NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Saturday, November 15, 2025

Episode Date: November 16, 2025

Record rain lashes Southern California; President Trump feuds with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over Epstein files; President Trump says he’s “sort of” made up his mind about military action in Venezuela; 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, record rainfall lashing California, millions under floodwatches, hundreds forced to evacuate. Mudslides littering this road, and the storm already turning deadly. At least one person swept away by floodwaters. The storm on track to bring the most rainfall to Los Angeles in decades, and now the region's bracing for another storm. President Trump facing new backlash from inside his own party. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, a former ally, criticizing him for not releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. The president responding, blasting green, and withdrawing his endorsement.

Just in tonight, Venezuela's opposition leaders saying the decisive hour is imminent. As President Trump says, he may have made up his mind about military action inside that country. And as the U.S. carries out new strikes in the Caribbean, Colombia's president tells our Richard Engel why his country is cutting some ties with the U.S. A new city now the target of an immigration crackdown were on the ground in Charlotte as federal agents arrive. The growing catastrophe in Gaza, the new warning about a medical disaster as winter approaches.

New revelations in the fatal shooting of beloved football coach John Bean featured in the Netflix documentary Last Chance U, what we're learning tonight about the suspect. An inside look at the Ellis Island of the South as Miami's Freedom Tower marks a major milestone. And there's good news tonight about the special reunion between this young man and his football hero. How are you?

This is NBC Nightly News with Jose Diaz Ballard. Good evening. We begin tonight with a major storm taking aim at California. Right now, millions are under flood alerts as record rainfall lashes the region. People on alert for devastating mudslides like, this one that sent rocks and debris crashing down on the road below. It's all because of a storm system called an atmospheric river taking aim at Southern California, a region especially vulnerable after recent wildfires. We have team coverage tonight, beginning with

Morgan Chesky leading us off from Malibu. Tonight, a dangerous drenching putting Southern California on high alert, an atmospheric river, leaving 23 million people under flood watches and creating conditions that have already turned deadly. In Los Angeles, a close call. Surveillance video capturing this tree, toppling onto a city bus, and Katie McFarlane's car. It was so, so scary. It was the biggest crash I'd ever heard.

In the canyons, road crews working nonstop to keep rock slides at bay, as other salvaged cars that lost control after nearly 24 hours of nonstop rain. Tyler, the creator, postponing his music festival at Dodger Stadium, promising full refunds, blaming the storm that became a torrential downpour. If rain keeps falling is forecast. L.A. could see its wettest November since 1985. To the north at a Monterey Beach, a frantic search to find a missing five-year-old girl. After authorities say her father died trying to save her when she was swept into the sea.

The storm that passed through created a large swell that's, generated very big waves. Back down south, tonight's growing risk, mudslides. Sheriff's farm it. Deputies evacuating hundreds of people living near burn scars, from the Pacific Palisades to Altadena. You have a hillside that burns, you don't have the foliage and the leaves to slow down the drops intensity when it hits the earth. So what happens, debris flows, mud slides. Morgan joins us now from Malibu. Morgan, when my people who evacuate to be able to return to their homes. Yeah, Jose, the majority of those evacuation orders and warnings are set to expire tomorrow morning.

But as for tonight, fire officials urging everyone to stay inside and off flooded roads, if possible. Jose. Morgan Chesky in Malibu, thank you. Let's bring in meteorologist Matt Brickman from our NBC, New York station. Matt, good evening. This is a big storm, and there's another system on the way? Yeah, Jose, you're right. And this is happening because of something called an atmospheric.

River. Basically, this is a stream of moisture-packed air sending all that water towards the coastline. And once that water hits something like the mountains, we see heavy rain and snow. And that will come in two waves. The first one now through Sunday, bringing rain and snow through the Great Basin and into the Rockies. And then another storm coming down the coast into the day on Monday, renewing that flood threat, especially in areas with burn scars that can't absorb the water that well, two to three inches of rain for typically very dry areas leading to all those flooding concerns. Jose? Matt Brickman, thank you. Also tonight, President Trump clashing with a long-time Republican ally

over releasing the Epstein files. The Rift is now threatening to divide the president's party. Yamish Alcindor reports. Tonight, President Trump in an escalating feud with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green, for years, one of his most prominent supporters. At the center of their fight, the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the push by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Green, to get more information released about his crimes. Today, President Trump writing, Marjorie Trader Green is a disgrace to our great Republican Party, part of a series of posts about Green, including this one, in which he said he was withdrawing his support and endorsement of the Georgia Congresswoman, saying all I see wacky Marjorie do is complain, complain, complain. A far different tone than the one he's had for Green in the past. Hello, Marjorie.

She's a warrior. Oh, there she is. Oh, look at her. How beautiful. Green has long been one of President Trump's most loyal supporters. Let's get him back in the White House for four more years. Today's saying she is now getting threats following the president's attacks against her, which have been escalating since a lawmaker yesterday posted.

It's astonishing, really, how Hardy's fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out. that he actually goes to this level. Last night, President Trump downplaying his own ties to Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years. And the president not ruling out pardoning Galane Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence on sex trafficking charges in connection with Epstein. I don't rule it in or out. I don't even think about it.

The president has never been accused of wrongdoing linked to Epstein. Early next week, the House is expected to vote on whether to force the Justice Department to release more Epstein case files. Yamiche joins me now from the White House. Yamish, Congresswoman Green has been criticizing the president on other issues as well. That's right. She has also said President Trump has spent too much time focused on foreign policy

and not enough time on lowering the cost of living for Americans, though the president has pushed back on those claims. Jose? Amish, Sassendor, at the White House, thank you. And Kristen Welker has a big lineup tomorrow on Meet the Press. to mean tomorrow morning right here on NBC. To Latin America now, Venezuela's opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Maria Corina Machado is telling the Venezuelan armed forces, quote, what is going to happen is happening. The decisive hour is imminent. This is President Trump escalates his pressure campaign against the Maduro regime, saying he may have made up his mind about what to do in Venezuela. Richard Engel reports.

In Caracas, Venezuelans took to the streets in a state-organized rally in support of their authoritarian leader, Nicholas Maduro, who's prepping his country for a possible American invasion. But Maduro also seemed to extend an olive branch to avoid a war with the U.S., saying, in English, he wants peace. The love and peace. The peace are love. In neighboring Colombia, President Gustavo Petro cut intelligence ties with the U.S., protesting lethal military strikes on boats, allegedly carrying narcotics. I met Mr. Petro at the presidential palace in Bogota for his first interview since making that controversial move. We don't pass along the information because then we'd be complicit with a crime against humanity.

Do you believe that the ships that have been attacked by the United States were carrying drugs? Maybe, maybe not. We don't know, but according to due process, the civilized treatment of people, they should be seized and detained. President Petro was also critical of the U.S. sending thousands of troops and an aircraft carrier to the region. What is your reaction to this massive U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean? It is undoubtedly an aggression against Latin America. All this activity seems to be more of a transformation from the war against drugs into a matter of political and military control of Latin America by means of fear.

The American military build-up and show of force in the Caribbean is continuing to escalate with the Pentagon announcing new exercises in Trinidad and Tobago starting this weekend. Jose? Here in the U.S., President Trump's immigration crackdown is expanding to a new city tonight. Charlotte, North Carolina, with federal agents making arrests there today. Ryan Chandler is there. A show of force in Charlotte as Border Patrol moves in. Just show me your idea again.

This is bull-h-h-h-ha-what-the-h-h. Across the city, contentious encounters. Agents seen here detaining a man outside a laundromat. One woman yelling at agents who questioned. workers at her home. Get the hell out of my yard. DHS confirming they're surging law enforcement here to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed. Outside his Latin bakery, Manolo Betancourt stands guard, a whistle around his neck.

How do people feel this morning? Fear, man. I think I'm going to be closing the doors today and I don't know when I'm going to open. You know, it's not worth it. His bakery is a staple of this neighborhood. But today, he's mindful of being a magnet for immigration enforcement. I carry my American passport. Nowhere in the Constitution says American citizens has to carry the passport to show than there are citizens.

Local leaders preparing for days for this new immigration crackdown. No one here is called in the National Guard. No one here is called in Border Patrol. We know how to take care of our city. We know how to protect our city. and we simply do not need them here. Today, hundreds gathering in protest. All you night for more action as officials urge calm tonight.

Ryan Chandler, NBC News, Charlotte. Just in tonight, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is out of the hospital after he fell during a serious cardiac episode this week. Federman posting this photo with a large scar across his face, saying he needed 20 stitches. We turn now to the Middle East and the deteriorating conditions for people living in Gaza. Matt Bradley is in Tel Aviv tonight, and Matt, the winter weather setting in is making conditions there are even worse. Yeah, that's right, Jose, in Gaza, where about 90% of the population have already been displaced, the situation is critical. Whole families soaked along with all their belongings.

Tense cities turned to rivers. The United Nations is saying that five weeks into this ceasefire, Israel is still restricting deliveries of crucial items like tents. That's an accusation that Israel denies. Gaza's civil defense spokesperson warning of a catastrophe because of the rain. He said the mixing of rainwater with sewage could lead to a health crisis. And that was the real first rain of the winter. There's going to be a lot more over the coming months as temperatures plus.

How did I say? Matt Bradley in Tel Aviv, thank you. Still ahead tonight, new information and the fatal shooting of a beloved football coach featured in a Netflix documentary, what we're learning about how he knew the suspect. Plus why Pope Leo rolled out the red carpet for Hollywood celebrities at the Vatican today.

Back now with the Hollywood, welcome at the Vatican. Pope Leo the 14th, hosting dozens of celebrities, including Kate Blanchett, Greta Gourwig, and Spike Lee for a special gathering to celebrate cinema. Spike Lee even giving the Pope a special gift to customized New York Knicks jersey. Back here at home, we're learning more about the suspect arrested in connection with the shooting and killing of a beloved football coach who rose to fame in the Netflix documentary Last Chance You. Stephen Romo has the latest. Tonight, new information about the suspect. accused of killing beloved Oakland, California football coach, John Beam.

This booking photo from Alameda County Jail showing 27-year-old suspect Cedric Irving, Jr., who was arrested Friday in connection with the killing. His brother, Samuel Irving, also sharing this photo with our NBC Bay Area Station with Cedric shown on the left. Hear about my brother, arrest shocked me a lot. It made me tear up. I couldn't believe, you know, if you would have done such a thing like this, I wish he would it just came, you know, to his family for help.

Samuel Irving saying he and his brother were not close, but he knew of no issues that Cedric had with Beam. Police say Beam was shot in the field house at Laney College in Oakland Thursday, where he served as athletic director. He gained fame from the Netflix show, Last Chance You. Oh, damn! In 2018, Laney College became the top-ranked junior college football team in the country under his leadership.

He was considered a pillar of the Oakland community. Bryce Grandison played at Lainey under Coach Beam from 2015 to 2016. Why do you think Coach Beam means so much to so many people? Oh, wow. You care for everybody differently. Every player needed something different. You know, some players needed more tough love. Some players needed to be challenged differently.

Police say Irving did not play for Beam, and he was recently known to loiter around Laney's campus. Authorities say the killing was targeted, but they've not released a suspected motive. Stephen Romo, NBC News. We're back in a moment with an inside look at a historic landmark, celebrating Miami's heritage and Cuban exiles' first steps towards freedom. Back now, with an inside look at the Freedom Tower in Miami, known among Cuban exiles as the Ellis Island of the South,

the tower celebrating a century of Hispanic. heritage with a big renovation. George Solis has more on its legacy and its future. A beacon above Biscayne Boulevard, Miami's iconic Freedom Tower, is honoring a century of history. The city's first storied skyscraper, seen by many as a sacred space, now reimagined after two years of extensive renovations. The National Landmark, also once served as a processing center for hundreds of thousands of Cuban refugees fleeing Fidel Castro's regime. I remember so many things of that time, and it's been almost 63 years. For Eileen Gowdy, it was a symbol of hope as she and her family began a new life in the United States.

She arrived from Cuba in 1960. Two years later, she began working at the tower as it earned the nickname El Refugio or Refuge. Her story, now part of Libertat, or Libertia, or Libert. Liberty, a permanent exhibit there. How important is it to preserve these stories? Very important. For our children and grandchildren to realize what the Cuban Americans went through. It just brings me so much emotions.

Anna Maria Machado Guerrero's American dream began when she was just two years old, arriving to the country with family. My eyes watered, you know, thinking about everything that we went through. Around every corner are tributes to the story. stories of refugees and to the tower's century of historic relevance in Miami. It's been visited by overseas royalty, President Ronald Reagan, and was host of funeral services for the Queen of Salsa, legendary Cuban singer Celia Cruz. A claim musician, producer, songwriter, and close friend Emilio Estefan was there that day.

A personal moment for Estefan in more ways than one. I remember when I used to be outside waiting for food and for everything. Emilio and his wife's global superstar Gloria Estefan supporting the business. to preserve the tower's legacy. What do you want people to know about your story and the stories that are going to be told? My story and glory stories about that dreams can come through. You know you can achieve your American dream.

A dream now saved for generations. A testament to the human spirit and power of a city's story still being written. George Solis, NBC News. When we come back, there's good news tonight about a reunion years in the making for this young man and his football hero. there's good news tonight so often the good news tonight so often the good news doesn't get as much attention as the bad so every saturday

we highlight the many people who spread joy and love and these are just some of those stories this week talk about a jump for joy that's 94 year old charles leafering and 89 year old David Nutting skydiving over their hometown in Florida. All right. This adventure, part of their independent living centers, pushed to help wishes come true for senior citizens. David had skydived a hundred times when he was in the Navy. Great.

Fantastic. We did it. And Charles jumped to ring in his 95th birthday. Exaggerating just outstanding. The pair proving it's never too late to take a leap of faith. Under these Friday Night Lights, a game this cheer coach will never forget. That's Michaela Lawrence, getting engaged to high school softball coach Adam Purdue in York County, Virginia. I read the first sign, which had said, we love you, Coach Mack.

And then when I saw my two girls holding the sign that said, but Adam loves you more, that's sort of when it all clicked. When Michaela needed a heart transplant last year, her students rallied to support her. And on her big day, she knew she wanted them to cheer her on. They reached out to her every day. They asked, can we go see her? They never gave up on her. I think it shows how much of a community you have. I'm obviously very blessed with the amount that I have.

We just have a lot of love and support. I would like to let you know that we have a special passenger on board with us. Not only is this his first flight ever, but he's on his way to see his favorite team. And for 14-year-old Bryson Shoeh, the trip of a lifetime. There he is getting ready for the Carolina Panthers game. And for a dream come true after he overcame a big challenge. When Bryson battles the rare heart condition eight years ago, he needed a transplant too. But he also made a new friend.

Panther's legend Greg Olson. And get this, his son, T.J., needed one as well. A bond, Bryson's grandma, Denise Tensley, saw first hand. He's a friend. It's like they clicked. From the first time they met, every time we would hear that Greg Olson was coming to the hospital, he would always come to see Bryson. After a long wait, Bryson's team at Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital set up the trip.

And their reunion. Hey, buddy. What's up, man? Tell me a little bit about what it meant for you to see that day. He's been through so much, and he's still going through a lot. It made me happy to see him happy. It made your Nana hurt melt. That's NBC Nightly News for this Saturday.

Hallie Jackson will be here tomorrow night. I'm Jose Diazbollard. Thank you for the privilege of your time, and good night. Oh!