NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, January 23, 2026

Episode Date: January 24, 2026

Massive winter storm tests power grids as extreme cold spreads; Thousands of flights canceled ahead of monster storm; Thousands at anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis; 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, the catastrophic winter storm charging across the country right now. 180 million bracing for life-threatening snow, ice, and freezing rain as temperatures begin to plunge. Rare snow starting now in Texas, drivers spinning out in the Midwest. Trucks jackknife, 16 states declaring states of emergency. Workers racing as sand and salt roads. Plus chaos at grocery stores. shelves cleaned out and lines wrapped around blocks. Will the power grids hold the urgent warning that outages could last for days?

Our reporters spread out across the storm zone. The former Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin just captured. He spent years on the run how officials closed in on one of the FBI's most wanted, plus his $15 million Mercedes authority seized. At this hour, massive protests erupting in, Minneapolis. Plus our reporter presses the Border Patrol commander on how that five-year-old ended up in ICE custody. His response tonight. Five suspects arrested, accused of ambushing a judge and his wife shooting through the front door, the possible motive and how they were caught because of a face

mask left behind. A two-year-old in the backseat of a car when a crook jumps in and takes off, the video of the mother frantically searching for her son and the dramatic, moment when officers find that little boy. Trapped at the bottom of the world, the cruise ship stuck in ice in Antarctica, a deputy and a bystander rushing in to save a mailman as his truck is engulfed in flames. And the daring skyscraper stunt meet the solo climber preparing to climb one of the world's tallest buildings without any ropes live on TV. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yomas. And good evening.

That unprecedented, potentially catastrophic storm has now begun its life-threatening march across much of the country. More than half of all Americans are in the storm's path tonight. In the Midwest, millions are being pounded right now by blinding snow and powerful winds. While in Texas and Oklahoma, that monster storm is firing up with snow and plunging temperatures. Look at the storm's path. Few states will be spared as it plows its way east. Governors in 16 states have declared states of emergency already. Across the storm zone, you see this empty shelves as worried residents raid supermarkets. Just look at this long line outside one in New York.

Forecasters warn the ice down south could cripple major cities, halting traffic and possibly knocking out power for millions for days. More than 5,200 flights have already been canceled for the weekend. and that's likely just the beginning. Parts of the northeast are in a foot of snow or more. Bill Karen standing by to time out the storm, and our correspondents are spread out across the storm's path. We begin tonight with Emily Akkad. Tonight, a triple threat of blinding snow,

life-threatening cold, and ice. Chaos already unfolding on roads across the country. High winds in Iowa nearly flipping this semi-truck. And drivers facing near zero visibility as lake affects snow in Michigan, turns highways into white walls. Police in Indiana warning of slide-offs on the road after this vehicle got stuck in the deep snow and the bitter cold tonight punishing with wind chills plummeting to minus 31 degrees in Chicago and in Duluth a staggering minus 51. But for crews,

the work never stops. I got about five layers of clothes on it is pretty cold. It's probably zero degrees right now. And this isn't just a cold snap. Below freezing temperatures could last for the next 10 days, coupled with more than a foot of snow in parts of the northeast. The dangers that we're talking about now is not just the potential of an enormous storm with a significant amount of snowfall. It is the aftermath. That fear triggering a run on the essentials. This is my second day trying to get gas. We are out of kerosene heaters until tomorrow.

From the nation's capital to the south where shelves are being stripped bare. They're out eggs. There's no bacon. There's no butter. Ryan Chandler is in Texas where ice is the biggest threat. This Dallas hardware store is all out of propane, sand, rock salt. Customers rushing to prepare in the last hours before the freeze hits. Inside the largest power plan in Texas, preps for a winter storm have been underway for months. Priscilla Thompson is there. Operators in this control room are monitoring supply 24-7 using these panels to get power to the grid.

And if there's a problem, they pick up this red phone and alert the state. In Georgia, there hasn't been an ice warning this severe in 12 years. Kathy Park is in Tennessee at a transportation nerve center. Here in Memphis, this hub powered by more than 100 traffic cameras will allow dispatchers to identify wrecks and roadblocks in real time. Then they'll be able to deploy the essential resources held motorists and emergency crews right away. There have been at least 16 states of emergency declared so far. as governors issue an urgent plea, stay home and off the roads. Our greatest concerns remain unsafe travel and power outages that could last for days.

Now workers scrambling to trim trees and mobilize equipment, hoping the infrastructure holds against the weight of this massive storm. Emily, it kind of joins us now live, Emily, from New York City, where you are. Grocery stores here across the country also have been swamped with people all day. Yeah, absolutely, Tom. We're just now seeing a break from the lines that had spilled outside of this grocery store. But I want to show you is what's happening on the inside. You're going to see shelf after shelf bare. And with workers trying to restock those shelves, these images harken back to the panic buying during the pandemic. And take a look at this, lines weaving through grocery stores across the country as millions prepare, Tom, for a potentially historic storm. People scrambling to get whatever they can. All right, Emily, we thank you. Thank you for that. I want to get right over to Bill Cairns. Bill, the storm is a monster.

Time it out over the next 72 hours for us. Already treacherous in areas of Oklahoma, North Texas, Dallas, after midnight, your temperature goes below freezing. And it may not go above freezing until Tuesday afternoon. That's the big story with this. Huge storm, long duration, cold snap after it. We're going all the way from New Mexico to Maine with our warnings. And the ice storm warnings are of particular importance because you could lose power for days. We're talking these areas in blue, East Texas, all through northern half of Louisiana, especially the northern half of Mississippi. And then this area now from Atlanta extending through the upstate of South Carolina,

through Richmond, possibly even up close to Washington, D.C. That ice force has gotten worse in the last couple days. As far as snow totals go, historic in Oklahoma City, Louisville, not often you could get a foot of snow out of this. Same for areas of Cleveland in the northeast. If you're all snow, 12 to 18 inches, a little bit of a mix in D.C. in New York, will keep your totals down a little bit. And talking about the cold after this, this is Monday morning.

Tom, 21 degrees in Houston, five in Memphis. There's going to be schools closed across the board. A lot of negative temps as well. All right, Bill, we thank you for that. Some states already seen some action. Oklahoma City is set to get the worst of the storm. Candice sweat from our NBC, Dallas, Fort Worth Station is there, and Candice, it's already begun. Tom, we're expecting a mix of rain, sleet, and snow any minute now.

With the situation worsening over the next 72 hours, we're talking Oklahoma could get about 10 inches at least of precipitation. But I want to give you a look at where we are now. We're at one of the hubs for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. That is a big pile of sand and salt. That's what's being used to treat the roads all across the state. What we're looking at is about three or four stories of treatment. That's a lot. And then I want to take you over here to one of the loading trucks cranked up and ready to go. These are the trucks that are keeping hundreds and thousands of tons of sand and salt moving in and out of this hub throughout the state, throughout the night, ultimately with the goal to keep people safe. Tom.

Yeah, that first line of defense so the snow doesn't turn into ice. We thank you for that, Candice. The flight cancellations, they're already stacking up. George Solis is at the airport in Charlotte, North Carolina. And George, what are you seeing there? Yeah, Tom, we've been at the airport all day as people scramble to get on flights before they're grounded. This big board here is expected to look a lot. lot different in 24 hours as there are more delays in cancellations. Already, airlines have canceled more

than 5,000 flights through the weekend. Travel app Hopper is estimating some 15,000 delays before the weekend. Now, there's going to be disruptions across the country, but major airports at Dallas, Atlanta, here in Charlotte expecting to be impacted the most. And major airlines like American, Delta, and United, urging customers to reschedule or even waiving some of those rebooking fees. Tom? It's going to be a mess for travel. George, we thank you. That other major headline we're tracking today, an Olympic snowboarder who allegedly transformed into one of the world's biggest drug kingpins in the world was finally captured. Kelly O'Donnell has the details.

From world acclaim at the Olympic Games, Canadian rider Ryan Wedding. To the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Now captured and shackled. The manhunt for Ryan Wedding is over. He is the modern day El Chapo. He is the modern day Pablo Escobar. And he thought he could evade justice. No longer the daring athlete snowboarding the slopes for Canada. The 44-year-old surrendered in Mexico City Thursday night. Authorities say wedding built a vast criminal drug trafficking enterprise that pumped 60 metric tons of cocaine into the U.S.

He is also accused of conspiring to kill a witness. Wedding murdered one of the witnesses in his cases thinking that it would prevent him from being brought to justice, and that did not work. The FBI confiscated parts of his fortune, including high-end collectibles. We seized the Mercedes-Benz estimated over $15 million. We seized dozens of motorcycles worth approximately $40 million, and other valuable artwork and jewelry. Wedding had used aliases including giant and El Hefe. Authority suspected he altered his appearance while hiding out in Mexico for a decade. In November, the Justice Department increased the reward to $15 million, but declined to say if a payout is due.

To go down to Mexico, to find a guy who's been on the lamb for multiple years for some of the most egregious crimes on planet Earth, takes an interagency-wide effort. Monday afternoon, wedding will be in federal court in Los Angeles for his first appearance on multiple charges that relate to what officials call his billion-dollar cocaine operation. Tom? All right, Kelly, thank you. Minneapolis tonight. Massive protest against ICE immigration enforcement. Part of an economic boycott in the state, as we're getting new images from that controversial incident when a five-year-old ended up in ICE custody.

Here's Maggie Vespra. Tonight, despite the brutal... A brutal cold, a massive crowd of anti-ice protesters flooding downtown Minneapolis. It's part of today's statewide boycott on work, school, and shopping. What is wrong with you? What is wrong with you? That you would do that to a child. This, as we learn, new details about the case of five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias,

new video showing ICE officers escorting the preschooler into a black SUV. DHS says officers were targeting the father who was here illegally and had a deportation order, though a family attorney says he came lawfully and had applied for asylum. DHS tonight saying it has no record of an asylum claim, adding Arias ran from officers abandoning his son, and Liam's mother refused to take custody. Over those past four years, hundreds of thousands of children were trafficked across that border were definitely the experts at dealing with children, unfortunately.

We pressed Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who stressed Liam and his father, are together in a federal facility. We still have people saying that they're outraged at the idea of little kids being held in custody at all. So what do you say to those people and what kinds of conditions are young children being held in? As far as that family has not been separated, that child is in the least restrictive setting. possible. Tonight, a Texas congressman releasing video of the ice facility where they're being held showing libraries, schools, and basketball courts. All as a Minneapolis city councilman now says this two-year-old named Chloe is in ICE custody after her father was arrested as the pair were

driving home from the grocery store. Maggie, let's pick it up right there. The Department of Homeland Security is now responding to this new case. Yeah, Tom, that's right. DHS saying Chloe's father was indeed their target, that he was in the country illegally, and they had her mother refused to take custody and that the toddler is now with her father in a federal facility. Tom. Maggie Vespa for us. Tonight, five suspects are under arrest in the shooting of an Indiana judge and his wife in their home on Sunday. Sam Brock has a new details. Tonight, five suspects are under arrest in connection with the shooting of Indiana judge Stephen Meyer and his wife Kimberly. The ambush taking place Sunday with an attack right at the judge's home from his doorstep.

Someone advised we have your dog and a shot came through the door. Three of the suspects are charged with attempted murder and two with lesser offenses. Investigators identifying Raylan Ferguson as the shooter and Thomas Moss, who according to court records is a high-ranking member of the Phantom Motorcycle Gang. Moss was set to appear before Judge Meyer two days after Sunday's shooting for charges that included domestic battery and unlawful possession of of a firearm by a serious violent felon. His attorney in that case, telling NBC News he doesn't represent Moss for these new charges. Using surveillance footage from both the Myers' home and a neighbor,

police say officers observed a male who was wearing a black and gray-hitted flannel, black sunglasses, and appeared to have a white face mask. They say the shooter used a short-barreled shotgun with an obliterated model and serial number, which in Indiana State Lab was able to partially restore, leading them to another suspect. Investigators also. also swabbed DNA from a white silicone face mask found near the scene to identify the alleged shooter whose attorney was not immediately reached for comment. Authorities say Judge Meyer suffered an injured arm and his wife an injured hip in this attack. Judge Meyer is still recovering and noting in a statement that this horrific violence will not

shake my belief in the importance of peacefully resolving disputes. Sam Brock, NBC News. When we return in 60 seconds, the two-year-old boy rescued by police after he was kidnap when a thief stole his mom's car, the emotional video next. We're back now with body camp footage from Colorado showing police discovering a two-year-old boy inside of a stolen vehicle after an hours-long search. Here's Liz Kreutz. Hi, it's okay.

Tonight, authorities searching for the man who Colorado Springs Police say stole this SUV and kidnapped this little boy sitting alone inside. Hi, buddy. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. I'm with the police department. In the heart-wrenching body camera video, released and blurred by police, you can see an officer trying to comfort two-year-old Giovanni, who was crying and calling out for his mom. We're going to get your mama, okay?

Police say the car was stolen about two hours earlier after it was left running. Ring camera footage capturing the moment the suspect took off in the black Kia, followed by Giovanni's desperate mother running down the street pleading for help. I just set my car with my kid in it. Police issuing an Amber alert, eventually locating the car with the help of license plate recognition technology abandoned some five miles away. I know the officers in their mind were thinking, I hope Giovanni's inside. I hope Giovanni's inside. And then when they were able to find him, it was a relief for all of us. Tonight, the suspect's still on the loose.

But Giovanni, safe and back home with his family, who are thanking police for their quick response. What was that moment like when he was reunited with his mother? I don't know that I can describe that moment with words adequately. It's what we do this job for. Police calling this the best possible outcome for what would be any parents' nightmare scenario. Lyskroyce, NBC News. And we're back in a moment with a dramatic rescue caught on camera after this mail truck burst into flames.

Plus a major update, Justin, about Luigi Mangione. what we're learning about his trial. That's next. We're back now with a trial date officially set for accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione. His federal trial is now set to begin with jury selection in early September. The big question is whether prosecutors will be allowed to seek the death penalty. It comes more than a year after United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York. Also tonight, dramatic new body cam video from a fiery car wreck in Washington.

State. You see that mail truck as it burst into flames after it collided with another car. A sheriff's deputy pulled the mailman out with a bystander attempting to put out the fire. Police say the mailman was seriously hurt and that someone in the other car was hurt as well. And check out this new video of Antarctica. You can see an Australian cruise ship that got stuck in all that ice. They had to call in a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to come to the rescue. You see it there making its way through the ice. It was able to break through the escort and escort the cruise should say, away from danger. All right, when we come back tonight, the death-defined stunt, the American set to climb the skyscraper without a rope, live on TV. That's next.

Finally, tonight, legendary climber Alex Honnold will attempt something never done, scaling one of the most intimidating buildings in the world with nothing but his own two hands. Steve Patterson tonight with one man's death-defined attempt. No ropes, no gear, just me in the building. You heard him right, and yes, it is just as crazy as it sounds. One man, two hands, climbing 1,600 feet straight up, all to summit one of the tallest buildings in the world. And Netflix says, with absolutely no safety gear.

If you fall, you're going to die. The goat of free climbing, American Alex Honnold, taking on Taipei 101. If you look at a building like Type 101, you're just like, dude, it's so big. The climb originally scheduled live for tonight is now delayed. Parental guidance is suggested. Honnold is legendary for answering the call of very tall things. He's the star of the 2018 Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, profiling his pioneering free climb ascent of Yosemite's Al Capitan.

At the time, our own Gadi Schwartz asked if he would maybe finally put down the chalk. This has always been my biggest dream, and now that I've sort of achieved that, I'm like, maybe I'm good. You know, like, maybe that's, maybe it's good. Maybe I don't need to keep charging ahead. Turns out, Honnold was far from done, saying he's been training for months. Despite now being a father, Arnold says he's ready to take on that spire of steel and concrete. It will be the biggest urban free solar climb ever.

But until he kisses the clouds, consider our collective breath on hold. Steve Patterson, NBC News. An incredible challenge. Good luck to him. That's nightly news for this Friday. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching tonight and always. We're here for you. Good night.