Monday, September 28, 2026

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0:48Computers are getting smarter, Silicon Valley's getting weirder, and AI is taking over. At least that's what everyone keeps telling us. Welcome to Machine Guides, a new NPR podcast that will be your field guide to the AI-powered future. We're veteran tech journalists with front row seats to the industry. And twice a week, we'll make sure you get smarter about AI, so you know what's real, what's hype, and what might come next. Listen to Machine Gods from NPR on the NPR app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:20Tonight, the deadly Nor 'easter delivering a powerful final punch after pounding the East Coast for days. The monster storm battering coastal communities. This car swept into the ocean. A school bus in Massachusetts dangling over a river. People kayaking through floodwaters in New York City. Trees taking down power lines to race to get power up and running. New twist in the alleged terror plot targeting a U.K. base used by the U.S. Police releasing the suspects. President Trump blasting that decision today. Was Iran behind the plot? Rape allegations rocking an Ivy League campus. A woman accusing seven fraternity brothers why the D.A.

1:59is reopening the investigation now after deciding not to prosecute years ago. The New York Times tech executive gunned down in broad daylight. His in-laws arrested for murder. What led up to the shooting? Growing backlash to these commercials featuring President Trump, they look identical to campaign ads, but they're funded by taxpayer dollars. How the White House is defending the move. The historic SpaceX launch and the fiery splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Why the test mission was several hours shorter than scheduled. We'll explain. Plus, is there no age limit to rock and roll? From Rod Stewart to Ringo Starr, the music legends playing well into their golden years, how artists are still drawing large crowds.

2:43And concerning connection, a growing number of middle schoolers turning to AI chatbots for friends instead of humans. Top Story starts right now.

2:58Good evening. as we come on the air, a deadly nor 'easter battering parts of New England after days of relentless and punishing storms left a path of destruction across the east coast. Right now, millions are still under flood alerts. Coastal towns up and down the eastern seaboard pummeled by huge waves like these. The storm's so powerful, it washed away this car in Massachusetts and even unearthed fragments of a centuries-old shipwreck. Drone footage in Delaware showing entire neighborhoods submerged after days of torrential rains. New Jersey hit very hard. Roads turned to rivers. You can see it here throughout several towns.

3:32Violent winds unmooring the sailboat, causing it to smash into a dock. Residents even spotting this, what appears to be a shark in the floodwaters. Some streets in Queens, New York, also fully flooded. People using, you saw, their kayaks. Those gale force winds bringing down hundreds of trees in the city. Tens of thousands losing power throughout the three-day storm, all of it causing chaos at airports. More than 5 ,000 flights to later cancel today. But as this storm winds down, another massive storm is taking aim, the southwest bracing for a multi-day dangerous flooding event. We're tracking it all tonight, but we want to begin with our Air McLaughlin on this weekend's powerful nor 'easter.

4:09A monster storm slamming into the eastern seaboard, bringing intense wind, rain, flooded streets, massive waves, and killing at least one, all from a nor 'easter that's been pounding much of the east coast for days. Tonight, six million remain under coastal flood alerts in areas from the Carolinas to Massachusetts, where today in the rain, a school bus went off the road. Police say there were no kids on board and the driver was not hurt. The exact cause of the crash still under investigation. Meanwhile, in Queens, New York over the weekend, these kayakers paddling through flood waters. And in New Jersey, this video shows a sailboat crushing a pier, leaving very little behind.

4:56Another shows flooding so severe. A possible dogfish shark was spotted swimming around over the weekend. And now with the worst behind us, there's an all out effort to clean up in Huntington, Long Island. Close to 300 trees were down since Friday. The ground is saturated and they're just falling over. It's a struggle to clear the growing number of downed trees. Officials say this is the scenario that concerns them most. A massive tree falls across power lines and a streetlight. There's the crosswalk and it's right across the way from a local school. Officials say the tree's been there since Friday.

5:36Today in New Jersey, beaches closed, transformed into debris fields. All of it taking a toll on millions. And the season of nor 'easter storms has just begun. And this shows the full impact of this storm. These are trees brought down by the nor 'easter. They've been blocking roads and taking down power lines. Crews have been bringing them here. It's a process expected to last through tomorrow. Tom. Aaron McLaughlin leading us off on Top Story. I want to get right to our friend meteorologist Bill Karens. Bill, as this nor 'easter moves out, I know you're watching something very dangerous on the southwest side of this country.

6:13Yeah, another dangerous, unusual time of year for this storm. So we just got done with the nor 'easter, which was very early in our nor 'easter season. This is very late in our monsoonal flood season in areas of the desert southwest. And we have tropical moisture that's already streaming. We've already had flash flood warnings in areas of Nevada and also California. This is going to combine with a hurricane making landfall, Polo, major hurricane in Mexico later on tonight. So these two things are all going to come together for a very significant flash flood threat through the Four Corner region, especially New Mexico.

6:44I think that could get hit the hardest. But then in the days ahead, this system kind of stalls out, and we're going to get numerous rounds of thunderstorms in areas like Oklahoma and Texas. So here's the timing. So here's Polo making landfall later on this evening. Here's that tropical moisture. And we kind of surge these two together tomorrow afternoon. And this is the most dangerous time, tomorrow afternoon, and this time tomorrow in areas of New Mexico with just torrential rain. So they're getting some today that gets the ground kind of wet, And then tomorrow, just more comes in and just makes the situation so much worse.

7:13And then by the time we get to Wednesday, this is beautiful. We love the fact that Colorado is going to get its most significant rain in almost three years. If you've been following any of the stories out of Colorado, you know how desperate they are for water. The flooding situation will be from southern Colorado down through New Mexico. That's where the life-threatening flooding is expected. Then isolated, heading up towards Omaha. And as far as rainfall totals go, tomorrow, as much as locally five inches in New Mexico, southern Colorado. And then towards the end of the week, Tom, we're going to have to watch our friends from Oklahoma City to Dallas to Austin, San Antonio included in that, too.

7:45They desperately need rain, but they're just going to get so much at once they still could get some flash flooding. Yeah, I'm sure we're going to be talking about this every night this week. Bill, thank you. We're going to turn now to those rape allegations rocking Cornell University and the growing outrage over the fact that the investigation was initially dropped. Tonight, the D.A. reopening it after the alleged victim sued the school. Maggie Vespa is on campus and a warning. The details you're about to hear are disturbing. Tonight, New York prosecutors reopening their criminal investigation into an alleged rape on Cornell University's campus.

8:19This less than two weeks after a female student ID'd only as Jane Doe sued, among others, the university, the Chi Phi fraternity and seven then members alleging they drugged and sexually assaulted her at a party back in 2024. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who declined to charge the seven members at the time, says Jane Doe initially described the encounter as consensual. Now that this lawsuit has been filed, that raises the question that Jane Doe believes there's additional evidence. We want to talk to her. We want to flesh out with her what that additional evidence is. Jane Doe's attorney tonight responding.

8:58The reason it took two years to file the lawsuit is my client took time to heal. She wanted to give Cornell the opportunity to make this right because this was her expectation. In the lawsuit, the female student says she went to the fraternity house after drinking, where members asked her to participate in a threesome, pressured her into snorting ketamine, and assaulted her over the course of hours. The suit describes her at one point as incapacitated, saying the encounter was not consensual and includes Snapchat messages allegedly sent within the fraternity, which the lawsuit describes as encouraging members to join in on the gang rape.

9:36Cornell at the time conducting its own investigation, which the university says in a statement resulted in administrators banning the chapter in addition to suspensions and expulsions. Jeremy Saland represents Scott Kretschmar, one of the accused fraternity members. He had nothing to do with any touching of her, any drugs involved with her, any type of inappropriate contact or communication with her, period. Tonight, Maggie Vespa is live on Cornell's campus. So, Maggie, what can we expect from the D.A. in the days ahead? Yeah, Tom, that's a huge question, obviously, for the students here on campus.

10:09They've been walking up asking us what we're reporting on here, and they all are thinking and talking about this case. Look, the D.A. basically telling NBC News today that he is now on a timeline. He wants to present this case to a grand jury within 45 days, adding Jane Doe will testify in front of that grand jury. We should also note, Tom, we reached out to the other six accused fraternity members named in that suit. So far, no response. Tom. Maggie Vespa for us. Maggie, thank you. We're also following a developing story out of California. A New York Times executive gunned down in broad daylight in the parking lot of a popular park.

10:44His own in-laws are now behind bars charged with his murder. Dana Griffin has this one. Video appears to show the moment an elderly married couple was taken into custody after allegedly murdering 40-year-old Jonathan McKenzie, a New York Times engineering executive. He's also their son-in-law. Dublin, California police say McKenzie was found dead Saturday afternoon in a parking lot of a popular park shot multiple times. And that thanks to several witnesses, within minutes, police had his in-laws in handcuffs. Shou Young Jang and Shil Lee Chin, both 77 years old, have been booked on suspicion of murder.

11:22Police have not released a motive. According to the booking sheet, the couple may also face charges of child abuse with great bodily harm. Police have not confirmed whether a child was hurt during Saturday's shooting. All of it happening amid what court records show was a months-long contentious divorce and custody battle between the victim and his wife. Following his wife's allegations, prosecutors charged McKenzie with two counts of misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly slapping his six-year-old in the face and leaving a two-year-old unattended while McKenzie went shopping. He pleaded not guilty.

11:57The New York Times confirming McKenzie had been the head of engineering games player experience in the Bay Area since 2023. According to a neighbor who spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle, McKenzie had recently moved out of the home he shared with his wife and three children. Dana Griffin joins us now live from Los Angeles. Dana, when can we expect to see those in-laws in court? So the in-laws are being held without bail, Tom. They are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. And we looked at some court records and saw that the victim and his wife were actually scheduled for a restraining order hearing in December.

12:34Tom? Dana, thank you. We're going to head overseas now to that terror plot. The suspects out on bail in the UK after being arrested near a military base used by the U.S. President Trump blasting their release as investigators search to see if there's a possible link to Iran. Our ref Sanchez is there tonight. Tonight, President Trump criticizing British authorities for releasing the suspects in an alleged terror plot at a U.S. operated air base on bail. I'm surprised if they released him, I wouldn't have done that. With officials investigating if Iran was behind the potential terror plot, NBC's Gabe Gutierrez pressing the president.

13:11Is this connected to Iran? Might be. Can you elaborate on that? I'd rather not. I mean, I know the answer. I can be very specific, but I'd rather not say it. But I would not have released him. The five men, UK citizens in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses on Sunday near the perimeter of RAF Fairford, where U.S. B-1 bombers have been taking off for strikes against Iran. The suspects drove these three vans, which were searched by a bomb squad robot. Now they've been released on bail. To be very clear, this does not mean that the investigation is over. They aren't directly accusing Iran, which denies any involvement.

13:55But Iran has threatened this base in the past, calling it a legitimate target. We're seeing an intense security presence here with heavily armed British police guarding the outside of the base and American forces on the inside. A farmer speaking on condition of anonymity says she alerted police after seeing 8 to 10 masked men around 1 a.m. Sunday. It's just pure luck, really, that we happened to be there and did what we did. So, Raf, who's live on the scene for us tonight, there was that danger of those vans, right? And I understand you have some new reporting that residents are finally being let back into their homes.

14:34Yeah, Tom. So 85 families were initially evacuated from the area while the bomb squad looked into those vans. They are now being allowed to go back. But there are still police checkpoints like this all over the area. And British authorities still at this point, nearly two days on, haven't said whether they found actual working explosives inside of those vans or not. Tom? And then, Raf, help our viewers understand, why would British police release these suspects, given the seriousness of this alleged plot? Yeah, Tom, it's a question being asked here. It's a question being asked all around the world.

15:10British police really haven't given a clear answer. But they have hinted that they think it's possible that these suspects were more kind of unwitting patsies, if you will, rather than hardened terrorists. They say that in the past they've come across cases where low-level British criminals have been recruited online to act on behalf of foreign states, sometimes without even realizing it. And they say that that is one possibility in this case. Tom. Raf Sanchez for us. Raf, we thank you for that. Back here at home, President Trump says the U.S. is still in talks with Iran after he called their conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz unacceptable.

15:47Our Gabe Gutierrez pressing the president at the White House. Tonight, President Trump telling us that U.S. talks with the Iranian regime are still on through mediators. Has your team spoken to Iran today? Yeah, they have. Despite President Trump rejecting Iran's latest offer, where it said it would stop attacking commercial oil tankers and reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. meets its demands. We're going to win that war very soon. That'll be over. And the gas prices will come tumbling down. The administration now argues it has the upper hand in negotiations, so it's in no hurry.

16:30But the war and stubbornly high gas prices averaging around$4.48 a gallon, pressuring Republicans with less than 40 days to go until the midterms. The president today touting a new$15 billion steel mill to be built in Iowa. The largest steel plant in American history in the great state of Iowa. A state he won by 13 points in 2024. We press the president why recent polls show much tighter races for the Senate and House this year. Why are Republicans, do you think, having to work so hard to hold on to these seats? I don't know. I love Iowa. I've always been very strong with Iowa. But I'm surprised.

17:10First of all, the polls are fake. Gabe Gutierrez, who had a lot of time there with the president today. Gabe, there were reports President Trump offered Iran sanctions in return for nuclear concessions. Yeah, that's right, Tom. There was a report in Axio saying that the president had offered sanctions released, as well as unfreezing frozen Iranian funds in exchange for those nuclear concessions. But late today, the president strongly reacted to that on social media, denied those reports, insisting that he offered Iran nothing. So there are a lot of real questions about where negotiations move forward from here.

17:47Iran, for its part, says that it is prepared for a, quote, doomsday war, but it stands ready for diplomacy, Tom. Okay, we'll see which one they pick. Thanks for that, Gabe. Turning overseas now to harrowing new footage from the war in Ukraine. People trapped inside a building that was burning, forced to climb out of windows and cling to the sides, desperately waiting to be rescued after a Russian drone strike. Here's Richard Engel with those images. Terrifying scenes in Kiev. flames shooting out of this burning building, people trapped inside, these two men leaning out of windows as the fire grows.

18:23Soon, each forced out onto the ledge. You see them both clinging to the side of the building. On the ground, firefighters racing with ladders to save them. This elderly man now off the ledge, fully hanging, waiting for rescue. Finally, a ladder is moved up to him, and he manages to climb down safely. Moments later, the entire National Academy of Sciences building totally immersed in flames. One person was killed and more than six injured, including three children. It's just the latest in a string of Russian attacks on apartment buildings, offices, and a nearby medical center, the escalation coming a week after diplomatic efforts in New York.

19:09While the Kremlin signals no let-up, saying Ukraine will pay a price for recent strikes inside Russia. Richard Engel, NBC News. Okay, back here at home to a major update in the story we brought you last week. You may remember this viral video capturing an 81-year-old man delivering lost luggage to help pay for his wife's cancer treatment. Tonight, GoFundMe shutting down the fundraiser that brought in more than$700 ,000 in donations. Our Steve Patterson explains why they did it. This is the moment caught on camera that captured hearts around the country. The video we first showed you last week appearing to show 81-year-old Don Johnson lugging suitcases up the stairs for his courier job.

19:50All he said to help pay for his wife's cancer treatments. Cancer treatment is very expensive. The video posted by a GoFundMe user named Aaron H. who said she caught the moment on her doorbell cam. Their story went viral, raising more than$700 ,000. But there was a problem. GoFundMe says Aaron H doesn't exist and she wasn't a stranger. Hi everyone, my name is Amy Johnson and I'm the daughter of Don and Josephine. GoFundMe telling NBC News, Aaron H was actually their daughter Amy, who told them she believed their story would be more compelling coming from someone they didn't know. And that so-called doorbell video, Amy telling GoFundMe she shot that too.

20:32Look closely, you can see the camera appearing to sway at various points. Amy taking to social media over the weekend, saying the GoFundMe account was hers all along, but insisting the rest of the story is real. My mother is suffering from pancreatic cancer and my dad is delivering luggages to help. GoFundMe has since shut the page down, refunding all the donations. A company spokesperson telling us our trust and safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violates our terms of service. The family hasn't responded to NBC News' specific questions about the story. Amy has set up a new crowdfunding page and has already raised tens of thousands.

21:13Steve Patterson, NBC News. All right, we are back in a moment with the delivery deception, a man posing as an Amazon worker accused of helping thieves rob a home, what the surveillance video shows. Plus, a historic mission for SpaceX, the world's biggest rocket launching into orbit for the first time. We'll show you the fiery splashdown. And more devastating landslides overseas ripping through parts of Nepal, still recovering from the last deadly disaster. Stay with us.

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23:05That's W-I-S-P-R-flow.ai. We're back now with a warning about a burglary scam caught on camera in Southern California. A thief dressed as an Amazon delivery driver appearing to case his home before returning to steal$70 ,000 worth of valuables and family heirlooms inside. Liz Kreutz has been digging into this one. Liz, the homeowner in this case, hired a private investigator who shared that surveillance footage with NBC News. Walk us through what else it shows and how this alleged scam worked. Yeah, hey, Tom. So in this video, you can see this man who's dressed as an Amazon delivery driver walk up to the home.

23:40He knocks on the door, waits for someone to answer. Nobody answers. So then he appears to stop and text somebody right away. And look, on the surface, this looks like a normal driver, but look at the box there. You can see it's actually, Tom, it's already open, right? So that's one of the red flags here when you're trying to parse through what's happening. When she doesn't answer the door, he texts someone and then he walks away. And he does not walk to Amazon car sitting outside. He walks down the street and out of view of the camera. About 20 minutes later, a car then drives up. Two men get out of it.

24:15You can see here. And that's when the homeowner says they went through the back gate. They were able to break in through the glass sliding door in the back. They went up to her room upstairs where they got a safe. There's another video then when they leave, you can see them actually pushing the safe into the car right there. And that's where they were able to then steal$70 ,000 worth of valuable items, her wedding ring, her mother's wedding ring. She's desperately hoping to get those back, but she's also hoping to raise awareness. We've reached out to the Milpitas Police Department. This happened in the San Francisco Bay Area.

24:47They're investigating this. Amazon said they're also investigating this, Tom. But they did point out that usually Amazon drivers don't knock. As you probably know, they just show up, leave a package, take a picture and leave. Maybe they'll ring a doorbell camera, but they're not usually going to knock. So that's another thing to watch out for. You know, these guys are doing this in broad daylight in that neighborhood, which is kind of crazy. You think, you know, carrying out a giant safe and putting it into a car in broad daylight in the front of the house would have notified some of their neighbors.

25:16But maybe people weren't paying attention. Do we know anything about Wi-Fi jammers, how sophisticated these guys were? or if this was just sort of, you know, they kind of a quick hit and run? Yeah. So, you know, you see those cameras there. Actually, the first camera when the doorbell, when the Amazon driver shows up, that's on her camera. But then the other cameras around her home, including that front door camera, are disabled at the time when the two men get out of the car and actually break into the house. So the private investigator does believe that they were using Wi-Fi jammers that then made the cameras inoperable.

25:51But the reason there's other footage of them leaving, that all comes from cameras in the neighborhood. They also went in there and cut her modem so her alarm system didn't work. So they're using really sophisticated tactics. So even though they don't look like they're super sophisticated, they dropped something right there. It looks like they did have the tools. Any sort of advice, takeaways from this, having reported this one out, Liz, anything you learned? I know you've been covering a lot of these for us. Yeah. And the thing we always say, number one, which we know we've talked about, Tom, many times, is to hardwire your cameras, because then you can circumvent this issue with the Wi-Fi jammers.

26:22If you hardwire cameras, they're not going to go down using that jammer. But some other thing I learned today from the private investigator is that these burglars often know that people keep valuable items in safes, and they often keep them upstairs, like in a bedroom. So we said something to think about if you have a safe like that is to bolt it down so it cannot be easily taken out of the house. Also close your upstairs windows because increasingly thieves are trying to get in through the upstairs windows that are often open. And if you're going to leave, this woman was out of town. She was out of state.

26:52Try to leave little clues that make it look like your home. Leave a light on, leave a car in the front driveway, anything to make it look like you're there because an empty house is more likely to be a target, Tom. Very good point. All right, Liz, we thank you for those tips. Coming up on Top Story, the controversial new ad featuring President Trump, the White House, says it's a PSA, but critics argue it's a campaign ad with taxpayers fronting the bill. Plus, the unexpected visitor, a bear, caught on camera waiting a farmer's market and a lot of bread, scarfing down that buffet there. But first, Top Story's top moment and the young angler reeling in the catch of a lifetime.

27:27Nine-year-old Will was casting the line off the coast of South Carolina when he got a bite, catching a fish roughly twice his size. Take a look.

27:41Oh, my gosh, no.

27:54A silver king there. That's a nearly 150 pound grand tarpon. It's just shy of the state's record and took about 10 minutes to reel in. Big fish, little fisherman. Way to go, Will. And what a catch. That's one of those prize fish you love to catch. Stay with us. More top story after the break.

28:21All right, we're back now with the historic launch for SpaceX. The Starship Mega Rocket, the biggest in the world, launched into orbit around Earth for the first time ever. It's a critical step as SpaceX looks to send astronauts back to the moon by 2028. But there was some turbulence during the test flight. An engine on a booster malfunctioned early, and SpaceX cut the 10-hour test flight down to just about three hours, they say, out of an abundance of caution. But Starship's return to Earth was nothing short of spectacular, a massive fireball erupting as the rocket hit the water. SpaceX cameras were there in the Pacific Ocean just north of Hawaii to capture the moment.

28:55Jesse Kirsch has been following this one for us. Jesse, explain what we saw there on the splashdown. That was a massive explosion. But SpaceX is calling this mission a success. And I just want to ask you, usually they have those rockets, right, land back on land. What happened here? Yeah, and SpaceX has become known, Tom, for having the arms catching boosters when they come back down to Earth as well, right? But this particular spacecraft, the Starship, is still very much in the testing phase. This is not something that is regularly used. It is not something that takes humans up to the space station or anything like that at this point.

29:32So they are still very much in the testing phase. And the big mission today was to get Starship into orbit around the Earth. And so they were able to do that, which makes this overarchingly a success, regardless of any hiccups along the way. And what we were seeing there on landing was you were supposed to have it go from three engines to two engines to just one engine still lit. And then you had splashdown. And even after that fireball erupted on screen there, you still had quite a bit of applause in the background. So it seems like the folks from SpaceX were happy with how things turned out.

30:05So explain this to me. Going from 10 hours to 3, that's a big difference. Yeah, absolutely. So shortly after takeoff, what happened was you had separation from the super heavy booster. And then the Starship six engines fired. But one of those six engines went out earlier than it was supposed to. You could follow along on screen during it. It was really cool to see because you could see it would have light indicators telling you how many engines were firing. So it went from six to five. The other five had to fire a little bit longer. So this was the moment where the SpaceX team said, hold on, let's take a look at everything and see if we want to proceed.

30:40And there was actually a point where they weren't even going to attempt to put the Starship into orbit. They did decide to go for orbit. But then instead of going, like you said, 10 hours, very different from three, They haven't given any kind of elaborate explanation as to why they decided to end the orbit sooner and end that head to splashdown sooner. But big picture, Tom, this is going to be a very crucial element in NASA's grand plans to get back to the moon, put boots on the moon in the next couple of years. Well, yeah, look, they want to go by 2028, right? Does this timeline, I mean, does what happened today affect the timeline by all?

31:18So I did check a short time ago on NASA's website. They haven't changed anything, Tom. It still says the plan is to put boots on the moon in 2028. And Starship is supposed to be the commercial vehicle which is used for that first crew mission that takes astronauts out of lunar into lunar orbit, then down from lunar orbit onto the lunar surface. So this is something that is a pivotal piece in NASA's grand scheme. And again, what we're looking at here, the main objective was to get Starship into orbit, and they did do that around the Earth. So that makes it a success. So hopefully that means they can proceed as planned.

31:56And another coup from today, Tom, they put more than 20 satellites tied to Starlink in outer space. And this is something that is expected to boost the ability of Starlink to provide Internet to all of us down here on Earth. So a lot of connectivity improvements potentially down the line as well. So a lot of different fronts, a lot of excitement today. All right, Jesse, we thank you for all of that. Now to Top Stories News Feed, we're going to start with more devastating flooding and landslides in Nepal. Video shows a huge pile of mud and debris crashing down the mountainside. The raging floodwaters causing this entire building to fall into the river.

32:31Even parts of this temple crumbling as it collapses. This all comes just after a month after those catastrophic floods killed more than 1 ,400 people and left some 6 ,000 others missing. Back here at home, the Coast Guard rescuing a man after they say he got pinned under a rock while on an ocean jetty. It happened in northern Oregon. You can see a helicopter cool rappelling down to where the man was trapped and then hoisting him up. It's unclear exactly how the guy got stuck, but first responders say he had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. And an unexpected customer causing quite the scene at a farmer's market in Aspen.

33:03Look at this guy taking a look at a bear chowing down on that nice spread of baked goods, probably stocking up for winter. One person tried to shout and scare it off. Clearly it didn't work. The big guy just kept helping himself to the bread booth, filling up on a bunch of carbs without leaving any cash. Rookie mistake for that burglarizing bear who said the sourdough was just so-so. Now to Washington tonight. The White House defending the release of a new ad featuring President Trump paid for by taxpayer dollars. THE WHITE HOUSE CALLS THIS AD WHICH AIRED ACROSS TV THIS WEEK IN A PSA, BUT MANY ARE POINTING OUT HOW SIMILAR IT IS TO A 2024 TRUMP CAMPAIGN VIDEO.

33:41WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU BOTH SIDE BY SIDE. THE 2024 VIDEO IS ON THE LEFT. THE 2026 VIDEO IS ON THE RIGHT. TAKE A LISTEN. THIS IS THE FINAL BATTLE. WITH YOU AT MY SIDE, WE WILL DEMOLISH THE DEEP STATE. WE WILL EXPEL WE WILL CAST OUT THE COMMUNIST, MARXIST AND FACIST. WE WILL CAST OUT THE COMMUNIST, MARXIST AND FACIST. WE WILL ROUTE THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA AND WE WILL LIBERATE AMERICA FROM THESE VILLAINS ONCE AND FOR ALL. THE PRESIDENT IS THE AND THE PRESIDENT IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED STATES AND THE PRESIDENT IS THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED STATES AND THE VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL, THE ONLY NOTABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS THE FINE PRINT TEXT IN THE NEW VIDEO NOTES THAT IT IS PAID FOR BY THE U.S.

34:30GOVERNMENT. THE 2024 AD ENDS WITH A MESSAGE TO JOIN PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FIGHT TO SAVE AMERICA. The White House responding to the backlash, saying this week the announcements are very clearly not campaign ads. President Trump is not on the ballot, and there is no call to action. Yamiche Alcindor is following this and joins us now. Yamiche, great to see you and great to have you back. Talk to us about the reaction this new post is getting in Washington and why so many are raising ethical and legal concerns here. Well, Tom, President Trump is facing bipartisan criticism for spending taxpayer dollars on these ads.

35:01A group of Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter to the White House chief of staff saying, quote, this is the sort of government propaganda one might expect in North Korea, not the United States of America. And it is an utterly illegal misuse of America's Americans hard-earned tax dollars. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who, of course, is a Republican, also weighed in saying, quote, I like the message, but it shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer dollars. overall federal law requires federal political advertisers to submit certain public disclosures and generally bans using public funds for political advertising since the administration maintains though that these are public service announcements it's just not clear whether those disclosures are available and the white house has not released a specific source of government funding used to air the ads now despite all this backlash a white house official said the ad is educational and unapologetically patriotic.

35:53Tom? And then Yamiche, the White House used other administration's PSAs in its defense of this release. Walk us through that argument. That's right. When questioned about these ads, a White House official shared some examples of previous public service announcements released by former administrations. One was put out in 2003 by President George W. Bush about drug use among young people. Another was put out by President Obama urging the public to back an administration rule intended to better protect the nation's streams and service waters. But this new ad, as you pointed out, Tom, this new ad, it's really identical, almost identical to the political ad put out by the president's 2024 political campaign.

36:32So it's very, very different than those examples. And the White House, of course, did not respond when we asked them directly about how much these two ads look alike. So it's still a big question how they're going to respond to this and if they'll have any CONSEQUENCES TO THIS, TOM. AND THEN WHILE WE HAVE YOU HERE, WHAT REPERCUSSIONS, IF ANY, COULD THERE BE? I MEAN, WOULD THEY HAVE TO SORT OF REPAY THE AD TIME AND WHO WOULD PAY FOR IT? WELL, IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. THERE IS THIS BIPARTISAN CRITICISM, BUT WE'RE JUST NOT SURE THAT THERE'S THE APPETITE TO HOLD THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE. WE'RE NOT EVEN SURE WHO WOULD WANT TO DO THAT IN THIS MOMENT WITH THE PRESIDENT, OF COURSE, HAVING A LOT OF POLITICAL CAPITAL AMONG REPUBLICANS.

37:07AND REPUBLICANS, OF COURSE, have all the power in Washington right now. So it's just not clear who would actually go and pursue this, Tom. Yamiche Alcindor for us. Yamiche, thank you. Now to a concerning new study about the impacts of AI that found some kids in middle school are choosing to befriend chatbots over actual humans. In a survey of more than 2 ,300 kids in 6th through 8th grade, one in five reported using AI for emotionally intimate companionship. But those relationships are leading to anxiety, depression, and loneliness. That's all according to a new paper from researchers at UNC Chapel Hill, which is still under review, we should mention.

37:42A mom whose daughter befriended a chatbot spoke to The Wall Street Journal. She says she knew something was off when her usually upbeat sixth grader became moody and quiet. Joining us tonight, Wall Street Journal's family and tech columnist Julie Jargon. Julie, thanks so much for joining our broadcast. I read your story over the weekend and it struck me. I got three young kids and we just come off this coverage of Meta's new chatbot, Muse. So it had me thinking, do we know why these 12-year-olds are sort of going down this path of talking to chatbots instead of making real friends? Well, in some cases, it's loneliness that's driving kids to converse with chatbots.

38:20But what's interesting is that this study found that the more often kids converse with chatbots, the lonelier they actually become. Yeah. So I want to ask you, do they usually find it just through, I mean, regular means? I mean, starting with, like, say, a ChatGPT or a Claude? Or are there certain chatbot apps that younger people seem to be going more and more to? It can be kind of the general purpose ones that you mentioned. But in this case, it was a website where kids can actually create characters so they can visualize what the chatbot looks like. And then they can have conversations with the chatbot persona that they create.

38:59Are there guardrails on sites like that? we talk about the guardrails so much. On those types of sites, are there any guardrails? It doesn't appear to be the case in sites like that. There don't appear to be guardrails. And in fact, some of those sites are not designed for children. They're listed as being 18 and above. So they're not really meant for kids to find, but they do find them. Yeah, it's pretty incredible. That movie Her came out so long ago, right? And now that is the reality here. A relationship with a chatbot at any age, you know, it can be different. Maybe it could be dangerous, who knows.

39:32But you spoke to the researchers about how damaging this could be to kids who are in sixth or seventh grade. Yeah, it's particularly potentially harmful for kids of that age, because that's the time when brains are being wired for human relationships. And so if kids aren't getting the experience of forming in-person real life relationships with other people at that age, and they're replacing some of that human interaction with chatbots instead, they're really missing out on a key part of emotional and interpersonal development. If kids are lonely, right, is there any benefit? And I'm asking here because I want to be completely fair.

40:10Is there any benefit to these products at all if a child is lonely and it's occupying them and maybe in that temporary space, it gives them some type of companionship or at least, I don't know, helps the time go by? I mean, on its face, it sounds like it could be helpful. There hasn't been enough research yet to fully answer that question. But I think the idea is that if there's no human involvement, that they're not getting a real experience, because a lot of these chatbots are designed to validate people's feelings and to be overly agreeable in a way that real people just aren't. Can you draw a straight line from the 12-year-old mom that you spoke to and the chatbot as far as she was an upbeat sixth grader, but then she became moody and quiet?

40:57Do we know why? It's not clear exactly what happened there, but the research shows that the students who were using chatbots mostly for friendship became lonelier. So there may be something happening there where the students just become more morose after using a chatbot, and the exact mechanism for that is not clear. But it could just be that they're erasing more human involvement in their lives. And this school in particular, she was turning down FaceTime calls with real human friends in favor of talking to her virtual friend. Wow. Before we go, were there any tips or sort of best practices you came across reporting out the story?

41:37Well, I think the best practice would be if parents want to allow their kids to talk to chatbots is to oversee some of those conversations and see where they're going, see what the nature of the conversations is, and help children, you know, help guide them through their conversations. I got it. All right. Well, thanks so much for coming on Top Story. I'm sure we're going to be talking about this in the weeks and years to come. Thanks a lot. Still to come tonight, if you haven't booked your Thanksgiving travel, how about Christmas yet? Listen up. Prices for flights already soaring up more than 30 % since last year.

42:10We'll talk to the experts about when and how to book to save some money, if you even can still, right after this.

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42:55If you just want live sports without paying for hundreds of unwanted background channels, check out Sling TV. You can stream live football, basketball, hockey, soccer, college sports, and more. Starting at just$19.99 a month. Pick a plan, add what you want, and customize your lineup. Score sports and more for a winning price and stream today. Sling lets you do that. Base pack required. Restrictions apply. To every clinician finishing notes at 9 p.m., there is a faster way. Whisperflow is a voice-to-text app. You talk, it types in your EHR, your email, anywhere you type. Say the progress note, the referral letter, the patient instructions, and it comes out clean and formatted with your terminology spelled right, four times faster than typing and HIPAA ready.

43:41Whisperflow is free. Get it at whisperflow.ai. That's W-I-S-P-R flow dot A-I. We're back now with the soaring cost for holiday travel. Domestic airline tickets up already more than 30 percent compared to last year. And now the race is on to secure flights before prices climb even higher. Here's Morgan Chesky. Tonight, ticket sticker shock hitting nationwide with holiday travel prices worrying many. Is anyone else struggling to book a vacation for 2026, 2027? The prices are outrageous. These flight prices are going to be the death of me. I'm going to L.A. next month, and I'm actually sick at how much these flights were going for.

44:26Domestic airfare over Thanksgiving is up 31 % from last year, averaging over$400 round trip. Christmas even higher, up 23%. Many travelers looking for any savings they can find for a cross-country visit. With that sticker shock, it's making the most of every time I am out here to see my family. But yeah, you just know it's going to hurt. The prime driver, months of elevated jet fuel costs tied to the war in Iran, plus steady demand for tickets, pushing holiday airfares to 10-year highs. This will definitely be a holiday season that challenges wallets for many households. Haley Berg with Hopper says seat cost will remain high for the foreseeable future.

45:06We're used to seasonal highs. Any idea how longer this price hike will go? We're expecting prices will stay high for airfare until there's some relief in jet fuel prices. There will still be deals available for travelers who are a little bit savvier, flexible on when they fly. And it's those higher prices to go home for the holidays that are frustrating for many. Morgan Chesky joins Top Story tonight. So, Morgan, it's not just flights, but road trips obviously are going to cost more this year, too, with gas prices, right? Yeah, Tom, that's right. And make no mistake, pretty much every holiday traveler is going to be feeling this to some degree.

45:43That's because AAA reports that about 90 % of Americans are expected to drive when it comes to the holidays. So those rising fuel prices combined with rising costs for rental cars and hotels will absolutely be making an impact for those folks as well. Tom. Morgan Chesky, always great to have you on the broadcast. I don't think we've ever seen you in the spectacles. Got kind of a Clark Kent thing going there. We like it, and I'm sure our viewers like it too. I APPRECIATE YOU. MORGAN, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. FOR MORE, I WANT TO BRING IN KATIE NASTRO. SHE'S A TRAVEL EXPERT AT FLIGHTY, WHICH, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT FLIGHTY IS, KATIE, WHAT IS FLIGHTY?

46:17FLIGHTY IS BASICALLY YOUR TRAVEL-OBSESSED FRIEND IN YOUR BACK POCKET. OKAY. IT GIVES YOU ALL THE INFORMATION THAT YOU WISH THE AIRLINE TOLD YOU AND A LITTLE BIT SOONER SO YOU CAN TRAVEL MORE OR RELAX MORE IN STRESSLY. SO MORE FLIGHT INFORMATION, BUT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS THERE. So listen, you're here to help us book holiday travel at a better price. I don't believe you can. I've seen the prices out there. They're wild. I've never seen it this high, ever. This is, unfortunately, for the magical time of the year, this is really going to be the least magical time for your wallet.

46:49Unfortunately, we're seeing domestic prices for both Thanksgiving into the winter holidays up roughly between 20 and 30 percent year over year. For a family of four, that could be hundreds of dollars. Yeah. Is there anything? Are there good days to book? like what she besides what we know, you know, besides what we know, what when should you and shouldn't you book just to remind our viewers. We want travelers to if they are thinking about traveling for both Thanksgiving or the winter holidays book today. Do not wait any longer. Right. I believe that you're not only going to encounter higher prices slowly but surely as we get to the day of departure, but also with airlines looking at making razor thin cuts, you're going to see slightly fewer options and you just don't want to get yourself into that position.

47:31Does AI help? Can AI help you book or find the cheapest flight? I want travelers to think of AI as sort of like monitoring your kids' homework. Yes, it can do a pretty good job to start, but it does not know your preferences, and it's not able to bring your costs to the finish line. Wait, what do you mean monitoring your kids' homework? So you want AI to do the first pass. Oh, to do the first pass. Got you. Do the first pass. You don't want to do it for you. Exactly. And then you want to double-check it. Yeah. What are the best cost-efficient tips for families? Is there anything, any kind of, I don't know.

48:01secrets if you are booking with three kids, four kids? Yeah, I want travelers with families. You know, if you can be a little bit flexible, try, try to travel on those holidays. You can save upwards between 15 and 20 percent, and there are less people traveling on the holidays themselves. And when you've got kids and you've got a busy airport, it definitely is going to just increase your stress, and it's going to increase your cost if you're traveling on those high-volume days. What do you think is going to happen, right? Because people say they're never going to come THEY ARE GOING TO GO BACK DOWN.

48:29IF THEY PRICE THE TICKETS TO A POINT WHERE FLYERS AREN'T FLYING ANYMORE BUT THE JET FUEL IS STILL EXPENSIVE, WHAT WILL HAPPEN? WE SAW ACROSS THE SUMMER ROUGHLY 2.5 % FEWER TRAVELERS GOING THROUGH TSA AND FLYING THIS YEAR BETWEEN JUNE AND AUGUST VERSUS LAST YEAR. 2.5 % IS THAT A BIG DEAL? IT'S ALWAYS BEEN GROWING? It's been, we've seen record-breaking days year after year after year. We didn't see those this summer. Yeah. And I wouldn't be surprised if travelers asked themselves, not just am I going to travel this year, but can I afford to make two trips in that compressed time period of November and December?

49:07It's likely going to be a gift of the magi scenario. Yeah. We travel because we have family all over the country, and I just have not ever seen prices like this. They are wild. It was great to meet you. Thank you. Flight is a sight. When we come back tonight, the legendary musician still hitting the stage, decades after they debuts on tour, proving you're never too old for a little rock and roll. Plus, a group of students lending a hand to help a stranger whose car broke down on the side of the road that moment right after this.

49:34Back now with the announcement from music legend Rod Stewart. The 81-year-old is one of many musicians still playing to pack crowds decades after their biggest hits. Now he says his upcoming tour will be his last. So is there any age limit to rock and roll? Here's NBC's Andres Gutierrez.

49:54Rod Stewart tore up the charts in the 70s and 80s with hits like Tonight's Tonight and Maggie May.

50:03Now in his 80s, Stewart today announcing his farewell tour. Next year will be my last tour ever, ever, ever. Dubbed the final encore, Stewart's farewell tour kicks off next year. I'm not retiring, but this will be the last rock and roll tour. After more than six decades on the road, Stewart may be ready to stop touring but not performing. Madonna isn't either. Last night, the 68-year-old opening the VMAs with 27-year-old Sabrina Carpenter. And reminding everyone how long she's been at it while accepting Artists of the Year beating out Taylor Swift. Most of you were probably not born, but I performed at the first MTV Awards.

50:5243 years ago. She isn't alone. Lionel Richie, Barry Manilow, and Paul McCartney are still performing decades after their first hits. There's the sense that people have that they're just not going to get to see them again. And the numbers back it up. Four of the ten biggest tours in 2024 were headlined by artists over 60, according to Billboard. And last year, Metallica, McCartney and Bruce Springsteen were among the top 40 tours.

51:27Streaming has really democratized music in that way. If people like a song, they don't care how old it is. They don't care how old the performer is. For the artists, staying on the road can get harder. Stewart, Richie and Manilow have all faced recent health scares that have forced them to postpone or cancel shows. beyond the money for the artists, why do they keep doing it? I really think it is for the love of it. I think that's a lot of it. And let's be honest, they all like making money. And, you know, touring is the best way to make money.

52:03Which brings us back to Rod. He may be saying goodbye to life on the road.

52:12Just don't call it retirement. Let's pick it up right there. Andres Gutierrez joins Top Story now. So, Andres, you mentioned Rod Stewart's recent health scare. Is that a factor here? Well, Tom, Rod Stewart didn't say that was a factor, but the timing is notable. Just last month, Stewart underwent a heart procedure and canceled the rest of his tour so he can recover. And he's not the only one. Lionel Richie, who's 77, just underwent a heart procedure for an irregular heartbeat. His team says he's doing well and he has to cancel some several shows and is taking some time off. So that's the reality for some of these stars is that they still want to perform and the fans still want to see them.

52:50But touring can become harder on the body as the older they get. So Rod says he's done with just big tours, not performing overall. Tom. Andres Gutierrez, first Andres, thank you. Finally tonight, when a woman's car broke down on a Massachusetts road, it wasn't a tow truck that got her to safety, but a group of high schoolers. how the small act of kindness from a group of young strangers made a big impact. Take a look. Still pushing. This isn't how Robin Gay pictured her night going. As she drove home from a volunteer job, her car broke down, leaving her stranded on the side of a busy road, alone.

53:26Look at that. Look at these guys. But it turns out she wasn't alone. This is the basketball team. A group of high school students saw her struggling and jumped into action, directing traffic, pushing and maneuvering the car to a safer spot. Most of these students know each other well because they play together on the high school basketball team. Teamwork is the best, best way to help everybody. It's just like a simple act, kindness. That kindness turning Robin's night around. These young kids just don't realize how much they did for me in that moment. She offered them money for their efforts. They literally just like pushed my hand away and they were like, absolutely not.

54:11They gave me a hug. They just want to know that I was safe. And recently, Robin reunited with her heroes as they were recognized by their school. Maybe this will inspire other people to be kind in the world. I know we would do the same every time. We good? Let's celebrate! Teamwork and action. All right. Thanks so much for watching Top Story. I'm Tom Yamas in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.

54:48To every clinician finishing notes at 9 p.m., there is a faster way. Whisperflow is a voice-to-text app. You talk, it types in your EHR, your email, anywhere you type. Say the progress note, the referral letter, the patient instructions, and it comes out clean and formatted with your terminology spelled right. Four times faster than typing and HIPAA ready. Whisperflow is free. Get it at whisperflow.ai. That's W-I-S-P-R flow dot A-I.