NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

Hurricane Erin eyes the East Coast with dangerous surf and potential flooding; Israel takes first steps in new offensive against Hamas in Gaza; Heartbreaking testimony from parents of Camp Mystic victims; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, Hurricane Aaron heading closer to the East Coast, with winds of up to 110 miles per hour. Parts of North Carolina already feeling air and surge. The eye of the storm seen from space. Dangerous, life-threatening surf and rip currents forcing beaches to close along the eastern seaboard for days. Tropical storm warnings from North Carolina all the way to Virginia. Also breaking tonight no sign of peace as the bombing continues. in Gaza, Israel calling up to 60,000 reservists, the new plan to take over Gaza City.

In Texas, the parents that lost so much demanding answers, the heartbreaking testimony from parents of the camp mystic campers who died in the devastating July 4th flash floods, one mother still awaiting the remains of her daughter. The freak shark attack right on the beach, a fisherman posing with the big catch until it catches a chunk of his leg.

what he told us after surgery. Homicide investigators in Los Angeles examining this chilling video. Did a husband kill his wife and drag her body out in a bag, how police say he fled to Peru with their children. In Washington, President Trump ordering a complete review of the Smithsonian and other museums,

even accusing it of focusing too much on how bad slavery was. A young woman battling to get spinal surgery while battling her insurance company, Her father, taking a TikTok for help. What happened after we started asking questions? Our cost of denial tonight. And Rob Grunkowski's epic adventure, the duck boat, the slide, the spike, and the tears, the playground unlike any other.

Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. Other bands of Hurricane Aaron are set to lash the east coast. Already tonight, parts of North Carolina are feeling the impacts of this powerful storm. Look at that there. The eye of the hurricane, you see it here from the International Space Station massive. The picturesque homes along North Carolina's coast are about to sustain winds reaching up to 55 miles per hour and punishing storm surge that could erase roads.

Beaches spanning the eastern seaboard are closed as dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents with waves possible up to 20 feet. We begin tonight with Aaron Gilcrest there on the beach in North Carolina. Tonight, North Carolina's outer banks under a state of emergency and starting to feel the early effects of Hurricane Aaron. Folks on the coast need to take care.

Dangerous waves already pummeling lower Hatteras Island with more storm surge and tropical storm force wind to come. The combination posing a real threat to this oceanfront motel, Ninety-six-year-old Carol White-Dillon is worried her 70-year-old business could be crippled by the storm. I'm worried about losing my beach houses, yes, because they're a money-makers. And you think that's a real possibility this time?

Well, I'm hoping not, but it's possible. Local officials bracing for the life-threatening impacts, an overwhelming storm surge could make the only highway off Hatteras Island impassable. If these roads wash out, lives and livelihoods are. are on the line. We're looking at how we can quickly get back up and running because this is also our tourist season, and this is where we make our money for the winter. Video from the International Space Station showing Aaron's massive size, hundreds of miles across, putting the whole East Coast on high alert.

These are life-threatening rip currents. You should not be in the water. Fueled by those dangerous rip currents, many beaches have banned swimming along the eastern seaboard. This is Mother Nature in her fury. On the Jersey shore, early signs of errands starting to appear as officials warn residents to take it seriously. It will leave its mark and we will fill the effects in the neighborhoods and it'll probably take some real estate with it as well.

Farther north in Maine, rough surf visible. Back in North Carolina, the time to leave the evacuation zone has passed. The holdouts now leaning on their preparations and hope. So you feel pretty safe? Well, I would never leave. Let's put it that way. And with that, Aaron Gilchrest joins us tonight live from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Aaron, get our viewers up to speed here about where exactly hurricane is right.

Hurricane Aaron is right now and the path. Well, Tom, we are starting to really feel and see the effects of Hurricane Aaron here. The tropical storm warning remains in effect here. That storm is still several miles off the coast. We expected to move up the East Coast tonight and tomorrow before turning out to see Friday and Saturday. We know that it is not going to make landfall here, but beach conditions we do expect will be difficult for anybody who might try to get too close to the water. It's going to be a major water event. We're talking about coastal flooding.

We're talking about storm surge and other conditions here at the beach. Tom? All right, Aaron, we thank you for that. We want to turn out of the Mideast and the major announcement by Israel, expanding its war against Hamas inside of Gaza with a major offensive in Gaza's largest city. Here's Andrea Mitchell. Tonight, a desperate scramble in Gaza, 23-year-old Saja Hamad. You can only see her head as she's trapped by concrete and steel after an Israeli airstrike, finally pulled from the rubble, alive, as Israel started expanding its war against Hamas,

calling up 60,000 reserves and extending the tour of 20,000 already on active duty, to take control of Gaza City, home to a million people. A controversial decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office says, for the defeat of Hamas. But opposed by families of Hamas hostages, today calling for Israel to accept Hamas' new offer of his 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 of the 20 surviving Israeli hostages. But Hamas still refusing to release them all at once, which Israel and President Trump are calling for.

He wants all the hostages back, and that is the position that we have. We want all the hostages back. In a nationwide strike, hundreds of thousands of Israelis marched against the war on Sunday. The head of the army is also opposed, arguing more fighting could endanger surviving hostages. Concerns echoed by American hostage mother Orna Nutra, whose son Omerer, was killed during the Hamas terror attacks on October 7th. We've already seen what Hamas does. They won't hesitate to execute the hostages.

Israel's military has said the new offensive could take five or six months, Tom. Andrea Mitchell for us tonight. Andrea, thank you. Back here at home, powerful and heartbreaking testimony tonight from the parents of some of the 27 summer campers killed during raging floods in Texas. They're demanding action, saying their daughter's deaths were preventable. Here's Morgan Chesky with those moments. This was 100% preventable. Today in Austin. My baby girl is still missing. Parents who lost daughters when floods destroyed Camp Mystic pouring out their hearts and demanding action. 27 girls were killed. The mother of Seale Stewart, the only camper whose body's not been found, saying they were betrayed by camp officials who were unprepared. Protocols that should have been in place were ignored.

As a result, my daughter was stolen from us. The parents supporting new legislation that would bar licenses for camps that place cabins in floodplains and require camps to conduct a vacuum. She was so kind, the most gentle little girl who fiercely loved her little sisters and all of our friends. Blake and Caitlin Bonner speaking about their beloved nine-year-old daughter, Lila. Why were our children sleeping in a known high-risk flood zone? Lawmakers listening, some in tears, passing the bill out of committee as heartbroken parents press on. What I do know is that my daughter should still be here. We can't let complacency, the life of another child.

And tonight, Camp Mystic telling NBC News, they work to, quote, ensure a safe and supportive environment, adding they also support any legislation that would make camps safer. Tom? You feel for all those parents there. Okay, Morgan, we thank you for the story. Now to those new comments from President Trump accusing the Smithsonian of bashing America,

including focusing on how bad slavery was instead of the country's successes. It's sparking backlash tonight. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, President Trump is, escalating his war against what he calls the last remaining segment of woke, accusing the Smithsonian of being out of control, where everything discussed is how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.

Nothing about success, nothing about brightness, nothing about the future. We want the museums to talk about the history of our country in a fair manner, not in a woke manner or in a racist manner. A different tone than his first term when he toured the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture. This museum is a beautiful tribute to so many American heroes. In May, NBC News found that least 32 artifacts that were once on display at that museum had been removed. That came after the president signed an executive order in March, saying the

Smithsonian was influenced by a divisive race-centered ideology that portrays American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive. Attorney Lindsey Halligan is leading the White House review. We're just hoping to keep things positive and focus on America's 250th birthday. But the president's comment about slavery drawing backlash. That someone, you know, says something like that, you know, is downright offensive. And to a great extent, I think it's evil. While among tourists in D.C. today, mixed reactions.

I'm open to every entity undergoing a review. They're not too woke. They honestly speak the truth about this country's history. The Smithsonian did not respond to a request for comment. 62% of its funding comes from the federal government. Tom. Gabe Gutierrez, Gabe, thank you. We'll turn now to the man who found out just how dangerous sharks can be while trying to pose for a photo.

Our George Salis spoke to him moments ago inside of the hospital. In an instant, this photo-worthy moment turned into a trip to the hospital for this Florida fisherman. It's the corner of his mouth. He comes around and he just grabs a little bit. While posing with a lemon shark, his friends caught. Sean Mews was unexpectedly bitten. Speaking from his hospital bed, he says it all happened so fast.

That was the one telling him, you know, put this turniquet on, we need it tighter. We've got to elevate my leg. His friends acted fast as they raced back to first responders. Mews was then airlifted to the hospital. Florida fish and wildlife say some sharks are protected in Florida. It is illegal to harvest, possess, or land them. And if they are caught, they must remain in the water with their gills submerged and released immediately. It's hard to take a hook out of a shark when it's still swimming.

So we didn't want to leave the hook in there. We can take it out. You take it out. Why cut it and leave a hook in the fish? Doctors say the 48-year-old is expected to make a full recovery and vows to go back to his passion, fishing. You might as well be in good spirits about it and laugh about it because this is what else you're going to do about it. You can't, you can't change what happened. George Solis, NBC News, Fort Myers, Florida.

All right, we're going to take a turn now to our series, the cost of denial, the story of one family's struggle to get coverage for the surgery needed by a young woman living with debilitating pain. The coverage denied twice, but that changed one day after NBC's Ellison Barber reached out. Horror writer Wrathed James White doesn't. minutes words about his insurance company. When you think of Aetna, what word or words come to mind? Callous, unfeeling, greedy. He first came to our attention with a viral TikTok.

My daughter is in pain. About his daughter, Nala. I have been paying for this insurance for years, and they will do nothing but just keep taking my damn money. Diagnosed with degenerative this disease at 15, Nala White says her teens were dictated by pain. On the scale of 1 to 10, the walk from your room to the kitchen just to like make breakfast, how painful could that be? It would go past 10. It wouldn't be like 11. Living just outside Austin, Texas, years of treatments, including physical therapy, failed her. She found a voice for the pain through art.

Pain's getting worse and the depression that goes with it because you kind of feel like there's no hope. Her mother, Christine, had similar issues with her neck and back when she was younger. It is probably one of the worst things that you can go through, watching your daughter go through pain. And I think for me, it was on a different level because I know the pain. Multiple specialists gave them the same advice. So the first doctor who said, she needs surgery, we took a pause and said, we're going to get a second opinion. It was the second doctor who told us, yes, she needs surgery. That's what we, third, okay.

But their insurance provider, Aetna, denied coverage for the surgery and then denied their appeal, saying it was not medically necessary. They're just hoping that if they deny it enough times, that you will get tired of fighting and you'll go away and just deal with the pay. It is terrible. Desperate, the family raised money online in part by selling Nala's art to fund the surgery themselves. Aetna declined an interview for this story, but when we asked about Nala's case, they emailed the very next day, saying in part, Etna has approved coverage for her back surgery. Nala had already had the procedure weeks before. Her parents didn't learn about the approval until we sat down for our interview.

Their response to me was this. Ellison, based on additional documentation provided by Ms. White's surgeon after the previous appeal was completed, Aetna has approved coverage for her back surgery. So I followed up with them, and they said, Ellison, the coverage decision was made today and communicated verbally to Ms. White's surgeon in a phone conversation. We had to fund the surgery ourselves with that GoFundMe. We raised over $33,000 from friends, family, people who don't even know us. Nothing adds up. Nothing adds up. Yeah, it was made after they saw your email.

They saw NBC News and decided, we don't want this publicity, so we're going to approve it now. Do you think Aetna would have reversed their denial if they didn't think you were going to be a part of NBC's Cost of Denial series? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Nala now doing better after her surgery. The relief from her pain, a life-changing event. Her family now hopeful for relief from the financial pain as well. And with that, Alison, joins us live. Alison, it's great she finally got that surgery. They had to pay for it.

Have they been reimbursed yet? Some not fully, and they tell us the biggest bills, those are still outstanding. They're working with their doctors as well as talking with Aetna, trying to get all of that figured out. But it's been complicated. And big picture, they are still frustrated, mad that this was denied in the first place, and they are convinced that the reversal in their view was because of this series. Tom. All right, great work tonight. Ellison, we thank you for that. And if you have a story you wanted to share for our series, email us, please, at the cost of denial at NBCUNI.com. All right, in 60 seconds, the new surveillance video raising eyebrows. It is shocking of a man, now a person of interest, dragging a large sack on the night his wife went missing before her body was found. The latest on the investigation. That's next.

We are back now with a stunning piece of security video capturing a man dragging a bag with what appears to be a heavy object inside. Investigators say his wife's body was later found in similar material in a forest while the man fled to Peru. Here's Dana Griffin. Chilling surveillance video shows a man dragging this heavy sack outside of Southern California apartment. Investigators say the body of his wife, 33-year-old Shayla Cabrera, was later found wrapped in simple. material. It's scary, very spooky. Her parents telling KMBC they last spoke with Cabrera August 9th when she told them she was planning to leave her husband and take their three young children. That unsettling moment captured on surveillance video the following day, recorded around 4 a.m. according to neighbors. I never had any interaction with the husband. He always sees like mad all the time. A search team discovering Cabrera's body over the weekend in the Angeles National Forest. Officials say they are now searching for her husband, 36-year-old Hossi Mark Cabrera, who fled to Peru with the couple's three children, ages 9, 6, and 4. According to KMBC, he was briefly detained at the airport, but released because at the time his wife's body had not been found.

The kids are now with their grandmother. As officials work to determine their mother's cause of death, tonight a growing memorial sits outside the family's apartment, not far from where this Los Angeles' mother may have. have taken her last breath. Dana Griffin, NBC News. And we're back in a moment with a bit of breaking news. The major update on the push in Texas to redraw the congressional map and potentially change the balance of power in Washington. That's next.

We are back now with a major update on the battle for the control of Congress. The Texas State House just took the first step towards approving that state's congressional map to create five new Republican seats in Congress and potentially cementing the Senate. the GOP's control of the House. Now it heads to the Texas Senate. It comes after weeks of fighting between Democrats and Republicans in that state, with Democrats even fleeing for days to delay this vote. When we come back, he laughed, he cried, he dedicated a playground. Rob Grunkowski's infinite joy. That's next. Finally, there's good news tonight. After winning three Super Bowls in nine seasons,

with the Patriots, Rob Grancowski is a Boston sports legend. But Gronk's latest contribution to the city may be the one that means the most to him. It's hard to imagine anything more Boston than this. That's Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski doing donuts in a duckboat on the Charles River. A fittingly, New England arrival to officially open the city's new football-themed Gronk playground. The former Tide End said he never cried after a championship win, but this special day was different. Just watch. I thought of the idea to give back to Boston. Susan, you still have me moved.

Oh, I thought I had the idea to give back to the Boston area for all the love and support. The city of New England fans have shown me throughout my career, and it was since day one. Even if I was acting like an idiot, they loved that. Of course, number 87 had to test the new slide, getting a push from the governor, followed by a signature, Grunk Spike. Grunkowski, who won three Super Bowls with the Pats, worked with the city for five years to build the $2 million fully accessible playground. We've been waiting for this moment for a while, and just to see these kids, look at it right there.

That's what it's all about. The new playground is already getting rave reviews from the experts. What do you think of the playground in meeting gronk? I like it. But it seems no one had more fun than the biggest kid of all. Grank playground is officially opened. Woo! Crank spike! No matter your team, we can all celebrate that.

That's nightly news for this Wednesday. I'm Tom Yamas. Thanks so much for watching. Tonight and always, we're here for you. Good night. Don't know. Don't know! Let's go!