Wednesday, October 7, 2026

0:29The Disney Plus Hulu HBO Max bundle. HuluMaxFundle.com for details. This holiday, all plans, even unlimited, are just$15 a month. A holiday deal this good obviously deserves an enormously expensive holiday song, like All I Want. Right. Okay, we can afford that. You know what? Forget the music budget. We're going to stick with whatever's in the public domain. Give it a try at MintMobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for a 12-month plan required. $15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy.

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1:05Breaking news tonight. The powerful storm taking aim at the Gulf set to reach hurricane strength in just hours. The states of emergency just declared as the storm quickly intensifies. Grocery store shelves empty. Lines of cars waiting for gas. Hurricane watches from Mississippi to Florida. Shocking never-before-seen video of the six-year-old who shot his teacher, Abigail Zwerner. Body camera video of the young boy in another teacher's arms. The child cursing, even threatening police. Russia launching one of its deadliest attacks on Ukraine since the start of the war. More than 20 people killed, including children.

1:43Plus, the massive fire erupting after an oil tanker was struck in the Black Sea. Marking three years since the October 7th attacks are here Simmons at the site of the Nova Music Festival as loved ones try to process the horrors on that now sacred ground. And a heroic firefighter engulfed in flames while responding to a house fire how he escaped the explosion. Data Center brawl, the fistfight erupting during a city council meeting on the controversial project. project. And courthouse lawn chaos, wild video capturing a woman doing donuts, narrowly missing light poles, what she told police when she was arrested.

2:26Plus the alleged Mall of America terror plot thwarted how the FBI tracked down the teenage suspect. Top story starts right now.

2:41Hi, everybody. Good evening. I'm Yasmin Basugian in front of Tom. So right now, a dangerous tropical storm is charging towards the southern U.S. The states of emergency just announced as millions braced for what will be the first hurricane of the season. Satellite imagery showing that massive system electrified with lightning. It's still churning off the Gulf Coast, but expected to strengthen into hurricane as soon as tomorrow morning. Now, at this hour, hurricane hunters flying through the storm, a dangerous mission to collect crucial real-time data. Now, the race against the clock to stay safe and prepared in Florida grocery store shelves, completely empty gas station lines wrapping around the block in Alabama, coastal neighborhoods already facing tidal flooding from a separate system, now bracing for torrential rains and hurricane force winds.

3:32Residents are urgently filling sandbags to protect their homes and their businesses. Officials preparing to postpone major sporting events if needed, including one of the most anticipated games the college football season, Georgia versus Alabama. It is expected to drop tens of thousands of fans, including President Trump. I love Alabama. I got to go to a game. I can't be off in the heart. Look, I mean, if there's an emergency, if there's a hurricane. I don't want to do anything to take the focus of all of the great people that work on those things. Red flag warnings, school closures, and states of emergency in place across the region with the storm expected to reach Category 2 strength before landfall.

4:15But it's not just the Atlantic. Look at Hurricane Rachel swirling the Pacific Ocean also on our radar tonight. So we're tracking a lot. We got Bill Cairns there watching it all for us. So listen, we talked about what's happening there at the Gulf Coast. I think the big question here always, Bill, is when is it going to make landfall? Yeah, and where. And so I think in the last 24 hours, what's really changed is that we've gotten more high confidence of where it's going and what intensity it will be when it gets there is still up for debate. So let's get into the specifics. You can see the storm clearly in the middle of the Gulf right now.

4:47There is some dry air on the west side of it that's going to make life a little bit difficult. That's why we're not thinking it's going to do this explosion into like a major hurricane. We're mostly going to be dealing somewhere between a tropical storm to a Category 2. Hopefully, we'll get the lower end of that and not the higher end. So the Hurricane Center does have it becoming a hurricane tomorrow. On Friday, we're up to a Category 2. And then from this point, about noon on Friday, it should begin to weaken as it makes its approach. Now, if some of that dry air and what we call the wind shear starts interfering with it earlier than that, maybe it doesn't even get up to a Category 2.

5:17So that's the hope. But we have to at least plan for the worst-case scenario. And then the storm kind of rains itself out as it moves up through Alabama. And by the way, that football game should be just fine. The storm should be gone before the game time even starts. So these are our traditional models. You can see kind of the center lines here and where they're going. This is the hurricane center. So the hurricane center forecast in the black line is still on the right side of it towards the Pensacola area. And that's because they're giving weight, once again, to our AI models. And if you were with us last night, we were explaining, especially the most reliable of those, which is Google's deep mind.

5:48They call it Weather Next. These are all of their spaghetti lines. They run this model out really quickly. I mean, these are the most powerful computers on the planet, so they can give us models very, very quickly of where the storm is going to go. And it's really targeting from Panama City to Pensacola Mobile. That's the area, and that's why the hurricane center is also leaning that way. And that's where we're already starting to get reports of the first mandatory evacuations. So the storm surge will be the number one problem. Even if we do get considerable weakening before landfall, the storm will be strong enough, and the region is prone anyways to flash flooding and coastal storm surge flooding.

6:20Rainfall up to 10 inches. That'll be problematic in isolated areas. I don't think it's going to be widespread. And as far as the wind gusts, this is the predictions as of now. We'll probably increase these once we pinpoint that landfall location. But we will get power outages. I don't think it'll be in the millions out of the storm, but definitely in the thousands as we go throughout, especially Saturday. And the other problem is we could also get significant tornadoes. Those will be nighttime tornadoes after landfall Friday, roughly about midnight to about 8 a.m. So that'll be dangerous for our friends here, Alabama and the western panhandle.

6:51So on the Gulf Coast, obviously, as you're talking about, right, potential cat two storm surges. And then I mentioned, right, Hurricane Rachel, which is turning off the West Coast. What are our expectations for that? Yeah, this forecast changed a little bit. We're not saying that we're getting a hurricane or even a tropical storm into California. But the moisture that's going to be left with this storm is heading for Southern California and all the way through the West. It's going to be combining with the storm system coming into the West. and the result is going to be some very heavy rainfall throughout the Intermountain West and possibly some of the desert areas here.

7:22So by the tail end of this weekend, especially Sunday into the holiday on Monday, we could have significant flooding from Rachel in areas of the West, too. They need the rainfall. We just don't want to get the flooding from it. Yeah. Well, Bill Kearns, we appreciate you tracking that for us. Let's get to this developing story out of Minnesota. The FBI is saying it's foiled a terror plot targeting the Mall of America. The teen suspect allegedly pledging his support for ISIS, as was preparing to carry out a mass shooting. Our Kelly O'Donnell has the details. A terror plot allegedly targeting the Mall of America, foiled in Minnesota, leaving a local police chief shaken.

7:58Horrified. Normally I'm not at a loss for words, but horrified. Tonight, the FBI says this 18-year-old American-born teenager, Sheikh Doon Abduhani Mohammed pledged loyalty to ISIS and he planned to carry out a mass casualty event in Minnesota. 100 % committed. Those are the words Mohammed allegedly uttered when he described his planned jihad journey. The FBI says it had been watching the suspect for nearly two years. The teenager had been communicating on social media with a confidential where they say Mohammed wrote, I am mentally and physically ready, and spelled out his target, the largest mall in North America, an attack planned for October 24th, and wrote he hoped to kill maybe 30 to 60 people.

8:52Why there? He wrote, because it's owned by Jewish, adding, I want to harm the Jew. Mohammed was arrested after he bought an AK-47, four 30-round capacity magazines and about 200 rounds of ammunition from an undercover federal agent. The son of Somali immigrants, investigators say he expressed anger at the treatment of Muslims. The messages this defendant allegedly sent to others were chilling, a callous disregard for the sanctity of human life. And Kelly O'Donnell is joining us now. I know, Kelly, the details are still coming out on this one. But what are the charges against a suspect? And when can we expect him back in court?

9:34It's really developing quickly, Yasmin. The arrest happened yesterday, an initial appearance in court today. And we expect his next time in court will be October 19th. And part of what we're learning in this criminal complaint and the prosecution, of course, is just beginning. But they say that the suspect was inspired by mass killings. He wrote about and communicated in that online sort of dialogue with the confidential informant. He cited the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Another example he gave was the Bandai Beach attack in Australia, as ways that he could envision his own conduct. Mohamed is also charged with just one count at this point, because it is about receiving THE FIREARM AND ALL THE AMMUNITION WITH THE INTENT TO COMMIT A TERRORIST ACT IN SUPPORT OF A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.

10:24IN THIS CASE HAVING PLEDGED HIS LOYALTY TO ISIS. YASMINE. KELLIE O'DONNELL, THANK YOU. LET'S GET TO THAT DISTURBING BODY CAMERA VIDEO JUST RELEASED. TAKEN MOMENTS AFTER A 6-YEAR-OLD BOY SHOT HIS TEACHER IN A VIRGINIA CLASSROOM BACK IN 2023. THE CHILD CURSING AT POLICE OFFICERS, TELLING THEM WHERE HE GOT THE GUN. A WARNING HERE THE VIDEOS ARE HARD TO WATCH. Our Stephanie Gosk has this one. New video tonight of the shocking shooting at Virginia's Richneck Elementary School in 2023. Where is the weapon? It's on the floor. It's over there. This is moments after the six-year-old shooter seen here fired on his teacher, Abigail's Werner, hitting her in the hand and chest.

11:06The video made public for the first time. If you want a piece of me, come get it. The first grader swearing at a different teacher who is holding him as police start processing the scene. My mom had been. Six years old. Yes. I stole that from my mom. He threatens the officers. What if you're a piece of me? These new disturbing images shining a spotlight on his state of mind. His, uh, I mean, he does have the gun residue, it looks like. Okay. It's just not touch his hands or anything. The video was put under seal by the court during Assistant Principal Ebony Parker's criminal trial. Parker was charged with eight counts of child endangerment.

11:50Prosecutors say she ignored multiple warnings that the student had a gun that day. But the judge threw out the case, saying her actions did not fit the charges. That same judge releasing this video asking that the child's face be blurred. I don't care if you call backup. I don't care if I go to jail. The student's mother was convicted on state child neglect and federal gun charges, while Abigail's Werner, who no longer teaches, was awarded$10 million in a civil case, the jury finding the assistant principal grossly negligent. In the weeks following the shooting, an attorney for the family told NBC News that the six-year-old was staying with his great-grandfather.

12:29We do not have an update on where he is now. As for his mother, she was sentenced to nearly four years in prison, served that time and has since been released. Yasmin. I thank you to Stephanie Goss for that. So tonight, lawyers for death row inmate Krista Pike say she's awake, she's angry and confused after her botched execution in Tennessee. They say their client was about to be removed from life support when she made that shocking recovery. Erin Gilchrist has more on where the case goes from here. Tonight, new revelations about the condition of Tennessee death row inmate Krista Pike a week after a failed execution attempt.

13:08On Monday night, it was our understanding that Krista was brain dead and that life support would be removed the next day. But on Tuesday, to the shock of everyone, including me, including her team, and including the medical team, Krista woke up and began talking. Pike's lawyers say they visited her yesterday and she remains shackled to a hospital bed. I think she is angry and confused about everything right now. Also saying she is unable to move her arms and battling pneumonia. Pike has been on death row for more than 30 years for the brutal beating and murder of a classmate, Colleen Slemmer, in 1995.

13:44Pike was rushed to a Nashville hospital last Wednesday night after two doses of a lethal drug didn't kill her. The evidence that we are seeking to preserve now is relevant for any future challenge that she makes. In court today, Pike's attorney convincing a judge to order state corrections officials to preserve everything related specifically to Pike's botched execution, including drugs, syringes, notes and text messages. Any recording of that evening, September 30th, will need to be preserved and maintained. The state had argued a standing federal court order already applied to this case, as her lawyers again appealed to the governor to commute her death sentence to life in prison.

14:25It is unimaginable that the state would try to execute her again. And Erin Gilchrist is joining us now from Nashville. Erin, amidst all this, right, also in court today were supporters of Colleen Slemmer's family, right, the victim of Krista Pike. What did they have to say? Yeah, you're absolutely right. And they are demanding that Pike still be put to death. The one woman that was in the courtroom today as we were listening to these proceedings going on came out and she was incensed by some of the things that she heard in the courtroom. She, as a taxpayer here in Tennessee, felt like the state shouldn't be spending money to continue this litigation process as opposed to finding another way to put Krista Pike to death.

15:10She also talked about the fact that Colleen Slimmer was tortured before she died, that she had been cut with a box cutter, that she had been beaten with a piece of asphalt by Krista Pike and a co-conspirator in the original case here. And she said that those were all reasons that she supports the death penalty still being carried out for Krista Pike. We also reached out to Colleen Slimmer's mother. She didn't have a comment on the hearing today, but she has told NBC News in the past that She feels like this botched execution, she called it a mess. And she said that she believes, quote, the state owes me, still owes me.

15:48That was the phrasing that she used. And she talked about the fact that she had been promised justice for her daughter in the form of the death penalty. Yasmin. Erin Gilchrist, thank you. Tonight, the countdown to the midterms is, in fact, on. And there are new developments in one of the most critical races of 2026. THE REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM MAINES, CALLING TO DEFEND HER SEAT IN A STATE THAT WENT BLUE IN THE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. A REMINDER, DEMOCRATS NEED TO FLIP JUST FOUR SEATS TO TAKE CONTROL. COLLINS AND HER CHALLENGER, DEMOCRAT TROY JACKSON, FACING OFF IN THEIR FIRST DEBATE LAST NIGHT.

16:22JACKSON TRYING TO TIE COLLINS TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS SINKING APPROVAL RATING NAME DROPPING TRUMP 20 TIMES IN ONE HOUR. SENATOR COLLINS HAS HAD 30 YEARS TO SHOW WHOSE SIDE SHE'S ON. I DON'T KNOW DONALD TRUMP AND THE BILLIONAIRES ANYTHING. I DON'T FIGHT FOR BILLIONAIRES LIKE SHE DOES. BUT COLLINS TRIED TO FIRMLY DISTANCE HERSELF FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE BROADER REPUBLICAN PARTY. I DON'T THINK THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS GOING TO COME TO MAIN. I'M NOT EXACTLY HIS FAVORITE SENATOR. I VOTED AGAINST MY PARTY MORE THAN ANY OTHER SENATOR ON EITHER SIDE OF THE EYE. So the polls so far are showing this race neck and neck.

17:08Here to discuss news centers Maine's Phil Hirschkorn, who has been following this race very closely, is going to moderate the final debate between these two candidates coming up. Phil, it's great to have you. Listen, the president was front and center there, right? He was kind of an issue looming large. I'm wondering amongst Mainers, is he the number one issue going into this election?

17:33No, he's not number one. The candidates are number one. But Trump is a factor for sure, as he is all over the country. And you mentioned his sinking approval rating. The last polls showed him around a 40 percent approval, 60 percent disapproval here in Maine. So that's going to weigh down Susan Collins most likely. But remember, Trump himself isn't on the ballot, as he was in 2020, the last time she ran. And actually, Trump lost the state three times in AROUND THE STATE WHEN IT COMES TO A STATEWIDE ELECTION. THOUGH COLLINS ALWAYS BUCKED THOSE TRENDS. SHE WON IN 2020 WHEN BIDEN WON COMFORTABLY.

18:09SO YOU HEARD TROY JACKSON SAYING TRUMP, TRUMP, TRUMP AS YOU POINTED OUT. AND THAT'S VERY MUCH HIS STRATEGY TO SAY THAT SHE VOTES WITH TRUMP TOO MUCH. HE USES THE FIGURE 95, 96 % OF THE TIME. THAT'S JUST ONE YEAR SNAPSHOT, 2025. BUT THAT'S THE YEAR WHERE THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL PASSED AND THE ICE FUNDING PASSED AND SO FORTH. SO JACKSON TALKS ABOUT THAT A LOT. Collins, for years, has distanced herself from Trump. She's not a MAGA Republican. She's an old-school Bush kind of Republican. She made it clear publicly three times she did not vote for Trump in any of his presidential elections. Remember, she voted to convict him of impeachment, only one of seven Republicans who did that after the January 6th Capitol riot.

18:48So when she says she's not his favorite, she's telling the truth. By the way, she skipped two times just this year that J.D. Vance, the vice president, came and held Republican rallies in Maine. I want to talk about the money, if we can, for a moment, because Susan Collins has outspent Troy Jackson by a heck of a lot. I'm wondering how that's playing out, especially when it comes to ad spends.

19:11Well, you should ask our viewers, Yasmin. I mean, every commercial of every newscast seems like it's an ad. More frequently, they're the attack ads paid by the super PACs. Sometimes they're the warm and fuzzy biographical ads typically paid for by the campaigns. But I checked the latest figures with Ad Impact, who does a great job of tracking this nationwide. Currently, the ad spending for those two campaigns and the independent group supporting them is$140 million. And you're right. Collins and groups supporting her have spent more,$82 million to date. Try Jackson,$55 million. But remember, he only replaced Graham Plattner two months ago.

19:48But reservations for ads are fully booked, tens of millions of dollars more, right up to November 3rd. and Republicans and Collins have preserved more time than the Democrats and Troy Jackson. So that could be a factor among undecided voters. We have a pretty well split electorate. People may not know this like New Hampshire, a third, a third and a third, Democratic, Republican, Independent. And the independents are going to decide this. Those are your persuadables. Phil, no pressure here, but I know you're going to be moderating the next debate. The eyes of the nation are certainly on the state of Maine come the midterm elections.

20:21What do you feel as if voters want to still hear from these candidates? They want to make sure you get in to this debate. Yeah, so we're batting cleanup, right? We're fourth of the four debates. So the challenge will be to ask questions they haven't heard before, the audience and the candidates. I won't reveal any yet. But I do think that they're, in all seriousness, looking for differences and promises, right? So differences are clearly in the resumes. Troy Jackson has plenty of legislative experience, but that's all here in the state of Maine, where he served mostly in the Senate and six years as Senate president.

20:57And he was a very clever parliamentarian wheeler dealer and got a lot of important things through, like universal, free school breakfast and lunch, some child care stuff. He helped Governor Mills get a lot of bills through expanding abortion access and so forth. But Washington, as you know, is a totally different ballgame. And Senator Collins prides herself on her seniority. She's the chair of the Appropriations Committee. She brags almost daily about the$1.5 billion in earmarks she steered toward Maine just in the last five years for 672 projects, including 45 fire stations. See, I know that by heart because I've heard her say it so much.

21:33She also has a lot more foreign policy experience. She's been to 65 countries, and Troy, I don't think, has been to any besides Canada, he told me in an interview last week. So I think our viewers, our voters are going to be looking for those differences and the promises. Troy's number one promise, Medicare for all. Everyone's frustrated with the health care system, whatever insurance you have. And, you know, Collins, again, walking that tightrope, being a Republican, supporting core ideas like tax cuts, but not giving a full buy-in on the Trump agenda, for example, tariffs, the new ones against Canada.

22:09She dislikes, Troy dislikes. They have that similarity. THEY ALSO BOTH DON'T LIKE THE WAR IN IRAN. SO IT'S GOING TO BE A MIX, I BELIEVE, OF THE DIFFERENCES, THE PROMISES, AND THEIR BIOGRAPHIES, OF COURSE, YASMINE. LISTEN, IT'S ALWAYS A BATTLE ON THAT DEBATE STAGE, THAT IS FOR SURE. SO WE WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK, PHIL HIRSHKORN. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, WE ARE BACK IN A MOMENT WITH AN UPDATE FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS STAGING A SEVEN-HOUR SIT-IN PROTEST ON CAMPUS, WHAT THEY'RE DEMANDING IN THE WAKE OF THOSE RAPE ALLEGATIONS, plus the divide over data centers, sparking violence and outrage, a fight breaking out at a city council meeting in Memphis.

22:44We're going to show you that chaotic scene. And the firefighter narrowly escaping this explosion of flames, how he made it out ahead on Top Story.

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24:09BetterHelp is now in network with more than 125 health plans, with many co-pays as low as$15 for eligible members. Visit betterhelp.com. Cost and coverage may vary. We are back now with dramatic images out of New Hampshire showing the moment a firefighter is engulfed in flames as he exits a burning home. Valerie Castro has the video. This New Hampshire firefighter escaping an explosion of flames watches Lieutenant Mike England burst through the front door of a home engulfed in fire, then throws himself off the porch. I've got an injured firefighter on the scene. Other firefighters patting him down to extinguish the flames on his body.

24:49Crews race to the scene Friday night following reports that someone could be trapped, according to the Londonderry Fire Chief, While inside, a flashover when combustible materials suddenly ignite all at once, catching England off guard. Pictures from the scene show the charred entryway. Everyone in the home, including pets, escaped to safety, according to officials. All visible fire has been knocked down. England suffered a leg injury and minor burns, but is expected to recover. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Valerie Castro, NBC News. Certainly thankful that he is okay. So it'll come tonight on Top Story, everybody.

25:26The wild moment behind the wheel. A woman arrested after ripping donuts on a courthouse lawn. What she says happened. Plus, the dangerous dive at Disney. Why this group won't be going back to the most magical place on Earth. Up first, though, Top Story's top moment and the hilarious unboxing reaction going viral. Mom and daughter duo Kim and Kendra did a little sale shopping at popular cookware company Le Creuset. and with the purchase of some of their pots and pans, went home with a free mystery box. Watch what happened when they opened it up. I'm shaking for you. Not even for me.

26:06It's... Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Who knew you could be so happy over a porcelain pumpkin? Yes, that is the limited edition pumpkin Dutch oven. It retails for about$400. And as you can tell by their reaction, it is a very coveted item. By the way, I'm unsure if it's in fact porcelain. Just said that, though. Stay with us, everybody. More top story after this.

26:42All right, we are back now with intensifying calls for action at Cornell University. Right now, students are holding a seven-hour sit-in in solidarity with Jane Doe, the former student who alleges that she was raped by multiple fraternity members in 2024. Maggie Vespa joins us now from Cornell's campus. I know students have been out. They've been protesting. There's been a sit-in. What are they demanding tonight, Maggie? Yeah, Yasmin, we've been saying what's been really impressive is that students here have had consistent and, more importantly, really detailed, specific demands. They want things like some are calling on President Michael Kotlikoff to step down.

27:17You can see the sit-in happening in here. Some want all seven of the accused KIFI members, at least three of whom have denied the allegations, but student wants all seven either expelled or their degrees revoked. And they also want the role, a lot of them, of Greek life re-examined here on campus. Now, a lot of that is going to be covered now, and they're very happy to hear it, by a lot of the investigations, the two investigations now happening into the university and into Jane Doe's 2024 allegations. So they actually feel like they have a lot of momentum here on campus, like their voices are being heard, their protests are working, hence they're wanting to basically keep their foot on the gas and hold this latest one here today.

27:58You know, Maggie, initially, obviously, we heard from Governor Kathy Hochul handing over the investigation to New York Attorney General Letitia James. Now Cornell has appointed former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to conduct an independent review of their handling of the case. How has the campus reacted to that? That's really what's emboldening them. So, yeah, for people at home, we're talking about all these investigations and public officials being appointed. There are really two main ones that we're focusing on. New York Attorney General Letitia James is the one handling the criminal case.

28:31She's been assigned to basically be the special prosecutor, to effectively be the special prosecutor on that case, replacing the local DA. Then you have the latest appointment, which is former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates. She's handling more like looking at what Cornell could have done differently and should do differently in the future. So think school policies, things like, again, policies overseeing fraternities on campus, policies overseeing when campus police should handle criminal investigations. And then also specifically looking at how Cornell handled Jane Doe's case back in 2024 when she went to campus police, alleging she had been assaulted at the Chi-Fi house.

29:09And what in this kind of micro example they could have done differently. And I say micro example, obviously the one that's now galvanized so many around the world. Yasmin. Maggie Vespa, thank you. All right, let's get to top stories. News views starting in Texas where a pilot was killed in a fiery plane crash. It happened today in North Fork Worth, right on the side of the road and near a bunch of homes. There is a private airport nearby, but it's unclear if the plane was taken off or landing. Officials saying it damaged some power lines when it went down. Only the pilot was on board and no one on the ground was hurt.

29:43Also in Texas, a massive fire erupting at a hotel, forcing more than 100 guests to evacuate. Authorities saying four people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation when flames broke out this morning at a Doubletree Hotel in Laredo. The fire ripping through multiple floors, including the parking garage. The fire chief there saying the building is now, quote, structurally unstable. It's unclear when guests will be allowed back inside to get their belongings. And a group of people getting a one-way ticket out of Disney after someone decides to show off their diving skills. Take a look at this.

30:18A guest jumping right into the water. Come on, it happened on the Grand Fiesta Tour ride in the Mexico Pavilion of Epcot. Disney officials called the incident unsafe against park rules, saying everybody in that group is now banned from all of Walt Disney World properties in Florida. All right, let's go to our series, Data Center Divide. The controversial infrastructure needed to power AI has become a political lightning rod ahead of the midterms. RUNNING, AND I WANT TO TALK I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW DATA CENTERS ARE IMPACTING THEIR LIVES AND THEIR VOTES. THEY DON'T CARE. AT THIS TOWN MEETING IN A TRUMP STRONGHOLD NEAR CINCINNATI, THE MESSAGE FOR POLITICIANS WAS CLEAR.

31:04I RETIRED OUT HERE. NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET BACK BUT I PUT INTO MY HOME. Who wants to live next to a data center? Nobody. Nobody.

31:18Nobody knows it better than Angel Shelton. Here in rural southwest Ohio, she says there is one thing that will determine her vote in the Senate race between Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican John Huston. You voted for President Trump. You voted for Republicans in the past. Yes, I did. John Huston's on the ballot. Does this issue take that into account, how you're going to vote?

31:46ANGEL LEARNED AN AMAZON DATA CENTER WAS BEING PLANNED HERE, RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD FROM HER HAY FARM. ANGEL LEARNED AN AMAZON DATA CENTER WAS BEING PLANNED HERE, RIGHT DOWN THE ROAD FROM HER HAY FARM. NOW SHE WORRIES ABOUT ITS IMPACT TO HER PROPERTY AND QUIET WAY OF LIFE. WHO DO I BLAME? I BLAME JOHN HOUSTON, PRESIDENT TRUMP, ALONG WITH OUR LOCAL COMMISSIONERS. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES. Data center campuses like these that are popping up all over Ohio have become a very big political issue. But it's way more complicated than just Republican or Democrat. John Husted led the charge to bring these data centers to our state.

32:23Democrat and former Ohio Senator Sharon Brown is hammering Husted for past support of data centers, tapping into voter anger. They've seen what John Husted has done more than let them down. He's been the lead guy on this. And in a state President Trump won three times, Brown is leading the race in several recent polls. A leaked memo obtained by NBC News in August from the National Republican Senatorial Committee claimed that data centers are the anchor hanging around Houston's neck. Do you regret at all the effort that you made, though, when you did encourage them to come to the state and your other roles that you had in Ohio?

32:57Local citizens and communities make those decisions, not me. Local decisions decide whether they want data centers in their community, not me. I'm very patriotic. I put my two big flags right here. Voters like Jody Wilson used to make up the MAGA Republican faithful, but now she says the politicians don't get it. We're frustrated. We're angry. Why would our public officials that we voted in keep this behind our backs? Some of them probably will not be reelected in. At 68, she's become an activist to petition against data centers. A three-time Trump voter, she says she can't bring herself to vote for Houston in November.

33:40Do you think the people in office realize what's about to hit them in November? No. It could be a wake-up call. I hope it is. Ryan Nobles is joining us now. Listen, you've got some counties, Ryan, some states across the country that are moving to literally outright ban of data centers. Is that on the ballot in Ohio? So there are a lot of ballot measures that will be up for a vote this November in Ohio, 20, across 17 jurisdictions, more than any other state in the country. But none of them would expressly ban data centers. Instead, it's looking to either put a moratorium on them, limit their size, or make them go through a more extensive review process.

34:21What many of the folks that we talk to in this piece are working toward is a statewide referendum that would be on the ballot next year that would limit the size of these data centers to only 25 megawatts, which is actually much smaller than most of these data centers that are popping up all around the country are. So these are these activists doing more than just voting in elections. They're actually taking it a step further, trying to limit the impact these are having on their communities. Yasmin. Ryan Nobles, thank you. All right, let's get to Memphis, where the debate over data centers took a violent turn.

34:52When chaos and even a fistfight broke out at a city council meeting, Jared Thomas from our NBC affiliate, WMC, was there in the middle of it all. On right now, I want to show what's going on. You can see right now. Right before I was set to go live, two women got into it outside the lobby, one getting her hair pulled, then slapped seconds later. It's still unclear if it was tied to tonight's vote, but that fight didn't come out of nowhere. One community member came running out right after the decision was made to delay the data center moratorium. It's just a total hazard. We've basically been invaded by strangers, by people that have gotten paid, and they have not communicated with us in any way.

35:32This is hurtful, and I'm rethinking where I need to be living it. Even the city council got fired up, having some for and against the whole moratorium. They should have came and seen me like I asked you to. Ain't no power. You pipe down, baby. I clap back. Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sudden was going back and forth with the woman in the crowd, then walked off the stage. But before the door closed, she had a message for Councilman J.B. Smiley. That's all he does. He bring up men. That's all you do, J.B. Smiley, is confuse the people over and over and over and over. Every time there's an election.

36:08From there, it spilled into the halls, chants echoing throughout the building. Officers moving to clear people out, the chamber and the lobby, where the fight broke out. This is what the Democrats need to say! Protesters made one thing clear. They're not done. I caught up with Councilman J.B. Smiley once things died down. He says today didn't have to go this way. When the community shows up, we just have to listen to it. And I'm disappointed that we didn't listen with the ear saying, OK, I hear you, I understand. Let's figure out how we can do what you want, but also what we believe to be in the best interest of the community.

36:41In Memphis, Jarrett Thomas, Action News 5. Our thanks to Jared Thomas for that one. Now to a crazy scene outside an Indiana courthouse. A car caught on surveillance video doing donuts across the lawn. Deputies arresting the elderly driver they say was intoxicated. Andres Gutierrez has the video. Wild surveillance video out of Indiana shows a silver sedan kicking up dirt on the front lawn of the Jennings County Courthouse. She was doing backwards donuts and did several of them. With each one, the car tearing up more grass, knocking down a street sign, and narrowly missing several light poles, a brake bench, and a large tree.

37:22Photos shared with NBC News show the deep tread marks left on the lawn. But the driver isn't some thrill-seeking teen on a wild joyride. Deputies say it was 67-year-old Lorraine Wilkerson behind the wheel. They say she told officers she had just left a nearby restaurant and only had one margarita. Authorities say Wilkerson's preliminary portable breath test revealed a.09, which is above the legal limit. It appears that she went to back out of a parking spot after being at a local restaurant and lost control of her vehicle going backwards. That is a pretty busy area, even for children. So for nobody to be injured in this is very miraculous.

38:03Sheriff deputies arrested Wilkerson for drunk driving, a misdemeanor in Indiana, but they say other charges may follow. In the ironic twist, authorities say she'll likely have to appear at this very same courthouse to face charges. What was your initial reaction? I think everybody, when they first see it, tends to find it humorous and laugh. I think anybody can see the humor and how bizarre the situation is. However, I don't want it to overshadow the seriousness of being impaired and being behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. and the danger it can cause. NBC News has reached out to Wilkerson for comment.

38:39No response as of yet. Now, the sheriff's office says it released the video with a simple message. If you've been out drinking, don't get behind the wheel. Find another way to get home. Yasmin? Andres, thank you. Coming up tonight, everybody, Russia's pounding Ukraine with another wave of strikes, one of the deadliest this year, those devastating scenes. And now President Zelensky is responding. Plus, Israel marking three years since the October 7th attacks when more than a thousand people were killed and hundreds more taken hostage. Our Keir Simmons is on the ground there speaking with the loved ones of the victims about how they're learning to cope while never forgetting.

39:15Stay with us.

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41:08THIS APARTMENT BUILDING DEMOLISHED, KILLING 18 PEOPLE, INCLUDING FOUR KIDS. DIRT-COVERED STUFFED ANIMAL TOYS FOUND AMIDST THE RUBBLE. PRESIDENT VELADEMIR ZELENSKYY HAD WARNED THIS ATTACK WAS COMING. A LOT OF PEOPLE TAKING SHELTER OIL TANKERS ARE UNDERGROUND IN KEY SUBWAY SYSTEM BUT UKRAINE UNABLE TO FULLY DEFEND ITSELF FROM THE ONSELF. UKRAINE LAUNCHING RETALIATORY STRIKES AGAINST RUSSIAN OIL TARGETS. THE KREMLIN SAYING THIS LIBERIAN FLAGGED OIL TANKER BURST INTO FLAMES AFTER IT WAS HIT BY A NAVAL DRONE. UKRAINE IDENTIFIED THE SHIP AS PART OF RUSSIA'S SHADOW FLEET BUT HAS NOT CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS SPECIFIC STRIKE.

41:51UNITED STATES CALLED THIS ATTACK VILE, ALSO POINTING OUT IT WAS CARRIED OUT ON RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S BIRTHDAY. SO THERE WERE, AS YOU DESCRIBED, THERE WERE A SERIES OF ATTACKS TODAY ALL ACROSS UKRAINE. THE DEADLIEST WAS THAT APARTMENT BUILDING THAT WAS HIT IN THE CHERNOCHIV OBLAST which is in northern Ukraine, not far from the border with Belarus. Anywhere between 18 and 20 people were killed. And it was described as a horrific blast. People were sleeping. It happened around 6.30 in the morning. A Russian missile, some reports say it was a cruise missile, hit the building, removed most of the top of the building.

42:38And at least five children, other reports say four children, were killed in that attack alone. AND PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY MENTIONED IT IN HIS NIGHTLY ADDRESS AND HE STILL GIVES DAILY ADDRESSES TO THE PEOPLE. AND HE SAID THAT THIS WAS A GIFT THAT THIS ACT OF TERRORISM, HE DESCRIBED IT, WAS A GIFT THAT THE RUSSIAN MILITARY AND RUSSIAN COMMANDERS WERE GIVING FOR PRESIDENT PUTIN'S 74TH BIRTHDAY. THE REGIONAL GOVERNOR IN CHAIRNEVE WHERE THIS ATTACK TOOK PLACE SAID THE SAME THING, THAT THIS WAS A GIFT FOR PUTIN BY THE MILITARY. AND HE SAID THAT WHAT HE HOPES PUTIN ULTIMATELY RECEIVES FOR HIS BIRTHDAY IS TO LOSE HIS LIFE OR FACE AN INTERNATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL.

43:23BUT IT WAS NOT ONLY THIS APARTMENT BUILDING THAT WAS ATTACKED. THERE WERE DRONE ATTACKS IN KYIV, AT LEAST TWO KILLED THERE, MORE ATTACKS IN CENTRAL UKRAINE. AND THE BIG PROBLEM IS THE LACK OF AIR DEFENSES. UKRAINE AT THE MOMENT CAN'T STOP THE INCOMING BALLISTIC MISSILES. CRUISE MISSILES OR OTHER KINDS OF MISSILES THAT RUSSIA IS FIRING BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE PATRIOT SYSTEM THAT COULD STOP IT. AND THEY ARE UNABLE AT THE MOMENT TO STOP THESE NEW, UPGRADED RUSSIAN DRONES THAT FLY WITH A JET-POWERED ENGINE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO FLY VERY, VERY QUICKLY AND FLY HIGHER THAN UKRAINIAN AIR DEFENSE DRONES CAN REACH.

44:07SO A VERY VULNERABLE TIME FOR UKRAINE. AND PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SAYING THIS PEAK IN VIOLENCE WITH SO MANY CIVILIANS KILLED WAS THE RUSSIAN MILITARY TRYING TO IMPRESS PUTIN ON HIS BIRTHDAY. IN LIGHT OF THIS MOST RECENT STRIKE, WE ARE FOUR YEARS INTO THIS THING, RICHARD. WHAT IS RUSSIA'S STRATEGY? IS IT LET'S JUST KEEP POUNDING UNTIL UKRAINE CAN'T TAKE IT BIT OF IT ANYMORE? IT FEELS AS ACTIVE NOW AS IT WAS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. MORE ACTIVE, I THINK. FOR A WHILE, THE FRONT LINES WERE LOCKED. THE UKRAINIANS WERE NOT ADVANCING VERY MUCH AND THE RUSSIANS WEREN'T EITHER. THERE HAVE BEEN NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE GIVEN RUSSIA A SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE JUST OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

45:00AND RUSSIA IS NOW PRESSING ITS ADVANTAGE. THE OTHER BIG CHANGES THE UNITED STATES IS NO LONGER SUPPORTING UKRAINE IN THE SAME WAY. FOR THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, THE U.S. WAS SENDING LOTS OF MILITARY SUPPORT AND WEAPONS AND INTELLIGENCE TO THE UKRAINIANS. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS EFFECTIVELY STOPPED ALL OF THAT AND PUSHED THE CONFLICT OVER TO THE EUROPEANS. AND THE EUROPEANS ARE STEPPING UP AND IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES, THE UK, GERMANY AND OTHERS ARE TRYING TO FILL THE GAP, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME KIND OF MILITARY CAPACITY, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME WEAPONS, RESERVES, AND THE UKRAINIANS ARE CERTAINLY FEELING THE PINCH.

45:45IT SEEMS THAT PUTIN IS ALSO PUSHING A POLITICAL ADVANTAGE. HE'S TRYING TO GAIN AS MUCH TERRITORY, WEAKEN THE UKRAINIANS AS MUCH AS HE POSSIBLY CAN NOW THAT THE WINTER IS SETTING IN. AND EVERY TIME THE WINTER MONTHS COME IN UKRAINE, IT MEANS THE CIVILIAN POPULATION IS EVEN MORE VULNERABLE BECAUSE IN ADDITION TO ATTACKING APARTMENT BUILDINGS, THE RUSSIANS ARE ALSO ATTACKING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. THEY'RE ATTACKING POWER PLANTS. THEY'RE ATTACKING THE ELECTRICITY GRID IN ORDER TO WEAKEN THE RESOLVE OF THE PEOPLE. BECAUSE IF YOU'RE UNDER AIR RAID SIRENS CONSTANTLY AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS ARE UNDER ATTACK AND THERE'S NO HEAT AND WATER, THE idea is that you would pressure your government to sign some sort of surrender agreement.

46:29Richard Engel, thank you. All right, let us get to a remembrance day now. As the world marks three years since the Hamas-led October 7th attacks on Israel, 1 ,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, sparking the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 74 ,000 Palestinians. Arkeer Simmons at the site of one of the deadliest attacks, the Nova Music Festival grounds, where families continue to grapple with loss. Rachel Goldberg-Polin speaks for many here. It feels, she says, like these events happened yesterday. Our only son, Hirsch, was stolen from the Nova Music festival and he was held in captivity for 328 days and was executed along with five other young beautiful people the images of hirsch being abducted was seen around the world his funeral the same for rachel time has not healed i had a couple of weeks ago i was just crumpled on the floor and I was crying and my daughter said to me, what happened?

47:40And I just looked up and I said, I haven't seen my son in three years. You know, that's not going to get better. It's going to get worse. Three years ago today, 1 ,200 people were killed, 251 taken hostage. In response, Israel has leveled much of Gaza, killing over 73 ,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Rachel doesn't separate the suffering. RACHEL KUNIO, There doesn't have to be a competition of tears here. We are all suffering. We are all in pain. MALCOLM BRABANT, Near the Gaza border, Lucas Cuneo faced Hamas at his own home. Hamas came to my house and tried to kidnap me or kill me.

48:30Sometimes I close my eyes and I see the roads in the kibbutz and everything burning and not easy. When I go to sleep, sometimes I can see it. And it's really hard. On a beach where Hamas killed 19 people, he is part of the Hagal Shelly, my wave surf club for mental health. It helped Lucas during months when his brothers were held by Hamas, just a short distance away in Gaza. The water is still an escape. You don't think, you don't feel, you're just you, your board and the water. You were surfing whilst they were in captivity. Yeah. There was two years kidnapped. In that moment that you surf, it really helped a lot.

49:23After three years, Emmanuel Naftali still lives on edge. It's pretty hard. It's there always in the back of my head, checking always with one eye towards Gaza to see that, to check if something is coming from there. Teaching surfing helps. Being there for others takes my mind off of me. I can bring some stories for myself. I can see how it reflects, but I'm there for them. So then some good things come from even the worst things. A lot of good things. Nearby at Kibbutz Neroz, Rita Lifshitz is both sad and hopeful. I live the 7th of October all the time because it's important for me to tell the story.

50:15and I'm not moving on. When you're hopeful, why are you hopeful?

50:28Hopeful that...

50:33I'm hopeful, yes. But I'm hopeful and sad at the same time because Neroz will not be the same. I love these kibbutz, but it will be different. So I don't know if I can feel this love. I almost cry.

50:57In three years, they have found ways to cope, not to overcome, ways to keep living, never forgetting. And Kier Simmons is joining us now from Tel Aviv. So, Kir, amidst this three-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks on Israel, it is also marking a couple of weeks away from a potential reckoning for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an election. What are we seeing there when it comes to this election, how Israelis are feeling right now? Yeah, Yasmin, look, there are those who are uncomfortable talking about this on a day like this. The reality is that today Israel was united, but on every other day it is deeply divided.

51:45And when it comes to that election, they are split 50-50, really. Prime Minister Netanyahu is, frankly, fighting for his political career, or certainly for his position as prime minister. And a man called Garda Eisenkot, who is leading the coalition that opposes him, is looking very strong in the polls. But again, it is impossible to tell how that is going to play out because those polls are so finely balanced. In previous Israeli elections, things shifted really in the final days, and that could happen again. And perhaps Prime Minister Netanyahu will be hoping for that kind of a political miracle, if you like.

52:23But there are many questions for him, including the fact, of course, that he was prime minister when October 7th happened. There is a lot of criticism of him, and there have been calls, continued calls, for an inquiry, a public inquiry, and that still has not taken place to address those kinds of questions. And then there are the questions from some quarters about the war on Gaza and the other wars that Israel now continues to fight and whether that was the right strategy or whether seeing through those wars to the extent that Prime Minister Netanyahu's government has was the right approach. And Kira, I know you're in Tel Aviv now, but you did spend the day at the secret ground of the Nova Music Festival.

53:11you spoke to a lot of people there. On this three-year anniversary, is there something, is there a story, is there something that someone said to you that really stood out to you?

53:25What really stood out for me, Yasmin, is the fact that everyone seemed to say the same thing, or at least the people that I spoke to. And you heard it there in my report. And let me just tell you one more story. A woman, we met a woman there at the site of that music festival massacre, and she told us that she was there to see the plaque, the memorial to her cousin, and that it had taken her three years just to summon the courage to be able to do that, to go there, to where she had died, her cousin had died, and to go and pay her respects like that. And that brought home again to me how much this country is still struggling to even understand, to come to terms with what happened.

54:12And I think that's really important to understand when you look at what Israel is doing, when you talk about so much commentary about what's happened here since October 7th, to really take in that for many, many Israelis, they really haven't moved on from October 7th. Keir Simmons, thank you for being there today. We appreciate it. Stay right here, everybody. More top story right after this. Finally tonight, so ringing the bell to celebrate being cancer-free is always an emotional moment. But when one man's best friend of over 50 years traveled in to surprise him, his reaction was priceless. Here's Tom.

54:58This is what five decades of friendship looks like. Eric Beasley and Jean Allison first met in fifth grade more than 50 years ago. They've stayed close, even when life took them in different directions. Jean now lives in Chicago. Eric in Montgomery, Alabama. So when Jean finished cancer treatment a few weeks back, Eric knew he had to fly in and surprise him. Traditionally, a cancer patient rings a bell to mark the end of treatment. But in this case, Eric and his family brought the bells to Gene.

55:40I thought I was almost dreaming. With me and him, it's always been extra special. And Eric knows what this moment feels like. He went through his own journey with the disease last year, beating prostate cancer, and now grateful to be there for a friend he says is more like a brother. Our relationship is truly special. He was always there, supporting me and encouraging me and uplifting me. He is the best friend I ever have in his life, and I love him dearly.

56:21And thank you to Tom for that one. And thank you guys for watching Top Story. I'm Yasmin Masugin in New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.

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