Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Episode Date: September 2, 2026

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

Tonight, the jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial deadlocked, telling a judge they can't come to a unanimous decision. The jurors saying they could not agree on whether to convict a mom who admitted to killing her three young kids. The judge telling them to keep deliberating. So what happens if there's a mistrial? War in Iran reignited, the U.S. and Iran trading a new wave of strikes, the urgent security alert for U.S. citizens in the region. Tropical Storm Edward makes landfall, powerful winds and torrent. torrential rains pounding Texas and Louisiana.

Our reporter on the ground as a storm charges inland. The new image of a college student with his hands up moments before a police officer shot and killed him. The student allegedly went to the wrong house after a night out. The charges that officer now faces. Surviving a lightning strike, rare video, capturing the moment this man is hit, you'll hear in his own words how he somehow walked away. Right place, right time.

Video capturing a man flying off a motorcycle landing right inside a bus as the doors were open. And toothbrush revolution diced in unveiling a $500 toothbrush equipped with a built-in camera. We speak with someone who tested it out. Plus, are the Friday night lights dimming on high school football by some schools have been forced to cancel their varsity season? Top story starts right now. And good evening. We want to get right to that breaking news on the war in Iran, appearing to run. restart at this hour. Both the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire and threatening to return to

full-scale war. Video released by the Iranians. You see it right here shows missiles being fired towards American allies, including Jordan, part of a barrage of more than a dozen launches, even drones being sent to Kuwait, which is targeted right now as well. American forces just hours earlier launching yet another series of retaliatory strikes in response to Iran, targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. And Iran tonight, claiming that a wedding party was hit with fatalities. The U.S. military has not confirmed that. Now, President Trump's saying the strikes could continue

as the White House tries to strangle the Iranian regime on the battlefield and economically. Aririr Simmons joins us live from the region. And Kier, America's allies under attack right now? That's right, Tom. President Trump had warned Iran not to retaliate, but Iran is not backing down. So another of America's allies, Bahrain,

telling its civilians to head to airing, shelters right now. While you mentioned Kuwait, Kuwait says that is currently dealing with Iranian drones. Tonight, Iran launching this new air strike on Jordan. Part of what Jordan says was a barrage of 13 Iranian missiles, 10 intercepted, three falling in remote areas, all after President Trump warned Iran that the biggest attack is waiting in the wings and there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic if it launched new strikes. US Central Command just hours earlier with its second round of retaliatory strikes on Iran in just three days.

President Trump saying it was a response to Iran attempting to mine the strait of Amoos and shooting missiles at a U.S. military base. And the President saying new strikes were possible. Their Navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone. That doesn't mean we won't smack them. In Iran, massive lines for gas in Tehran, with Iranian officials saying they don't have enough to meet demand amid the U.S. blockade.

Part of the U.S. economic squeeze on the battered Iranian economy. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant with a new message to the Iranian regime. We know the $100 million houses you have around the world, and we are going to freeze those. Tonight, to this volatile environment prompting the State Department to issue a security alert, urging Americans living in or visiting the region to exercise caution and heightened vigilance and be prepared for potential travel disruptions. Keir Simmons joins us now from Jerusalem.

And Keir, what is the U.S. military saying tonight about those claims about a strike on a wedding party? Well, Tom, Iranian state media now broadcasting this video that it says is the aftermath of that strike on that wedding party. It says that four people have been killed and 68 have been injured. You can see the scenes there. NBC News, though, cannot verify whether or not those numbers are correct

or whether they are indeed civilians. Sencom saying tonight that it is aware of the report's U.S. Central Command, but it says it does not target civilians. Tom. Keir Simmons on that breaking news tonight, Keir, we thank you for that. Back here at home to the closely watched murder trial of Massachusetts. its mom, Lindsay Clancy. It's a case that has drawn strong and at times polarizing opinions across America, and tonight it's dividing the jury as well. The 36-year-old mother admitted to killing her

three young children back in 2023. Her defense argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, but prosecutors say she rationally planned those murders. After hours of deliberations on day three, the jury unable to reach a decision, the judge setting them back, urging them to come to a consensus. The nine men and three, nine women, I should say, and three men tasked with deciding between different options ranging from not guilty of anything to guilty of first-degree murder. Are Stephanie Gosses at the courthouse? Tonight, the fate of Lindsay Clancy hanging in the balance. After four days of deliberations, the jury saying it cannot reach a verdict. The judge telling them keep going.

I know that this was a long trial. All right. I know there were over 80 witnesses. There were over 300 exhibits. But because of that, I'm going to ask you to go back out. Clancy is accused of killing her three children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan in January, 23. Nine women and three men now choosing between five possible verdicts, not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, manslaughter, second-degree murder, and first-degree murder, with the outcome determining

whether Clancy, who is currently being held at a hospital, would face it. a life sentence without parole. And all 12 jurors have to agree. So far, they have not. I don't know that it's a good sign or a bad sign or any sign. It's that they're working hard to try to come to a decision. On Friday, jurors asked to review evidence from the trial, but there have been no new request since. During the trial, a battle between experts, the prosecution's witness. She retained an awareness of the illegality of killing others, including killing her children. And for the defense.

She had no appreciation for the wrongfulness of her act. And now after weeks of testimony and four days of deliberations, the jury has hit a wall. Are we headed for a mistrial here? Absolutely. You can just see the jury is very divided just by looking at them. Stephanie, let's pick it up right there. What happens if the jury can't agree on a verdict? Yeah, so the judge could probably send them back one, maybe two more times, Tom,

and then it is a mistrial, and then it's in the hands of the DA. The DA has to decide whether he wants to try this case all over again. Now, what does that mean for Lindsay Clancy? Well, she's been in a nearby hospital in custody since all of this took place. And a mistrial, Tom, is not an acquittal, so she would likely stay in custody while that decision is being made by the district attorney. Court watchers here, local reporters here, knowing this district attorney, they say it is almost a guarantee he's going to pursue another trial in this case, Tom. Okay, Stephanie Goss for us. Stephanie, thank you. I want to get right to NBC News legal analyst. Misty Maris, a good friend of top story. So, Misty, when a jury is deadlocked like this, can the judge do anything besides keep sending them back? So the judge in Massachusetts, it's a more strict rule than in other jurisdictions. He did what we call a soft Allen charge. It wasn't quite reading an actual specific language charge. It was a little bit less than that, telling the jury, there's a lot of evidence here, go back and take a look and see if you can come to a consensus. The next step would be to read. what is called the Tui Rodriguez charge.

We call it a dynamite charge in other jurisdictions to light the fire under the jurors. Once that's red, Tom, that's it. The next step would be a mistrial if there still isn't a consensus. Yeah, and then what do you think from covering this case first and kind of knowing everything that's out there,

seeing all the evidence, all the testimony, what do you think is holding up this jury? What do you think they're deliberating most on? We can never know, but I think my best guess is that there is a divide on the way that this case is being viewed between lack of criminal responsibility. Was Lindsay Clancy? Did she know right from wrong?

Did she have control versus some type of criminal culpability? Tom, I'd be surprised if the jury is grappling with first degree versus second degree versus manslaughter. I think it's more likely that there's a fundamental difference in the way the jurors view this case. Some believing that she should not be held criminally responsible while others saying you have three children that she killed. She should be spending some time behind bars.

We just heard Stephanie there. It sounds like the smart money is. saying this case will be retried if there's a mistrial. If the case is retried, the prosecution gets another bite at that apple. Do you think they changed their strategy at all? I do. I think that the case started off a very different way in the opening statements that it ended in closing arguments. The closing arguments were very effective because the prosecutors laid out almost a minute-by-minute account of what happened on that horrible day. And that was really effective to show that Lindsay Clancy had control, which supports their argument. I think you're right. I think this

case is very likely to be retried again. Something interesting, Tom, if there is, in fact, a mistrial, the judge will likely poll the jurors. So we may see what that split is. If it's really between lack of criminal responsibility and culpability, is it 12, you know, is it 11-1? Is it 2-10? We don't know. But that would be an interesting exercise. You know, we were talking about this case earlier today and just kind of going over some of the facts and some of the stuff that has been presented. You were pointing out to me that the husband here has actually gone online or at least gone out in public and saying that she should be forgiven. Not necessarily saying that she's innocent, but that she should be forgiven, correct? Yeah, he very publicly said that she should be forgiven,

and that wasn't part of the testimony in the courtroom, but on cross-examination, Tom, he was very clear that Lindsay Clancy was a wonderful, loving mother. He also said that she was deteriorating. Her mental health was on a decline. So all of that really supports the defense theory of the case, which was largely focused on there is no motive. The only one, way that Lindsay Clancy would do something like this is if she was in a state of psychosis. One of the key pieces of testimony for the prosecution was a psychiatrist who had examined her, at least I think did a Zoom with her the day before the killings and said he had not seen any sign that she would do this, she would kill or commit suicide. That being said, the defense has asked

to receive two pieces of evidence. One was the medicine bag or the bag of pills and also the knives. What does that tell you? Right. Those are the only two things the jury wanted to see. not a question about the law, not a readback of testimony. The bag of pills was really important because it relates to the argument that Lindsay Clancy was overmedicated. Prosecutors pushing back on that point saying, by the time that she committed these killings, the medicines were out of her system, and that she didn't actually take all of those that she was prescribed. Now, the knife is really interesting because it relates directly to her suicide attempt. Prosecutors saying that her wounds were more superficial than what you would expect, that this was hesitation.

Why does that matter? because the whole idea is, did Lindsay Clancy hear this voice? Did she lose control? Could she not control her actions? Prosecutors say, if she could, you wouldn't see hesitation wounds. It would be very, very different injuries. And that's why I found it quite interesting. The jury wanted to see the actual knife, to see what she used. Perhaps that was something that stuck with the jury in closing arguments. Such a dark and terrible and, as we're seeing here, a complicated case. Okay, Misty, we thank you for being on top story tonight. Now, to our other developing headline, Tropical Storm Edward, making landfall on the Gulf Coast. New video capturing those powerful winds and torrential downpours. Ships violently rocking in choppy waters.

You see this right here as bands of rainfall battered the coastline. Here's a live look at downtown Port Arthur. Winds shaking the cameras a little bit there at times. So where is the massive rainmaker headed next and what areas are at highest risk? Our Bill Carrens is here to track it all out along with some severe weather hitting the northeast. But we want to start with our man, Jesse Kirsch, is in the storm zone. in Port Arthur, Texas. Jesse, you and your teams have been out in the elements all day. What do you see in tonight right now? Tom, the wind gusts are starting to ease up a little bit.

Picking up as we're speaking to you right now. There's been debris that has been scattered. We have seen tree branches snapped off. I saw the outer light bulb casing of a street lamp rattling around a porta potty knocked over. These are no-joke wind gusts and the threat is far from over. powerful punch with wind gusts topping 70 miles per hour. However, the biggest threat tonight is flash flooding. The National Weather Service warning, there could be some rainfall rates of three inches per hour in some areas. And I want to bring you back here live for a moment, Tom, and show you what's going on behind us here. Just gives you a sense of what we're dealing with. I'm going to have a photographer, Joe, pushing behind me. You can see how choppy the waters are here.

This is a waterway that is just on the Texas-Louisiana border, and off in the distance beyond that land is the Gulf. And you can see how choppy those waters are. And if our photographer moves up to the tree line, you can see how the winds are pushing these trees along as well. So that is the situation here in Texas. But there are tens of millions who are facing a severe weather threat right now. You've got multiple severe thunderstorm watches, including one over Philadelphia. and New York City. So many people with a long night ahead, including here in Texas, the word from authorities in Houston tonight. They want people to stay home, not be out on the roads,

because again, there is real concern about flash flooding. And when you get into the darkness, we know that weather events can be that come that much more concerning, Tom. Okay, Jesse Kirsten's team out there. Jesse, thank you. I'll want to get right over to meteorologist Bill Carrons. So Bill, track out the rest of Tropical Storm, Edwarr, what's left of it as he travels through Texas. So so far, so good. Storm surge, no problem when it moved inland. As far as winds, I saw a tree down on a car. That's about the worst I've seen. So we're not so concerned with that anymore. It's the rainfall what's going to happen through the overnight hours. This is a close-in view. This is where the center is. It's crossing I-10 near Beaumont. This deep pink in here, this is torrential rain. This is like two to three inches. You notice these little icons popping on here. These are live reports of flash flooding that's taking place along on the west side of Beaumont right along I-10. So there is some heavy rainfall to be had with this. And that's going to be the issue. The winds, as I mentioned, if you're not right near the center in Beaumont, the winds are really nothing. Look at Houston. Look at Lake Charles. But Beaumont just had a gust of 48 miles per hour. So there were one of the few locations that actually feels like a tropical storm is coming through. And then tonight it dies off as it moves to the northwest. And we want to see the forward motion increasing because if it stalls and moves slower, then we get heavier rainfall total. So locally, we still could get five to seven inches, but it's a very narrow area, Tom. Notice Houston getting hardly any rain at all. Not much in additional rain, but on that path, we could see it'll isolate the totals up to 10 inches tonight, and that would cause some problems.

And then, Bill, while we have you there, there's also a severe storm threat for parts of the Northeast where we are several tornado warnings going off. What's happening here? Yeah, so there's a very huge area of high pressure with hot air in the middle of the country, and around the periphery, we're getting thunderstorms. So the next two nights we're going to be dealing with severe storms racing through the northeast. We've had some around the New York City area, and now we're watching the worst storms in between Harrisburg and Allentown.

We do have one active tornado warning in northern portions of Pennsylvania. So the New York City area, severe thunderstorm warning just south of Newark Airport. That storm's diving south should clip Staten Island here. That'll probably be over with about a half hour. Other very strong storms south of Allentown. Looks like these should be heading down in and around the Philadelphia area a little later. And as I mentioned, tomorrow we do it all over again. I think tomorrow is going to be a little more serious.

Stronger wind gusts are possible with these storms. This includes Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York City is out of the risk for tomorrow as far as the severe storms down. Okay, Bill Cairns, we thank you for tracking all of that. We're also tracking that severe weather in the southwest, rock and mudslide slamming Zion National Park after days of torrential rain. It comes as rescue teams in the Grand Canyon are still searching for one missing hiker after deadly floods swept through that park.

Dana Griffin reports. Tonight, stunning video showing flash flood waters rolling over the edge of a cliff and Utah's Zion National Park. Oh my God. You can see the muddy rapids. And hear the roar of rushing water. Watch this time lapse showing the Virgin River grow from normal flow. Part of it hitting its fifth highest peak on record Monday.

While southeast of there at the Grand Canyon, crews continuing their search, racing defying the last missing hiker caught in Saturday's deadly flash flooding. We're going to do all we can do to find them. Alan Smith has not been seen since then. His two hiking buddies, John Juste and Brent Rosencranz, were killed. Nearly an inch of rain falling within an hour that day. Immediately when they told us we had flash flooding happening, evacuation started in the canyon. Burn scars from a 2025 wildfire likely making conditions worse, helping to surge water deep into the canyon. Park officials

say their flood gauges were knocked off line sometime during the storm, but that's had had no impact on their ability to airlift dozens to safety. The challenge now? Obviously, it's just the topography trails have been washed out. So moving up through the box to do the actual ground search is going to be much more difficult. Dana Griffin joins us now from the Grand Canyon once again tonight. So Dana, this is a really challenging area to complete this search. It really is. The incident commander told me that the topography is one of the big challenges. He even says the land. landing pads for some of their aircraft have been destroyed along with some of the trails. They're having to use drones to navigate through some of those narrow caverns trying to search every nook and cranny. Also, some of those drones are equipped with Bluetooth technology

hoping to ping Timothy's phone so they can narrow in on his location. Tom. Dana Griffin reporting from Grand Canyon all week. Dana, we thank you. We're back in a moment with the police officer now facing charges accused of fatally shooting a college student allegedly showed up at the wrong home, the new details tonight. Plus, former NFL star Tony Romo speaking out on his recent arrest, what he's revealing about his reliance on alcohol and pain men. And the high-speed crash overseas sending a person on a motorcycle, look at this, flying straight inside a bus.

We'll show you that wild video ahead on top story. We're back now with an update on the killing of a college baseball player in Pennsylvania. The 22-year-old was shot by an officer after showing up to the wrong house during a night out. That officer has now been charged with voluntary manslaughter, and Aaron Gilchrist has more on what the body cam footage shows. This is the single frame from police body cam footage released today by authorities showing 22-year-old Glenwood Pyshire on August 23rd. His hands raised, and according to the Montgomery County Pennsylvania District Attorney, 17 to 20 feet away when shot by Upper Potsgrove Police Corporal, Sean Farrell. This is not a legal use of lethal force under Pennsylvania law. and I am obligated under the law to charge Sean Farrell with voluntary manslaughter.

Pyshire, a college baseball player, had gone to the wrong house after a night of drinking with friends. Farrell was responding to a 911 call from the homeowners afraid someone was breaking in. He yelled, police, let me see your hands. He followed up with hands up, hands up now, dropped to the ground. Fisher raised his hands in the air, clearly visible. Pyscher continued to walk toward Farrell, who was behind a red car. Farrell then yells, stop or I'll. And before finishing the statement, Corporal Farrell fires his handgun twice.

Pyscher was struck twice in the chest and killed. His parents say they're still processing what happened. The cops should have never resort it to such force. He was unarmed. He was supposed to play baseball and live his life. and he was cut short. Farrell turned himself in, and his attorney says he looks forward

to vindicating himself and maintains his innocence. Aaron Gilchrest joins us now. Aaron investigators say the body cam footage shows the officer had a taser on him that he didn't deploy. You're right, Tom. The DA went so far as to say

Mr. Pyscher was not a threat. And he talked about the fact that when Officer Farrell got to the scene there, he had obviously his gun with him, but he was also carrying on his, on his utility belt, a taser. He had a baton as well. The DA saying that he had other options available to him if he felt as though there was a need for the use of force to go through these escalatory steps. But at this point, based on the body camera footage from the camera that the

officer was wearing, he says that Glenn Pyscher was not a threat to this officer, nor was he a threat to the homeowners at that house where he showed up knocking on the wrong door in the early morning hours. The DA also went into detail about what was said on that body camera footage. He talked about the officer telling the second officer who arrived on the scene after the shooting that Pyscher had rushed him, that he was moving toward him in a very aggressive manner. And the DA said, that is not the case either. That is not what the video tells, Tom. All right. Aaron Gilchrist following this one for us a sad story there. Aaron, thank you. We're going to turn out a former NFL quarterback, Tony Romo, breaking his silence

after his arrest for impaired driving and bidding to substance abuse issues for the first time. Shaquille Brewster has more. You're under arrest for operating while under influence, okay? Tony Romo tonight breaking his silence, saying pain from injuries during his NFL career led to an over-reliance on alcohol. Did I pass this test? Turn around? No. The public comments are his first since being arrested on suspicion of impaired driving this summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

in this body camera video from July 23rd. Can I do an exercise? Go ahead, dude. Two back surgeries I need to say. Today on Instagram, the CBS football analyst and former NFL quarterback calling it a personal failure, saying his over-reliance on alcohol stemmed from his efforts to end his dependence on pain medication. Writing multiple back surgeries ended my career earlier than I expected and left me with constant debilitating pain. How many drinks have you had?

In July, police say he performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests. Do you understand the instructions? No. Romo today pleading no contest to operating while intoxicated. Court documents saying the court revoked his driving privileges for six months. CBS Sports not commenting tonight, previously announcing Romo was on leave until further notice. But with the start of the NFL season just over a week away, the broadcaster writing, as I turn my attention to my health, my family, and in time my return to CBS, I kindly ask for privacy.

Shaquille Brewster joins us now live. Shaq, what happens to what happens to Romo once he is allowed to drive again? Well, Tom, according to those court records, any car that he owns, operates, or even it's registered in his name, will need to have this ignition interlocked device. It's essentially a car breathalizer that requires you to blow in order for it to start and start. for it to move. That will need to be in place for more than a year after his license and his driving privileges are restored. And Tom, by the way, he was facing four other charges, or rather three other charges, in addition to the one where he pled that no contest, those charges have been dismissed by prosecutors. But Tony Romo personally, in that statement, he says that he's now going to be working with a team of doctors to focus on his health in the future. And by the way, you saw in that

statement. He mentioned his back surgery. He mentioned the injuries that he had. He made clear that none of that is an excuse for the behavior, but it's clear he wants to add some context to what we saw in that body camera video, Tom. Shaq Brewster for a Shaq, thank you. Still to come on top story, a growing number of high schools now canceling their varsity football season. So what's keeping kids off the field? Plus, get them while they're hot. We'll show you the rotissory chicken purses flying off the shelves. Yes, those are purses. But first, top story. top moment and it might be one of the most wholesome tagouts in baseball history. During last night's game, the Red Sox pitcher Peyton Tolly snagging a routine grounder from Seattle

Manor's Dominic Canzon. Check out what happened next. A little trickler back to Tolly. He'll scoop it, run right at him. Canzone. There's the hug. That's Peyton Tolly. Tolly. The announcers and fans alike loving the unexpected embrace. way to hug it out boys nice to see stay with us more top story after the break back now with top stories news feed starting right here in new york with an update on that deadly stabbing attack in time square authorities identifying the victim as 32 year old erin piacenti she was from new jersey and worked as a vice president for bank of america police say a 68 year old man was also injured when an emotionally disturbed woman went on a stabbing spree they say he's now in stable condition

and that the attack appears to be random overseas wild video of a high-speed crowd in Columbia. Watches a person on a motorcycle crashes into the side of a bus flying right through the open door. How lucky is that landing inside? You can see what it looked like on board the bus. The bike are thrown against some seats, but able to get up and walk away. Luckily, no passengers were hit. That is incredible. Longtime Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton has been suspended. Sony Pictures television studios saying in a statement that they were, quote, recently made aware of allegations concerning Thornton. The studio says they are recasting while they conduct a thorough investigation. And Walmart announcing a new twist on one of their savory classics. Check it out.

It's a limited edition rotisserie chicken purse. The bags come in two flavors, traditional, and of course, lemon pepper. The price tag, 597, same as the actual chicken. It's all part of a recent trend with more food companies serving up handbags, including Betty Crocker and its cake-shaped purses. Of course, who could forget that. Okay, now to another trend that caught our attention. High school football teams forced to cancel their varsity seasons because they say they don't have enough players. New York among the dozens of states that are seen fewer students trying out for the team. Pacey Chang from our NBC, New York station, has more in the story.

Tonight, a blow to a New York high school after the district called off the season for the school's varsity team. I know how hard my teammates were working forward to this season. our first game against wide an inch in a week or so. And to find out that we're not going to be able to play, like, that's just disappointed. For senior Seikudialo at Amityville Memorial High School, it means losing his final season with a team and sport that has meant so much to him. I just loved the brotherhood. And it was like another family, a place I could call home. Junior Anari Armstrong has hopes of playing in college. But now with no season to show what he can do, he's at a loss about what he's at a loss. comes next. Playing varsity for three years, so when he told me that there was no varsity, it was just like, what am I supposed to do now? The school superintendent said in a statement,

taking into account numerous player injuries, the program decided to pause varsity competition for the season. Football is a physically demanding sport and fielding a varsity squad without sufficient upperclassmen creates unnecessary safety risks for younger athletes. They're lying, saying injuries, no one's injured. No, nobody's, injured actually right now nobody's injured. I think we had something good going. We had a great team. A lot of great players and I think we had a bright future. I think we was going to do good this year. Amityville is the third Long Island High School to cancel its varsity football season this year. A move also seen in other parts of the country. In Michigan, one school sidelining the team for the

season after injuries left the team with only 13 players. A number of the district says would have also been unsafe. New York like Michigan are a among 37 states who have seen a decline in football enrollment since 2008, according to analysis by USA Today. However, schools in the South boasting more students than ever, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Alabama, all boasting more than a 25% increase in players over the same period. But for these players in New York, a final year, taken away before it began. I don't know what to do. That's really how it is. I don't know. what to do. I went from having the schedule, schedule year, and you kind of messed everything up. In Amityville, Paisi Chang, NBC News. Our thanks to Paisi Chang for that. For more of this, I want to bring in Danny Enriquez. He's the host of the official Miami Hurricanes podcast, Storm Sessions,

and runs the Cain's Insight podcast and website, which tracks and covers the country's best high school football players. He's known as D Money down in the 305. Danny, thanks for coming on top story tonight. Florida is one of the states, seen a decline in students signing up for high school football. I could not believe this, right? Football is sort of America's game. It's the most popular sport on television, makes the most money. So what's happening at the high school level? Well, this example might hit a little close to home, Tom, because our high school, Belang Jesuit, I was speaking to coach Richard Stewart, who was the football coach when you were in school, now the AD, and has, I think he's a winning as coach in Dade County. He was telling me that

there are participation issues. Lacrosse, believe it or not, has actually become the top sport for that level of contact at Belang Jesuit, which was when we were there very much a football school because of low participation, safety risk and just not wanting to, according to Coach Stewart, go through that grind. But it's really almost a tale of, you know, two schools, right? So our arrival school, Columbus, actually just played on ESPN and we sent a photographer there.

there are about 15 videographers there to cover their football team, which has recruited about 30 players. So I think you're seeing the kind of average school decline in participation while some of these super schools attracting more of the top caliber athletes who plan to play in college and pro. Yeah, but besides sort of those examples, right, in just the South Florida area, across the country, what are coaches sort of attributing this to, right? Because if you look at social media, obviously social media is not always reality. I mean, there are so many accounts now that just cover high school football that cover these kids. They want to build up sort of their followings so they can go to a good college and get those NIL deals.

My question is, is this sort of, is it philosophical? Does it have something to do with post-COVID? Is it screens in kids' hands? I'm just wondering why kids don't want to play football or at least aren't at least trying out for the teams. Yeah, I'd say all of the above. I mean, the safety concerns could be a major factor in a lot of these decisions. But also, football's a lot. So football, you talk about two a days.

I know that's decreased a little bit, but certainly the level of commitment needed to play football goes beyond the average lacrosse team, not to compare the sports just in terms of time and effort. Also, football is an expensive sport. Like it requires a lot of players to field a team safely. And you see it at the JV level where you don't have enough players to fill a JV team. And if you don't have a JV team, you're not going to have a varsity team. So I think it's a combination of all of these factors. and flag football has emerged as a viable option.

You see players playing flag football year-round, certainly here in Florida. And I think all of these factors are contributing. It's just not what it used to be where every kid aspires to play on the football team. That's just not the case. Other sports are filling in the gap. Every, yeah, and I don't even know these stats still hold, but it's, you know, 10% of high school kids make it to college, and then 10% of college makes it to the NFL, probably less than that.

There is so much money with the NFL. There's so much money in college football, right? now. What is happening, though, do you think at the high school level? Do you think this is just something that's being attributed to? And I guess my bigger question is, what is going to happen to college football? What is going to happen in the NFL? If you don't have kids playing in high school, how do they keep the love for the game? And where do these colleges end up recruiting? So it kind of goes to what I mentioned earlier with the example I used of Miami Columbus, which again, just played on ESPN. What you're seeing are these super schools attracting the players that fit in

the category you're talking about. Those kids are still playing. and they're being identified early and they're transferring to these super schools. I'll give you an example here in Florida, which maybe there's a whole other subject of a news segment, which is you have players who are great high school football players with aspirations to play college and NFL who play for schools that they don't actually attend. And what I mean is in Florida, you don't have, if your school does not offer football, you can play at whatever school you want football-wise. So you have kids either going to charter schools, which is another issue that's affecting participation,

at some of these schools, or they're taking their classes online, which in the case of the highest caliber athletes who just want to get grades so they can go to qualify for to play football, not all of them, but that's certainly their biggest priority. Those kids don't even go to the school they play for. So that's why I think you're seeing more of the super schools, which are very, but they're football-oriented. It almost sounds like high school is now semi-pro at this point with that scenario.

I do want to ask you, are kids in general playing less sports? Do you know? are they not playing basketball or baseball or track and field, or are they just leaving football and playing other sports? Yeah, no, what I've seen is they're playing other sports. I mean, using Belen as an example, just because, again, we just had a pretty comprehensive conversation with the AD. He was telling me that lacrosse was a big beneficiary.

Baseball is a big beneficiary cross-country. So I think, and you mentioned, you know, your schools that you featured up top, Long Island. I'm sure those programs are still very robust when it comes to lacrosse. So I think you were seeing other sports benefits. Soccer is another one. that, you know, clearly participation is up in soccer at the higher age groups. So other sports are benefiting, but football is clearly the one that's suffering the most. I think it requires the most resources.

So when that sport suffers a drop in participation, you have to make tough decisions because you can't play safely with a small number of kids, and it's an expensive sport to maintain. Yeah, no, maybe there's just a shift culturally happening across the country, and we're just kind of seeing it in real time. Danny Enriquez, great to see you as always. we want to turn now to a very difficult story out of Ohio. A family of a Haitian immigrant says their 20-year-old son died by suicide after he was given an ankle monitor by ICE to track his movements after the Trump administration and its special protections for Haitians seeking asylum.

In the wake of his death, the state's Republican governor. Now questioning the mass deportation effort, Julia Anzley reports. Tonight, the family of 20-year-old Pierre Bell is planning his funeral and blaming the Trump administration's policies for his death. They say the Haitian immigrant living in Ohio was driven to suicide after being forced to wear an ankle monitor, which led to ridicule and shame. There's blood on their hands. Bell just enrolled at Wright State University with a soccer scholarship, but his family saying he could not play with the monitor and was also bullied by classmates for wearing it. There's nothing illegal or criminalizing about Pierre Damas Bell, not even a

traffic ticket. Ankle monitors were frequently used by the Obama and Biden administrations to monitor migrants without detaining them. ICE says Bell was released into the U.S. two years ago by the Biden administration, which granted Haitian's temporary protected status. But the Trump administration revoked it. ICE saying in a statement, no one is required to stay in the United States illegally and wear a monitor.

Illegal aliens have a lawful, voluntary option. They can self-deport. Part of President Trump's campaign pledge for mass deportations. We come in with the right people. We come in with the power to move people out of the country if they hear illegally. But this from Ohio's Republican governor tonight. Look at someone like that and say, you know, we're going to kick you out of the country. We'll put an ankle monitor on you.

To me, it just doesn't make any sense. Julia Ensley joins us now on set. Julia, you've done a lot of reporting on these ankle monitors. What more do you know about them? and they're sort of a shift in tactics for the Trump administration, right? Yeah, it's interesting. This is a tactic that exploded under the Obama and the Biden administration's when ICE wanted a way to track people without detaining them.

Now ICE is starting to put more people on ankle monitors because they want the numbers for arrest, but they don't have the room to detain everybody, especially after the Supreme Court ended these temporary protected status for over 350,000 people. So it's something they've been doing more of, but they're not publicizing it as much, especially because they're worried about blowback from people

in the White House and the president himself. And then, Julie, I know you also have some new reporting on the amount of arrest happening now in America? That's right. We just spoke today that there were 50,000 arrests in the month of August. That is on par with the record number set in July. We're seeing a lot more arrest around the country, even though there aren't as many public displays of those arrests

as we would have seen this time last year. The high-profile ICE Interactions is what you're talking about. Yes, but the numbers are higher, actually, because they're arresting so many more people in communities, sometimes quietly, sometimes then releasing them and putting them on these ankle monitors. All right, Julie Ainsley, a lot of new reporting there. We thank you for that. And we do want to mention if you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or visit 988 lifeline.org. We want you to stay right there. We have more top story right after

this. We're back now with the latest high-tech gadget designed for people trying to optimize their health. This toothbrush comes equipped with a tiny camera that that uses AI to find the gaps in your teeth as you brush and shoots out water to remove plaque. It's made by Dyson, a company known for taking big swings, creating, of course, the bagless vacuum, the bladeless van, and a hairdrier that styles at the same time, and of course made Dyson himself a billionaire. Like many of those products, this one is not easy on the wallet.

The Dyson Camera Jet sells for nearly 500 bucks, and they also recommend buying special non-foaming toothpaste to avoid blocking the camera lens. Okay, so there's that. The question, will customers be willing to shell out all that money to keep their teeth squeaky clean? I want to bring in someone who has tried this toothbrush. Jenny Baie, she's executive director of Allure. Jenny, thanks so much for joining Top Story. So you're one of the lucky few that got to try this thing out.

It sounds a little strange. I understand you were brought to Dyson headquarters to try out the toothbrush and secret. What did you think? Yes. I was the first to see it back in the spring at Dyson headquarters and then tested it in New York. Actually, we were the first journalist to test it alongside a colleague of mine, literally alongside her. We brushed our teeth in a hotel bathroom. And it was a much less wet experience than I was expecting.

I will say, if you've ever used a water flosser or water pick, it can be messy. This was a much smoother experience than I thought it would be. The brush in my hand was lighter. I actually have one here. I don't know if you have one in the studio. But the reservoir here that the water is in is very small. less than half an ounce, and that will do your whole teeth because that camera is hitting each gap and isn't just continuously shooting water into your mouth.

Did you notice a difference? I mean, could you tell when the camera picked up the gap or your plaques? Or your plaque, I should say? You could. You could. I think also, too, sometimes the language of the jet and firing sounds very aggressive. It was actually, it made a little sort of sound and then shot into the gaps in your teeth. In my case, it I was counting, it hit every gap until I got to my bottom inside teeth.

It had stopped firing, and because I was brushing my teeth observed by Dyson staff, they suggested I opened my mouth a little more. It just needed a little more light, and then it started flossing once again. Wait, so wait, let me get this right. They're monitoring this in real time. How do they let you know that? How do they? Oh, no, because it was, this was a very, very top secret operation.

So allure's testing so far has been only under observation. We have not yet been able to take the brush into our own bathrooms. I got it. I got it. Okay, so did you, have you been able to use it for a while, or is it kind of one time only? It was one time only. Each of us got two minutes. And now we have just two hours ago, maybe we finally have the brush actually in our

possession. So now we're going to do much more extensive testing and go out to. Did it feel like a different experience? Like a more thorough brushing, if you will? It did. I will say my teeth felt pristine in two minutes. I do usually do two minutes with my regular electric toothbrush. I cannot say that I floss every single day.

So my teeth did feel very, very clean. And it was just a more elegant experience, I guess, than you might think from something with a camera and a jet and a brush. would hope so for $500, but it was a very pleasant experience. Yeah, it's expensive. And Dyson, you know, we think about the vacuums, but he's the first to say, look, he tried to invent a car, the market didn't want it, it didn't work out, and he had to move on. He's invented some really cool devices over the years. My question about this one is that he says his motivation was actually not market research at all, that he just hated going to the dentist

and getting sort of hit like we all do and getting the plaque built up behind your teeth, you know, picked at for five, 10 minutes, if you will. Do you think this toothbrush is that powerful, that smart, that that process when you go to the dentist either will be eliminated completely or will be less painful and less, I don't know, time-staking? I mean, I think we'll have to see in a few months. I think it is possible. I will say the only clinical trial that Dyson was able to share with us so far was testing this against a manual toothbrush, which felt a little like testing of mortar and pestle against a Vitamix. This toothbrush did much better than the manual toothbrush, but I think it is still

too early to say if the plaque removal of this brush is going to be that much better than other electric toothbrushes. I think time will tell, and hopefully Dyson will be able to release more research. Yeah, you work for allure. Obviously, it's important, you know, what you think about this thing. Is that something you think the market will be into? Sometimes when things are very expensive, people get really excited, and they shell out for it, and you have people buying the aura ring. I know in our house we have this face thing that my wife wears. I'm not even sure what it does, but there's all kinds of products out there now that people love

and that they're paying a lot of money for. I just wonder if this is sort of the next phase in that. I think it could be. I might have 10 years ago when Dyson launched their hair dryer, you know, that looks like Thor's Hammer with the hole, and it was. $400 and we said, okay, this is cool, but who's going to pay that much for a hairdryer? It turned out a lot of people would pay that much for a hairdriar. So I do think it's possible they'll pay $500 for this toothbrush.

Allure can't give it our full-throated recommendation without more extensive testing, independent experts, you know, seeing more clinical trials. But I think there's definitely something here. And like you said, people are really trying to optimize their self-care and their wellness, and that fits in this space. How long do you have to stay with it? How long is the whole process? The whole process is two minutes. So in two minutes, it brushes and flosses your teeth. And Jenny, you have to use their toothpaste, or can you use your crust or your oral, be whatever you have?

No, you can use. They will be coming out with a toothpaste in a mouthwash, or mouth rinse, as they say, in England. but you can use any non-foaming toothpaste, and you can fill it either with their mouthwash or with water. I wouldn't fill it with, for example, Listerine or a mouthwash like that. It has to be pretty mild. Got it.

All right, Jenny Bai, we thank you so much for coming on. This is a fun conversation, and we'll see how it does. When we come back, we'll hear from a man who got struck by lightning and survived. That scary moment caught on camera. Plus, the special military reunion,

a soldier dressing up as his sister's school mascot to surprise her after being deployed overseas. That moment next. We're back down with an incredible story of survival. A New York man struck by lightning, and the entire ordeal was caught on camera. Now he's speaking to our Air McLaughlin about how he narrowly walked away.

This is the moment a bolt of lightning strikes a man on New York, Staten Island. Caught on camera. You can see the flash of light. Then resident Thomas Fahmai drops to the ground in agony. Incredibly, he gets back up and walks away. taking shelter inside a residence home. Can I come in?

Sure, yes, please come. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. They say lightning doesn't strike twice. I hope not. I hope not. Today Fakhmi showed us where it happened. The first thing I first saw was just a white flash.

What it feel like? I felt like my feet I was walking on balloons. It was really, really in pain. Numbing, tingling, feeling down there. It was a sensation I had never felt ever my lunch. Fakhmi was treated for only minor injuries. His story of survival after other lightning strikes this summer ended in tragedy, with 13 fatalities recorded nationwide so far this year.

On Saturday, Utah resident Steve Matheson was struck by a thunderbolt while jet skiing in Florida, killing the 41-year-old father of four, according to the local sheriff. That death, days after lightning in South Florida killed 31-year-old Kenya Glasgow and one of her children. Fahmee says he knows how lucky he is to be alive. That strike of lightning reminded me that life can go in a blink of an eye, in a flash. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News, Staten Island, New York. All right, Aaron, we thank you for that. Finally tonight, the mascot reveal going viral.

After a year-long deployment overseas, one Army National Guardsman decided to surprise a sister in a very special way. Take a look. This high school cheer squad thought they were watching tryouts for a new mascot. At first, just another wildcat showing off his moves. But watch what happens next. Freshman Taylin Shaw recognizes him instantly. Her big brother, James. I was really just feeling pure shock in the moment.

A sergeant in the Army National Guard. He had been deployed in Jordan for a year. We have a 12-year difference, but he's still my best friend. I tell him everything. I go to him for everything. Back home in Piedmont, Oklahoma, James planned it all from the costume to the fake tryout. I was super excited because I knew she didn't have a clue. I was also a little nervous trying to figure out what dance moves to do.

The two spending a year apart, so there was only one thing left to do. Get that hug. After everything had slowed down, I just kind of became really grateful that he came home safe and that every prayer worked. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.