Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Episode Date: September 24, 2025

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

tonight breaking news courtroom chaos the man accused of trying to assassinate president trump stabbing himself in court moments after his guilty verdict the dramatic moments ryan ruth grabbed a pen and stabbed himself in the neck before being restrained by u.s marshals and rushed away his daughter chasing after his car following the verdict ruth found guilty of trying to kill than candidate Trump on a golf course last year. Also tonight, the surprise reversal from President Trump saying Ukraine could win all of its land back from Russia. The major shift coming after a blistering speech from Trump at the UN telling world leaders, your countries are going to hell. The big bus that could have crippled New York City's cell grid, federal agents seizing devices they say could have blasted out 30 million

and text a minute, the rented apartment's line with servers and SIM cards that could have done so much damage. Kimmel's return, the late-night host back on the air tonight, nearly a week after he was suspended for comments about Charlie Kirk's death, what we know about his comeback show. Ragasa's wrath, the dangerous typhoon ripping through parts of Asia, dramatic water rescues in the Philippines, in Taiwan, buildings nearly submerged. Mall cop, the body cam video showing officers chasing an alleged thief through Pennsylvania Mall, then into a neighborhood before tackling him to the ground, what he's accused of stealing,

and Gold Rush, the sorority sisters cashing in on their videos of recruiting, going viral, and the big brands getting in on the action. Plus, a new king of beer has been crowned. Miccolo, officially surpassing Modelo as America's best-selling beer. Top story starts right now. Good evening. We begin tonight with that shocking scene in a Florida courtroom. The man accused of trying to kill President Trump convicted than trying to stab himself. This court sketch capturing that moment, Ryan Ruth, jabbing at his neck with a pen restrained by U.S.

Marshals and taken away. Moments later, another stunning scene here it is playing out. As Ruth was driven from the courthouse, you see his daughter chasing after the car. It was a dramatic end to a case that began roughly a year. ago, you may remember, on a Florida golf course, Ruth accused of line and weight to kill then candidate Trump. You can see the rifle right there. He was just one hole ahead of him.

The jury taking just two hours to convict Ruth on all five counts against him. He's now facing the rest of his life behind bars. President Trump reacting to the verdict, applauding his Attorney General and federal prosecutors and saying justice was served. Aaron Gilchrist in Florida tonight for us and leads us off. I love you. I love you. Tonight, just after Ryan Ruth was convicted of trying to assassinate President Trump

at his West Palm Beach Golf Club, his daughter, running beside the car, authorities were transporting him in. All after inside court, Ruth attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen. This court sketch showing that moment. NBC News producer Carmen Gonzalez witnessed the chaos in the courtroom. As the jury was leaving, I looked over to him and I saw him doing this. I thought maybe he was having a seizure, but then I realized he had a pen and he was jabbing at his neck trying to hurt him. Within seconds, she says, U.S. Marshals grabbed Ruth and took him away.

And the daughter started saying, Dad, don't. Dad, don't. We love you. A Florida jury deliberating for just two hours before convicting Ruth on all five counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate. Prosecutors in closing arguments saying a mountain of evidence showed one thing. Ruth wanted Donald Trump dead. Shot fired. Shot fired. Individual in the bush with a gun. Just two months after the assassination attempt in Butler, on September 15th last year, a secret service agent spotted the barrel of a semi-automatic rifle in the shrubbery outside Trump's golf club. On the tree line, the individual was inside that tree line. Authorities say Ruth had been lying in wait behind a fence for hours undetected.

Straight back! His arrest shone on this police body cam and this image of his gun. In court, Ruth represented himself in an often rambling presentation arguing he did not have the character. to kill, saying, if you don't have the cold heart to make it happen, is that intent? But prosecutors showed jurors a letter written by Ruth where he said, quote, Dear World, this was an assassination attempt. President Trump reacting tonight. You can't let things like that happen. Nothing to do with me, but a president or even a person. You can't allow that to happen. And so justice was served.

The judge was very patient, even lenient with Ruth, giving him the same instructions several times, despite seeming frustrated at points, she ultimately will decide his punishment and two of the charges carry a maximum of life in prison. Sentencing set for December 18th. Tom? All right, Aaron Gilcrest for us. Aaron, we thank you for that. NBC News legal analyst, Misty Mayeris, joins us now on set.

Misty, so great to see you. Thanks for being here tonight. So I guess my first question is this. In some of those sketches, we saw that at one point he was shackled during the trial, but at the end, in the closing arguments, he's in his suit, he's no longer shackled. Then he tries to stab himself. Was that a mistake on the judge's part? The judge has to weigh various factors.

And one of those factors is prejudice that he could experience. He's his lawyer and he's also the defendant, wearing those shackles for the closing argument. The last thing that the jury is going to see is something that could have been prejudicial to him. Now, you have to weigh that against the possibility that there is a danger to himself or others in the courtroom. We don't know what was known about that. Presumably, that wasn't an issue at the time. And that's why the judge made that decision. But certainly the way that it unfolded was very unfortunate.

Yeah, given that Ruth stabbed himself in the neck, the jury saw that everyone in court did, including the judge, how is this going to affect him in the sentencing? Well, the very first thing is this would trigger an immediate mental health assessment. Remember, he's behind bars during the course of this trial. So the question about whether or not he's competent to even continue on through the legal process will be the threshold question. And then it also could be a factor that comes up during sentencing where aggravating and mitigating factors are presented to the judge who ultimately, decides the penalty. Yeah. What do you think happens here? Does he get life in prison? I mean, that's the max sentence. He's guilty on all five counts. Is that where he's headed? So there's always parameters that judges can look at. There's a lot of discretion. But I do think it's very likely you will see close to the maximum penalty in a case like this. There was a tremendous

amount of evidence. The one factor that's the wild card is whether or not there are mental health issues that impact that sentencing. We saw the president come out pretty forcefully on social media. congratulating the prosecutors and his attorney general. The judge has to ignore all that and just listen to the facts of the case, right? True, but the prosecutors will make a recommendation to the judge about what the appropriate penalty is. So that will be a factor the judge will consider.

All right, we thank you so much. Always great to see you there, Ms. Steve. Okay, so now we're going to go to President Trump's scathing message to the United Nations, blasting the international organization and some allies as irrelevant and ineffective while also signaling a key shift on the war in Ukraine. Now calling on Ukraine to fight Russia and to win. Here's Garrett Haig.

As President Trump arrived at the UN, the malfunctions piling up. The escalator stopping the moment he and the First Lady stepped on, and the teleprompter failing just as he started to speak. These are the two things I got from the United Nations, a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. All as he delivered a scathing message, arguing the UN has become irrelevant. What is the purpose of the United Nations? Saying they've failed to stop global conflicts. All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up.

It's empty words and empty words don't solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action. And sending this warning to leaders in Western Europe. Illegal aliens are pouring into Europe. Urging them to adopt his crackdown on illegal immigration. It's time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. Let's see, I can tell you.

I'm really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell. But despite his criticism of the UN, the President's own efforts to end wars in Ukraine and in Gaza have largely stalled. But in a sudden shift, after this meeting with Ukraine's President Zelensky, thanks to our soldiers, we have this possibility, this opportunity. Tonight, President Trump urging Ukraine to expand the battlefield. earlier warning they may have to concede territory for peace writing i think ukraine with the support

of the european union is in a position to fight and win all of ukraine back in its original form the other side can fight too and they've proven that maybe it's a it could be that russia's a paper tiger let them get their land back yep so we'll see how it all works out also calling for a strong response after recent russian incursions mr president do you think that nato countries should shoot down russian aircraft if they enter their airspace? Yes, I do. This praise tonight from President Zelensky. A big shift by President Trump.

This post of Trump is a big shift. And after key allies, including France and Canada, announced their recognition of a Palestinian state, Canada recognizes the state of Palestine. President Trump condemning that move. The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists, for their atrocities. Instead of giving in to Hamas' ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message. Release the hostages now. All right, Gary joins us now and said, Garrett, let's go back to Ukraine there. This feels like a huge shift from President Trump, at least

publicly when he's putting on social media. I know you have some new reporting for our viewers. Yeah, it's a big shift, at least rhetorically for now. But right now, there's no actual change in U.S. policy on this, at least for now. But a senior administration, official tells me the goal here is to try to exert maximum public pressure on Russia and then see how Russia responds. So, Tom, they're going to be watching very closely the next 24 hours of show to see what the Kremlin does next. Okay, Garrett, great to have you here in New York again. More breaking news out of New York City tonight. Secret Service agents dismantling a major threat to the city's cell phone network that could have impacted emergency services across the five boroughs.

An investigation now underway into whether the people behind it also planned to target the United Nations General Assembly this week. Here's NBC's Kelly O'Donnell. In the shadow of a global gathering of world leaders at the United Nations, tonight a major risk to an essential lifeline disrupted. Federal officials say a cash of electronics they seized with ties to unnamed foreign actors could have crippled cell service in the nation's largest city, jamming 911 calls, impeding emergency services response and causing massive chaos. This network had the the potential to disable cell phone towers and essentially shut down the cellular network in New York City.

The U.S. Secret Service says a series of recent raids in the New York tri-state area led to the discovery of 100,000 SIM cards and 300 servers, able to overwhelm cell networks by generating mass calls, up to 30 million texts a minute. These photos show some of the electronics discovered in rented apartments within 35 miles of the UN. No arrests have been made. Early analysis indicates cellular communications between foreign actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement. This investigation began close to the White House where law enforcement says high-level officials had been swatted this spring. Those anonymous calls that report false threats, secret service officials deployed

what they call an elite unit that includes cyber experts that led to the discovery of these Telecom Farms. Kelly O'Donnell joins Top Story tonight, live from outside the United Nations. Kelly, what else did investigators find in those raids you were reporting on? Well, it does go beyond the SIM cards. They also recovered illegal weapons, computers, phones, cocaine. They said they do see some connections to organized crime, maybe even cartels. But they also are focused on this involvement of a foreign government they would not name.

Part of what they'll do next is run down, they say, every call that was made, every search done on these SIM cards, and tried to gather more evidence. They wanted to make it known now, hoping that that will give them some additional leads. And of course, there's concern that this kind of thing could be replicated in cities around the country. So this sort of threat that could really disrupt everyday life and could cause chaos, it is an ongoing concern. And so they consider this an imminent threat that they were able to interrupt.

Tom. All right, Kelly O'Donnell, part of our team covering the UN General Assembly. Kelly, we thank you to Los Angeles now, where late night host Jimmy Kimmel is set to make his return to TV tonight. But despite ABC's decision to let him back on the air, several stations are announcing they're going to refuse to air his show. Liz Kreutz has the latest from Los Angeles. Jimmy Kimmel just hours away from making his late night return. I'm glad he's back. He deserved it. It comes nearly a week after Disney pulled Kimmel off the air following pressure from the FCC chairman and conservative outrage over comments he made about Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter. Outside the taping, Kimmel's supporters celebrating the decision to bring him back.

I'm just so happy for him. Free speech, regardless of where you stand politically, it's important. But the spokesperson for Charlie Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA, criticizing Disney for caving and calling it their mistake to make. Now, Next Star announcing it's joining with Sinclair and won't run Jimmy Kimmel Live. Combined, the two television station groups account for nearly 60 ABC stations, which means the program won't be available over broadcast to millions of people, including in Seattle, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. Nextstar is currently seeking approval for a $6 billion merger from FCC chairman, Brendan Carr. Today, Carr applauded the move to preempt Kimmel, writing, Democrats simply can't stand that local TV stations for the first time. time in years stood up to a national programmer. Hours before tonight's show, Kimmel also returning to social media. Missing this guy today, he wrote, along with a photo of him with Norman Lear, the producer

of boundary-breaking shows like All in the Family and the Jeffersons. Lear was on former President Nixon's enemies list and was known for successfully fighting back against the FCC in the 1970s over a family viewing policy that he saw as censorship. All right, Liz Kreutz joins us tonight live outside Jimmy. studio there in Hollywood. So Liz, what more do we know about the show tonight? Well, Tom, we know that his guests are going to include actor Glenn Powell and Sarah McLaughlin, who pulled out of performing at an ABC event over the weekend to protest Kimmel's suspension. We still don't know what he will say in his monologue and if he will apologize. That is, of course, a big question here. Now, outside the theater, Tom, where we are,

we did get that video showing Jimmy Kimmel arriving. And right now, some of his supporters have gathered outside. They're protesting the FCC. We also were able to talk to some of the audience members who snagged tickets for the show. One of the people told us that when the show got canceled, they decided to go on and get a ticket for today. Happened to be the show that was the comeback show. Others said they got tickets weeks ago and lucked out to be in there for this big return tonight. Tom. Yes, I'm lucky fans to witness what he's going to say. All right, Liz, we thank you for that. For more on this, I want to bring in Joe Flint. He's a median entertainment reporter for the Wall Street Journal and has been following this story closely from the beginning.

Joe is the reporter who first broke this on X when this happened to Jimmy Kimmel. Joe, I'm going to get kind of technical here. We're going to put up a map for our viewers so they can understand this. These are the dozens of ABC affiliated stations that have decided not to broadcast it. Concentrated mostly in the South, Midwest, and Eastern Seaborne. You have markets like Washington, D.C. and Seattle that are affected here, the Next Star and Sinclair stations. I wanted to show this, Matt, because in essence, when you started reporting the story out,

it felt like the stations were forcing ABC's hand, whether that was true or not. That's the way it sort of felt in the timeline. Can you remember a time where the stations did something like this and sort of challenged the networks? Well, there's been times over the course of history, but usually more about whether content is too risque. NYPD Blue, the Stephen Botchko police drama that now seems very quaint, was considered very cutting. in the 90s with rough language and David Caruso's backside. I remember that. And a lot of stations initially didn't carry it, especially in the South.

The show became a hit, and of course they then carried it. When Ellen DeGeneres had her coming out episode on the Ellen show, one station in Alabama didn't carry it. So it doesn't happen too often and certainly not politically motivated, which is what we're seeing here. So what do you think is going to happen tonight? because you've been covering this industry for a while now, and again, you were the one who broke this story.

What do you think Jimmy Kimmel does? Well, I'm going to be very interested to watch like everyone else. I mean, the interesting thing was last week, what Disney people were telling us, and what we and others reported was that they were at odds with Jimmy over how Jimmy was going to address this controversy. They felt that Jimmy was only going to add fuel to the fire instead of pouring water on it,

so they didn't want them going on the air until they could come to some sort of an agreement. Over the weekend, and yesterday that narrative began to change a little where the Disney people were saying, no, no, no, we just wanted to take a pause. We just wanted everyone to step back and cool down. And I just got the sense that Disney was feeling a lot of pressure from the creative community. Bob Eiger, the CEO of Disney, was facing in particular some criticism. The unofficial mayor of Hollywood in many ways.

Yes, and his legacy was being tarnished by this. People were saying his former boss and former Disney CEO, Michael Wise, questioned his leadership skills on social media. So part of me, observationally, believes that that, too, may have played a part of we need to move on and get him back on the air. What do you think the collateral damage is going to be for two people, one, for Jimmy Kimmel, and also for late night in general, there's going to be huge ratings likely tonight. But will there be long-term damage for Jimmy Kimmel, you think? I think the potential long-term damages for the entire entertainment industry that the FCC can make a veiled threat to local stations about their broadcast licenses, what Michael Eisner and called, and other lawyers too, called a hollow threat and have a big company like Disney react like this. I think the concern is a chilling effect and whether cars actions, even if they don't end up taking any deliberate action.

against TV stations will have that effect. We'll see when SNL comes back in a few weeks. We saw what happened with Stephen Colbert. Others have reported out, I'm sure you have two, that Jimmy Kimmel has not a whole lot of time left on his contract, right? And he's signaled he wants to do other things as well. I mean, if you knock out those two titans, you still have people like Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers, and you have cable shows as well, John Oliver.

What do you think happens to the landscape? I mean, do you kind of need that sort of battle at late night? Or will this be a sort of a time when maybe one show just stands up? I think it might be the latter just because the broadcast networks are financially challenged in late night. They're not making a lot of money or in some cases not making any money, or so they say. And so they're looking to cut back. CBS is not replacing Colbert. I think if ABC, if Kimmel was to step down, we might just see nightline slide up and not replace him.

And NBC, I mean, they've been eager for a while to find a way out of late night. I'd be very curious when Seth Meyer's contract is up in a couple years. There's always been rumblings that they will move out of that time period. Both Seth and Jimmy, though, great shows. All right, Joe, we thank you for being on tonight. Always appreciating great reporting. We're also tracking the life-threatening tropical cyclone barreling across Asia. Super typhoon Ragasa, the largest storm anywhere on Earth so far this year,

slamming Taiwan and the Philippines, subverging entire neighborhoods and triggering water rescues. Millions now are under threat tonight as the system takes aim. at Hong Kong and southern China. NBC's Janice McEugh-Frayer is in the region tonight for us. The strongest tropical storm on Earth this year is barreling across Asia, thrashing the Philippines with winds over 165 miles per hour. A super typhoon equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.

Heavy rain triggering landslides and flooding. The extent of the damage still unclear. The sheer size of Typhoon Ragasa captured from space, now making its way through the South China Sea toward Hong Kong and southern China, where tens of millions of people are on high alert. The storm center passing south of Taiwan, causing rough seas and deadly flooding. We looked up at the huge waves and thought, is this a tsunami? She says. Experts say typhoons are getting stronger here every year. Hong Kong has been brought to a standstill, with flights cancans.

and schools closed. Store shells have been emptied by people stocking up on supplies. With Rakhasa expected to make a second landfall in mainland China, authorities here moved to evacuate 400,000 people in Guangdong province alone and urged millions more to stay at home and brace for impact. The typhoon is expected to weaken by the time it hits the southern coast here in China. Still, authorities warn the impact for some could be catastrophic as the system continues to churn its way across the region heading next for

Vietnam. Tom? Janice Mackie Freyer for us. Janice, we thank you. We're going to get right over to NBC News meteorologist Bill Karin's for more on that typhoon track. Janice just mentioned. Bill, those images were pretty devastating that we saw coming in. Talk to us about the latest models and what they're showing. Yeah, that wasn't even a direct hit for the northern Philippines and southern portions of Taiwan. This storm is huge. Hong Kong barely, only by about 100 miles, missed a direct landfall from the eye. They're going through the northern half of the storm. It's windy, more like a tropical storm,

a lot of heavy rain. That's one of the issues. Now the storm is going to parallel by the coast. 7.5 million people live in Hong Kong, and there's still a lot of huge population centers where that landfall is going to be as we go throughout the day today now that they're into their Wednesday.

Then the storm's going to parallel the coast, which means it's not going to weaken as fast as it normally would, and there's some mountainous areas in here. So rainfall is going to be a huge issue. Landslides, mudslides, flash flooding, Some areas could get up to about 15, maybe even as much as 20 inches of rain time. Bill, and I know you're also tracking two areas in the Atlantic on our side of the planet here for possible tropical development. Yeah, this is going to be a heck of a forecast, a very difficult one.

So we have two tropical waves that are very close to each other. One is a 90% chance of development, the other is 60% chance. The one that's 60% is the one that's going to get closest to the Bahamas. Let me show you what the European model is doing. This is you typically are our most reliable model. By the time we get to Sunday morning, it has the one that's further away, becoming a hurricane south of Bermuda, most likely a tropical storm near the Bahamas. Let's fast forward this. Go into Monday. The European model has both of these becoming pretty

strong storms, possibly two hurricanes in between Florida and Bermuda, which would be extremely rare. So we have to watch, obviously, the one that's closest to the U.S., but these may interact with each other and kind of dance out here. No matter what, Tom, we are going to have an angry ocean, rip currents, you know, beach erosion, all that stuff as we go through next week, any direct are still two beats. Bill, Bill, I can't let you go there because I'm remembering Superstorm Sandy. What happens when two hurricanes can they collide? Do they join forces? I mean, or is it scientifically impossible? I'm glad you queued this up. I got one more model to show you. The American GFS model, instead of keeping these separate, actually combines these two into a much

larger storm. So this is the same timeline. This is Sunday morning. Notice there's the two storms. And by the time we go and advance this and get into Monday, it combines them into one big storm just off the North Carolina coast. There's still a lot to be figured out, but obviously everyone on the East Coast, it's that time of year. Make sure you have your hurricane plans. Hopefully you don't need them. Bill Cairns, I know where you're going to be the next few days, right here on top story, because that is pretty wild what's happening out there. We're going to stay monitoring that. We thank you. We're going to be back in a moment with terrifying moments on the runway. Two jets almost colliding, nearly landing on top of each other. What went wrong here? Plus,

Kamala Harris's bombshell book, Revelations, what the former vice president says about her former boss, President Joe Biden, and why she didn't push back sooner against his plans to run for re-election. And the woman found guilty in a brazen attempt to put up, to put Graceland up for auction. How long she'll be in prison? Stay with us.

We're back with a very close call in France when a passenger jet nearly landed on top of another plane during a rainstorm. Investigator is now trying to figure out exactly how this happened. Here's NBC's Tom Costello. It happened in Nice, France. Data from Flight Radar 24 shows a Nouvelle Air Airbus A320 arriving from Tunisia at 11.30 p.m. Coming into land on the same runway where an easy jet A320 was preparing to depart. The data shows the Nouvelle airplane passing just 10 to 20 feet above the easy jet on the runway. Nouvelle Air aborted its approach and went around landing a few minutes later. EasyJet cancelled its flight.

One passenger told French TV, the pilot was sobbing. It was a bit infectious. Everyone burst into tears. Four investigators have been assigned to the incident. The French transportation minister posting on X, a collision involving two aircraft from Nouvelle Air and EasyJet was narrowly avoided. If these two air buses had, in fact, collided, it would have could have affected.

expected 350 to around 400 people, it would have been extremely serious. The close call happened on runway 4 right, which was being used for departing flights out of knees. Runway 4 left should have been used for arriving flights. In a statement, EasyJet tells NBC News, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew is EasyJet's highest priority, and in line with procedures, we are fully cooperating with the safety investigation. The big question tonight, were those novel?

air pilots instructed to land on the wrong runway, or does this close call come down to pilot error? Tom? All right. Tom Costello for us, Tom. Thank you. Still ahead on this great show, a new era for baseball, why robot umpires are getting called up to the big leagues. We're going to explain. Plus, cashing in. First, it was college athletes making money. Now it's sororities, how more students are landing big deals and endorsements over these viral rush videos. We're going to explain it all. But first, top story's top moment. And the emotional performance, at the Dawson's Creek Reunion.

Actor James Vanderbeek was unable to attend due to health struggles related to his cancer diagnosis. But his family attending the event here in New York on his behalf, even joining in for a surprise performance of the show's iconic theme song. Take a listen. So opening up your morning light and say a little prayer for run.

But if we aren't to stay in light, let's hear the peace in every eye. Banderbeek also sent in a video message thanking fans for all of their support. Stay with us. More news on the way. We are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and we're starting with an update in the Gilgo Beach serial killer case. A New York judge ruling today that the suspect, Rex Herman, will face only one trial. for the seven women he's accused of killing.

The judge denying the defense's effort to break up the case into multiple trials. Hureman has pleaded not guilty. He's due back in court in January. And a woman in Missouri sentenced nearly five years in prison for attempting to steal Graceland from the family of Elvis Presley. You heard me right.

Lisa Janine Finley, this is her, is accused of posing as a fake investor and claiming that she had the rights to the historic Memphis landmark. She apparently used a fake company and forged documents in an attempt to sell off the estate for millions of dollars. Finley pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges related to the scheme.

And a 13-year-old in Florida is now facing charges after allegedly pointing a laser at a sheriff's officer helicopter. You see the moment here. The laser starts flashing. The chopper was apparently flying over Tampa when the team started pointing that green laser from an apartment building. Deputies on the ground were notified and that team was arrested. Authorities say pointing lasers at aircraft is dangerous and puts lives. at risk. Okay, and wild video out of Pennsylvania showing police running down a suspected shoplifter. Check out these mall cops. Body cam footage shows officers chasing the man through a crowded

ball after he allegedly stole nearly $2,000 worth of stuff from Macy's. At first, it looks like the officer caught him, but then the guy slips away and gets outside running through someone's backyard. Police eventually tackled the suspect and took him into custody. He's scheduled to appear in court next month. Nice job on those officers not giving up. Okay. And, and a America has a new king of beer. Mickelope Ultra officially beating out Modello as the best-selling beer in the U.S. Modelo from Mexico had been in the top spot for the last two years after passing Bud Light, which held the crown for more than two decades. Mickelope's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, attributing the momentum, partly to the success of Mickelope Ultra Zero,

a non-alcoholic version of the beer. Okay, that's pretty interesting. Now to a major update from Major League Baseball, the League approving the use of automated umpies. for the 2026 season, which teams can use to challenge balls and strikes called by human umpires. The hope that the robot umps will cut down on missed calls and meltdown to the plate, just like these. Here it comes.

Called strike three, and Schwerp is thrown out of the game, and he had zero issue with getting thrown out. But what, two? Strike three called. If you say so, And it's a walk to Chisholm. Oh, no, strike three call. Chisholm can't believe it.

There's a fault-based shot. And he throws his bow. I want to bring an entertainment reporter and baseball fanatic Ralphie of Versa. Ralphie, we were just laughing because that jazz Chisholm play was old. It was when we used to the Marlins. But he's still doing that with the Yankees. And I want to say last year I saw for the first time Aaron Judge get thrown out for a call. Yes.

I remember that watching that game. It was so wild. So listen, this is happening a lot. Players are getting thrown out. Talk to me about what these robot umpires are going to be doing. All right. So it's ABS automated balls and strikes. They're using the Hawkeye system. This has been used in tennis.

This is now being used in the NFL as well to virtually mark first downs. So these group of 8K cameras will be around the stadium. They'll be able to track the ball. And each team, every game will get two challenges per game. The only people, though, that can issue the challenge are the hands. hitter, the pitcher, or the catcher. So if you're Aaron Boone, the manager of the New York Yankees and you don't like a call, you can try to quickly signal to somebody on the field, but you have no say in this. This is kind of wild, right? Because which player would not want

to challenge a call? So you've got to think these two chances you get are going to go pretty quick. Well, maybe, but there's some strategy behind it. And that, you know, proponents of this are saying the way in which MLB rolled this out, do you save it for later in the game? Do you save it for when there are men on base? Do you save it for when you're behind? But it's a It's up to the player's discretion. You see how heated they can get. They have to control themselves, right? When they think they know for sure, hey, that wasn't a strike, you know, telling the coach,

let me challenge, let me challenge. It's going to be interesting to watch. It is going to be interesting to watch. And we have seen a little bit of it already because they tested us out in spring training. There was a 52% rate of the call being overturned when this was rolled out in spring training. So, you know, 50-50 chance. Again, in a big spot, that's great. But, you know, early in the game, you burn one of those challenges.

that's going to be a long walk back to the dugout. Plays can already be overturned. How does this affect the game of baseball, do you think? Well, I think, look, baseball's gone through a change. You talk about the pitch clock, the enlarged bases, the ghost runner in extra innings, all things that have moved the game forward in a positive direction. I think this will be positive as well. The max delay in the game, Tom, 17 seconds with this.

That's a lot there. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Rafi, always good to see you, go, Yanks. Okay, to power in politics now, and what Kamala Harris is saying about what went wrong during her 107-day failed quest for the presidency, the former vice president on a media blitz to sell her explosive new book, dishing about key Democratic leaders,

including her former boss, President Joe Biden. Here's NBC's Hally Jackson. As Democrats look to the next election, it's the last one in the spotlight tonight, with Kamala Harris detailing and in some instances relitigating her 107-day presidential campaign last fall. We just didn't have enough time.

The former vice president reveals, then President Biden first raised with her the possibility he might drop out nearly a week before he actually did. On July 15th, two days after the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. Harris says the mantra at the White House, it's Joe and Jill's decision, writing, was it grace or was it recklessness? In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. Now she herself is accepting some of that blame. I realize that I have and had a certain responsibility that I should have followed through on, which is, and so when I talk about the recklessness, as much as anything I'm talking about myself.

For her own running mate, Harris ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. But her first choice, she says, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who's openly gay. He would have been an ideal partner if I were a straight white man, she writes, but we were already asking a lot of America. It wasn't about any prejudice on my part, but we had such a short. It's such a short period of time, and the stakes were so high. Buttigieg, responding. I just believe in giving Americans more credit than that.

The former vice president has not ruled out another run in 28, saying only that right now it is not her focus. Tom? All right, Hallie Jackson. Always great to have you. Former Vice President Harris also addressing the comments, many believe were a turning point in her campaign. When asked by the View host, Sunny host him back in October 2024, what Harris would do, differently from the Biden administration. She answered, there is not a thing that comes to mind. Now she's explaining that response.

I didn't fully appreciate how much people wanted to know there was a difference between me and President Biden. I thought it was obvious. And I didn't want to offer a difference in a way that would be received or suggested to be a criticism. Okay, so let's bring in Megan Hayes. She's a former special assistant to President Biden and former director of message planning. Megan, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. You worked on the Biden campaign in 2020.

You know the players involved. What do you think's happening right now? What do you think Kamala Harris' strategy is right now? I think one, she wants to sell books, but I also think she wants to give her perspective. A lot of books have been written. She wants her story out there and her narrative, and it's up to the American people to decide

whether or not they want her to run again and feed that narrative or if she's just selling books and going to do something different. What do you think about some of the stories she's told about President Biden, you know, essentially asking her, oh, I didn't even ask, you know, if you wanted to be on the top of the ticket and that it sounded robotic and things like that. There seems to be a lot of sort of, I don't know, baggage being sort of aired out, if you will. What do you think?

Well, a couple of things. One, I'm in a unique perspective. I've worked for a sitting vice president. I've also worked on the White House side for a sitting president. So I have that sort of back and forth between staff and back and forth between the vice president and the president. That tension of staff is always there. It was there in the Obama administration when I worked for president. Biden as the vice president. So that doesn't surprise me that that's out there. I think most people

would not be surprised by that. It's just interesting. It's not kumbaya. It's not like, yeah. It's a lot of theatrics, a lot of different things that happen. But the vice president's supporting cast. I learned that when Joe Biden was the vice president, you are the supporting character there. So that's one part of this that I think is interesting to people in the, in the orbit or you know, in the D.C. chattering class. But I also think that she's kind of airing the family's laundry out, right? And it's a lot of dirty laundry being aired out. And that's a little troubling because you're taking a lot of shots at Democrats that are. extremely popular with the American people who are going to run in 2028. They've made their

intentions very known. So that part is a little interesting to me in the book. But again, it's her story. It's her right to tell it. Yeah, there's a mounting evidence that's been coming out since the election about President Biden and his sort of mental acuity, if you will. She writes about it as well. She says that she maybe should have done more. How do you think that's going to play out? How will sort of history, but more importantly, maybe American voters, judge her? Well, I think hindsight is always 20-20. You look back, I look back at things and think, oh, was I just not paying attention? And I'm sure she has a lot of those moments.

She was there for four years. They were very close. She was in the Oval every day with him. So I think hindsight's always 2020. But I also think people want a leader who speaks truth to power. So I don't know how forgiving people will be because of the position that we are in right now with Donald Trump. Maybe if you were a little bit more forceful with him, maybe he wouldn't have run from the beginning. But again, hindsight is 20-20.

And I don't think we need to lay that at her feet. That is not necessarily her cross the bear solely. Yeah, I do want to ask you. She didn't run for governor of California. Do you think her political career is over, or do you think she'll run for president again? You know, it's interesting. I was surprised she didn't run for Governor of California. I thought that would have been a really great place for her to go to do, and she could be really impactful. I'm not sure with a book like this where you're taking shots at other Democrats, that that is going to be very welcome with those people.

I think the primary is going to be a lot like 20, where you're going to have 20 plus candidates in the race. It will be very challenging for her. I have a feeling she probably isn't going to run, but I think I might be in the minority on that. Why do you think that, though? I just think that the way she's setting this book up and the way she's framing it. She's not talking about policy. She's not talking about moving forward. She's not talking about turning the page on 24 and what she needs to do.

She's really telling a backwards-looking story and being very introspective. And you can just have to ask the question. Is there a path for her, right? Do Democrats want somebody who's been in the Oval Office, who has been in that position or do they want an outsider? And we'll learn, I guess, in a few years. That's right. And I also think that what people, what you said about Joe Biden at the time, it's going to become a litmus test.

It's almost like the Iraq war vote. That's going to be really impactful in 2028 for people, and a lot of folks are going to capitalize that. And now that she's taking shots at Shapiro, and Pete, those people are going to look back and be like, well, why didn't you say something? And it's going to be really an interesting conversation to be had. Megan, so great to have you on the show. Thank you for being here. Thank you. When Top Story returns to major airports shut down in Europe due to mysterious drones flying nearby, why some officials are looking towards Russia for answers.

And the stars of Rush Talk, have you heard about this, now cashing in on the sorority recruitment process, how they're turning viral social media videos into careers and big bucks. Stay with us. We are back now with those mysterious drones that shut down major airports in Denmark and Norway. It's happening as well in Europe. As authorities investigate who is responsible, so mine's turning to Russia amid growing tensions with NATO. Here's Ralph Sanchez with the latest.

Tonight, after mysterious drones forced the closure of two major airports in Denmark and Norway, President Trump calling on U.S. allies to open fire on Russian aircraft that cross into their territory. Do you think that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace? Yes, I do. Would the United States help them out in some way? Depends on the circumstance, but we're very strong toward NATO. This comes, as Danish authorities say, up to three large drones flown by a capable actor, were spotted near Copenhagen Airport overnight, but that shooting them down would have endangered passengers. The Prime Minister saying it's too early to know who's responsible, but that suspicion falls on Russia.

NATO fighter jets shot down Russian drones that flew into Polish territory two weeks ago, then tracked three Russian MiG-31 supersonic fighters that violated the airspace of Estonia. But the NATO jets did not engage them, and Russia denies its fighters were involved. Firing on a manned Russian jet would be a major escalation, risking a full-blown conflict between Russia and NATO allies, including the U.S. Vladimir Putin's spokesman denies any Russian involvement in the airport closures in Denmark and Norway, which led to more than 60 flights like these being diverted, and around 120 flights canceled, according to the Flight Radar 24 tracker. Today, this drone jammer deployed at Copenhagen Airport as the escalation continues in Europe's increasingly dangerous skies. Raf Sanchez joins us tonight from London. Raf, you mentioned these multiple incidents where Russia's alleged to have violated NATO airspace, both with drones and fighter aircraft.

We've been covering that here in Top Story. What does NATO think is going on here? So, Tom, the European allies from Poland to Estonia to the UK are pretty clear. They believe that these have been deliberate acts by the Russians, some combination of Vladimir Putin being provocative, showing his dominance, but also Russia probing European air defenses, seeing where the weaknesses are, seeing what the reaction is from NATO. But it's notable. The Trump administration has been a lot less clear. They have suggested it's possible that these were accidents, these were unintentional. And it's very difficult for NATO to coordinate a response when they don't have a consensus on what exactly Russia's intentions are. Tom. All right. Raf Sanchez for us, Raf, we thank you for that.

We want to stay overseas now with Top Story's Global Watchup, pro-democracy activist in Egypt, released from prison after spending nearly 12 years behind bars. Here you can see Allah Abdel Fata reuniting with his family and friends. The Egyptian British activist was just freed after getting a pardon. from the president of Egypt. He became a prominent figure during the Arab Spring uprising in 2011. He was sentenced for allegedly assaulting a police officer

and spreading false news. And a new controversy is rocking the art world. A museum curator in Amsterdam now says Rembrandt copied another Dutch artist's work for his famous painting Nightwatch. The main issue is this barking dog there. She says Rembrandt's painting from 1642 looks nearly identical to a dog in another drawing.

made decades earlier. Here you can see Rembrandt's work on the right and the drawing on the left. The curator notes that both dogs have similar hair and ears with the head turned on the same angle. And scientists in Argentina have just discovered a massive new dinosaur. Take a look at this. They found the remains chomping on an ancient crocodile bone. Researchers say the beast could have been up to 23 feet long. It's part of a mysterious group of dinosaurs called Mega Raptor Ans. Megaraptor ants. I don't know. Sounds scary. roamed across what's now South America, Australia, and parts of Asia. Okay, now to the sensation on TikTok known as Rush Talk back here in the States. Sorority Sisters creating content during recruitment season and posting about it on social media.

It's gotten so big some students have been able to launch full-blown careers off brand deals, with some liking the phenomenon to name, image, and likeness deals, NIL deals, of course, scored by college athletes. NBC's Marissa Para takes a closer look. If you're on TikTok, Na, nah, na, nah, Diva is a female version of a hush. You may have stumbled across Rush Talk. I want a day, I want to.

Sorority members from Arizona to Alabama in perfect synchrony, pulling out their best moves to promote their sorority ahead of fall rush. This year, Arizona Kappa Kappa Kappa Gamma, racking up 38.2 million views on one video alone. But those elaborate performance, Performances aren't just to attract potential new members. For the stars of some of these videos, they're attracting lucrative brand deals, too. The University of Alabama's Kylin Darnell, known as the Queen of Rush Talk,

breaks in up to six figures per month, according to her publicist, and she isn't alone. I was getting, like, hundreds of brands reaching out. Arizona State University senior Quinn Davis, who has over 48,000 followers on TikTok, says after this viral moment during her sophomore year, Offers for brand-sponsored luxury trips and designer goods started pouring in. Tens of thousands is probably pretty accurate. In terms of clothes, I get sent and stuff like that, it's really good, big brands, and the amount of products that they're supplying to all of us is incredible.

I do see the gain that they're getting as well, because a lot of the girls in these sororities have gained social media platforms. Companies like Jim Sharp Poppy soda and Tart Cosmetics I cannot believe that this is real life just some of the brands cashing in on the phenomenon. Gen Z, 65% of them

use TikTok as a search engine in itself. One video could take your business and just catapult you to the next. Brittany Bennett, founder of Tannen Company B Bronze Studio, flew herself from Los Angeles to Tuscaloosa just for Bama Rush. Within seven weeks, hashtag

Bama Rush got one billion impressions, which if you're a small business like myself, who doesn't have the big marketing dollars, who doesn't have anything like that, I just said, I need to be a part of this. And those girls love their spray tans. The move sending her East Coast sales story. When I went over there, I was probably within about six months after tripling sales and then have done about double every year based off of that market. As this, recruitment season comes to an end only time will tell who the breakout stars of this next rush may be this is all kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in college surrounded by so many girls and just yeah be supportive and kind and have fun now rush talk isn't limited to sCC schools or

southeast conference schools but those are the most common ones we see trending like university of Alabama, of course, University of Georgia, Auburn University. In fact, one study showed an enrollment boom, if you will, to the tune of 31 percent at University of Alabama between 2014 to 2023, in part likely driven not just by booming Greek life, but also lower tuition rates and warmer weather. What can I say, Tom, some like it hot. All right, Marissa Paro, we thank you. When Top Story returns, the 80-year-old softball player, who's in a league of his own. He's gained millions of TikTok fans after his heartfelt message to his younger teammates went viral. That's next. Stay with us. Finally tonight, the heartfelt text message

capturing the hearts of millions, an 80-year-old softball player, letting his teammates know just how much he appreciates their camaraderie and thanking them for keeping him young. NBC's Camilla Bernal has this one. In many ways, Nelson Bradbury is in a league of his own. He's 80, but instead of counting candles, he's counting on his teammates. They give me friendship. They give me respect. They give me a reason to keep on moving any given day. Nelson is the oldest member of an adult softball league team in New Finland, Canada.

Last week, when he woke up at 2 a.m., the night before a big game, he texted the group. Writing, I really appreciate the way you guys treat. me as an equal and not just an old fart, adding, it's all of you who keep me going and give me the reason to get out of bed in the morning. When his teammates woke up, the messages started pouring in. He thinks that, you know, he needs us more than we need him. He's probably got it backwards because we'd probably be lost without. Sam Evans, a teammate's wife, then posted it on TikTok, getting millions of views. To have men speak to other men. men this way. And an 80-year-old man at that is just amazing.

Proving that in the game of life, playing with kindness always wins. Nobody can buy what I've got. Camila Bernal, NBC News. All right, that does it for us here on Top Story. We thank you so much for watching. I'm Tom Yamis in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way. Thank you.