NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Episode Date: February 4, 2026

Search for Savannah Guthrie‘s mother; U.S. military shoots down Iranian drone; Trump calls to nationalize voting; 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 the latest on the all-out search for today's show anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, police combing through hundreds of leads, more than 48 hours after Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home. We're with the team searching for clues after the 84-year-old was taken against her will. What police are now saying about DNA found at the scene, as they try to piece together what happened. And the message of hope from Savannah herself tonight as we all wait for Nancy's safe return. U.S. forces shooting down an Iranian drone approaching a U.S. aircraft carrier. The growing tensions in the region as President Trump says negotiations with Iran are underway. Alarm in Washington after President Trump calls for Republicans to nationalize elections,

the pushback from his own party over the move that would go against the Constitution. Former First Lady Jill Biden's ex-husband charged with murdering his current wife, the disturbing discovery when police were called to his home. Skiing icon Lindsay Vaughn holding on to her Olympic comeback despite tearing her ACL, what she's now saying after that terrifying crash. Roblox kidnapping, a man accused of abducting two young sisters he met on the popular gaming app, how police found them. Dramatic water rescue, a driver trapped on his sinking pickup after crashing into an icy pond.

A team swimming more than two miles to find help after his family was swept out to see what happened next. And it's showtime. Some say he's the greatest to ever play the game. His prediction for a three-peat and his new home run hit at bookstores. What the Dodger star just told me tonight, days before spring training. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. We begin with that story that has rocked our NBC News family. The disappearance of Savannah Guthrie's beloved mother, Nancy. Law enforcement is receiving so many tips, but so far there are still few answers. Moments ago, the FBI director himself confirming the Bureau is working to find her. But Arizona police say they have no idea where Nancy is nearly three days since they believe she may have been taken from her home against her will. The sheriff tells,

telling NBC news that his teams are out canvassing the area right now looking for any sign of where Nancy may have gone. Everything from security camp footage to footprints left behind. Tonight, you'll hear Savannah Guthrie's new message, a message of hope, but also her request for prayers for Nancy's safe return, something we here at NBC are desperately hoping for tonight. We begin with Liz Croix, who's in Tucson for us. Tonight, we're learning new details in the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie as the investigation enters its third day. We have a lot of work in front of us. The FBI now working alongside the Pima County Sheriff's Office, which tells us that more than 48 hours later, they still don't know where Savannah's mother is. You told me yesterday that you've received a lot of tips

and different leads, but you don't have one significant lead. Has that changed? No, we don't have anybody saying, this is who you're looking for. This is the person. No suspect? No, not yet. The sheriff says they're working to pin down a timeline of when Nancy Guthrie was taken from her Tucson home, which they say happened against her will in the middle of the night. He says they've also taken DNA samples from the home and are still awaiting the full results. Tonight, President Trump responding to a question about Nancy's disappearance. Would you commit to more federal agents like helping out on the... Sure, I would.

I'm going to call it later on. I think it's a terrible thing. I always got along very good with Sonana. Very unusual situation, but we're going to find out. Outside the home, officials once again pleading with neighbors to check their own security cameras. Has there been any footage from neighbors that has been given to you that's at all helpful? I don't know if it's helpful. Do we have something that says, aha, here's somebody really in the neighborhood slinking around or this car shouldn't be, we don't have that yet.

To give you a sense, this is what the neighborhood looks like. Many of the homes are on these big lots set back from the street with all this tall dry vegetation blocking any view of the road. There's also no streetlights here, making capturing video in the middle of the night even harder. Search and rescue teams canvass the area searching for any potential clues in the desert brush. Any footprints or anything that may have been dropped or left behind that might give us an indication of where someone might have been. The community banding together as Savannah thanks people for their support and ask for prayers for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. Do you believe that Nancy Guthrie is alive? I'm not, you know, I will not give up on that.

We have nothing else to go on but the belief that she is here. She's present. She's alive, and we want to save her. That's all we want to do. We want to get her back home safe and sound. And Liz, we all know how committed Savannah has been to the viewers of NBC, but this is beyond a family tragedy. Savannah, we now know we'll no longer be traveling to the Olympics this week.

Yeah, Tom, that's right. Savannah was supposed to fly to Italy this week to host the opening ceremonies on Friday. Understandably, she is no longer going to be going. She's going to stay here in Tucson with her family as they continue this search. Tom. And again, we are all thinking and praying for her and her family. Okay, we move on now to that bipartisan backlash tonight after President Trump floated that Republicans should take over and nationalize elections. Garrett Hake reports tonight from the White House.

In a podcast interview with his former FBI deputy director, Dan Vonjino, President Trump, turned heads with this. The Republicans should say, we want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. Given that the Constitution dictates elections be run by the states, the president's comments triggered Democratic outrage. I don't see this as a distraction. I see it as an action. threat. He has said out loud what he wants to do. And polite pushback from top Republicans. It's always been the responsibility of the states to administer elections. I want to see elections be honest. President Trump, pressed late today, insisting there are problems with elections in

multiple states. Horrible corruption on elections. And the federal government should not allow that. The federal government should get involved. It comes amid growing alarm among Democrats following last week's FBI raid of a Fulton County Georgia Election Center. The FBI seizing hundreds of boxes of ballots and other documents related to the 2020 election, which the president has repeatedly and falsely claimed was stolen. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard observed the raid and later facilitated a call in which President Trump spoke directly to FBI agents involved in the search, two sources say. She has no role in executing search warrants. And she does not belong on the scene of a domestic FBI search, particularly one tied to the president's personal grievances

carried out under the pretense of normal law enforcement. Gary joins us tonight from the White House, but Garrett, I know you're tracking some news from Capitol Hill. The president also signed a bill to end another short-lived government shutdown today. That's right, Tom. This bill fully funds the federal government through the end of September, except for the Department of Homeland Security. DHS is given just two weeks of funding, which creates a new deadline for negotiations to address democratic demands for reforms in ICE and Border Patrol operations around the country. Tom? Garrett Hake, we thank you for that.

In a programming note, tomorrow night, I sit down with President Trump for an exclusive interview. You can see the interview right here on Nightly News and an extended version on Top Story on our streaming channel, NBC News Now, and more on Super Bowl Sunday. All right, we are also tracking breaking news tonight out of the Middle East, an American fighter jet, shooting down an Iranian drone that approached a U.S. aircraft carrier. But still, today, President Trump says negotiations are moving forward with Iran. Richard Engel is there. Amid already heightened tensions, today military escalations with Iran.

The American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which just arrived in the region as part of President Trump's military buildup, was today approached about 500 miles from the Iranian coast by an Iranian drone, flying aggressively and with unclear intent, according to U.S. Central Command. The Lincoln scrambled a fighter jet and shot it down. Hours later, in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most vital shipping lanes for oil and gas, a U.S. flagged and crude commercial tanker was approached by two boats from Iran's Revolutionary Guard and a drone, according to CENTCOM, which said a U.S. warship moved to assist, and the incident de-escalated. Afterwards, President Trump said negotiations with Iran have not stopped.

We are negotiating with them right now. The Iranian military moves today came after Iran's supreme leader threatened that if the U.S. attacks Iran, it will become a regional war. Iran could be trying to show strength ahead of talks with the U.S. set for Friday, proving that it still has cards to play can still inflict damage, even though critics say Iran is in its weakest position in decades. Tom? Richard Engel and his team from Iran tonight, Richard, we thank you.

Now to the chilling new twist involving the ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden. He's now accused of murdering his current wife. Aaron McLaughlin explains. Tonight, the ex-husband of former First Lady Jill Biden behind bars, charged with first-degree murder. Bill Stevenson was taken into custody on Monday in Delaware after a grand jury charged him with intentionally causing the death of his wife, Linda. According to authorities on the night of December 28th,

police were called to the Stevenson's Delaware residence for a domestic dispute. They found Linda unresponsive in the living room. She was later pronounced dead. Bill Stevenson was married to Jill Biden for five years in the 70s. In her 2019 memoir, Biden wrote about the ill-favorian. relationship, detailing how the two met in college and married when she was just 18, writing, there was a time when I truly believed we were destined for each other, but that they soon grew in different directions. Biden calling the divorce the biggest disappointment of my young life.

She also wrote that Stevenson supported Joe Biden's 1972 run for Senate, although decades later, when Biden became president, it's my honor to introduce the 46th president, my husband, Joe Biden. Stevenson was an outspoken critic of the First Lady, frequently talking about the relationship on Newsmax. She was bitter. She was nasty. And she said things in the court that were crazy.

The Biden family declined to comment about the case. Stevenson is in custody, having failed to post $500,000 cash bail. Aaron McLaughlin, NBC News. We're going to take a turn out of some sports news. we have a major update tonight on American skier, Lindsay Vaughn, seriously injured right before the start of the Olympics, which kicks off just a few days from now. Today, the skiing legend announcing, injured or not, she's skiing. Stephanie Gosk is in Italy with the latest. Lindsay Vaughn is not letting go of her Olympic comeback.

I will do everything in my power to be in that starting game. But today in Cortina, Italy, the 41-year-old, revealing she ruptured the ACL in her left knee after crashing in Switzerland last week. if she will compete. But I can't tell you that answer until I actually ski 85 miles an hour. Vaughn's first training run is Thursday, a huge test as the games draw near. And today, Team USA choosing its flag bearers for opening ceremony. Speed skater Aaron Jackson. In Beijing, she became the first black woman to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

What message does it send to have you be the flag bearer? It's an amazing message because that's more visibility. At her side, Frank Del Dukkah, U.S. Army Sergeant and bobsled pilot. Carrying the American flags, leading us into opening ceremony is going to be just the absolute joy and honor. Tonight in Milan, the city center coming alive with excitement for the games. Opening ceremony only three days away. The women's downhill is on Sunday. Lindsay Vaughn still has to do a training run probably on Thursday before that.

She says she feels good and the swelling is down. It will all depend on how stable her knee feels during that run, Tom. What a competitor. All right, Stephanie Gosk, we thank you for that. When we return in 60 seconds, the little girls kidnapped. After meeting an adult through an online gaming site, roadwalks, how they were found in another state. That's next.

We're back with an alarming kidnapping case in Florida where authorities say two sisters were taken by a man. He drove cross-country after connecting with them on the popular apps Roblox and Snapchat. Towards release has more. Tonight, a kidnapping crisis averted after authorities arrested a Nebraska man accused of taking two

young Florida girls. Investigators say Sir Mulace, who remains in custody, drove from Omaha to Martin County Florida to pick up 12 and 15 year old sisters after chatting with them for months, first on the online gaming app Roblox and then Snapchat. Anything where you can

communicate digitally can be a problem. You can never disregard any of the apps. The sisters were first reported missing Saturday evening when authorities say family called 911 after the girls went for a walk and didn't come home. They went for a walk around 435 and they haven't come back. Investigators say the girls were found more than seven hours later across state lines inside the suspect's car by Georgia State Police. These criminals that are out there constantly surfing the internet, they know what to say. Tonight in a statement to NBC News, Roblox saying in part they're investigating, adding they have robust safety policies

to protect users that go beyond many other platforms. Snapchat telling NBC News in part, we continuously adapt our strategies as criminals evolve their tactics. All of this comes as authorities in Indiana recover the remains of 17-year-old Haley Busby, who was reported missing last month. Authorities say a 39-year-old man who met the teen on a gaming platform is in custody in connection with the case. The family of the two sisters tells us they're grateful to love. enforcement. Meanwhile, the sheriff tells me more charges could be brought against the suspect. Tom. All right, George, thank you. We're back in a moment with the teenager who swam for miles to save his family stuck at sea. How he did it. All right, we're back now with a heroic rescue at sea. A 13-year-old

boy seen here in the ocean in Australia helped rescue his family after they were swept out to sea. Police say the boy swam two miles to shore to call for help. I was really scared. I was just thinking. just thinking in my head, like thinking I was going to make it through. Rescue crews found his family hours later clinging to a paddleboard. His brave efforts got them home safely. And in North Carolina, another Daring Rescue in the middle of the snow, video from a firefighter's helmet shows crews in rafts paddling out to reach a driver who went off the road into a pond.

They find him standing in the bed of his truck submerged in cold water. The crew brought him onto their raft and back to land, saving his life. All right, when we come back on Nightly News, my exclusive with baseball superstar Shohei Otani, what he said about making it a three-peat and his new adventures with his beloved sidekick decoy. That's next. Finally tonight, a rare look at a global icon. Now, as a Yankees fan, it is hard for me to admit. L.A. is currently the center of the baseball universe, but it's impossible to ignore the man who put them there and who is now an author.

I spoke with Shohayotani tonight. To watch Shohei Otani is to witness a once in a century force, a $700 million arm, and a swing that has become the stuff of legend. He's the face of the sport, a double threat, knocking 55 home runs and pitching a sub three ERA in 2025, a feat that felt like science fiction until he made it a reality. What was it like to win back-to-back World Series titles? This second year was a lot harder. You know, obviously a lot more pressure that was put on the team. It was a very special year.

For the four-time MVP, the conversation has now turned to something rarely whispered in baseball, a three-peat. For Americans out there, when we talk three-peat, we think of the greats in other sports, people like Michael Jordan and Tom Brady and all the championships he won. you're going to be talked about in those conversations as well. Have you thought about a three-pe? I don't think about it too much. However, I do hope that when I retire and I look back and I can be able to say that, hey, I was on that team that won three championships in a row.

That would be very cool. But with that success comes scrutiny. To get there, the Dodgers have a payroll that has redefined the sports economy, allowing them to scoop up the best talent in the game. Do you think that's good for the game? Yeah, I think what the ownership group has done is great. You know, I mean, obviously the fans pay money to, they buy tickets,

and they, you know, they come to the game. So I think that money is being, you know, being used back to sign these great players and put out a winning product on the fields. For Otani, the future now includes a new addition at home, a baby girl born last April. Also, by his side, Major League Baseball's most valuable pup, Decoy. So, you know, when I was growing up in Japan, I had a dog myself.

I wanted a dog from myself over here. I kind of met Decoy and we hit it off. A celebrity in his own right, Decoy is now the subject of Otani's new children's book. So Shohei, why did you want to write a children's book? Yeah, I think the initial idea was basically I had my daughter coming soon. So timing-wise, I felt it was a nice time to maybe. be able to read her a book about my story as well as our dog decoy story. But with a book deal and millions of fans, Otani's sidekick might be stealing a bit of the spotlight.

Does he need a super agent to represent him? Don't want to Scott. Yeah, you know, all of the proceeds for these books are going to go to animal shelters. We're going to obviously donate all of the proceeds. But now that I think about it, maybe I should have negotiated just a little bit of amount to get decoys some good food, you know. do that next time. Our thanks to Shohay. The book is out now and we can't wait for baseball to start. That's nightly news for this Tuesday. I'm Tom Yamas. Thanks so much for watching. Tonight and always we're here for you. Good night.