NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, February 5, 2026

Episode Date: February 6, 2026

New details in disappearance of Nancy Guthrie; Savannah Guthrie and siblings release emotional plea; Three dead after driver crashes into Los Angeles grocery store. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tonight we have new details in the search for Savannah Guthrie's mother, including a new timeline of her disappearance and a new reward for her safe return. Investigators say they believe Nancy Guthrie is, quote, still out there as we learn more about the purported ransom note, including a deadline of tonight. Now investigators say something possibly a person was detected on the home security camera that night. And Savannah and her siblings' emotional plea to their mother's potential capture in the hopes of getting her back. Our Liz Croix presses the sheriff on the investigation. Also breaking a driver plowing into a Los Angeles grocery store, killing at least three people, crews racing to the rescue, people trapped under the car,

what we're learning. The major market meltdown over AI fears. In my exclusive sitdown, I asked President Trump about growing concerns that tech could eliminate millions of American jobs, Plus what he revealed about the new weapon the U.S. used in Venezuela, he calls the discombobulator. We're just hours away from the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. The athletes already kicking off the competition. Plus this new video of Lindsey Vaughn will she overcome her injury to ski for gold. Shocking elevator explosion, a man holding balloons bursting into flames, what went wrong? New video of a car barreling into Detroit's airport, crashing.

through the terminal, narrowly missing passengers, the chaos inside. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. It has been another gut-wrenching day here at NBC News. As investigators search for Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, today authorities providing the most information yet, including new details about that purported ransom note received by multiple news outlets. Law enforcement still not certain it's authentic, but officials say it included a deadline for today at 5 p.m. local time there in Tucson. They also released key details described in the note, including references to Nancy Guthrie's Apple Watch and a floodlight outside of her home that made them take the note seriously. But we should mention those details may have been

publicly available. The Sheriff's Office in Arizona also revealing that something, possibly a person, was detected on Nancy's home security camera the night she went missing. We'll also have more on that heartbreaking video. Savannah and her siblings reaching out to their missing mother, Nancy, and to her possible captor. We have two reports tonight, but we want to start with Liz Kreutz on the ground in Tucson. Tonight, authorities revealing several new and potentially critical details about the abduction of Nancy Guthrie. Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. The update from the sheriff and FBI coming just hours after that emotional video,

Savannah posted with her siblings pleading for her mother's safe return. is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again. For the first time, the Sheriff's Department outlining a rough timeline for Nancy's disappearance. They say after dinner at her daughter's house, Saturday night, Nancy was brought home by a family member at 9.48 p.m. At 9.50, her garage door closed. Then at 1.47 a.m., the doorbell camera disconnected. At 2.12, software to detects. movement on a camera, and at 228, Nancy's pacemaker app disconnected. The sheriff tells me they haven't been able to access any home surveillance video, and they currently have no suspect or person

of interest. Is this a professional abduction? It seems like they did not make any mistakes. I can't say that. I don't know. As we move, we'll learn if they made mistakes. I don't know of a perfect crime. The FBI also addressing the reported ransom note sent to three different news outlets, saying it referenced in Apple Watch Nancy owned and floodlights at her house, information that's publicly available. He also said the note has a deadline. The ransom note that was distributed to the media did make a demand for 5 p.m. today. And if a transfer wasn't made, then I think a second demand was for next Monday. The special agent in charge says they're still investigating the legitimacy of the ransom note

and that there's been no contact so far with any potential abductor. In a normal kidnapping case, there would be contact by now. arresting a man last night for sending a hoax ransom demand to Savannah's sister and brother-in-law. To those impostors who are trying to take advantage and profit from this situation, we will investigate and ensure you are held accountable for your actions. The FBI now offering a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to Nancy or an arrest. For now, the investigation continues after five days of searching, waiting, and praying. What gives you hope that Nancy is still out there?

Wow. You have to have hope. You have to have hope. Come on. This is somebody's mom. We're going to find her. And hopefully she's alive when we do. And Tom, just moments ago, Savannah posted another video on her Instagram.

This one was posted just minutes after that first alleged 5 p.m. deadline pass in the video, her brother Cameron speaks directly to whoever may have potentially taken their mother pleading with them to open up a line of communication. We're going to play that full video right now. Take a listen. This is Cameron Guthrie. I'm speaking for the Guthrie family. Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we have to know that you have our mom.

We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact. Now, the FBI says that that reported ransom note did not include any kind of contact information, and they say that a big part of being able to verify the legitimacy of a ransom demand is to be able to make that contact. The FBI says if they are able to do so, they are prepared. They say they have crisis negotiators here in Tucson right now, ready to assist the family. All of this is tomorrow will mark six days since the search for Nancy began. Tom.

Okay, Liz, we thank you. You saw part of that emotional plea from. Savannah and her siblings, Dana Griffin now with a closer look at the message the family is sending. We want to thank all of you for the prayers for our beloved mom, Nancy. We feel them, and we continue to believe that she feels them too. It's a gut-wrenching emotional plea from Savannah, her sister Annie and brother Cameron. Our mom is our heart and our home. She's 80, four years old. Her health, her heart is fragile. Speaking at times directly to their mother.

Mama, if you're listening, we need you to come home. We love you, Mom. Stay strong. The siblings then making this request to any potential kidnapper. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you. NBC News law enforcement analyst Jim Kavanaugh says the family is trying to humanize Nancy and open the door for communication. The goal is to start a communication to get Nancy released.

There's been a couple of one-way ransom demands that they can't. Tell if they're valid or not. Anyone who has Nancy, he says, is at a crossroads right now. The abductors have two options. Communicate and try to achieve the goals of their crime or release Nancy. Take her to a church, take her to a business, drop her off. So Nancy can be right back where she belongs. Dana Griffin, NBC News, Tucson, Arizona.

And tonight we are also tracking breaking news out of Los Angeles. Police say multiple people were killed when a driver, crashed her car into a grocery store. Camilla Bernal with that video and the latest. A chaotic scene after a car crashed into this grocery store in Los Angeles right in the middle of the day. Firefighters rushing in, but unable to help at least three people who died on site. Officials say at least six others were injured, two of them tonight in serious condition. Video showing some of the wounded being wheeled away and others being treated right at the scene. People were underneath the vehicle.

Firefighters, again, are problem solvers. They came in, were able to remove that vehicle to make access to those patients. We called for waves of additional firefighter paramedics who render immediate medical aid. Authorities say the driver was an elderly woman, and that according to a preliminary investigation, she initially hit a bicyclist and lost control of her car crashing into the supermarket's bakery. This does not seem to be of any. ill intent, that it does not seem to be an intentional act, but rather it's being investigated so far as an accidental traffic collision.

The driver whose identity has not yet been released remain at the scene and according to authorities was cooperating with the investigation. And with that, Camila joins us now live from Los Angeles. Camila, we can still see there's an active scene there behind you. That's right, Tom. The car is still inside of the building. And in fact, so are investigators. We're seeing them walking around that cart, taking photos, taking notes.

They've also been measuring part of the scene here and analyzing this entire area. We also learned that of those killed, one of the victims was 30 years old, another 42, and another 55. Tom? Terrible accident there. Okay, Camilla, thank you. It was another rough day on Wall Street and possibly for your 401K as well, with tech stocks taking a major hit for the third day in a row. The reason for the drop, new fears about AI technology. We showed you part of my exclusive interview with President Trump yesterday, but I also pressed him on those AI fears.

Let's talk about AI. Have you ever used chat cheap ET, quad? I haven't really, but I know all about it. Let me just talk about AI. Yeah. AI is a big deal. AI is going to be maybe the biggest thing, bigger than the Internet, bigger than anything else. We are leading China by a lot. We are leading everybody by a lot. They're all building their factories here. There's no doubt you are the president who's ushering in the AI revolution.

But this is happening on your watch. If AI affects humanity in a negative way, is that on you? Because some of these CEOs of AI companies say, we need guardrails. This could get out of control. Does that worry you? Everything's on me as president. Everything's on me. I can say this.

It'll be the greatest jobs producer. It'll be the greatest. military producer, it'll be the greatest medical producer. They'll be tremendous good. And there'll be probably some bad, too. Well, it's killing a lot of jobs. And what do you say to Americans who are going to lose their jobs? It's going to make, it's going to create a lot of jobs. But right now, it's taking jobs in a lot of ways. It's taking jobs. Companies like Amazon, what would you say to those Americans? But it hasn't really started. You know, these major plans haven't even been built. What you're going to see. No, no, but Mr. President, AI has already started to take jobs because the technology is there.

So we have, it's just announced, more. jobs right now occupied in the United States of America that at any time during its existence, 250 years. And we pressed the president about his lawsuit against the IRS. There's a new lawsuit by you and your family that you're suing the IRS for $10.5 billion for leaking your tax documents. Is this a good use of taxpayer money? You can't leak documents. And any money that I win, I'll give it to charity, 100% to charities. Charities that will be approved by government or whatever. I have another lawsuit with the United States. I sued because they broke into Mar-a-Lago. But that's taxpayer money. It's going to take out of the system. I know it's going to charity you're going to say.

And I've won that case. I mean, I virtually, they broke in the FBI illegally, Biden and his group. It wasn't Biden. He didn't know what he was doing. It was a group of very smart, radical left people. They're very smart. They've lost their way. Right. And they broke into Mar-a-Lago. They broke into my home. went through my wife's drawers they went through you know that's a double meaning they went through barons my sons everything they went through the whole house hundreds of people they they went in with guns they went guns how would have been a blazing wait wait wait wait I brought a lawsuit essentially the lawsuit's been one I guess I want a lot of money how would this work So Scott Besson's the head of the IRS.

I know. What I would do. He's the head of the Justice Department. They're going to defend the IRS against you. You're the boss. Well, there's never been anything like it in all fairness. So are you going to tell them to pay you? Don't forget, I sued as a private citizen because I sued between terms.

You're going to tell them to pay you, though? Because you're the boss. Well, what I would do, tell them to pay me, but I'll give 100% of the money to charity. I don't want any of the money. You take it out of the system. A couple more questions here. No, no. I'm putting it back into the system.

Yeah. If I give money to American Cancer Society, I will, I will, I will, I will give 100% of the money away to check. I don't want any out. 30 trillion dollar debt and we're going to take 10 billion out of the system? Well, I mean, you give it away anyway. They give away a lot of money. And later, the president revealing more about that secret weapon U.S. forces used during the mission to capture authoritarian Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro. You talked about the weapon, the discombobulator. Discombobulat. Well, I'm not allowed to talk about it. But what does it do? Let me just tell you,

you know what it does? None of their equipment works. That's what it is. It does. Everything was... It was my name. I'm very proud of the name. Everything was discombobulated. It was, you know, practically a shot wasn't... You know, they were ready. Right. And when we came, they couldn't do anything.

You saw this on the video. You could tell. Tom, it discombobulated everything. Nothing worked, even including humans. Well, let's put it this way. We lost no equipment in a very strong... And they're good fighters, great fighters. in a very bad environment, it was a military base, the biggest in South America.

In a very, because the house was in a base in South. In a very, very tough environment, we lost no men and we lost no equipment. And you can see more of my interview on Super Bowl Sunday right here on NBC. In 60 seconds, the puck drops at the Winter Olympics, American women dominating on the ice as the action of Milan starts even before the opening ceremony. You take you to Italy next. We're now just one day away from the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics, but competition is already underway on both snow and ice,

including Team USA's women's hockey team, beginning their quest for gold. Stephanie Gosk is in Milan. Tonight in Milan, the puck has dropped in the women's Olympic hockey tournament. The U.S. team came out firing, beating the Czech Republic five to one. In attendance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside Vice President J.D. Vance and his family. On defense, Leila, Edwards, already making history becoming the first black woman to play for the U.S. Olympic team. I met up with her mom before the game. In just a few minutes, you are going to watch Leila take Olympic ice for the first time.

What's running through your head? I'm ecstatic. I'm overwhelmed. I'm excited for her. And I'm really proud. I'm really proud. She's worked very hard for this moment, so we're cheering her on. The stones in Cortina slid smoothly. The U.S. mixed doubles curling team beating Norway 8 to 6 after a rocky start.

So we're grateful to be here, grateful to come out with the win. On the snow, big air living up to its name during the qualifying round. On skis, the men got in some downhill training. The women who compete on a different mountain have to wait until tomorrow because of heavy snow. Lindsey Vaughn posting her impressive indoor workout on social media, writing, I'm not giving up working as hard as I can to make it happen. Vaughn says she intends to race even with a ruptured left ACL,

but she needs a training run to see how stable that knee is. Race directors say the course should be ready for training runs tomorrow, Tom. All eyes will be on that course. All right. We thank you for that, Stephanie. We're back in a moment with dramatic new video of a car crashing into an airport terminal. Look at that, barely missing people inside. Plus, a scary moment caught on camera balloons bursting into flames inside an elevator. What happened here? All of it next.

We're back now with video of a car smashing right through the glass at a terminal at Detroit's airport. You see it there crashing right through the doors, nearly hitting someone by a security checkpoint. It happened in late January. An investigators say the incident does not appear to be terrorism. They say the driver might have been having a mental health issue. Also tonight, check out this body cam video showing an intense rescue from a burning home in California. You see officers breaking the windows of the home engulfed in flames. They eventually spotted someone through the glass and the firefighters rescued two trapped residents.

No one was hurt. And a terrifying scene inside this elevator in Mumbai, India, after all those balloons exploded, you see it right there. The man carrying them was delivering them to a birthday party in a residential building. The delivery man and one other person suffered burns but survived. unclear exactly why this happened. That's nightly news for this Thursday. I'm Tom Yamas. I'll see you tomorrow night, live from the Super Bowl.

Thanks so much for watching. Tonight and always, we're here for you. Good night.