NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Episode Date: July 30, 2026

Pope Leo talks to Tom Llamas about family’s history with slavery; Fauci pleads fifth during Covid hearing; Powerful storms slam the East Coast; 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 outside the Pope's summer palace in Italy, where we spoke with the first American Pope as he hosted a concert for the world. The Concert for Peace, helping to bring the world together. This is the experience of beauty. And my time with Pope Leo, his most extensive comments yet on what it means to be an American and the Pope. I think of myself more as the Pope who happens to be American. Why he thinks America is great. So many things. The question so many Catholics back home are wondering.

Will Americans see you soon in America? And what he just spoke about publicly for the first time, that some of his ancestors were slaves. We have exclusive access to the extraordinary event hosted by the Pope, his call for peace. I pray that peace may rain in your homes. The schoolchildren who have survived so much now celebrated. And the moving performance,

from one of the greatest tenors ever. Also tonight, keyed hearing, Dr. Anthony Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times, refusing to answer questions about his handling of the pandemic. Now, Republican senators are threatening to hold him in contempt.

Right now, violent storms whipping across the northeast and apparent twister, peeling off this roof, a mill collapsing in rushing waters, streets cut off, were tracking it all. President Trump, vowing revenge after Iran, attempted a surprise missile attack on U.S. basis,

and our new reporting, his furious outburst at his national security team. Actor Jared Ledo facing new allegations of sexual misconduct, multiple women, telling the BBC he pursued them when they were teens, how he's responding. The wild road rage chase caught on camera, a driver going in reverse, appearing to chase down a couple, What happened next? Plus, new body cam video of ex-N-N-Fel star Tony Romo's DUI arrest. What it shows. Nightly News. It starts right now. This is a special edition of NBC Nightly News. A visit with Pope Leo. Reporting tonight from the Pope's summer residence in Italy.

Here is Tom Yamas. And good evening. We are live tonight from Castel Gandolfo in Italy about an hour outside of Rome. and right behind me, those large wooden doors you see right there, the entrance to the Pope's beautiful summer residence. The stunning grounds here have played host to emperors, popes, and world leaders going back centuries. And just hours ago, I spoke face to face with Pope Leo himself. I asked him about making history as America's first ever pontiff, the American values he brings to the papacy, and for the first time, he speaks publicly on camera about his family's history with slavery. Earlier today, these were the scenes during an extraordinary event, Pope Leo's

Concert for Peace, featuring performances from legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli, as well as a choir of children who have faced incredible hardships, some from war toward regions around the world. And Pope Leo delivering a message calling for peace and unity during a time of global conflict. We'll bring you all of that, but we begin with my meeting with the Pope and our questions to the first American pontiff. Your Holiness, thank you so much for speaking with us. You are the first American Pope. It's something you don't speak about often.

I'm curious, how important is being American to you? And what do you love about America? Well, first of all, just to clarify, I think of myself more as the Pope, who happens to be American. Not to belittle what it means to be American. I was born in the United States. My family is still in the United States.

I have great love for America. But I understand my mission as having a very important dimension, which is precisely being pastor of a universal church, and having a voice and an opportunity to speak to people throughout the world. So I will put things in that order, and yet at the same time, I will acknowledge that for myself, as well as for the people of the United States, judging by the response that we've seen since May 8th of last year,

that there is great significance in being the first American pope. We asked the first American to lead the Catholic Church what he still carries from home. What do you love about America? So many things. In a sense, speaking about principles, what America stands for, the sense of freedom, the sense of opportunity, the sense of having invited for generations, people from around the world to be part of America. I come from a family that my grandparents were immigrants.

On my mother's side, we have people who were both slaves and slave owners. There's a history of, if you will, growing up in the kind of experience that helps me to recognize myself, one of the greatest wealths of the United States. and I continue to hold the principles that have been a part of being American for so many years, that that will continue. A history traced by a genealogist only after his election and one he has never spoken about publicly until tonight. Pope Leo the 14th speaking with us just after hosting a concert for peace in the Papal Gardens at Castel Gandolfo, where Andrea Bocelli, an choir of children from parts of the world, gripped by crisis,

It was beautiful to see children from different parts of the world singing together. I've heard Andre I've heard Andre Beal Shelly sing other times, and so to have, if you will, the blessing of Andréocelli and his voice together with this choir put together by foundation, but all these children coming together from different parts of the world was just a very uplifting experience, very nice. And then the question so many Americans have been wondering, will Americans, you soon in America? They will see me there. By coincidence, today we were looking at the calendar for the next couple of years. Nothing is set in stone yet, but I certainly hope to be there soon. But next couple of years, I heard you.

Your Holiness, thank you. No date, no city, but for the first time, the first American pontiff may be coming home. We're going to have much more with our meeting with the Pope later in the broadcast, but back at home in Washington, Dr. Anthony Fauci was grilled by lawmakers over his actions during the pandemic. But Fauci did not answer questions and said, taking the fifth. Here's Monica Alba. On the advice of counsel, I respect. Dr. Anthony Fauci today invoking his Fifth Amendment right more than a hundred times. I respectfully declined to answer. Declining to answer lawmaker questions about his handling of the pandemic, citing what he called GOP Senator Ram Paul's

unhinged obsession with prosecuting him. The sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote, behind bars, unquote. Fauci's attorney was removed after he interrupted the hearing to speak, Democrats defending Fauci. I fear the intent of this hearing is only meant to further a purely partisan agenda. All of it, after Paul published more than 1,100 pages of Fauci's personal diary, including where Fauci gushed about praise he received from celebrities like Bono, Julia Roberts, and Barbara Streisand, writing,

It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country. You wanted to be on TV. You wanted to be the sun god of science. You could sit for in-style magazine, but you can't answer questions for the American people. In one entry, Fauci also wrote about a phone call where he said he successfully convinced New York City's mayor to close schools. Republican senators grilling him over those COVID lockdown measures. Who the f*** do you think you were for doing that? It is a total disgrace what you did to this country. Former President Biden pardoned Fauci for any potential offenses during an 11-year period before

2025, but it would not cover his statements today. And Senator Paul's committee plans to vote next week on holding Dr. Fauci in contempt of Congress, but it would ultimately be up to the DOJ to prosecute him. Tom? Monica, thank you. Now to the dangerous storm system hitting parts of the northeast right now. Millions are under flood alerts tonight.

Here's Emily Aketa. Purple floodwaters ripping apart buildings, carrying pieces of this mill downstream. As the parade of perilous storms dumps more than eight inches of rain on parts of upstate New York and New England. Alexa Dringis from our affiliate, WMYT, is south of Albany.

The water is actually roaring all these tree limbs aligned up here along this gauge here. Road completely blocked off. Nearby, first responders rescuing a grandmother, her granddaughter, and two pets by boat from a home surrounded by water. In northern New Jersey this morning, crews rushing to this scary scene after utility pole came crashing down onto cars. Within like 20 minutes, all these cars were like detonating. Like you could hear the gas just blowing up on them. The fire totally incinerating a line of parked vehicles. It comes on the heels of powerful storms and likely tornadoes that touch down south of Knoxville, Tennessee,

and on Maryland's eastern shore, peeling off this building's roof. Tragically in Wake County, North Carolina, officials say a man was killed when a tree slammed into this home, all part of an unrelenting week of severe weather across the country. Emily Ikeda, NBC News. President Trump tonight saying the U.S. will hit back at Iran in retaliation for its failed surprise attack on American troops. Garrett Hake has those details. Tonight, smoke rising over a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker in Egypt, following what President Trump suggests was an Iranian drone strike. And it comes after Iran's unsuccessful ballistic missile attack against American assets in Jordan.

missiles going 8,600 miles an hour, big ones coming right at us, and all five were shot down. And Saudi Arabia now joining the U.S. in launching precision strikes against Iran-aligned militias in Iraq, with President Trump tonight vowing more retaliatory strikes on Iran. We're going to smack them a little bit. Is they hit back when they strike? Will I always hit back? Yes. Pretty much.

The conflict flaring up again in recent weeks after the Iranian regime, broke the ceasefire it signed and fired on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Since then, both sides trading attacks. But Americans are souring on the war. 72% of respondents in a new poll disapproving of the president's handling of Iran. A U.S. official and person familiar telling NBC news, the president's own frustrations about his military and diplomatic options to end the war erupted during a meeting last week with some of his top national security officials. At one point, the president yelling expletives. But the White House says that description is false and that the president trusts his team.

Tom? Garrett Hake for us tonight. There are new allegations against Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto tonight, multiple women telling the BBC Leto pursued them when they were teenagers. One saying she was under the legal age of consent at the time. Chloe Malas has more. Tonight, Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto, accused by multiple. women speaking to the BBC of sexual misconduct. Four women, three of whom spoke to the BBC with their faces concealed, recounted their experiences from between 2002 and 2016, when Leto was in his

30s and 40s. The women each teenagers at the time. The BBC says it corroborated a number of the women's accounts with friends and family. But it quickly moved into, oh, well, you're a virgin. Leto now 54 is a Hollywood heavyweight, winning an Oscar for his role in Dallas Buyers Club and starring in films like Suicide Squad. In the BBC story, a woman identified as Isabel, so she met with Leto in a Las Vegas motel when she was 17 and he was in his 30s. She says he called her over to the bathroom while he was in the shower. He grabbed my hand and he started touching himself with my hand. She says she then left. In a statement, Lettow said, I have learned.

never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false. Another woman told the BBC when she met Leto in California, she let him know she was only 17, and that he pursued sex with her anyway. He told me, I would like you to call me Daddy, and it was either pretend to be a little girl or my little girl. A growing number of allegations, now swirling around one of Hollywood's biggest stars. Chloe Malas, NBC News. When we return in 60 seconds, the nightmare road rage chase

when a driver takes off after a couple in reverse. We'll have more of this video. And the new images tonight of former NFL star, Tony Ramos, alleged DUI arrest. And from here in Italy, tenor Andrea Bocelli's Moving Song of Peace, we're live from the Pope's Summer Palace, back right after this.

We're back now with terrifying dash cam video out of Oregon, showing a wild case of road rage. Morgan Chesky has the video. Oh, my God. This guy's crazy. He's driving in reverse right now, trying to follow me in reverse. Tonight, new video capturing an Oregon couple's drive turned nightmare. Disturbance that someone's following me.

I don't know. He seems like he has a weapon or something. The couple's dash cam capturing the stunning moment Sunday, as a driver aggressively cuts them off, leading to a frightening chase. Look, what the fuck is he doing? Driving in reverse? He's driving in reverse with me. Police say 29-year-old Armand Hastings intentionally swerved into oncoming traffic. Don't worry, sorry. I got it. Dash cam then shows Hastings vehicle backing up down the road, tracking the couple in reverse for more than a mile as they tried to escape.

It isn't clear what led to the incident. Concerned Hastings was reaching for a fire. arm. The couple drove straight to the Beaverton Oregon Police Department, where officers were waiting. You're under arrest. They're by the guard. Body cam video shows police pulling a black airsoft handgun from Hastings Jacket Pocket. His criminal history includes a 2024 conviction for assaulting an officer. Tonight, the 29-year-old is pleaded not guilty to four new charges, including reckless driving and menacing. Morgan Chesky, NBC News. And we're back in a moment with the new video of former quarterback Tony Romo's DUI arrest what it reveals. Also tonight, new body camp footage of former NFL quarterback Tony Romo being arrested

on suspicion of driving under the influence. You can see the deputies telling him he was pulled over for unsafe driving. Romo tells them he had not been drinking. He then faces a field sobriety test and is handcuffed. When we come back tonight, singing for peace, the moving moment, a choir of children from places gripped by crisis performed right there. are alongside the great Andrea Bocelli when we return from outside the Pope's summer palace. That's next.

And welcome back. This is a look at the Bridge of Angels in Rome. And we're here outside the Pope's summer retreat. And we close tonight with the children in the choir who were part of that historic concert for peace. Young singers coming from places gripped by crisis. They came together here with Andrea Bocelli for a very special performance. The children of the choir singing before. for Pope Leo, alongside legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

When you sing and you hear all these children behind you singing as well, how does it feel? It's beautiful because they are angels, you know. Everyone has an incredible story. Their voices carry more than just music. They carry stories of hardship and war. Father, we are children and we only ask not to be afraid of the dark. War is a dark night that takes away our friends, our parents, our schools, and our homes. The 164 children and teenagers making up this choir brought together by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation.

They come from Uganda, the Holy Land and parts of Italy. It must be so so gratifying to help these kids find these moments. I am lucky for this and I can do it because I received the present from God. Today's concert named Cantico di Pache, or concert for peace. As you were singing, did you notice how music drew all of us into an experience of something new? Something that was greater than any one of us alone could create. I spoke to a few of the singers right before their performance. Who's excited about singing for the folks?

Everyone is all of us. 14-year-old Amy is from the Holy Land, and already, has experienced a lifetime of grief. This is a concert for peace. What does that mean for you personally? Personally, it means everything because we can't find peace in our country. There's war and children are scared.

They're dying and it's really hard. So this is an amazing opportunity. I have learned that teamwork is so important because if we worked on this project individually, we wouldn't have been here today. And it was so powerful to hear all those bright, young voices. That's nightly news for this Wednesday. I'm Tom Yamas.

We thank you so much for watching our special broadcast. Tonight and always, we're here for you.