NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, July 20, 2025

Episode Date: July 21, 2025

Delta regional flight makes ‘aggressive maneuver’ to avoid military jet collision; More than 60 million under heat alerts as temperatures soar; Trump faces Epstein fallout as he marks 6 months in office; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the stunning overhead announcement from an airline pilot after a close call in the sky. The pilot of a Delta flight explaining a near miss with what he described as a B-52 bomber directly in their path. Passengers applauding his quick thinking after an emergency maneuver. One person on board telling our team the plane ended up sideways. The big question tonight, how could this happen? Another dangerous weather weekend,

grapefruit-sized hail in Nebraska, and here in the D.C. area, floods and rescues. Look at that. Near record high temperatures in Orlando and Tampa, and where the heat is heading next. President Trump marking six months in office today, but it's a moment overshadowed by the firestorm around the Jeffrey Epstein case

and the backlash from his base. An off-duty border patrol agent shot in New York during an attempted robbery. The Department of Homeland Security saying the suspect entered the country illegally. Violence erupting in Syria just months after its new government took power. Intense gunfire forcing our team to take cover and new concerns for what's next in the region.

You've heard of self-driving cars, but now self-driving shuttles could be the future of public transportation. And there's good news tonight about a community stepping up to write the next chapter of this couple's love story. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We start tonight with what sounds like a stunning scene thousands of feet above North Dakota with a Delta flight narrowly avoiding a collision with a military plane, according to the pilot, telling passengers he had to bring the plane around fast to avoid what he described as a B-52 coming their direction.

Listen. Sorry about the aggressive maneuvering. Coffee, by surprise, is not normal at all. One person on board the regional flight describing going completely sideways when it happened. You can see it on the radar here. Look at this from Minneapolis, the flight, and then that loop before it landed safely in Minot, about 15 minutes from an Air Force base

that houses B-52 bombers. It comes as there's an intensified spotlight on commercial flights sharing airspace with military aircraft, six months after that deadly DC crash involving an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter. Our Maggie Vespa reports. You probably saw the airplane kind of sort of coming at us and nobody said hey there's also a

B-52 in the pattern. For passengers a stunning announcement. There's no radar here so there's the tower is controlled or excuse me the tower does everything visually. It happened on board Delta Flight 3788 operated by Skywest flying from Minneapolis to Minot, North Dakota Friday night. FlightAware showing it made this circular diversion before landing. The pilot filmed by a passenger reliving his conversation with air traffic control before a near collision

with, he said, a B-52 bomber. He said turn right. I said there's an airplane over over there and he says turn left. And that by the time we read back to clearance, looked over and saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us. The pilot said he opted to make the sudden move given the military aircraft speed. Sorry about the aggressive maneuvering coffee by surprise. This is not normal at all.

Long story short, it was not fun, but I do apologize for it, and I thank you for understanding. Not a fun day at work today. Minot International Airport is roughly 13 miles from an Air Force base. Tonight, the Department of Defense referring NBC News' questions to the FAA,

who says they're gathering information on what happened. Skywest saying it's investigating, adding the plane landed safely but performed a go-around. I just remember the plane going sideways like that. Monica Green is the passenger who filmed this video. It just made me so sick to my stomach that it was so close to happening. The shocking near miss comes just six months after a military helicopter collided with a passenger plane near Reagan national airport in DC, killing 67 recent incidents that make frequent flyers like green weary.

I'm very anxious about the idea of going back to that airport and flying home. And Maggie Vespa joins us now from Chicago O'Hare airport. Maggie, based on your reporting, where might investigators focus first after this incident? Yeah, so Hallie, one aviation expert tells us the likely look at what sort of flight path information was being shared between the Air Force Base and the airport, which that pilot said didn't have its own radar, something that's not uncommon with smaller airports. Callie. Maggie Vespa, thank you.

Across the country, some 64 million of us are bracing for intense heat, hotter than normal in some spots, even for July, after new water rescues in a year that's already seen a record number of flash flood warnings. Here's Maya Eaglin. Tonight, torrential rain triggering dangerous flash floods across the country.

Millions under flood alert from Missouri to West Virginia. Super soaker storms outside Washington last night prompting water rescues like this. Men in bathing suits waiting in waist deep water pulling people out stranded in their car. It is just completely flooded. I've never seen it like this. In 20 years I've been living here, I've never seen it this bad. This man went to help his wife and daughter after they got stuck in flood waters.

It was seconds. And then there was just a little water and the water just rushed so quick. You just didn't have a chance to react. Over in Nebraska, hail smashing this windshield. Some reports including hail the size of grapefruits. All of this as more than 64 million people are under heat alerts tonight. This summer feels suffocating. Humidity making it feel like up to 110 degrees in parts of the south. What are some of the dangers when we have both heat and humidity?

That humidity hits your skin and it really eliminates the sweat from getting evaporated and therefore you don't get cooling temperatures inside your body. So humidity plus heat can actually be devastating. We don't always think about hydration but it will really catch up on you. So it's really important to just drink water, especially for these little ones. Finding the balance between summer fun and safety with even more severe weather on the way.

My England is joining us now live from Brooklyn and Maya for a lot of folks. It is only going to get hotter from here. Yeah, how many much of the country is going to bake this week, at least through Thursday, that 110-degree heat index is still going to be a reality for millions of people, and that means days of relentless high temps. Hallie?

Maya Eaglin, thank you. Here in Washington, while President Trump is marking six months in office today and his push to try to reshape the federal government, the backlash lingers over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Yamiche Alcindor reports. As President Trump eagerly touts his second-term success. We achieved more in six months than almost any administration could accomplish in eight years.

The ongoing firestorm over his administration's handling of the case of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein dominating headlines with both parties weighing in. We should know what happened here and it is a claim that this president has made time and time again and the American people have the right to know what happened.

You got a thousand children that were abused by this dirtbag and yet the American public saw point the finger trying to play politics with this thing. This morning, the president defending himself, writing, my poll numbers within the Republican Party and MAGA have gone up significantly since the Jeffrey Epstein hoax. But new polling from CBS shows the president's approval rating has broadly declined since February.

That victory lap coming, as many of the president's own rating has broadly declined since February. That victory lap coming as many of the president's own supporters demand the Justice Department release more information on Epstein. Meanwhile, Epstein's former lawyer suggesting convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell should be given immunity to testify before

Congress. She is the Rosetta Stone. She knows everything. She arranged every single trip with everybody. Still, the president celebrating Stone. She knows everything. She arranged every single trip with everybody. Still, the president's celebrating a busy last six months. And it's really promises made, promises kept. Promises like extending the 2017 tax cuts,

more immigration enforcement, and cutting the federal workforce. Still, the continuing Epstein controversy threatening to overshadow the president's future agenda. Yamiche Alcindor, NBC News, The White House. In New York, police say an off-duty border patrol agent was shot in what appears to be

a botched robbery attempt. Camila Bernal has more. This is the moment DHS says an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer is ambushed and shot late Saturday by a man with a deportation order. Authorities believe two men who approached on a scooter were attempting to rob the 42 year old officer who was in a park with a friend. Two senior law enforcement sources say it appears to be a random encounter.

The alleged shooter identified by police as Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez of the Dominican Republic New York City's police commissioner says he approached the officer from behind and that's when the officer drew his service weapon The perp fired first and an exchange of gunfire followed The officer was struck in the forearm and in the face Mora Nunez was taken into custody after going to the hospital to be treated for his injuries. Authorities confirming he had previously been arrested for domestic violence, robbery, assault and was wanted in Massachusetts for kidnapping. President Trump saying on Truth Social that Mora Nunez was apprehended at the border in

April 2023, but instead of being deported, was released. Let's make something incredibly clear tonight, today. Our officer is a hero. If not for his efforts, this person of interest would have committed more armed robberies. The officer is expected to make a full recovery. Camila Bernal, NBC News. Police in Los Angeles identifying the man now accused of driving a car into a crowd

on purpose, hurting at least 30 people outside a nightclub Saturday. The driver, Fernando Ramirez, charged with assault with a deadly weapon. He was also attacked by bystanders after the crash and shot by one of them, with police still looking for that person. To the Middle East now, where Gaza's health ministry says at least 67 people have been killed, dozens more hurt by Israeli fire today while waiting for UN aid trucks. The Israeli military said its troops fired warning shots to remove what they called an immediate threat.

It comes as Israel issues new evacuation orders for areas already packed with displaced Palestinians. Also tonight in the region escalating gun fights mostly between militias have left hundreds dead in Syria and rattled the new government there. Molly Hunter has this report with a warning. The video from our team on the ground is graphic. Tonight a tenuous ceasefire is holding in the southern city of Soweta. Our partners at Sky News made their way inside the city yesterday. Well, it's absolute mayhem right now. They were basically ambushed.

We waited for them to move forward and then as soon as large numbers of them were there, they got hit. In the last week, rights groups say hundreds of people have been killed in the Druze-majority city. It's the biggest challenge yet to the new Islamist-led government in Damascus that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December. Clashes broke out between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and the Druze population, a religious minority sect.

Suddenly, after a lot of quiet, over a long period, there's an awful lot of firing. On Wednesday, government forces entered the city to restore order, instead clashing with Druze militia. Then the Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes on government targets, they say, to protect the Druze. The U.S. then brokered a ceasefire between Syria and Israel. But inside Soweta, rights groups have accused government forces of committing abuses, including summary executions of Druze civilians.

Overnight, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio issued a warning to Damascus. They must hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities, including those in their own ranks. After years of civil war, tonight Soweta is a stark reminder of the old regime and a sign of the fragility of the new government. Molly Hunter, NBC News, London.

Still ahead tonight, some remarkable news out of Texas. The number of people missing after those devastating floods now down dramatically. But for some families, the search for answers continues. And later, a shark attack survivor sharing his story after almost losing his foot. Now, already hoping to get back in the water. Back now with dramatic new video showing a passenger ferry bursting into flames off the coast of Indonesia. Look at that.

Officials say at least five people were killed, but nearly 300 passengers and crew members were rescued. You can see some of the survivors waiting for responders in the water. Scary stuff. Also tonight, we're now learning the number of people missing after those catastrophic floods in Texas has dropped dramatically to just three in Kerr County after weeks of work by first responders. Ryan Chandler has more on the recovery and the challenges still ahead. For two weeks, Kerrvil has feared the recovery would take months

with the death toll rising to more than a 130 in the Hill country. But tonight the number of missing people in Kerr County has plummeted from nearly 100 to just 3 search and rescue teams worried some people would never be found now a dramatic adjustment city officials explaining that who were initially report been verified as safe and list. Other families stil

I want my brother and I c of never finding him. Terry McCutchen lost their moth Doug after floodwaters tore through their family home in Travis County on July 5th. They're still searching for their brother Gary, one of eight people still missing across Central Texas. Do you worry now more than two weeks after this flood there may come a time when they call the search off? I worry about that. We do think about it. I do. I can't go there.

He's coming home. Governor Greg Abbott has promised search and rescue teams will not stop until every person is accounted for as state lawmakers head to Austin tomorrow for a special legislative session. We're gonna look for strategies that we can pass laws on that will make preparation for these types of events better in a way that puts Texas any better position going forward. Then we were before this devastating storm

in our state. Leaders look for solutions as families look for closure, you know they'll bring them home. Yes, coming home said they were they were coming home. Ryan Chandler NBC News Travis County Texas. When we return by now you've probably seen self driving cars on the road, but hundreds of people are riding self driving

shuttles already could they be the future of transportation. We're back with the young surfer sharing his story tonight after surviving a shark attack at New Smyrna Beach in Florida, which is well known for shark activity. 18-year-old Sam Hollis telling our Orlando station, WESH, from his hospital bed he almost lost his foot. But Hollis says it won't stop him from surfing. There's no reason to stop doing something you love just because something bad happened to you. He says the key thing if you do encounter a shark is to stay calm. Good advice from him.

To our series, The Future of the Road Now, and while self-driving cars have become more ubiquitous, our George Solis reports on self-driving shuttles carrying more people, perhaps poised to become the next big thing in public transportation. You're looking at an innovative type of shuttle aiming to prove big things do come in small packages. Meet Mika. It feels like I'm living in the Jetsons. Because it's what you don't see that makes this shuttle ride feel futuristic. No steering wheel, no gas or brake pedals, no conventional driver. Instead, it's loaded with cutting-edge technology. Cameras, radars, and sensors

that keep MECA moving and leave passengers in awe. I was like, wait a minute, what is this? Since April, this eight-seat shuttle has been tested on a roughly mile-long loop in busy downtown West Palm Beach The people behind it say ridership is in the hundreds per week in your opinion. Is this the future of public transportation? Yes, we believe that we are Be a part of the future of public transportation Tech company guided this arcade style setup inside their offices isn't a game make it simple

This arcade style setup inside their offices isn't a game. Make it simple, but let the autonomy work. And in case something happens, they can intervene. At the ready is remote control operator and engineer Andy Alvarez, who's trained to jump in in case of an emergency. If I really do need to take over, I can just click the take over remote, take the remote control, and then after that just maneuver the vehicle. The shuttle also has a person on board who can take control and maneuver the vehicle. A condition the company says was set up by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to allow MECA to drive on

the city's public roads. Why should people trust autonomous shuttles? Because why should people trust flying technology in this vehicle reacts faster than the U. N. B. It sees more, it sends more. And of course, all the reactions are way much faster than a human can do it. Mika offering free rides into the future today. George Solis, NBC News, West Palm Beach,ida. there is good news tonig this couple didn't do by

there is good news tonig of strangers at one local library and picking the right place to start the next chapter. For newlyweds Katie letty and Vincent Bauer the journey to I do look a little different. Welcome Katie and Vincent. Your families and your friends and patrons of Arlington County.

and your friends and patrons of Arlington County Public Library. They didn't just win the game of love, but a contest and a wedding from the Arlington Public Library. How did you propose to Katie? So there was no proposal. We got married when we won the library contest. You know, we've been together 13 years. So for us, getting married was truly about having the big party and celebrating with the community.

Their love story began when they met in Chicago during college. After graduating, Katie got a job in Boston and Vincent got his PhD in California. Despite the distance, they made it work. We balance each other out. And I think that's what makes us such a great team. And now they're building their lives together in their new

home Arlington and with all of you. We're celebrating not just this moment, but the path that brought us here what do you think it is about your wedding in particular that has resonated with so many people or people are responding to is the fact that we not only have this love story but that we are opening up to other people to be part of it that's like the ultimate embracing of community total strangers going all out to get ready with our

workshops and flower arrangement lessons to help with decor music on the big day and the library gave them this guest book filled with advice from visitors, including strangers who just wanted to wish them well. I promise to keep trying every day with you. As they start the next chapter of their lives a true storybook romance. We do. Then let's make some!

And a big congratulations to them. That's nightly news for this Sunday. Tom will be back tomorrow. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us here at NBC, thanks for watching, and have a great week. Laughter Cheers and applause