NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, February 27, 2026

Episode Date: February 28, 2026

Former President Bill Clinton testifies in Epstein investigation; Father of school shooting suspect takes stand in his own defense; FBI analyzes hours of video in Nancy Guthrie search; 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, Bill Clinton's history-making deposition, the former president questioned over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, what lawmakers pressed him on. The dramatic testimony, Clinton, saying he, in his words, saw nothing and did nothing wrong during his time with Epstein, how he responded when asked about this hot tub photo and whether he visited Epstein's island. Our exclusive reporting how President Trump criticized FBI director Cash Patel for this video of him partying with the U.S. men's hockey team. On the stand, the father of a Georgia school shooting suspect testifying in his own defense, pressed on the rifle he gifted his son, and the moment he broke down watching surveillance video from moments before the shooting. You see it here. AI Showdown, President Trump banning one of the biggest artificial intelligence companies

from government contracts after Anthropic refused to let the Pentagon use its program to potentially kill people without human decision-making in the moment. Deadly tram tragedy, scary video of a tram. suddenly derailing, then slamming into a building in Milan. What went wrong? The first on-camera interview with the family of Renee Good, her mom's emotional message to the officer who killed her. I prayed for him.

You're praying for him? Then could this security video bring investigators closer to finding Nancy Guthrie? Our team times out the drive. Could it have been captured on this camera after the abduction? Plus, the man arrested outside. Nancy's home. And wild monkey business. Look at that. An ape lunging at visitors, cracking the glass in the Memphis Zoo. What happened next? Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Good evening. I'm Hallie Jackson in for Tom tonight. And we begin with the historic moment

for former President Clinton, a moment he almost faced contempt of Congress to avoid. Today, for the first time in more than 40 years, a former president has testified in front of lawmakers with Clinton, facing questions over his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and over those images, him standing with Epstein in a hot tub on a plane next to somebody whose face is redacted. Clinton firing back saying today he saw nothing and did nothing wrong during his time with Epstein. It's coming just a day after Clinton's wife, the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also testified. Neither has been charged with any crime. Our Ryan Noble starts us off near the Clinton's home in Chappaqua, New York.

Tonight, former President Bill Clinton, under oath, taking direct questions about his relationship to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton opened the hearing by making it clear he was not aware of any of the late financiers criminal activity. I know what I did, and more importantly, what I didn't do, Clinton said, I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong. Clinton was pressed by both Republicans and Democrats about the many times he appears in the Epstein files, including this photo taken of the former president in a hot tub. Clinton telling the committee he did not know the woman he was pictured with, and he did not have sex with her, that according to a person inside the room for the deposition, who also said Clinton insisted repeatedly that he did not

visit Epstein's island. You had some very direct and pointed questions for the president. Yeah, we weren't letting him off the hook in any way. We were asking him very specific questions, very hard questions, and to his credit, he's been answering every single one of them. Clinton has denied any wrongdoing and has never been accused of any crimes related to Epstein. President Clinton, as of right now, is cooperative and answering all of our questions. Clinton also asked about President Trump. The president went on to say that the president, Trump, has never said anything to me to make me think he was involved.

and he meant with Epstein. But Democrats say Clinton described a conversation he had with Trump, where he said he ended his relationship with Epstein over a bad land deal. President weighing in again today on Clinton's deposition. I don't like seeing him deposed, but, you know, they certainly went after me a lot more than that. Ryan is joining us live now from New York. Ryan, we expect to see videos of these depositions.

So how soon could those be released? Helly, it's not an easy process. Committee staff has to go through every single minute of both depositions before they can be released widely. But the committee is confident that the public will get to see both depositions sometime early next week. Hallie? Ryan Nobles, thank you. Now to our exclusive reporting that President Trump told FBI director Cash Patel, he was disappointed in his behavior at the Olympics, where Patel celebrated with the U.S. men's hockey team.

Gabe Gutierrez is at the White House and Gabe the president apparently also brought up Patel's use of a government plane. That's right, Halley. This is all related to that video of FBI director Cash Patel partying in the locker room with the U.S. men's hockey team, including chugging beer after they won gold. President Trump told Patel he was disappointed in his behavior. That's according to a person familiar with the matter. The president, who does not drink, said he was also unhappy with Patel's use of a government aircraft for the trip. The FBI declined to comment. Patel previously said he was in Italy for official meetings with Italian law enforcement, and the hockey team. team invited him to celebrate. An FBI spokesperson said he'd reimburse any personal expenses. Meanwhile, the White House tells us the president has full confidence in his administration, touting falling crime

rates. Alec. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you. To a dramatic day in court in Georgia, the father of a school shooter facing charges for allegedly giving his son the gun, taking the stand in his own defense. Aaron Gilchrist is there. Tonight, Colin Gray telling a Georgia jury he saw no warning signs his son Colt was capable of a mass shooting. You know, he's a, he's a good kid. But prosecutors say Colin Gray knew Colt had extensive history of anger and violence and that he was negligent when he gave his 14-year-old son the AR-style rifle, investigators say was used in the 2024 shooting at Appalachie High School.

Gray said today the gun was meant for hunting and that he taught his son to be responsible with it. We didn't have him in a safe. but I'm telling you that he had a healthy respect for weapons. Gray also asked about these photos of his son's bedroom wall, showing the gunman convicted in the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. I didn't see the shrine at any point in time in Colt's room. His testimony comes a day after prosecutors played these videos. They say show Colt Gray walking through the school with the rifle wrapped in poster board.

Gray sobbing, as video prosecutors say, shows Colt shooting and killing two students and two teachers played in court. Today, prosecutors zeroing in on inconsistencies in Gray's interviews and his failure to get his son help for behavioral and mental health issues. I believe he needed more than anger management at that point. But you didn't make it happen. Not that day, no, sir. And Colt still has access to that rifle. He does. Aaron's joining us from the courthouse, and Aaron sounds like the jury could have this case as soon as Monday.

You're right, Halley. Colin Gray was grilled for more than three hours under cross-examination today. On Monday afternoon, the jury will hear closing arguments and then decide whether Colin Gray is guilty of nearly 30 charges, including second-degree murder. Hallie? Aaron Gilchrist, thank you. A major fight erupting tonight between the government and one of the most important AI companies in the world. At issue, whether the Pentagon could use Anthropics tech to carry out deadly strikes on its own, meaning a computer making more of the key decisions on who lives and who dies. Tom Costello explains.

President Trump didn't wait for the 5 p.m. deadline to pass. announcing at 3.47 p.m., he's cutting off AI giant Anthropic, posting on truth social. The United States of America will never allow a radical left woke company to dictate how our great military fights and wins wars. I am directing every federal agency in the United States government to immediately cease all use of Anthropics technology. That move after Anthropics CEO Dario Amade refused an ultimatum from Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth to remove safeguards that would limit lawful use of its AI system called Claude. Amade insisting on protections to prevent Claude from being used for mass domestic surveillance or for fully autonomous weapons that would take humans out of the loose.

from selecting targets. On the day writing, we believe AI can undermine rather than defend democratic values. The Pentagon already widely uses Anthropic. Anthropic argues safeguards are essential because the law has not yet caught up with AI. Ultimately, this is an issue of trust between the American public and the military it supports and the company, in this case, Anthropic and the technology it possesses. In a memo, Anthropics' arched rival, open AI CEO, Sam Altman, said he's interested in a deal with the Pentagon, but we have long believed that AI should not be used for mass surveillance or autonomous lethal weapons. Tom is joining us here in Washington now. And Tom, there's some late breaking news tonight on this

from Secretary Hegsef. Yeah, that's right. Secretary Hegseh, posting on X that, in fact, he believes that Anthropic is a risk to national security and ordering everybody who does business with Anthropic to no longer do business with the government or vice versa. If you do business with the government, no business with Anthropic. Certainly one to watch. Tom Costello, thank you. To Italy now in the scene of a deadly tram accident in Milan that left two people dead and dozens more hurt, happening just after the Winter Olympics and in the middle of the city's fashion week, Ralph Sanchez has the late details.

This is the moment the number nine tram in central Milan veers violently off the tracks, slamming into a nearby building before coming to a hole. Authorities say one person was. killed on board the tram and another killed on the street, while 39 people were left with injuries, none of them life-threatening. You can hear terrified people calling out as passers-by rushed to their aid. 13 ambulances along with firefighters treating the wounded at the scene. This man's wife was among them. She felt the tram swerve, swerve, swerve, and she found herself with two, three, four, five

passengers on top of her, he says. The cause of the crash, under investigation. But the mayor saying it appears to be the result of a mistake by the driver. The tram was a new one. The driver was very experienced. He started his shift one hour before the accident. He wasn't on overtime, he says. Tonight, Milan in mourning, after a daily commute,

turned deadly. Raff Sanchez, NBC News. To our interview now with the family of Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. DHS says that officer acted in self-defense when Good drove her car towards him. Tonight, Maggie Vespas sits down with her family on their message now. We will not put up with ice. The shooting death of Renee Good sparked protests and later helped prompt the shakeup of ice operations in Minneapolis. But tonight, her family tells us they still have not watched those videos.

of her final moments. Have you watched the moment? Renee was shot. I have not. I can't bring myself to do that. I think we've all intentionally just let that go. The most we've seen is when, you know,

you don't have a choice and you're just something pops up and you see a split second and you realize what it is. And I think all of us have been just pretty quickly not continuing to watch. The only thing I saw of this

that day was her saying, I'm not mad at you. And that was so or nay. Those words to, to the officer. I'm not mad at you. And that was just her. We spoke to her mother, Donna, father, Tim, and brothers, Brent and Luke. We want to share our Renee with you. Yeah. And with the people who've been so kind to us. Remembering her as a devoted mother with an infection. laugh. They tell us good never mentioned concerns about immigration operations in her neighborhood or plans to monitor ICE.

What did it feel like to get that phone call? It was disbelief for me at first. I didn't make any sense. I felt the overwhelming peace that God said, I've got Renee. And I'm going to walk with your family

through this. You're not going to be alone. The Department of Homeland Security says Good had been blocking ICE officers and was ordered to get out of her car. But instead accelerated towards an ICE officer who DHS says fired in self-defense. They said she was ordered to get out. She hit the gas. She was driving toward an officer. What do you make of that? I think they have their narrative. I think they have to support their narrative. and we'll just let that go and really get back to focusing on who we know to Renee, she was to our family. And we also asked about ICE officer Jonathan Ross.

I prayed for him. You're praying for him? Tell me why. We all need prayer. The family telling us their message now. Something needs to change and I believe things can change. The kind of change we're wanting involves everybody having the conversation about what it looks like for people to be able to be safe in their own communities.

Maggie Vespa, NBC News. When we return, the dark video of a car driving down a road. Could that help break open the case in the search for Nancy Guthrie? Our team times out the drive. That's next. It has been an agonizing 27 days since Nancy Guthrie disappeared. And investigators are now looking at new footage of a car driving down a road about two and a half miles from her house the night that she was abducted. So is it even feasible that that car

could have been involved? Our Liz Kreutz, times it out. Tonight, investigators painstakingly going through the thousands of hours of footage amassed from Nancy Guthrie's neighborhood, including this video obtained by Fox News Digital, which the Pima County Sheriff says is part of the investigation. How relevant it will be is not yet known. It was taken about two and a half miles from Nancy's home. But the timing of when the car went down the road appears to line up with the time. Nancy disappeared. According to the timeline from the sheriff, Nancy Guthrie's pacemaker disconnected from her phone that was inside the home at 2.28 a.m. Fox News Digital says that that new ring camera footage was taken eight minutes later at 2.36 a.m. We did the drive between the two homes. You can

see the winding roads. This isn't the quickest way out of Nancy's neighborhood, but it does avoid the biggest intersections. All right, so it took us just over six minutes to get here. Obviously, we don't know if that car was the abductors. And even if it was, we don't know what route they would have taken and how long it would have taken them to get out of the house. It's irrelevant lead, but you always got to work dead lead. Can you pick it up anywhere between there and the crime scene? That strengthens the case. Meanwhile, outside Nancy's home last night, this man identified as 34-year-old Antonio de Hesuzes Pena Campos was arrested on misdemeanor DUI charges, according to the sheriff's office. Officials say it's not related to Nancy's case.

And tonight, another post from Savannah, with an important reminder that any tip can be anonymous. Please be the one that brings her home. And Hallie, experts say it truly is. No questions asked. You can even get the $1 million reward without anyone knowing who you are. Hallie. Liz Kreutz, thank you. We are back in a moment with an ape smashing the glass at the Memphis Zoo with visitors just on the other side.

And the big overhaul just announced by NASA, will it impact their return to the moon? Next. Back now with that blockbuster deal for Paramount to buy Warner. Brothers' discovery. Paramount Skydance, saying today that Warner Brothers has officially agreed to be acquired by Paramount after that huge news yesterday that Netflix was bowing out of the bidding war. That merger set to have a major impact on the media landscape, and it's already facing pushback from some lawmakers. Also tonight, NASA announcing a huge overhaul to its Artemis Moon program, the goal of the changes to increase the number of missions before landing back on the moon.

The plan also adds additional trips to the moon. NASA's administrator says the changes will improve safety and reduce delays. Also tonight, take a look at this, an ape at the Memphis Zoo smashing the protective glass of its enclosure. Look at that. You can see it just jumping into the glass. Somebody's filming on the other side. The zoo says the pain was damaged, but the ape did not get through it. That habitat area is now closed until it can be fixed. That is nightly news for this Friday.

I'm Hallie Jackson. Thanks so much for watching, and we'll see you this weekend.