NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Sunday, May 3, 2026

Episode Date: May 4, 2026

Spirit Airlines’ abrupt closure strands thousands of travelers; Concerns grow as high oil prices drive up cost of jet fuel; Trump says the U.S. will ‘free up’ ships in the Strait of Hormuz; 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, thousands of passengers stranded in the fallout from the collapse of Spirit Airlines. The sudden shutdown triggering a travel nightmare. People telling us they're struggling to get a flight home or paying big bucks for one. Now other airlines stepping into health. Why spirits collapse could mean higher prices no matter what you fly. And the new numbers late today showing how soaring jet fuel costs could play into it all. President Trump revealing a new operation set to start just hours from now to get ships safely through the key strait of Hormuz.

What else he's saying late tonight about the prospect of peace with Iran? New pushback in the growing fight over access to a widely used abortion pill after a major ruling, limiting access to it with all eyes turning to the Supreme Court. Ripped current danger in Florida.

Rough conditions being blamed for at least one death there. We're tracking it all. Dramatic news surveillance video of a car. Look at this, plowing into a gym before bursting into flames. The latest on that investigation. This is NBC Nightly News with Hallie Jackson.

Good evening. We begin tonight with the stress for spirit passengers. Thousands of them, some stranded with no easy way home after the airline's sudden shutdown less than 36 hours ago. The counters across the country, look at this, empty with spirit telling people not to go to the airport to try to rebook flights. So the big question now for many, how will they get home? Tonight, the new offers from other airlines, the new details from.

from the Trump administration about why no government bailout materialized. And the new warnings this could make ticket prices higher for all flyers in a shutdown affecting not just spirit customers, but thousands of spirit employees now out of work. Our Kathy Park starts us off. Tonight, growing fallout after the collapse of Spirit Airlines, with hundreds of thousands of bookings now canceled. I'm literally sitting here stranded in the Virgin Islands right now. After the abrupt shutdown overnight, the airline told travel.

not to go to the airport, saying card pairs will receive a refund, but offering no options for rebooking. Instead, directing people to a website for next steps. It's been a nightmare. No customer service exists and spirit don't exist. Now other carriers are stepping in. We're offering $199 for most of the markets. United reports booking 14,000 spirit passengers, but for many, the damage is already done. Michelle Barrow and her grandchildren have been stuck in South Florida since Saturday. So my eight-year-old granddaughter is crying. Is she ever going to see her mommy again? The grandmother from Raleigh resorting to Southwest to get a flight out. I had to use two separate cards to be able to buy these tickets. So it's really put us in a bind.

You lost money on this trip, which was supposed to be a vacation. Right. Despite last-minute efforts to save the budget airline, a deal with the administration didn't come together. We oftentimes don't have a half a billion dollars laying around in a spare account that we can put into a bailout. Spirit was in dire straits long before the war with Iran. Now travel experts warn losing one of the largest low-cost carriers will drive prices up for everyone. We saw ticket prices on average roughly 14% lower because Spirit was an option. Unfortunately for travelers, trying to find affordability with one less carrier in the market

is really going to be tough. And the impact goes beyond travelers. With roughly 17,000 employees without work, emotional goodbyes are going viral. So thank you for your support over the years. Kathy is joining us now from the airport in Fort Lauderdale. And Kathy, if passengers are showing up at the spirit counters behind you, they're certainly not going to find much help there. Yeah, Hallie, that's right here in Fort Lauderdale.

The spirit ticket counters take up nearly half of Terminal 4. it has been pretty much deserted all day, a ghost town. It is worth noting that other hotspots like Orlando and Las Vegas could see similar impacts just as the busy travel season gets underway. Hallie? Kathy Park, thank you. Part of the problem for spirit, by its own acknowledgement, was the rising cost of jet fuel. Allie Canal is joining us with more on that as we are getting some new numbers just into us tonight, Allie. Yeah, that's right, Hallie.

We are seeing oil futures tick down slightly tonight, opening just below $100, a barrel. And for context, even though we have that dip, U.S. crude was around $67 bucks before the war. So this is all happening very fast. And that's been the big headache for a lot of businesses and consumers out there. And as you noted, the example of the weekend, Spirit Airlines citing rising jet fuel prices as a key factor in its bankruptcy. And that same pressure is showing up for drivers. The national average for gas now at $4.45 a gallon, with some states already above that in California gas topping six bucks, Halley. And some experts, Allie, worry about what this could all mean for inflation, right?

That's right. New forecast showing that inflation could move back toward 4%. That's well above the Fed's 2% target, and that could keep pushing up the cost of transportation along with food and goods. So the longer this continues, the greater the risk that inflation picks back up, which could mean higher interest rates at a time when many Americans are already feeling stretched. Hallie. Much to watch. Alley Canal, thank you. President Trump is rolling out a new push to try to help ships safely travel through the Strait of Hormuz with new questions about the prospects of an Iranian peace proposal. Ralph Sanchez reports. Tonight, President Trump announcing the U.S. will guide ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz to safety at the request of third-party nations not involved in the war with Iran, saying, we've told these countries that we will guide their ships safely out of these restricted waterways so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.

The president dubbing the plan Operation Freedom and saying it will begin Monday morning Middle East time, but giving few details, including whether Iran, has agreed to let the ships pass. Earlier, Mr. Trump appearing to reject Iran's latest offer in ceasefire negotiations, telling Israeli media the terms are not acceptable, and refusing to rule out a return to fight in. Would you restart military strikes on targets? Well, I don't want to say that. I mean, I can't tell that to a reporter.

If they misbehave, if they do something bad, but right now, we'll say. but it's a possibility that could happen, certainly. Earlier today, another suspected Iranian attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, with multiple speedboats opening fire off the Iranian coast, according to a British maritime agency. No injuries were reported. Iran says it would reopen the critical waterway in return for the U.S. lifting its naval blockade, which has been crushing the Iranian economy

and blocking its oil exports. But the offer does not address Iran's nuclear program, a key American demand. This standoff in the straight means rising gas prices and economic pain for Americans, while in Iran the toll on everyday people is even more severe. This cafe owner says before the ceasefire, we didn't really have much of an economy. But now, our situation has become worse. Raff is joining us now. And Raff, you mentioned that operation that the president is beginning to try to guide ships safely out of the street.

He is framing this as a humanitarian move, right? Yeah, Hally, he's saying that the crew of these ships have been trapped at sea for months. And in some cases, they're running low on food. And so allowing them to sail home safely would be a goodwill gesture, not just by the U.S., but also by Iran. Halie. Ralph Sanchez, thank you. To the urgent search now for two American service members in Morocco, after a U.S. defense official says they went missing in what appears to be an accident during scheduled training there.

Both American and Moroccan forces are conducting a search and rescue operation to try to find them. They were apparently last seen near ocean cliffs in the southwestern part of that country. A growing legal fight over a widely used abortion pill could be headed to the Supreme Court as some drug makers push back on a ruling limiting access to that drug. Melanie Zanota reports. Tonight, a legal showdown over access to abortion pills. Drug makers calling for the Supreme Court to step in after a federal appeals court ruled that the abortion drug Miffipristone must be obtained in person. It is a significant ruling because as of now, it is a nationwide ban on distribution of this pill via telemedicine and mail.

It comes after a lawsuit by the state of Louisiana against the FDA. The state has a near total abortion ban, but the FDA has allowed patients to get the pill through the mail. even after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Now, drug makers are hoping for a pause on that lower court ruling. Lawyers for Danko Laboratories saying in a court filing, the order results in immediate chaos. It is now unclear whether pharmacies nationwide may dispense Miffipristone to women tonight. They're looking for relief from the Supreme Court to go back to what the federal regulation actually allows.

Male access to the drug has been critical for women living in states with abortion bans. But if the lower court's order is upheld, it could also impact states where abortion is legal. Medication abortion accounted for 65% of all clinician provided abortions in 2023, according to the Gutmacher Institute. Abortion opponents have been pressing the Trump administration to put limits on abortion pills. Planned Parenthood has slammed the lower court ruling, saying in a statement, the fight is on. And Planned Parenthood will continue to make clear that Miffipristone should be accessible because it's safe and effective, full stop.

Mel is joining us now from Miami where the president had been traveling. And Mel, talk about the timeline here for the Supreme Court. Well, Hallie, legal experts tell us we could actually hear pretty quickly from the Supreme Court on the drug maker's request for a pause. But when it comes to the ruling on the merits of the case, well, that could take much longer. Hallie.

Melanie Zanona, thank you. Dangerous rip currents turning deadly tonight in one state. Florida officials say at least one woman, drowned in a rip current in Daytona Beach. A 17-year-old died in a separate incident about 80 miles south because of what was described as extremely rough ocean conditions. The rip current risk in Florida is expected to last several more days. Also tonight intense weather may be to blame for this fire.

You see it there at the University of South Florida. The flames coming out of the Marine Science Lab building. Officials are looking into whether a lightning strike from storms nearby may have started that fire. And then take a look at this coming into us over the weekend. and a rare ash devil fire, as it's called, in Southern California that smoke, the ash, the debris going up, almost looking like a funnel cloud, happened in San Bernardina County, where fire officials say it was because of the Trinity fire, a wildfire there.

Those officials also say ash devils are so dangerous because they can quickly spread fires, but fortunately nothing was damaged. Still ahead tonight, a video of a plane that clipped a light pole, which then slammed into a bakery truck. We'll tell you what happened right after. Scary moment in Oregon when the driver of this car was killed after smashing through the glass at the Portland Athletic Club early Saturday morning. Police say the car had multiple explosives in it, but they don't think what happened here was terror-related. Also tonight a close call for a flight landing at Newark Airport in New Jersey. Take a look at this video.

This plane, it's coming in landing very low right near the turnpike. A source familiar with what happens says that that plane then clipped a light pole. And then look at this dash cam video. A piece of that light pole hit a bakery truck on the highway. Oh, scary. The driver was hurt, but fortunately, is expected to be okay. There is good news tonight about the twin brothers turning their mom's dream into a living legacy. There is good news tonight about hard work paying off and the trio who's made helping others a family affair. If you think you're seeing double at this New York hospital, it's not your eyes.

I'm Dr. Chang, the cardiologist. Okay. And I'm Dr. Chang, I'll be anesthesiologist today. That's Dr. Andre Chang and his identical twin, Sondre, both physicians at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital. Your mom must be so proud. Proud because they're fulfilling a dream, their mother's dream, to become a doctor, which came to her when Andre was very sick. I thought he was going to die. So in that instant, I said, I have to be a doctor. Claudia raised the boys in Jamaica until they were two before she came to the U.S. to become a pediatrician,

sending the kids to Hong Kong to live with their grandmother. I realized that what I came here far wasn't so easy to achieve. It would take me maybe 10 years or more. I wasn't willing to risk that time away from my kids. So she brought the boys back to New York, where at first, they wanted to be pilots. But then? Once we started studying life sciences and biological sciences in school, we realized that we were very good at that.

And we could, like, use that knowledge to, like, help people. After graduating college and med school, the brother doctors, are now medical mirror images. It makes an interesting place when people mistaken us in the hallways all the time. Their bond, coming with a built-in second opinion. The other night, I was here and had an emergency surgery due. I was like, I need to know about something about this pacemaker. I can call him at 1 a.m., 12 a.m., and he'll be there to answer my questions. I understand his body language and even the nonverbal cues.

We work together all our lives. It just makes it easier for me. Raised side by side, they now heal together, turning their mother's dream into a living legacy. That was always my wish and my dream is to see my kids succeed. I'm sure she's proud of us that we worked hard. She worked hard and sacrificed so that we had the opportunity. Incredibly proud indeed. That is nightly news for this Sunday.

but stick around for the NBA playoffs on NBC. Up next, the Toronto Rafters, up against the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'm Hallie Jackson. For all of us here at NBC, thank you so much for watching and have a great week.