NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, December 26, 2025

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

Snowstorm scrubs thousands of flights during busy travel weekend; California community comes together after widespread damage from flooding and mudslides; U.S. launches surprise Christmas Day strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria; and more on tonight’s broadcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight, major delays in cancellations as a massive winter storm comes roaring in. Tens of millions under winter weather alerts as the New York metro area braces for one of the biggest snowfalls in years. Look at this plane in Rochester, taken off during rough conditions. A third of flights canceled in some of the country's busiest airports and cars crashing and sliding off the road out in Michigan, plus where we're going to see the most snow later tonight. Also tonight, the nightmare wall of water, mud and debris, sweeping through Southern California as high of rooftops, what our team found on the ground. The new video of U.S. strikes on ISIS targets in Nigeria on Christmas and the new questions

over why now and why there. And from laptops, tablets, even our phones, the fire threat from lithium ion batteries on planes. Are airlines equipped to handle them? And the post-Christmas return rushes on with an estimated one. one in six gifts set to be returned this year, what you need to know to get that full refund. And the big question in the sports world, did Travis Kelsey already play his last home game with the Chiefs? And what's he doing next? And there is good news tonight about the kindness of strangers and generosity being returned at least expected.

This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Good evening. I'm Gotti Schwartz. In for Tom. And we start with a major snowstorm rolling in on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. Right now, New York and New Jersey are under states of emergency as a northeast races for the biggest snowfall it is seen in years. And it's already causing rough conditions at airports like this one. Look at this map. See all that red? Those are airports dealing with major delays and cancellations tonight. And the amount is likely to go up big time once that system moves through. And it's not just the east. Here on the West Coast, the cleanup has just started after days of catastrophic deadly flash floods. Mudd's

slides, those dramatic rescues we saw over Christmas. We've got team coverage tonight, starting with Sam Brock at Newark Airport, and that snowstorms path. A burst of bad weather during one of the busiest travel stretches of the year, tonight wreaking havoc and upending plans from the Midwest, where a spate of accidents stopped traffic in Saginaw, Michigan, and icicles dangled from power lines and streetlights to the northeast, where this plane in Rochester, New York, took off in treacherous conditions, screaming wind and heavy snowfall. New York and New Jersey tonight, under states of emergency,

bracing for their biggest snow totals in years. As the region's three main airports already seeing cancellations between a quarter and a third of all arriving flights. When you saw that alert, what went through your head? I was like, oh my God, so what did we do? Frustrated travelers struggling just to rebook. You guys have spent all day trying to forget a way to get home. Yes.

from the morning until now we're still on the phone. But the travel troubles are hardly isolated to New York with San Francisco earlier today under a nearly two-hour ground delay for high winds and the Florida airports experiencing hundreds of delays. Conditions are expected to stabilize by Saturday afternoon, but not before a white Christmas two days later. The Big Apple may experience its largest snow event since 2022 when eight inches of snow fell in Central Park. The city's Department of Senate standing by with 700 million pounds of salt and declaring a snow alert for New Yorkers

as millions more just hoping to get home. And Sam Brock joins us live from Newark Airport. Sam, how are things looking across the country? Yeah, Gadi, nationwide, there are more than 6,000 delays right now, more than 1,500 cancellations. The lion's share of those at the three New York City area airports. Also hundreds of delays right now in San Francisco and Orlando. As as you can see,

We are being blanketed by snow here at Newark. Gotty back to you. Sam, thank you. And let's bring in meteorologist Kevin Jeans of NBC, Chicago. Kevin, some parts of the East Coast. They haven't seen snow like this in years, right? And the snow's going to be picking up. I mean, it's going to be getting heavy later on going into the night tonight at snow rates of one to two inches per hour.

So heavy snow coming down. And this is going to last overnight through tomorrow morning. And then it's going to be moving out through the midday hours tomorrow. So conditions improved by tomorrow after. afternoon, but big-time snow expected across upstate New York to New York City. So around New York to Syracuse, Albany, and parts of western Connecticut and Massachusetts, it's also widespread 6 to 8 inches with locally up to 10 inches of snow possible. Conditions improved by tomorrow afternoon across the northeast, improving weather,

finally out west for Saturday. Sunday rain develops around the Midwest, 50s for Chicago for colder air moves in, but good travel rather across the northeast and the West Coast Sunday. Gotty. Kevin, thank you. And much of California is still digging out after days of 10. torrential rain, floods, and mud slides. Dana Griffin is in hard-hit Wrightwood, where the cleanup is just starting.

Tonight, a trail of destruction in Wrightwood. Homes and cars buried in feet of mud after a raging wall of water swept through this tight-knit mountain community. Have you ever seen just the wall of water, mud, and debris come down like it did? Not like this. Volunteers at this popular snowboard rental shop removing sludge by the barrel. piles and piles of mud everywhere. It was honestly very heartbreaking to hear that this place was getting washed out. Water rushed in so fast here, some residents had no time to get out.

By the time those messages, those notifications came into us, the roads were already impassable. Damage assessment teams today canvassing the area. How catastrophic is it? Some of its complete failures. We've had houses washed off the foundations, and we've had also houses twisted on foundations. it's very serious. These are the stunning images up close. This overturned car was actually parked about 50 yards in that direction. Areas near rightwood recorded more than 10 inches of rain since Monday. Across Southern California, more than 100 people were rescued during flash flooding,

mostly by boat or helicopter. Residents in the hardest hit communities now cleaning up the destruction left behind. It's really such a special place. And I am so happy, though, that we were all able to band together and get this place cleaned up and hopefully ready to start back up the snowboard season in a couple weeks here. Dana Griffin, NBC News, Rightwood, California. And now to a major military escalation overseas. President Trump announcing strikes on suspected ISIS targets in Nigeria on Christmas Day. NBC's Julia Serkin is traveling with the president and has the latest of mid-questions on why there and why now. Tonight, the first images of American missiles launching from a U.S. Navy ship,

killing multiple Islamist militants in Nigeria, according to the president, who posted about the surprise Christmas Day attack after repeatedly warning terror groups that if the slaughter of Christians did not stop, there would be hell to pay. Nigeria's government now confirming it worked directly with the United States to carry out the mission. But the foreign minister also pushing back against President Trump's claim that Christians alone are being targeted by the Islamic State. This is not about religion. It is about Nigerians, innocent civilians, and the wider region as a whole.

The strikes come just one day after the president thanked U.S. troops on Christmas Eve for last week's attack against ISIS in Syria. It was a big attack and you really did a big job. I know you will continue to show no mercy. You can't show mercy. because they show numbers than us. In recent weeks, the U.S. military has launched strikes against ISIS targets in Nigeria, Syria, and Somalia, seized oil tankers off Venezuela, and earlier this year hit Iranian Revolutionary Guard positions inside Iran. Back in Florida, President Trump is expected to host President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.

The Ukrainian leader announcing today the two will discuss security guarantees, and saying a U.S. negotiated peace deal with Russia is now 90 percent ready. even as the Kremlin continues to hammer Ukraine, launching new strikes through Christmas. Julie, joins us live. Julie, this is all happening while the Justice Department is coming through a million-plus documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, right? So what's the latest on when we could see those documents? Gotti, it could take several weeks until we see all of the records. The president posted moments ago saying the DOJ is being forced to spend all of its time. You see it there combing through the documents and called it another one.

witch hunt, but many of the president's own supporters, want to see the files. Gotti? Julie Serkin, thank you. And now to an NBC News investigation into the risk posed by rechargeable batteries on board planes. The FAA reports a potential record number of lithium-ion incidents this year, even though most airlines don't carry the certified burn bags to contain a fire. Here's Tom Costello. From a lithium ion battery fire on an air China flight in October, to a South Korean plane destroyed by fire after a battery charger caught fire in January. Lithium ion battery fires like this iPad and laptop seen an FAA test pose a lethal risk to passenger planes.

While not mandated by the FAA, airlines do carry burn bags, though independent researchers say most airlines don't carry the certified burn bags that can contain a phone or battery pack fire. You're really concerned that the planes are at risk. I'm absolutely concerned the planes are at risk. UPS Captain Bob Brown led the DOT's Lithium-ion Battery Advisory Committee, which counts two incidents globally every week. In the U.S., the FAA reports 80 lithium battery incidents in 2025 as of mid-December, with 10 more pending verification, a potential record number.

Flight crews and passengers often pour water on lithium-ion fires then placed the device in a burn bag. But FAA testing videos show some of those bags may not contain a fire. And most airlines bought their bags before the FAA's tests. Though an underwriter's laboratory certified burn bag can make the difference. And that means being able to contain a fire for a longer duration up to potentially six hours. And so that's what we're looking for in a containment device. If you notice your electronic device overheating, please notify the nearest flight attendant.

The airline industry says carriers continue to identify and mitigate potential risks associated with the transport and storage of lithium batteries, prohibiting rechargeable devices in checked bags. Some even require power banks to be visible in flight if in use. One study suggests an onboard fire can turn deadly within 19 minutes. It absolutely could bring down a plane. If you can't control that event, these days passengers often have four devices with them. onboard a plane. It could be a phone, an iPad. It could be a laptop, e-cigarettes, each with lithium-ion batteries, and it only takes one to catch fire. Gotti? Tom, thank you. Now, to race to return. This year, shoppers are projected to take back an estimated one-in-six holiday gifts. They might

find it a little bit more expensive. Here's Brian Chung on what you need to know, on how to get your full refund back. On the day after Christmas, the return rush is just beginning. But, This year, many stores are making it a little harder to get that full refund. From Best Buy's 15% restocking fee for some open items to Macy's $999 return shipping fee for non-members. Nearly three quarters of retailers are now charging for at least one return option, up from 2024, citing shipping costs and return fraud. But fear not, there's an easy way to score a full refund. One of the biggest ways to try to avoid a lot of these different costs is to do

in-store returns. New Jersey small business, tons of toys, understands that shoppers want flexibility, offering customers store credit for returns on items purchase elsewhere. If someone bought something from Target, they can bring it back and return it here? Yes, they can. Big box stores, sometimes they're a little worse with the return policies, and we just want to make it as easy as possible for people to shop. For those returning items, you don't have to go today. Major retailers have extended return policies for items for the most part bought after Halloween. Best Buy will take most returns through January 15th, as Amazon and Walmart generally offer returns through January 31st. But watch out for earlier deadlines at Target and Amazon for Apple and

other electronics items. Paying attention to the retailer that you purchase from, actually what the item is too, is going to make a big difference. Brian Chung, NBC News, Westwood, New Jersey. And when we return in 60 seconds, the airport's on alert after passengers with measles traveled through inside the rising caseload across the country tonight. Tonight, health officials are warning about possible measles exposure at two major American airports. And now, as Jesse Kirsch reports, some travelers may be at risk across the country during one of the busiest times to fly. If you flew through Denver International or Boston Logan earlier this month, health officials say you may be at risk of contracting the measles. On December 11th, authorities say an unidential.

visited, flew from Dallas to Boston, traveling through other parts of Massachusetts before flying to Las Vegas the next night. That same evening, officials in Colorado say an out-of-state traveler with a confirmed case of measles traveled through Denver while infectious. The measles is highly contagious and can be deadly. It spreads by air even two hours after an infected person leaves the room, and symptoms can take three weeks to show up. Those symptoms are fever and a rash and generally one of the three Cs. And the three Cs are cough, conjunctivitis, which is pink eye, and carriza, which is a runny nose. This year, the CDC reports more than 2,000 cases, including at least three deaths. Outbreaks from Arizona and Utah to

South Carolina are also fueling the spread. Experts say the MMR vaccine is the best way to protect yourself. But NBC News's months-long project, the vaccine divide, shows that 77% of counties and jurisdictions in the U.S. have reported notable declines in childhood vaccination rates overall since 2019. Meanwhile, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. has publicly questioned vaccines and taken steps to change the childhood vaccination schedule. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News. And we are back in a moment with Ashley Buzzard pleading not guilty after her daughter's body was found during that massive search.

Plus, have we seen Travis Kelsey's final home game as a chief? What he told fans after last night's loss. Hey, welcome back. A deadly stabbing and car-ramming attack in northern Israel is being called terrorism. Israeli authorities say an attacker from the occupied West Bank killed two people in Israel's Galilee region. And this comes as tensions rise between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank. Hamas called the attack an expression of anger but stopped just. short of claiming responsibility. Also tonight, Ashley Buzzard pleading not guilty after she was

officially charged with first-degree murder. A 40-year-old California mom was arraigned today after the body of her nine-year-old daughter, Melody, was found in a rural area of Utah more than two months after she went missing. Prosecutors are seeking life in prison without parole. Ashley Buzzard was ordered to be held without bail. And Travis Kelsey might have played his last home game at Arrowhead stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chiefs lost of the Broncos, 20 to 13 last night in the sports world has been speculating that he might retire soon, but when asked about retiring from the game after last night's loss, he said he'll make that decision with his family, his friends, and the Chiefs when time comes. So we'll shall see. When we come back, there is good

news tonight, how a present in a parking lot turned into so much more. That's coming up next. And finally, there is good news tonight out of San Diego about a very special gift, how one stranger's kindness is getting returned hundreds of thousands of times over. I'm so sorry to bother. Do you buy any chance not for her to know how to wrap a Christmas present? Is there any way you can help me out? When a mom named Janae was standing with her kids in a parking lot, she thought she was helping a stranger wrap a gift. That's so sweet. I'm so glad you stopped me. It's for you. Are you serious? Are you kidding me?

No, you're not. You're kidding me right now. You're kidding me. Turned out that gift was meant for her. Jeney, you're amazing. I'm ready. You don't even know me and my kids are homeless. Oh my God.

I'm in so much need right now. I'll show you all of our stuff. I believe you. I believe you. That's why I'm like, who are you? You are heaven. said, dude. The man behind the random surprise content creator Jesus Morales, who shared the moment online, and within hours, strangers wanted to help. It's life-changing. I can breathe now.

Hasouc started to go-fund me, and in a couple of days, donations poured in, now roughly $280,000 in counting. What's next? A house. I would love to just continue to do what he has done to me. I want to give back to the 11,000 people, 12,000 people, or however many people are still giving to me. Does it feel like something more powerful is at play here? I 100% believe that. I genuinely think that it couldn't have gone to a better person. A simple ask, a small act of kindness.

It's for you. Now a life-changing miracle for a family just in time for Christmas. God bless you. That is nightly news for this Friday. I'm Gotti Schwartz. Thanks so much for watching and have a wonderful new year.