilty to three felony gun charges for allegedly purchasing a handgun while being an active drug user and lying about it on a federal form. His attorney calling the charges the result of political pressure from President Trump and his MAGA allies to force the Justice Department to ignore the law and deviate from its policies in cases like this one. Special Counsel David Weiss filing the charges after his controversial plea deal for the president's son,

which would have resulted in no prison time, fell apart under a judge's scrutiny. Two IRS whistleblowers testified that there was political. interference in the DOJ investigation of Hunter Biden, which Weiss denies. If convicted, Hunter Biden facing a sentence of as much as 25 years behind bars, although he's unlikely to serve that much time. And his looming legal problems come as House Republicans step up their impeachment inquiry, hoping to tie Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings to his father. Whether it was lunches, phone calls, White House meetings, or official foreign trips, Hunter Biden cashed in by arranging access to Joe Biden, the family brand.

A key GOP witness last week, testifying there's not enough evidence for impeachment so far. The president has said he was not involved in his son's work. And what we saw play out today could just be the beginning of the legal troubles for Hunter Biden. He is still facing tax charges that could be handed down by the end of the month in both California and Washington, D.C. Tom. Okay, Ryan. Thank you for that. a deadly pile up on a major highway in Arkansas.

20 cars involved in the deadly crash. At least two people killed what we're hearing tonight about the possible cause. Plus, mom fights back the moments a mother of two took on a biker who stomped out the back windshield of her car while her young kids were inside. And the government cracking down on littering in space. The company on the receiving end of the first fine for letting junk loose in the galaxy. Stay with us, top story, just getting started on this Tuesday night. Back now with the suspect and that abduction of a nine-year-old girl. He's now been charged with first-degree kidnapping as she's reunited with her family.

Kathy Park reports on these new developments and how investigators were able to track him down. Tonight, nine-year-old Charlotte Senna back with loved ones after vanishing while riding her bike at an upstate New York park. In a statement, the family writing, we are thrilled that she is home. and we understand that the outcome is not what every family gets. The major break coming after a two-day-long search when authorities tracked down 46-year-old Craig Nelson Ross Jr. after a ransom note was left at Charlotte's home. The intent? To get money, according to the arraignment memo. A fingerprint was found that matched what was found on the ransom note.

Authorities say that critical clue was linked to a 1999 DWI and allowed SWAT teams to move in on the suspect's camper, roughly 20 miles from where Charlotte was last seen. After some resistance, the suspect was taken into custody, and immediately the little girl was found in a cabinet covered. She was rescued, and she knew she was being rescued. She knew that she was in safe hands. Was the suspect known to the family? It has not been determined that the suspect was known to the family. The suspect was arraigned overnight on a charge of first-degree kidnapping. The governor of New York saying they're still looking into the possibility of connections to other cases.

NBC News attempted to contact the suspect's attorney, but we haven't heard back. We're all just like those guys in the neighborhood where officials say Charlotte was found alive and unharmed. Today, crews seem gathering evidence and residents grateful for some closure after days on alert. Governor of New York calling this in active investigation. The suspect is currently being held at the Saratoga County Jail behind me without bail. The next court appearance is set for October 17th. Tom? All right, Kathy Park first. Kathy, thank you. Now to a manhunt in Philadelphia after a man attacked a woman at gunpoint outside her car with her two young children inside. That mom fighting back, pushing the attacker off his bike before he drove away. Ron Allen has the details.

A shocking confrontation caught on camera on the streets of Philadelphia. A moment. mother with her two children in the backseat facing off against an armed assailant after he jumped on her car. Video posted on social media shows a group of dirt bikers driving past City Hall in an apparent street takeover. Nikki Bullock and her family were in a car nearby on their way to deliver food. They're not paying attention to lanes. They're just doing whatever. So now I'm turning in the lane and it hits the side of the car. The collision leaving a dent in the side of the car, that man getting off his bike and going on the attack. George Coloni was visiting the city from Florida and shot the now viral video of the incident.

Next thing, you know, this guy hops off and jumps on this lady's car. He jumped up here with two feet. He stepped his first foot down. Didn't work. And then he was like, went through. The man's shattering the back window with Bullock, her girlfriend, and those two children just five and two years old inside. The man jumping off the car, dropping a gun to the ground.

As Bullock gets out to confront him, the suspect picks up the gun and points it right at her head. It was a little gun. And then at that point, my windshield was already broken. So, like, what was he really going to do to make for him? So I just started going off. The two squaring off on the street, the attacker headbutting Bullock before getting back on his bike. Bullock pushing him back down before he drove away. She's then seen taking one of her children out of the vehicle before walking away from the scene.

For him to take it that far is just out of control. I mean, to the point where, like, many people could have died in the middle of, in an instant. This morning, police announcing they now have a person of interest in the case, releasing new images of the suspected attacker. His license plate is not visible in the video, but authorities are highlighting the firearm he used and the decal on his helmet, hoping the public can help track him down. If that person is caught and I get the chance to charge that person, we will be going very, very vigorously. Search for a suspect and accountability after an incident that could have ended very differently. I'm just grateful that my kids are okay. There's not a scratch on them.

It was just the simple fact that I had kids in the car. That's why I jumped out like that. That's reacted like that. It was just to protect them, honestly. And while authorities searched for the suspect, the district attorney pointing out, these street takeovers are especially tough for police because they can't conduct high-speed chases without endangering pedestrians and motorists nearby. Tom? When we come back, the massive drug bust in California, the LAPD, FBI, and Homeland Security working together to take down a sophisticated drug ring,

the huge pile of guns, fentanyl and meth that they seized, and the arrest just made. Stay with us. All right, we're back now with Top Stories News Feed and some breaking news out of Arkansas. 20-car pile-up has shut down Highway 67 near Jackson. Officials on this scene have confirmed that least two people were killed, but there are reports of more injuries. Authorities say smoke from a nearby brush fire, reduced visibility on the highway leading to that crash. Officials in California seizing 70,000 fentanyl pills in a drug trafficking bust. 27 people arrested you see them here, along with a seizure of 30 firearms, fentanyl powder, heroin, cocaine, and 143 pounds of meth.

The investigation active since June 1st and involved the LAPD, California Highway Patrol, FBI, and Homeland Security, and other state agencies. And the FCC issuing the first ever penalty for space junk, DISH Network ordered to pay $150,000 after an investigative. The investigation showed it disposed of a satellite at the wrong elevation. This NASA animation showing just how much debris, wow, is orbiting the planet. The FCC saying that disposing of equipment at too low of an altitude poses a threat. Other space junk in orbit includes old spacecraft, rocket parts, even flex of paint that could destroy a spatial window. Pretty scary. All right. Next, the stock sell-off on Wall Street.

Major averages dropped across the board, with the Dow finishing down more than four. 400 points for its worst day since March and the popular 10-year Treasury yield, hitting its highest mark in 16 years amid fears of higher interest rates. For more of the market's reaction, I want to bring in CNBC markets and investing reporter Pippa Stevens. Pippa, thanks so much for joining Top Story. It's great to have you tonight. So explain to our viewers what's happening right now with the stock market. Well, Tom, the concern here is that a tighter labor market will pressure the Federal Reserve

to keep interest rates elevated, which could ultimately tip the economy. into a recession. So the data we got this morning showed that job openings unexpectedly surged to 9.61 million during August, far ahead of the estimate for 8.8 million openings. That also reversed a trend we had seen of openings falling for the prior three months. And so the central bank's been raising interest rates to fight inflation. And this latest Joltz report, as it's known, could mean higher rates for longer. And that is specifically. booking the market. So for people that are obviously checking their 401ks every day, maybe people that are getting close to retirement, it's going to be a rocky ride then for the

rest of the year, correct? That's right. And rising rates are pressuring stocks all across the economy, everything from utilities which have a lot of debt and are seeing their costs rise to technology companies whose future cash flows no longer look as attractive. And the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury hit a high of 4.81 percent, a level not seen since 2007. And this is a really closely watched metric because it serves as a benchmark for a host of rates, including mortgages. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is now nearing 8 percent, and rising rates also hit consumers via higher car loans and credit card rates, and so we are seeing consumers pinched and also stocks feeling the burn.

On that point, how is the housing market right now? I read a report in the Wall Street Journal about a lot of different neighborhoods, losing some of the value. And obviously, homes were very expensive ever since the pandemic. And I also want to ask you about inflation. You know, is the Fed raising rates? Is it having any effect on inflation? Because life in America still seems very expensive. Well, that's what everyone is trying to figure out right now, what the pace of rate hikes is going to be,

whether it's going to be a pause or more rates and rate hikes in the future. And that's why every piece of data we get is being looked at so closely. That includes the ADP employment figures tomorrow and the very closely watched September jobs report on Friday. And after the Fed's aggressive rate hiking campaign over the last call it one and a half year, some in the market thought they were done. But expectations are now shifting and odds are rising that we could even see another hike this year. And once again, the ultimate fear here is that higher rates will trigger a so-called hard landing, in other words, a recession. Yeah, we've been talking about the R word it feels like for two years now, but it might be finally coming to us.

Pippa Stevens making her top story debut. Pippa, great having you on tonight. We thank you. Coming up, the out-of-control wildfires, emergency warnings and evacuations in Australia, dozens of fires burning, heavy rains coming. But we'll tell you what problems that they might bring. We'll explain it all. That's next. Back now with Top Stories Global Watch and a check of what's happening around the world.

We'll start with a deadly shooting at a mall in Thailand's capital. New video shows hundreds of terrified shoppers running out of a luxury mall in Bangkok. Police say a 14-year-old suspect opened fire inside, killing at least two people and injuring several more. Officials say the suspect is in custody. Authorities are looking into how he obtained that gun. In Brazil, record heat leading to a wildlife... crisis in the Amazon rainforest. Experts say water temps in the Amazon River have reached nearly 100 degrees. The excessive heat combined with drought conditions have led to the deaths of more than

120 dolphins. Thousands of fish have also died due to lack of oxygen. And wildfires in Australia prompting emergency warnings and evacuations, take a look. Dozens of fires are burning across the southeastern part of the country. In Victoria, more than 650 firefighters have been deployed but heavy rains are in the forecast, which could potentially lead to flash flooding, dry conditions and high winds also fueling more than 80 fires in New South Wales. So far, no reports of any injuries or deaths. Okay, we want to stay overseas now with that deadly bus crash that happened in Italy. At least 21 people are dead after a bus veered off an overpass in Venice and crashed onto some train tracks. It erupted into a fiery blaze.

For more on this now, Kelly Kobayah joins us now from London. Kelly? Well, Tom, the situation is still developing tonight. But what we know now is that a bus carrying tourists plunged several feet down from an elevated street close to the train tracks and caught fire. This happened in Mestray, which is a suburb of Venice, on the Italian mainland. Local authorities say that 21 people were killed, including two children. Eighteen injured passengers were actually rescued from that wreckage. The Venice mayor called this a huge tragedy, describing the crash scene as apocalyptic.

It's not yet clear what caused that bus to veer off the elevated stretch of road. The Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Maloney, expressing her deepest sorrow after the crash. A spokesperson for the mayor told NBC news that apart from the driver, all the victims were tourists, and some were Ukrainian tourists. We still don't know the nationalities and ages of all of those on board. the only Italian was the bus driver, according to local officials. One city officials said the bus was on its way to a campsite. Tom? Coming up, the soldier's surprise that will bring tears to your eyes.

The mom that came back and surprised her kids in a major way. We'll show you the videos that led up to it and that special moment when we come back. Finally tonight, after nearly a year of video messages and phone calls from overseas, emotional moments, a soldier reunited with her young sons at their elementary school. Here's that story. Hello, all of you beautiful second graders. Hello from Poland. For almost a year, this is what messages home looked like for Master Sergeant Trista Stangle.

I just wanted to send you guys a nice little video today, especially Keaton. Watching that message attentively with his class, her youngest son, Keaton, replying back with messages just like this. From kids, Mom, I love you, but you are the best mom in the world. Master Sergeant Stangled deployed to Poland with the 1133rd Transportation Company, helping resupply NATO Allied troops. Well, it was stressful. It was sad missing my kids. Trineland, how much do you love your mom?

One billion. One billion? That's a lot. But finally, after a long, ten months. overseas, Master Sergeant Stangle had a plan. It was hard being away from my kids and not coming straight home to them, but I already had a plan in place, and I really wanted to surprise them in school and make it very special for them.

This military mom surprising her sons at their elementary school in Osage, Iowa. That homecoming meant everything to both boys. Not anything yet in the world. Same. And the best news of all, mom's not going anywhere. I'm looking forward to retiring in the near future and being able to stay home with my kids for now on. The full-time soldier now looking forward to more time with family. We thank Master Sergeant Stengel for her service and for sharing that wonderful moment.

And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.