NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, June 26, 2026

Episode Date: June 27, 2026

Miraculous rescues after deadly Venezuela earthquakes; Trump orders retaliatory airstrikes against Iran; State of emergency over Utah wildfire; 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.

Breaking news tonight, the miraculous rescues in the rubble, even as we've learned hundreds more have died after the earthquakes in Venezuela. The incredible rescues. Look at this. A baby pulled from the debris, an entire family saved after hours trapped in mangled concrete. New images from above of the widespread devastation. Tens of thousands still missing. Also breaking late tonight, the U.S. striking sights in Iran. The American military's first attacks since that agreement was reached, why the U.S. says it's retaliation. Wildfire emergency, the worst wildfire ever in Utah out of control, and the car explosion in Arizona igniting new flames. The surprise twist in the arson case against the man accused of sparking California's most destructive wildfire. The mistrial tonight. Dramatic house explosions, a doorbell cam,

watch this, capturing the moment when 700 pounds of fireworks inside a house, get set off and this neighborhood leveled in Ohio. A small plane crashing into Beijing's tallest skyscraper, debris raining down, terrifying bear standoff, a woman and her dog coming face to face with a grizzly, how they managed to get away. Gracie the giraffe finally found after escaping a ranch, the drone footage that located her.

And our series, Great Americans. Tonight, ballet prodigy Misty Copeland speaks with Tom about living out the American how she broke the glass ceiling at the American ballet, and now she's paying it forward. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Good evening. I'm Hallie Jackson in for Tom tonight,

and as we come on the air, time is running out to rescue thousands of people trapped under the rubble after those catastrophic back-to-back earthquakes in Venezuela, where the numbers from the government are staggering. Nearly a thousand people killed, more than 3,000 hurt. And tonight, about 50,000 are still missing. But even as we speak, new hope is emerging. Take a look at some of these stunning new images of children.

Look at that. Kids being pulled from the debris after being trapped for about two days. And we saw more incredible rescues like this man who made it out alive. From above, you can see the jaw-dropping scale of the destruction and how devastating this disaster really is. That's after what we're seeing here. new video, watch this from the moment the quakes hit. These crowds running for their lives, rushing to get out of a busy mall as it started to shake. Right now, the U.S. military is on

the ground to help, but for many families, the hours ahead will be critical and agonizing as they rush to find their loved ones trapped in the debris. Our George Solis starts us off. Tonight, the incredible rescues inside that pink blanket. A baby pulled out of the rubble and the emotional reunion. Getting a kiss from her dad. 48 hours after those deadly earthquakes, amazingly, they're still finding people alive in Venezuela. Watch, as this boy is rescued from a collapsed building, and then what appears to be his parents, first his mom, and then his dad.

Elsewhere, this four-year-old rushed to an ambulance after he was rescued. And the survival stories are astounding. I held onto the door frame as the floor collapsed. I clung so tightly I broke my finger, this woman says. And cheers, as this man is pulled from a pile of twisted concrete and steel. From the air, the destruction here is staggering. So many high rises now flattened. And tonight, we're seeing new images of those frightening moments when the back-to-back earthquakes hit,

Crowds rushing for the exits. Pandemonium at this street party, which was taking place as the ground began to shake. And in this dance studio, they scrambled for cover. All this search efforts are ongoing and the death toll keeps rising. Near the epicenter in La Guida. This woman says she had to bury several family members. And tonight we spoke with Rick and Adriana Prague. Their 18-year-old nephew Diego was just rescued.

but their 14-year-old niece, Sophia, is still missing. We were prepared for her 15 birthday party, so we're hoping to find her. You have to hold on to hope and imagine that there is a chance to still be alive in that rubble. We would think so. Hopes until we find her body, you know, are still high, right? So many people holding on to hope.

George is with us now from a crowded donation site in South Florida. A lot of volunteers there, George. Sounds like you're seeing a big spike in the number of people turning out to donate. Yeah, that's right, Haley. All day, this crowd has grown outside the global empowerment mission working both in the heat and the rain. And now organizers tell me the U.S. State Department has greening all of this relief to get to Venezuela by this weekend. Hallie. George Solis, thank you.

To that breaking news now late tonight, President Trump ordering retaliatory airstrikes after Iran attacked a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Our Courtney Kubi is joining us. Now, Court, what do we know so far? Yeah, Halley, the U.S. military carried out airstrikes against Iranian missile and drone storage sites and against coastal radar sites, according to U.S. Central Command. The strikes in response

to Iran attacking a Singapore-flagged commercial ship as it was exiting the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, which President Trump called, quote, a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement. Now, it comes after the Iranian regime had promised to stop attacking tankers in the strait, and oil prices have been

plummeting, today down to $69 a barrel, lower than they were before the war began. But tonight, Iran is already vowing to respond. Hally? Courtney Cueby, much to watch. Thank you. Back here at home, we've learned about a state of emergency in Utah, which is now battling its worst wildfire ever.

More than 70,000 acres already incinerated. And a new warning tonight, things could get worse soon. Dana Griffin reports. Tonight, devastating wildfires creating a state of emergency in Utah. thick smoke and an orange glow seen for miles. This is likely the most destructive and costly fire in terms of property damage that the state has ever seen. The Cottonwood Fire now more than 70,000 acres, turning building after building like Evan Stapley's cabin to ashes. I cried. I've got too many memories.

The National Weather Service issuing Salt Lake City's first, particularly dangerous situation, a red flag warning similar to the the one given before last year's deadly L.A. wildfires. Utah's governor now banning most fireworks ahead of July 4th. He says the current drought, combined with a forecast for high winds, make conditions ripe for disaster. Those trees there, they look the same as they've looked every other year, but they're not. They're dying inside. They're Roman candles just waiting to be lit. In Arizona this week, a vehicle fire turning explosive, forcing officials to shut down the highway in both directions as flames ravaged 30 acres nearby. Extreme heat is also on the radar heading into next week, where some cities across the

Upper Midwest and Great Lakes are expected to hit the upper 90s. While back in Utah, dismayed residents are reckoning with the destruction, with new fires now growing around the state. Dana Griffin, NBC News. To that surprise tonight, in the case against the man accused of starting the massive and deadly palisades fire in California last year. The judge today declaring a mistrial. Camila is following this one. And Camila, this happened after the jury couldn't agree on a verdict, right? Yeah, that's right, Halley. The judge declared a mistrial after the jurors couldn't reach a

unanimous decision on whether 30-year-old Jonathan Rinderkinesh was guilty or not. The attorney representing him says his client was used as a scapegoat and blames the city and the fire department's response for that catastrophic fire. The government says they believe he is. is still responsible. One juror spoke out after court saying she didn't think there was enough evidence to blame him for that entire fire. The defendant will remain detained until the new trial, which is already scheduled for October 19th. Hallie? Camilla Bernal, thank you.

Stunning video to show you tonight of two separate home explosions in two separate states, with officials now scrambling to figure out how each happened. Maggie Vespa has a closer look. Caught on camera. A stunning home explosion. in Washington State. You see debris and smoke filling the air. Watch again, that ring camera video. Capturing the critical moment Wednesday when authorities believe a lit cigarette ignited some 700 pounds of fireworks stored in the home. It was like a worsen anger that there was somebody

that close. Here's another view of the blast. Authorities in Whidbey Island say three firefighters were injured, two homes destroyed, and a third belonging to Tanya Hernandez, damaged. They were exploding over and over and over. Yeah, it was bad. Authorities not yet IDing those responsible. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is investigating. Meanwhile, in Ohio, drone video shows the aftermath of another home explosion near Cleveland, after authorities say utility crews accidentally struck a gas line Thursday. We have a gas exploded into the house. This time, 20 homes damaged and three destroyed.

There is a working fire for the house that exploded, and two adjacent homes right next to it on either side are currently in golf. In Ohio, two people injured. Authorities in both states grateful no one was killed. This is a miracle in itself. Maggie Vespa. NBC News. To China now.

where a small plane crashed into the tallest building in Beijing with debris raining down as people rushed to safety. Janice McEugh-Frayer is there for us tonight. The aircraft hit Beijing's tallest building, sending debris tumbling dozens of stories into the streets. The area around the 109-story structure closed off by authorities. From another tower, a view of what appeared to be a small plane. Where did it hit, someone asks.

people inside the building rushed to get out. Hours later, there was still no official confirmation that it even happened. The police presence continuing well into the night. In that darkened section of the tower, you can see the lights where they're working to repair the damage. Across social media, photos of what appeared to be a piece of the aircraft registered to a flight training operator. Tracking data showing it took off from an airfield east of Beijing. Airspace over the city, tightly restricted, and under new laws, even drones are banned. China's censors scrubbing the internet here of any images of the crash, only intensifying the mystery around it,

while Chinese state media, so far, has reported nothing. Janice Mackey-Fraer, NBC News, Beijing. We have an update now in a story we brought you last night in our series, The Cost of Denial. A pair of senators from each party on the Senate Armed Services Committee, to our report about a military family denied certain autism therapies for their son from the DOD's health care program known as TRICARE. Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Senator Eric Schmidt today sending this letter to Secretary Pete Heggseth calling on the Pentagon to authorize coverage of applied behavior analysis as a basic benefit under the TRICARE program.

We'll keep you posted on any response. When we return in 60 seconds, this grizzly bear stalking a woman and her dog. Look how close it gets, how she finally got away. And the week's long search for Gracie, the runaway giraffe, finally found on this drone footage. So why haven't they actually captured her yet? Back now with some scary new video of a close call with a grizzly bear in Alberta, Canada. Look at this. You see the bear trailing the dog and the woman behind the camera before it starts running. Watch this running around them. Just feet away. Listen, you're going to hear the woman trying to get the bear to back off. Bad. The bear eventually did go.

Somehow she managed to keep her phone in hand for the whole thing, too. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. And also tonight, Gracie, the missing giraffe has finally been found from above, spotted, pun intended. You see her in this drone video in Texas. She was on the loose for about two weeks, but a local sheriff there said she was found about four miles from home. And that Gracie's owner is now getting a veterinarian and a whole team in place to get Gracie back safely. When we come back, she's as graceful as she is groundbreaking. Our sit down with powerhouse ballerina Misty Copeland, this week's Great American.

Back after this. Finally tonight, our weekly series about Great Americans, where we speak with those who have achieved so much about their lives and this country. Tonight, Tom spoke with an incredible ballerina who broke barriers and now inspires young girls and boys across the country. Our great American this week, Misty Copeland. What do you love about America? The ability to be whoever you want to be, to become more than your circumstances, to have dreams that can truly be fulfilled. She's a once-in-a-lifetime ballerina, a trailblazer and a role model. It's something Misty Copeland never dreamed of growing up in poverty.

It was at 13 years old at the boys' boys. and Girls Club that I was introduced through this free ballet program to the local ballet teacher. And in that first class, she said to me, I think you're a prodigy. Dancing on point, or on your toes, normally takes years to master. Hoplin was doing it within months. Did you realize at that point, I have a gift? I was being told, but it was not something that I was really paying attention to. I grew up in a household where, you know, there was a single parent.

We were houseless for most of my upbringing. At the time that I started ballet, me and my five siblings were living in a one-bedroom motel. Do you think there was a part of you that thought maybe these ballet shoes are my ticket out of this life? Eventually, yes, that definitely became something that pushed me. You know, this feeling that I could be part of something that's bigger than myself. I could leave the circumstances that I'm in. Copeland's rapid rise at the world-renowned American ballet theater wasn't easy, partly because there was nobody who looked like her.

I'm in a company of over 90 dancers, and I'm the only black woman. She says she was told she didn't have the typical ballerina body. When I became a professional, there was a shift in the conversation, And I'm like, how did I go from being a prodigy to no longer having the ideal body? What I've kind of deciphered in the language is like this is this is an acceptable way of saying you don't belong in this art form. You don't have the right skin color. But her performances quickly redefined who ballet was four in America. What was like the first big accomplishment that you're like, oh, wow, I'm on my way?

Being cast as the firebird to see the turnout on that first night in New York. New York City. The house of the Metropolitan Opera was sold out and it was full of black and brown people and a lot of young people. It was the first time we saw something like that. It was a cultural shift in the way that I think people looked at what ballet means to America and that it can be inclusive when people see themselves reflected. She became the first and is still the only African American female. principal dancer in American Ballet Theater's 85-year history, inspiring leagues of young ballerinas. She took her final bow last year and is now giving back to the community

that gave so much to her. One, two, up, three, four. The Misty Copeland Foundation offers free dance classes to kids in underserved communities and includes a pathway to formal training at prestigious dance schools. We have free ballet programs in the Bronx and in Harle. That's how you, I mean, that's how I was given an opportunity and we're going into community centers and spaces where people never would have imagined they could take a ballet class. What would you say to a little girl who's out there who is maybe going through something very tough and she wants to do something that is very hard to do, like become a ballerina? What would you say? It's so important to trust your instincts and to know that this is truly something you want to do. It's so important to have a support system and build that and have people to turn to, especially on those days when it's tough and maybe you feel like you can't do it.

That truly has been the power behind me and my success. A great American paying it forward. That is nightly news for this Friday. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us at NBC, thanks for watching and have a great night.