WELCOME TO THE TOP STORIES OF 2025. I'M TOM YAMAS, COMING TO YOU FROM TIMES SQUARE IN THE HEART OF NEW YORK CITY. THIS IS THE HOME OF THE ICONIC BALL DROP, AS YOU KNOW, WHERE EVERY DECEMBER 31ST, WE SAY GOODBYE TO THE OLD YEAR AND RING IN THE YEAR AHEAD.FOR THE NEXT HOUR, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK BACK AT THE TOP 10 STORIES OF WHAT HAS BEEN A REMARKABLE YEAR FULL OF MAJOR EVENTS AND UNEXPECTED HEADLINES. WE BEGIN WITH A LOOK BACK AT THE YEAR THAT WAS. IT IS A GRIM NEW YEAR'S MORNING HERE TO BEGIN 2025.THE GUY IN ...

Breaking tonight, the US launching massive retaliatory strikes inside of Syria, targeting ISIS. The military action in response to the deadly attacks on American soldiers. New video of American fighter jets launching before striking dozens of targets at multiple sites under the darkness of night after the president vowed revenge. Our new reporting on what targets were hit and what happens next. Also breaking tonight, hundreds of thousands of Epstein files just released. Some documents and images never made ...

Gaver Farm in Maryland is ready for the holidays. >> We give them a saw. We give them a tree cart.They find their perfect tree. >> The Christmas trees are pruned, the chocolate fudge displayed. But Lisa gave her a seventh generation farmer is struggling to enjoy the season.>> You're in a fight. >> We are in a fight. >> What do you think your chances are of winning it.>> I don't know. It's going to be a long road hoe. The fight is over proposed high voltage power lines that would cut right through this 40 ac ...

And let's go over to NBC News chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles who's following all this for us. Ryan, I know this is a ton to go through, but so far what are the big toplines here. Like what have we seen.>> Well, it's a lot of photos uh Gotti uh and a lot of photos of very famous men who we knew had interacted with Jeffrey Epste in the past. These are the first time we've seen some of these images. There's a whole lot of pictures of Bill Clinton, who of course has repeatedly said uh that he had ...

Tonight, a horrifying rampage in the heart of Taiwan's capital. Video show a man dressed in black running through a crowded shopping district in Taipei, yielding a massive night, indiscriminately slashing bystanders before entering a popular mall, sending terrified shoppers running. Authorities say the asalent began his deadly Friday night attack at this nearby metro station where he threw five or six smoke grenades.Video show heavy smoke filling part of the station and commuters just feet from the attacker ...

Travel Disruptions - Severe weather is causing ground stops and delays at major airports, impacting holiday travelers [1] - Over 52 million people are expected to fly during the holiday period, with peak travel days occurring through the weekend and just after Christmas [1] - Flight cancellations and delays are approaching 10,000 [6] - Travel time could more than double near major cities like Boston and DC, starting this weekend [6] Weather Conditions - Thunderstorms and powerful winds are affecting the Northeast, with potential for trees to fall onto power lines [3] - A mix of wind and snow is creating dangerous conditions in the upper Midwest [3] - Colorado is facing a rare particularly dangerous situation alert for wildfire risk, with gusts exceeding 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) [4] Safety Measures - Excel Energy is shutting off power to tens of thousands of customers as a precaution against trees and power poles snapping [5] - Officials are urging people to stay home and off the roads due to the turbulent weather conditions [5]

Tonight, new details about how the alleged Brown University killer, Clauddio Manuel Nvesh Valente, evaded law enforcement for six days. He allegedly killed two students and wounded nine before murdering an MIT professor in Massachusetts. Authorities say Valente later died by suicide.His body found in a storage unit in New Hampshire. Do you think he planned on killing anyone else. >> It's possible.He's a dangerous individual. Very dangerous. Law enforcement officials tell NBC News Valente used advanced techn ...

Our planet getting its best look yet at the most exciting outer space object we have seen in years. Threeey Atlas, a mysterious interstellar visitor billions of years old, finally making its closest approach to Earth and giving scientists an opportunity to study it before it gets further and further away. >> It's a golden moment because we have as good a view as we're ever going to get.showing the object in stunning new detail, like this one from a civilian astrophotographer who says he captured three Atlas ...

Let's bring in right now Danny Bensky, a survivor of Epstein's abuse. Danny, first of all, on what must be a very emotional and difficult day. Thank you uh for talking to us and I know you've been starting to go through some of these documents.You were just 17 when you met Jeffrey Epstein. Um how do you feel right now about all of this information being released. >> It's such a loaded question.Um there's so much information and yet not as much as we may have wanted to see. Um so I think it's such a hard que ...

Tonight, for the first time, the Epstein files made public. The Justice Department posting hundreds of thousands of items online related to the DOJ's criminal investigations of the late sex offender, including photos that do not include contacts or prove any criminal activity. Here, former President Bill Clinton appears in a hot tub with someone whose face is redacted. In another, Clinton is seen next to Epstein and Michael Jackson seen here with Epstein.Another shows Epstein, co-conspirator Galain Maxwell, ...