NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Friday, November 28, 2025

Episode Date: November 29, 2025

Worldwide mandatory jet repair threatens to disrupt holiday travel; Suspect in National Guard shooting to be charged with murder; Millions search for Black Friday deals as consumers feel worse about economy; 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 major plane warning that could affect airlines across the country, and the new storm set to pound the east during the busiest travel weekend of the year. This serious alert for a popular jet used around the world over a flight control issue that needs to be fixed. That warning may affect thousands of planes and flights just in time for the rush home from Thanksgiving. So how bad could the disruptions be? Plus, the winter blast beginning tonight, the Midwest already getting here. hit, you see it there, more than a foot of snow predicted in spots, and big travel hubs like Chicago, Dallas, New York, bracing for impact. We're timing it out. New images from that attack

on National Guard troops showing the shooter and soldiers in the moments before and after. One guard member now dead. The new charges against the suspect and Afghan National. And the President's new pledge tonight to stop immigration from what he calls third world countries. And the other new threat from President Trump, warning strikes inside Venezuela are coming soon. The Secretary of Defense arriving on an aircraft carrier in the region. Chilling video of the terrifying moment, a driver repeatedly rams a lift car, with police now saying the man slamming into them was the passenger's partner. Huge Black Friday crowds at malls across the country, but are the deals as good as they used to be? And there's good news tonight about the Friday night lights show.

shining on a team lifting up one Texas town that's been hit so hard. Nightly news starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Good evening. I'm Hallie Jackson in for Tom. And we begin tonight with a one-two punch that could make getting home from the Thanksgiving holiday chaotic at best and a nightmare at worst. One of the biggest aircraft companies in the world, Airbus, now issuing a mandatory repair for one of its most popular jets. You see it there, the A320. Thousands of them are used across several big airlines, and the repairs couldn't come at a trickier time, with the busiest travel weekend of the year about to get started. And as if that weren't enough, a major storm is set to make things even more messy with that system set to sweep through

much of the country, from the Rockies to the Northeast. We've already seen snow blanketing some spots like there in Cleveland, so now everyone wants to know how bad is this going to get. in just a moment, but we start with our Valerie Castro at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Just as the busy holiday travel season begins, tonight a serious plane warning. Airbus and aviation officials worldwide ordering immediate repairs to its widely used A320 family of jets after discovering a software issue affecting critical flight systems. That means thousands of planes could be grounded until the software can be updated. This is a very major deal. It's going to take a few days to sort.

through this. Airbus acknowledging that the issue will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers. It comes after an October incident on a jet blue flight from Cancun to Newark. The plane packed with passengers making an emergency landing after a flight control problem causing a sudden drop in altitude, injuring more than a dozen on board. That led to a detailed review of what happened and the findings are what caused this action being taken today. It doesn't appear that it could have brought down an airplane. American Airlines, one of many carriers impacted by this, says the update process will take around two hours per aircraft to complete. Critical hours that could

cause delays during the holiday rush that's already facing complications from dangerous winter weather. Major snowfall continuing to slam the Great Lakes region, including this town in Ohio, and turning roadways near Cleveland into slick sheets of ice, all just ahead of Sunday, set to be the busiest travel day of the year. Valerie is joining us now. from Chicago. So Valerie, do we have a sense of how long all of this could take to sort itself out? Yeah, Hallie, starting at midnight tonight, these planes can't fly until they are fixed. And aviation experts believe it could be resolved in a matter of days. But until these updates are made, once those updates are made, the planes should be good to fly. Hallie.

Valerie Castro, thank you. And we saw in that story some of the snow already coming down, but it is only the beginning as this intense storm system is set to sweep across the country. Bill Cairns is tracking that for us tonight. Okay, Bill, where is it heading and what does it mean for those trips home? It means a lot of more people traveling on Sunday because they're not going to be able to tomorrow. It's going to be that bad interstate 80, 90, Chicago Airport, maybe St. Louis and even Minneapolis, too. So the storm is already on its way in, snowing, breaking out through areas of Iowa. So as we go through tomorrow, it's an all-day snow event, maybe a half-inch, inch, an hour. That's tough for the plows to keep up on.

That's where they're telling people to stay off the interstates. They don't want vehicles getting stranded where they can't plow the roads. By the time we get to Sunday, this mess all goes through the northeast, but it's warmer. So it's mostly going to be a rain event. The snow, I mean, this would be a big storm if it was the middle of winter, but as much as 6 to 10 inches from Omaha, Davenport, Des Moines, all there through Chicago, Milwaukee included in that too. So for travel tomorrow, Halley, by far the worst. Chicago Air Airport, St. Louis and Minneapolis, and anyone driving interstate 80 and 90.

Don't do it if you don't have to. That'll keep you busy this weekend, I'm sure. Bill, thank you. To our other big story today, the investigation into the shooting of two members of the National Guard here in Washington, D.C. The Department of Justice today saying the suspect will be charged with murder after one of those soldiers died from her injuries. Ryan Nobles has the latest. This dramatic video obtained exclusively by the Wall Street Journal shows the moment the gunmen ambushed members of the National Guard. Here you can see a revolver in his hand.

The video also capturing a guardsman opening fire on the suspect, who's now. facing a murder charge. There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree. Tonight, 24-year-old guardsman Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition, fighting for his life. 20-year-old Sarah Bextram died on Thanksgiving. She's just passed away. She's no longer with us. She's looking down at us right now. Adam Carr dated Bextram for years, only breaking up recently. He says she didn't want to go to D.C. at first, but ended up enjoying the work. She'd sent pictures all the time, just even patrolling, doing, you know, her duty, and she was happy.

He says Bextram hoped her time in the guard would open doors to a future working in law enforcement. What should we remember about her? I'll just how friendly she was, how big-hearted she was, how she was willing to do anything for anyone, and she'd never held a grudge against anyone, really. Meanwhile, tonight, law enforcement officials from coast to coast, pouring. into the background of the suspect Ramanala Lockenwall, including executing search warrants on his home in Washington State. Lockenwall, a refugee, arrived in the U.S. in 2021, part of a Biden-era program for Afghans that worked with the American military. He worked with the CIA and was granted asylum

by the Trump administration in 2025. Now, President Trump calling into question that program, suggesting he would pause all migration from third world countries and examine green cards. holders from certain countries. Sean Van Diver runs a program that helps Afghans who supported the American military resettle in the U.S. He is worried the actions of one person could put thousands of others in danger. This man has got to be held accountable to the full extent of the law, but you can't have community punishment for all immigrants because one jerk went and did a crazy thing. Ryan is joining us now from the hospital treating that injured guardsman. And Ryan, there's a potential change on the way to guard patrols.

in D.C., right, Halley. D.C. Metro Police say that they're going to step up their coordination with the National Guard. The Washington Post reporting that could include MPD officers patrolling the streets with the National Guard here in Washington, D.C. Halie? Ryan Nobles, thank you. We are also tracking the latest threat from President Trump, suggesting the U.S. military could begin strikes inside Venezuela, as he put it very soon. Kelly O'Donnell reports. A new sign of aggression coming from President Trump toward Venezuela, along with a new report of a phone call between the president and that country's leader, Nicholas Maduro, late last week, according to the New York Times. We'd warn them, stop sending poison to our country. Any direct contact stands out because the U.S. this week designated Maduro the head of a foreign terrorist organization and led three months of deadly strikes at sea.

Bombing vessels, the administration says, transport illegal drugs. More than 80 killed. Now President Trump is ramping up his threat. And we'll be starting to stop him by land also. The land is easier, but that's going to start very soon. This week, Maduro engaged in his own saber-rattling. However, theatrical, he also met with his military pledging to defend every inch of Venezuela. Tuesday, the president told reporters he might talk to Maduro, but did not indicate any call had already happened.

If we can save lives, if we can do things the easy way, that's fine. And if we have to do it the hard way, that's fine, too. Meanwhile, defense secretary Pete Hegseth visited the USS Gerald Ford in the Caribbean and stopped in the Dominican Republic amid the U.S. buildup. In waging this war on narco terrorists, we're willing to go on the offense. go on the offense in a way that changes the dynamic for the entire region. Kelly is traveling with the president in West Palm Beach and is joining us live tonight. And Kelly, any escalation with Venezuela could mean some new criticism for the president from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. We've already seen Democrats and a few Republicans who have questioned the legal justification for the Trump administration's operations in the Caribbean.

Congress typically must authorize military action in another country. The administration has defended its operations so far, citing national security to interdict the drug flow. Hallie? Kelly O'Donnell, thank you. Turning to the economy now and the Black Friday shopping rush, with 130 million of us expected to take advantage of today's sales. And while shoppers may be spending, they're not necessarily loving the deals they're seeing so far. Brian Chung is at, where else, a mall for us tonight. People literally racing into Black Friday. with gift cards at the door at Bass Pro Shops and goody bags for the first shoppers at Target.

From California to New Jersey, Americans across the country still showing up to stores and the mall in droves this Black Friday in search of deals. I feel like the percentages are getting lower and lower and lower. Like it used to be like 50% off and now it's like only like 30%. The discount dash happening as tariffs threaten higher prices. MasterCard saying leather gloves, sweaters and toys are among the most tariff gifts compared to last year. It also comes as Americans increasingly worry over affordability.

Recent readings on consumer sentiment falling to a seven-month low. Do you feel like you're going to have to make compromises on like gift shopping or your budget this year? Absolutely. Things are really expensive this year. And I think this is a great time to get some deals and kind of take some of the pressure off. Shoppers, we met last Black Friday. If the deal is right. Yeah. Telling us when we met up again today that the deals were just okay. Busters just aren't the same because they started a week ago already. Spending so far points to shoppers still opening their wallets as data on online spending showed a record 6.4 billion dollars spent just on Thanksgiving. For the entire holiday shopping season, spending is expected to cross the $1 trillion mark for the first time ever. Shoppers saying even if it's not about the spend, at least Black Friday is still about the spirit. We love doing this. It's part of our tradition and it's really just exciting to see what's out there.

Brian is joining us now from that mall in Paramus, New Jersey. And Brian, we are getting an early look at those online holiday spending numbers in just the last couple of minutes. Yeah, Hallie, we are just getting these numbers from Adobe saying that we are on track for almost $12 billion in online spending today. That would be a Black Friday record. Again, what we're talking about is online there. But whether you're shopping in person at the mall or online, we'll see if that momentum lasts through Cyber Monday, which is obviously going to be a major e-commerce holiday. Brian, Sean, thank you. In Washington State, police are looking for the man who they say repeatedly rammed his car into a lift that was carrying a woman he's in a relationship with. The whole thing caught on the car's dashboard camera. Here's Liz Croix. It's a terrifying incident in a lift ride chair. Shortly after picking up a passenger from work just before 5 a.m. in Washington State, police say a man in a separate car began aggressively following the vehicle, ramming into it, not once.

not twice but four times the crash is activating the car's collision detection system you need police fire medicate yes please we're someone is ramming us okay i'm calling 911 right now according to authorities the suspect is in a relationship with the ride share passenger it's unclear why he was following her, but police are calling it a domestic violence-related assault. Do you know him? A police patient, please. Where's the police station at? Police say the crash shattered the Toyota Camry's rear window and nearly pushed the car over a 20-foot embankment. This photo shows the damage. According to authorities, they eventually got out of the area into a police station, where both the driver and passenger were then treated for injuries.

Police now praising the driver, saying her actions prevented a tragedy. She was able to think quickly on her feet in the face of extreme danger. And, Hallie, officials say they're still searching for the suspect who they've not yet publicly identified. As for Lyft, they tell us they are ready to assist law enforcement in the investigation. Hallie. Liz Kreutz, thank you. The weekend after Thanksgiving tends to be when a lot of Christmas decorations go up at homes across the country. But this year, it's the prices going up, too.

Christine Romans explains. From those holiday lights to the Christmas tree and even the game. gifts that go under it. Tariffs making almost all of it more expensive this season. This first one is from Indonesia. That's 19%. Myanmar landed at 40%. At village lighting in West Valley, Utah, the holiday decorations they import and sell. There's one from India. That one hurt the most at 50% tariffs. Got a lot more expensive this year. It has been the most stressful, difficult, challenging year of 23 years of businesses that we ever had. So it's just a two-pack. Jared and Donita Hendricks are paying the price.

Who pays the tariffs? We pay the tariff. And they're not alone, with many retailers passing on some of those price increases to customers this year. The price of an artificial Christmas tree, 10 to 20 percent higher. And Christmas lights could cost 63 percent more this year. In fact, 87 percent of all Christmas decor is made in China, meaning it's subject to a more than 30 percent tariff. The Hendricks are only raising prices three to five percent. where they can, mindful that shoppers are exhausted by inflation.

They have to buy groceries. People don't have to buy a new wreath for Christmas. After having their best season ever last year, this year for the Hendrix is not looking so bright. What have tariffs done to your business this year? So it took a modest business that has grown every year for 23 years and flipped it upside down to the point where we don't know if we can survive. 19 romans, NBC News, West Valley, Utah. When we come back, there is good news tonight about moving forward and the team effort that lifted this hard-hit community to victory. Finally, there is good news tonight about a small Texas town devastated by flooding, now rallying around its high school football team. Our Morgan Chesky on the Friday night lights helping to heal a community.

In Ingram, Texas, the pride is clear for a team and the town they're fighting for. Whatever comes our way, we're going to take it on head on. Which is exactly what head coach Tate Damasco did July 4th. When rescue helicopters landed at Ingram High and the Guadalupe River raged amid a devastating flood, the team found a new game plan. We knew we had to go out and help our community. Senior Chris Alva using his dad. backhoe, clearing bridges for Army trucks to reach Camp Mystic. Teammates tackling cleanup, even delivering meals after practice.

We would work until however long they needed us and then we'd come home, wake up the next day and do it again. Then game football, their season starting with four straight losses. Linebacker Keith and Garcia unfazed. We have a lot of purpose on this team and we're playing for something bigger than just a sport. Spalding in the shotgun. And that's when the team putting their talent. First, started winning, making playoffs, and now chasing one of their best seasons ever.

With every win the team gets, what are you feeling? Just an excitement. It feels like Coach Damasco was right. We just need to stick together. Battle tested by tragedy. Tonight, these Warriors play for the place they call home. Maybe. Just maybe those people that went through all this could have three hours of separation from it.

It doesn't matter what happens here tonight. you're going to be remembered for something greater than football. If we could just be a simple, bright light in all these people's lives, then I think we've accomplished our mission. A win no matter what for a town reborn. Morgan Chesky, NBC News. Certainly a win no matter the score. That's nightly news for this Friday, but stick around.

We've got Big Ten football up next with Indiana at Purdue. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us at NBC, thanks for watching and have a great night. night.