NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Episode Date: February 25, 2026

Savannah Guthrie announces $1 million reward for any information leading to her mother; Trump set for State of the Union speech in primetime; New risks from historic blizzard; 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, we're live from our nation's capital. The president's state of the union address just hours away. Our new reporting on what he plans to say. Plus, we're tracking a major development in the Nancy Guthrie case. The heartbreaking plea from Savannah, announcing a $1 million reward for information to bring their mother home. Plus, new questions about these photos. Are they taken from different nights?

Did the suspect go to Nancy Guthrie's home more than once? Also tonight, the biggest moment of President Trump's second term, making his case to the nation in a prime time speech, what he plans to announce about the economy, a possible tax cut. Will he call out the Supreme Court justices in person after they struck down his tariffs? Kristen Welker and Halley Jackson standing by with new reporting. Plus, the U.S. men's hockey team at the White House flown in a government plane to celebration today as players speak out on the criticism over that call with President Trump. Trump. Millions buried under feet of snow in that historic blizzard, home after home frozen over, ice falling off skyscrapers, officers injured after being pelted with snowballs, the rush to restore power, and get airports back up and running. Plus Al Roker with the new round of storms on the way.

The tragedy for actor Martin Short after the heartbreaking sudden loss of his daughter. Our series, The Cost of Denial, the fight against so-called ghost networks, the list of doctors from your insurance provider might not be real and why it's costing you money. A sanitation worker discovering a suspect hiding in a garbage can what happened next. And there's good news tonight how a teen battling cancer made her long-shot dream a reality. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. We are coming to you from Washington, D.C. tonight. Behind me, the capital, where in just a short time, President Trump will speak to the American people and make

the case his policies are working. We have new reporting tonight on what the president plans to announce to bring down prices, cut taxes, and what he'll say about possible military action in Iran. We'll get to that in a moment, but we're also following major news in the search for Nancy Guthrie. Our colleague Savannah Guthrie today announcing a new $1 million reward for any information to bring her mother home. We'll play part of her emotional video in just a moment. And we have new information tonight that could dramatically change our understanding of the case. Law enforcement sources are telling us that these images of the suspect may be from different nights. You see on the left there he has a backpack on the right. No backpack.

Our Liz Kreutz is on the ground in Tucson with those new details. Tonight, a new heartbreaking call for help from Savannah. It is day 24 since our mom was taken in the dark of night from her bed. And every hour and minute and second and every long night has been agony since then. Of worrying about her and fearing for her and aching for her. And most of all, just missing her is missing her. In the video, Savannah announcing a $1 million reward for any information that leads to her mother Nancy, along with a $500,000 donation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to help others. We still believe in a miracle. We still believe that she can come home. Hope against hope. As my sister says, we are blowing on the embers of hope. We also know that she may be lost. She may already be.

gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad and with her beloved brother Pierce and with our daddy. If this is what is to be, then we will accept it. But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home. A source close to the Guthrie family says Savannah and her siblings raised the idea of a reward on the very first day of the investigation and were advised by all involved that doing so earlier could overwhelm the infrastructure to field tips. The source says the family's decision to do so now comes after close consultation with law enforcement. Tonight we're also learning more about the masked man. Two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation tell NBC News that this image, which doesn't appear to show the suspect wearing a backpack or that gunhole. was actually captured on an earlier date before the morning of Nancy's abduction.

But the sheriff disputes that conclusion, saying the date of the image is still being investigated. It is all speculative is for someone to suggest that that photo is from a different day. And Liz joins us now live. Liz, I know you have some new reporting about the family's decision to offer that million dollar reward now. Yeah, Tom, our understanding is the family is hoping this will incentivize anybody who up until now has been reluctant to share information. Perhaps they've been protecting someone to come forward. As one federal official told NBC News, money can erode allegiances. They don't need another 1,000 tips. They need just one. Tom. And that one tip could be out there. All right, Liz, we thank you

for that. Back here in Washington, we're just hours away from the president's high stakes state of the union address. President Trump making his case in prime time tonight, and we have new reporting on what he's expected to say. Here's Peter Alexander. tonight a critical opportunity for President Trump, a chance to sell his record in front of a primetime TV audience. It's going to be a long speech because we have so much to talk about. A senior administration official tells NBC News the theme is America at 250, strong, prosperous, and respected on the economy where polls show a majority of Americans are dissatisfied with his performance. President Trump's expected to tout new measures to tackle affordability and to

highlight his efforts to address the cost of living. Wages are raised. rising and inflation is down to 2.4%, but remains above the Federal Reserve's target. While gas prices and rents have dropped, prices for staples like coffee, orange juice, and ground beef are still up, the president with Tom, this month. When can Americans expect those prices to come down? Well, they've already come down. And it's the first time President Trump's expected to see members of the Supreme Court, which, in a major legal blow, just struck down most of his signature tariffs.

They are invited, barely. Barely. Three are happily invited. The president's also expected to highlight that the homicide rate has dropped to a 125-year low, continuing a post-COVID decline and a historic plunge in illegal border crossings. But his administration has also faced outrage following the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. On foreign policy, the president's likely to mention the Gaza ceasefire and the capture of Venezuela's authoritarian leader, Nicholas Maduro,

all as he weighs a new round of potential military strikes against Iran. And after some Democrats heckled him during last year's speech, dozens of Democratic lawmakers say they will boycott this year. There will be some members who attend and attend in silent defiance, and there will be other members who will choose not to attend. Ahead of tonight's address, President Trump hosted members of the gold medal winning U.S. men's hockey team at the White House. After this postgame call with a team sparked criticism online, the president. President inviting the U.S. men to tonight's speech and joking about the women's team, which also won gold. We have medals for you guys. And we have to, I must tell you, we're going to have to bring the woman's team. You do know. I do that. I do know.

The women's team declining its invitation, citing timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments. And Peter Alexander joins us in studio. Peter, there's a bit of a back and forth now between the House Speaker and President Trump about how they're going to get the men's hockey team into the chamber? Tom, that's right. Speaker Johnson says the president called him and said he wanted the whole team to be there in attendance tonight. But of course, the upstairs gallery, he says, is already full. The speaker says somehow they're going to squeeze them all in. But tonight, Tom, I think how that happens is one of the surprises we'll be watching for. All right, Peter Alexander First Peter, we thank you for that. And let's bring in now, Kristen Welker and

Hallie Jackson. Kristen, you were there with me. We had lunch today with the president. He ate with the anchors. He told us a little bit about this speech. This is going to be a major moment for him. No doubt, Tom. This is going to be a huge moment for President Trump. We know polls show the public is skeptical, but the president told us he's going to argue the U.S. is about to have the best three years economically in the nation's history. And it's already started. The president telling us he's going to advocate for new tax cuts in a different form. And on Iran, he told us Iran wants to make a deal more than I do, he said, but they just won't say the sacred phrase, quote, we won't build nuclear weapons.

That was the critical phrase he told us about. And, Hallie, this is setting the stage. The clock is ticking. The midterms right around the corner. No kidding. And if history is a guide, the president's party typically doesn't do so well in a midterms year. So if President Trump wants to buck that trend, he's got to figure out how to reverse his cratering poll numbers on the economy. I've spent the last two days talking with Trump voters.

And I will tell you, almost every single one brings up their heating bill, their groceries, their money. So I suspect that's why you're going to hear so much about affordability as President Trump is looking to deliver a message to those Americans. All right, Halley Jackson, Kristen Walker, so great, Peter, as well. Join us all tonight for State of the Union coverage starting at 9 p.m. right here on NBC. All right, our other major story tonight, hundreds of thousands are still without power. After that historic blizzard dumped more than two feet of snow across the northeast. Thousands more of flights were canceled today as major cities struggle to get back up and running. Emily Aketa reports tonight from New Jersey. Tumpled trees and downed power lines across the northeast, where tonight, hundreds

of thousands remain without power after a devastating blizzard left millions under multiple feet of snow. Today, a new threat coming from a temporary thaw. Watch how melting ice and snow plummet from this skyscraper in Boston, hitting the ground below with a dramatic thud. Along Massachusetts coast, home after home frozen over, snow disguising entryways, school buses and cars totally covered. And look at this gas station canopy that collapsed. The NYPD says they're now investigating videos like this one showing snowballs thrown at police officers who were then transported to the hospital with injuries to the head, face, and neck area. The city's mayor reacting. They and our entire city workforce deserve to be treated with respect.

Police now looking for these two men tonight. At least 39 places were blanketed by more than 30 inches of snow. These roads in Rhode Island still impassable. WJAR's Molly Levine is there. Here in Providence, residents spent the day digging out from their driveway after this record-breaking storm dumped over 30 inches on the city. But what good is that when the snow is up to your knees and many of the streets are untouched? It's not just the rush to clear roads in the northeast, but also to restore power to hundreds of thousands in these freezing temperatures. Officials in Maryland, which faced high winds, confirmed two people died when a tree fell on their car Sunday.

crews now clearing railroads and airlines racing to recover from more than 11,000 flight cancellations since Sunday. The terminals in Boston today, eerily quiet. And the big risk tonight is what you can't see with temperatures dropping into the teens, melting snow could quickly turn into black ice, Tom. All right, Emily Aketa for us from New Jersey. Al Roker joins us tonight. Al, some of the hardest hit areas are about to see more snow again tonight. That's right, Tom. We've got a quick clipper making its way through, and it's going to be bringing in more snow. This is a quick one. It's not going to be a lot of snow. It'll make for maybe a rough commute tomorrow morning in the northeast. Then Thursday, another system comes, but that stays mostly to the south. The heaviest rain will stay down there. Friday, we get a few more snow showers. We are looking for anywhere from four to six inches of snow. Upstate New York, interior New England, maybe one to two inches of snow, Tom, as we look along the I-95 corridor. Tom? All right, Al, we thank you. When we return in 60 seconds, our series, the cost of denial and our investigation tonight into ghost networks.

Our insurance companies saying doctors are in network when they really aren't, why it costs you more money. That's next. We are back now with our series, the cost of denial, where we investigate the challenges Americans face with their insurance companies. Tonight we look into ghost networks. A new lawsuit alleges that the long list of health care providers, one insurance company says, are in network. either aren't or aren't available. Kate Snow investigates. Val Calderon and her partner, Chris Russell, are special ed teachers in New York City. In 2024, pregnant with their first child, Val had a difficult miscarriage that took an enormous toll on her mental health. I'm in this dark tunnel, and I don't know if I can pull myself out of it.

And I'm scared. You thought you should see a doctor? I had to. I knew I had to. for my safety, for my well-being, for my life. She says she felt severely depressed and called at least a dozen doctors and therapists listed by her insurance, Emblem Health. I was hearing, yes, we're in network, we have a wait list, and also, no, we're not in network.

Not a network at all. Yeah. The experience with it being so impossible, literally impossible, to find someone, was, for me, less of an enraged feeling and more of like a helpless feeling. Like, what do we even do? It's known as a ghost network. Val showed us email replies. Not taking on new patients.

Unfortunately, I am not in network. Eventually, Val just gave up. I said to Chris, you know, I need to get back to things in my life that I know brought me joy. Because it's like literally the only thing that I think I have now. I'm so sorry. A few months later, Val got pregnant again and had a beautiful, baby girl, but postpartum depression took hold. It was like,

I can't live like this anymore. I need help. They decided to pay more than $600 a month for an out-of-network therapist, far more than the $15 copay per session that they would pay through insurance. Now, Val is part of a class action lawsuit against Emblem

Health. It alleges the company artificially inflates its mental health provider network and illegally profits from its ghost network. Sarah Haviva Mark is Val's lawyer, and says it's all done by design. The more providers that are listed, the more people that will choose a plan, the more premiums, the more money they make. The American Psychiatric Association is also part of the lawsuit. APA CEO and medical director Dr. Markita Wills says doctors struggle when they're

incorrectly listed as in-network. We've heard stories from our members, psychiatrists, who have called emblem specifically trying their best to get out of these directories. They call them, They get rerouted. They're asked to fill out paperwork. They still can't get out of the directory. Emblem Health tells NBC News, we do not comment on pending litigation. Val still feels like her mental health is a work in progress, but says she's in a better place. This is really not even about me.

This is about, like, thousands of people that are being harmed daily. She hopes her litigation might make it easier when someone else desperately needs help. And with that, Kate Snow joins us live. Kate, I know you have some big updates on this issue with Emblem on another legal front. Yeah, Tom, there was actually just a settlement between Emblem Health and the New York State Attorney General's office, which has been investigating the issue of mental health ghost networks. Emblem agreeing to pay a $2.5 million fine and restitution to members like Val who pay out of pocket. Emblem said it agreed to pay in order to avoid the time and expense of litigation. And today told NBC News it has expanded its network. of providers, Tom. All right. We hope Val can get more help now. Kate, we thank you for that.

We're back in a moment with the suspect found hiding in a trash bin. Look at this. How a sanitation worker helped crack the case. That's next. Welcome back. Some sad news tonight for beloved comedy actor Martin Short. Short's representative confirming his 42-year-old daughter, Catherine, has died, writing she was beloved by all. Our station, NBC Los Angeles, citing police sources reporting Catherine died on Monday by suicide. And we have some breaking news in the battle for Warner Brothers Discovery. WBD announcing today a new bid from Paramount Skydance could top the deal with Netflix. If Warner's accepts Paramount's deal, Netflix could raise its bid.

And Ohio, a wild discovery caught on camera, dash cam video from police shows a sanitation worker emptying trash into a truck when he startled to find a man hiding in the bin. The worker jumps and points to the police car behind him as the man climbs out and flees. Police say the suspect had just fled a traffic stop. Ahead on nightly news tonight, cheers and chills as this team takes the court. The cancer diagnosis that couldn't sideline her shot at playing high school basketball, that moment that will inspire next. Finally, there's good news tonight.

When an aspiring high school basketball player was diagnosed with cancer, she thought her dream of playing basketball was over. Instead, the community made sure she got her moment. Listen to that chant, echoing through this packed gym in Iowa. They're chanting for one player. Sherry Joe Whitcock as she takes the court. She's always dreamed of this. The Jay's Jersey, the home crowd.

Once, this dream felt impossible. First, a cancer diagnosis, then the loss of her leg. I told my dad, one thing that really pissed me off is I wasn't going to score a point in Gayland Catholic basketball. history. Her school wasn't going to let that happen. Watch what happens when she gets the ball. Her teammates surrounding her to cheer her on. But she wasn't done just yet. Later in the game, a steal and an assist. I'm a pretty positive person, I like to say, but that moment was just all the happiness that there could be in the world. Look past the bench and you'll see why. A community refusing to let her fight alone.

There's so many people out there praying for me, hoping for me, and wanting this for me. And it's just so amazing to be able to see a community rally around something as important as this. Sherry Joe, great game. That's nightly news for this Tuesday night. Join us for State of the Union coverage starting at 9 p.m. right here on NBC. I'm Tom Yamas. Thanks so much for watching tonight.

And always we're here. for you. Good night.