Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

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

Breaking tonight, President Trump confirming he authorized the CIA to operate inside of Venezuela and now suggesting strikes inside that country could be next. The new escalation amid U.S. strikes on alleged Venezuelan drugboats, the president vowing more attacks at sea and maybe on land. And what he said when directly asked if he was trying to take out Venezuela's leader? Also breaking tonight the new warning from a U.S. commander for Hamas to disarm and why Israel is accusing Hamas, of violating the peace deal with the militant group just announced. Immigration standoff, the car chase caught on camera, ending with a Border Patrol SUV slamming into a suspect's vehicle. The horrifying ambush caught on camera, a couple held at gunpoint in their own driveway,

how the attackers allegedly used air tags to track the victims. The dramatic video of a massive grain silo collapsing unleashing, unleashing a massive plume of debris, people sprinting out of the way. A former NFL star pleading for a kidney. his health battle and why he's reaching out directly to fans. And a firefighter nearly lost his life after a burning roof collapsed on him, all while his newborn son fought his own battle for survival in the NICU, the emotional moment they were finally reunited.

Plus, new car prices hitting a record high, the average vehicle topping 50 grand. What's driving the uptake, and is there any relief in sight? Top story starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with President Trump's escalating attacks against Venezuela and the confirmation tonight. He's authorized the CIA to operate inside of that country. The President and Defense Secretary Pete Higsett posting this video, which Trump says shows U.S. military forces taking out a boat trafficking drugs just off the coast of Venezuela. It's just the latest in a series of deadly strikes at sea in recent weeks. And tonight, President Trump warning that strikes on land could be next.

As he ramps up his campaign to stop what he's calling Nicolas Maduro's narco-terrorist regime, saying the government there is illegitimate. Here at home, some members of Congress concerned about the legality of the strikes, sources telling NBC news that lawmakers, including Republicans, are asking for unedited versions of the videos. But the Trump administration is so far refusing. NBC's Courtney Kuby leads us off from Washington tonight with the latest. Tonight, after a series of U.S. military strikes on alleged drug drug, boats headed for the U.S., President Trump saying he may now go after cartels on land, too.

Are you considering strikes on land? Well, I don't want to tell you exactly, but we are certainly looking at land now, because we've got the sea very well under control. And the way you look at it is every boat that we knock out, we save 25,000 American lives. And saying he's escalating his push against Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, who the U.S. says leads an illegitimate narco-terrorist regime. In a rare move, the president publicly confirming he authorized the CIA. to operate there.

Does the CIA have authority to take out Maduro? Oh, I don't want to answer a question like that. That's a ridiculous question for me to be given. Not really a ridiculous question, but wouldn't it be a ridiculous question for me to answer? But I think Venezuela is feeling heat, but I think a lot of other countries are feeling heat, too. But there's growing controversy tonight over the legality of the U.S. strikes on those boats, with some members of Congress, including Republicans, demanding answers. asking for the unedited videos of the strikes,

but the Trump administration is so far refusing, sick sources told NBC news. One source saying after a briefing a few weeks ago that Republican lawmakers were upset. Briefers were unable to answer questions about the legal basis for the operations. All right, Courtney Kubey joins Top Story Live tonight from Washington.

Courtney, I understand you're also tracking breaking news on another story. Defense Secretary Pete Hegg says plane had to make an emergency landing? Yeah, that's right. So he was headed home back here to D.C. from Brussels, where he was attending a NATO ministerial meeting. But he had to make an unscheduled landing in England. You can see it there up near Mildenhall, Royal Air Force Base.

Now, according to the Chief Pentagon spokesperson, the reason was a cracked windshield. But Tom, he doesn't have any press traveling with him, so that's all the information that we've gotten about this incident. All right, Courtney, Courtney, we thank you. Now to the other major news we've been following the fragile peace deal on the moment. Middle East, and the rising anger in Israel over the slow return of the remains of the hostages inside of Gaza. And now the U.S. ramping up demands for Hamas to disarm. NBC's Matt Bradley reports tonight from Tel Aviv.

Tonight, an outpouring of grief. Israelis lining the street for the funeral of Guy Elouz, killed after being kidnapped by Hamas at the Novo Music Festival on October 7th. His body returned this week. They killed my soul in my heart, his father says. And now Israel accusing Hamas. of violating President Trump's peace deal by not returning the remains of all 28 hostages. Two more bodies returned tonight, 10 returned by Hamas so far.

But Israel says tests show the body of one of them was not a hostage. Hamas tonight saying it's returned all bodies it's been able to reach amid the destruction in Gaza. We have the living hostages all back. They returned some more today. It's a gruesome process. I almost hate to talk about it. But they're digging.

It's a horrible atrocity. And after those images of Hamas now conducting public execution on Gaza streets, a stark warning from the commander of U.S. Central Command, writing, we strongly urge Hamas to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza, saying Hamas should disarm without delay. And President Trump again demanding Hamas disarm. We want the weapons to be given up, sacrificed, and they've agreed to do it. Now they have to do it.

And if they don't do it, we'll do it. And now, Palestinians in Gaza are trying to return to their homes and normal lives amidst a landscape ravaged by two years of war. I had to burn my children's clothes so I can cook for them, said Kaffa and Najjar. We've suffered from everything, but the hunger was something else. Matt Bradley joins us tonight from Tel Aviv. So Matt, President Trump is talking about disarming Hamas, but he also says the military, our military, is not going to get involved.

So how does he do it? Yeah, I mean, he wouldn't reveal how he was going to do it, but he did tell CNN that he would be able to restart the war in the Gaza Strip as soon as Trump gives the word. Now, on the hunt for those remaining hostages bodies, you know, Israel and Hamas had made it very clear to Israel, even during these negotiations, that this was going to be a very, very difficult task for them to complete, particularly in the timeline that they were. given. You know, Gaza Strip is covered with rubble. A lot of the people who buried these bodies, Tom, have since been killed in the combat, so nobody knows necessarily where they are. But there is, Tom, talk of some sort of international group that would go in to either assist Hamas in trying to find and exhum these bodies or simply look for them themselves. Either way, Trump has made clear that they are going to find the remaining hostage bodies in the

Gaza Strip. Tom. All right, Matt Bradley for us from Tel Aviv. Matt, good to see you. Now, an emergency landing involving an American Airlines flight from L.A. to New York that is again raising concerns about potentially toxic fumes filling passenger planes. Here's NBC's Tom Costello with that report. On the runway at LAX. We have a smoke photo fuel issue. An American Airlines Airbus A321 turning around mid-air landing and shutting down its engines after fumes began filling the cabin and cockpit. I do taste it in my mouth, so we got our masks on. Potentially, the latest case of noxious fumes often described as a dirty feet smell.

Past incidents have included flight attendants and pilots reporting debilitating headaches, dizziness, even suspected brain injuries. The likely cause, in those cases, oil or hydraulic fluid leaking into the plane's bleed air system, which pulls outside air through the engines and into the cabin, a common design. recent Wall Street Journal investigation found more cases involving the Airbus A320. I was having trouble processing memory issues and had to change my diet due to the chemicals that were making its way through my body. I've seen over 100 flight attendants and half a dozen pilots with this condition. In response, Delta is now replacing the auxiliary power units on all of its

Airbus A320s. Airbus tells NBC News, Airbus aircraft are designed and manufactured according to all relevant and applicable airworthiness requirements, while the FAA insists cabin air is safe. All right, Tom Costello joins us tonight. Tom, flight attendant and pilot unions have also raised concerns about this issue? Yeah, they've been raising this concern for some time. In fact, the pilot union really wants to see a study done, more studies done on the health risks associated with these toxic fumes.

They also want air quality sensors inside. the engines and the planes. They want to see smoke detectors and fire detection systems that are also in place there and new filters that will in fact hopefully clean or make sure the air is clean coming out of the bleed air system into the plane. But Tom, I would say the fact that Delta is undertaking this to replace all auxiliary power units on all of this Airbus A320 fleet, that really speaks to how serious, at least many airlines believe this has become. All right. Tom Costell for us, Tom, we thank you. Also in Los Angeles tonight, county officials are declaring, get this, a state of emergency, in response to President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration there. And tonight, we're also seeing dramatic new video of an immigration arrest in Chicago. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez is covering it all tonight. Tonight, Los Angeles County declaring a state of emergency over President Trump's immigration raids. In a move typically used after natural disasters, the board of supervisors now voting to allow.

allow taxpayer funds to help undocumented immigrants and their families pay for rent and legal aid if they're impacted by federal enforcement operations. I want our immigrant communities to know that we are in this emergency with them. We see them. We understand what they're going through. It comes as dramatic surveillance video emerges of an ICE arrest in Chicago. Homeland security officials say an undocumented immigrant inside that SUV tried to flee an arrest. Tuesday ramming into a Border Patrol vehicle. DHS says the Border Patrol vehicle smashed into the SUV to stop it, prompting a chase on foot. Later, a hostile crowd gathering at one point throwing eggs and rocks at federal officers. Tear gas then deployed. This video shows a man and woman running with a baby in a car seat away from the smoke. Ice has continued to come to

our community to terrorize, intimidate, and create fear amongst our members. But Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez argues Democratic leaders have fueled the fire by antagonizing the president. Do you support the president's crackdown on crime in major cities? I absolutely support any effort to make our city safer. Why wouldn't we want to accept the president's help? Late today, the president vowing a new federal surge in more U.S. cities to fight crime. If we didn't have to fight all of these radical left governors, we could have had Chicago taken care of it. We're going to save Chicago.

All right, Gabe joins us now live from the White. White House. Gabe, I want to go back to Los Angeles and what's happening there. So not every county official was on board with declaring the state of emergency right. And explain to our viewers exactly what they voted on. They want to give taxpayer money. You reported this to two undocumented immigrants who are struggling with what's happening over there in L.A.? Yeah, Tom. It is very interesting and takes on special significance in a place like Los Angeles, of course, which has had to deal with those wildfires just within the past few months. And this comes as the Board of Supervisors introduced this declaration. And you're right. One County Board of Supervisor voted against it,

arguing that the declaration wasn't meant for this purpose and that it would likely invite legal challenges. And yes, essentially, declaring an emergency allows the local government more powers to dole out taxpayer money for businesses that might be financially impacted by some of these ice raids and also potentially undocumented immigrants who lose family members as well. Still a lot of questions about how this will play out and how much money will actually be given out. But Thomas comes as President Trump, as you just heard, is touting his crackdown on not just illegal immigration, but also crime, and he is vowing to go to more cities across the country, including places like San Francisco. This is a debate that the White House certainly wants to have,

Tom. All right, Gabe Gutier's first. Gabe, we thank you. There are growing questions tonight over racist text messages reportedly sent between a group of young Republican leaders. Those messages appearing to make light of the Holocaust, slavery, and sexual assault. This, as a Democrat also faces mounting pressure for incendiary messages he sent. NBC's Hallie Jackson has it all. New fallout tonight from a racist and violent group chat involving leaders of some young Republican groups, as reported by Politico, the outlet, obtaining more than seven months' worth of telegram messages in which they say members muse about using gas chambers

against political opponents. I'm ready to watch people burn now, one person responds, another describing rape as epic. The chat includes anti-Semitic comments and racial slurs against black, Latino, Asian people, and other epithets used more than 250 times, according to Politico. The outlet says one person, after being told backers would support the most right-wing candidate for a leadership role, responded, great, I love Hitler. At another point, someone writes, if we ever had a leak of this chat, we would be cooked. NBC News has not independently obtained or verified the messages, which reportedly involved political advice. and strategists in New York, Arizona, Kansas, and Vermont, including a state senator there. It's revolting. It's disgusting. It's obnoxious. It's the kind of garbage. The worst kinds of

people say when they think no one is watching. Now, at least three people involved in the chat are reportedly out of a job. The Kansas young Republicans deactivated, and many condemning the hateful rhetoric. Disgusting. If they have government jobs, they should be fired. It's reprehensible. President J.D. Vance, today downplaying the messages. I really don't want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke, telling a very offensive stupid joke, is caused to ruin their lives. We're not canceling kids because they do something stupid in a group chat. In an earlier post, Vance says he refuses to, in his words, join the pearl clutching, saying what's far worse are the violent text messages that have upended Virginia politics. The Democratic

candidate for Attorney General there in 2022, suggesting one of the state's top Republicans should get, quote, two bullets to the head. Jay Jones, days ago, apologizing. I am deeply, deeply sorry. I should have never done it. It's very embarrassing to me, and certainly I regret it. As for the young Republicans chat, the National Board says anyone involved should resign, and the governor of Vermont is now calling on a state senator there to do just that. That lawmaker has publicly apologized, but stopped short of stepping down. Tom. All right, Hallie Jackson. Tonight, the new restraining order granted against a city member of Congress.

Republican Cory Mills of Florida barred from contacting his ex-girlfriend Lindsay Langston until the new year. Langston, a Florida Republican State Committee member who was also crowned Miss U.S. in 2024, says Mills threatened to release intimate images of her and threatened to hurt future people she dated. Mills has maintained those claims are false. House Speaker Mike Johnson asked about some of the allegations against Mills. Take a listen. He's been a faithful colleague here. I know his work on the Hill.

I mean, I don't know all the details of all the individual allegations and what he's doing in his outside of life. You have to ask him about it. You guys are really serious. All right. For more on this, I want to bring in NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent, Julie Sirk, and Julie, great to see you on the show.

We're now hearing from Langston's lawyer that there might be charges in this case. Yeah, Langston's lawyer. She was side by side with her today, Tom, in a press conference for reporters over Zoom. She hinted at future charges for Corey Mills. He's a two-term congressman. He's actually already announced that he's running for re-election, already raising money.

She hinted at those future charges because she said that her client might not be alone in terms of the women that Mills may have had improper contact with. We already know about some of this, but no charges were filed. For example, earlier this summer, he was almost kicked out of the luxury penthouse that he was living in in D.C. In that same building, he allegedly had improper contact with another ex-girlfriend. Those charges, like I mentioned, were never filed. Mills denied any wrongdoing. But again, the attorney in this case for Lindsay Langston, who was an ex-girlfriend of Corey Mills for some time, they broke up in February. She said this is not the end of the road for Mills. There were other improper incidents with Mills. For example, he was accused by service members in the military

of embellishing his career there. And so certainly for this case, in Mills' words, he did not admit to any wrongdoing. He also did not respond to any request for comment today. restraining order was finalized Tom and then Julie I do want to go back to my speaker Mike Johnson's comments on this seeming to dismiss this has an unserious issue these are very serious allegations but the speaker also has a very small margin the house to protect he has a tiny tiny margin we talk about this all year long because every single vote is so important for Johnson I was struck by his comments today because he seemed to want to move on from this

issue saying he has other things to worry about of course the government shutdown as well but he says look this is an issue for the house Ethics Committee to look over if that is something they're going to decide to do. For Johnson, every single vote matters here. He called Mills a faithful colleague, as you heard there at the top from the sound bite that you played at that press conference today. And certainly, he's not looking to get Mills in any trouble personally, deferring that matter to the House Ethics Committee. And again, this comes at a time when Mills is already announcing that he's going to run for reelection. Earlier this year, Tom, I actually remembered

as I was looking through my notes, that he actually said that he might run for. Senate in 2026. Marco Rubio, now the Secretary of State. His seat being filled by somebody in a temporary manner. There will be an election in 2026. We'll see what happens with Corey Mills, but certainly for his part denying any wrongdoing, even with this restraining order, not responding to any further comments that we requested from him or his office. But again, this latest incidents with this ex-girlfriend, Lindsay Langson, is just the latest in a pattern that we've seen here. Mills has denied any wrongdoing all this time. Tom? All right, Julie, circuit for us. Julie, thank you.

We're going to be back in a moment with the major breakthrough in a 40-year-old murder mystery, how a smoothie straw helped investigators crack the cold case. And a couple in Florida ambushed at gunpoint outside their home what were learning about the suspects and how they allegedly used air tags to track the victims. Plus, the terrifying scene as a massive silo collapses. There it is, spilling grain and sending people scrambling. The dramatic video straight ahead. We're back down with a 40-year-old murder cold case prosecutors say is finally solved.

Authorities on Long Island announcing an arrest in the murder of a 16-year-old girl back in 1984. And the key to crack in this case, DNA found on a straw. Stephanie Gosk explains. DNA on this smoothie cup broke a murder case that has haunted Long Island for decades. Teresa's life was violently stolen from her more than 40 years ago. But the past is never forgotten. And my office never gives up on a victim. Why'd you kill her?

Tonight, prosecutors say they have 16-year-old Teresa Fusco's killer in custody. Robert Billowedow is charged with the 1984 rape and murder. Fusco was last seen clocking out for the night at the Hotskates roller rink. Her body found days later dumped in a wooden area nearby. Three men were wrongfully convicted of the crime back in the 80s. But those convictions were later overturned. Prosecutors say new investigative leads last year helped them zero in on Bilodeau. Mr. Bilodeau professes his innocence.

He pled not guilty today. Investigators obtained a sample of his DNA from this cup tossed in a trash can outside a smoothie shop. And it matched DNA from the crime scene. Today, Teresa's father said he never gave up hope this day would come. It's heartbreaking to go through this over and over again, but this seems like a finalization. and I'm very grateful. According to prosecutors, police asked Billodeau why his DNA matched the decades-old crime scene.

He responded, people got away with murder back then. But today, the 63-year-old is going to trial and could face the rest of his life behind bars. Stephanie Gosk, NBC News. And in Florida, terrifying home invasion caught on camera. Two suspects attacking a couple in their driveway, ripping them from their car and holding them at gunpoint. Investigators believe the suspects were tracking the victims using Apple air tags. NBC's Jesse Kirsch has this one.

This is the moment police say two suspects ambushed a Florida couple at gunpoint near Tampa, forcing them into their garage before the home's alarm went off and the suspects fled. Can you just step out, the car real quick for me? Almost two months later, police say they've now caught the attackers thanks to something very small taped under the victim's vehicle. The search of their vehicle, our detectives did find that Apple Air Tag, and, you know, that really broke the case for us. People use air tags to track everything from their car keys to luggage. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office's records tied that hidden Apple Air Tag to 26-year-old Luis Enrique Charles, who was arrested last week, along with 32-year-old Omardi Maldonado Rodriguez.

How worried should people be about some random person dropping a tracking device on their car on their way home? Well, I don't think they should be paranoid about it. Just keep your situational awareness about yourself. Apple's website spells out how people can get alerts about nearby tracking devices like air tags. But police say in this case, the victims were not notified. Typically, it's on your settings, whether you can be notified, whether the air tag pops in on your phone or not. Fearing for their safety, the couple asking not to be named, but telling NBC News that they're disappointed that some are using technologies to tag and follow innocent people in order. to cause harm instead of good.

Police are still searching for a motive as the investigation continues. All right, Jesse Curse joins us tonight. Jesse, those suspects are facing a number of charges, huh? Yeah, absolutely, Tom. One of them actually facing charges in a separate case as well. But let's take a look at what these two individuals are now facing because of this incident. The charges include armed false imprisonment, armed kidnapping, commit felony, armed burglary of a dwelling with assault or battery, robbery with a firearm, and illegal installation or use of tracking device or application.

So they are facing a slew of charges there, Tom. We also have a little bit more information just in a short time ago. Apple giving us an official statement, the company telling us in part, quote, AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person's property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products. But obviously, Tom, this is something that we've heard of happening before. at happening again allegedly just now. All right, Jesse Kirsch, for us. Still to come on Top Story, the public plea for help,

while a former football star is reaching out to his fans in search of a kidney donor. Plus, sticker shock, new car prices? They're reaching an all-time high. We'll explain what's driving up cost, and if there's any relief on the way. But first, Top Story's top moment and the honor for a music legend at one of my heroes, a stretch of road in Miami, formerly known as 13th Street, was renamed Gloria Stephan way to pay tribute to the eight-time Grammy winner. Here is some of that naming ceremony.

I thank each and every one of the fans that have given us the ability to grow and evolve with our music and keep giving you new flavors. And like you say, baby, all of our parents would be very proud because although it says Gloria Estefan Way, it is Estefan. It is Estefan. It is us together. Gloria and Emilio Stefan there. This honor coming as a Stefan celebrates her 50th year in the music industry and she isn't slowing down. Stay with us. More news on the way. virus in the state. Symptoms, they include fever, severe joint pain, and headaches. The disease cannot be spread from person to person, and the risk to the public right now is low.

Okay, that's good. We're learning new details tonight about what life after prison could soon look like for Sean Diddy Combs. Combs is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence for interstate prostitution charges. After he gets out, the hip-hop mogul will be under supervised release for five years. He will be subject to drug test and treatment programs for mental health and domestic violence. Combs will also not be allowed to own or possess a firearm. We have dramatic new video capturing people running away as a structure holding grain came crashing down in northeast Illinois. You can see sparks flying as the power line snaps there under the silos weight. The grain exploding out of the container unleashing a cloud of debris. You can see the people there

running for safety. No word yet on any injuries right now. And Snapple, bring you back its iconic glass bottles and pop caps after an eight-year hiatus. Remember these guys? guys, there's a catch. This is only going to happen and be in stores in New York City from October to December. So come to New York. The company announcing the return of its top five flavors following what they said was an overwhelming demand. Snapple officially phased out the glass for plastic bottles in 2021, citing environmental reasons. All right, now to power and politics and major developments tonight, the race to become New York City's next mayor. The frontrunner, Democrat Zoharhan Mamdani, appearing on Fox News just hours ago, directly addressing

President Trump. Take a listen. Directly to the president, which is that I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams, who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won't be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo who will call you to ask how to win this election. I can do those things on my own. I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living. Coming out hot, it comes just a day after the president once again blasted the Democratic Socialist saying this from the White House. We have a problem.

We have a communist who's 33 years old, doesn't know a damn thing. Practically, he's never worked a day in his life. And he's sort of caught on, right? And I'm not going to send a lot of money to New York. For more on all this, with Election Day now less than three weeks away, I want to bring in Jeff Colton, New York City Politics Reporter with Politico, where he's also the author of the New York Playbook. Jeff, thanks for being here, a good friend of Top Story.

Thank you, so, you know, the president, I mean, look, you could say what you want about President Trump. He knows politics. But in this case, he may actually be hurting whatever cause he has, right? Because New York City is not friendly to Donald Trump. So any time he says something bad about Mamdani, could it be helping him? Yes, absolutely. I mean, one of Cuomo's arguments, one of Andrew Cuomo's arguments against Ron Mamdani

is that Donald Trump will make mincemeat of him. And every time Trump talks about Mamdani, that just adds to Mamdani's aura. You know, that makes Mamdani feel like he is the one that Trump fears. So let's take a look at the state of the race right now, right? In a recent Quintiak poll, Mamdani has a double-digit lead in the race with 46% of likely voters. That's outside the margin of error. But as you can see, Andrew Cuomo has gained ground in this contest picking up 10 points since Eric Adams dropped out last month. Is this still a contest?

I know I was asking you during the commercial break if Cuomo's hit his ceiling yet. If Curtis Leewa doesn't drop out, does Cuomo have a chance? That's the big question, if Curtis doesn't drop out. And all evidence is pointing to Curtis Lee, whether a Republican nominee, not dropping out. I mean, it really seems like this is going to be a three-person race all the way to the finish. Cuomo's, unless there is a massive mistake on stage at the debate tonight, sorry, at the debate tomorrow night, then I think Mamdani holds on to this lead. But caveat, you know, we were here before the primary, where Cuomo, the polls were showing Cuomo, with the same lead. The polls were shown Cuomo with a 12-point lead, and Mamdani ended up winning.

Younger voters pushed Mamdani to the top in the primary, right? Older voters are more reliable in the regular general elections, if you will. What can we draw from past races here? Mamdani has changed the electorate. I mean, this is a new group of New Yorkers that are coming out to vote, many who have never voted before. So the big question in the general election is actually, will they come out again. And that big 12-point lead, some are arguing it could actually hurt Mamdani because if people don't show up to vote in the general, if they think, oh, it's a done deal, it's over. So he's really fighting voter apathy as much as he's against these other candidates. Is Mamdami a similar candidate to Bill de Blasio? Would you say he's to the left of Bill de Blasio?

He's to the left of Bill de Blasio, and I would certainly say that during the primary. However, as he's gone towards the general election, he has worked. very hard to make inroads with business, with real estate, with police, absolutely, and he's been moderating on that. And he actually, at this point, he has a better relationship with big business in New York than de Blasio did. De Blasio always was combative with big business. Let's bring up the current mayor, Mayor Eric Adams, no longer running in this race, but announcing to the world, he's got some great job offers. Let's listen to what he said. I am offered. I have three offers that I'm looking at, and they are.

my dream jobs. For the last six, seven months, I was being recruited. And these are the jobs that I'm looking at that I always wanted to do outside of being mayor. Well, he was running for mayor the last three months. So do we have any idea what this could be? Sadly, no. I mean, I was joking with people, you know, fitness influencer, conservative podcaster. I don't know what job. He has not given any evidence of what it could be. I mean, he has a law enforcement background, right? He was a former cop. I mean, do we think it's anything in that space or nobody really knows? really knows. I wouldn't be surprised, though. That's something that Rudy Giuliani did after he was mayor. He did a security firm. Right. I wouldn't be surprised if Adams did the same thing,

consulting security. We only have, we have less than a minute here. Do we think there's going to be any surprises on Election Day in New York City? I mean, I know you're ready for anything, but yeah, look, ready for anything. This has happened before, you know, 9-11, God forbid, was an election day. Right. But this polls have been so steady in this one. I just, I do not expect anything to change in this race. Then again, always expect the unexpected in New York. All right, Jeff, always a pleasure to see you. Thanks for being here.

You can read, of course, in Playbook. Tonight, a New York Jet's legend is facing his toughest opponent yet. All-Pro Center, Nick Mangold, revealing he needs a kidney transplant, and he's asking fans across the country to help him beat the odds. He, like so many Americans sitting on a kidney transplant

list right now, and that can take three to five years to get off of. Time Mangold says he just doesn't have right now. NBCC Patterson reports. Please welcome Nick Mangold. Tonight, former NFL star Nick Mangold, making a heartfelt plea to fans and the public to help save his life. What you're getting with Nick Mangold is a solid technician. Mangold, a seven-time pro bowler that played 11 seasons with the New York Jets and was inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor in 2022.

I, along with my family, will always be Jets fans for life. Revealing in a public message Tuesday that after living with a genetic, disorder for nearly 19 years, he's developed a chronic kidney disease and is in dire need of a kidney transplant while undergoing dialysis, adding he does not have any family available to donate it this time, so turning to the public to anyone with typo blood who might be a match to consider donating. To live on dialysis, patients describe it to me as being just exhausting. It drains them. They feel tethered to a machine. They have to sit there for hours upon hours every day. Mangold says he's grateful for the support, but the road ahead could be a long one.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, the average wait time for a kidney transplant in the U.S. is three to five years, and nearly 90,000 people are on the national weight list. Would you call this a medical crisis? Yes, I would. I think we need to elevate organ donation and transplantation as a critical public health issue in this country. Transplant policy expert, Macy Levin, knows that desperation firsthand. In 2009, she became a kidney donor saving her cousin's life. Sixteen years later, I can say that my life was transformed from kidney donation and certainly his life. It's just a good feeling to be able to do something for someone else.

The difference now, celebrity. It's not often a patient has the platform of a famous former football hero instantly able to ask millions for help. Does that put him further in line than somebody else who doesn't have that available? There's no jumping in line in terms of our national organ allocation system. We wish every patient had the same ability to share their message as widely as possible. Does that ethically become a gray area? I would say it's an extraordinary circumstance, but certainly not abnormal. And it is certainly ethical to use your social network.

And in his case, he has a very large social network to identify someone. who would be interested in donating. Despite the odds, Mangold saying he's staying positive, looking forward to better days and getting back to full strength, and that he plans on seeing his fans at MetLife Stadium very soon. All right, Steve Patterson joins us now. Steve, this case is obviously unique. But as we just heard from the doctor there,

it is common for people to turn to their networks to find a living donor rather than get one through the wait list. So this could potentially help him and hopefully save his life. Yeah, it's very difficult to do this from a living person. Only about a third of kidney transplants are done from a living donor, which is why it's so encouraged to reach out to people who want to help you. Celebrity or not, it has no impact on the position of that wait list, Tom. Yeah, and then I do want to ask you, you found a personal connection in reporting the story out?

Yeah, first of all, the woman, the doctor that we spoke to, Macy, we had no idea. Our team had no idea that she was a kidney donor. And it turns out the guy that she's helping in those photos, they may have saw, was a former TV anchor named Mark Thompson. I knew him when he worked at our Grand Rapids affiliate, Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was across the street at the other station. He worked at Wood TV. Great guy. He is still healthy after some 16 years beyond that transplant.

Small world, and it shows that, you know, you reach out. You can always find people. It's incredible. All right, Steve Patterson, we thank you for that. Coming up tonight, still here at Top Story, the deadly truck explosion. in Ecuador, authorities calling it an act of terrorism, why it could have been even worse. Plus, a vacation in Portugal taking a violent turn.

One American killed, another wounded. What investigators say happened, just moments before the attack. Stay with us. All right, we are back now with Money Talks and the historically high price of buying a new ride. A new report from Kelly Blue Book finds that the average price of a new car has passed $50,000 for the first time. ever. Breaking it down by brand shows just what consumers can pay. Want a big luxury

Cadillac? Expect to pay about 80 grand other big American brands like RAM, not that far behind at just under 65,000. And even Ford, which has long been a value brand, now more expensive than luxury brand, Accura, on average. Here to help us explain what's driving up the prices across the market, senior reporter for Yahoo Finance, Brooke DePalma, a friend of Top Story. Brooke, so great to see you. So break down, why are these prices so high? Is it just inflation? There's really two reasons here. There's more demand for electric vehicles in the month of September because of a key EV tax credit that drove up demand, drove a pull forward for consumers. And also, luxury vehicles are just in demand right now. So take those two examples. You have Cadillac. In the month of September, about 4,000 of those escalades were sold out of 16,000 total vehicles. That drove up the Cadillac prices. Then you have a Ford, Ford F-150, that pickup truck. Well, that's one of the most popular colors. That's also one of the most expensive. And so that's what prices as well. And then are there any deals to be had right now when it comes to a new car?

Well, surprisingly, September's not a really big month for car buying. But once again, because of that EV tax credit pulled forward. Look out, though, November and December, they're going to be looking to get rid of some inventory there. Into Christmas? Yeah, prices are going to come down? Into Christmas, maybe not entirely down. But right now, Americans, one of those popular cars is that compact SUV. Give me an example.

Like, what's like a compact SUV? So a Ford, Toyota Rav Ford, things like that. You know, those are the most popular right now, and those have its much lower price tag, about 37,000. So this 50,000 might be shocking. We're looking at 37 for compact SUV and about $27,000 for a more compact vehicle. Yeah, we have a graphic here we want to put up on the screen for our viewers. When it comes to use car prices, there's not much relief out there as well. Edmonds reports a three-year-old use ride could still set you back $30,000. It's close to all-time high since during the pandemic for those used cars, you may remember. That's still pretty high for a lot of Americans. What's going on with the use car market? Yeah, pretty high indeed, especially if you're just looking to get into this market, maybe buying your first vehicle, you're looking at those certified pre-owns. What we're seeing within this use car market is if you look back 2021, 2021, 2022, 23, not many people were buying vehicles. They were really still strapped by the COVID-19 pandemic. They weren't willing to jump in just yet, and that's really leaning to lower

supply and therefore we're seeing higher prices. All right. Well, that sounds great. So great to have you here. As always, we thank you. All right, time now for Top Stories Global Watch. We start in Ecuador where officials say a truck explosion left one person dead and several others hurt. Video capturing the moment the vehicle explodes outside of a busy shopping mall in Waiaquil. Authorities call it an act of terrorism. They say crews also found explosive material in a second vehicle that didn't go off. The investigation is still ongoing.

And a volcano in Indonesia erupting today, sending ash miles into the sky. Here you can see the giant cloud. rising above the mountain. That eruption leaving villages blanketed and ash and debris, but no injuries have been reported so far. Officials now warning people to be on alert for heavy rain that could trigger lava flows from the volcano. And London is said to become the next stop for Waymo's robo-taxies. The company announcing today it plans to roll out its self-driving cars there next year, making it the first European city to get the ride hailing service. Right now, Waymo is testing its technology in Tokyo, and its cars are already on the roads in five years.

U.S. cities, Atlanta, Austin, L.A., Phoenix, and San Francisco. Okay, in Portugal, an American man killed and another injured in what police are calling a botched robbery attempt. The incident rattling a coastal town popular with American tourists, NBC's Aaron McLaughlin, has the details. Tonight, a vacation turned violent for two American tourists in Portugal. A visitor fatally stabbed on the streets of Kushkaish, an idyllic resort town west of Lisbon. Authorities are calling it an apparent. street robbery turned brawl. The attack happened Wednesday at 3.20 in the morning,

according to police. They say three assailants approached a 34-year-old returning to the apartment where he was staying and attempted to touch his hat. He confronted the suspect asking them to stop and was immediately punched three times in the face. Police say the victim then called his 35-year-old friend who was at a nightclub around the corner to come help. Police told NBC News that's when one of the suspects then used a knife to strike multiple blows to both victims' faces, arms, and backs. Authorities say the friend who came to help was killed, and the survivor was hospitalized with deep cuts to his face and arm.

The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle. Kushkaish, a town popular with American seniors and digital nomads, has a population of just over 200,000 people but welcomes almost half a million visitors annually. Tonight, the small community that welcomes visitors from all over the world rattled by tragedy. U.S. Embassy and Lisbon tells NBC News they are aware of the attack and take their commitment to assist U.S. citizens abroad seriously. Meanwhile, Reuters is reporting that authorities in Portugal have ruled out terrorism as a possible motive. Tom. All right, Aaron McLaughlin for us,

Aaron, we thank you. When we come back, the new slang leaving parents and teachers scratching their heads why kids across the country can't stop saying six, seven, and how some schools are trying to get a handle on the popular meme. That's next. We're back now with the trend you are probably familiar with if you have kids in your house. It's the phrase 6-7, which first went viral this summer. And now Gen Alpha and younger Gen Z can't stop saying it, but it's starting to cause headaches in many classrooms, with some teachers banning the phrase, especially math classrooms.

If you haven't heard about this, here's a little taste. Five, six, seven. Six-five. So our guys are going late. Take the test out is October 6th, 1157. Sixth, seven. Six, seven. Yeah, 67.

Our guest, Gasper Randazzo, is someone who knows this phenomenon so well. He's a high school history teacher here in New York and Staten Island, to be correct. And also, stand-up comedian, Gasper, thanks so much for being here. Oh, thank you guys for having me. Yeah. So, six, seven. all this stuff, it doesn't just, like, it's not just at home, it's in the class, but it's not just in math classes. I teach history. I'll say to the kids, I'll say like, oh, guys, you know, when did Napoleon do this,

this, this, and this, and then kids will raise their hand and just be like, six, seven. They'll just guess it, just say it. No, it's not, it doesn't mean anything. Yeah. It's just like, they're just saying it to be bad. It doesn't even have, like, any connection to the answer. They just want to say it. I could say to them, like, what colors my shirt? And they're like, oh, I know, I know. I'm like, yeah, what's up? And they're like, six, six, So this has been out for a while. I have kids as well. It's so big.

I just got back from Israel. Kids in Israel were saying it as well. So it's spanned the globe now. Any idea where it came from? Yeah, so it comes from a song. So in the song, they reference a basketball player being six foot seven. Okay. And then that's it.

It just took off from there. And I have a kindergartner. I have a third grader. My kindergartner at dinner will just look at me and go, Dad, six, seven. And I'm like, what does that mean? She's like, I don't know. It's fun to say for them. I have kids as well.

I know they've banned it in some classroom. Is that what teachers are doing? I mean, you have to kind of ban it in the classroom so it doesn't take over? So I did the reverse. I just said it so much back to them that they like cringe. Yeah, so I'm like, hey, guys,

I'm like, the bell rings in six, seven minutes, and they're like, oh, when you say it, it sucks. And I'm like, okay, so then I just kept saying it. Have you heard of 4-1? Oh, yeah, so it's like 6, 7, and then they go 4-1. Oh, it's down, 4-1. Yeah, like 6-7's up, 4-1's down, but they say that's not real.

Some kids say it's a myth. While you're here, we wanted to run some other slang terms, but I'm like, looking at these slang terms. I think they're a little, they've already jumped the shark, but, you know, Skibbitty, do you still hear that or not really? Yeah, Skibbity. Skibbity just means bad. Yeah. So, like, they'll be like, oh, like, this lesson's Skibbitty. And I'm like, you're Skibbitty. What about Brain Rot?

Yeah, Brain Rot just is like when it's just so dumb that their brain is rotting. What is, okay, okay, because there's variations on the brain rot, right? I've heard, like, different variations on the brain rot. Well, there's like a tie-in brain rot. Yeah, what does that mean? Yeah, it's just this show that. like the characters are a tie-in, and it makes no sense. Just like Skibbitty made no sense.

Like the kids will say in the middle class, they're like, I swear on Skibbitty. What about Ohio? Ohio's just a bad place to be. Really? It's a good state. No, me personally, I like Ohio, but like, I'm just saying, like, they view Ohio as like no man's length. Okay. So they'll just be like, yo, like go to Ohio.

Oh, my gosh. And I'm like, oh, like, Columbus is nice. Okay, finally, what about, my little guy says this all the time. Let them cook. Oh, let them cook means like. Or I'm going to cook you, yeah. Like, let them do it. So, like, if I ask a kid, I'm like, oh, what's the answer to this?

And the kid starts, like, going off on a whole speech about the answer. I'll be like, all right, dad's. And then they're like, no, no, let him cook, let him cook. Like, let him keep going. Yeah. Let him keep doing it. Any others I missed here? Anything else that's hot right now you're in the classroom?

They, um, so huzz. Huzz? What's that? I don't know that one. Huzz is like your boo. Like your babe is like your huzz. But then Chuz is like they're chopped. Chopped is like you're ugly.

And then if your girl, your babe is ugly, they call her like your chuzz. Oh, that's not nice. Yeah, but I say like, I'm like, oh, you know, I have a teacher that I teach her. I'm always like, oh, that's my chuzz. And they lose it. And they're like, yo, like, you're calling her ugly. I'm like, you know, oh, I didn't know. I just play dumb.

Okay. With all the lingo that you're sharing with your students, can you get, they actually learn? You kind of make it part of the class. Oh, yeah, because like if I'm teaching about Napoleon, for example, I'm like, oh, I'm like, you know, Napoleon, he had Riz. Yeah. And then they're like, oh, like, I'm like, yeah, everyone believed in him. He had so much charisma. So, like, they kind of like when I say those words. I got it. No, it works out. You know. Gaspers, so great to have you here. We really appreciate it. Thank you. I don't know what we learned, but it was fun.

And now, hopefully, anybody watching out this that doesn't have kids, they can kind of follow the lingo a little bit. Perfect. But thanks for being here. We appreciate it. All right, we're going to switch gears now to the story of a Texas family defying the odds. A firefighter who narrowly survived a near-death experience on the job reunited with his newborn son who had just spent 16 weeks. in the NICU after being born prematurely. NBC's Priscilla Thompson has a story. This is the moment the roof of a burning home fell on 26-year-old Caleb Halverson, trapping him in the flames. Get him out! For a minute and 45 seconds, his fellow Fort Worth, Texas firefighters struggled to get him out. I thought I was going to die because

it was so hot. Finally, he was freed. The first thing I said, when they pulled me out, said, I have a baby in the NICU, like, please do not let me die. Months earlier, he and his wife Haley had welcomed their first child, born 13 weeks early, weighing less than two pounds. Baby Hudson was still in the neonatal intensive care unit when his dad began the fight of his life. With a dislocated knee and third degree burns on the entire left side of his body, Caleb spent more than a month in the burn unit, undergoing surgery and skin grafts. Fighting. Big. Oh, hi.

For this moment. It's been so long. Oh, my goodness. He's adorable. Thank you. So who came home first? Yeah. It was a very close race. But Caleb came home and then... A one.

And then about four days later, Hudson came home. That first time after you came home from the hospital and you were able to hold him. I was sitting in my chair. He was asleep and she walks in. and I just saying, just thank God, just thank God. A family reunited after a hard-fought homecoming. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, Fort Worth, Texas. All right, that does it for us tonight. Thanks so much for watching Top Story.

I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.