Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Episode Date: October 23, 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, the extraordinary move at the White House, the entire East Wing set to be demolished within days, all part of President Trump's extensive ballroom project. The walls of the historic White House ripped open, massive machinery tearing into the East Wing, home to the First Lady's office. The new reporting today on just how expansive the president's plan to build a giant ballroom is. Also breaking tonight the deadly U.S. military strike on alleged drug runners. This time in the Pacific. And what the president said late today about possible strikes on land. The growing hurricane threat tropical storm, Melissa, lashing at the Caribbean, expected to intensify into a major hurricane. Is there a concern for the U.S. mainland?

Are Bill Carrance with the latest models? The terrifying small plane crash into a busy California park. A woman on the ground struck by the plane. Plus, the video just in, a small aircraft losing control moments after takeoff, What happened here? The urgent search for a 26-year-old American who fell overboard at a Miami-bound cruise, we hear from a passenger on board about the efforts to find him. The video just in, a truck dangling off an overpass in Texas,

the driver somehow pulled to safety. And the solo symphony during surgery, while this Parkinson's patient played the clarinet as doctors operated on her brain. Plus, we'll tell you which places rank the best travel destinations in the world for 2026. Some of them might surprise you. Top story. Starts right now. And good evening. We begin tonight with that major demolition planned at the White House as the scope of President Trump's ballroom renovation project comes into full view. The images are striking, demolition equipment tearing through the walls of the historic East Wing.

And tonight we're learning that the entire wing will be demolished within days. That according to two Trump administration officials. A huge shift from earlier this summer when the president said the new ballroom wouldn't touch the east wing and would pay, quote, total respect to the existing building. So what exactly is the east wing? Well, it was built in 1942. It's traditionally been home to the First Lady's office and her staff, as well as the president's theater and visitors' entrance. But tonight, President Trump's showing renderings of what the new space may look like. Take a look at that.

Look how big that is. It's the massive ballroom, almost as big as the White House, maybe bigger, and it'll be in the section that you see highlighted there. While there have been past renovations at the White House, including Truman's Total Reconstruction, Kennedy's Rose Garden, you may remember, Nixon's press briefing room, and Ford's swimming pool, Trump's grand ballroom with an estimated cost of $200 million is said to be a major change. A White House official acknowledged the process is fluid,

but critics say the administration is tearing down history. Our Gabe Gutierrez has been following all of this. He has some new reporting tonight. He leads us off from the White House. Tonight, NBC News learning the entire east wing of the White House will be demolished within days, according to two Trump administration officials. As the president builds a new 90,000 square foot ballroom paid for by himself and private donors, among them Comcast, NBC's parent company.

This is a plan if it's got tables so that you honor. A foreign leader. We have a proper space. This is an interior shot of the ballroom. I think there'll be nothing like it. Late today, the president's showing off renderings of the massive structure, which he says is now expected to cost around $300 million. Over the years, many presidents have made changes. This obviously would be the biggest change, but this was something they've wanted for at least 150 years. But tonight, the White House is facing backlash. The National Trust for historic preservation, a nonprofit created by Congress to help preserve historic buildings, sent a letter to administration officials, warning the planned ballroom will overwhelm the

White House itself, which is only about 55,000 square feet. Despite the president promising this in July, it won't interfere with the current building. It'll be near it, but not touching it. A White House official now says the scope and the size of the ballroom project have always been subject to vary as the process develops. Democrats are blasting the plan. It's his personal whim, and it is sort of emblematic of the authoritarian, tyrannical approach that this president takes to power. Okay, Gabe Gutierrez joins us tonight from the White House.

So Gabe, you're obviously one of our intrepid correspondents there at the White House. You asked the Trump administration, hey, let's take a look at this. Let us in there. What do they tell you? Well, Tom, we have asked, and a senior White House official tells me, The administration does expect to take reporters to the site at some point soon once demolition is complete. It's on the other side of this complex, right behind my shoulder.

Can't see it though in this camera shot. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department, which is next door, has told its staff not to share photos of the East Wing because they could reveal sensitive items. Meanwhile, Tom, we're also learning tonight that the White House is saying that it has preserved documents and other things that were in the East, in the East Wing. to be used at a future date. Tom? All right, Gabe Gutier. There's a lot of new reporting there for us, Gabe. We appreciate it. For more of the historical context of the East Wing renovations, I want to bring in Lindsay Chirvinsky.

She's a presidential historian and executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. Lindsay, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. We appreciate it. Thank you for having me. So you saw some of the pictures there. You saw Gabe's report. You saw those new renderings in the model. I mean, there's no way to put this differently. This thing is massive. What is your take on this? Well, it's a huge change. You know, one of the things that is so important about the White House is it's iconic.

It is symmetrical, and it is something that everyone recognizes almost around the globe. And so this is going to change that pretty dramatically. Yeah, you know, but sometimes growth is good, right? America is all about change all the times. I mean, I believe that if you're not growing, sometimes you're dying. What's wrong with the president trying to, I don't know, improve the White House, if you will, expand the White House? Well, you're right that the White House is always changing.

You know, when it was first bill, didn't have electricity or running water. So obviously, change is good sometimes. And they have improved the technology and the security over the course of many centuries. But what makes the space so important, what makes it the greatest home feel advantage in the world, is its history. That's what really makes the space significant because Lincoln was there. FDR was there. Theodore Roosevelt was there. And if you build too much new stuff,

you can't actually have that history give you the gravitas in the weight that presidents need in order to represent all of the American people. Does the president have a point, though, that he wants a more grand ballroom for state dinners when they entertain other heads of state or for big events? Was the White House missing that, or not really? Is that an exaggeration in the president's part? Well, I can't say what other presidents, whether or not they wanted that type of, you know, ballroom off of the White House.

I think most presidents loved the East Room because it's where Abigail Adams hung her laundry when the White House was first built and it was incomplete and they had just moved into the space. It's where Lincoln greeted Union soldiers. It's where Theodore Roosevelt's portrait hangs. And so, you know, you can certainly find a lot of ballrooms in D.C., but the East Room is unique and you can't find anything else like it. And then, you know, some people may ask, can the President just do this? I mean, how much power does he have? if he wanted to change the White House to the Gold House. I mean, could he do that?

Well, the state floor of the White House, which is the first floor, is supposed to remain protected because it is the most historic space. And the White House Historical Association works with the White House curators to preserve that to a museum quality as established by Jacqueline Kennedy when that was first created. Now, in theory, the president is supposed to work with the preservation experts. There's a committee on White House preservation. But the same laws that would protect other historic buildings carve out the White House, recognizing that there are other security concerns that sometimes have to trumpet.

So the reason that most presidents don't tear down the White House is not because they can't legally. It's because they recognize how much the space means to the American people. All right. All good points there. We appreciate you coming on top story. We'll see. I'm sure we're going to be talking a lot in the days and weeks ahead. We're going to turn out to the new U.S. strike on what the Trump administration says. is another boat trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S. This time, though, in the Pacific, as the President warned strikes against cartels on land could come soon. Here's Courtney Cuby.

Tonight, this video showing another deadly U.S. military strike against a boat allegedly smuggling drugs to the U.S., killing two narco-terrorists on board, according to Defense Secretary Pete Haguezeth. Posting the strike was in international waters, but for the first time, the boat was traveling in the eastern Pacific rather than the Caribbean Sea. President Trump tonight suggesting he'll soon order strikes on cartels smuggling drugs by land too. Something very serious is going to happen, the equivalent of what's happening by sea.

And we're going to Congress just to tell them what we're doing, just to keep them informed. But we have to do it financial security. We have to do it to save lives. This is the eighth strike, the Trump administration has announced against alleged drugboats since early September, killing at least 36 people. Two men survived a U.S. air strike on their semi-submersible boat last week, the U.S. Navy plucking them from the water and transferring them to Colombia and to Ecuador. But tonight a U.S. official says Ecuador has already released the man transferred to their custody.

Some lawmakers have questioned the legality of the strikes, but President Trump again tonight defending his effort against cartels. You realize that every time you see that happen, you're saving 25,000 American lives. Every one of those boats that gets knocked out is saving 25,000 Americans. American lives, not to mention the torn up families all over the country. All right, Courtney Cuby joins us tonight from Washington. Courtney, we've been reporting about those two survivors in one of the strikes, I believe, last week.

Do we know what's happened to them? Yeah, it was a really remarkable tale of survival that they were able to get out of that semi-submersible sub. Now, the U.S. Navy spotted them in the water, search and rescue helicopters, and boats came in, pluck them out of the water, and took them to a U.S. Navy ship. They were later transferred to custody, one in Columbia. the other in Ecuador. Now, a U.S. official tells us that the U.S. provided information and evidence that showed that they were, in fact, trafficking in drugs. Even with that, though, while Colombia

says that they intend to prosecute the individual transferred there, Ecuador has said that they would not, and they have already released the individual who was sent to them by the United States, Tom. All right, Courtney Cueby, we'll stay on top of that one as well. President Trump tonight also ramping up pressure on Russia, leveling new oil sanctions as he looks to broker a peace deal with Ukraine. It comes as Russian strikes intensified, a drone hitting a kindergarten, killing at least two children. NBC's Keir Simmons is in Moscow tonight for us. Tonight, the Trump administration ramping up pressure on Russia to end its war in Ukraine. I just felt it was time. Look, these are tremendous sanctions. These are very big. Those are

against their two big oil companies, and we hope that they won't be on for long. New sanctions hitting Russia's two largest oil companies in response the Treasury Department says to Russia's, quote, lack of serious commitment to a peace process. It comes after new Russian airstrikes, firefighters carrying children from the rubble after Ukrainian officials say a kindergarten was hit, while Russia's President Putin today overseeing a nuclear exercise. As administration officials tell NBC News, a tense call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Russia's foreign minister ended after Moscow said fighting will continue until it gets concessions from Ukraine. So Trump, its primary goal, is to stop the war.

And the Kremlin thinks? The Kremlin thinks that it's unacceptable. Unacceptable. Unacceptable. And acceptable because this is in favor of Ukraine. Kier Simmons joins us tonight from Moscow. So Kier, is there anything different about these new sanctions that could move the needle towards ending the war?

And again, we can't stress enough. These are two of Russia's largest oil companies, and the president is saying they are fueling that war machine in Russia. That's right, Tom. And there is a difference. The Trump administration has seemed reluctant to impose direct sanctions on Moscow here where I am up until now. Of course, it has imposed secondary sanctions on countries like India for buying Russian oil. So this does appear to be a substantial shift and a sign that President Trump is frustrated again with President Putin and wants to apply the pressure on the Kremlin that President Zelensky of Ukraine has been asking for. Of course, Tom, another element of the pressure that Ukraine has been asking for is for the U.S. to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine paid for by the European Union, long-range missiles that would have the capability, for example,

to strike Moscow here. Not that they would necessarily be used in that way, but I think that kind of prospect does worry the Kremlin because it would enable Ukraine to hit, for example, Russia's industrial military complex. And then Kier, you know, every time you go to Russia, I'd like to ask you, I know you get a chance to sort of speak to people there, and sometimes they can speak openly, sometimes they can't. What's your sense? I mean, this war is dragging out for so long. what the Russian people saying to you? Look, many are exhausted, many have turned away from the war. It is a long way from places like the capital here of Moscow.

And at the same time, the truth is many Russians do believe that they have spent blood and treasure on this war, if you like. The Ukrainians estimating more than a million, a million times Russian casualties in the duration of this war. And many Russians will tell you. Russians will tell you that they don't want to simply capitulate, that they do want to gain from this, if you like. They do want a victory. And that really sums up the challenge because while the Ukrainians say that you need to put more pressure on Russia, the evidence so far is that Russia does not bend, does not compromise, despite the kind of pressure that it has suffered through this fighting, Tom. Okay, Keir Simmons for us, Keir, we appreciate it. Now to the growing hurricane threat, Tropical Storm Melissa,

at the Caribbean, while the entire East Coast watches it closely. The Dominican Republic already feeling the impacts, the storm flooding neighborhoods in the capital city, and the worst is far from over. Let's get right to NBC News meteorologist Bill Caron's bill. The storm is barely moving, and that's a big concern. Walk us through what the latest track is and why it's so confusing, right? Yeah, crawling. Let's put it that way.

And this storm is going to be with us for a long time. This is going to be like an ultra marathon instead of just a marathon. So currently at south of Haiti, we're going to see a lot of rain moving up towards Haiti and Jamaica in the next day or two, but the really destructive wins, that's going to wait until we get towards the weekend or even the beginning of next week. So here's the latest from the Hurricane Center. Notice we go north-northwest towards either Haiti or Jamaica, and then we make a turn by the time we get to Saturday. That's when it goes just south of Jamaica, getting up to category four. Some of our models having it getting up to a strong category five, like strong, like

maybe historically strong. So don't be surprised if it goes to a four or five. And that we hope is going to be just south of Jamaica. Even if it's not, we're going to get the rain from it. And so the number one concern now is going to be the rain in Cuba, Jamaica, in southern Haiti. These areas, this is 15 inches, at least. Some areas are going to get two feet of rain from this, Tom. And these are mountainous areas, too. It's not good. Bill, you know, I love to study my storms. When I look at the models on this one, I just get a headache. It just makes my brain hurt. What's going on and explain to our viewers why it's so confusing right now? All right. Buckle up, because this is, this is a lot of lines we're going to talk about here. Sorry, so here's our major models that we talk about all the time,

and it shows the kind of spread. So when the storm like this, the steering is so light. This is like a sailboat without sails, and there's no wind to push it anyway. So it's just going to drift out here for about four or five days. Notice all the lines at about six to seven days begin to extend up here towards the northeast. So we will get that turn eventually, but for at least the next week, it's just going to sit here. Here's our GFS spaghetti lines. There's 20 of these. So these are all potential paths or tracks for the storm. It just kind of gives us a confidence forecast. And right now, that's why Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, South Florida, the Bahamas, everything

looks good. But the Turks and Caicos in Cuba, Jamaica, those are the main areas of concern. Now let's really talk about a lot of lines. This is our European model. There's 50 of these different spaghetti lines, double helpings of spaghetti. And you notice the areas of concern. Once again, not in South Florida, not in Puerto Rico. We're really focused here, Tom, on first Jamaica.

it looks like, you know, areas of Cuba, especially eastern Cuba. If we're talking about a Category 5 direct impact, you can only imagine the damage that would do. Yeah, it'd be crazy. We're going to stay tracking this one for a while. All right, Bill, we thank you. Out at sea, a tragedy on a Norwegian cruise, an American going overboard in the middle of the night as the ship headed towards Miami. The cruise line telling us tonight, hours of searching for that passenger had been unsuccessful. NBC's George Solis spoke to two passengers on board that giant ship about what they saw. Tonight, the search for an American passenger who went overboard a Norwegian cruise ship bound for Miami, appearing to end in tragedy.

And apparently somebody about 2 o'clock in the morning went overboard. The incident happening in the early hours Tuesday as the Norwegian Jewel was sailing from Portugal's Azor Islands on its way to Miami, rattling other guests on board. Our boat is going in circles in the Atlantic Ocean. Cruise mapper capturing the ship circling international waters. According to Norwegian, their search for the passenger was unsuccessful. But the Portuguese Navy says its efforts to find the 26-year-old are ongoing. These images captured by passenger charity Palmetier appear to be the Portuguese military searching the area by Air and C. You feel every attempt was made to try and find this individual?

I can't imagine anything that they could have done more to find this individual. The crew were trained to do that and everything. They were out there for hours and hours and hours. Palmitier says all over the ship, emergency calls of Oscar, Code for Man Overboard, blared over loudspeakers. It was loud enough to wake pretty much everybody up. Lisa Carr posting from the ship during efforts to find the passenger. Hey guys, I want to give you an update. They just said that they are discontinuing the search. I wanted to help because I just thought the more eyes that we had on the balcony, even the next

day, or not the balcony, but the top deck, the more people that we had outside, the more eyes we had outside that it would help in the search. In a statement, a spokesperson, person for the cruise line tells NBC news. The appropriate authorities were immediately notified and an extensive search and rescue operation with multiple vessels was conducted. The company adding they are now attending to the guests loved ones saying their thoughts and prayers are with them. Guests like Palmiteers say they're just as heartbroken as the ship continues onward. It's a devastating thing to have happened. And I can't even imagine what the people who are with the individual must be feeling and having to go through more days at sea before we get

get to Miami. It's terribly, terribly sad. Terribly sad is right. George Salis joins us live from Miami. George, you know, you can't imagine this. I mean, going overboard in the middle of the night by the Azores. I mean, literally in the middle of the ocean. I know you spoke to those passengers. What more do they tell you? Yeah, Tom, they said the mood on the cruise has completely shifted. Now, the crew there is doing their best to keep spirits open. They're trying to maintain a business as usual attitude, but a lot of people are talking. A lot of people are speculating right Now, what may or may not have happened, they say the cruise line and the officials on board haven't really told them anything more than what they put out in that statement.

But again, a lot of them just feeling that they are just, in a sense, glad that the ship is not making any more stops and heading right here for Miami because a lot of people are just really, really somber, and the mood has changed dramatically on the ship. Yeah, it's a good point. Okay, George Solis, we are back in a moment tonight with the scary scenes in the sky. A small plane in California going down in a popular park hitting a woman who was out walking her dog would have. friend is telling us about her condition tonight. Plus, the dramatic highway rescue, emergency crews pulling a driver to safety as this truck dangles off an overpass.

And the NFL doubling down on its decision to put superstar Bad Bunny on stage for the Super Bowl halftime show with the league's commissioners now saying. That's ahead. We're back now with a frightening situation out west. a small plane crashing into the middle of a soccer field in Southern California, hitting a woman who was out walking her dog.

This has officials at home and abroad investigate three other incidents involving small planes. Here's NBC's Liz Croix with the details. A terrifying incident in Southern California, this small plane making an emergency landing at a popular park in Long Beach, injuring a woman on the ground as it came crashing down. It looks like they got someone on the stretcher, and there's emergency services are responding. The fire department says the pilot of the single-engine aircraft,

an elderly man, survived and was taken to a hospital. The woman who was injured 42-year-old Tiffany Harrison, a family friend telling NBC News she is deaf and was walking her dog when part of the plane hit her from behind. Her mother, Shanna, told me that it's definitely a broken pelvic and three broken vertebrates in the spine. Flight tracking data shows this flight originated east of El It was on its way to the Long Beach Airport when it landed right here.

Neighbors say this is often a busy park filled with kids playing soccer. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, this horrific crash of a small plane just after takeoff. Authorities there say two crew members died on board. Back here at home, two other aircrafts were also forced to make emergency landings Tuesday. Outside Las Vegas, police say this single engine Cessna landed on an interstate after reporting engine issues. And in San Diego, a pilot diverting. to the beach after his engine also began to fail. Well, the engine quit and I landed on the beach.

Fortunately, no one was injured in those two incidents in what was a series of near disasters across the west. Liz Coitz joins us tonight from Long Beach, California. Liz, I know you're at the scene of where that crash happened. Do we know how the plane went down and it looked sort of interesting? We saw some markers there in the aircraft. Where did it come from? Yeah, Tom, we don't know what happened that caused this crash.

It's still under investigation. Firefighters did say that they noticed the landing gear was broken when they arrived here. This plane, like we said, was coming from east of L.A., kind of the riverside area on its way here at Long Beach. And it's one of these single-engine what's called experimental planes. That's how it's classified by the FAA. It's an amateur-built plane, meaning it's partially built by the individual, potentially the pilot. Experts say that these are planes that have been around for five decades. They are largely considered very safe.

They have inspections that are required once a year. And I will say that experts have also said they feel like the pilot in this case seemed to do everything right. Found, clearly had an issue, found a big open park, landed here, you know, didn't, you know, land in a home because there are homes all around here. And I will say it's about this time yesterday that the plane had just landed and crashed here. And there are kids right now, Tom, playing soccer right behind me in the place that it crashed. So it certainly could have been much worse. That is so wild. Okay.

All right, Liz, we thank you for all that. Now to a new federal investigation into Waymo's driverless cars, it comes after an incident in Atlanta where one of the company's vehicles was caught on camera illegally passing a stopped school bus. Chase Howell from our NBC affiliate, WXIA, has the details. As Waymo just drove around the school bus. This near driverless disaster has caught the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency's Office of Defect's investigation has opened up a preliminary. evaluation of Waymo's automatic driving system. The report states ODI will look to see how this system is around stop school buses, how it is designed to comply with school bus traffic safety

laws in the vehicle's ability to follow those laws. Oh, it's great that there being that responsive this quick. Georgia State Senator Rick Williams co-authored a bill now called Addy's law in 2024. The piece of legislation was named after eight-year-old Addy Pierce, who died after being hit by a car crossing the street to her bus. The law stiffens penalties for drivers who don't obey school bus traffic safety laws, keyword, drivers. There's no child worth any of those driverless vehicles. Again, while Senator Williams is appreciative of the investigation, he wants the Waymo's to be put in park until all the bugs are fixed. And according to NHTSA, it believes because of the amount of mileage the Waymo fleets have driven, it's likely there have been prior

incidents. Those could be desert driving miles for all I know, for all I care. I don't care what their record is. I won't prove that our children are safe. In a statement from Waymo, a spokesperson says the driverless cars are improving safety on the roads. They say data has shown a five full reduction in injury-related crashes compared to human drivers and 12 times fewer injury crashes involving pedestrians. And while State Representative Clint Crow wasn't available for an interview. He says Waymo reached out to him after seeing our coverage, sharing his concern and telling him engineers we're working on diagnosing and solving the problem. In Atlanta, Chase Howell, 11 Alive News. We thank Chase and WXIA for their help on that story. Coming up, the rising cost of

health care, many families now feeling the squeeze from higher premiums. So what's driving those costs? We're going to explain it step by step for you tonight. Plus, the Louvre reopening its doors today after that daring daytime heist, what we're learning about the security lapse at the museum when the thieves broke in. But first, top story's top moment and the American that took home the top honor at the Olympics of pianos.

27-year-old Eric Liu from Massachusetts became the first Americans in 1970 to tickle the Ivories and win the international Chopin piano competition in Poland. Here's some of his award-winning performance. That is what first place. That is what first place sounds like.

Lou beat 180 competitors from all over the world, winning the top prize of 69,000 and a gold medal. Congratulations to him. Stay with us. More top story on the way. We're back tonight with the new clashes involving federal agents as the Trump administration expands its immigration crackdown and new details about a shooting injuring two people during an eye stop in Los Angeles. NBC's Morgan Chesky has more. I'm not doing nothing. Shouts and confusion during an ice raid on New York City's Canal Street. Tonight, the Department of Homeland Security responding after the enforcement operation prompted backlash from Democratic officials in New York. None of this is about public safety.

It is about fear and chaos. DHS saying this was a targeted raid, resulting in nine arrests of suspects in the country illegally. With criminal histories including robbery, assault, domestic. violence and drug trafficking. We arrested criminally illegal aliens that have horrible rap sheets. So it's doubt the people they want to protect? I don't think so. And new details on this operation that ended in gunfire in L.A.'s popular fashion district.

This video shows officers arresting Carlitos Ricardo Pedias, who documents ICE activity on TikTok. Prosecutors say when federal officers tried to serve an immigration arrest warrant on Padias, he He repeatedly rammed officers' vehicles, his spinning tires creating smoke. One ice agent fired his handgun, wounding both Pattias and a deputy U.S. Marshal hit by a ricochet. Almost daily, we have two to three of these ramming incidents, which is a deadly force. You know, and it's put our officers at risk.

Tonight, Pettias's attorney says he is described as a pillar of the very community. He was arrested in. A lot of members of that community, they depend on him for knowledge. as to what's going on around them. Okay. Morgan joins us tonight live from Los Angeles. Morgan, I know NBC News has broken a big story about recruits trying to join ICE. What have they learned? Yeah, Tom, we're learning much more on that front.

And what we have learned is in the rush to hire new federal immigration officers. One current and two former DHS officials tell NBC news that recruits are essentially going into training before they've completed the agency's vetting process. Now, DHS tells us that most recruits are former law enforcement. and have already been through some sort of training. In the meantime, Tom, I did speak at length with the attorney representing the individual who was arrested here in Los Angeles. He tells me that he has yet to have a privileged conversation with his client who is currently recovering in a hospital. He is charged with assault on a federal officer, Tom.

He has yet to make his first court appearance. But if convicted, that is a charge that carries eight years in prison. Tom? Okay. Morgan Chesky. Morgan, thank you. Now to the reopening of the Louvre Museum in Paris after that stunning theft of some of France's most prized crown jewels worth $102 million. And tonight we're learning more about the security lapses that made that heist possible. NBC's Ralph Sanchez reports from Paris.

Tonight, at the planet's most popular museum, thousands of visitors hoping for a glimpse of what's now the world's most famous crime scene. But knowing that there had just been a heist pulled off in broad daylight, certainly, increased the profile of the gallery, no doubt. As the gilded holes of the Louvre reopened for the first time since Sunday's brazen daylight robbery. It was, yeah, the energy and the buzz was kind of interesting because he wanted to know how they did it. Every exhibit open except the Apollo Gallery, where prosecutors say it took thieves just four minutes to snatch a hundred and two million dollars worth of France's crown jewels. And today, the museum director grilled by French senators, admitting the only security camera outside the gallery, was facing the opposite direction from the balcony the thieves entered,

adding the few cameras along the vast museum's perimeter are aging. Despite our efforts, despite our daily-determined work, they made us fail, she says. Part of what makes this manhunt so complicated is borders within the European Union are long largely wide open. So it's possible the thieves could have left France already without passing through border controls. More than 100 French officers now involved in the pursuit and hoping to pull DNA from a high-vis vest left at the scene. Raf Sanchez joins us tonight from outside the Louvre. Raf, your piece mentions the museum's director was grilled by French senators today. What else did she say needed to change to prevent this from happening again?

So, Tom, she said the Louvre has a long-term plan to double the number of security cameras here. She said also they're going to modernize the system for badges that gets you through the eight miles of galleries here. But Tom, it's just starting to feel a little bit too little too late. She did say in front of the French Senate that she had offered her resignation to the French government given the scale of the failure here on Sunday. She said the French government did not accept it. The acute crisis, she mentioned, that security camera outside the Apollo gallery, where the Crown Jules were being kept, facing the opposite direction from the balcony that the thieves used to break in. So no one saw the gang climbing up that ladder truck until it was too late. She also mentioned the infrastructure here at the museum is so old.

It is hard to install modern security systems. And Tom, she also just said it is such a vast building. set of buildings that is just very, very difficult to secure the entire complex all at once. It is a good point. All right, Ralph Sanchez, we thank you for that. Now, Top Stories Newsfeet, starting with a major update on a story we've been following about the disappearance of a Philadelphia woman. Officials are now ruling 23-year-old Kata Scott's death, a homicide. Remember, Scott's remains were found at an abandoned middle school two weeks after she went missing. Officials have yet to reveal the exact cause of death,

but the suspect in her kidnapping is now facing murder charges. And the suspect accused of stabbing the former mayor of Massachusetts, although Massachusetts town, I should say, is now facing charges. New surveillance video from earlier this week, capturing that attack. You can see the suspect run up to former Fall River mayor, Will Flanagan from behind. Police arrested the suspect who was undergoing a mental health evaluation. We're told Flanagan is still in the hospital but in stable condition.

Shocking new images of a rescue in Texas after a vehicle smashed through a concrete wall and was left dangling off an overpass. Look at this here. You can see the wrecked. the wreckers cab hanging there as rescue crews pulled the driver to safety. Officials say the driver lost control while trying to avoid a collision, striking another vehicle and hitting the wall that driver is being treated at a hospital for minor injuries. The NFL is standing by its decision to have Bad Bunny headlined the Super Bowl halftime show.

The league's commissioner Roger Godell saying they're not considering dropping the Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist. He added the decision as, quote, carefully thought through. This is the first time Godell has commented publicly. on the move, which has drawn criticism for President Trump and some of his supporters. Okay, we want to turn now to the future of the workforce, and we're taking an inside look at Amazon's new robot workforce. The company says they are the future, but also that human workers won't be left behind. Vicki Wynn reports from inside Amazon's innovation lab, pressing workers there.

Amazon believes that robots like these are the future. At this facility outside Boston, we saw how they can lift, scan, and place products. The kind of work Aaron Martin used to do. It'll suction onto the box to pick it up, and then it'll place it in the tote where it needs to go. Is this robot doing work that humans used to do? Similar, yes. It's just this could run 24-7.

Four years ago, he was stocking bins in an Amazon warehouse. I used to just stow product and aisles of bins. Now machines can do that work faster, and with fewer injuries. We asked Amazon HR vice president, Ophori Agboka, what that means for workers. When people ask you yes or no, will the workforce in Amazon shrink as a result of automation, robots, AI, what do you say? Our populations and sizes where people sit in the footprint is going to vary as we grow. So it'll change? It'll vary as we grow. In June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced plans to, quote, reduce our total workforce as we get efficiency gains using AI.

New York Times report citing internal documents says Amazon's robotics team has a goal to automate 75 percent of its operations, translating to 600,000 people whom Amazon didn't need to hire by 2033. Amazon says the documents in the Times report are incomplete and reflect the perspective of just one team and don't represent our overall hiring strategy. Do you see a time where the number of robots will be higher than the number of people employed by Amazon. I don't foresee that. AI is going to change the nature of everything we do, but the key is getting familiar with it. For Aaron Martin, the solution is upskilling.

You got paid to go to school. He enrolled in Amazon's apprenticeship program to learn how to repair the robots that do the very work he used to, earning more than $40 an hour. Amazon says more than 300,000 U.S. employees have trained for new roles as AI and automation change or replace their jobs. When people are like cynical and they're like, ah, AI is coming. It's going to take our jobs. It's going to ruin humanity. What do you say to that? I don't think so. This is a Terminator. All right. With that, Vicki Wynn joins us now on Top Story. So Vicki, it's not just Amazon. Obviously, that's going to be affected by AI. Definitely not. Tom, Walmart, the nation's top private employer, saying headcount is expected to remain flat for the next three years, in part because of AI.

Ford Motor CEO recently saying that it won't just be blue-collar manual labor jobs. White-collar jobs will be affected as well. So what do you do? Hiring experts tell us, lean into AI, talk to your bosses, ask how you can train to AI proof yourself. I mean, what's your sense? You were there at Amazon? You feel like they're totally invested in retraining sort of some of their human capital into AI? I do.

I think the people who raise their hand ask questions are curious about what's to come are the ones that will be successful. All right. Vicki went for us. Vicki, great to see you. Now to top stories, health check, and tonight, the soaring price of care. The Wall Street Journal reporting the average cost of a family health insurance plan, get this, is now $27,000 a year. That's based on new numbers out from the health policy nonprofit, KFF.

Here to dive deeper into those numbers, our good friend Brian Chung. Brian, always so great to see you. So what we've learned tonight, what's new, this is getting more expensive, not only for people like me and you, but also for employers. Yeah, this is coming from a fascinating KFF report. showing that the cost of health care is going up pretty high. The blue section here is how much your employer is contributing in 2025. Over 20,000, the worker contribution, how much you pay is at 6,800. That is a $1,200 difference over the last five years. And in terms of percentages

for both the worker and the employer, those costs are now over 20% more expensive. That is very expensive and a big out-of-pocket cost. 100 bucks a month, do we know why? Well, look, when it comes to the different reasons, the KFF report, which is pretty detailed, said it was things like tariffs, it was also the increasing costs at the hospital, but it's also the cost of these GLP-1 drugs, also known as those weight loss drugs. Get this, in 2024, only 28% of firms with over 5,000 workers were covering these GLP-1 drugs. Now you have 43%, almost half of all these employers now actually covering these drugs. That's more expensive. That's going to increase premiums for everyone. It speaks to the popularity of these drugs, but also now the willingness of

some of these employers to actually cover those costs. And when we talk about the changing shape of the American economy, mom-and-pop business, a small business, it's getting tougher and tougher for them to give health care to their employees, right? Yeah, well, look, I mean, you know, they might not be able to cover GLP1 drugs. They might not even be able to cover the regular costs of health care. The next chart that I have here is showing you on the top line. Wow, look at this.

For large firms, over 50 workers, 91% are those firms offer health benefits. But for small firms, look at this. It's only 54%. And it's taking a dip. And it's taking a dip. If that is the more concerning aspect here, these small businesses where the margins are already super thin, having to cover the increasing cost of health care is putting a burden on them. And for those workers, you imagine the precarious position therein, if they're already making lower wage, and they also don't get health insurance. All right. Brian Chung, thanks for explaining so as we appreciate it.

Still ahead on top story, the remarkable music during a woman's brain surgery by this Parkinson's patient played her clarinet as doctors operated. We'll explain. Plus, the country where mosquitoes are turning up for the first time ever and what scientists think is behind it. Stay with us. We're back now with Top Stories Global Watch, and we start in Uganda where at least 46 people are dead after a major bus crash. This is the wreckage. Look at this. Two buses completely totaled. Investigators say they came from opposite directions early this morning and collided head on after trying to pass other vehicles. All right, six people arrested near Dublin after protesters clashed with police outside of a hotel housing asylum seekers. You can see a line of officers running towards demonstrators as a fire appears to erupt on the other side of the street.

Police apparently used pepper spray to try and break up the crowd. Officials say hundreds of protesters gathered in the area after reports of a sexual assault nearby. And scientists sounding the alarm after mosquitoes were discovered in Iceland for the very first time. For centuries, Iceland has been one of only two places in the world, completely free of the insect, the other being Antarctica, but record heat this year created conditions warm enough for mosquitoes to survive. It's still unclear how exactly the mosquitoes got there in the first place. And in the UK, a remarkable operation, a clarinetist diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, forced to put down her beloved instrument for years, but in the operating room with doctors working on her brain in real time, she was able to play again. Danielle Hamamgen has her story. It's a story you have to hear to believe.

What sounds more like a symphony than a surgery. That's 65-year-old Denise Bacon, serenating her surgeons as they operate on her brain. You heard correctly. Doctors in London are stimulating her brain with electrical impulses. And almost instantly, she feels improvement in her finger movement. We insert electrodes deep inside the brain and very particular target points. You see Bacon has Parkinson's disease, stiff muscles, slow movement, difficulty walking and swimming.

And for five excruciating years until this moment, she was unable to play her beloved clarinet. I contacted him nearer the time and said, you really want me to bring my clarinet. And the message was that yes, he did and he'd be able to test. test whether it would help me. And did it ever? She has a personalized treatment that's going to be lasted many, many, many, many decades to come. It's not the first time brain surgery patients have had music on their mind.

In 2018, Robert Alvarez jammed on the guitar as doctors worked to remove his brain tumor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. Picking up the guitar, it just feels like Thor picking up his hammer. And in 2020, as surgeons removed another brain tumor this time in the UK, their patient, again, providing the soundtrack. With the help of modern medicine, what was once unthinkable is now a new normal for Denise Bacon. And doctors tell her it's here to stay. I can walk normally.

I was walking normally straight after the surgery. And life's just opened up again. feels like there's a future. Danielle Hammerms in NBC News, London. We thank Danielle for that incredible story. When we come back, listen up if you're planning your next trip, the new list of the best travel destinations for 2026. Plus basketball legend Michael Jordan opening up in a special conversation with NBC.

The surprise answer when he was asked the last time he picked up a basketball. We're back down with a very special conversation with one. one of the all-time greats of American sports, Michael Jordan making his debut as a special contributor with NBC sports during the NBA's opening night, talking to Mike Tariko about focusing on family and giving back to the game in this new chapter. I wish I can take a magic pill, put on shorts, and go out and play the game of basketball today, because that's who I am. That type of competition, that type of competitiveness is what I live for. I miss it. I missed that aspect of playing the game of basketball. Being able to challenge

myself against what people see as great basketball. Victory in dramatic players since retiring from the NBA. Michael Jordan is talking once again. Do you ever pick up a ball in a shoot? I haven't picked up a ball in years. Surprising fans that one of the last times he held a ball was when he rented a house during the Ryder Cup. And the owner asked him for a favor to shoot a free throw for his grandkids. It's the most nervous I've been in years. Stop it. In years.

Stop it. Come on. And reason being is those kids heard the stories from the parents about what I did 30 years ago. I hope you switched it. Absolutely. These days, Jordan saying his focus is on his family, catching up on the valuable time loss during his prime. Chicago with the lead. A defining time that fans are celebrating to this day.

His 1986 rookie card selling this week for a record $2.7 million. For now, Jordan says he feels a duty to share his thoughts on the game. That's part of what this is all about is to pass it, pay it forward. And finally tonight, we want to get into a list making headlines. National Geographic must visit destinations for 2026, and some of the 26 selections may surprise you. From Finland to Fiji to Pittsburgh, this list has a little bit of everything. Joining us now with his insight into the list, Nat Geo, editor-in-chief Nathan Lump. Nathan, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight.

Pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me. Before we get into some of the locations on the list, can you explain to our viewers, how do you guys pick these? You know, we spend the entire year looking for the best destinations for the year to come. Our editors are constantly scouring the planet for good ideas. We also canvass our whole community of international contributors, our international bureaus around the world. So we're always looking for those places that have a certain special something for travelers. There are so many unique places on this list, right? What are some of the ones that are off the beaten path?

You know, we really, that's one of the things we love to emphasize is places that people aren't necessarily thinking of. One of my favorites this year is Yamagata Prefecture in Japan. Japan's really hot right now. A lot of people go to the classic places. Yamagata is a very, very little visited place up in the north, great skiing and snowboarding for people who like to do that sort of thing, but also just like really beautiful mountain top temples, really great onsen towns where you can take the hot spring waters. You know, it's just a really, really awesome little place off the beaten path.

Similarly, I love the Wahawaken coast in Mexico, so the coastline of Wauca State often called the Costa Chica, where you've got great surfing and undeveloped beaches and wildlife, sea turtles, whales, But a place a lot of people don't know. Yeah. Which of the locations most surprised you? You know, I mean, I think one thing for American viewers that I think will be interesting is the North Dakota Badlands, like not a place that I think a lot of people have high on their list.

But it's actually a really beautiful kind of spare haunting landscape. And this year, this upcoming summer, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will open there. That's a really, really interesting building, architect design that tells the story. of this really important and complex American figure. Lots of other fun things you can do there, go to rodeos and stuff like that. But I think also just a great place that people don't think about a lot. And speaking of the U.S., you have two sort of very distinct places, both great cities that I love, right?

You have Pittsburgh on one end of the country. Then you have Hawaii, obviously, in the Pacific Ocean. You have Maui. Talk to me about both spots. Yeah, look, Pittsburgh, I think, is one of the great American cities underrated as a travel destination. Amazing cultural institutions there, in particular. terrific museums, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of National History, Natural History, just a lot of fun neighborhoods, great food and shopping. I think it's just a really underrated city. And then, yes, in the other end of the country, we've got Maui in Hawaii. A lot of people

probably remember the really devastating fires that happened in Maui a couple years ago. But the, you know, the island's really been bouncing back, and it's a great time to go. You know, you get all the beauty of that island without a lot of the visitors that have traditionally been there. and it's a great way to give back to that local economy. Yeah, Maui's an incredible place in Pittsburgh also has one of the great ballparks in our country. So I'm glad you had it on the list. Finally, I want to talk about the reader's choice because it's not really a ranking, right? It's just great spots to visit.

Banff, Canada. Talk to me why this was the reader's choice. Yeah, you know, Banff is a great destination known for skiing, but it really is terrific all year round. Really, really beautiful, you know, mountainside, mountain scenery, a great little resort town. with lots to do. I love it. I love it in the summertime, actually, although, of course, it's a terrific winter destination if you're a skier or snowboarder. And yeah, you know, our readers love what they've found there. It's one of my favorite places to go. And I think, yeah, it's definitely worth being on your list if you haven't been there already.

Nathan, before you go, remind our viewers, where can they pick this up? Is it hard copy? Is it on the website, both? On the website, netgeo.com. That's where you want to go for best of the world. All right. Nathan Lump. Thanks so much for being here. We appreciate it. pleasure to be here thanks all right and that does it for us tonight thanks so much for watching top story i'm tom yamas in york stay right there more news on the way