NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Episode Date: September 16, 2026

Kennedy Center to close for two years as Trump says renovation hinges on his name; FBI: ISIS terror plot foiled in Pennsylvania; Multiple artists quit Ed Sheeran tour; 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 Kennedy Center shut down and the president's vow it won't be renovated unless his name is on it. The board of the D.C. cultural institution voting to close its doors for renovations. President Trump saying they won't renovate unless his name is put back on it. Also breaking the moment a Pennsylvania man is arrested over an alleged terror plot. Images of the AR-15 style weapon and ammo for a possible violent attack. Ed Sheeran tour disaster, his backup band and other major musical acts, quitting his tour after rap star McElmore was forced out due to his free Palestine comments. New video of a teenager launching fireworks from a pickup truck that allegedly ignited a deadly wildfire in Washington State. The Good Samaritans chasing down this alleged car thief after he stole a Tesla and sped down a popular beach boardwalk.

mortgage rates hitting a two-year high, and we are just hours away from a possible rate hike from the Fed that could send them even higher and jolt your 401K. Are shark attacks in the U.S. being undercounted? What our deep dive into the numbers found, why this surfer's attack wasn't counted. Spinning out of control, a helicopter crashing on the tarmac with a flight instructor in the pilot seat, what went wrong? Scary video of a girl run over by a Mack truck miraculously walking away with just a few scrapes. Breaking free the suspect in a police cruiser smashing the window with his feet to escape how he was recaptured.

And there's good news tonight. The walk-on basketball player surprised with a full scholarship for her senior year, how her team set up the perfect play. Nightly news starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. We thank you for joining us on this Tuesday night. We want to begin with the shutdown of Washington, D.C.'s iconic Kennedy Center,

set to close now for two years or possibly even longer if President Trump doesn't get his way. The Performing Arts Center overdue for repairs, but the president tonight says those repairs will only happen if his name is added to the building's facade. Among the building's issues, chunks of the ceiling, you see it right here falling onto the ground, the Kennedy Center board full of Trump loyalists voting to close the venue, just hours after a federal judge rejected their latest attempts to add the president's name. The Kennedy Center has seen countless legendary acts from elaborate orchestras to Aretha Franklin to even Beyonce. Now its stage will go dark and renovations are on hold possibly until President Trump's demands are met. Hallie Jackson has fallen this for us tonight, and she starts us off.

A stunning shutdown effective immediately for the iconic Kennedy Center, the main building, set to close for two years for repairs to fix issues like this ceiling collapse, a security guard seen feet away after a key vote today by the Trump-backed board. But there's a new catch, President Trump, now saying unless his name ends up on the building, the renovation of the Kennedy Center will not take place. That's after the president himself dialed into today's meeting, blasting his chief critic there as incompetent as she did the same to him, according to a source familiar with the call.

And it is being held hostage. Every time there's an issue that comes up, it has been connected. We will consider to do this, but, or unless it has Donald Trump's name on the building. The Kennedy Center, an American cultural institution, a national stage for the country's most prominent performers. But recently plagued by problems from water damage and the threat of bankruptcy. And when the president, after overhauling the board, tried to attach his own name to the center, a federal judge ordered it removed.

Again today, ruling it cannot be added back without Congress's blessing, since by law the center is named after former president John F. Kennedy. Still, administration lawyers have argued without appropriately recognizing President Trump, donors will flee and financial contributions will dry up. To help the center stay afloat during the $250 million renovation, the board has tried to push through unsuccessfully multiple times. Now, the president's setting up a court battle, betting the building's future on a win. Halley, let's pick it up right there. That legal fight could go all the way to the Supreme Court?

Sure could, Tom. The board's pledging to appeal today's ruling bloters. blocking the addition of the Trump name with the Kennedy Center saying they want to move forward with recognizing what they call historic contributions by the president. As of tonight, the center's main building is closed to the public. Tom. Halley, thank you. This is also developing tonight. The FBI saying they've stopped an ISIS terror attack arresting a suspect, they say, was preparing to unleash a mass casualty event with an AR-15-style rifle. Here's Aaron McLaughlin. tonight an alleged ISIS attack foiled.

This image obtained by NBC Channel 11 in Pittsburgh shows the moment a terror suspect is arrested by the FBI, accused of planning a mass casualty event in the name of the Islamic State. These actions demonstrate a sustained commitment to ISIS and a clear intent to conduct a violent attack in the United States to harm the American people. These are the weapons. The FBI says they found during the arrest of 21-year-old Jonathan Kramer, including a semi-automatic rifle, 190 rounds of ammunition, and two loaded rifle magazines. This guy approached me and was a real odd person. This hotel guest who asked not to be identified, says he'd seen Kramer in the hotel. As he was walking away from me, I overheard him say, today's today. And that just was really unsettling with me.

According to court documents, the FBI had been watching Kramer since March. Shortly after, he'd been released from juvenile detention for his role in a 2023 plot to commit a mass casualty incident. The FBI then tracked Kramer's online activity. On September 9, 26, he expressed his intent to prepare for his, quote, mission, claiming, I just need a weapon, and as soon as I have that, I am ready. The court documents did not reveal a date or location for the alleged ISIS plot. Tom. Aaron, thank you. We have new video tonight of what authorities say was reckless and dangerous behavior. A group of teens firing off fireworks from a moving truck that turned deadly when it sparked a fast-moving wildfire. Liz Kreutz with that video. This is the moment.

Police say fireworks launched from the back of a pickup truck ignited a deadly fire on 4th of July in Washington State. Authorities say in the cell phone video obtained from law enforcement by our affiliate King 5 in Seattle, you can see multiple people riding in the bed of a truck while driving on a highway three hours east of Seattle. They say a suspect in the car is seen firing at another vehicle with what's called a trooper turret that rapidly discharges fireworks. We had somebody traveling in the opposite lane to travel with individuals standing up in the back of a vehicle discharging aerial fireworks. Prosecutors say these fireworks are what sparked the Shalan Hills fire, which destroyed more than a dozen homes and killed one person. 69-year-old Robert Lister died in his car while trying to escape. His family tonight telling NBC News they hope justice will prevail.

We will miss his sense of humor and his laugh. Police arrested 18-year-old Michael Yakimov, who they say is the person seen in the video aiming that firework. He faces multiple charges, including first-degree manslaughter, first-degree arson, and six counts of 13. degree assault due to injured firefighters. This is a type of fire that will live with us for the rest of our lives. And NBC News has reached out to the teen's attorney but not heard back. Authorities say they believe five other people were also involved and could face charges as well.

Tom. Liz Kreutz for us, none of that wild video out of San Diego and it was all caught on a pair of meta sunglasses. Good Samaritans chasing down a man accused of speeding down a boardwalk in a Tesla and slamming into a woman. Steve Patterson picks it up from there. Yo, get him, get him. Two good Samaritans, jumping into action,

chasing down a man who San Diego police say stole the vehicle, struck a woman, and fled the scene on foot. What the fuck is this guy's problem, bro? Get the on the ground. A meta-songlashes camera, capturing them knocked down and pinned the suspect, now identified by police as 39-year-old Juan Gonzaba. That's DeJure Hardway, seen leading the charge barefoot.

Tripped them up and grabbed them down and held them down. It's for the greater good, and I'm not, you know, scared of any type of altercation. I've been there. Police say it all happened shortly after 1230 yesterday. Heroing surveillance video showing that stolen blue Tesla speeding along the boardwalk. Watch again in slow motion. You can see a woman leap for cover just in time. Everyone was, like, jumping, like, to the sides.

We saw people, like, jumping to the beach. And, yeah, it was crazy. Police say another woman wasn't so lucky. The driver striking her, leaving her with serious injuries. Police say they tried to stop that Tesla before it reached the boardwalk, but ended their pursuit because of the safety risk. Gonzaba now facing multiple charges, including DUI, hit and run and vehicle theft. He's scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow. Steve Patterson, NBC News. We're going to take a turn out of Pennsylvania. This just in tonight, the measles outbreak there, turning deadly again. Today marked Pennsylvania's fourth death from the disease this year.

Health officials say an 18-year-old died after rare neurological complications from the virus. Pennsylvania hadn't seen any deaths from the disease in 35 years. But cases spike this year as state health officials blame falling vaccination rates. Now to the housing market, mortgage rates hitting a two-year high, pricing many families out of homeownership. And tomorrow, the Fed may raise interest rates even more. Brian Chung explains why. Ian Sohan and Eden Law just got engaged and want to purchase a home soon. I was originally looking for something that's a bit more ready to live in,

but I think I've been looking more for like a fixer-upper, but that's still a very expensive around here. The Virginia couple has been looking for over a year, but Sohan says rising mortgage rates making that dream more out of reach. Yeah, it's just making a lot more intimidating to even go for the purchase and have the confidence that the economy will be able to afford that house five, ten years from now, let alone 30 years. The rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is now,

over 7% a two-year high. For a half a million dollar home, your monthly payments would be over $1,300 more than five years ago, when rates were below 3%. Redfin says the median home price is up 2% over the last year to nearly $400,000. The jump in mortgage rates in large part because of the prolonged conflict with Iran, where higher energy costs have raised expectations that the Fed will have to raise rates this week. Home sales fell 2% last month as realtor Kerry Adams says she's noticed the change in buyers. They're saying, you know, I'm already feeling it at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and now I'm feeling it in mortgage rates.

Maybe I'll sit on the sidelines a little while longer. Now the focus for Sohan and his fiance, putting money away. Every extra dollar that I bring in, I try to put just into a savings account. And that Federal Reserve decision is expected tomorrow where they could signal interest rate hikes down the line, meaning those rates to buy homes like these could stay high for quite some time. Tom? All right, Brian, Chunk for us. Brian, thank you. Tonight, nightly news is looking into shark attacks. It often seems like shark attacks are on the rise. Experts say they're not, but our investigation revealed new questions about just how shark attacks are being counted.

And you may be surprised about with what we found. Jesse Kirsch has more. It might feel like shark attacks are soaring. Tonight, the violent shark attack caught on camera. With close calls going viral and bites shutting down beaches. Still, the headlines quote experts is saying attacks are not in. and were actually declining for most of the past few years. But NBC News found that not all shark bites are counted the same way. I could absolutely feel every single individual tooth.

In 2019, Don Walsh was surfing Florida's New Smyrna Beach. As I hit the water, I landed on top of a shark. A bull shark tearing into his left leg and hand. Time stopped while my hand was in its mouth. That year, experts reported a decrease in unprovoked attacks, but they did not count Walsh. That's because his attack is categorized as provoked, which means a human-initiated interaction with a shark. While I'm paddling on this surfboard,

if my arm hits a shark and that shark fights me, that's considered a provoked attack, even if I had no idea there were sharks anywhere nearby me. If a swimmer's attack near fishermen, even on the beach, that can also be considered provoked. How often do people reach out criticizing this and saying, you're blaming me for something I didn't intend to do. A lot.

And perhaps we should call it human-induced behavior. Gavin Naler leads the international shark attack file, or ISAF, the world's top shark database. Their annual trend reports do not include provoked attacks, which are up. So we're not in beach safety. We are understanding the animals. We're a museum. Some researchers see a need to dig deeper into the data when informing the public. If someone gets attacked by a shark, they're still attacked by a shark.

Ross Busak is a researcher for the fishing industry, which he says is increasingly threatened by sharks. Look at the size of that full shark. I mean, I'm constantly interacting with sharks now, and I never did before. Still, ISAF says even if you account for increases in provoked attacks, overall, biting incidents are essentially trending flat. Since his attack, Walsh, has not shied away from the ocean. I love sharks. I don't hold it against a shark.

It was 100% my fault. Still, he does want to see a change. To put it in a classification like I did it intentionally, no, that I do find offense with. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, New Smyrna Beach, Florida. When we return in 60 seconds, the bands and artists abandoning Ed Shearin after McElmore was removed from his tour, the backlash tonight. And the flight instructor spinning out of control, slamming his helicopter into the tarmac. So what went wrong? and backseat breakout the suspect kicking out a cruiser's window as it was moving and making a run for it.

We're also following some breaking news in the music world, one of the biggest artists on the planet, Ed Sheeran, in crisis mode. His backup band and the major acts touring with him quitting after rap star McElmore was forced out due to his free Palestine comments and accusations of anti-Semitism. Our Emily Aketa has the latest. Tonight, more fallout over Ed Shearin's Loop Tour, with the Thinking Out Loud Singer, supporting acts now withdrawing, in protest of McElmore being dropped from the tour after comments like this. Free Palestine. Phineas, who has publicly supported Palestinians alongside his sister, Billy Elish, posting today, artists must not be silence when they speak up for the oppressed. Bioga, Shiran's house band, Danish band Lucas Graham, and Irish singer Aaron Rowe also announcing their departure on social media. Roe thanking Shiren for the opportunity but writing,

I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide, referencing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. McElmore said Monday that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and warned Shearin, if McElmore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play. Kraft, as previously said, this decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians. With backlash growing, Shearin now breaking his silence, clarifying he's been trying to build a bridge. But McElmore's removal was the promoter's decision. He wrote, there is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics.

My audience includes young people, often children of all backgrounds, adding, I respond. Expects McElmore's strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end. Peace. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. When we returned the helicopter crash caught on camera, what the pilot did wrong, plus how a young girl made it out alive after getting run over by a Mack truck. Next. Welcome back.

Wild new video of a helicopter crash at a Utah airport. You can see the helicopter lose control as it's trying to take off, bouncing off the ground, and then spinning out and slamming into the ground. So what went wrong? According to the NTSB, the instructor reached across the cockpit to make an adjustment while hovering and lost control of a lever. Both the pilot and a student made it out with only minor injuries. And take a look at this, moments after being taken into custody, this suspect to a 6'7

and wearing two sets of cuffs attempts to escape from the back of a patrol car. He leans back and starts kicking the cruiser window, eventually shattering the glass and fleeing from police. The suspect arrested for aggravated assault was quickly captured by authorities in Houston County, Texas, and taking to jail. Now to a miracle in the streets of Philadelphia, the giant truck plowing over a young girl in the street, you can see it as it starts moving and she's crossing its path before she falls, dragged underneath. A jewelry store employee runs out and alerts the truck to stop as others jump in to help pull her out. somehow she walks away with no injuries. Incredible. All right, when we come back tonight here on Nightly News, the scholarship surprise for one basketball star.

Her teammates with the inspiring assist just in time for her final season, set the tip off next. Finally, there's good news tonight, a college basketball team coming together to surprise one of their own, presenting a player who started as a freshman walk-on with an athletic scholarship for her senior season. The Fairfield Women's Basketball team is used to celebrating. Typically, for big moments, like this on the court. But on this day, inside this restaurant, they got a surprise in store for senior shooting guard Casey Pryor. It's the final day of a preseason trip abroad.

The seniors giving scripted remarks thanking donors and event organizers. But at the end, Casey is given one more piece of paper to read. but it would be a great time to share. To have, like, time to have me share with everyone that I received a full basketball. Casey surprised with a full scholarship for her final season. Her parents overjoyed. Mom, wiping tears at the table. They've supported me through everything and pushed me to, like, be my best

throughout these years, and I'm, like, so grateful for everything they've done for me. She joined the team as a walk on her freshman year, giving it her all for three seasons. Now the team, giving back. to her. I like don't even really fully like remember what I was thinking in that moment. And I truly like felt like the love from every single person in that room. Enjoy senior year. All right, that's nightly news for this Tuesday. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching tonight. And always we're here for you. Good night.