NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Episode Date: May 28, 2026

Severe weather wreaks havoc on South; Thousands evacuated from chemical tank threat; NASA unveils plans for base on the moon; 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 death told that deadly chemical disaster in Washington rising. The painstaking operation to five nine still missing and presumed day. The new video of the devastating catastrophe, this chemical tank partially collapsing, trucks tossed in the blast, new aerial showed just how widespread that impact was, and desperate families now searching for answers, our reporter is at the scene. The new plan to keep Ebola out of the U.S., We have new reporting on increased screening at U.S. airports and where Americans exposed to the disease will be forced to quarantine. This just in the major twist, months after a woman went missing while on a boat with her husband in the Bahamas.

What the Coast Guard just found that they say contradicts his account of how she disappeared. Daring cave rescue. Incredible video of five people trapped in a flooded cave for days found alive. take you inside the incredibly complex operation now to get them out. The shocking remarks from former First Lady Jill Biden saying she thought President Joe Biden was having a stroke during his 2024 debate with President Trump. The sentencing for Matthew Perry's assistant who injected him with that lethal dose of ketamine, what Perry's stepfather Keith Morrison told us after leaving court. Our series, The Cost of Denial, a teen, suffering from debilitating

seizures and the treatment denied because of her age, how her insurance reverse course when our team called. And hundreds of strangers showing up for a World War II veteran with no family left to lay him to rest. The powerful act of community. Nightly News starts right now. This is NBC Nightly News with Tom Yamas. And good evening. We begin tonight with the devastating toll from that chemical tank implosion in Washington State. Two people are confirmed dead, but nine people are still missing. And today officials announced they are believed to have been killed by the catastrophic accident at that packaging plant. We have new video tonight, taken in the moments immediately after the accident. You can see the sheer power of the blast. Trucks flipped

over and crushed huge puddles of liquid and the massive tank tipped over and crumbled. We're seeing these devastating images, families of those missing workers embracing and praying as that rescue mission turned into a recovery one, the governor says it could become the deadliest industrial tragedy in Washington state's history. And even right now, that tank still contains 25,000 gallons of toxic chemicals that's now slowly still leaking into the air. Borgencheski and our team at the scene tonight. Tonight, stunning new video shows the devastation inside a Washington plant moments after the deadly rupture of a massive chemical tank.

3401 industrial way at Nippon, hazmat burn. A toxic surge inside a packaging plant, leaving trucks flipped over or crushed, seen here in video obtained by an independent journalist. The leaking tank partially collapsed. Authorities confirm at least two people are dead and nine still missing from the implosion early Tuesday. This was a shift change time. They were operation and they were in their work spaces when this blast occurred.

The cause still unknown. We do not know where all nine are. We have searched the area, the area that is searchable. The tank holding nearly a million gallons of white liquor, a sodium-based chemical used in paper manufacturing that can cause severe burns if not properly handled, enough to fill more than an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Authorities have now sealed off the entire plant as recovery efforts intensify

that leaked chemicals so powerful. Even firefighters reported damage to their own gear. The steam cloud was so big. Covered everything. You couldn't see through it. Eli Bernal was working at the plant. Today, he and his sister remembering their father, 52-year-old Gilbert Bernal,

who they say showed up for his shift just minutes before the implosion. He was just a very genuine person. And just within minutes of you talking with him, you felt like you'd know him for a lifetime. I was Meanwhile at an overnight vigil Hundreds gathered to pray And support the families

Now left longing for answers I know they can't give us all the details But I still want to know What happened to my dad Still so many questions right now Morgan joins us live outside of that plant Morgan investigators are still trying to pinpoint The cause of how all this happened

Yeah Tom they are We do know that federal investigators Arrived today going through this scene trying to identify the cause as well as preventative measures. And we're also hearing from the company that owns this plant, sharing a statement they expressed their condolences tonight to those bereaved families. Tom? Borgencheski leading us off.

The U.S. today announcing dramatic new measures to keep Ebola out of the country, including increased screening at multiple airports. Our Stephanie Gosk has more. Tonight, as Ebola cases in Africa surge, the Trump administration vowing it won't spread here. We cannot and will not allow any cases of Ebola to enter the United States. The White House announcing it will set up a state-of-the-art facility in Kenya to treat Americans infected by the deadly virus in Africa, offering them life-saving care as quickly as possible.

The CDC also taking steps to stop the spread, making an urgent call to its staff. Volunteers are needed at major U.S. airports to screen travelers. Only Washington Dulles, Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson, George Bush Airways, airport in Houston, and now New York's JFK will accept U.S. citizens traveling from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Uganda. At the airport, they'll be taken to a designated screening area where they will complete a brief questionnaire and have their temperature checked, according to the CDC. Those without symptoms are free to leave, but are asked to immediately contact public health officials if symptoms develop. Dr. Ashish Jha is a public health expert.

That kind of screening is a really important part of making sure that we don't get people coming in with Ebola who we're not aware of. Non-U.S. citizens, including green card holders who have traveled to the affected region in the last three weeks, are temporarily banned from coming into the U.S. In Africa, there are close to 1,000 verified cases and more than 200 people dead. But there are fears the Ebola outbreak is far bigger, and it is spreading fast. Stephanie Gossk joins us now live from JFK where that screening will be set up. And Stephanie, what happens if someone arrives with symptoms? Yeah, so Tom, if there's a reasonable suspicion, someone has Ebola, they'll be transported safely to a designated hospital where they'll be isolated,

tested for Ebola, and if they have it, that's where treatment will begin, Tom. Okay, Stephanie Gossk. We have some shocking developments tonight in the search for Lynette Hooker. You may remember, her husband said she fell overboard in the Bahamas back in April. She still hasn't been found. The Coast Guard is now reopening its search because officials say his story doesn't add up. George Solis has been following this one first. And George, they noticed a discrepancy with the GPS of the boat.

Yeah, that's right, Tom. This is a stunning turn of events. The U.S. Coast Guard is reopening its search because they say GPS data from the couple's boat contradicts what her husband, Brian Hooker, told investigators about where they were the night she went missing, according to a U.S. official. Now, Hooker was released from custody in the Bahamas more than a month ago, and you'll remember, Tom, he told us he was going to keep searching for his wife, but a day later, his attorney told us he left the Bahamas, saying he was going to take care of his mother. Now, his stepdaughter has said that the two had had a volatile relationship. Now, we reached out to the

attorneys for Brian Hooker here in the U.S. and the Bahamas about today's events, and they had no comment. Tom? George, so at least with that big update tonight. Thank you. Tonight, an incredible moment caught on camera when five men stuck in a flooded cave for more than a week were found alive. Janice Mackey Freyer spoke with one of the rescue divers about the moment they were found. Deep inside a flooded cave in Laos. Through muddy water and narrow tunnels, they found them. Five men huddled on a ledge, cold, famished, but unhurt. Thank you, thank you, said one of the men. the survivors in dramatic video shot by divers. Outside volunteers were elated, yet now the real work

begins to find two others still missing and get all of them out. We spoke with one of the rescuers who said the men cried when they saw him. They really caught, I'm there, and shouting, I'm like crab hand. The group went into the cave last week to search for gold, when heavy rain triggered a flash flood that blocked the entrance with mud and debris. The rescue team from Thailand was involved in the 2018 operation that got 12 boys and their soccer coach out of a cave after 18 days. This rescue will be no less difficult, the survivors, nearly a thousand feet inside tunnels that are less than two feet wide at parts, complicated by potentially contaminated air and anxiety. For now, divers are getting supplies to.

to the group to help build up their strength to soon make the daring journey out. Janice Mackey-Fraer, NBC News, Beijing. President Trump tonight saying he's not thinking about politics or even the midterms as he tries to wrangle a deal to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. All as former First Lady Jill Biden is making a big headline tonight with new comments on her husband's disastrous debate performance. Here's Gabe Gutierrez. Tonight, under pressure from soaring gas prices,

President Trump is brushing off any concerns that the Iran war will hurt Republicans this November. And he has this warning as he negotiates with Iran's regime. They thought they're going to out-wate me, you know, we'll outweigh him. He's got the midterms. I don't care about the mid-tems. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms. People understand that they know that very simple.

Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. The president pointing to last night's landslide primary victory for the GOP candidate he endorsed. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeating four-term incumbent Senator John Cornyn. We just sent a Texas-sized message to Washington. Meanwhile, President Trump's stressing that he won't accept a short-term agreement that would allow Iran to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz by threatening to attack commercial oil tankers. He straight open immediately, immediately, but it's got to be perfect. I'm not going to do this. I didn't do this to get a crummy agreement. And President Trump is dismissing the idea Iran would manage the strait with the help of Oman, a U.S. ally.

They would like to control. Nobody's going to control its international orders, and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. All right, Gabe, let's turn to another big headline and more insight into the consequential moments of the 2024 campaign. President Biden's disastrous debate performance there

and new comments from former First Lady Jill Biden? I was frightened because I had never, ever seen Joe like that before or since. As I watched it, I thought, oh my God, he's having a stroke. And it scared me to death. And Gabe Democrats are still reckoning with that debate? Yes, Tom. It was not even referenced in the recent DNC autopsy and the issue of transparency is now threatening to loom over the midterms, particularly because her answer is so different from what we heard from top Democrats at the time. Tom? Gabe Gutier is at the White House when we return. in 60 seconds, our series, the cost of denial. She's only 13. Her doctor said a surgical procedure

could help stop her seizures, but insurance said no. What happened after our team called? That's next. In our series, the cost of denial, we investigate the struggles Americans have with insurance. Tonight, one little girl's agonizing battle with daily seizures. Her doctors recommended a procedure to help, but the family's insurance refused to pay. until after we investigated. Here's Maggie Vespah. Three cameras see. Minutes into our interview with Brandy Sharp

about her daughter, Camry's seizures, we had to pause if he's coming down. Do you need to go? You can go. Dad, Brian, brings 13-year-old Cambri in the midst of a seizure to the couch. Her eyes glazed over, fists clenched. Norris, the alert dog,

by Camry's sign. Good boy. What are those 15 to 20 minutes like as a mom? It's like watching the Cambri light go out. It's okay, I got you. It's a scene this rural Illinois family wants to share. Cambri, who has a severe form of epilepsy, goes through as many as four seizures a day.

What's been here? She had a second seizure just a few hours later. I worry that every minute, that she has a seizure is damage to her brain. These are the medications that she has used. One, two, three. Having exhausted the list of possible medications. 28.

Brandy says their doctors recommended neuromodulation with deep brain stimulation, in which surgeons place probes deep in the brain that send electrical stimulation to help prevent seizures. NBC News spoke with pediatric neurosurgeons not involved with Cambri's care, who agree the procedure can be effective. I know that there are other children who have it. Had your doctors told you that it had been done in other children? Yes.

And cover in other children. Yes. Finally. But for Cambrey, insurance said no. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield denied coverage days before the surgery was scheduled to take place. They said it was not FDA approved for children under the age of 18. Yep, BR. And that's true.

But the doctors treating Cambri tell us the procedure usually is approved by insurance for minors who qualify. To Camry, it felt personal. Really, they don't care for my safety. Do you think that they were thinking about you when they said why? All I think is that they were thinking about themselves or their buddy. NBC News reached out to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield asking about Cambrie's case. Three days later, the insurer reversed its decision. Anthem Blue Cross telling NBC News it previously had not received all of Canberry's medical information,

and once we received that information demonstrating that her treatment options are limited, we approved the deep brain stimulation treatment. Go ahead. It's in the middle there. We showed the statement to Brandy. She was skeptical. They have been her insurance provider since she was maybe a year old. They have all of her records. Why do you think they reversed their decision? I believe that they reversed that decision because NBC News reached out to them,

and they knew that there was going to be coverage about the fact that they were denying care for a child. You think it's that simple? I do. Can I have a hug? Can't be a hug? Canberra surgery is now scheduled for next month. I told her that no matter what it takes, I'll always fight for her to get the care she needs. her mom fighting for her every step of the way.

Maggie joins us now, and Maggie, you have new reporting tonight on what the insurance company here decided to do. Yeah, Tom, that's right. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield telling us it's now changing its policy to cover the surgery. Cambri was seeking for pediatric and adolescent patients who meet other clinical criteria, potentially saving other families from the struggles the sharps have endured. Tom. Great work tonight, Maggie, by you and the team. We're back in a moment with the pretext. prison sentence today for Matthew Perry's assistant. Perry's stepfather

Dateline's Keith Morrison speaking out to us. That's next. We are back now with major developments in the death of friend star Matthew Perry. Today Perry's personal assistant, Kenneth Iwo Masa, was sentenced to three years and five months in federal prison for injecting Perry with the ketamine that eventually killed him. Perry's stepfather, Dateline's Keith Morrison, spoke to us after the sentencing. He took advantage of Matthew's addiction in order to put himself in a position of some control over Matthew's life. And our thoughts, of course, with Keith and his family, four others have already pleaded guilty. When we come back here on Nightly News, the power of showing up how a community came together to honor a World War II veteran.

That's next. Finally tonight, a World War II veteran recently passed away, leaving behind no family. but when hundreds of strangers in his small Massachusetts town found out, they did something you're about to see that defines the word community. The line stretched down the block. Hundreds of strangers showing up for a man most had never met. This is beautiful. He would have loved this. Navy veteran John Bernard Arnold III served in World War II.

He passed away at 98 years old, leaving behind 9,000. No family. His mother died when he was very young. His father died when he was in his 20s. But the community of Hanson, Massachusetts, wasn't going to let him be laid to rest alone, inviting the public to come and honor a man who served his country. The turnout staggering. Talk about no family. Yes, you had a big family. Police officers, firefighters, former military, and community members paying their respects. People traveling from. from near and far. A celebration of life for a man who gave so much. And a community honoring a veteran, most didn't know, but we'll never forget.

An incredible show of support. We want to thank our affiliate, WJAR in New England, for bringing us that story. That's nightly news for this Wednesday. I'm Tom Yamas. We thank you so much for watching. Tonight and always we're here for you. Good night.