NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, July 26, 2026

Episode Date: July 26, 2026

Out-of-control wildfires burn in Europe as millions brace for severe weather in the U.S; Suspect killed after deadly Berlin terror attack; New diplomatic push to end war with Iran; 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, a deadly end to the manhunt for the suspect in a terror attack in Berlin. The suspected killer taken down by police after they tracked him down. The front of this van crumpled after police say he drove it into a crowd, then stabbed and slashed at people, killing one victim and hurting more than two dozen others. The latest on that investigation. Mass evacuations out-of-control wildfires in France and Spain. More people fleeing now with farmers using tractors to keep the flames away. and now new fires popping up this time in Italy.

While here at home, heat alerts for millions and the severe weather threat just hours from now. We're tracking it all. New video tonight showing the American naval blockade of Iran in full force, but no new direct attacks. What we're learning about the behind the scenes push for diplomacy. With 100 days to the midterms, President Trump ramping up pressure

on his own party to pass a controversial new voting bill. Urgent search, an American woman's mysterious disappearance in the Caribbean, her husband pleading for her return. New developments tonight in the Nolan Wells case, what his friend is saying about claims from the Wells family that photos and videos may have been wiped from his phone. NBC News exclusive, he spent nearly three decades on death row for murdering his girlfriend's daughter, while he's a free man now after new video of bite marks emerged. The social media influencer allegedly killed by her husband after making disturbing allegations against him.

This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson. Good evening. We begin tonight with new developments on that terror attack at a pride parade in Berlin. And late today, the man suspected of killing one person and hurting dozens of others shot dead by police. It was here in this suburban garden where officials say the suspect rushed a police officer with a weapon before they opened fire. Earlier in the day, investigators were seen pouring over this white van here. You see the front of of it crumpled after witnesses say the suspect drove fast into a crowd. In Germany today, hundreds of people in the streets in support of the city's LGBTQ plus community with questions

now over why this happened and what police are learning about the 21-year-old attacker known for his ties to radical Islamist circles. Valerie Castro starts us off. Tonight, Berlin police killing this 21-year-old man suspected of plotting and carrying out a deadly terror attack that killed one woman and injured at least 29 others. Police say they found Abdul Balut in a garden. He rushed towards officers with a stabbing weapon before they say he was stopped by our special operations unit using a firearm and subsequently died. The man had lasted nearly 24 hours before coming to a dramatic end in the suburbs of Berlin. German officials say the suspect was a known radicalized member of local Islamist groups with a criminal history. Police say Balut drove this white van

into dozens of people as they walked through Tiergarden Park, the city's largest public park. The driver's seat found empty after it crashed into a tree. Some victims were also stabbed, likely with a machete, according to the German Interior Minister. Many of the victims were attending a large pride event. Yeah, we have a beautiful pride today, and now it's a terrible situation in Berlin. Yeah, I'm shocked. The event known as Christopher Street Day is one of Europe's largest pride celebrations, with hundreds of thousands of people in attendance. The festival cut short by the attack.

Thousands returning to the area today for a vigil. We are feeling not free here at the moment. The mayor of Berlin vowing. We will not allow anyone to take away our way of life or the way we live together. Valerie is joining us now. So Valerie, what else are police sharing about this suspect? Haley, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office says he was born and raised in Berlin and has a Lebanese background. They say he had previously expressed a desire to join ISIS. Hallie? Valerie Castro, thank you.

Here at home, millions are bracing for intense storms tonight with potentially dangerous flooding. And extreme heat is stifling parts of the U.S. and Europe with out-of-control wildfires there, triggering new evacuations. Here's Liz Croix. Tonight, tens of thousands more people evacuated as relentless wildfires continue to rage across Europe. Outside the French city of Bordeaux, authorities going door to door overnight to get people out. As farmers in the famous wine regions step up, using their tractors and water tanks to help firefighters battle the erratic flames. Here's Sky News's Saudi Chowdra reporting in the area. These firefighters from Paris, among the huge number of firefighters that are here today from all over France,

we know that more than 70 of them have been injured at tackling this blade. In central Spain, the view from above. As firefighters face similar conditions, new videos show the walls of flames and thick, dark smoke they're up against. As the region faces record heat, fires also breaking out in southern Italy. forcing the evacuation of popular beaches. Meanwhile, back at home, crews also battling fires in Central Oregon, as 104 million people were made under heat alerts nationwide. In South Carolina today, several inches of rain falling in just an hour, flooding roads.

And in California, a tropical system in the Pacific is creating huge swells. This is crazy. Holy cow, you guys. You can see the tide washing over the parking lot at the top. this beach outside L.A. And in Santa Cruz, take a look at this heart racing rescue, a lifeguard facing massive waves as he heroically saves a young boy who got swept up in the water. Really dramatic video there. Liz is joining us now, and Liz, millions of people are bracing for what could hit just hours from now, right? Yeah, that's right. Hallie, some 40 million people from the Midwest into the Tennessee Valley are under threat of severe storms, capable of producing

destructive wind, really strong hail, and even a tornado or two. Hally. Liz Kreutz, thank you, to the war against Iran and the Trump administration looking to create space, in their words, for diplomacy during what appears to be a pause in the fighting for now. Richard Engel reports from Jerusalem. The U.S. naval blockade of Iran remains in full force, sent com releasing footage of American troops boarding and inspecting a ship in the Persian Gulf, and disabling a vessel accused of violating the U.S. military closure of Iranian ports. But what we're not seeing are direct attacks. For two straight days, no U.S. strikes on Iranian territory and no Iranian attacks on American bases in the region. A pause that President Trump's U.N. ambassador, Mike Walts, told Meet the Press today is designed to encourage diplomacy.

What the president is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving some talks, some space. But this war now in its fifth month is increasingly politically divisively. and polls show unpopular. Well, I think these guys are flailing, and this thing is completely stuck. Iran today, for the first time in weeks, reported diplomatic progress in talks with Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but provided no specifics. And diplomacy so far is not stopping this war from spreading. After the Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia exchanged fire in the Red Sea, a new naval front

is opening. Iran today accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, killing an Iranian sailor. Iran said Ukraine did it at Israel's behest, personally blamed Ukraine's president Zelensky, and said the incident will not go unanswered. Zelensky blames Iran for supplying Russia with many of the drones it uses to attack Ukraine. Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington, tomorrow to meet with President Trump and attend Senator Lindsay Graham's funeral.

Hallie? Richard Engel, thank you. Back at home now with 100 days until the midterms, President Trump's ramping up pressure today to pass controversial changes to how people vote. Julie Circuit is at the White House force, and Julie, even with the president's new push, it's looking like an uphill battle. Yeah, the battle is going to be big and the hill is steep, Hallie. That voter ID elections bill, the President Trump has pushed for months, it would also

virtually ban mail in voting. He's posting about it on social media multiple times today, Halley, and the White House press secretary says the president is losing his patience with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who fired back this week, telling us the White House should direct frustrations at Democrats instead. Four Republicans also voted against the Save Act, but as his bill stalls on Capitol Hill, the courts also block the president's executive order to restrict vote by mail. Halley, 23 states, all of them run by Democrats, sued the administration, which is expected to appeal that decision. millions of Americans are already voting early and by mail, so the window for the Trump administration to change the rules is closing fast. Hally? Julie Sirkin in Washington, thank you. Also tonight, the urgent plea from the family of an American woman now missing in the Caribbean with police trying to find her. Here's Priscilla Thompson. A desperate search is underway in Grenada for 44-year-old Elizabeth Waddell. An American tourist missing since Wednesday, Grenada police say, last seen at Grandon's beach. beach. This release describing the physical therapist is having a medium build and short blonde hair. Authorities are asking fishermen, boat operators, and residents along the southern coastline to be on high alert and report anything they see. Friend Amanda Romano Harmon was not on the trip,

but is speaking on behalf of the family. I really still want there to be a happy ending to this. She says Waddell was vacationing with another close friend who believes she went for a swim. She was in a bikini and a towel. They found her towel in the pier. That was it. Romano Harmon says surveillance video shows Waddell in the water, but then she floats out of view. And that was the last she was seen. That was the last that we have eyes on her.

Yes. Do you all have any idea what might have happened? We don't. The Coast Guard has been out for several days. They've had divers out for several days. there's no, they can't find her. The State Department tells NBC News they're aware of a missing American

in Grenada. Tonight, Waddell's husband and daughter are on the ground aiding in the search. Her husband, writing on Facebook, I expect nothing less than Liz's safe return. Back home in North Carolina, friends and loved ones hoping for that too. Liz, if you can

hear us, we love you. And we're searching. Please come home to us. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News. New developments in the Nolan Wells case tonight with one of his friends speaking publicly in a podcast, Warren Hudson, responding to claims by Wells's mother after she said she believed photos and videos from her son's Snapchat account appeared to be wiped. There's no reason for anything to be deleted. I mean, no one even was in contact with his phone until it was moved from the boat to the truck. And none of us have access to Nolan's password to get on his phone and delete anything. It's coming weeks after Wells, who was 18, went missing after boating with friends off the coast of Mississippi and was later found dead. In that interview, Hudson said Nolan decided to stay on the island.

Officials are still investigating what happened. Still ahead for us here tonight, an NBC News investigation, the unusual evidence that helped free an inmate who spent nearly three decades on death row. Plus, the latest on the social media influencer believed to be killed by her husband, days after disturbing allegations she'd made against him. To an NBC News exclusive and the man now free after spending nearly three decades on death row. His release, coming with the help of a video that his jury did not see that tape never before broadcast until now. And we want to warn you, it is upsetting. Dan Sleppian reports. Last November, Jimmy Chris Duncan walked out of a Louisiana prison after spending nearly three decades on death row for a murder that multiple judges now agree never happened. while you were on death row.

Yeah. I lost a lot of people. On December 18, 1993, Duncan was watching his girlfriend's daughter, Haley Olivo, just 23 months old. He left her alone in the bathtub while he cleaned.

I heard a sound, a bump, and hollered them like Haiti, and she didn't answer. Duncan found her face down, not breathing. Police initially charged him with criminally,

negligent homicide. What do you say to people who know of your case and say, you know what, he left this baby alone in the bathtub. He's kind of responsible for that. What do you say to them? I can't argue with that. Haley's body was sent to a medical examiner named Stephen Hain, who claimed he saw bite marks and possible signs of sexual assault. Hane called in Dr. Michael West, a dentist who said that marks on Haley's body matched Duncan's teeth. And with that, Duncan was charged with first-degree murder. He stood trial, was convicted, and sentenced to die. How do you not give up in that situation? I did give up. I was completely suicidal for a long time. But the truth had been on video all along. West had recorded his examination of Haley.

Duncan's jury never heard about the tape. It wasn't until 2024 that Duncan's attorneys won him a new hearing. It was granted by Judge Alvin Sharp, who agreed to play the tape in court. So you hadn't seen it before the hearing started? I absolutely hadn't seen. Absolutely hadn't seen. This is the first time that Sharp, now retired, is publicly speaking about Duncan's case. A warning. The video of a dead toddler in a morgue is difficult to watch, so we've concealed some of it. At the beginning, Haley's face appears blemish-free. Five minutes in, the camera turns off. When it resumes the next day, bruises are visible. West then presses the mold of Duncan's teeth into Haley's body, roughly 50 times.

I was a guest. I'm left in a state of consternation, total consternation. Is it fair to say that Dr. West is manufacturing and creating the evidence on this child's body? He's absolutely creating marks on that baby's body. West has said he wasn't creating any marks, that the tape shows him comparing Duncan's dental mold to marks he claimed were already there. The hearing revealed even more evidence Duncan's jury never knew. Haley suffered seizures before her death. In the end, Judge Sharp concluded Haley drowned in the bathtub.

He found no evidence of sexual assault and vacated Duncan's conviction. He was convicted because they lied. Alison Layton, Haley's mother, always believed Duncan murdered her daughter, seeing the video changed that. They railroaded this man. They fabricated evidence. They desecrated my daughter and videotaped it. Why would they videotape themselves doing that? I think they were advertising.

Journalist Radley Balco has investigated Hain & West for two decades co-authoring a book about them. He says they were widely known for helping prosecutors secure convictions. How many cases do you know factually where Dr. West and Dr. Haynes' findings help send an innocent person to prison? We've had 11 exonerations now. 11. Of people who either were convicted or arrested and spent a lot of time in jail. Hayne defended his work until his death in 2020. West did not reply to our request for comment, but in a 2012 deposition in a different case,

said he no longer believed in the uniqueness of human bite marks. Duncan is free, but what remains is an unknown future. And the little girl who never got one. Do you still carry Haley with you? Yeah? Always. I don't know an angel. Dan Slepian, NBC News.

Last month, Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously upheld the ruling that set Duncan free, but the local DA wants to retry him for Haley's death. You can watch more of Dan's reporting on that. tomorrow on HJN on NBC News Now. We are back here in a moment. Back now with the disturbing case out of Oklahoma tonight, after a social media influencer was allegedly killed by her husband in an apparent murder suicide, police say Sarah Gilson was found dead Thursday.

As was her husband, Jeremiah Duffy. It comes after Gilson posted this video on TikTok, where she accused him of pedophilia. In June, she was granted an emergency protective order against Duffy after police told her he'd been accused of molesting a minor. Officials are still investigating this case. Also tonight, a joint American and Russian space crew landing safely in Kazakhstan earlier today. After eight months at the International Space Station, you saw them there parachuting back to Earth inside that capsule.

The crew included NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts. Tonight, a huge congratulations to our dear friend and our colleague here, Jose Diaz-Belard, who is now officially in the Hall of Fame for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. You see him here. You also saw Tom, who presented the honor in New Orleans last night. Jose, of course, a leader in our business for 40 years, a barrier breaker. And next month, marking 10 years of anchoring Saturday Nightly. We are just so thrilled for Jose. We love him. We're sending him a huge congratulations. That is nightly news for this Sunday. But stick around. Sunday night baseball is up next with the Yankees at the Phillies. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us here at NBC, thank you so much for watching.

And have a great week.