NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, March 20, 2026

Episode Date: March 21, 2026

Trump weighs deploying ground troops; Lines at TSA checkpoints grow longer amid spring break travel rush; Strike hits Jerusalem’s Old City; 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, our exclusive new reporting, the Pentagon, presenting President Trump with plans to send ground troops into Iran. As the stock market tumbles on fears, this war will drag on. The explosion inside Jerusalem's old city, as part of an Iranian missile nearly crashes near some of the holiest sites on Earth. And new details on thousands more U.S. troops now rushing to the region, the options presented to the president to possibly send in ground troops, to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the new threat to American tourists tonight. Stock market meltdown, Wall Street in a free fall, as not only gas prices rise again, but mortgage rates as well. Catastrophic flooding in paradise, thousands,

told to evacuate in Hawaii, cars underwater, roads washed away, and the urgent warning that a dam may be about to break. The worst day yet for long lines at airports, passengers forced to wait as long as three hours and will tell you which major airports have private security and aren't affected at all. Plus, the flight crew carried off in stretchers after extreme turbulence on a Delta plane. Campus in Fear, an 18-year-old student, shot and killed just steps from her Chicago College. The killer still on the loose. The war hits the heartland hundreds lining the streets in Iowa for two fallen so

soldiers. The shattering images in Kentucky, a family clinging to a flag-draped casket and the Ohio father grieving his only son, what he's revealing about his private moment with the president. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. Last night we broke the news that the Pentagon was rushing more U.S. troops to the Middle East, including ground forces. And tonight we have a lot of the United States. And tonight, we exclusive new details that the Pentagon has laid out options for President Trump for boots on the ground inside of Iran. The president has repeatedly said he will not send in ground troops, while also

saying he wouldn't reveal that even if he was. And in Jerusalem today, take a look at this, Iranian missile fragments hitting the old city, landing just mere yards from some of the holiest sites in the world. And as the U.S. hits Iran with a new wave of strikes, this chilling warning from Tehran, that tourist centers around the world will not be safe. We've got it all covered from the White House to the Middle East. And we begin tonight with our Pentagon correspondent, Courtney Kuby. Tonight, the potential boots on the ground. For 21 days, the U.S. has been hitting the Iranian regime with airstrikes. We can have dialogue, but I don't want to do a ceasefire. You know, you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side. Now, in an effort to

Quickly end the war, NBC News Learning President Trump is weighing whether to send hundreds or even thousands of ground troops into Iran, according to five people familiar with the discussions. Several options are under consideration, those sources tell us. One aimed at opening the Strait of Hormuz includes deploying troops to several small islands in the Persian Gulf to stop Iranian attack boats from targeting oil tankers. Another option, take the oil facilities on Karg Island, depriving the Iranian regime of revenue. and potentially the most dangerous option, sending troops to secure and retrieve Iran's highly enriched uranium. President Trump overnight saying he would not send ground troops. No, I'm not putting troops anywhere. Tonight, he was pressed again.

If I told you the answer to that question, my military people would be very happy. But we have a lot of troops. We have unlimited ammunition. We have the greatest equipment in the world. And we are decimating Iran. It's about time. And frankly, it should have been done long before me. And just moments ago, the president posting,

we are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great military efforts in the Middle East. And Courtney, joins us now live. Courtney, how many troops could be involved here? Potentially hundreds or even thousands, depending on the option selected, though no decisions have been made. Now, none of the options involve large-scale deployments like Iraq or Afghanistan. The White House telling us tonight President Trump's has no plans to send troops anywhere.

Tom? Courtney Cuby with that new reporting tonight and the war today took a dangerous turn with a strike hitting Jerusalem's old city near some of the holiest religious sites in the world. Chief Foreign correspondent Richard Engel is there for us tonight. This was the moment when this war with Iran was just meters away from escalating perhaps to a point of no return. Around 4.10 p.m. an Iranian missile launched at Israel broke apart in mid-air, apparently hit by an Israeli interceptor. The warhead, according to Israeli police, dropped on the old city in Jerusalem, blasting a hole. Israeli police recovered pieces of the warhead, saying it was filled with dozens of kilograms of explosives. This is exactly where the explosion took place.

And if ever, there was a symbol of how difficult wars are to control and predict once they begin, this is it. This is only a few hundred yards from the holiest sights in the world. Luckily none of them were damaged, but had they been destroyed, this would be a totally different conflict. The crater is 300 yards from the wailing wall, the most sacred place for Jews. And the Alaksa Mosque, which sits on top of the wailing wall. And tonight is Eid, a Muslim holiday. And it was very close to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead. A single broken missile could have escalated this war.

into a religious one of global proportions. And as oil fields continue to burn, a spokesman for the Iranian armed forces directly threaten new targets, saying to American and Israeli military personnel that recreational areas, resorts, and tourist centers around the world will not be safe for you. A chilling threat there,

and Richard joins us now live, overlooking Jerusalem's old city. And Richard, explain to our viewers if one of those holy sites had been hit, it would have really changed things in this war. This was a very close call. No one was even injured, but it shows how uncontrollable these wars are and how little it takes for there to be an emotional event

that takes the war in a whole new direction. All right, Richard, we thank you for that. Back at home, the stock market today took another big hit with Wall Street fearing this war could drag on. Christine Romans covers business for us. And Christine, anyone who looked at their 401K today is likely seen some real damage. It's been a four-week losing streak for markets.

The worst since last spring when tariffs dominated the headlines here, the Dow, the NASDAQ, and the SMP 500, all lower here today. And all down nearly 10 percent from their recent highs. That would be called a correction. It was just last month that the Dow topped 50,000. It's down 5,000 points since then. The shock to the world's oil supply, driving prices up for both oil and gas. gas prices now up 93 cents a gallon since the war began. And Tom, it's also mortgage rates now affected by all of this. Now above six and a half percent for a 30-year mortgage. It was less than

a month ago that they were below 6 percent for the first time in years, Tom. And we reported that when it happened that night. All right. Christine, we thank you for that. We're tracking a potential catastrophe unfolding right now in Hawaii. Thousands forced to evacuate. wait. Their homes are flooded and waters are sweeping through the island of Oahu right now. Billy V of Hawaii News Now is there for us. From above, you can see the devastation. Entire street blocks on the Hawaiian island of Oahu completely underwater. Stalled cars submerged and stretches of farmland gone.

Below, a desperate scramble to safety. The water here rising above the windows. Some attempting to wade through chest high flood waters. And across the North Shore, thousands forced to evacuate in the dark. The Coast Guard will be out there to do search and rescue. If God forbid any of our loved ones have been washed away with housing, it's going to be a very, very touching go day. Tonight, the Wahiawa Dam, at risk of failure,

hundreds of homes below it, forced to evacuate. The dam, which has been safe, was getting close to 85 feet. That's why we sounded the alarms and made sure people could get over out of harm's way. The rain has been relentless, part of a second storm system pounding the islands this week. Months worth of rain causing dangerous conditions and significant damage. This home ripped away in heavy winds, crashing into the stream below. Tanner Morrow woke up to the sirens. He had minutes to choose what to save.

It was pretty much what you could fit in your arms and then go. It's definitely just been kind of harrowing. I mean, we're not used to bad weather. I mean, Hawaii is famously one of the sunniest places in the world. And Billy V joins us tonight from Oahu. Billy, those evacuations are underway right now. Yes, they are. As a matter of fact, Honolulu Police Department is here to make sure that people don't go into Hali Eve or town.

There are trucks and other apparatus that's being staged in this area. But once again, those evacuations continue. But the rain, it's supposed to continue Saturday and Sunday. All eyes on that damn. All right, Billy V, we thank you. To those long lines now at TSA checkpoints, which today grew even longer. Just as a new round of spring break travelers hit the nation's airports this weekend, Tom Costello's tracking it all for us. At critical choke point airports, those long TSA lines are going from bad to worse to even worse.

I mean, we're all way back to the fool court, so this is a lot. Three hour lines in Atlanta. How long are you waiting in line? I think it's been. like forever to my feet. NBC's Aaron Gilchrist is there. The advice has been to check online for TSA wait times, but they don't take into account the line before the line,

which could double your weight. Two to three hour lines at both Houston airports, NBC's Priscilla Thompson. Here at Bush Intercontinental, the line snaking through the terminal downstairs, almost to the parking garage. Same in New York and Miami. 35 days without a full paycheck,

5,000 of the 50,000 TSA officers are calling out, often working second jobs, more than 30% calling out in Atlanta and Houston, trying to pay the rent, mortgage, car loans, food, gas, and meds. A couple of days ago, I had to ask my 15-year-old daughter for gas money. Tatiana Finley and her husband are both TSA officers. I shouldn't have to go and ask my child to use her personal. birthday money for gas. In Atlanta, the world's busiest airport is under stress. What is your advice to travelers who are going to be flying out of Atlanta? Try to get to the airport at least three hours in advance. You'd rather be there too early than to be too late and increase your risk

of missing a flight. Meanwhile, four Delta flight attendants taken to the hospital in Sydney, Australia, after hitting turbulence on a flight from L.A. No serious injuries. Meanwhile, 20 U.S. airports use private security, not the TSA. They're not seeing the problems. That includes San Francisco, as well as Kansas City, as well as Sarasota. And right now, things are moving pretty well at those airports, Tom. Okay, Tom Costello, we thank you. We want to turn now to the impact of the war in Iran here at home, where more than a dozen families are paying the ultimate price and planning funerals for their sons and daughters who signed up to serve when father sat down with our Maggie Vesp.

Tonight, America's troops are coming home as the cost of war hits the nation's heartland. 28-year-old Master Sergeant Tyler Simmons was quarterback for his Columbus, Ohio high school football team and a lifelong aviation enthusiast. His father, Charles, says he loved being an airman. Tyler should have been burying me instead of the reverse. Instead of you burying your... Correct. Your only child?

My only child. Yes. my only child. Simmons was one of six crew members killed when their refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq last week during Operation Epic Fury. He knew no strangers. I mean, literally he could walk into this room and his presence just illuminated. His remains were returned to the U.S. in a dignified transfer ceremony this week. Tyler's father met with President Trump. We embraced and He told me I was a strong man. I said, no, my son was a strong man. And he said that he could respect the man that could look to the president and tell him exactly what he thinks.

The president said that to you. Yes. 13 U.S. service members have been killed in action since the war began. The majority hailing from or deployed with units stationed in the Midwest, including 26-year-old staff sergeant Benjamin Pennington, finally back with his family in Kentucky. In Iowa, crowds lined the streets as the bodies of Major Jeffrey O'Brien and Sergeant Declan Cody were driven to local funeral homes. The feeling of loss that those family members are experiencing right now is what really, really gets me in the heart. In the crowd, many military families. It could have been me. There's really nothing that is stopping that it could have been us.

Tonight, 13 American families are grieving unimaginable loss. We all give something, but Tyler gave everything. I'll never be a grandfather. And remembering their loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice. I want everyone to know. Tyler Simmons wasn't just an enlisted person. He was an individual. He was a great American.

And not just one of the casualties, but he was my son. Maggie Vespa, NBC News, Columbus, Ohio. And we are thinking about those 13 service members and their families tonight. When we return in 60 seconds, a college campus on edge. The hunt for a killer after a student was shot seemingly at random. What happened? That's next. We're back now with a desperate search in Chicago to find the person who shot and killed a college freshman out with friends near campus. Here's Sam Brock. Tonight, Chicago police on an urgent manhood for the person responsible for the shocking slaying of 18-year-old college student Sheridan Gorman.

It was a nailed in a ski mask for a non-black. Police say Gorman was out with three friends around 1.30 a.m., minutes from Loyola, Chicago on Lake Michigan. When a man approached them by the pier of this beach and fired a single shot. Miss Sheridan Gorman was kind of just the first in the group and the person they ran into shot her. Police say no one else was injured and they have not identified a motive as a campus finds itself on edge. This student who wanted to remain anonymous describing what he heard early Thursday morning to NBC Chicago. I got out of bed and I just heard the screaming. They were saying, come help us. We're over here. You gravitated to her. She had just this inner glow about her.

Jim Poglisi is a neighbor of the Gorman family in Yorktown, New York. His daughter telling him about the moment her high school heard the news. She goes, Dad, you could just hear the cries and the screams down the hallways. Gorman's family says Sheridan made people feel seen, safe, and loved. Sharing in a statement, we trusted that she would be safe, that trust was broken. As her father tonight conveying one message, tell everyone to go hug their kids. Sam Brock, NBC News. And we're back now with a judgment just in against Elon Musk.

The billionaire found liable for Miss Learie. investors when he bought Twitter in 2022. The jury finding that Musk deliberately drove down the company's stock price, but that he did not scheme to mislead those investors. That's nightly news for this Friday. I'm Tom Yamis. Thanks so much for watching tonight and always we're here for you. Good night.