NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Thursday, May 28, 2026

Episode Date: May 29, 2026

Deadly explosion at Dallas apartment complex; Negotiators for U.S. and Iran reach deal; Jill Biden on 2024 debate: ‘Has he been drugged?’; 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.

Breaking news tonight, the deadly explosion at a Dallas apartment complex. Right now, first responders searching for victims. The building erupting into a massive ball of fire. Flames engulfing the whole building. Firefighters searching through the mangled wreckage. Multiple people are dead. Neighbors saying their homes shook from the blast, what we just learned about what caused it.

Isn't Iran deal ready to be signed? Our new reporting on a possible breakthrough and what's in it. hasn't? President Trump signed it. New revelations from First Lady Jill Biden saying she thought Joe Biden was drugged during his 2024 debate performance and her response when asked if she noticed any cognitive decline. Serial killer in paradise? The manhunt in Hawaii for a suspect on the run after three people were murdered. Police say he's armed and dangerous. Field trip tragedy, the rafting accident, leaving a young student dead. The raft overturned. in the river. The student was wearing a life jacket. So how did this happen? GLP1 overdoses

our investigation tonight into the explosive rise in overdoses from the popular weight loss drugs. Are those websites that prescribed them online to blame how one woman felt like she was dying? The former CIA officer accused of stealing $40 million in gold bars from the spy agency. How did he trick the CIA for so long? Trump money, the new proposal for a $250 bill with President Trump's portrait on it. And there's good news tonight, the daring rescue to save this baby deer, how the firefighter put his life on the line to ensure this dough survived. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas.

And good evening. We want to begin tonight with that breaking news. multiple people killed in a massive explosion at an apartment building in Dallas. Right now, firefighters are searching through that rubble for more victims. These are the images just coming into our newsroom. From above, you can see the whole building there engulfed in fire. And from the ground, you can see it just a torrent of fire shooting upwards. More than 100 first responders rushed out to this inferno to put out that fire, attacking it with full force at all angles. moments later you can see how that apartment building has been completely reduced to just rubble.

Right now, firefighters are working their way through that twisted wreckage. Multiple people are still unaccounted for at this time, and we have late details that a gas explosion caused this blast. Candace Sweat from our NBC Dallas-Fort Worth station is live at the scene for us. She starts us off, and Candace, we can see there just behind you. This scene is very active. That's right, Tom. It's been roughly five hours since that. First call came in, and this is still an incredibly active scene.

You can see fire trucks and first responders still behind me. And just moments ago, we've learned that this has gone from a rescue mission to a recovery mission. Oh, my God. Tonight, chaos in Dallas. A massive plume of dark smoke filling the sky after officials say an explosion caused a fire at this apartment building. Two-story apartment complex, natural gas explosion, multiple victims. Flames completely engulfing the structure, police seen here blocking streets and turning people away as they battled the inferno. But you can see that there is really nothing left.

People nearby describing what they heard. We were inside and then what we heard was like a move. Dozens of firefighters sifting through massive piles of rubble. We have four people transported to the hospital in unknown conditions at this time. Residents of the apartment complex were devastated when they saw what was left of their home. NBC station KXAS confirming a contractor was working at the building on Thursday and struck a gas line. It isn't clear what type of work was being done at the time, a community anxiously waiting for answers as the investigation continues. I want to encourage our entire city, this entire state, the entire nation, to come to

and pray for all the people, all the families who are affected by this tragedy we are experiencing here today in our city. And Candace joins us once again live. Candice, there's still a concern out there that people could be missing. Absolutely, Tom. Again, we've confirmed now that there are fatalities and several people still unaccounted for, although it is unclear how many. This is still, as I mentioned before, an incredibly active scene, all of the trucks behind me an indication that this is going to be a very long night for the city of Dallas. Tom. Candice, sweat for us tonight.

Candice, we thank you. That or our other big story tonight, the war in Iran and negotiators for the U.S. and Iran have apparently reached a deal. One official says it's just waiting for sign-off from President Trump and Iranian leaders. Richard Engel has the latest on what it all means. A possible breakthrough tonight to end the war that has killed more than 3,000 Iranians, 13 Americans, and sent oil. prices soaring. A senior Arab official directly involved in ceasefire talks tells NBC News tonight,

negotiators from both Iran and the U.S. have agreed to a deal and are now awaiting final sign-off from Iran's top leaders and President Trump. You have a very short window for doing anything having to do with war, but I don't view that window. I view it. I have to do what's right. The deal, the official said, was reached three days ago in Doha, Qatar, but has yet to become official. a draft released by Iranian media, the agreement would open the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire for 60 days, and then negotiations would begin over Iran's nuclear program to reach a long-term agreement. But time isn't helping. The deal nearly broke down twice this week, with Iran and the U.S. exchanging fire near the Strait of Hormuz. The latest clashes coming early this morning,

when Iran launched a ballistic missile at a U.S. base in Kuwait, in response Iran's says to an American strike on a command and control site in southern Iran. Kuwaiti air defenses shot down the incoming missile before it reached the American base. But the death toll is rising in Lebanon. Israel today carried out major strikes against Hezbollah in Beirut and Tyre. The Israeli military has ordered Lebanese civilians to evacuate from 17% of the country, declaring it a military zone. Richard joins us now live.

Richard, you mentioned in your report the deal has to be signed off on by Iran's top leaders with so much uncertainty because so many leaders were killed there. Do we know who that is? We don't exactly, and there's some uncertainty about it. In theory, it's the new Supreme leader, but he hasn't been seen in public since the war began since the U.S. and Israel killed his father, the last Supreme Leader. The Speaker of Iran's Parliament has been playing a leading role in negotiations and the Revolutionary Guard are calling a lot of the shots in Iran. So it would likely be a combination of all three. Tom? Richard Engel for us, Richard, thank you. Back here at home, we have some new revelations tonight from former First Lady Jill Biden, writing in her new book that

she thought President Biden may have been drugged during that disastrous debate performance. Her story now very different from what she was telling the public at the time. Here's Hallie Jackson. stunning new revelations tonight from the former first lady in her new book after her husband's disastrous debate performance in 2024, Jill Biden, wondering, has he been drugged? According to excerpts first published by the Atlantic and confirmed by NBC News, the former first lady writing she wished she had thought to ask for a blood test after the debate. Did you ever see signs that he was falling into cognitive decline? No. I mean, people were saying he wasn't the same Joe Biden. Well, I don't think that's true.

He was the same, the essence of the same Joe Biden. But yeah, he was slowing down. Her new comments, reigniting a reckoning inside the Democratic Party over questions of transparency and former President Biden's fitness for office. With the COVID, excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with, look, if we finally beat Medicare. As Jill Biden walked with the former president off the stage,

she writes, he whispered to her, I really effed up, didn't I? Yes, you did, she whispered back. I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. Why happened? I don't know what happened. I mean, as I watched it, I thought, oh, my God, he's having a stroke. And it scared me to death.

But that's not how she reacted publicly that night. Instead, before accompanying him to a Waffle House, praising her husband's performance. Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question. You knew all the first. Others around him at the time, also insisting that night was a one-off. You never saw anything like what happened at the debate night behind closed doors with him? It was a bad debate.

People have bad debates. Even with new questions now, Democrats are largely looking ahead, with only brief mentions of that debate in their controversial election autopsy report. Tom? Hallie Jackson for us, Hallie, we thank you for that. We're going to stick with politics tonight, the Trump administration facing backlash from Democrats after the Justice Department launched a new criminal probe related to writer E. Jean Carroll's civil lawsuits against the president. Plus, will Americans now start to buy things with a new type of Trump currency? A $250 bill? Here's Gabe Gutierrez.

Tonight, the Trump administration's new move against Washington. of the president's political enemies. The Justice Department opening an investigation involving E. Jean Carroll's civil lawsuits over sexual abuse allegations against the president, according to two sources familiar with the matter. But the current probe is not focused on Carol. Instead, it's on a trust founded by billionaire Reid Hoffman, whose nonprofit helped pay for some of Carol's legal costs for lawsuits against the president. The sources tell NBC News. Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn is a major Democratic donor and an outspoken critic of President Trump. In 2023, Carol was awarded $5 million in damages after a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s.

This is not about the money. This is about getting my name back. In 2024, a jury found that Trump had to pay Carol more than $83 million in damages for repeated defamation. I don't even know who this woman is. The president has repeatedly denied Carroll's allegations. A federal appeals court decided that President Trump did not need to pay the money until the Supreme Court weighs in. The new move follows the DOJ's targeting of other Trump critics, including former FBI director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and California Senator Adam Schiff, who's calling it a vile attack on the rule of law and a disgusting insult to victims everywhere. We could not reach Hoffman for common. A source familiar with the investigation tells NBC News

that acting attorney general Todd Blanche has recused himself because it was President Trump's personal lawyer, Tom. And Gabe, while we have you, there is another headline at the White House, the potential for a $250 bill with President Trump's photo on it? Yes, Tom. The Washington Post just published a mock-up of a $250 bill aimed at honoring America's 250th birthday. Now, the Treasury Department says it's preparing for, the possibility, but under current law, no living person can appear on U.S. currency.

So any changes would take an act of Congress. Tom. Okay, Gabe, we thank you. Now to every parent's worst nightmare, a 12-year-old student, went on a river rafting trip with his school, but never came home. Emily Aketa has more on the horrible accident. Tonight, tragedy on the water. A 12-year-old killed during an annual end-of-school year rafting trip.

The sixth-grader, Cesar Aberrasin-Kunkai, fell into the water with four others in the Poconos when the raft capsized, according to authorities. But Cessar was the only one who didn't resurface search and rescue team sweeping the Lehigh River, finding him dead, despite wearing a life jacket and what officials described as typical water conditions. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission now investigating and looking into whether this tree seen pinning a green raft played a role. When you have an obstacle sticking out of the water like that, the water tends to rush towards that object. That is actually going to act somewhat like a vacuum to suck you into that area. His school district from New York remembering the 12-year-old as a beloved sixth-grade student, a child who mattered deeply to all who had the privilege of knowing him. He was a very artistic and creative kid.

He was always like running around everywhere. He was playing soccer. Like he loves soccer a lot. His cousin says Cesar had been really looking forward to the trip. He didn't grow up here. He grew up in Ecuador, so these stuff for him is the American dream. And he was very excited for the trip. The unfathomable school trip tragedy now marking the first whitewater rafting death on the Lehigh in more than 10 years.

Emily Ikeda, NBC News. Incredibly sad. Okay, we are back in 60 seconds with the alarming rise of overdoses. connected to GLP1 weight loss drugs. What you need to know next. We are back now with a warning about GLP1 drugs and the stunning rise in overdoses of the weight loss treatment. Our report tonight in partnership with KFF Health News. Here's Ann Thompson. I knew that eventually this would be empowering. Across social media, influencers tout telehealth companies offering weight loss medications for lower prices. There it is. It sounded like a perfect solution for Carly

McLean, a new mom in Nashville, trying to lose 50 pounds. I was looking for a compounded semi-glutide because I knew that was the most affordable option to move forward. I was looking for something that had good reviews and actually worked. Her insurance didn't cover OZemPEC, so she found Mochi help and a compounded cheaper option. OZMPIC was about $1,500 for me a month, and the one that I ended up going through was about 179 a month. That's a huge saving. Yes. What she didn't know was how terribly wrong everything was about to go. Did she fear you were going to lose your life? Yeah. Carly is one of a growing number of Americans who overdosed on GLP1s. NBC News in collaboration with KFF Health News found that as

GLP1s become easier to get, poison control centers across the country are reporting an alarming increase in overdoses. From 1,366 cases in 2021 to 15,102 in 2025, a more than 1,000% increase. In Carly's case, the problem was on the label. I received it, and the medications said to inject 88 units, and it seemed kind of high to me. So she says she called Mochi. What were you told? I was told that it is the correct dose. And she took the medication as directed. And then I get a message from the doctor at Mochi saying that I took way too much. Almost nine times too much. Rush to the emergency room, she would spend two nights in the hospital. Dr. Gaitanjali Srivastov, an obesity specialist at Vanderbilt Health in Nashville,

says to expect more trouble ahead as people opt for cheaper compounded drugs that act like brand names but are not FDA approved. We do not have any control over what is actually mixed within the compounded formulation, and there's not a standardization or standard process where compounding would be very effective or not. I'm still upset that it happened to me, and I'm still upset that nobody's taking accountability for what they did to me. Months later, Carly says she still has side effects from the overdose. Mochi Health says it's reviewing the case and is in direct and ongoing communication with Carly, to reach a resolution. You okay?

But so far, there is none. All right, Anne joins us now live in studio. So, Anne, people at home are going to be watching this, wondering how do they make sure this doesn't happen to them? The first thing people need to do, Tom, is know what their dosage is, and then double-check it against the label. If there's any discrepancy, check with your doctor.

As more and more people are taking these drugs, the problems are happening more often. A KFF health analysis of FDA data, shows there were 2,000 reports and mistakes in 2020. Five years later, there were more than 25,000. So it happens more than you think. Okay, Ann Thompson. And we thank you for that. We're back in a moment with the urgent search to find a triple homicide suspect in Hawaii. And what we're learning about a former CIA officer accused of stealing $40 million in gold bars, we'll explain. We're back now with police searching for a suspect in connection to three

homicides in just two days. This is the man wanted by Hawaiian authorities, 36-year-old Jacob Daniel Baker. Police warn Baker is considered armed and very dangerous and urged the public not to approach him. We're also monitoring an unusual story out of Washington tonight. According to court documents, a former CIA senior officer with top secret level clearance has been accused of secretly stashing millions of dollars in gold bars in his home that he said he needed for work-related expenses. David Rush has been charged with criminal theft of public money. His lawyer did not respond to our team's request for comment. And four-time Stanley Cup champion, Claude Lemieux, has died at the age of 60.

The NHL veteran passed away suddenly. His death comes just days after the Montreal Canadian fans gave him a standing ovation when he served as the team's torchbearer ahead of game three of the Eastern Conference final. When we come back tonight, the unexpected rescue how firefighters jumped in to the water to save an especially small member of their community. Stay with us. Finally, there's good news tonight. When a team of Indiana firefighters saw a fawn in distress, they knew they needed to do something, jumping right into action to hell. A flooded street and a courageous rest, that's Captain Joe Sinclair, a firefighter in Morgan County, Indiana. You can see

him battling the fast-moving water. First responders were on the scene helping a person trapped in a car after a storm when they heard the cries of a baby deer. But they knew they couldn't leave it behind. Captain Sinclair braving the floods to catch the baby deer, carrying it to safety with the help of his team. But once I got my footing and I lined up with the baby deer, I knew that she was coming to me. We took on a little bit water, but we got her out and said everybody was just at the right place at the right times. I'm sure she was relieved just as well as I was. The firefighters taking the deer to a local animal shelter.

Still kind of trying to take it all in. It's a good story. It's a good outcome. Proud of their unexpected save. I feel like any rescue is part of my job description, you know, no matter what it is. Great catch. All right, that's nightly news for this Thursday. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching.

Tonight and always, we're here for you. Good night.