NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, December 13, 2025

Episode Date: December 14, 2025

Suspect in custody after reported shooter near Brown University; Trump vows retaliation after two U.S. soldiers and an interpreter killed in Syria; Arctic temperatures, snow and flooding sweep across the U.S.; 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, breaking news, the active shooter incident at Brown University, school officials alerting students to lock their doors, silence their phones, and take cover. The late development's just in. Also breaking the deadly attack on American troops in the Middle East, two army soldiers and a civilian interpreter killed in an attack in Syria, according to the Pentagon, in what officials say, was likely an ISIS ambush. Tonight, President Trump's warning the U.S. will retaliate. Tenth of millions on alert for snow and Arctic cold, whiteout conditions in some areas causing massive pylums, jackknife trucks, and traffic backed up for miles,

where this is headed next and the sub-zero temperatures tonight. Newly released 911 calls from that deadly UPS plane crash in Kentucky. The sky's black, the plane just crashed. Hear from the witnesses who called in just moments after the flight went down. inside the secret mission to get Venezuela's opposition leader out of the country. And after accepting a Nobel Peace Prize, what is Maria Corina Machado's vision for the future? Skiing superstar Lindsay Vaughn, keeping up her comeback for the ages, how she finished in her second day at the World Cup. Plus a comeback of another kind.

As online shopping sets records this holiday season, why those big catalogs we all used to get in the mail are making a return. And there's good news tonight about hundreds of people stepping up and lighting up the night to spread holiday cheer. This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz Ballard. Good evening. We are coming on the air with breaking news tonight with a mass shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The school urging students in an alert to shelter in place, lock their doors, silence phones, and stay hidden until further notice. Brown University also saying that emergency personnel are on the scene, along with multiple law enforcement agencies. Our Stephen Romo leads us off tonight. Tonight in Providence, Rhode Island, a massive police response. The city's mayor informing

his community about the impact of a mass shooting at Brown University. But at this time, there are two deceased and eight who are critical but stable at Rhode Island Hospital. At 422 this afternoon, Brown University, with this war, for its community. There's an active shooter near Barrison Holly engineering, lock doors, silence phones, and stay hidden until further notice. A second alert came just less than 30 minutes later. Continue to shelter at this time, one suspect in custody. But then shortly after sending this message, police do not have a suspect in custody and continue to search. Tonight the mayor confirming there is no suspect in custody. The university having just

entered its final exam period. I'm at 355 Brook Street. Rescue 1 just transported one victim from 3.55 Brooks. Receive one victim transported from 355 Brooks. I also received a notification that they want everyone to get out of a building so that they can search every corner of the building to hunt for the shooter. The total number of those injured in this shooting is still unclear. They're now saying 20 victims. many details still uncertain, but Brown University now home to what appears to be a mass

casualty incident. Stephen Romo joins me now, and Stephen, you're monitoring what remains a very active situation. Yeah, Jose, Brown University has issued more alerts tonight, saying the situation is ongoing, urging people to continue to shelter in place as law enforcement is on site. And we're learning from the school that there were exam scheduled today in the building where that shooting took place, Jose. Stephen Romo, thank you. I want to bring in NBC News, National Law Enforcement and Intelligence correspondent Tom Winter.

Tom, what else are we learning about the investigation? Yeah, I mean, chaotic scene, Jose is investigators from the Providence Police Department, which is where Brown is located, the Rhode Island State Police, as well as the FBI who has an office in Providence. They've sent their evidence response team and their victims groups that will speak with the victims, try to get information, try to get statements that, of course, comfort them. All of that will pour into the investigation, which as of tonight we still do not have a motive or more information as to why this individual or individuals did this. It's information that we continue to track.

Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union, has a program set up for when these types of things occur to be able to pool resources and bring in ambulance crews from all over the state already tonight. It cruised as far as away as 20, 30 minutes from the area have all made it into Providence to be able to assist these victims. The initial radio calls indicate police were trying to get any victim who could walk out of the buildings into the emergency vehicles to be treated. We'll continue to stay on top of it, Jose. Tom Winter, thank you very much, and we will indeed continue to follow this and bring you the very latest, but we're also following another breaking story tonight, the Pentagon, saying two U.S. soldiers,

and a U.S. interpreter were killed in a deadly attack in Syria. Kier Simmons reports. Tonight, American military service members attacked and killed inside Syria. President Trump talking to reporters outside the White House on his way to the Army-Navy football game. We will retaliate. Trump saying the U.S. forces were ambushed. Three were killed, two soldiers and an interpreter. By Trump says, a member of ISIS.

We mourn the loss of three great patriots in Syria. We also have three wounded. It seemed to be doing pretty well. Central command saying the attack was by a lone gunman, that gunman then engaged and killed. The Pentagon says the attack occurred as the soldiers were conducting a key leader engagement in Palmyra, which is just a few hundred miles from a U.S. base in Altamph, Syria.

America has been reducing its presence in Syria, Since that country's dictator, Bashar al-Assad, fell almost exactly a year ago. There are fears that ISIS will grow as the United States withdraws its forces in the region. And these are legitimate fears. The Syrian official on state TV today said there had been warnings of a resurgence of ISIS in the region and that international coalition forces did not take Syrian warnings about the possibility of a breach by the organization seriously. Since the group was defeated, around 46,000 people remain in prisons.

NBC's Richard Engel visited a detention center earlier this year. It is full of ISIS fighters. Unable to send most of them home, officials this year began releasing thousands of lower-level detainees. Kier Simmons joins me now from the region. And Kier, this attack took place in a part of Syria not under the control of that country's new president. Yeah, Jose, that's according to a Pentagon official. At issue here, Syria has been caught between different actors like Israel, Turkey, and the Kurds. Tensions ISIS will look to exploit.

Jose? Kier Simmons, thank you. Let's bring in our senior national security correspondent, Courtney Kubi. Courtney, the president's threatening retaliation. What could that look like? Yeah, that's right, Jose. Now, in recent years, the U.S. has usually responded to attacks against Americans in Syria, strikes against ISIS facilities and leaders, often targeting buildings where they store their

weapons or equipment or sites with ISIS fighters. Today, Defense Secretary Pete Higsef posted a warning on social media to anyone who targets Americans saying that the U.S. will, quote, hunt you, find you, and ruthlessly kill you. Now, Sentcom maintains a list of possible targets that can be refined and on the president's desk in a matter of hours. But again, this tends to be facilities, not individuals. The U.S. military has continued to take strikes against ISIS, even since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, including an operation late last month that took out at least 15 different ISIS sites. Jose? Corny Kubi, thank you so much. We'll have the very latest tomorrow morning on Meet the

Press. Plus, Kristen Walker speaks with Senators Raphael, Warnock, and Rand Paul, right here on NBC. Millions across the country are under winter alerts tonight with dangerous temperatures bringing even more dangerous conditions, especially on the roads. Camilla Bernan has the latest. Tonight, 71 million people are under winter weather alerts as widespread snow wallops much of the country. The treacherous conditions causing this multi-vehicle crash in Illinois. And another huge pile-up in Iowa.

In Iowa City, wind chills at 20 to 30 below zero later tonight. As major cities like Boston, Philadelphia and New York are set to get their first measurable snow of the season overnight. Proceed straight east. Across the valley, you'll see a cluster of trees. Across the country, new video released today shows just how desperate people found themselves as floodwaters in western Washington state submerged homes and cars. They're making contact with them at the house. They're getting up the boat. Deputies helping two residents from this house in Deval escape the record high floods.

We have two on board with one dog. In this video, a deputy uses a drone to drop a live jacket to a man stranded on top of his vehicle. This home in Deming, Washington, taken away by the Nukesack River. And in Burlington, Maria Rose Bellow today going back home after water filled her neighborhood. It was all flooded, and the sheriffs were going door to door telling us to leave, and some of my neighbors chose to stay. A break in the weather, also giving many a chance to clean up. And yet, the National Weather Service now says it could happen all over again. Bottom line, we are not done.

We're not out of the woods with this particular event. We're halfway through. Even with these sandbags, a foot of water flooded this house. Cleanup is underway, but more rain tomorrow will add to the still standing water. An atmospheric river is taking aim early next week. Jose. Camilla Bernal, thank you. Police are investigating a deadly U-Haul explosion in Idaho tonight.

According to police, one person died when the truck apparently carrying propane and gasoline exploded. They say it appears to be an accident. There's no threat to the public. Tonight we're hearing, for the very first time, 911 calls from eyewitnesses who saw that deadly UPS cargo plane crash in Louisville last month. Ryan Chandler has more and a warning. Some of what you're about to hear may be disturbing. UPS plane was going to take off and it did not go. It went straight and down and caught on fire.

So many people you need to send everybody. Oh, my God, I'm freaking out. For the first time, harrowing 911 calls, revealing the chaotic moments this UPS cargo plane crashed in Kentucky last month. I am looking at the fire. The sky's black. The plane just crashed. Calls pouring in as 38,000 gallons of jet fuel ignited across a debris field half a mile long.

I just heard the boom and then all of a sudden I woke up and there's fire going up all the way up past the buildings up in the sky. The NTSB's initial investigation found this MD 11's left engine and the pylon attaching it to the wing fell off on takeoff, exploding over the fuselage, killing the three crew members and 11 people on the ground. Oh, my God, that's so many people just probably that. The NTSB still has to make a final determination on the cause of the crash. The damage is still apparent, says Louisville recovers. In just over a month, we have accomplished more to restore this community than many cities would achieve in three months. And as lawsuits pile up, UPS says it's keeping its fleet of MD-11s grounded, and that contingency plans are in place to continue reliable service.

Ryan Chandler and B.C. News. So let's head tonight. We'll go inside the Venezuelan opposition leaders daring escape from her country, plus we'll hear about her vision for her country's future. And skiing legend, Lindsey Vaughn, is back on the slopes with another big win in her career comeback. We're learning more tonight about the daring mission to get opposition leader Maria Corina Matalo out of VIII. Venezuela to accept her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. And now, with the U.S. ratcheting up pressure on the Maduro regime, she tells me of her vision for the future. This week, after more than a year in hiding, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria

Corina Machado, appearing in Oslo, Norway, as a Nobel laureate. But her journey to get there was no simple task. This operation from a difficulty perspective on a scale of 1 to 10 was about 106. U.S. Special Forces veteran Brian Stern planned and helped her escape from Venezuela. I was not thinking I'm rescuing a Nobel Prize winner. I'm thinking I'm rescuing a mom who's trying to get to her kids. That successful mission, making this family reunion possible after a long time apart. Machado's daughter, Anna Corina Sosa, who accepted her mother's Nobel Peace Prize,

speaking with me today about what the moment meant for her. Anna Corina, what's that hug been like? I was saying I've been, I've been dreaming about that moment for what seems like the longest time. I haven't seen her for two years because going to Venezuela means risking our lives. It was just my brothers and I and my mother's husband just wanting to see her to hug her, to embrace her and smell her. It was very emotional. In an exclusive interview before she left while still in hiding, Machado telling me her vision and her mission for Venezuela without Nicolas Malice, would change Latin America and the world.

As soon as Maduro goes, and this regime goes, we will fight for democracy in Cuba and in Nicaragua. And for the first time in history, we will have the Americas free of communism and dictatorship and narco-terrorism. Anna Corina also telling me today that her mother, Maria Corina, will return to Venezuela. We're back in a moment with even as online shopping is breaking records. We're taking a look at what's behind the comeback of the traditional paper count. We're back with another big win for skiing legend Lindsay Vaughn as she keeps up her massive comeback this weekend.

Vaughn finishing second today in a World Cup downhill competition. It comes a day after she became the oldest skier to ever win a World Cup. The holiday shopping season is in full swing tonight, and we've already seen records being broken for online shopping this year. But as Valerie Castro reports, holiday catalogs that we get in the mail could be making a comeback as well. Making a list and checking it twice while looking through a catalog to see what you'd like. So what do you want for Christmas? This one, this one, this one, this one. Check your mailbox, and you'll probably find one, With retailers like Nordstrom, Amazon, and Walmart jumping on the holiday catalog comeback.

This reminded me of my childhood so deeply. Nordstrom relaunching its catalog this year, a 100-page spread with toys, tech, and fashion, plus gift tags and stickers to mark top items. The holidays is a time of tradition and festivity and at a time where everyone's talking about all the new technology out there, all the changes that are happening. Catalog gives us the opportunity to connect with customers in their home. connecting at home and in different ways. Consumers not just circling glossy pages, nearly half of Gen Z shoppers scanning QR codes directly from them. Natasha Telleroli says it's a throwback to when she was a child.

Those were the happiest memories, getting those in the mail in the early 2000s and thinking that I could just circle anything and Santa might bring it to me. Those happy moments, exactly what experts say retailers want to trigger. Its idea of means of creating emotional energy before they get to the store.

Email, social media, online stores, and whatnot. Just don't match up the same emotional energy as having something in your hand. You can pass around. While 42% of Americans say they're excited to see a holiday catalog in the mail, some are a little overwhelmed. They circle to every single item, like, literally.

For others, it's a gift in itself. Something about having a physical catalog or magazine that's just really inspirational. So yes, even as an adult, I'm still looking at the catalogs and getting excited about things that I could ask for. Valerie Castro, NBC News. When we come back, there's good news tonight about the special occasion

that lit up hundreds of people on this crowd. There's good news tonight. So often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad. So every Saturday, we highlight. of many people who spread joy and love, and these are just some of those stories this week. How's that for a standoff? That's Emiliano Covar Rubius on an all-expenses paid trip to watch his favorite football team. The 11-year-old cancer survivor had never been to an NFL game, so the Advocate Children's Hospital teamed up with the Chicago Bears to make his first one extra

special. Emigiano meeting the players. who wore shirts with his name on them. This shoe right here? Wow, well, that was pretty cool. And then, victory for the bears. Austin. Nice to meet you. Are you the one that saw me?

I am. Wow. In St. Louis, Rob Hanselman finally meeting the hero who saved his life. I'm unfortunate. Rob went missing last year when he was swept away in flash floods. He was trapped for two days until Austin Perkins found him. at the riverbank and got him to safety. I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for you.

But now, that former stranger has become family. You're my new brother. Oh my God, it's amazing. In Altadena, California, a life-changing surprise. Best part, man. Love you, brother. That's Brandon Castro, receiving a new RV home just in time for the holiday.

months after the eaten fire ripped through the region. That gift donated by Woody and Luna Faircloth, a father and daughter who founded the nonprofit emergency RV.org for victims of natural disasters. Families. You know, family's really important to him. It's important to us too. Guys are amazing, man.

Love your brother. And you've never seen a crowd light up like this. At Levine Children's Hospital in North Carolina, a night illuminated with hope. Hundreds of people gathered outside for the annual Lights for Levine event, sending a message of support for the patients inside, including 17-year-old Zoe Brown, So many people showed up. What were you feeling?

Really grateful that so many people felt the need to come and just, like, show support. That was really, really sweet. It felt very personal for everyone, and all the staff were so excited, too. For Zoe, these lights are a reminder to keep going. For us, as, like, older teens, it's like the hope of getting to be on the other side of it. What do you think the message, the bigger message was? To show the patients that they're not alone and they're, like, so cared for, it felt festive, but on a deeper level than that, it was just about connection. That's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday.

Hallie Jackson will be here tomorrow night. I'm Jose de Asbal Art. Thank you for the privilege of your time. And good night. Oh my, I do you know, I know.